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Mayhem At Russian Border As Thousands Flee Putin’s Draft https://digitalarkansasnews.com/mayhem-at-russian-border-as-thousands-flee-putins-draft/ CHISINAU, Moldova—It took three days for two 24-year-old friends, photographer Mikhail and tech worker Dmitry, to make the grueling journey across a 16-kilometer-long traffic lineup between Russia and Georgia. The two men, who only wanted to be identified by their first names for fear of retribution, are among the 261,000 who fled the country after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a “partial” war mobilization last week—a decree that is set to send hundreds of thousands of young Russian men to fight in Ukraine. Mikhail and Dmitry bought plane tickets from Moscow to the city of Mineral Waters in Russia’s Caucasus region on Thursday, just hours after the mobilization announcement. They then drove to the city of Vladikavkaz, where they said they were forced to leave their car behind after being stopped by a police officer. From there, they walked and hitchhiked their way across the Russian border to Georgia. Their exodus was the “most horrific time of life,” Mikhail told The Daily Beast. He said it involved multiple interrogations by Russian police, as well as threats of imprisonment and extortion. But the two friends were determined to make their getaway—because they knew exactly what would happen to them if they stayed. It felt like they were fleeing “the most hostile” country in the world, Mikhail told The Daily Beast. “During one of the interrogations by traffic police, I had to show my unusual birthmark and lie to them that I had cancer. They believed me and let us go but only to the next checkpoint, where we were once again interrogated.” People arriving from Russia wait at the Mongolian border checkpoint of Altanbulag on September 25, 2022, after the Kremlin announced a partial mobilisation for the war in Ukraine. BYAMBASUREN BYAMBA-OCHIR/AFP via Getty Rumors that the FSB is set to close Russian borders as thousands continue to flee the country has only fueled the panic among citizens desperate to evade conscription. The traffic lineups at Russia’s border with Georgia and Kazakhstan now stretches dozens of miles, with fleeing citizens often leaving behind their suitcases and vehicles in the midst of the chaos. “We were treated as enemies in our own country,” Mikhail said. “I cannot blame them, they are enemies to us, we could not even think of killing people in Ukraine!” Meanwhile, tens of thousands of Telegram users on the Russian “Border Control” group chat have been documenting their experiences trying to flee Russia. “It looks like [border authorities] now have lists of names banned from leaving, they asked me about the purpose of my travel and checked with some data base,” wrote one user from the Domodedovo airport on Tuesday, who was leaving Moscow for Yerevan in Armenia. The price of that plane ticket had skyrocketed from $300 on Thursday to almost $1,000 on Monday. Those who’ve fled Russia are leaving behind some terrifying scenes in their own cities. Russian law enforcement has been accused of beating and detaining thousands of anti-war demonstrators who have taken to the streets to protest the mobilization. Police have been accused of raping one activists, poet Artem Kamardin, with a dumbbell. Videos of inexperienced men being sent to combat zones in Ukraine have flooded Russian social media channels. “My defense lawyer told me that if Putin decides to accuse us of a crime for running away from his mobilization, then Kazakhstan might extradite me back to Russia,” 38-year-old business manager Alexander, who fled to Kazakhstan this week, told The Daily Beast. “There were people crying and arguing and screaming in line on the border. I crossed the border last night on foot with just my backpack. I have no future plans but I am still panicking that Kazakhs might kick me out.” People carrying luggage walk past vehicles with Russian license plates on the Russian side of the border towards the Nizhniy Lars customs checkpoint between Georgia and Russia some 25 km outside the town of Vladikavkaz, on September 25, 2022. AFP/Getty Photographer Mikhail had four heavy cameras in his backpack and a laptop. His friend Dmitry was also carrying a heavy luggage. After hiking for several miles across the border lineup, the two were lucky to find somebody they knew traveling by car. “There was no space for us but at least some space for our luggage, so we walked on and our friends continued to wait in that line,” Mikhail said. “But after waiting for three days, people began to fight over a spot in line and eventually our friends turned around and went back to Moscow with our luggage.” Another Russian escapee, 38-year-old Konstantin, did not bring any luggage with him, just a scooter. Before the war, he was a tour guide who would lead expiditions in some of Russia’s most remote regions. But even for Konstantin, the journey was “nerve wracking,” he told The Daily Beast. Photographer Oksana Yushko also hiked 18 kilometers across the Georgian border on Monday. She had water with her, but no food. “They are not letting Caucasus nationals out, or at least they are interrogating them for a long time in some separate room,” she told The Daily Beast. For 31-year-old event planner Alexey Lesin, the trip from his hometown of Kazan to the Georgian border took almost four days. “I spent 15 hours in the traffic jam on the border, with no movement, so I decided to walk under heavy rain all the way to the border,” Lesin told The Daily Beast. “The entire trip cost me $1,500. This is a lot of money for me but it was worth it—though I have absolutely no plan for my future life in Georgia.” In his final comments to The Daily Beast, Mikhail said he “100 percent” believes he would have died had he been sent to Ukraine. “Now I feel like I am completely naked without any of my belongings, he said. “But I am already breathing freely here in Georgia.” Read More Here

Europe Points To Sabotage In Pipeline Leaks And Pledges ‘United Response’ https://digitalarkansasnews.com/europe-points-to-sabotage-in-pipeline-leaks-and-pledges-united-response/ Image This photo released by the Danish military on Tuesday shows gas bubbles from the Nord Stream 2 leak reaching the surface of the Baltic Sea, near the Danish island of Bornholm.Credit…Danish Defense Ministry The leaks in the Nord Stream gas pipelines under the Baltic Sea resulted from “a deliberate act,” the European Union’s top diplomat said on Wednesday, joining a growing chorus of European leaders in speaking of sabotage. Three separate leaks discovered on Monday in the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines from Russia to Germany are “not a coincidence and affect us all,” Josep Borrell Fontelles, the E.U. high representative for foreign affairs and security, said in a statement on Wednesday. Brussels would support an investigation, he added, and would “take further steps to increase our resilience in energy security.” European officials have been deeply unsettled by the ruptures in the pipelines. Though the leaks will not immediately affect Europe’s energy supply, they underscore the vulnerability of the continent’s energy infrastructure. Top Polish and Ukrainian leaders blamed Moscow for the leaks, without providing evidence, while Russian state media suggested U.S. or Ukrainian involvement. Sweden’s security opened an investigation into the matter, calling the leaks acts “gross sabotage” and saying it could not rule out that a foreign government was behind it. Mr. Borrell said deliberate disruption of Europe’s energy infrastructure “is utterly unacceptable and will be met with a robust and united response.” The comments echoed a warning posted on Twitter on Tuesday night by Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the E.U. executive arm, calling the leaks “sabotage action,” adding that it was “paramount” to conduct an investigation. The European Union lacks formal investigative powers, but officials said that it would support inquiries conducted by national authorities. On Wednesday, the Kremlin’s spokesman, Dmitri S. Peskov, called allegations of Russian involvement “predictably stupid and absurd,” and again pointed a finger at the United States. The immediate impact of the leaks on its energy supply is expected to be limited. Though filled with gas, neither pipeline was moving gas to Europe. Nord Stream 2 had not been authorized to operate, and Nord Stream 1 has been practically cut off since August by Gazprom, the Kremlin-controlled energy giant. Still, the leaks exacerbated Europe’s jitters in its escalating energy war with Russia. Since the invasion of Ukraine, President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia has been toying with the continent’s energy supplies, turning off the taps and escalating tensions in response to the European support for Ukraine. The extent of the damage became clear on Tuesday, the day of the official opening of the Baltic Pipe project, a new gas pipeline transporting fuel from Norway through Denmark to Poland, which has been built as part of the European Union’s plan to wean itself from Russian fossil fuels. NORWAY Finland Vyborg Ust-Luga Sweden ESTONIA Russia Nord Stream pipelines 1 and 2 (approx. route) Denmark Greifswald Belarus Germany Poland Danish and Polish leaders said that the timing was not a coincidence. Swedish seismologists said they detected large undersea explosions on Monday near the site of the leaks, and President Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, called the incident “apparent sabotage.” Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki of Poland said the authorities do not know the details of what happened “but we can clearly see that it is an act of sabotage..” Denmark’s prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, echoed that judgment. “It’s hard to imagine that it’s accidental,” she told reporters, while declining to place blame. Finland’s foreign minister, Pekka Haavisto, said on Wednesday that the Finnish authorities would investigate “all movements of ships in the Baltic Sea and try to find out what kind of movement has taken place in the vicinity of the pipes.” “There are various possibilities, but the magnitude of this act is such that surely some governmental player is behind it,” he told the newspaper Helsingin Sanomat. — Monika Pronczuk, Melissa Eddy, Oleg Matsnev and Johanna Lemola Image Georgian police officers blocked opposition activists who were holding a rally near the Russian border on Wednesday to support Ukrainians and protest against the arrival of Russian citizens.Credit…Irakli Gedenidze/Reuters At least 200,000 Russians have left the country in the week since President Vladimir V. Putin announced a partial military mobilization after a series of setbacks in the country’s war with Ukraine, according to figures provided by Russia’s neighbors. The mobilization could pull as many as 300,000 civilians into military service, from what Russian officials have said is a pool of some 25 million draft-eligible adults on their rolls, suggesting that the departures, though unusual, may not prevent the Kremlin from achieving its conscription goals. Video posted on social media platforms showed long lines of cars approaching border checkpoints in countries including Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Georgia and Finland. The rapid outflow, as well as a series of protests in different parts of the country, are a stark display of discontent with Mr. Putin’s policy. “I left because of my disagreement with the current government in Russia,” said Alexander Oleinikov, 29, a bus driver from Moscow who had crossed overland into northeastern Georgia. He said that many people he knew were against the war, which he called a “tragedy” caused by “one crazy dictator.” The size of the exodus is difficult to determine, however, given that Russia has borders with 14 countries, stretching from China and North Korea to the Baltic States, and not all governments release regular data about migration. The government of Kazakhstan said on Tuesday that 98,000 Russians had entered the country in the last week and Georgia’s interior minister said more than 53,000 people had crossed into the country from Russia since Sept. 21, when the mobilization was announced. The daily number climbed over those days to around 10,000 from a normal level of about 5,000 to 6,000. The European Union’s border agency, Frontex, said in a statement that nearly 66,000 Russian citizens entered the bloc in the week to Sunday, up 30 percent from the previous week. Those numbers give some additional credence to the scale of exodus described in a report over the weekend by the independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta, which cited what it said was a security service estimate, provided by an unnamed source, of 261,000 men having left the country by Sunday. There is also evidence that Russia may be moving to stem the flow of departures. On Wednesday, Russia’s North Ossetia republic imposed restrictions on cars arriving from other parts of the country. The republic’s governor, Sergei Menyaylo, said the ban was being introduced after 20,000 people crossed the border in two days. Some European countries have already imposed border restrictions with Russia, including Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, which have closed their doors to most Russian citizens. Finland is considering similar measures. On Wednesday, the United States Embassy in Moscow, which had previously urged its citizens to leave Russia, restated the position in the light of the mobilization drive, warning that those with dual Russian and American nationality could be at risk of being drafted. Russia is also attempting to clamp down on citizens trying to leave the country. On Tuesday, the state news media reported that men waiting to flee at the Georgia border were being served call-up papers. Some analysts, however, cautioned that the practical impact of the departures was likely to be limited. “Many young Russian men are departing in a mass exodus from Russia,” said Mick Ryan, an Australian military expert who has commented extensively on the war in Ukraine. “But millions of others will not have the means to leave Russia to escape their draft notices.” Ksenia Ivanova contributed reporting. Image A billboard with a Russian flag reading ‘We believe in our army and our victory’ in Luhansk, Ukraine, on Tuesday.Credit…Associated Press Image A woman casting her ballot during a referendum in Luhansk on Tuesday.Credit…Associated Press Image A worker emptying a ballot box in Donetsk on Tuesday.Credit…Alexander Ermochenko/Reuters KYIV, Ukraine — Russian proxy officials in occupied areas of Ukraine appealed on Wednesday to President Vladimir V. Putin to join Russia, kicking off what is expected to be several days of pageantry and formalities intended to give Russia’s annexation plans a sheen of legitimacy. The moves are meant to check boxes under Russian law and the Russian constitution in a process for claiming land in a neighboring country that most of the rest of the world sees as patently illegal. Staged referendums in occupied areas of Ukraine were hastily set in motion last week after Russia suffered setbacks on the battlefield. After five days of stage-managed voting, in which many residents said they were coerced to cast a ballot by armed soldiers, the Russian proxy officials in occupied areas announced purported results that showed, as expected, overwhelming support for joining Russia. With the ostensible results in hand, the proxies asked the Russian government to incorporate their territories into Russia in informal appeals issued on Wednesday morning. The aim is to declare parts of Ukraine as Russian territory and then assert that the Ukrainian army is attacking Russia, not the other way around. Annexation would also provide a pretext for drafting Ukrainian men in occupied areas and forcing them to fight other Ukrainia...

Stock Market Today: Dow Jumps 400 Points As British Pound Recovers, Treasury Yields Slip https://digitalarkansasnews.com/stock-market-today-dow-jumps-400-points-as-british-pound-recovers-treasury-yields-slip/ About this page Last Updated: Sep 28, 2022 at 1:00 pm ET The Wall Street Journal’s full markets coverage. Read More Here

New Book: Trump Nearly Fired Jared And Ivanka Via Tweet | CNN Politics https://digitalarkansasnews.com/new-book-trump-nearly-fired-jared-and-ivanka-via-tweet-cnn-politics/ Washington CNN  —  Then-President Donald Trump nearly fired his daughter Ivanka Trump and son-in-law Jared Kushner from the White House via tweet, according to a new book from New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman. Trump raised the prospect of firing Ivanka Trump and Kushner, who were both senior White House aides, during meetings with then-chief of staff John Kelly and then-White House counsel Don McGahn, Haberman writes. At one point, he was about to tweet that his daughter and son-in-law were leaving the White House – but he was stopped by Kelly, who told Trump he had to speak with them directly first. Trump never had such a conversation – one of numerous instances where he avoided interpersonal conflict – and Ivanka Trump and Kushner remained at the White House throughout Trump’s presidency. Still, Trump often diminished Kushner, mocking him as effete, Haberman writes. “He sounds like a child,” Trump said after Kushner spoke publicly in 2017 following his congressional testimony, according to the book. In “Confidence Man: The Making of Donald Trump and the Breaking of America,” Haberman chronicles the chaos of the Trump White House, with new details about how Trump resisted denouncing White supremacists and made light of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s declining health before her death in 2020 gave him a third justice on the Supreme Court. But Haberman’s book, which was obtained by CNN ahead of its release on Tuesday, goes beyond the trials and tribulations of the Trump administration to document how Trump’s initial rise in the New York real estate and political world of the 1970s and ’80s permanently shaped his worldview – and by extension, his presidency. “To fully reckon with Donald Trump, his presidency and political future, people need to know where he comes from,” writes Haberman, a CNN political analyst. The book is littered with examples dating back decades that document Trump’s obsession with looks, his fixation on racial issues, his gravitation toward strongmen and his willingness to shift his beliefs to fit the moment. Trump tried to recreate the country to mimic New York’s five boroughs, Haberman writes, imagining a presidency that functioned like he was one of the city’s powerful Democratic Party bosses in control of everything. 03:02 – Source: CNN Trump admits fame drove his desire to be president in new book The aides and advisers who spoke to Haberman for the book – she writes that she interviewed more than 250 people – offer a damning portrait of a commander in chief who was uninterested in learning the details of the job, who expected complete loyalty from those around him and who was most concerned with dominance, power and himself. Haberman reports campaign aides once called Trump a “sophisticated parrot.” Trump lashed out at his top generals during an infamous meeting in the “tank,” the Pentagon’s secure conference room, because he was being told something he didn’t comprehend. “Instead of acknowledging that, he shouted down the teachers,” Haberman writes. Kelly, his former chief of staff, is said to have described Trump as a “fascist” – uniquely unfit for the job of leading a constitutional democracy, according to Haberman, citing several who spoke to the retired Marine general. Trump spokesman Taylor Budowich said of the book: “While coastal elites obsess over boring books chock-full of anonymously-sourced mistruths, America is a nation in decline. President Trump is focused on saving America, and there’s nothing the fake news can do about it.” Earlier this year, Haberman’s reporting for her book revealed that Trump’s staff found documents flushed down the toilet, on top of numerous reports that Trump had a habit of ripping up presidential papers in violation of the Presidential Records Act. 03:23 – Source: CNN Haberman confirms Trump habit that was bad for plumbing and his presidency The former President’s handling of documents has taken on new significance following the FBI’s search of his Florida residence and the revelation he took highly classified documents there upon leaving the White House. Haberman interviewed Trump three times after he left the White House for the book in 2021, including in one instance in which he lied about sending his correspondence with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to the National Archives, saying he had taken “nothing of great urgency” from the White House. (The Kim letters were among the items the Archives realized were missing in 2021.) Trump’s cavalier handling of classified material led to distrust between the then-President and the intelligence community, Haberman writes, such as when Trump tweeted out a sensitive picture of damage at an Iranian facility in 2019. He protested after officials tried to make changes to the image. “If you take out the classification that’s the sexy part,” Trump said, according to Haberman, who wrote that some saw nefarious ends in Trump’s behavior, while others “believed he was operating with the emotional development of a 12-year-old, using the intelligence data to get attention for himself.” Haberman depicts all the organizations Trump has run – his businesses, his campaign and the White House – as dysfunctional and staffed by people who often disdained one another. His company executives referred to Trump’s company as the “Trump Disorganization,” according to the book, which includes examples of several unusual and eyebrow-raising business practices. That dysfunction spilled into Trump’s campaign and ultimately the White House, where Trump churned through aides and Cabinet secretaries alike, dismissing the advice offered by his own staff. When then-candidate Trump was under pressure in 2016 to denounce White supremacists like David Duke who were supporting his campaign, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie was dispatched to urge Trump to be more forceful distancing himself. Trump was heard responding to Christie on the phone that he would get to it – but it didn’t have to happen too quickly, Haberman writes. 03:24 – Source: CNN New book reveals Trump’s unusual business practices “A lot of these people vote,” Trump told Christie, before ending the call. Following the 2017 White supremacist march in Charlottesville, Virginia, when Trump claimed there were good people on “both sides,” Trump’s then-chief economic adviser Gary Cohn prepared a letter of resignation. Trump appealed for Cohn to stay. “If you leave, you’re committing treason,” Trump said, according to Haberman. Cohn agreed to stay through the administration’s efforts to pass its signature tax overhaul later that year. As Cohn left the Oval Office, Kelly whispered to him: “If I were you I’d have shoved that paper up his f**king ass,” Haberman writes. According to the book, several Cabinet officials believed Trump had issues with female leaders. He disliked former German Chancellor Angela Merkel and described her in a meeting as “that bitch,” Haberman writes. Trump’s former Defense Secretary Mark Esper believed Trump’s push to withdraw US troops from Germany was purely out of personal spite, according to the author. The book shows Trump’s failure to grasp basic policy concepts, such as Trump suggesting in an interview with Haberman that the Senate’s minority party could block legislation by skipping votes. “The vice president’s vote doesn’t count. It doesn’t count. You might want to check this,” Trump said. When the House introduced articles of impeachment against Trump for the first time in 2019, Trump reacted with a familiar refrain, according to the book: “I’ll just sue Congress. They can’t do this to me.” In the final year of his presidency, Trump tried to wish away the topic of coronavirus, Haberman writes, minimizing it publicly out of an apparent belief that things only existed if they were discussed openly. Before Ginsburg’s death in 2020 created a last-minute Supreme Court vacancy that Trump filled just ahead of the presidential election, Haberman writes that Trump would make light of the justice’s deteriorating health. Trump would clasp his hands and look skyward, Haberman writes. “Please God. Please watch over her. Every life is precious,” Trump said, before almost winking and looking at his aides. “How’s she doing?” When another visitor came to the Oval Office, Trump asked, “She gonna make it? How much longer you think she has?” “Confidence Man” chronicles how Trump’s fixation on race, gender and religion dates back decades, shaped by a tumultuous period in New York City’s history. “Racial is more severe in New York than it is anywhere else that I can think of,” Trump said in a post-presidency interview with Haberman, who writes that Trump “often seemed frozen in time” in 1980s New York and viewed tribal conflict as inevitable. During the AIDS crisis of the 1980s, Trump’s fear of germs and illness led him to announce publicly he would require dates to take an AIDS test, and Haberman writes he called reporters to inquire if people he had met with might be gay – concerned because they had exchanged a handshake. In the late 1990s, after Trump divorced Marla Maples, he had a relationship with a model, Kara Young, who was the daughter of a Black mother and White father. Haberman writes that after meeting Young’s parents, Trump told her she had gotten her beauty from her mother and intelligence “from her dad, the white side.” Trump laughed as he said it, Haberman writes. Young told him it wasn’t something to joke about. Reflecting his view of life as a show he was casting, Trump focused on “the look” – telling others that his wife Melania Trump, former Vice President Mike Pence and his first Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch were all out of “central casting,” Haberman writes. The former President remained focus on how those who rep...

U.S. Embassy In Moscow Tells Citizens To Leave The Country Immediately; Russia Denies Nord Stream Sabotage Allegations https://digitalarkansasnews.com/u-s-embassy-in-moscow-tells-citizens-to-leave-the-country-immediately-russia-denies-nord-stream-sabotage-allegations/ Satellite imagery spots Nord Stream pipeline leak in the Baltic Sea Satellite imagery from U.S. company Planet captured the disturbed surface of the Baltic Sea following Tuesday’s leak in the Nord Stream gas pipeline. A satellite image of the Nord Stream leak in the Baltic Sea, captured on Sept. 26, 2022. Planet The pipeline rupture is about 13 nautical miles away from Bornholm Island, Denmark, the company noted. – Michael Sheetz Ukraine’s foreign minister calls on countries who have remained neutral during Russia’s war to ‘take a stand’ Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba attends a joint media briefing amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, in Odesa, Ukraine 14 September 2022. Nurphoto | Getty Images Ukrainian Foreign Minster Dmytro Kuleba called on countries who have taken a neutral stance on Russia’s war in Ukraine to “take a stand.” “Neutral countries will not be able to sit back: they need to take a stand. The stand of justice, the stand of international law and the protection of security and peace in the whole world,” Kuleba said during a press conference. “I want to appeal to all the countries that recently insisted on the need for negotiations and offered their mediation services: Russia does not want any negotiations, stop playing this game,” Kuleba, Ukraine’s top diplomat, added. He called on countries to continue supporting Ukraine with military and humanitarian aid — Amanda Macias U.S. embassy in Russia tells U.S. citizens to leave the country as soon as possible The U.S. embassy in Moscow, Russia. Invizbk | Istock Unreleased | Getty Images The U.S. embassy in Russia has issued a security alert for American citizens in the country, telling them to leave immediately if they can. The embassy issued a statement Wednesday in which it said “U.S. citizens should not travel to Russia and those residing or travelling in Russia should depart Russia immediately while limited commercial travel options remain.” The warning comes after the Russian government began a military mobilization of its citizens last week, with several hundred thousand men being called-up and sent to Ukraine to fight.  A traveller reacts after crossing the border with Russia at the frontier checkpoint Verkhny Lars – Zemo Larsi, Georgia September 28, 2022.  Irakli Gedenidze | Reuters The U.S. embassy warned today that “Russia may refuse to acknowledge dual nationals’ U.S. citizenship, deny their access to U.S. consular assistance, prevent their departure from Russia, and conscript dual nationals for military service” and that anyone wishing to leave Russia should do so as soon as possible. “Commercial flight options are extremely limited at present and are often unavailable on short notice.  Overland routes by car and bus are still open. If you wish to depart Russia, you should make independent arrangements as soon as possible.”  It added that the U.S. embassy “has severe limitations on its ability to assist U.S. citizens, and conditions, including transportation options, may suddenly become even more limited.” It also warned U.S. citizens that the right to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression are not guaranteed in Russia and that they should “avoid all political or social protests and do not photograph security personnel at these events. Russian authorities have arrested U.S. citizens who have participated in demonstrations.” The embassy provided a link with more information on travel out of Russia here. — Holly Ellyatt EU pledges robust response to suspected sabotage of Nord Stream gas pipelines BORNHOLM, DENMARK – SEPTEMBER 27: Danish Defense shows the gas leaking at Nord Stream 2 seen from the Danish F-16 interceptor on Bornholm, Denmark on September 27, 2022. Danish Defence/ | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images The European Union pledged to deliver a “robust and united response” to a suspected act of sabotage after mystery gas leaks hit two underwater Russian gas pipelines. “All available information indicates those leaks are the result of a deliberate act,” EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said in a statement. “We will support any investigation aimed at getting full clarity on what happened and why, and will take further steps to increase our resilience in energy security. Any deliberate disruption of European energy infrastructure is utterly unacceptable and will be met with a robust and united response,” he added. Here’s the full story. — Sam Meredith Kremlin says claims it was behind Nord Stream leaks are ‘stupid’ The Kremlin has responded to allegations that it was responsible for damage and leaks to both the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines in the last few days by rebuffing the accusations and calling them “stupid.” European authorities are investigating possible sabotage to the Nord Stream gas pipelines, a bone of contention between Europe and Russia as the war in Ukraine continues, after they started to leak gas in the Baltic Sea earlier this week. (L to R) Sweden’s Foreign Minister Ann Linde, Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson and Defense Minister Peter Hultqvist hold a press conference on the gas leak in the Baltic Sea from Nord Stream in Stockholm, on Sept. 27, 2022. Fredrik Persson | Afp | Getty Images Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told a daily conference call with reporters that the incident needed to be investigated and the timings for repair of the damaged pipelines were not clear, Reuters reported. Then, when asked about claims Russia might be behind the possible attack, Peskov said: “That’s quite predictable and also predictably stupid.” “This is a big problem for us because, firstly, both lines of Nord Stream 2 are filled with gas – the entire system is ready to pump gas and the gas is very expensive … Now the gas is flying off into the air.” “Are we interested in that? No, we are not, we have lost a route for gas supplies to Europe,” Peskov said. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov at an event during Russia’s Victory Day commemorations in Moscow on May 9, 2022. Anadolu Agency | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images Russia’s foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova appeared to suggest on Telegram that the U.S. could have been behind the sabotage, a claim that Peskov appeared to allude to when speaking to reporters Wednesday. “We see the huge profits of the U.S. suppliers of liquefied natural gas, who increased their supplies many-fold to the European continent,” Peskov said. “They are very, very interested in further receiving their super, super profits.” — Holly Ellyatt Newly mobilized Russian soldiers start to arrive in Ukraine, army says Newly-mobilized Russian soldiers have started to arrive in Ukraine according to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in its latest operational update posted on Facebook. Many of the soldiers that have been mobilized in President Putin’s call-up, made last week and aimed at sending around 300,000 reservists to fight in the war, are poorly trained, if at all, and many have reportedly been given just a uniform and arms and no other equipment. Reservists drafted during the partial mobilisation attend a departure ceremony in Sevastopol, Crimea, on September 27, 2022. Stringer | Afp | Getty Images Ukraine’s armed forces said that several Russian units in Ukraine had been replenished with new troops and that people with criminal convictions had also arrived to bolster Russia’s manpower in Ukraine. CNBC was unable to immediately verify the report although social media content in recent days has shown videos of reservists bidding farewell to family before being sent to Ukraine on trains and buses. — Holly Ellyatt Fake referendums set the stage for annexation, and immense danger for Ukraine Russian President Vladimir Putin and Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu attend a wreath-laying ceremony, which marks the anniversary of the beginning of the Great Patriotic War against Nazi Germany in 1941, at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier by the Kremlin wall in Moscow, Russia June 22, 2022.  Mikhail Metzel | Sputnik | Reuters The results from a series of so-called referendums that have taken place in occupied parts of Ukraine —which predictably show a resounding majority voting to join Russia — set the stage for Moscow to announce their annexation in the coming days. That, analysts say, could mark a dangerous point in the war for Ukraine with the possibility that Russia could turn to unconventional weapons, even nuclear weapons, to “defend” what it will then say is its territory and citizens. “As for the risk of Russia using these votes and subsequent annexation of those territories as a pretext for nuclear strikes — we are conscious of this risk, we understand that it is real,” Yuriy Sak, an advisor to Ukraine’s Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov, told CNBC Wednesday. Read more on the story here Moscow’s mobilization won’t resolve Russia’s problems in the war, analyst says Russia’s partial military mobilization, which was announced by President Putin last week and sees around 300,00 reservists called-up to fight in Ukraine, will not resolve the country’s challenges in the war, an analyst said Wednesday. “Mobilisation will not solve three big problems for the Russian army: poor training, low morale, and issues with logistics and supply,” Mario Bikarski, Russia & CIS analyst at the Economist Intelligence Unit said Wednesday. “The partial mobilisation has proved unpopular particularly in disproportionately affected regions. Dagestan was the federal subject with the highest number of lost soldiers according to various estimates and the one that is now seeing some of the most intense protests,” he noted. Police officers detain a woman following ...

Sterling Slides After BoE Buys Bonds, Dollar Hits 20-Year High https://digitalarkansasnews.com/sterling-slides-after-boe-buys-bonds-dollar-hits-20-year-high/ Pound and U.S. dollar banknotes are seen in this illustration taken January 6, 2020. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo NEW YORK/LONDON, Sept 28 (Reuters) – Sterling tumbled against the dollar on Wednesday before paring some losses after the Bank of England (BOE) said it would step in to prop up the gilt market, and the dollar index touched a fresh 20-year high trading was volatile. The BOE said it would buy as many long-dated government bonds as needed between now and Oct. 14 to stabilise financial markets, and added that it would postpone next week’s start of its gilt sale programme. read more As markets tried to digest what this meant for the pound, the currency whipsawed, jumping as high as $1.084 and falling as low as $1.0539. It was last down 0.4% at $1.0695. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com “They’re really trying to help the structure of the gilt market, more than anything else… The fact that they’re effectively doing (quantitative easing) again, while also hiking rates confuses the monetary policy outlook,” said Brad Bechtel, global head of FX at Jefferies in New York. “It also forces the pound to be the outlet valve for the additional expenditures proposed by the government.” Investors were also eyeing the safety of the dollar against a backdrop of political uncertainty after leaks on Nord Stream pipelines between Russia and Europe spewed gas into the Baltic Sea. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg attributed the leaks to acts of sabotage. read more “Some of it is safety related, given what we saw yesterday with the NordStream and the Russia Ukraine situation,” said Bechtel, also referring to the Federal Reserve’s aggressive interest rate hiking cycle aimed at taming inflation “It is the Fed, outperforming in terms of being aggressive and continuing to hike aggressively. The world is realizing that the U.S. is in a better position to handle higher rates whereas other economies are more vulnerable.” The dollar index , which measures the greenback against a group of major currencies, after earlier hitting a fresh 20-year high of 114.78 was last at 114.100. While initially the dollar’s gains were broad-based, the greenback eased in the U.S. trading morning with the euro last up 0.02% at $0.9595 after falling as low as $0.95355. The dollar was last down 0.22% against Japan’s yen at 144.510 after touching a high of 144.860 . The Australian dollar , which is particularly sensitive to swings in investors sentiment was last up 0.420%. Elsewhere in Asia, the offshore yuan hit a record low, pressured by expectations of further U.S. rate hikes. read more Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Reporting by Sinéad Carew in New York, Rae Wee in Singapore and Alun John in London ; editing by Richard Pullin, Kim Coghill, Shri Navaratnam, Gareth Jones and Jonathan Oatis Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. Read More Here

Hurricane-Force Winds Felt Near Fort Myers As Ian Approaches Gulf Coast Near Category 5 Strength https://digitalarkansasnews.com/hurricane-force-winds-felt-near-fort-myers-as-ian-approaches-gulf-coast-near-category-5-strength/ Hurricane-force winds approached Sanibel Island near Fort Myers at 10 a.m. Wednesday, as Hurricane Ian closed in on the Gulf coast. The storm, with top winds of 155 mph, just short of the 157-mph threshold for Category 5 strength, is expected to make landfall late Wednesday morning or early in the afternoon in an area running from just south of Fort Myers to just north of Sarasota, according to a 10 a.m. update from the National Hurricane Center. “This is going to be a storm we talk about for years to come,” said Ken Graham, director of the National Weather Service, at a news conference Wednesday morning. The hurricane threatens to produce a storm surge of up to 18 feet on Florida’s southwestern Gulf coast, generating devastating flooding that would submerge coastal neighborhoods, the National Hurricane Center said in a 9 a.m. Wednesday bulletin. The hurricane center raised storm surge estimates after the hurricane unexpectedly intensified to near Category 5 strength that morning, with top winds of 155 mph. The new estimates call for a storm surge of 12-18 feet from Englewood and Charlotte Harbor to south of Fort Myers. A broader area, running from north of Englewood to north of Sarasota, could experience a storm surge of eight to 12 feet. As of 10 a.m. the storm lay about 60 miles west of Naples, moving north-northeast at 10 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center. [ When and where will Hurricane Ian hit Florida? Here’s the updated forecast track ] The National Weather Service update of its 5-day tracking map for Hurricane Ian at 8 a.m. Wednesday Sept. 28, 2022. Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 40 miles from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 175 miles. The storm is expected to bring up to 18 inches of rain to some areas. Earlier forecasts predicted the storm would weaken before hitting the coast, but the newer track predicts it will make landfall Wednesday at the peak of its power. Winds exceeding tropical-storm strength of 39 mph reached Florida by 3 a.m. and hurricane-force winds were expected well in advance of the eyewall moving inland, according to the National Hurricane Center. A National Hurricane Center forecaster wrote an advisory late Tuesday that whether Ian arrives at Category 3 or 4 strength, “avoiding a large and destructive hurricane for Florida seems very unlikely, and residents should heed the advice of local emergency management officials.” The center of Ian is forecast to move over central Florida Wednesday night and Thursday morning and emerge over the western Atlantic by late Thursday. “Life-threatening storm surge is increasingly likely along the Florida west coast where a storm surge warning is in effect, with the highest risk from Naples to the Sarasota region,” the hurricane center wrote late Tuesday. ”Residents in these areas should listen to advice given by local officials and follow any evacuation orders for your area.” [ RELATED: Kings Point Delray damaged in possible Hurricane Ian tornado; 2 tornadoes hit Broward ] Ian spawned at least two tornadoes in Broward County on Tuesday night, the National Weather Service said. The tornadoes followed similar paths over Weston, Sunrise, Davie, Cooper City, Pembroke Pines and Hollywood, the weather service said. A possible tornado near Kings Point Delray toppled trees, wrecked cars and displaced 35 people. Parts of Palm Beach and Broward were under several tornado warnings throughout Tuesday night, and all of South Florida is under a tornado watch. President Joe Biden announced the prepositioning of 3.5 million liters of water, 3.7 million meals and hundreds of generators and said he spoke with the mayors of Tampa, St. Petersburg and Clearwater. “I told them, I mean this sincerely, whatever they need, contact me directly,” Biden said Tuesday afternoon. The National Weather Service update of its tropical storm force winds forecast for Hurricane Ian at 8 a.m. Wednesday. Expecting life-threatening flooding and facing uncertainty about the storm’s path, authorities ordered evacuations across a broad stretch of the coast. More than 2.5 million people are under evacuation orders in more than a dozen counties, Gov. Ron DeSantis said Tuesday night. The storm’s forecast path moved southeast, raising the risk to the Gulf coast south of Tampa and threatening southeast Florida with more wind and rain. The region from Sarasota to Fort Myers could see a storm surge of up to 12 feet, as the storm’s winds push seawater inland, the hurricane center said. With the shift of the storm’s forecast track, the chances increased for high winds in southeast Florida, according to the National Weather Service in Miami. Broward and Miami-Dade counties now have a 50-70% chance of sustained tropical force winds, which means speeds of at least 39 mph. Palm Beach County has a 65-80% chance. In a 6 p.m. report, the National Weather Service said any further shift east of Ian’s track “could bring increasingly hazardous conditions closer” to South Florida. All of South Florida can expect tropical-storm conditions starting Wednesday morning, the weather service’s update said. Major flooding from rain is possible across the region through Thursday morning, along with the possibility of tornadoes through Wednesday. Satellite image of Hurricane Ian as it approaches the southwest Florida coast at 8 a.m. Wednesday Sept. 28, 2022. The high winds are most likely to last through Thursday afternoon in Palm Beach County and from Wednesday morning to before dawn Thursday in Broward and Miami-Dade counties. DeSantis and Jared Perdue, Florida Department of Transportation secretary, said the Florida Highway Patrol and local law enforcement officials will close bridges if sustained wind speeds exceed 40 mph. DeSantis urged people to take possible bridge closures as early as Wednesday into any evacuation plans. Despite the attention given to high winds, the biggest killer in hurricanes tends to be water. The hurricane center warned that the Gulf coast faces a high risk of storm surge, the rapid increase in sea level that can flood coastal neighborhoods. Two to four inches of rain have fallen across southeastern Florida in the last day with some areas seeing between 4 and 6 inches, according to the weather service. Forecasters are expecting another 4 to 8 inches to come through the weekend. [ RELATED: Hurricane Ian expected to dump up to 10 inches of rain in parts of South Florida ] A classic American car drives past utility poles tilted by Hurricane Ian in Pinar del Rio, Cuba, Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2022. (Ramon Espinosa/AP) Ian’s outer bands continued to move over South Florida overnight and will increase in strength through Wednesday, and there could be potential significant impacts from wind across much of Palm Beach County and western Broward County, according to the weather service’s update. Florida Power & Light deployed 16,000 crew members at nearly two dozen staging, parking and prepositioning sites throughout the state, FPL president and CEO Eric Silagy said Tueday. They have already responded to outages triggered by storm bands in Broward and Miami-Dade counties, he said. Crews will continue to make repairs as needed until winds become unsafe, he said. During the most severe part of the storm, crews will likely remain sheltered for 12 to 20 hours. [ RELATED: ‘It could be life-changing.’ Tampa Bay preps for Hurricane Ian’s worst, hopes for the best ] The storm is expected to expand as it strengthens, placing a larger area at risk of high winds. These winds can rip off tree branches, knock down power line and blow objects off the ground, the weather service said. FPL reported that 4,880 customers were without power in Broward County as of 11 p.m. In Miami-Dade County, about 11,000 customers were without power and about 7,300 in Palm Beach County. DeSantis said Monday evening that many parts of the state are likely to lose power. “We’ve said from the beginning people are going to lose power, and you need to be prepared for that. And it’s not going to be something that’s going to automatically just go back on very quickly because you’re going to have extensive damage, and you’re going to have to have crews be able to get in, roads are going to have to be cleared,” the governor said. Breaking News Alerts As it happens Get updates on developing stories as they happen with our free breaking news email alerts. [ STAY UPDATED with the latest forecast for tropical weather at SunSentinel.com/hurricane ] The National Hurricane Center’s latest advisory said the Florida east and southeast Florida will see between 6 and 8 inches of rain with as much as 12 inches in some areas. Central and northeast Florida could see between 12 and 18 inches, with a maximum of 24 inches in some areas. A new tropical depression formed Wednesday morning, but it’s far out in the Atlantic and expected to be short-lived, the hurricane center said Wednesday morning. The next named storm to form would be Julia. Hurricane season ends Nov. 30. Staff writers Ron Hurtibise, David Lyons, Rafael Olmeda, Lois Solomon and Scott Travis contributed to this report. Information from the Associated Press was also used. Read More Here

Grant Karnes Showing Outstanding Talent https://digitalarkansasnews.com/grant-karnes-showing-outstanding-talent/ GREENWOOD — Greenwood Class of 2025 wide receiver Grant Karnes is having an outstanding season for the Bulldogs. In five games, Karnes, 6-0, 180, has caught 39 passes for 614 yards and 10 touchdowns. That’s very impressive statistics, but in three of the games he hasn’t played much, if any, in the second half due to blowout wins. They have reeled off four consecutive wins in a row since dropping the season opener 41-27 at Stillwater (Okla.). “The season is going really well,” Karnes said. “Stillwater was a tough season opener. We were all a little rusty getting into the season. Now the chemistry is back. We’re all doing good. (Quarterback) Hunter (Houston) is finding me open and getting me passes. (Quarterback) Kane (Archer) can get the ball to me. It’s all going really well right now.” Houston loves having a wide receiver like Karnes to throw the ball to when the Bulldogs need a big play. “Grant is a dude,” Houston said. “He’s only a sophomore and came up and got a little taste of it last year being a freshman coming up. We know one-on-one 10 times out of 10 he’s going to go get the ball and that’s what he has done all year. It’s fun throwing a little shovel pass to him and he takes it to the house.” Greenwood coach Chris Young did what many says can’t be done. Young followed a coaching legend, Rick Jones, at Greenwood and has a record of 27-5 thus having great success. Young was an assistant under Jones. He has seen a lot of standouts come and go at Greenwood and Karnes is one he’s very high on. “He’s just having an amazing season,” Young said. “A young talent who has a combination of great speed, great athleticism and can go up high and catch the ball. He’s so physical after the catch. He’s just throwing guys off of him and has very soft hands. He’s just a special athlete and the fact he’s just a sophomore is scary for a lot of people. Because he’s only going to continue to get better because he’s a hard worker as well.” In the second game of the season with Houston injured, Archer, a Class of 2026 quarterback, filled in against Fort Smith Northside. The Bulldogs trailed by 18 points with three minutes remaining, but put together a rally that saw Archer throw a Hail Mary to Karnes on the last play to win 56-53. That play made some national highlights around the country. The play was a 40-yard touchdown that Karnes outjumped the Northside defender for the pass from Archer. “My strengths are my speed and being able to go up and high point the ball to people and breaking tackles are my top three,” Karnes said. The athletic Karnes also plays basketball and baseball including for the Arkansas Sticks. The Sticks are a great baseball team that only selects the best players to play for them. Many former Sticks have gone on to play for Dave Van Horn and the Razorbacks. “He’s a big baseball player and also a basketball player,” Young said. “Just shows you the benefits of playing other sports. Making you a better athlete all around. Once he has a chance to get in the weight room he’s really going to get a lot stronger. That is something he hasn’t done yet because he’s playing other sports.” As far as where he may need to improve, Karnes talked about those areas. “My main one right now is not cutting routes off on certain things,” Karnes said. “I know I can outrun the guy so I’ll just do it early and make it hard to throw even though I’m open.” Karnes has been timed at 4.51 in the 40-yard dash. Karnes talked about his ability to go up and get the ball such as the play at Northside against talented defensive backs. “I just know a lot of guys even though they are bigger than me I can out jump them,” Karnes said. “I’m going to get at the highest point, get right in front of them where they can’t jump as high since I’m in front of them.” Karnes camped at the University of Arkansas this summer. There he worked with Kenny Guiton who coaches the Arkansas wide receivers. “I love the coaches,” Karnes said. “I thought it was really cool. I definitely want to play there. Coach Guiton is a really cool guy. He helped me with my foot work on routes and just made me better while I was there.” Karnes is hoping for an offer from the Hogs in the future and if he gets it the decision will be an easy one. “That is where I want to go,” Karnes said. Karnes watched former Greenwood standout Drew Morgan experience great success at Arkansas. Linebacker Grant Morgan also experienced success with the Hogs. Lucas Miller was another wide receiver from Greenwood who, like both Morgans, didn’t have a long list of offers out of high school, but experienced success at Arkansas. “A lot of time at Greenwood we’re not the biggest guys,” Karnes said. “But we work hard all summer. We just work like crazy all summer. We work on high point on ball and stuff like that.” The Razorbacks are 3-1 and Karnes has been keeping a close eye on them. He talked about what he has seen to this point. “I thought they’ve done really good,” Karnes said. “They made some errors against (Texas) A&M they can’t make against Alabama.” Greenwood has also defeated Mountain Home 49-0, Siloam Springs 61-7 and Van Buren 63-21. Read More Here

Thousands Rally To Demand Czech Government's Resignation https://digitalarkansasnews.com/thousands-rally-to-demand-czech-governments-resignation/ PRAGUE (AP) — Thousands of protesters rallied again in the Czech capital on Wednesday to condemn the Czech government’s handling of the energy crisis and its support for Ukraine. Despite a national holiday, the protest that united the far right with the far left was smaller than the some 70,000 people who gathered for the same reasons at Prague’s central Wenceslas Square on Sept 3. Waving Czech national flags, the protesters demanded the resignation of the current pro-Western coalition government led by conservative Prime Minister Petr Fiala. “Resign, resign,” they repeatedly chanted during a demonstration held under the slogan “The Czech Republic first,” a reference to former U.S. President Donald Trump’s nationalist platform which he called “America first.” They criticized the government on a number of issues, including supporting the European Union’s sanctions against Russia, and dismissed as insufficient the government’s help for households and businesses affected by soaring energy prices. The organizers oppose Czech membership in the European Union and NATO and some other international organizations, such as the United nations and the World Health Organization. Smaller protests were held in several other major cities. Although the country’s opposition made some gains in the municipal elections last weekend, the five government coalition parties did relatively well in the separate first round of elections for one third of the seats on the Parliament’s upper house, the Senate. The runoffs are planned for the coming weekend. Read More Here

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New DOJ Filing Exposes Trump’s Secret Objections — And Asks Special Master To Call His Bluff https://digitalarkansasnews.com/new-doj-filing-exposes-trumps-secret-objections-and-asks-special-master-to-call-his-bluff/ The Justice Department in a filing on Tuesday revealed the Trump legal team’s objections that they tried to keep under wraps. Federal Judge Raymond Dearie, the special master tasked with reviewing thousands of documents seized from former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence, earlier this month challenged Trump’s lawyers to assert whether they believe his public claim that the FBI may have “planted” evidence during the search and produce evidence of Trump’s claim that he “declassified” secret national security documents before taking them home. Trump’s team apparently responded with objections to Dearie’s plan for the special master review but they were not made public until the Justice Department responded to them in a filing on Tuesday. “Team Trump is filing complaints under seal for some reason, but DOJ is discussing it not under seal, so we can largely infer what Trump is upset about,” New York Times national security reporter Charlie Savage flagged on Twitter. The filing revealed that Trump’s lawyers objected to Dearie’s request that they verify that the search inventory filed by the DOJ is accurate, essentially daring Trump’s team to assert his dubious claim that the FBI may have “planted” evidence in official court documents. The DOJ affirmed that its inventory is complete and accurate and urged Dearie to require Trump’s lawyers to state whether they believe the list of items seized from the property is accurate. Trump’s lawyers also objected to Dearie’s request for them to explain whether they are claiming attorney-client privilege or executive privilege after Judge Aileen Cannon, the Trump appointee that ordered the special master review, failed to ask for a distinction.   It’s unclear exactly what Trump’s third objection was. “Team Trump doesn’t want to brief something that DOJ says is fine briefing. They don’t say what, but Dearie’s directive had discussed a briefing schedule for any eventual Rule 44 motion by Trump for return of property seized in the search, so it’s probably that,” Savage reported. Trump’s lawyers previously declined to provide evidence of his claims that he “declassified” the documents, arguing that they may need to save the evidence for a defense in a future hearing and a possible prosecution. “Trump’s team objects to the Special Master’s order requiring them to state whether particular documents are privileged or declassified and provide evidence in support of any claim that a document was declassified,” tweeted former federal prosecutor Renato Mariotti. “They want to have their cake and eat it too. They won’t get that.” Mariotti also questioned why Trump’s lawyers made the arguments under seal. “That could be because their arguments are at odds with their public positions,” Mariotti wrote. Want a daily wrap-up of all the news and commentary Salon has to offer? Subscribe to our morning newsletter, Crash Course. The DOJ filing also revealed that Trump’s team had trouble finding a vendor to digitize the documents that were seized for the special master review. Trump’s team “informed us this morning that none of the five document-review vendors proposed by the government” were “willing to be engaged” by Trump. The DOJ asked Dearie for an extra day to secure a vendor themselves. The DOJ expects Trump to “pay the vendor’s invoices promptly when rendered,” the filing said. “This is absolutely hilarious,” tweeted conservative attorney George Conway. Trump’s legal team has been in flux since the FBI raid in August, as he struggled to find an elite lawyer to represent him — and as some of his attorneys may face legal scrutiny themselves. Trump raised eyebrows earlier this month after he used donor money from his super PAC to pay attorney Chris Kise, a former Florida attorney general who once represented a member of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro’s government, a $3 million advance. But CNN reported on Tuesday that Kise has been “sidelined from the Mar-a-Lago documents investigation less than a month after he was brought on to represent Trump in the matter.” A Trump spokesman denied the report and Kise told The Washington Post that he will still be working on the case. “The infighting in this team,” tweeted New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman, “after one lawyer faced a search warrant and another two have gotten attention from DOJ over their statements to the feds on the documents, continues.” Read More Here

Post Politics Now: Biden Convening First White House Conference On Hunger Since Nixon https://digitalarkansasnews.com/post-politics-now-biden-convening-first-white-house-conference-on-hunger-since-nixon/ Today, President Biden will deliver an address at the first White House conference on hunger since 1969, when President Richard M. Nixon pulled together a similar gathering. Administration officials say they have secured $8 billion in public- and private-sector commitments toward helping provide more food and better nutrition by 2030. The speaking program includes administration officials and members of Congress, as well as José Andrés, the chef and founder of World Central Kitchen. On Capitol Hill, the Senate moved a step closer Tuesday to avoiding a partial government shutdown after removing a controversial energy project permitting provision pushed by Sen. Joe Manchin III (D-W.Va.). Lawmakers are scrambling to pass a stopgap funding measure by Friday before leaving town. Your daily dashboard 10 a.m. Eastern: Biden delivers remarks at the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition and Health. Watch live here. 11 a.m. Eastern: Biden delivers remarks at the White House to celebrate the Americans With Disabilities Act. Watch live here. 12:30 p.m. Eastern: White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre briefs reporters. Watch live here. 7 p.m. Eastern: Biden participates in a Democratic Governors Association reception in Washington. Got a question about politics? Submit it here. After 3 p.m. weekdays, return to this space and we’ll address what’s on the mind of readers. Analysis: What is the Electoral Count Act, and why does Congress want to change it? Return to menu A year and a half after the attack on the U.S. Capitol, Congress has passed precisely zero legislation to prevent it from happening again. But it could be close. The Post’s Amber Phillips and Adrian Blanco note that a group of Democrats and Republicans is recommending new limits to Congress’s and the vice president’s roles in declaring the presidential winner. Per our colleagues: They want to change a very old law known as the Electoral Count Act that they think President Donald Trump exploited to try to stay in power in 2020. The House of Representatives passed its bill recently, with only nine Republicans voting for it. And efforts to reform this law just got a big boost from the top Senate Republican, Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who endorsed the Senate’s version of the bill. You can read a full analysis from Amber and Adrian about the larger push here. Our colleague Amy B Wang has more on the latest machinations in the Senate here. On our radar: Stock trading bill unveiled, faces uncertain future Return to menu Rep. Zoe Lofgren (R-Calif.) late Tuesday unveiled a bill to prevent insider trading by members of Congress and eliminate conflicts of interest. The long-awaited legislation had a rough birth and has an uncertain future, The Post’s Leigh Ann Caldwell and Theodoric Meyer write in The Early 202. Per our colleagues: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) was reluctant at first to back a bill to ban stock trades by members of Congress after Business Insider reported that dozens of members of Congress violated a 2012 law meant to eliminate insider trading. She eventually came around, and Lofgren was tasked with consolidating the various proposals and drafting the central bill. It was supposed to be released last week but was delayed as Lofgren continued to work through the details with members. A vote this week is possible, two House Democratic aides say, but it could also be punted until after the midterm elections. It could also never come up for a vote. You can read The Early 202 in full here. Analysis: Senate GOP, liberal Dems find common cause in sinking Manchin’s bill Return to menu Congress is on a glide path to avoid a partial government shutdown — and there are still three days to spare before the deadline. But the relatively drama-free funding debate did claim one casualty: the energy project permitting bill of Sen. Joe Manchin III (D-W.Va.), The Post’s Leigh Ann Caldwell and Theodoric Meyer write. Per our colleagues: Manchin announced Tuesday afternoon he was pulling his proposal from the stopgap funding bill, or continuing resolution (CR), as he faced down the reality it didn’t have the 60 votes needed to pass. With that done, the spending bill cleared a key procedural vote and could pass as early as Wednesday, but more likely Thursday. Manchin shrugged off the defeat, telling reporters he’s confident he can find the needed support when Congress returns for its post-election “lame duck” session. He could look to attach it to the annual defense policy bill or the next government funding bill that will be needed in December. You can read the full analysis here. On our radar: White House hosts conference on hunger with $8 billion in commitments Return to menu President Biden on Wednesday is hosting the first White House summit in nearly a half-century dedicated to combating hunger, with administration officials saying they have secured $8 billion in public- and private-sector commitments toward helping provide more food and better nutrition by 2030. The Post’s Matt Viser reports that Biden is planning to speak at the conference, which will also feature several members of Congress — including Sens. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Mike Braun (R-Ind.), as well as Reps. Rosa L. DeLauro (D-Conn.) and Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) — and several Cabinet officials. It will also include José Andrés, the chef and founder of World Central Kitchen, and New York Mayor Eric Adams (D). Noted: Trump weighed bombing drug labs in Mexico, according to new book Return to menu As president, Donald Trump weighed bombing drug labs in Mexico after one of his leading public health officials came into the Oval Office, wearing a dress uniform, and said such facilities should be handled by putting “lead to target” to stop the flow of illicit substances across the border into the United States. The Post’s Josh Dawsey has details: “He raised it several times, eventually asking a stunned Defense Secretary Mark Esper whether the United States could indeed bomb the labs,” according to a new book by New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman. White House officials said the official, Assistant Secretary for Health Brett Giroir, often wore his dress uniform for meetings with Trump, which confused the former president. “The response from White House aides was not to try to change Trump’s view, but to consider asking Giroir not to wear his uniform to the Oval Office anymore,” Haberman writes in “Confidence Man,” an extensive book about Trump’s time in New York and as president. The 607-page book, which has long been awaited by many of Trump’s aides, is set to be published Tuesday. A copy was obtained by The Washington Post. The book details unusual and erratic interactions between Trump and world leaders, members of Congress, as well as his aides, along with behind-the-scenes accounts of his time as a businessman. On our radar: Solomon Islands rejects Biden’s Pacific outreach ahead of White House summit Return to menu American efforts to rally Pacific island leaders at a White House summit this week were dealt a blow when the Solomon Islands said it would not endorse a joint declaration that the Biden administration plans to unveil. The Post’s Michael E. Miller writes that as President Biden prepared to host the leaders of a dozen Pacific countries on Wednesday and Thursday in a first-of-its-kind gathering, the Solomon Islands sent a diplomatic note to other nations in the region saying there was no consensus on the issues and that it needed “time to reflect” on the declaration. The latest: White House says it’s pushing to allow Puerto Rico fuel shipment Return to menu White House officials are pushing federal agencies to quickly approve a legal waiver allowing Puerto Rico to receive a shipment of diesel fuel that is being held off the island’s coast, according to a person familiar with the matter. The Post’s Jeff Stein and Toluse Olorunnipa report that as Puerto Rico reels from Hurricane Fiona and the administration faces continued blowback over the issue, President Biden is personally tracking the matter and supports granting the waiver, according to the person, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to reflect private discussions. Read More Here

Evan McMullin Plans To Fix ‘broken Politics’ If He Becomes A Senator. Could The Utahn Really Change Washington? https://digitalarkansasnews.com/evan-mcmullin-plans-to-fix-broken-politics-if-he-becomes-a-senator-could-the-utahn-really-change-washington/ Evan McMullin isn’t just running against two-term Republican Sen. Mike Lee this fall, but what the independent candidate sees as a need to protect democracy from “extremist” attacks. “Things have to change. We must fix our broken politics and renew our commitment to our founding ideals and to America’s future,” McMullin wrote in a platform of priorities shared with The Salt Lake Tribune. To do that, he is proposing and voicing support for measures that are meant to target the money that passes through the hands of lawmakers, bolster voting rights and limit the division sowed by the two-party system. [Related: Can Evan McMullin’s so-called ‘cross-partisan coalition’ pull enough voters from Republican Sen. Mike Lee to win?] The proposals are consistent with talking points he has championed since the beginning of his campaign — at a recent rally, McMullin said he isn’t just running for Senate to defeat Lee, “We’re united by our commitment to fix the broken politics of Washington.” According to James Curry, a professor at the University of Utah’s Hinckley Institute of Politics whose research focuses on politics and policymaking in Congress, this approach is expected of a candidate running against an incumbent. “Candidates have long run for Congress by running against Congress,” he told The Salt Lake Tribune. “In other words, they run by attacking the institution and those within it and playing off of Americans’ deeply held skepticisms of politics, dislike of partisan bickering and low approval of Congress.” As part of the plan, McMullin said he will work to stop members of Congress from trading individual stocks — something lawmakers are currently considering. The Washington Post reported last week that a bill to ban the practice among lawmakers, which has been pushed by a bipartisan, bicameral group of legislators, may get a House vote this month. He also aims to prohibit the use of leadership PACs to raise money. Leadership PACs, according to the Federal Election Commission, are “directly or indirectly established, financed, maintained or controlled by a candidate or an individual holding a federal office” and are often established “to support candidates for federal and nonfederal offices.” “These sham campaign finance entities have become a vehicle for lawmakers to spend special interest contributions on personal expenses,” the plan reads. McMullin pointed The Tribune toward a report from Issue One, a nonprofit working to expose the role of money in politics, and Campaign Legal Center, a nonpartisan group that says it advocates for a “more transparent, accountable and inclusive democracy.” Issue One found that some lawmakers use money donated to their leadership PACs not for campaign contributions, but instead as a slush fund for personal perks. Eliminating the fundraising groups, Curry said, is unlikely. “Leadership PACs are means by which lawmakers raise and donate money to each other, and they aren’t going away.” Another priority listed by McMullin is instating a lifetime ban on lawmakers from becoming lobbyists, and keeping them and their families from receiving income from lobbying firms. The former CIA officer doesn’t want lobbyists working on behalf of foreign governments or corporations to be able to make contributions to congressional candidates. The U.S. government began aggressively regulating lobbying in the 1900s, and much of lobbying today must meet guidelines laid out in the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995, which was strengthened by the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007. “Corruption and scandals around lobbying are actually quite rare in D.C., and are typically prosecuted,” Curry said. Prioritzing voters’ rights Reforming the Electoral Count Act, which could pass before McMullin has the opportunity to join the Senate, is a top priority for McMullin. Utah Sen. Mitt Romney is among a bipartisan group of lawmakers that introduced legislation to update the act by establishing guidelines for certifying and counting electoral votes for President. The push to reform the 1887 act came after former President Donald Trump and his supporters attempted to stop the certification of electoral votes after he was defeated in 2020. That November, just after Trump’s defeat, Lee texted then-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, appearing to aid Trump’s efforts to overturn the results. Lee defended the texts in a June interview on Fox News, saying he was investigating the rumors that legislators in several battleground states won by President Joe Biden may appoint separate electors for Trump. “Senator Lee’s weaponization of weaknesses in our system to try to overturn millions of votes and overthrow the government is one of the most egregious betrayals of the Constitution and the American identity in our history,” McMullin’s plan reads. “And the continued lies about election fraud, which Lee still promotes, are fueling a dangerous rise in violent political extremism that must be stopped.” McMullin adds he will work to protect voting rights and ensure American voters have “meaningful and reasonable access to exercise the fundamental right to vote.” “There is a cross-partisan majority of Americans who want to protect the fundamental right to vote,” McMullin told The Tribune, clarifying the point. “One thing I would work to do immediately is to restore the Voting Rights Act to the version that was supported and signed by President George W. Bush, prior to it being gutted by the Supreme Court.” Bush reauthorized the Voting Rights Act for another 25 years during his final term in office, but last year, in several different rulings, the U.S. Supreme Court limited the act’s authority. Gerrymandering is also an issue McMullin wants to tackle. In an interview with The Tribune’s editorial board in August, he said, “I think the recent gerrymander of the state did marginalize most Utahns. And I will say that partisan gerrymandering is gross political corruption.” But eliminating gerrymandering will be a difficult task, Curry said. “Not only is partisan gerrymandering hard to define, but legislative efforts to end or alter it are very partisan.” A close race The last component of McMullin’s plan is to bring his efforts to build a cross-partisan movement to the Senate. He pledged to vote on the merits of a bill, not on party or ideology of origin, and work with other senators who act independently of their parties. “I’ve spoken with senators who are also committed to changing our broken politics and working together to help the country overcome the major challenges it faces,” McMullin told The Tribune. The independent candidate also wrote in his plan that he would create opportunities for senators to work across party lines, like holding joint lunches and changing the seating on the Senate floor to be alphabetical instead of party based. “I’ll point out that, despite public perceptions to the contrary, almost everything Congress passes is bipartisan, and bipartisan legislating is just as common today as it was 50 years ago,” Curry said. “… This is something that sounds nice, but attacks a problem that doesn’t really exist to the degree people think it does.” The platform document also includes numerous jabs at Lee, saying, “He is one of only three sitting U.S. Senators who has voted against every single piece of major bipartisan legislation in the past 18 months. … Lee has also shut down the government and consistently failed to negotiate in good faith with his colleagues to get things done. Utahns deserve better.” Lee’s campaign disagreed with McMullin’s accusations. “I imagine there’s little easier than parachuting into Utah every election season armed with inaccurate accusations and policy ideas that ignore the complexities of actual lawmaking,” Matt Lusty, a spokesperson for Lee’s campaign, said in an email in response to the document. “Standing up for Utah families against President Biden’s runaway spending and inflation — even when the crowd is eager to go with the flow — takes strength,” said Lusty, adding that Lee adheres to “conservative, constitutional principles” that represent Utahns’ values. The competition between Lee and McMullin is turning into one of the closest Senate races Utah has seen in decades. A Deseret News/Hinckley Institute of Politics poll released last week shows the candidates within two points of each other. According to Curry, while appealing to voters, many of the policies outlined in the document are not groundbreaking. “I would not read anything in here as a serious, substantive policy proposal, or anything new. It’s meant to sound good in order to win votes,” said Curry. “And to be clear, I don’t mean this as a criticism — this is what candidates do.” Read More Here

Patagonia’s Influence On Utah Lands Just Got A ‘turbocharger’ https://digitalarkansasnews.com/patagonias-influence-on-utah-lands-just-got-a-turbocharger/ In the beginning, there was an expansive swath of land sacred to numerous indigenous tribes in southern Utah. There was a climber named Josh Ewing, and an advocacy organization called Friends of Cedar Mesa that did not have, as Ewing put it, “enough to pay a paycheck for someone to run the organization.” There was no Bears Ears, not in monument form anyway. “We were like, ‘Who out there in this universe cares about public lands and, you know, can support a little grassroots organization in the middle of nowhere?’” Ewing said. Then there was a California-based apparel company called Patagonia with a 20-year history of donating to grassroots environmental movements. First, it gave Friends of Bears Ears a grant. Then it produced a short film about Ewing and the unique Indigenous structures at Cedar Mesa that were being threatened by mining operations, looting and ignorance. Then it stuck around. Through the creation of the monument, its contraction, its restoration and threats of another contraction, it has established itself as a major player in the tug-of-war over open spaces in Utah. The company has been shaping opinions on land use and outdoor recreation in the state for more than a decade, but that may just be the tip of the mountain. (Katherine Frey | The Washington Post) These 800-year-old Ancestral Pueblo ruins are known as House on Fire for the smoldering color of their sandstone. Last week, Yvon Chouinard, whose focus since he founded Patagonia in 1973 has resolutely been on protecting open spaces and combating climate change, made an unexpected but not out of character announcement. In August, he and his family donated the company’s shares to a trust and an environmentally focused nonprofit. The gesture will allow Patagonia to perpetuate its role as an environmental advocate around the globe for generations to come. In Utah, it should keep Patagonia in the fight to protect Bears Ears and may even allow the company to play a larger role in determining how the state preserves and manages its public lands going forward. “Whether history is written now or in the future,” said Peter Metcalf, the former CEO of Black Diamond, a major brand in climbing and backcountry ski gear based in Salt Lake City, “the impact that Patagonia has had in this state on business as a whole, on the outdoor industry and conservation will be profound.” Embedded in Utah Patagonia’s environmental ethos, Metcalf says, has been literally embedded in the crags and mountains across Utah far longer than the company has been in the public eye. Chouinard started as a climber, and the more durable and versatile pitons, carabiners, ice picks and crampons he famously constructed in a backyard tin shed didn’t just sprout the formation of Patagonia and its offshoot, Black Diamond. It also expanded climbing of all types out to more people across a greater variety of terrain — including throughout the mountains and deserts of Utah. Environmental awareness came as part and parcel of that movement. “The process of becoming an environmentalist and thinking of a product and your impact in the world began with: You can’t be a successful climber without being in tune with nature,” Metcalf said. “Nature had to allow you to pass. You didn’t conquer a mountain.” Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune Peter Metcalf, president of Black Diamond CEO, addresses the crowd, as Lawmakers and environmental and public lands advocates rally against the public lands transfer in the capitol rotunda, Monday, March 2, 2015 Metcalf also brought much of Chouinard’s activism with him when he moved Black Diamond to Salt Lake City in 1989. Few outdoor companies were making the state their home at that time. Yet Metcalf said he understood that placing the company closer to areas rich in climbing and backcountry skiing would allow it to be more innovative and in-tune with its customers while also positioning it to champion policies that would benefit them. “It was all based upon what Patagonia did,” said Metcalf, the former general manager of Chouinard Equipment, the climbing gear maker from whose ashes Black Diamond was formed. “I mean, this is what you do.” Metcalf also spearheaded bringing the nascent Outdoor Retailer show to Utah. He said he did it to highlight the state’s natural assets, vindicate his decision to move Black Diamond here and show off his company’s campus in the shadow of the Wasatch Mountains. That same show, years later, first thrust Patagonia’s connection to Utah into the national spotlight. Bears Ears and boycotts Most of Patagonia’s early work in Utah was through its “1% for the Planet” initiative, which provided grants to grassroots programs like the one it gave to Friends of Cedar Mesa in 2012. Ewing’s group supported a movement spearheaded by a coalition of five Indigenous tribes to gain federal protection of 1.4 million acres of culturally, recreationally and yes, minerally rich land near Blanding. In December 2016, then-President Barack Obama designated Bears Ears as a national monument. But just a few months later, after Utah lawmakers asked former President Donald Trump to repeal the national monument status given to Bears Ears and return it to state control, Patagonia could no longer stay in the shadows. Saying the outdoor industry should not support a state that does not support recreation, Patagonia and Black Diamond led a boycott of the Outdoor Retailer show and pushed for it to be relocated. The following year, the show — which has been estimated to have an economic impact of about $40 million annually — found a new home in Denver. Throughout the dust-up, Patagonia retained its brick-and-mortar store in Sugar House, where it has had a presence since 1986. According to spokesperson J.J. Huggins, the store helps fund 13 local environmentally focused nonprofits, including Wasatch Community Gardens and the Salt Lake section of the American Alpine Club. When its five-year contract with Denver expired last year, Outdoor Retailer’s organizers opted to return to Salt Lake City. The winter show is scheduled to be held at the Salt Palace in January despite the threat of boycott from at least two dozen major brands. Again, Patagonia led the charge. “When you had Black Diamond working hard at something, and then you get Patagonia putting it front and center, that’s like putting the spinnaker up on a boat in high wind,” Metcalf said. “And everybody else is like, ‘Follow that boat! We’re jumping on that campaign. Like, that’s important.’ “And it just galvanized the industry. And it brought so much national attention to it.” But that’s not where the retailer’s efforts ended. Patagonia had staked itself to Bears Ears, and it wasn’t going down without a fight. A year after the monument was created, Trump acquiesced to state lawmakers’ requests. He slashed Bears Ears to 15% of its original size while also cutting in half the 1.7-million-acre Grand Staircase Escalante, a nearby area that had been given national monument status in 1996 by former President Bill Clinton. The New York Times reported that interests in oil and gas mining in protected parts of Bears Ears factored into the Trump administration’s decision to shrink the monuments. FILE – In this Dec. 4, 2017, file photo, President Donald Trump holds up a signed proclamation to shrink the size of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase Escalante national monuments at the Utah State Capitol in Salt Lake City. The chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee said in a letter Friday, Dec. 15, 2017, to Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard that committee members want to hear all perspectives. After Trump’s decision to shrink two national monuments, Patagonia posted “The President Stole Your Land” on its home page. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File) Patagonia had braced for the move and quickly filed a lawsuit against Trump and the heads of several agencies, including Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, the director of the Bureau of Land Management and the chief of the Forest Service. It argued that the Antiquities Act of 1906 that was used by Obama to create the monuments did not also give a president the power to reduce them. “They said to the state of Utah, ‘Give us all what you got because we’re going to be in this from the thick and thin in the beginning to the end. And we’re going to apply not just nominal but real and substantive resources and get involved in the litigation,’” said Pat Gonzales-Rogers, the former inaugural executive director of the Bears Ears Intertribal Coalition. “So there is no doubt they took a step that was quite bold and quite assertive for a company that has actually a for-profit bottom line. “And that’s an incredible kind of movement that goes over and above a mere gesture.” As of 2018, Patagonia had spent about $2 million to protect Bears Ears, according to a report by the New York Times. Yet the company armed the campaign with two other tools that likely carried even more value: its sway within the outdoor community and its high profile. The concerted effort by the tribes was credited by Metcalf, Gonzales-Rogers and Ewing as the driving force behind the creation of the monuments. As many as 30 tribes have joined together to advocate for the preservation of the lands, on which are found a trove of ancient dwellings, petroglyphs and fossils. But, Gonzales-Rogers said Patagonia’s involvement brought the struggle into the public eye. It generated interest with a larger audience and gave the tribal coalition access to rooms from which it might have otherwise been excluded. “It really lent license and voice to those particular areas that tribe could not speak to,” said Gonzales-Rogers, now a lecturer at the Yale School of Environment. “And so, their amplification as well as their support philosophically — as well as m...

U.S. Ski-Climber Hilaree Nelson Found Dead After Fall On Himalayan Peak https://digitalarkansasnews.com/u-s-ski-climber-hilaree-nelson-found-dead-after-fall-on-himalayan-peak/ Nepalese rescuers discovered the body of a well-known American ski-climber on Wednesday, two days after she went missing while skiing down the world’s eighth-highest peak in Nepal. Hilaree Nelson, 49, was making her way down from the 26,781-foot summit of Mount Manaslu with her partner, Jim Morrison, when she fell. The helicopter search, which had been hampered by bad weather, found her body about 6,200 feet from the summit, according to Capt. Surendra Poudel of Simrik Air, who recovered the body. “The body has been badly damaged,” he said. “It took an hour and a half to retrieve the body that was buried half in the snow.” Bigyan Koirala, an official at the Department of Tourism, the government agency that issues climbing permits, said the helicopter dropped two high-altitude sherpa guides and Morrison to search for the body on Wednesday morning. “The body was around 50 meters down to our landing point,” Poudel said. A post-mortem was conducted at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital in Kathmandu. Based on the details shared by Morrison, Nelson slipped on the knife-edge mountain near the summit and fell down the southern side of the peak. Locals have named Manaslu a “killer mountain” because more than six dozen mountaineers have perished on its slopes. Nelson, who has undertaken about 40 expeditions in the past two decades, is billed as the “most prolific ski mountaineer of her generation” by one of her sponsors, North Face. A resident of Telluride, Colo., Nelson grew up in Seattle and spent weekends at Stevens Pass in Washington’s Cascades. North Face says she became hooked on ski-mountaineering after visiting Chamonix, a French town at the foot of the highest mountain in Europe, Mont Blanc, after college. In 2012, she became the first woman to climb two of the world’s tallest mountains, Mount Everest and neighboring Mount Lhotse, in a 24-hour period. In 2018, she and Morrison returned to the area and became the first to ski down from the 27,940-foot summit of Lhotse — the fourth-tallest mountain in the world, exploits she detailed on her website. “It’s hard to summit a 28,000-foot mountain, let alone get your skis up there, have the right conditions and be able to make the ascent,” she said in a 2019 video about that feat. Nelson is also credited with inspiring young female climbers. A parent of two boys — born two years apart — she wrote in 2019 about the difficulties of balancing her mountaineering career with motherhood. Nelson said that she went on one expedition while six months pregnant and that she took pay cuts because for an elite climber, “being pregnant was treated like an injury.” Just days before the fall, Nelson wrote on Instagram about the challenges of her latest expedition. “I haven’t felt as sure-footed on Manaslu as I have on past adventure into the thin atmosphere of the high Himalaya. These past weeks have tested my resilience in new ways,” she wrote. “The constant monsoon with its incessant rain and humidity has made me hopelessly homesick.” Nelson and her partner abandoned one attempt to reach the summit when it became too dangerous to move between two camps. “We went up high and tried hard but the mountain said no,” Morrison wrote on Instagram. “Tails between our legs we bailed from camp 3 and headed down.” Climbers in the area regularly grapple with changing weather and avalanches. On Monday, an avalanche farther down the mountain killed a Nepalese guide and injured several other climbers, the Associated Press reported. Sherpas and climbers described the tough conditions on social media, as climbers braved bad weather to beat the crowds vying to make it to the summit during the peak fall climbing season. The Nepalese government issued 504 permits to foreigners wanting to climb in the Himalayan mountains this season, most of them for Manaslu, the AP reported. The tourism board did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Pannett reported from Sydney, Sangam from Kathmandu, Nepal. Read More Here

Solomon Islands Rejects Biden’s Pacific Outreach As China Looms Large https://digitalarkansasnews.com/solomon-islands-rejects-bidens-pacific-outreach-as-china-looms-large/ SYDNEY — American efforts to rally Pacific island leaders at a White House summit this week were dealt a blow when the Solomon Islands said it would not endorse a joint declaration that the Biden administration plans to unveil. As President Biden prepared to host the leaders of a dozen Pacific countries on Wednesday and Thursday in a first-of-its-kind gathering, the Solomon Islands sent a diplomatic note to other nations in the region saying there was no consensus on the issues and that it needed “time to reflect” on the declaration. The setback just hours before the start of the summit is a sign of the challenges Washington faces as it tries to reassert influence in a region where China has made inroads. It came as Vice President Harris tours East Asia, where she is emphasizing U.S. commitment to a “free and open Indo-Pacific” during stops in Japan and South Korea. In remarks in Japan on Wednesday, Harris condemned China’s “disturbing” actions in the region, including “provocations” against Taiwan. China has increased diplomatic ties with and financial aid to Pacific island nations in recent years, while also pushing security agreements that could increase its military presence in a region whose key shipping routes and natural resources make it strategically valuable. While the timing of the objection to the summit declaration was something of a surprise, the source was not. The Solomon Islands has drifted closer to China since the election of its combative prime minister, Manasseh Sogavare, in 2019. The Solomon Islands switched its diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing a few months later and made headlines again this year when it struck a controversial security pact with China that the United States and its allies fear could lead to a Chinese base in the archipelago, about 1,000 miles from Australia’s coast. The Solomon Islands and China have denied plans for a base. This month, Solomon Islands lawmakers voted to delay national elections from 2023 until 2024, in what critics called a “power grab” and a sign of growing Chinese-style authoritarianism. In an address to the U.N. General Assembly in New York last week, Sogavare said his nation had been “unfairly targeted” and “vilified” because of its relationship with China. In the diplomatic note, reviewed by The Washington Post and dated Sept. 25, the Solomon Islands Embassy to the United States in New York said the declaration would need “further discussion.” The Australian Broadcasting Corp. first reported that the Solomon Islands was refusing to sign the joint statement, which the ABC said has been in the works for weeks. According to a draft of the declaration reviewed by the ABC, the statement will declare climate the “highest priority” and “single greatest existential threat” to the Pacific. But Pacific countries appeared to have removed a reference to the China-Solomon Islands security pact, deleting language emphasizing the need to “consult with one another closely on security decisions with regional impacts,” the ABC reported. During the summit, the White House will unveil its first Pacific Island strategy, a focus of which will be climate change — an issue on which Pacific nations have demanded more decisive American action. Another component will be increasing efforts by the Coast Guard and other U.S. agencies to combat illegal fishing and to help Pacific countries sustainably manage swaths of ocean. More details on the strategy and related initiatives would come during the summit, U.S. officials said. “Our goal over the next couple of days fundamentally is to meet the Pacific islanders where they live,” said a senior U.S. administration official who spoke on the condition of anonymity about the discussions. “They’ve made it clear to us that they want us as partners on the biggest issues.” There had been a “huge amount of enthusiastic support” for the joint statement, said the official, who acknowledged disagreements over the declaration but did not directly address the Solomon Islands’ refusal to sign it. “The Solomons have been here,” he said. “They have been deeply engaged in our efforts over the last couple of days, and we expect them to be actively engaged in our meetings over the next few days.” The Solomon Islands’ objection to the White House summit declaration will be seen by some as obstructive and influenced by China, said Anna Powles, senior lecturer with the Center for Defense and Security Studies at New Zealand’s Massey University. But other Pacific states have also expressed concerns about the haste with which the United States convened the summit, she said, noting that the leaders of Vanuatu and Nauru are not attending because of elections. Kiribati will not be represented, and a few other countries were late invites. “The United States is strongly welcomed back in the region, but arguably the tempo by which the U.S. has pursued its re-engagement in the Pacific is felt to be too rushed, too hurried,” Powles said. By initially failing to invite all members of the Pacific Islands Forum — an important regional body — the United States also risked emulating China, which fell short in its bid for a broad regional security deal in May partly because some Pacific nations felt rushed to sign the sweeping agreement, she added. “Absolutely there are parallels in terms of the lack of consultation, the lack of consensus and the circumventing of the Pacific Islands Forum,” Powles said, noting that China’s failed regional security pact was very different from what is likely to emerge from the White House summit. The Biden administration is increasing its diplomatic presence in the Pacific with new embassies planned in the Solomon Islands, Tonga and Kiribati. In July, Harris announced that the administration would ask Congress to triple funding for economic development and ocean resilience in the region to $60 million a year for the next decade. Ellen Nakashima in Washington contributed to this report. 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PREP VB Mobley, Ware Offer Potent 1-2 Punch For Lady Wildcats Attack https://digitalarkansasnews.com/prep-vb-mobley-ware-offer-potent-1-2-punch-for-lady-wildcats-attack/ SPRINGDALE — Springdale Har-Ber Coach Cassie Loyd has pushed her hitters to be better since even before the season started. Some of that hard work paid off Tuesday night at Wildcat Arena. The Lady Wildcats (12-8, 7-2 6A-West) hit a sizzling .363 and had only seven hitting errors in the match en route to a 25-19, 25-21, 25-18 sweep of Bentonville West. “I think our attacking is something we’ve been working on since January,” Loyd said. “We’ve been putting pressure on our hitters all season long, saying ‘It’s not the passer’s fault. It’s not the setter’s fault. Hitters find the floor.’ “ And the Lady Wildcats did that all night against the Lady Wolverines, something that made Loyd proud. “Just seeing their hard work and their growth pay off, getting better and better and better, I think is big,” Loyd said. “We hit over .300, which I think was a big number for us. “Decision-making’s getting better. We’re not just swinging at the ball to swing and keep the ball in the court. We’re swinging to find kills. Just building confidence, too. We have a bunch of hitters who have never played in varsity matches before. Just the confidence they’re building in themselves and what they’ve given each other, that’s helping them to get better.” Loyd said her team sits third at the mid-point of conference play. It’s almost like starting all over again, Loyd said. “That’s what we told the girls, second round is a clean slate,” Loyd said. “Now we have to live in the present playing Bentonville West. So we stepped up to that challenge to be consistent.” Most of the group is learning on the go as libero Galatia Andrew is the only returner with varsity experience, Loyd said. But that’s not an excuse, she said. “It’s really rewarding as a coach to see them starting to reach their goals and get better and seeing all their hard work paying off,” Loyd said. Har-Ber scored the first two points and never trailed in the opening set. The Lady Wildcats finally broke away with a 6-1 spurt for a 24-17 lead. Kills by Gracie Mobley and Ridglee Thompson fueled the run along with an ace by Andrew. Lizzie Sol served up three aces to help the Lady Wildcats grab a 5-0 lead in the second set. Luckett’s kill pulled West within 18-17, but the Lady Wolverines got no closer. The third set was more of the same as Mobley’s blast down the line gave Har-Ber a 5-1 advantage. Luckett’s kill got West within 15-12 in the third set, but Har-Ber pushed the lead to six and cruised to the win. Mobley finished with a match-high 12 kills and hit a red-hot .480 with no errors on 25 swings. Brooklyn Ware chipped in seven kills with no errors on 12 swings. Galatia Andrew added 13 digs. Trinity Luckett and Ana Bastos led West (11-12-1, 4-6) with eight kills each. Riley Richardson added seven. Nandhini Praveen dished out a match-high 30 assists, while Ava Bennett contributed 13 digs. Fayetteville 3, Bentonville 0 Brooke Rockwell hammered 12 kills to help the Lady Purple’Dogs remain undefeated in 6A-West Conference play with a 25-11, 25-17, 25-10 road win on Tuesday. Maddie Lafata chipped in nine kills. Kennedy Phelan dished out 25 assists and contributed six aces for Fayetteville, which improved to 9-0 in the league and 16-1 overall. Fort Smith Southside 3, Rogers 0 The Lady Mavericks had three players in double figures in kills led by Sophia Neihouse with 12 en route to a 25-17, 25-22, 25-12 win over the Lady Mounties. Gabi DuPree and Tinsley Freeman anchored the defense for Southside. DuPree registered a double-double finishing with a match-high 26 digs to go with 10 kills, while Freeman added 19. Lydia Pitts also chipped in 11 kills. Shiloh Christian 3, Huntsville 0 The Lady Saints improved to 8-0 in 4A-Northwest play with a 25-8, 25-17, 25-15 win over Huntsville. Ryan Russell led the attack with 11 kills, while Rylee Kallesen added eight. Savvy Williams contributed 13 digs, while Bella Bonanno added 11. Laila Creighton put up a double-double with 14 assists and 10 digs and Reese Jones dished out 18 assists for Shiloh Christian (13-3). Read More Here

5G Market Size To Hit USD 198.44 Billion By 2030 At A Healthy CAGR Of 47.6% – Report By Market Research Future (MRFR) https://digitalarkansasnews.com/5g-market-size-to-hit-usd-198-44-billion-by-2030-at-a-healthy-cagr-of-47-6-report-by-market-research-future-mrfr/ New York, US, Sept. 28, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — According to a comprehensive research report by Market Research Future (MRFR), “5G Market by Components, By Applications – Forecast 2030”, the market is anticipated to acquire a valuation of approximately USD 198.44 Billion by the end of 2030. The reports further predict the market to flourish at a robust CAGR of over 47.6% during the assessment timeframe. 5G Market Analysis  Key Players  Eminent market players profiled in the global 5g market report include- Verizon Wireless (U.S.) LM Ericsson (Sweden) AT&T Inc. (U.S.) Alcatel-Lucent (France) Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. (China) China Mobile Ltd. (China) NTT DOCOMO, Inc. (Japan) Bharti Airtel Limited (India) Vodafone Group PLC (UK) Get Free Sample PDF Brochure: https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/2630 Report Scope: Report Metric Details   Revenue forecast in 2030  USD 198.44 Billion   Growth Rate  CAGR of 47.6% from 2022 to 2030   Base Year  2021  Study Period  2022-2030   Key Market Opportunities The communication services are aiming to provide data and connectivity to customer devices   Key Market Drivers The main aim of the 5G market trends is to deliver data at 5G speed at a low market cost Drivers  Growing Need for High-Speed Data Connectivity for Unified IoT Apps to Boost Market Growth  The growing need for high-speed data connectivity for unified IoT apps such as smart home energy management will boost market growth in the assessment period.  Browse In-depth Market Research Report (100 Pages) on 5G Market: https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/5g-market-2630 Opportunities  Advent of Industry 4.0 to offer Robust Opportunities  The advent of industry 4.0 will offer robust opportunities for the market over the forecast period.  Restraints and Challenges  High 5G Network Installation Cost to act as Market Restraint  The high 5G network installation cost may act as a market restraint over the forecast period.  5G Market Segmentation  The global 5g market is bifurcated based on applications and components.  By components, the 5g market is segmented into device to device communication and phantom cell.  By applications, the 5g market is segmented into consumer electronics, retail, automotive, healthcare, utility, and energy.  Ask To Expert: https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/ask_for_schedule_call/2630 COVID-19 Analysis  The global COVID-19 outbreak has had a tremendous impact on businesses all around the world. Numerous business sectors will definitely increase their investment in 5G-based technologies for running their operations as a result of the COVID-19 situation.  The use of 5G technology is encouraged by a few common areas of interest across sectors. Due to social isolation, confinement, and work-from-home arrangements, this is the main result. Businesses utilizing 5G technology are being forced to reevaluate their operating models as a result of social isolation, workplace effect, and related disturbances. A 5G network will undoubtedly enable stronger security controls and good QoS as SD-WAN adoption at employee personal workspaces rises. In addition, there is a significant industry-wide push toward 5G-enabled IoT, AR/VR, autonomous systems, computer vision, and robotics. The COVID-19 epidemic has caused many worries and slowdowns around the world, but fresh investments are anticipated in 5G-related technology, which will alter how the sector does its business. In this way, the COVID-19 pandemic benefited the 5G technology sector. 5G Market Regional Analysis  APAC to Head 5G Market  With a market share of about 40% in 2021, Asia Pacific was in the lead and is predicted to continue to grow at the quickest CAGR throughout the course of the forecast period. In order to roll out the 5G network infrastructure in China, Japan, & South Korea, major market players in the APAC region, including China Telecom, SK Telecom, China Mobile, and KT Corp., is making significant investments. The majority of these investments go toward the construction of next-generation infrastructure for the manufacturing, transportation & logistics, healthcare, and media & entertainment sectors. Over the projection time, it is anticipated that these investments will accelerate the expansion of the Asia Pacific regional market. Additionally, the region has seen a strong increase in the production of smartphones with 5G capabilities due to the increased demand for handsets with faster internet rates. The market for 5G services is expanding at the quickest rate in the Asia-Pacific region. The Asia-Pacific 5G services market is dominated by China, Japan, and South Korea. One of the key elements advancing the market for 5G services in the Asia-Pacific region is the deployment of new and enhanced technology. Market participants are embracing cutting-edge technologies like Blockchain, edge computing, and 5G core technology to advance the development of the 5G services market in the region. The expansion of the information technology sector also helps the market for 5G services expand and develop. 39% of global revenue was generated in the Asia-Pacific area in 2021. The Asia-Pacific region’s market for 5G services is dominated by China, Japan, and South Korea. Check for Discount: https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/check-discount/2630 North America to Have Admirable Growth in 5G Market In 2021, North America ranked as the second-largest regional market. The United States is where some of the largest investments in the construction of the 5G network infrastructure are taking shape. For instance, GVR study indicates that between 2010 and 2017, U.S.-based mobile operators invested almost USD 250 billion in the rollout of mobile network infrastructure. Over the course of the projected period, it is anticipated that aggressive expenditures in the country’s construction of smart cities, smart industries, and smart households will support regional market expansion. Due to the increasing need for faster data speeds for a number of end-use applications, such as M2M communications, energy & utility management, and smart mobility management, the U.S. is expected to dominate the North America regional market from 2022 to 2030. Over the course of the prediction, North America is anticipated to grow the fastest. The market for 5G services in North America is expanding due to the rising demand for 5G networks. Approximately 270 million 5G subscribers, or roughly 60% of all mobile subscriptions, would be available in the region, according to the June 2019 Ericcson Mobility Report. This demonstrates that the area has enormous potential for 5G services. Additionally, Canadian market participants are investing a significant amount of money in the growth of the 5G services sector. For instance, Rogers spent $1.7 billion in April 2019 to get 20-year licenses to 600MHz spectrum in Ontario and Atlantic Canada, enabling its 5G network to advance every sector. Related Reports: 5G Technology Market: By Communication Infrastructure, By Services, By Network Technology, By Chipset Type and By Application 5G IoT Market Research Report: Information By Service, Technology, Type, Vertical – Forecast till 2027 5G Security Market Research Report: Information By Components, By Network Component Security, By Architecture, By End-user About Market Research Future: Market Research Future (MRFR) is a global market research company that takes pride in its services, offering a complete and accurate analysis regarding diverse markets and consumers worldwide. Market Research Future has the distinguished objective of providing the optimal quality research and granular research to clients. Our market research studies by products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help answer your most important questions. 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Trump Aides Were Stunned By His Obsession With His Staffers' Sexuality: New Book https://digitalarkansasnews.com/trump-aides-were-stunned-by-his-obsession-with-his-staffers-sexuality-new-book/ Read More Here

Republicans Need To Do More Than Redistricting In Kansas City If They Want To Flip The Coin – Newstalk KZRG https://digitalarkansasnews.com/republicans-need-to-do-more-than-redistricting-in-kansas-city-if-they-want-to-flip-the-coin-newstalk-kzrg/ KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Republicans redrew Democratic Rep. Sharice Davids ′ suburban Kansas City, Kansas-area district this year to make a third term harder for her to win, adding rural areas where former President Donald Trump did well and removing urban areas that Davids had carried handily. But the dynamic changed in June, when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Kansas voters responded in August by rejecting a ballot measure expected to lead to more restrictions or a ban on abortion. The magnitude of that vote has left Davids and other Democrats optimistic. That’s why she is spending the final stretch of the campaign focused on abortion, attempting to keep the same abortion-rights supporters who turned out to vote in August energized to do so again in November. It’s a delicate task, asking voters who may fault Democrats for rising housing and grocery prices to nonetheless support Davids for Congress. The Supreme Court’s abortion ruling has rewritten the script in districts around the country, and both Davids and Republican challenger Amanda Adkins must win over independents and GOP moderates to win the one swing congressional district in an otherwise red state. Davids became the first lesbian Native American in Congress when she rode suburban anti-Trump sentiment to office in the 2018 election. Her background as a mixed martial arts fighter drew national interest, and Republicans initially tried to group her with “The Squad” of new liberal House members. Those efforts fell flat as she focused on such non-divisive issues as road projects, prescription drug prices and high-speed internet for rural areas. Adkins, a former corporate executive and Kansas GOP chair, is hitting Davids hard on pocketbook issues, a tactic Republicans nationally expect to carry them back to a House majority. She’s also started highlighting crime and border security. She held a news conference on those issues Monday, days after House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy released Republicans’ “Commitment to America” agenda, which promises to fight inflation but also to “protect the lives of unborn children.” The two have faced off before. Davids defeated Adkins in 2020 by 10 percentage points, but that was before redistricting after the 2020 census. While Democrat Joe Biden would have prevailed in the new district in 2020, his margin would have been roughly half the 10 percentage points he racked up in the old district — and that’s likely true for Davids as well. If Adkins’ percentage of the vote in the suburbs is a few points higher this year than in 2020, she can win. In suburban Overland Park, Andrea Calvo, a 33-year-old freight-company accounts manager, is hoping Republicans emerge a little stronger from the November election because, in her view, “they have proven to be able to handle the economy better.” While Calvo, a Republican, doesn’t see herself as a moderate, she voted in August against the proposed anti-abortion amendment to the Kansas Constitution. She sees Adkins’ support for it as “definitely a problem.” But it’s not a deal-breaker. “It’s all about the economy at the end of the day for me,” she said. The two campaigns, the parties and political groups are now on track to spend about $8 million on television ads. Davids’ ads attack Adkins for her long association with former Republican Gov. Sam Brownback, whose nationally notorious 2012-13 experiment in cutting taxes was followed by huge, persistent state budget shortfalls. Davids on Saturday launched an ad attacking Adkins on abortion that follows up on multiple Kansas Democratic Party mailings, including to Republicans. But about 85% of the district’s voters still live in the suburbs, where centrist and conservative Republicans have feuded for decades, and voters have been electing more Democrats in recent years. Former U.S. Rep. Kevin Yoder, the four-term GOP incumbent ousted by Davids in 2018, praised Adkins as a candidate, but he pointed to the dominance of those suburbs in the district as the reason the race remains challenging for the GOP. “It’s still a Biden district,” he said. Read More Here

Christian Nationalist https://digitalarkansasnews.com/christian-nationalist/ A rally headlined by retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn and an array of other speakers who tout ideals of Christian nationalism and conspiracy theories is coming to southwest Missouri later this year. Scheduled to appear at the Freedom Encounter theater in Branson from Nov. 4-5, the event is one of more than a dozen rallies around the country featuring Flynn and his allies as part of what they call “The Great ReAwakening” tour. It is hosted by Clay Clark, an entrepreneur and podcast host based out of South Dakota. A graphic advertising the event includes the faces of about 50 different people, though it’s unclear how many of them will be present and speaking at the Branson event. Among those displayed are Flynn, MyPillow CEO and election conspiracist Mike Lindell, as well as Roger Stone, a onetime Trump confidant who was convicted during the Russia interference investigation and later pardoned by the former president. “Just 3,000 tickets will be sold to this epic event!” the graphic declares, advertising a 50% off discount for “all pastors.” It also features advertisements for Showboat Branson Belle and Branson Duck Tours. The event marks the latest foray into southwest Missouri by prominent activists on the far right, who have used similar events to spread misinformation and conspiracies surrounding COVID-19, elections, government and society at large while calling for action among their supporters. Southwest Missouri:Mike Lindell holds conference in Springfield, featuring Marjorie Taylor Greene & conspiracy theories Flynn, along with Trump attorney Lin Wood, spoke at an event in Springfield last year centered around “preserving America.” Several local elected officials, including Greene County Sheriff Jim Arnott and former Springfield city councilwoman Angela Romine, attended. Lindell, who has become one of the most prominent conspiracy theorists around the 2020 election in the country, held a weekend-long summit in Springfield last month. The event featured U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and continued to tout debunked theories that the election was wrongfully decided against Trump. Flynn was fired from an intelligence position under former President Barack Obama before a brief stint as former President Donald Trump’s national security advisor. He resigned from that post after lying to the FBI about his interaction with Russian officials. He pleaded guilty to one criminal charge relating to a probe into Russian election interference and was then pardoned by Trump. From 2021:Michael Flynn and Lin Wood speak in Springfield at ‘Preserving America’ event A recent investigation by The Associated Press and PBS “Frontline” found that Flynn’s public appearances and speeches around the country have channeled themes of Christian nationalism, while attempting to energize local and state Republican officials, far-right extremist groups and conspiracy theorists. The “ReAwakening” rallies have also drawn criticism from prominent Christian leaders, who have warned that the events distort the teachings of the religion in an attempt to harm American democracy, The Guardian reported in June. At one similar rally in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Stone told the crowd, among other conspiratorial claims, that there was a “satanic portal above the White House” that could only be “closed by prayer.” Galen Bacharier covers Missouri politics & government for the News-Leader. Contact him at gbacharier@news-leader.com, (573) 219-7440 or on Twitter @galenbacharier. Read More Here

Trump Weighed Bombing Drug Labs In Mexico, According To New Book https://digitalarkansasnews.com/trump-weighed-bombing-drug-labs-in-mexico-according-to-new-book/ As president, Donald Trump weighed bombing drug labs in Mexico after one of his leading public health officials came into the Oval Office, wearing a dress uniform, and said such facilities should be handled by putting “lead to target” to stop the flow of illicit substances across the border into the United States. “He raised it several times, eventually asking a stunned Defense Secretary Mark Esper whether the United States could indeed bomb the labs,” according to a new book by New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman. White House officials said the official, Assistant Secretary for Health Brett Giroir, often wore his dress uniform for meetings with Trump, which confused the former president. “The response from White House aides was not to try to change Trump’s view, but to consider asking Giroir not to wear his uniform to the Oval Office anymore,” Haberman writes in “Confidence Man,” an extensive book about Trump’s time in New York and as president. The 607-page book, which has long been awaited by many of Trump’s aides, is set to be published Tuesday. A copy was obtained by The Washington Post. The book details unusual and erratic interactions between Trump and world leaders, members of Congress, as well as his own aides, along with behind-the-scenes accounts of his time as a businessman. Presented with a detailed accounting of the book’s reporting, a Trump spokesman did not directly respond. “While coastal elites obsess over boring books chock full of anonymously-sourced fairytales, America is a nation in decline. President Trump is focused on Saving America, and there’s nothing the Fake News can do about it,” said Taylor Budowich, the spokesman. Haberman interviewed Trump three times for the book — in which he claimed to not have taken any important documents from the White House, among other statements — and it includes his written answers to her questions. The book delves into some of the most contentious episodes of his presidency, including his impeachment trials, the weeks after the election when he tried to overturn the results and his mishandling of the novel coronavirus, among other topics. Throughout the book, Trump is portrayed as transactional and narcissistic — at times charming, at other times cruel — but always attuned to his own political fortunes, no matter the issue. During his meeting in the Oval Office with Barack Obama in 2016, he eschewed policy and asked Obama how he kept his approval ratings high, according to the book. He told advisers that he needs people such as Pennsylvania Senate nominee Mehmet Oz (R) in office in case the election is challenged in 2024 or they try to impeach him again. When Trump first met British Prime Minister Theresa May, he soon turned the conversation to abortion. “Some people are pro-life, some people are pro-choice. Imagine if some animals with tattoos raped your daughter and she got pregnant?” he said, according to the book. Pointing to then-Vice President Mike Pence, he described him as the “tough one” on abortion. He soon moved the topic away from Northern Ireland to an offshore wind project he wanted to block near his property, the book says. Trump was often crass and profane about world leaders and others in his orbit. He referred to German Prime Minister Angela Merkel as “that b—-,” according to the book. When Ruth Bader Ginsburg was dying in 2020, the book says, Trump would sarcastically raise his hands to the sky in prayer and say: “Please God. Please watch over her. Every life is precious,” before asking an aide: “How much longer do you think she has?” When former New Jersey governor Chris Christie (R) pressed Trump to more forcefully condemn white supremacists, particularly avowed white supremacist David Duke, during his 2016 campaign, Trump said he would — but he was in no rush. “A lot of these people vote,” Trump said, describing some of the white supremacists, before ending the call. The book shows Trump frequently praising Russia and its president, Vladimir Putin, for his strength and even “laughing” when aides grew mad that he tweeted a proposal for a joint cyber unit with Russia that would have “effectively let the Russians into the U.S. investigations of hacking,” Haberman writes. In another part of the book, Trump shows his lack of care about classified markings. Aides tried to stop Trump from tweeting a photo of an Iranian facility until they could remove classified details, Haberman writes. But he liked how the image looked and proceeded. “If you take out the classification, that’s the sexy part,” he told aides, she writes. And as Trump played down the coronavirus in early 2020, he privately acknowledged its severity and cast himself as the victim, according to Haberman’s book. “Can you believe this happened to me?” he said, fearing the political impact on his presidency. In detail, Haberman reports how Trump was fearful of dying and how his condition grew worse in the White House. “Deputy chief of staff of operations Tony Ornato warned the president that if he fell into a more dire situation, procedures to ensure the continuity of government would have to be set into motion,” Haberman writes. Trump was appalled by the sight of protective face masks, telling aides to remove them in his presence throughout 2020. “Get that f—ing thing off,” he said during one meeting, according to Haberman’s book. Trump repeatedly wanted credit for vaccines but told aides he could not get the credit he deserved because of the “radical right,” referring to his own supporters. He repeatedly encouraged aides to avoid the topic of the coronavirus because he viewed it as a political loser for him. “Don’t talk about it on TV,” he told the Republican National Committee’s chairwoman, Ronna McDaniel, according to the book, even as the virus dominated the news. “Don’t make such a big deal out of this,” Trump said of the pandemic in one March 2020 conversation with then-Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo (D). “You’re gonna make it a problem.” The book shows frequent attempts from advisers to tell Trump to tone down his behavior, fearful that he was going to lose his reelection bid because of his own personal conduct. He was repeatedly shown polling that his coronavirus news conferences were hurting him, in an attempt to get him to take the virus and his response more seriously. “People are tired of the f—ing drama,” Attorney General William P. Barr told him in 2020. Barr was one of a number of aides who urged Trump to dial back his frequent attacks on others. The book also shows how Trump regularly pitted aides and even family members against one another in the White House. For example, Trump frequently told then-White House Chief of Staff John F. Kelly that he wanted Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump to depart the White House, according to the book. “In meetings with Kelly and [White House Counsel Don] McGahn, Trump gave instructions to essentially fire the pair. Kelly and McGahn resisted, expressing their fear that he would not back them once his daughter and son-in-law pushed back. At one point, Trump was about to write on Twitter that his daughter and son-in-law were leaving the White House. Kelly stopped him, saying Trump had to talk to them directly before doing so. Trump agreed, then never followed up with the conversation,” the book says. Trump gave former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani (R) control of his legal team because his other lawyers were not willing to go far enough to overturn the 2020 election, Haberman writes. “Okay, Rudy, you’re in charge. Go wild, do anything you want. I don’t care,” Trump said over the phone, as he pushed him to help overturn the results. “My lawyers are terrible.” He frequently berated White House counsel Pat Cipollone, according to the book. In the aftermath of the election, Haberman describes a president who increasingly became enamored with conspiracy theories and staying in the White House, bringing in lawyers who his core group of advisers saw as deluded — with some of his longest advisers effectively trying to hide and run out the clock. And it shows how he relishes his role as a political kingmaker in the GOP. During one of her interviews with Trump, Haberman writes that Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.) came in and praised his golf game. “‘The greatest comeback in American history!’ Graham declared. Trump looked at me. ‘You know why Lindsey kisses my ass?’ he asked. ‘So I’ll endorse his friends.’ Graham laughed uproariously.” More than many tomes about Trump, the book delves into his long history as a developer in New York, where Haberman talks with many of his former friends and executives about his tendency to speak in crass terms about women and skirt financial laws — and how he created a mystique around him that endured to the presidency. Haberman traces Trump’s political career back to the 1980s, where she reports he frequently made comments that were homophobic, particularly toward gay men, and washed his hands immediately after meetings someone who had AIDS. She describes Trump’s complicated relationship with his father and the ways they avoided paying taxes over the years. She writes that Trump mused about wanting Black judges for his cases because his late lawyer Roy Cohn said they could be manipulated. Even as a businessman, she said, he was looking at politics, getting polling presentations on his image as early as 1987. Some of the book’s episodes border on the bizarre. Haberman describes Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) getting a phone call from an unknown number. “When she answered, the man on the other end identified himself as a Washington Post reporter, and said he knew her husband from his investigations in Congress. The name he gave was not one she recognized. The man asked Dingell if she was looking for an apology from Trump. No...

Little Rock Municipal Airport Commission Set To Take Up Revised Bylaws https://digitalarkansasnews.com/little-rock-municipal-airport-commission-set-to-take-up-revised-bylaws/ Revisions to the bylaws of the Little Rock Municipal Airport Commission are set to come up for approval next month. Commission members were presented with a draft of the revised bylaws for discussion purposes only during a meeting on Tuesday. Bryan Malinowski, the airport’s executive director, recalled for commissioners that a workshop was held recently at the commission’s request. In it, officials identified areas in the bylaws where the roles of committees could be clarified, Malinowski said. The draft that went before commissioners on Tuesday proposes no change to the overall structure of the commission, which is composed of seven members who serve five-year terms. The new version adds a line under “Article I — Purpose of the Bylaws” that says, “The provisions contained in these Bylaws control and take precedence over any other policies and procedures to the extent such policies and procedures conflict.” Currently, the four standing subcommittees of the commission are the lease/consultant selection, personnel, finance and retirement committees. The new version of the bylaws under consideration expands on the responsibilities of the lease/consultant selection committee compared to the current version. According to the draft of the revised bylaws, the committee “shall have responsibility to review all contracts for professional services, construction, vendors, or concessionaires to be provided to [the airport] and such other matters as are delegated by the Executive Director or Chair.” At the moment, the bylaws say the committee has the responsibility to review and recommend for approval “all contracts for professional services to be provided to [the airport] and such other matters as are delegated by the Chair.” Under the draft bylaws, after reviewing an item, the committee is then to make a recommendation to the full commission. If an item requires more time, the committee can defer making a recommendation for up to 30 days, provided there is “no adverse consequence” to the airport as a result, the draft bylaws say. In her presentation to the commission Tuesday, Amber Bagley, an attorney for the airport, told commissioners that the language on additional time arose out of the recent workshop. Among other things, commission member Bill Walker raised questions about the addition of language pertaining to the authority of the airport’s executive director in the section on the responsibilities of the lease/consultant selection committee. He also asked that adverse consequences be clarified with regard to what adverse might mean. Read More…

Kansas Governor Urges Biden's EPA To Back Down On Herbicide Rules https://digitalarkansasnews.com/kansas-governor-urges-bidens-epa-to-back-down-on-herbicide-rules/ Kansas Governor Laura Kelly has picked a fight with the federal government’s scientists. She says atrazine, a popular weed killer that pollutes waterways, needs to remain handy to Kansas farmers without new rules coming from Washington. A Democrat running for reelection in a deeply Republican state, she sided with the Trump administration’s loosening of rules for spraying the chemical in areas where it has built up in the local water. In a news release, she said new federal restrictions would be “burdensome regulations (that) don’t improve safety.” Atrazine — banned in Europe — is one of the most common chemical contaminants in surface water and is especially prevalent in the Midwest. It’s mostly used on corn, a crop that ranks second only to wheat in Kansas. The Trump administration loosened the rules for atrazine, ignoring the Environmental Protection Agency’s 2016 conclusions about the chemical’s harms. The EPA now proposes aligning the rules with scientific findings, after President Joe Biden ordered federal agencies to review their public health regulations and “listen to the science.” The EPA is proposing measures to reduce atrazine use and runoff in areas where the chemical has accumulated in surface water, and to restrict crop-dusting. A growing body of scientific studies have found the herbicide hurts frogs, fish and plants that play important roles in the food chain. Some epidemiological studies have found associations between atrazine and premature childbirths, malformed genitalia or other effects for children’s development. Independent scientists say the chemical’s maker, Syngenta, has for years sought to intimidate and discredit them, cast doubt on work documenting the chemical’s risks and muddy the facts with research that it pays for. Court documents back these claims. Professor Jason Rohr, chair of the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Notre Dame, says Syngenta wants to protect the use of an herbicide that’s long been a leading seller. “They have been clearly manufacturing uncertainty and bending the science,” Rohr said. “If you can just convince our public that we don’t have enough information or that the information is not clear, then status quo remains.” Rohr documents Syngenta’s actions in a paper published last year in the journal Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. His past research found that a key Syngenta-funded research review arguably misrepresented dozens of studies on the effects of its chemical. He compares Syngenta’s strategy to the way Big Tobacco undercut evidence that smoking harms people, and how politicians obfuscate climate change science. Syngenta offers a “textbook example” of using these tactics to delay unwanted government regulations, he says. Last week, Kelly urged the EPA to reject its proposed rules for atrazine and keep reviewing the science. She argued that about 7,000 studies have established the chemical as safe. That is a talking point promoted by Syngenta, and it leaves independent scientists who have scoured the peer-reviewed literature scratching their heads. “I have no idea what the 7,000 studies would be,” said Eleanor Rogan, a professor in the College of Public Health at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and founding chair of the school’s Department of Environmental, Agricultural and Occupational Health. In the scientific community, the effects of atrazine on humans are not the closed case that Syngenta suggests. Rogan and her colleagues have found associations between atrazine and childhood cancers using public water data. They continue to study the matter. “We are now collecting water samples ourselves, focusing on areas that have high levels of pediatric cancer,” she said. Atrazine is the second-most common herbicide used by U.S. farmers as of the EPA’s 2017 review of market data. It is second only to glyphosate, a suspected carcinogen. Kansas is one of the states with the highest use of atrazine, maps from the U.S. Geological Survey show. Syngenta argues that atrazine is good for the environment because it helps farmers who need to control weeds but don’t want to till their soil. Herbicides play an important role for most farmers who stop plowing. Reduced tilling benefits the environment by slowing down the loss of topsoil and nutrients, leaving fungi and other soil life intact, and reducing farmers’ diesel usage. But scientific research has found that atrazine can weaken frogs and other water life, making them more susceptible to diseases. More and more amphibians are succumbing to disease, one of the drivers behind a decline in their global numbers. Scientists care about amphibians because they play a vital role in the food chain — by eating insects and algae, for example, and feeding birds and mammals — and because their natural bodily substances feature in medical research. Research also suggests atrazine hurts aquatic plants, which are critical to underwater life and feed a wide variety of creatures. Experiments with laboratory animals suggests the chemical is toxic to hormonal glands and nervous systems, impacting reproductive and developmental health. Most U.S. farmers use chemicals to beat back weeds. Atrazine is used on food and commodity crops, primarily corn, an $80 billion industry. Corn is the country’s single biggest crop and provides 95% of its feed grain for livestock. “Atrazine has been an important tool that controls weeds destructive to many of my state’s most vulnerable agricultural products,” Kelly wrote to the EPA, “since it was first registered as an herbicide over 60 years ago.” The EPA’s tighter regulations would “overly burden agricultural producers and likely raise commodity prices,” she said. The National Corn Growers Association considers atrazine a critical tool “that allows farmers to do more with less.” It called on farmers this summer to protect atrazine by writing to the EPA about how regulatory changes would affect them. The European Union banned atrazine two decades ago. In 2016, the EPA reviewed the science and published a 500-page risk report that warns of repercussions for mammals, birds, reptiles, fish, amphibians and land and water plants. The findings were “based on the results from hundreds of toxicity studies.” In 2018, after Trump took office, it released a follow-up report on human health documenting evidence that atrazine interferes with hormonal glands in animal studies that are relevant to humans. But The New York Times reported that the agency simultaneously dismissed a dozen epidemiological studies linking the chemical to serious diseases. The Trump administration and chemical makers opposed considering disease trend data for reviewing product regulations. The Trump administration loosened certain rules for applying atrazine to crops, while lowering the amount that people can apply to lawns. Now operating under the Biden administration, the EPA wants to tighten requirements related to crops. Among other changes, it presses farmers to use less of the stuff or take other measures to prevent runoff if they live in areas with specific levels of atrazine in the water. The administration also wants to ban crop-dusting with atrazine, Chemical and Engineering News reports. And it wants farmers to hold off on spraying atrazine when heavy rain makes it more likely that the chemical will wash into nearby bodies of water instead of soaking into the soil. Syngenta sold more than $2 billion in herbicides annually in the U.S. as of 2010, Mother Jones reported at the time. Details of Syngenta’s battle against one Berkeley scientist emerged in court documents a decade ago related to a lawsuit filed by water systems in Kansas and other Midwestern states with atrazine in their drinking water. Syngenta settled the lawsuit for about $100 million without admitting wrongdoing. The Chinese-owned company continually claims that its chemical isn’t banned in the European Union, even though it is, investigative reporters at The New York Times and other news outlets have confirmed. Company documents released by a federal court show Syngenta worked with consulting firms to craft independent-looking pieces for publication in newspapers and to pay experts to write favorably about atrazine. -30- Celia Llopis-Jepsen covers the environment for the Kansas News Service. Follow her on Twitter @celia_LJ. The Kansas News Service is a collaboration of Kansas Public Radio, KCUR, KMUW and High Plains Public Radio focused on health, the social determinants of health and their connection to public policy. Kansas News Service stories and photos may be republished by news media at no cost with proper attribution and a link to ksnewsservice.org.   Read More Here

EU Suspects Sabotage In Massive Russian Gas Pipeline Leak https://digitalarkansasnews.com/eu-suspects-sabotage-in-massive-russian-gas-pipeline-leak/ EU diplomat believes sabotage probably caused leaks Danish defence minister worried over Baltic Sea security Danish defence minister met with NATO chief in Brussels BERLIN/COPENHAGEN, Sept 28 (Reuters) – Any deliberate disruption to the EU’s energy infrastructure would meet a “robust and united response”, its top diplomat said, after several states said two Russian pipelines to Europe that have been spewing gas into the Baltic had been attacked. It remained far from clear who might be behind the leaks or any foul play, if proven, on the Nord Stream pipelines that Russia and European partners spent billions of dollars building. Russia, which slashed gas deliveries to Europe after the West imposed sanctions over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, has also said sabotage was a possibility and that the leaks undermined the continent’s energy security. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com The European Union believes sabotage probably caused the leaks detected on Monday in the Nord Stream pipelines, Josep Borrell was reported as saying by German broadcaster ntv, echoing views aired by Germany, Denmark and Sweden on Tuesday. The EU has not named a potential perpetrator or suggested a reason behind it. “Any deliberate disruption of European energy infrastructure is utterly unacceptable and will be met with a robust and united response,” Borrell said, according to ntv. Denmark’s defence minister, meanwhile, said on Wednesday there was reason to be concerned about the security situation in the Baltic Sea region following a meeting with NATO General Secretary Jens Stoltenberg in Brussels. “Russia has a significant military presence in the Baltic Sea region and we expect them to continue their sabre-rattling,” Morten Bodskov said in a statement. In a sign of how long it might take to ascertain the full extent of the damage and the cause of the leaks, Bodskov also said it might take a week or perhaps two before the areas around the damaged pipelines were calm enough to be investigated. Sweden’s Prosecution Authority said it will review material from a police investigation into the damage to the pipelines and decide on further action. Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson had told a news conference on Tuesday that two blasts had been detected in relation to the leaks. Although this did not represent an attack on Sweden, Stockholm was in close contact with partners such as NATO and neighbours such as Denmark and Germany. Seismologists in Denmark and Sweden said they had registered two powerful blasts on Monday in the vicinity of the leaks and the explosions were in the water, not under the seabed. The Nord Stream pipelines have been flashpoints in an escalating energy war between capitals in Europe and Moscow that has damaged major Western economies, sent gas prices soaring and sparked a hunt for alternative supplies. Gas bubbles from the Nord Stream 2 leak reaching surface of the Baltic Sea in the area shows disturbance of well over one kilometre diameter near Bornholm, Denmark, September 27, 2022. Danish Defence Command/Handout via REUTERS Denmark’s armed forces said the largest gas leak had caused a surface disturbance of well over 1 kilometre (0.6 mile) in diameter, while agencies issued warnings to shipping to avoid the area. Norway has said it will strengthen security at its oil and gas installations in the wake of the leaks and reports of drone activities in the North Sea and Danish authorities asked that the level of preparedness in its power and gas sector be raised. European leaders and Moscow say they can not rule out sabotage. Map of Nord Stream pipelines and locations of reported leaks GAS FLOWS Operator Nord Stream has called the damage “unprecedented”, while Gazprom (GAZP.MM), the Russian-controlled company with a monopoly on its gas exports by pipeline, declined to comment. Neither pipeline was pumping gas at the time the leaks were found, but the incidents scupper any remaining expectations that Europe could receive fuel via Nord Stream 1 before winter, while there are also concerns about gas piped via Ukraine. “A development that could have a more immediate impact on gas supplies to Europe was a warning from Gazprom that Russia could impose sanctions on Ukraine’s Naftogaz due to ongoing arbitration,” analysts at ING Research said. Naftogaz’s CEO said on Wednesday the Ukrainian energy firm will continue with arbitration proceedings against Gazprom over Russian natural gas which transits the country. Gazprom said earlier in the week that while rejecting all Naftogaz’s claims in arbitration, it may introduce sanctions against the company in case it presses ahead with the case. “The risk is that these flows come to a complete halt, which will only tighten up the European market further as we move towards the heating season,” the ING analysts added. European gas prices rose following news of the leaks. The benchmark October Dutch price was up by 11% at 204.50 euros/megawatt hour on Wednesday. Although prices are still below this year’s peaks, they remain more than 200% higher than in early September 2021. Russia reduced gas supplies to Europe via Nord Stream 1 before suspending flows altogether in August, blaming Western sanctions for causing technical difficulties. European politicians say that was a pretext to stop supplying gas. The new Nord Stream 2 pipeline had yet to enter commercial operations. The plan to use it to supply gas was scrapped by Germany days before Russia sent troops into Ukraine, in what Moscow calls a “special military operation,” in February. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Reporting by Reuters bureaus; Writing by Alexander Smith; Editing by Louise Heavens Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. Read More Here

Jan. 6 Panel Delays Hearing As Hurricane Ian Aims At Florida https://digitalarkansasnews.com/jan-6-panel-delays-hearing-as-hurricane-ian-aims-at-florida-2/ WASHINGTON — The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol announced Tuesday that it had postponed a hearing scheduled for Wednesday as a hurricane hurtled toward the Florida coast. The committee had planned to hold what was likely to be its final investigative hearing Wednesday afternoon, but members decided at the last minute to delay it as it became clear that Hurricane Ian was churning on a collision course toward Florida, where it was expected to strengthen into a catastrophic Category 4 storm. “We’re praying for the safety of all those in the storm’s path,” committee chairman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., and vice chair Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., said in a statement Tuesday afternoon. “The Select Committee’s investigation goes forward and we will soon announce a date for the postponed proceedings.” The committee had not yet provided a specific agenda for the Wednesday hearing, but Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., said over the weekend it would “tell the story about a key element of Donald Trump’s plot to overturn the election.” This week’s hearing was intended to close the series of public hearings the nine-member panel embarked on in early June. Throughout eight hearings, the committee — comprised of seven Democrats and two Republicans — sought to show the American public in great detail how former President Trump ignored many of his closest advisers and amplified his false claims of election fraud after he lost the 2020 election to Joe Biden. Some of the more than 1,000 witnesses interviewed by the panel — a number of them Trump’s closest allies — recounted in videotaped testimony how the former president declined to act when hundreds of his supporters violently attacked the Capitol as Congress certified Biden’s victory on Jan. 6, 2021. But the committee has said its work isn’t done. During the August recess, congressional investigators continued to interview witnesses, including several of Trump’s cabinet members, some of whom had discussed invoking the constitutional process in the 25th Amendment to remove Trump from office after the insurrection. Cheney had previously said the committee “has far more evidence to share with the American people and more to gather.” There are also many questions surrounding the effort to overturn the election that remain unanswered as the committee goes into its final three months of work. Panel members still want to get to the bottom of missing Secret Service texts from Jan. 5-6, 2021, which could shed further light on Trump’s actions during the insurrection, particularly after earlier testimony about his confrontation with security as he tried to join supporters at the Capitol. Thompson said earlier this month that the committee has recently obtained “thousands” of documents from the Secret Service. Last week, the committee was able to secure an interview with conservative activist Virginia “Ginni” Thomas, who’s married to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. Lawmakers want to know more about her role in trying to help Trump overturn the election. She contacted lawmakers in Arizona and Wisconsin as part of that effort. And the last, but possibly most consequential decision left on the committee’s plate is how aggressively to pursue testimony from Trump and former Vice President Mike Pence. The panel will have to wrap up these loose ends by the end of the year, when the select committee status expires. If Republicans take the majority in November’s elections, as they are favored to do, they are expected to dissolve the committee in January. So the panel is planning to issue a final report by the end of December that will include legislative reforms to help prevent future attempts to subvert democracy. Read More Here

Track Hurricane Ian’s Path In Florida https://digitalarkansasnews.com/track-hurricane-ians-path-in-florida/ The latest: As of Tuesday evening, Ian is a major hurricane between Cuba and the Florida Keys. Its most recent track shows landfall in Southwest Florida. Where is Ian heading right now? Here is the latest forecast track and cone from the National Hurricane Center, as well as recent satellite footage. The line and cone represent where the eye of the storm is expected to go in the coming days. No prediction is exact — the cone shows the range that two out of three storms would take on average. But a third of the time, storms leave the cone. A storm’s effects can reach much farther than its eye. This satellite video shows the storm for the last three hours. Hover or tap on the circles on the map to see when the storm is predicted to reach each point. Data from the National Hurricane Center. Video images from the National Environmental Satellite Data and Information Service. • • • 2022 Tampa Bay Times Hurricane Guide HOW TO TALK TO KIDS ABOUT THE HURRICANE: A school mental health expert says to let them know what’s happening, keep a routine and stay calm. WHAT TO EXPECT IN A SHELTER: What to bring — and not bring — plus information on pets, keeping it civil and more. SAFEGUARD YOUR HOME: Storms and property damage go hand in hand. Here’s how to prepare. IT’S STORM SEASON: Get ready and stay informed at tampabay.com/hurricane. RISING THREAT: Tampa Bay will flood. Here’s how to get ready. DOUBLE-CHECK: Checklists for building all kinds of hurricane kits PHONE IT IN: Use your smartphone to protect your data, documents and photos. SELF-CARE: Protect your mental health during a hurricane. • • • Rising Threat: A special report on flood risk and climate change PART 1: The Tampa Bay Times partnered with the National Hurricane Center for a revealing look at future storms. PART 2: Even weak hurricanes can cause huge storm surges. Experts say people don’t understand the risk. PART 3: Tampa Bay has huge flood risk. What should we do about it? INTERACTIVE MAP: Search your Tampa Bay neighborhood to see the hurricane flood risk. Read More Here

Stock Futures Fall After S&P 500 Hits New Low For The Year; 10-Year Treasury Yield Briefly Tops 4% https://digitalarkansasnews.com/stock-futures-fall-after-s-10-year-treasury-yield-briefly-tops-4-2/ Stock futures were lower on Wednesday morning after a relief rally failed during regular trading hours and the S&P 500 hit a new intraday low for the year. Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 173 points, or about 0.59%. S&P 500 futures shed 0.71%, and Nasdaq 100 futures also fell more than 100 points, or about 0.98%. During Tuesday’s session, stocks gave up a large early gain and the S&P 500 fell below its intraday low from June, which was the previous market bottom. The Dow and S&P 500 closed lower for the sixth straight day, while the Nasdaq Composite ground higher by 0.25%. All three major averages are now in bear market territory. Several technical metrics show that the stock market may be oversold, but some on Wall Street are worried that investors have not priced in an earnings slowdown and the impact of the Federal Reserve’s rate hikes. The S&P 500 breaking below its previous low is a key indicator for some that stocks still have further to fall. “I think we’re certainly not at the end of the road in terms of pricing in the full recessionary outcome. … We really need to get to dirt cheap valuations on equities, and we’re not quite there yet,” Anastasia Amoroso, chief investment strategist at iCapital, said on Tuesday’s “Closing Bell.“ On Wednesday, investors will get an updated look at the housing market with pending home sales from August. European markets slide as global stocks retreat European stocks were sharply lower on Wednesday as global markets sold off on economic concerns surrounding inflation and the growth outlook. The pan-European Stoxx 600 fell 1.9% by mid-morning, with banks and insurance stocks plunging 4.2% to lead losses. Healthcare was the only sector in positive territory, adding 0.7%. The negative trade in Europe comes after a torrid night for markets in the Asia-Pacific. – Elliot Smith CNBC Pro: Credit Suisse says now’s the time to buy two green hydrogen stocks — and gives one over 200% upside Credit Suisse says it’s time to enter the green hydrogen sector, with a number of catalysts set to drive the clean energy powerhouse. “Green hydrogen is a growth market — we increase our 2030 market estimates by [over] 4x,” the bank said, forecasting that green hydrogen production will expand by around 40 times by 2030. It names two stocks to play the boom — giving one upside of more than 200%. CNBC Pro subscribers can read more here. — Weizhen Tan U.S. 10-year Treasury yield breaches 4% for the first time since 2010 –Jihye Lee CNBC Pro: Asset manager reveals what’s next for stocks — and shares how he’s trading the market Neil Veitch, investment director at Edinburgh-based SVM Asset Management, says he expects the macro landscape to remain “quite difficult” for the remainder of the year.   Speaking to CNBC Pro Talks last week, Veitch named the key drivers that could help the stock market to turn “more constructive” and shared his take on growth versus value. CNBC Subscribers can read more here. — Zavier Ong Earnings questions, potential recession mean more selling could be ahead The Dow and S&P 500 have fallen for six straight days, with many of those seeing broad selling typical of so-called “washout” days. That can sometimes be a contrarian buy signal on Wall Street, but many investment professionals are skeptical that the selling is over. One reason is that earnings expectations for next year still show solid growth, which would be unlikely in the event of a recession. “We know that if we start seeing a turnaround in the 2-year yields … and if we start seeing a turnaround in the dollar, that gives us the ability to bounce from these extremely oversold conditions,” said Andrew Smith, chief investment strategist of Delos Capital Advisors in Dallas. “But I have a hard time reconciling in my mind that the earnings story is going to be as good as we expect.” Additionally, the dramatic moves in the bond and currency markets means that “something broke” and it may be smart to wait for that information to shake out, Smith said. On the positive side, Smith pointed to a strong labor market and signs of continued spending on travel as a sign that the U.S. economy may be able to avoid a major recession. — Jesse Pound Futures open higher Stock futures rose slightly after trading began at 6 p.m. Dow futures rose more than 60 points at one time, though those gains have since shrunk. Nasdaq 100 futures had the biggest early jump of three, suggesting that tech may continue to outperform on Wednesday. — Jesse Pound S&P 500 takes out June low on Tuesday Though Tuesday’s closing levels showed relatively modest daily moves, the S&P 500 fell below its previous intraday low for the year during the session. That move was seen by many as confirmation that the summer rally for stocks has failed. The S&P 500 is now 24.3% off of its record high, and the Dow is also in bear market territory, down roughly 21.2%. The Nasdaq Composite, whose decline dates back to last November, is 33.2% below its high-water mark. The next key metric for investors in the days ahead could come from the bond market, where the 10-year Treasury yield has surged to just below the 4% level. — Jesse Pound, Christopher Hayes Read More Here

GOP Candidates Strip The MAGA From Their Campaign Websites https://digitalarkansasnews.com/gop-candidates-strip-the-maga-from-their-campaign-websites/ Right after Bo Hines won a crowded primary for Congress in North Carolina, a visitor to the Republican hopeful’s campaign website would immediately find his declaration that he was “100 percent Pro-Life” and “100 percent Pro-Trump.” Just a click away was a section focused on “life and family” issues, which professed Hines’ position that “life begins at conception” and his commitment to “protect the rights of the unborn.” Naturally, the first thing greeting any visitor to the site was the grinning face of Donald Trump—and his endorsement of Hines’ campaign. Today, all of that is gone. As Hines faces stiff competition from a Democratic rival in a swing suburban district, all but one of the images and invocations of Trump previously on his site have been removed, as have all references to abortion. Trump only appears in a photoshopped image with Hines in his site’s section on border security. The 27-year-old conservative would hardly be the first candidate, of either party, to adjust their brand post-primary in hopes of winning over independent-minded voters in the general election. But the so-called tactic of “pivoting to the general” is being pushed to its limits for Republicans running in 2022. Trump remains as popular as ever among the GOP base and is as unpopular as ever outside of it. The Supreme Court’s move in June to overturn abortion rights is a dream come true in the GOP base—but a nightmare to many more outside it. Stuck between their past posturing and their current campaigning, a growing cohort of Republican candidates have turned to a simple solution for reconciling it all: just delete it. According to a review of archived internet pages by The Daily Beast, at least five House GOP candidates in battleground districts wiped mentions of Trump or the 2020 election from their websites or social media after winning their primaries. And at least seven removed or significantly modified language about abortion on their web sites over the summer. Among GOP hopefuls for Senate, at least three have scrubbed their online pages of Trump or 2020: Blake Masters of Arizona, Mehmet Oz of Pennsylvania, and Tiffany Smiley of Washington. And at least two did the same for abortion: Masters and Adam Laxalt of Nevada. Generally, it’s uncommon to see candidates significantly change their platforms and branding during the course of a campaign. In responses to inquiries from The Daily Beast, and other news outlets in previously reported stories, a handful of Republicans offered explanations for their disappearing pro-Trump or anti-abortion rights content. Some claimed they simply redesigned their websites or reshuffled the content to a different, usually more obscure, place. Other campaigns openly copped to removing anti-abortion rights content, but framed it as a move to focus their messaging on the issues they say matter more to general election voters. Most of the GOP campaigns, however, blamed Democrats and the media for allegedly not focusing on issues like the economy, or attacked them for not focusing on Democrats’ own positions about abortion. Ken Spain, a Republican strategist, warned that erasing previous positions or aspects of a candidate’s biography is “kind of silly at this stage” and is akin to “writing ads for the opposition.” “Unfortunately for all candidates, the Internet lives forever,” Spain said. “At this point, it’s too late to run away from who you are.” While GOP candidates have always attempted to appeal to the right and then tack to the center, Spain said the “chasm has become so wide that it’s becoming incredibly difficult to pull off.” That difficulty could have major implications for control of Congress. Operatives like Spain say these campaign website scrubs contribute to bad news cycles for candidates and “end up becoming part of the story,” he said. In key districts—like Hines’ in North Carolina—the margins will be so narrow that bad news cycles could have real impact. Michael Bitzer, a professor of politics at Catawba College outside Charlotte, said time would tell if voters buy the “delicate balancing act” Hines is attempting to pull off. Hines’ website overhaul reveals a candidate “making a strategic decision to say, ‘I need to be much more in the middle lane,’” Bitzer said. “In a district like the 13th, you can’t just play to one party base.” (Hines’ campaign didn’t respond to a request for comment.) Although Democrats certainly have to deal with their own baggage in this midterm election, few candidates have been compelled to erase or overhaul sections of their websites to respond to political vulnerabilities on key issues. There are a few examples of Democrats scrubbing their campaign websites for certain stances—typically on crime-related topics, which the GOP has turned into an election-year issue. Hillary Scholten, a Democrat running for Congress in Michigan, displayed a section on criminal justice reform on her website during her 2020 run, for instance. Running again for the same seat in 2022, that section is now gone, according to the Daily Caller. But in 2022, Republican candidates have subjected their platforms to far more dramatic makeovers in the span of weeks and months, not years. When it comes to their posture toward Trump and his conspiracy of a stolen election, GOP candidates’ website changes have largely come after courting Trump-loving primary voters. Chris West, for instance, campaigned in a contested primary for a southwest Georgia congressional seat as an “Air Force Officer, Job Creator, America First Fighter” who prominently displayed a photo of him grinning and giving a thumbs-up with Trump. Now that he faces Democratic Rep. Sanford Bishop, West removed that photo of Trump from his website, and rebranded himself as an “Air Force Officer, Job Creator, Fighter For Middle and Southwest Georgia Families.” (West’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment on the change.) To win their primaries, many Republican candidates have usually been forced to pay lip service to the idea of “election integrity”—either outright questioning the outcome of the 2020 election themselves or alluding to public concerns about it in order to send the right signal to the party base. Understanding that issue to be toxic, or at least a nonstarter, with much of the general public, several GOP candidates have deemphasized it or erased it from their websites. In August, CNN reported that Masters, the GOP nominee to take on Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ), had removed language from his website declaring that the 2020 election was stolen. Tiffany Smiley, who Republicans hope will mount a serious challenge to Sen. Patty Murray in typically blue Washington state, had “election integrity” prominently displayed on her agenda page during the primary before removing that language afterward, HuffPost reported. Smiley’s website does now allude to the issue, but the content is only reachable by clicking a “learn more” link at the bottom of her revamped agenda page. Now, Smiley professes support for “ensuring efforts to increase voter participation do not undermine confidence in our elections.” It’s a far more modest message than Smiley’s initial platform statement that “the 2020 elections raised serious questions about the integrity of our elections and caused millions of Americans to question their confidence in our electoral process.” If Trump had faded from public life after leaving office, such scrubs might have been successful, said Julia Azari, a political science professor at Marquette University. “But he hasn’t and in that sense, it feels much more like 2018 than it really should,” she said, referencing the wave election year in which Democrats rode anti-Trump sentiment to a House majority. While Republicans may have anticipated pivoting away from Trump and 2020 after their primaries, the Supreme Court’s decision in June to overturn Roe v. Wade immediately put their candidates on the defensive nationwide. Previously, it cost Republicans very little to proclaim their opposition to abortion. But now that new abortion restrictions pushed by the party could become law—and are widely unpopular with voters—candidates in competitive races have resorted to tweaking or otherwise removing their past unequivocal opposition to abortion access. JR Majewski, for instance, put “protecting innocent life” as his top issue as he campaigned in the GOP primary in a newly redrawn northwest Ohio district. “The American people must defend innocent life and upholding the Judeo-Christian values of our founding,” Majewski said on his website. “I will support all legislation that protects life in the womb. I believe in life at conception, and I believe our laws should protect all living souls, including those who are the most vulnerable.” Now, that language is gone—as is Majewski’s entire platform section on abortion. He faces longtime Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), but his campaign suffered a major blow after the Associated Press reported that he exaggerated his military service record. His campaign did not respond to a request for comment. In suburban Chicago, Catalina Lauf—who previously mounted a MAGA-tinged challenge to Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) before redistricting put her in a purple seat—ran in a primary as a “pro-life conservative,” according to her website. “I will continue as a vocal opponent of the Left’s radical position in support of late-term abortion, partial-birth abortion, and infanticide,” she said. Now, as she garners establishment support to take on Rep. Bill Foster (D-IL), that language has disappeared. Lauf’s campaign also did not respond to a request for comment. To Democrats, the signal sent by this spate of website edits is clear. “MAGA Republicans have made their extreme positions clear—there is no going back jus...

Melania Trump’s Snub Created A Surge Of Conservative Vogue Wannabes https://digitalarkansasnews.com/melania-trumps-snub-created-a-surge-of-conservative-vogue-wannabes/ Photo Illustration by Thomas Levinson/The Daily Beast/Getty “Corruption chic” is in. That’s according to The Conservateur, a new “D.C.-based fashion-and-lifestyle platform” from some of conservative fashion’s elite, who, upset over Vogue snubbing Melania Trump, are now throwing in their political views with a cute new pair of shoes—or ankle monitors—in their own attempt at creating content. Michael Schaffer, a senior editor at Politico whose “Capital City” column runs weekly in Politico magazine, tells hosts Will Sommer and Kelly Weill in this episode of The Daily Beast’s Fever Dreams podcast that while he doesn’t think Anna Wintour is losing a lot of sleep, the “MAGA answer to Vogue” has landed, and it’s already making headlines. “It fits with the sort of conservative self mythology of ‘We are oppressed, we are marginalized, we are treated unfairly,’” Schaffer says of The Conservateur, created by Trump White House alum Jayme Chandler Franklin and pal Isabelle Redfield. “In the case of these folks behind The Conservateur it’s like, ‘Oh, Melania Trump was never given a cover of Vogue even though she’s so beautiful and the fashion industry is hopelessly woke.’” “I think there’s a thing on the right because again the right has become in a lot of ways in our country a kind of subculture. The idea is we’re creating a separate reality because we are so terribly, terribly, terribly mistreated in the other reality.” Schaffer offers an explanation for the popularity of such content: “There seems to be much more of a worship for traditional forms of authentic validation.” “I’m sad to say that magazine covers don’t quite have the impact that they once did in our culture. But among folks who think it was so unfair that Melania was excluded from Vogue, they are still sort of held up as this like amazing thing.” However Schaffer does give The Conservateur kudos: “I will say it… it’s pretty nicely done. The design is tasteful and it’s not a complete joke, even if the fashion is probably not people that you are gonna be hanging out with.” The Surprising Downside of Being a Crypto Hustler In this week’s “Fresh Hell” segment, the hosts discuss the right’s reaction to and misreporting on the emerging trend of colorful fentanyl pills dubbed rainbow fentanyl. Republicans have managed to wedge this into an anti-Democrat talking point, Weill says, while discrediting House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy in a Fox News appearance who claimed that a school official died after seizing fentanyl from a child and touching it. “They’re saying, ‘Where does fentanyl come from? Mexico. So because of the open border and Joe Biden, your child is going to eat fentanyl thinking that they are a pack of Skittles.’ “It’s a rehash of the same panics we’ve seen about razors and apples since we were kids. But this one has a really kind of tortured political bent to it.” Listen, and subscribe, to Fever Dreams on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Stitcher. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast’s biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast’s unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. Read More Here