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President Trump Tried To Immediately Withdraw Troops From Afghanistan And Somalia, https://digitalarkansasnews.com/president-trump-tried-to-immediately-withdraw-troops-from-afghanistan-and-somalia/ The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol held its its ninth public hearing on Thursday, sharing new evidence and pre-recorded testimony from several Trump White House insiders.  Rep. Adam Kinzinger said then-President Donald Trump knew he lost the 2020 election and so he rushed to complete “unfinished business” before his term ended — even trying to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan and Somalia.  In his opening statement, Kinzinger, one of two Republicans on the committee, played previous testimony from administration officials stating Trump new he lost the election even if he publicly kept up the erroneous claims that he won. He played video testimony of Gen. Mark Milley, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, saying that he heard either Trump or then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo say “Yeah, we lost, we need to let that issue go to the next guy. Meaning President Biden.” Kinzinger then said that “knowing he lost and had weeks left in office, President Trump rushed to complete unfinished business.” A video is shown of former US President Donald Trump at the US House Select Committee hearing to Investigate the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on October 13, 2022. ALEX WONG/POOL/AFP via Getty Images “One key example is this: President Trump issued an order for large-scale U.S. troop withdrawals,” Kinzinger continued. “He disregarded concerns about the consequences for fragile governments on the front lines of the fight against ISIS and al Qaeda terrorists.” “Knowing he was leaving office, he acted immediately and signed this order on Nov. 11, which would have required the immediate withdrawal of troops from Somalia and Afghanistan all to be complete before the Biden inauguration on January 20th.” Kinzinger played clips from previous testimony with administration and military officials familiar with the memo. John McEntee, former director of the White House Presidential Personnel Office, said he discussed the possible withdrawals with Col. Douglas McGregor. McGregor said he told the administration if they wanted with withdrawal to happen, the president had to write an order.  General Keith Kellogg, national security adviser to Vice President Mike Pence, said he was familiar with the memo that the president signed to withdraw troops.  All three men testified that Trump signed an order, written by McEntee.  Milley said he felt the order was “odd, not standard and potentially dangerous.”  “I personally thought it was militarily not feasible, nor wise,” he said.  Kellogg went so far as to say if he saw the withdrawal happen, he would “do something physical” because he “thought that what this was was a tremendous disservice to the nation.” “By the way, it was a very contested issue, there were people who did not agree with getting out of Afghanistan. I appreciated their concerns. An immediate departure, which that memo said, would’ve been catastrophic,” Kellogg said.  “It’s same thing President Biden went through. Would have been a debacle,” he continued, referring to Mr. Biden’s decision to pull all U.S. military forces from Afghanistan by Sept. 11, 2021. As troops withdrew in August of that year, the country quickly fell to the Taliban, with chaos ensuing as thousands tried to evacuate.  “Keep in mind [Trump’s] order was for an immediate withdrawal. It would have been catastrophic. Yet President Trump signed the order,” Kinzinger said during the hearing. “These are highly consequential actions of a president who knows his term will shortly end.”  Mr. Biden reversed Trump’s decision to remove troops from Somalia.  Following the hearing on Thursday, the committee voted unanimously to subpoena Trump, saying there is precedent for a former president to appear before the panel. “The vast weight of evidence presented so far has shown us that the central cause of January 6th was one man, Donald Trump, who many others followed,” said Rep. Liz Cheney, the other Republican member and vice chair of the committee. “None of this would have happened without him. He was personally and substantially involved in all of it.” Eleanor Watson contributed to this report. In: Donald Trump January 6 Hearings Caitlin O’Kane Caitlin O’Kane is a digital content producer covering trending stories for CBS News and its good news brand, The Uplift. Read More Here

NY Seeks Court Oversight After Trump Org.'s Concerning Moves https://digitalarkansasnews.com/ny-seeks-court-oversight-after-trump-org-s-concerning-moves/ NEW YORK (AP) — New York’s attorney general has asked a judge to bar Donald Trump’s company from selling or transferring assets without court approval, saying it had engaged in a devious attempt to duck potential penalties in her fraud lawsuit against the former president. In court papers filed Thursday, Attorney General Letitia James’ office said that shortly before she filed the lawsuit last month, Trump’s company incorporated a new entity in Delaware named Trump Organization LLC — almost identical to the original company’s name. On the day the lawsuit became public, the Trump Organization registered the new Delaware company in New York as “Trump Organization II LLC.” “Beyond just the continuation of its prior fraud, the Trump Organization now appears to be taking steps to restructure its business to avoid existing responsibilities under New York law,” lawyers for the attorney general’s office said. Manhattan Judge Arthur Engoron scheduled an Oct. 31 hearing on James’ request for an independent monitor to oversee the Trump Organization’s activities. FILE – New York Attorney General Letitia James speaks during a press conference on Sept. 21, 2022, in New York. James has asked a judge Thursday, Oct. 13, to bar the Trump Organization from selling or transferring assets without court approval while a legal battle plays out over her fraud allegations against the former president’s company. (AP Photo/Brittainy Newman, File) Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS/Brittainy Newman FILE – Former President Donald Trump speaks at the Minden Tahoe Airport in Minden, Nev., on Oct. 8, 2022. New York’s attorney general has asked a judge Thursday, Oct. 13, to bar the Trump Organization from selling or transferring assets without court approval while a legal battle plays out over her fraud allegations against the former president’s company. (AP Photo/José Luis Villegas, Pool, File) Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS/José Luis Villegas PreviousNext James’ office said it wants the case to go to trial in October 2023 — almost a year before the next presidential election. Trump has been laying groundwork for a potential comeback campaign. Trump’s lawyer, Alina Habba, said the idea of court oversight “has no merit and is dead on arrival.” “We have repeatedly provided assurance, in writing, that the Trump Organization has no intention of doing anything improper,” Habba said in a written statement. “This is simply another stunt which Ms. James hopes will aid her failing political campaign.” James, a Democrat, is running for re-election as attorney general against a little-known Republican attorney from Queens, Michael Henry. Trump, a Republican, has repeatedly sparred with James and contends that her lawsuit is part of a politically motivated “witch hunt.” In the lawsuit, filed last month, James’ office accused Trump of habitually misleading banks and others about how much assets like his golf courses and other real estate were worth. In the latest filing, James said the organization continued to use improper methods of creating valuations. Trump’s attorney has asked that the case be transferred from Engoron, who has repeatedly ruled against Trump in related subpoena disputes, to the court’s Commercial Division, which is set up to handle complex corporate litigation. In a letter Thursday to the court’s administrative judge, Habba asked for an expedited decision on her transfer request. Habba argued that Thursday’s filing was “an obvious attempt” by the attorney general’s office to get Engoron involved in the case before a decision is made. The lawsuit also named his three eldest children, Donald Jr., Ivanka and Eric Trump, as defendants, along with two longtime Trump Organization executives. In her motion for a preliminary injunction, James’ office said it had raised concerns with the Trump legal team about assets being moved out of state and that it asked for assurances that there would be no changes. If changes were to be made, James’ office said it wanted reasonable notice before hand. Trump’s lawyers “did offer to provide assurances and advance notice,” James’ said, but “no concrete mechanism to either effectuate or enforce that offer.” James’ office also disclosed that the former president and Eric Trump have yet to accept service of the lawsuit and sought permission to serve them electronically instead. A lawyer for the office, Colleen Faherty, noted that serving Trump with paper copies is “impracticable given the security measures taken for his protection as the former President of the United States.” Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Read More Here

Zero • MUSICFESTNEWS https://digitalarkansasnews.com/zero-musicfestnews/ Zero  Zero return to action beginning Thursday, October 13, at Miners Foundry in Nevada City, with two more shows in California. After a quick break, they move to the East Coast for shows from Baltimore to Vermont. They also have a three-night run at George’s Majestic in Fayetteville, Arkansas, in December. The band was formed in 1984. They have eight albums and more than 1500 concerts to their credit. Zero features founders Steve Kimock, guitar, and Greg Anton, drums, along with long-time collaborator Pete Sears, bass), and Hadi Al Saadoon, trumpet, and Spencer Burrows, keyboards. ZERO 10/13  Miners Foundry | Nevada City CA 10/15  The Fillmore | San Francisco CA 10/16  Felton Music Hall | Felton CA 10/27  Brooklyn Bowl | Brooklyn NY 10/28  Ardmore Music Hall | Ardmore PA 10/29  Sherman Theater | Stroudsburg PA 10/30  Baltimore Soundstage | Baltimore MD 11/02  Bearsville Theater | Woodstock NY 11/03  Infinity Hall Hartford | Hartford CT 11/04  The Cabot | Beverly MA 11/05  The Flying Monkey | Plymouth NH 11/06  Double E Performance Center | Essex VT 12/02  George’s Majestic | Fayetteville AR 12/03  George’s Majestic | Fayetteville AR 12/04  George’s Majestic | Fayetteville AR Steve Kimock/ZERO Website Facebook TOUR © 2022 MusicFestNews | All Rights Reserved Built by Jeff Hooton Read More Here

Biden Quietly Unveils New Border Policy That Could Ease Flow Of Migrant Asylum Seekers From Venezuela To NYC https://digitalarkansasnews.com/biden-quietly-unveils-new-border-policy-that-could-ease-flow-of-migrant-asylum-seekers-from-venezuela-to-nyc/ President Biden’s administration quietly announced on Wednesday that Venezuelans who enter the U.S. illegally will be “returned” to Mexico and that those seeking asylum must secure a sponsor, undergo a public safety screening and fulfill certain, as yet unspecified vaccination requirements, according to a statement put out by the Department of Homeland Security. The policy is coming after New York City has buckled for months under the strain of migrants — many of them Venezuelans — streaming into the five boroughs in search of refuge. [ Mayor Adams, Gov. Hochul present united front on N.Y. migrant crisis, call for federal aid ] So far this year, nearly 20,000 migrants have come to the Big Apple. In that time, Mayor Adams has pleaded for assistance from the state and federal government to help relieve the pressure the influx of new arrivals has placed on the city’s homeless shelter system. Biden’s new policy — pieces of which were posted with little fanfare on the Department of Homeland Security’s website Wednesday — is similar to former President Donald Trump’s in that it allows for migrants to be sent back to Mexico if they enter the U.S. illegally. President Joe Biden speaks at a meeting at the White House on Sept. 26, 2022 in Washington, DC. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images) Two areas where the policy differs from Trump’s are the provision that asylum seekers must secure sponsorship in the form of someone providing financial support in the U.S. and a clearer path to legal residency. The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a message. According to DHS, the new policy seeks to establish a safer and more orderly process for people fleeing Venezuela and ease the pressure on cities like New York that have been taking in the migrants. “These actions make clear that there is a lawful and orderly way for Venezuelans to enter the United States, and lawful entry is the only way,” said Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas in a written statement. “Those who attempt to cross the southern border of the United States illegally will be returned to Mexico and will be ineligible for this process in the future. Those who follow the lawful process will have the opportunity to travel safely to the United States and become eligible to work here.” [ Thousands of migrants are pouring into NYC from Texas, straining a shaky shelter system. When will it hit a tipping point? ] The new program will also establish new migration checkpoints along the southwestern border, target human smuggling rings, and create a new process to lawfully allow up to 24,000 “qualifying” Venezuelans into the U.S. Migrants who’ve been ordered removed from the U.S. in the last five years or who have crossed the border illegally after Oct. 12 will be ineligible to remain in the U.S. People who are permanent residents or dual nationals of countries other than Venezuela or who hold refugee status in a country other than the U.S. would also be subject to deportation. People gather for a rally and press conference at City Hall on October 13, 2022 in lower Manhattan, New York. (Michael M Santiago/GettyImages/Getty Images) “Venezuelans should not travel to Mexico to pursue entry into the United States,” according to DHS. In the written statement it issued Wednesday, the agency noted that it “may consider expanding [the process] in the future,” but it did not elaborate on what exactly that means. Over the past several months, assistance from the feds and state has either come in trickles, or not at all. Gov. Hochul activated more than 140 members of the New York National Guard to assist with the logistics of setting up tents to house migrants on Randalls Island recently, but with the midterm elections looming and Hochul in the middle of her own re-election run, both she and Biden have appeared reluctant to make any moves that would supply Republicans with talking points on a hot-button issue like immigration. Despite the politics, Adams, also a Democrat, delivered a speech from City Hall last Friday renewing his demands that the feds and state do more to provide assistance to the city. Among those asks were that the federal government loosen work requirements for migrants now in the U.S. and that there be a concerted effort to distribute the burden felt by New York to other cities and states. Workers assemble hangar-sized tents, Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2022, on New York’s Randalls Island. (Julia Nikhinson/AP) On Thursday, Adams pointed to the president’s new policy as a victory — but with the caveat that more needs to be done. “While details are still emerging, this federal action is a short-term step to address this humanitarian crisis and humanely manage the flow of border crossings. But a long-term and proactive strategy is still needed, which includes Congress both passing legislation that will allow asylum seekers to legally work and providing emergency financial relief for our city,” Adams said. “We additionally need a bipartisan effort to deliver long-awaited immigration reform so we can offer people a safe, legal path to the American dream. We are grateful to President Biden and his administration for our ongoing dialogue to address this humanitarian crisis and look forward to continuing to work closely with them moving forward.” New York City Mayor Eric Adams speaks during a news conference in Manhattan, New York on Jan. 6, 2022. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images) Republicans were declaring victory over the announcement Thursday morning as well. City Councilman Joe Borelli (R-Staten Island) suggested the news validated Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s controversial practice of bussing migrants to New York — a policy Adams has criticized repeatedly for Abbott’s failure to coordinate with him. “The pressure that built after New York’s crisis exploded was enough for the administration to realize they couldn’t advertise an open border policy going into the midterms,” Borelli said. “If you’re the governor of Texas or Arizona, you probably can’t help but think the mission was partially accomplished today. This wouldn’t have happened without New York experiencing an explosion in the migrant population with budget-busting costs.” Read More Here

Maine Maritime Museum Announces New Director Of Curatorial Affairs https://digitalarkansasnews.com/maine-maritime-museum-announces-new-director-of-curatorial-affairs/ Times Record Posted 5:45 PM Updated 59 mins ago increase font size Samantha Sauer joins the Maine Maritime Museum in person Oct. 17 after starting the position remotely in September. Maine Maritime Museum has named Samantha Sauer as its new director of curatorial affairs. Sauer is a mission-driven museum and cultural heritage professional with over 15 years of experience with museum, library and archival collections. She started her new position remotely in September but begins her role at the museum in person Monday, Oct. 17. Samantha Sauer Contributed photo “We are delighted to have Samantha as our new director of curatorial affairs,” said Chris Timm, executive director at Maine Maritime Museum. “Her years of experience working with museum and archival collections made her the perfect candidate for this position, as we make our collection more accessible, support emerging research and share engaging and important maritime stories with the public. We cannot wait to see Samantha’s leadership at work as the museum expands its civic mission.” Originally from Illinois, Sauer earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Eastern Illinois University and went on to earn a terminal degree in historical administration, also from Eastern Illinois University. Prior to joining Maine Maritime Museum, Sauer served as the curator of the Paul Findley Congressional Office Museum, the Illinois College archivist with the Khalaf Al Habtoor Archives and assistant professor of history at Illinois College. She also served as a museum educator with the Museum of Discovery in Little Rock, Arkansas, before joining Illinois College. “During my first visit, I was struck by the museum’s dynamic campus,” Sauer said. “I was drawn to the opportunity to preserve and share inclusive and accessible stories, and I am excited to engage and support our visitors of today and tomorrow. I am honored to join the museum team, and I look forward to learning from and collaborating with my colleagues and the community.” « Previous Read More…

US Capitol Riot Committee Issues Subpoena To Trump In Ninth Public Hearing https://digitalarkansasnews.com/us-capitol-riot-committee-issues-subpoena-to-trump-in-ninth-public-hearing/ The US House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack on the Capitol Thursday held its first hearing since July and voted to subpoena former President Donald Trump to sit for testimony and produce documents. The committee recognized that issuing a subpoena to a former president of the US is an extraordinary step. Members believe that have sufficient information to recommend criminal referrals to the DOJ for several individuals but wish to speak with Trump first. Representative Bennie Thompson (D-MS) emphasized that the more than 20 hours of evidence presented by the committee over eight previous hearings demonstrated that Trump had both the intent and motivation to spur the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot. Representative Liz Cheney (R-WY) then appeared to assert that, in the face of the evidence presented by the committee, Trump could no longer claim he was not aware or intimately involved in the effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election. Committee members detailed and summarized evidence gathered across the committee’s eight summer hearings, including testimonial, documentary and video evidence recapping January 6 from the perspective of individuals inside the White House, Trump’s inner circle and the broader government. The evidence, committee members argued, shows that Trump intended to disrupt and prevent the January 6 vote count. The committee also presented new video evidence following congressional leaders’ efforts to quell the Capitol riot on January 6. Video showed Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and others calling for support from an undisclosed location where the leaders sheltered following the breach of the Capitol. Additional testimony from White House officials at the time–including Mick Mulvaney and Elaine Chao–reinforced testimony shown during the committee’s summer session. Countless witnesses recounted alleged that Trump sat before a television during the Capitol riot, refusing to intervene. Witnesses allegedly continually told Trump that he had lost the election and exhausted all of his legal challenges, including a rejection from the US Supreme Court. At the conclusion of the hearing, Cheney presented a resolution to subpoena Trump to sit for questioning before the committee and produce documents related to January 6; the resolution passed unanimously. If Trump refuses to comply, the committee may move to hold Trump in contempt of congress. After he refused to cooperate, a federal jury found former Trump strategist Steve Bannon guilty of contempt of congress. Read More Here

“Trump Organization II”: New York AG Asks Judge To Prevent Trumps From Hiding Assets https://digitalarkansasnews.com/trump-organization-ii-new-york-ag-asks-judge-to-prevent-trumps-from-hiding-assets/ AP Photo/José Luis Villegas Fight disinformation: Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily newsletter and follow the news that matters. New York Attorney General Letitia James asked a judge on Thursday to appoint an independent financial monitor to oversee Donald Trump’s finances until her $250 million civil fraud lawsuit against him is resolved. James cited what she said was ongoing evidence of continuing fraud on the part of Trump and his company, including the creation of an entirely new corporate entity named “Trump Organization II LLC” on September 21, the same day James originally filed her suit. The new company could be part of an attempt to hide assets, James said. James’ lawsuit accuses Trump, his adult children, and his companies of fraudulently manipulating statements detailing the former president’s net worth to get better deals from banks and insurance companies.  “Since we filed this sweeping lawsuit last month, Donald Trump and the Trump Organization have continued those same fraudulent practices and taken measures to evade responsibility,” James said in a statement Thursday. “Today, we are seeking an immediate stop to these actions because Mr. Trump should not get to play by different rules.” Besides asking for $250 million to make up for the financial benefits James says the Trumps improperly received thanks to fraud, James is also asking that the Trumps and Trump’s companies lose their business licenses to operate in New York and be banned from commercial real estate transactions for five years. Obviously, the newly created company was not a target of James’ suit and, for now at least, is not included on the list of companies that could be punished if her suit is successful. James’ filing on Thursday asks a judge to order the Trumps not to transfer their assets in an effort to escape her jurisdiction. James also wants the judge to require that any efforts by the Trumps to move assets be approved in advance by the court. Finally, James is requesting the appointment of an independent overseer to monitor Trump’s finances to make sure he’s complying with all of the rules.  Trump’s attorney in the case, Alina Habba, did not return a request for comment. However, in an email from Habba to James’ office that James included with her filing on Thursday, Habba wrote that her clients have no problem agreeing not to remove assets from James’ jurisdiction. “We are certainly willing to provide ‘assurance’ and/or ‘reasonable advance notice’ to address any of your purported concerns regarding the activities of the Defendants,” Habba wrote. “So again, there is simply no disagreement requiring judicial intervention.” But it’s not just the creation of a new company that James cited as a concern in her newest filing. She noted that Trump refused to answer nearly all of the New York attorney general’s questions during a deposition, citing his Fifth Amendment right to not incriminate himself. While a refusal to answer questions can’t be used against a defendant in a criminal case, it can be used against a defendant in a civil trial. James included a transcript of Trump’s deposition in which he began with a lengthy tirade in which he declared himself the most persecuted politician in history, denounced his former fixer Michael Cohen as a “stone cold loser,” and announced that he now understood why people invoked their Fifth Amendment right to not testify. In the past, Trump had derided people who took the Fifth.  “I once asked, ‘If you’re innocent, why are you taking the Fifth Amendment?’ I was asking that question,” Trump acknowledged in the deposition. “Now I know the answer to that question. When your family, your company and all the people in your orbit have become the targets of an unfounded, politically motivated witch hunt supported by lawyers, prosecutors, and even the fake news media, you really have no choice.” Read More Here

Analysis | The Case Against Donald Trump https://digitalarkansasnews.com/analysis-the-case-against-donald-trump/ The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol concluded what is expected to be the last of its public hearings on Thursday by unspooling the evidence it had gathered. There was no more mystery about its conclusions than there would be when watching a prosecutor’s closing argument at a criminal trial: The riot was a function of the actions and decisions of the former president. “The vast weight of evidence presented so far,” Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), the committee vice chair, said in an opening comment, “has shown us that the central cause of January 6th was one man, Donald Trump, who many others followed. None of this would have happened without him. He was personally and substantially involved in all of it.” What followed was a review of that evidence, a stitching together of hours of prior testimony and the injection of newly uncovered details as the committee has continued its work. It was, as the prior analogy would suggest, a prosecution of a case — and an effective one. Trump’s responsibility for the violence that unfolded that day can be viewed as an escalation over three periods of time: the months before the election on Nov. 3, 2020, the period from Election Day to Jan. 6, and the events of Jan. 6 itself. There’s no real beginning point for Trump’s unending claims that American elections are riddled with fraud. He made such claims about the very first election in which he participated, his loss at the 2016 Iowa caucuses to Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.). But we can point to a moment when the specific strain of allegation that defined his response to the 2020 election took root. In the spring of 2020, in the first weeks of the coronavirus pandemic, states moved to increase mail-in voting as part of an effort to limit in-person interactions. Trump opposed that change, having been on-record in the past that expanding access to voting would disadvantage his party. As is often the case with a spurious claim that Trump makes, the process of defending it causes him to entrench himself in his case. So, over the months that ensued, he and his team elevated numerous claims that mail ballots were suspect or vectors for fraud, despite the utter lack of evidence to that point. His campaign team appears to have been frustrated: mail-in ballots are a useful way to lock in votes well in advance of Election Day. In testimony aired during Thursday’s hearing, Trump’s 2020 campaign manager Bill Stepien described trying to get Trump to embrace having his supporters vote by mail. But, he said, “the president’s mind was made up.” It’s likely that Trump’s original goal was nebulous, just to have space — as he had after that caucus in Iowa and after the 2016 presidential contest — to claim that he did better than people might have thought. But as the months passed and it became clear that Republicans were taking his skepticism to heart, a plan formed. Voting methodology had become partisan, so Democrats were voting earlier by mail and Republicans on Election Day in-person. Paradoxically, that meant that Democratic votes would often be counted later, since processing mail ballots is slower. And that meant that the earliest vote totals reported on Election Day would be very favorable to the incumbent. This was dubbed the “red mirage,” since, over the following hours and days, support for Joe Biden would slowly be added to totals and Trump’s lead would shrink or vanish. So Trump planned to simply announce victory shortly after polls closed, hoping to create a sense not that votes were being counted but that his victory was being unwound. Even before Election Day, Axios reported that this was Trump’s plan. Former Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale told the Jan. 6 committee that he’d heard rumblings along those lines as early as July. As Trump adviser Roger Stone put it in a comment captured by a team of documentary filmmakers: “The key thing to do is to claim victory. Possession is nine-tenths of the law.” During Thursday’s hearing, the committee showed an email sent by right-wing activist Tom Fitton. It included a proposed script for Trump to use. It read, in part, “The ballots counted by the Election Day deadline show the American people have bestowed on me the great honor of reelection to President of the United States.” That was sent on Oct. 31, 2020. CBS News has confirmed that Oct. 31, 2020 was a key date in the pre-election maneuvers by Trump. Set off alarm with WH counsel and Herschmann, among others. I’ve seen texts from that night from some aides and they knew it was no joke; declaring victory was Trump’s plan. Period. — Robert Costa (@costareports) October 13, 2022 The rhythm here is clear. Trump was uninterested in waiting to see whether the American public wanted him to have a second term in office. Instead, he spent months tilling the soil of doubt by making unsupported claims that mail-in ballots would lead to fraud. Then, he and his allies developed a plan to take advantage of the resulting divide, using misleading early vote totals as a predicate for claiming victory. Meaning that anything that followed could and would be cast as theft. From the election to Jan. 6 The election was called on Nov. 7, 2020, as those slowly counted votes in Pennsylvania revealed that Biden had won a majority of electoral votes and would be president. That same day, Trump’s aides told him that it was over. Communications aide Jason Miller told the committee about a conversation he’d had with Trump that Saturday. “At some point, myself and a handful of other folks went over and sat down with the president and communicated that the odds of us prevailing and legal challenges were very small,” Miller testified. He was right. Over the following weeks there were other moments in which Trump was told that he would be leaving the White House in January. Cassidy Hutchinson, an aide to Trump’s chief of staff Mark Meadows, testified that Meadows told her that Trump knew that he’d lost. “A lot of times he’ll tell me that he lost,” Hutchinson testified that she was told by Meadows, “but he” — that is, Trump — “wants to keep fighting it. He thinks that there might be enough to overturn the election, but he pretty much has acknowledged that he has lost.” Why would he want to keep fighting it? Simply, to preserve his power. He wanted to remain president and understood that preserving a sense among his supporters that he should be president, that he had won, was important to doing so. Just as it had been important for years that he deny other realities to give his base space to rise to his defense. Behind the scenes, he was even conveying to people that he had no intention of leaving the White House on Inauguration Day. Preserving the idea that victory was possible meant rapidly cobbling together detours as legal avenues to a second term were shut down. First, he and his team tried to halt that slow counting of votes in several states. When that failed, he and his attorneys tried to block the certification of the vote, the formal validation of the election results. He came closest in Michigan, where two Republican members of the certification board in the state’s largest county at first opposed certification, backing down only after facing public pressure. When that failed, attention turned to the finalization of the electoral votes that would be counted in Washington on Jan. 6. Trump’s allies put together a plan in which alternate slates of electors would meet on Dec. 14, the day electors cast their ballots, ostensibly in hopes that those slates would eventually be determined to be the legitimate ones. Republican Party chairwoman Ronna McDaniel told the committee that she’d gotten a call from Trump and his attorney, John Eastman, asking that the Republican National Committee aid this effort. Eastman, she said, began to “talk about the importance of the RNC helping the campaign gather these contingent electors in case any of the legal challenges that were ongoing change the result of any of the states.” With that in their back pocket, Trump and his team tried to invalidate those valid electoral slates. He and his attorneys called state officials in Georgia to encourage the state to “find” enough votes that he would be declared the winner. That call is now a subject of an investigation in Fulton County, Ga. Hutchinson’s takeaway from it, according to her testimony: “That call was crazy.” Ultimately, the plan to reject Biden’s duly certified electors came down to that count on Jan. 6, as Trump was increasingly aware. The idea was that Republicans in the House and Senate would raise dubious questions about the submitted electors and send them back to states. Speaking to Justice Department officials in December, he encouraged them to simply declare that the election had been tainted by fraud — and then “leave the rest to me and the [Republican] Congressmen.” When the Justice Department leadership declined, Trump plotted to replace them. Another vector for blocking the electors was promoted in a memo written by Eastman. It suggested that Vice President Mike Pence could simply reject them out of hand. Trump seized on this idea, publicly pressuring Pence to do exactly that — despite the lack of evidence that this was viable. Even Eastman, the committee said on Thursday, admitted in an email on Jan. 6 that Trump had been advised this wasn’t feasible. On Dec. 11, 2020, the Supreme Court shut down Trump’s last major legal effort to block Biden’s election. When Trump learned of the decision, he was furious. Hutchinson and Meadows ran into him shortly afterward. “He said something to the effect of I don’t want people to know we lost, Mark,” Hutchinson testified. “This is embarrassing. Figure it out. We need to figure it out. I don’t want people to know that we lost.” A week later, Tr...

US Forecast https://digitalarkansasnews.com/us-forecast-21/ City/Town, State;Yesterday’s High Temp (F);Yesterday’s Low Temp (F);Today’s High Temp (F);Today’s Low Temp (F);Weather Condition;Wind Direction;Wind Speed (MPH);Humidity (%);Chance of Precip. (%);UV Index Albany, NY;69;52;64;41;Clouds and sunshine;SSE;7;62%;8%;4 Albuquerque, NM;76;50;76;52;Plenty of sunshine;ESE;7;28%;0%;5 Anchorage, AK;39;21;35;28;Partly sunny;NNE;8;58%;68%;1 Asheville, NC;73;38;69;42;Mostly sunny;S;6;42%;2%;5 Atlanta, GA;73;44;76;48;Plenty of sun;SSW;6;38%;2%;5 Atlantic City, NJ;69;57;69;49;Mostly sunny;NW;9;51%;4%;4 Austin, TX;89;62;92;69;Sunshine and warm;SSE;5;40%;0%;5 Baltimore, MD;69;51;69;51;Mostly sunny;SSE;6;44%;14%;4 Baton Rouge, LA;86;55;85;57;Mostly sunny;SSE;6;47%;1%;5 Billings, MT;69;48;75;49;Partly sunny, breezy;WSW;14;34%;26%;3 Birmingham, AL;76;44;78;51;Sunny and pleasant;S;7;39%;2%;5 Bismarck, ND;55;33;49;30;Breezy;SSW;15;49%;41%;3 Boise, ID;78;45;77;44;Sunny and warm;ENE;6;28%;0%;4 Boston, MA;67;61;68;50;Heavy morning rain;NNW;12;77%;97%;2 Bridgeport, CT;69;55;68;45;Turning sunny;NNW;8;55%;8%;3 Buffalo, NY;60;44;59;45;Breezy;SSE;13;53%;20%;3 Burlington, VT;71;51;59;42;A bit of a.m. rain;ESE;6;71%;57%;3 Caribou, ME;65;55;65;57;Windy with showers;SE;19;81%;100%;1 Casper, WY;63;36;72;35;Mostly sunny, warmer;SW;15;28%;0%;4 Charleston, SC;81;59;77;55;Sunny and nice;ENE;7;51%;6%;5 Charleston, WV;66;42;69;49;Sunny;SSE;8;48%;7%;4 Charlotte, NC;77;46;74;46;Plenty of sun;S;6;38%;2%;4 Cheyenne, WY;64;40;70;37;Mostly sunny, breezy;WNW;16;23%;0%;4 Chicago, IL;55;36;58;39;Partly sunny, breezy;WSW;14;34%;55%;3 Cleveland, OH;58;43;61;50;Breezy;SSE;14;48%;29%;4 Columbia, SC;78;51;76;48;Sunny and nice;S;5;41%;7%;5 Columbus, OH;61;40;63;48;Brilliant sunshine;SSE;10;40%;26%;4 Concord, NH;63;58;64;40;Morning downpours;WNW;9;76%;86%;2 Dallas-Ft. Worth, TX;83;56;89;68;Sunny and very warm;S;8;30%;0%;5 Denver, CO;68;44;75;44;Plenty of sunshine;WSW;8;21%;1%;4 Des Moines, IA;53;32;62;33;Windy, a p.m. shower;NW;17;35%;41%;4 Detroit, MI;58;40;57;45;Partly sunny;SSE;10;37%;30%;4 Dodge City, KS;71;43;84;42;Warmer with sunshine;WNW;12;31%;0%;4 Duluth, MN;46;34;42;35;Showers of rain/snow;WNW;7;70%;88%;1 El Paso, TX;83;57;84;61;Increasing clouds;NE;7;37%;1%;5 Fairbanks, AK;30;9;27;12;Sunshine, but chilly;NE;5;64%;6%;1 Fargo, ND;43;33;41;28;Rain/snow showers;WNW;15;80%;84%;1 Grand Junction, CO;73;42;75;44;Plenty of sunshine;ESE;7;27%;0%;4 Grand Rapids, MI;53;40;55;38;Breezy in the p.m.;SE;11;45%;90%;2 Hartford, CT;71;57;69;43;Clouds breaking;NNW;8;60%;18%;3 Helena, MT;69;38;68;47;Partly sunny, warm;W;6;46%;2%;3 Honolulu, HI;87;73;85;71;Rain and drizzle;NNE;8;62%;71%;5 Houston, TX;90;65;87;68;Partly sunny;SSE;7;59%;27%;5 Indianapolis, IN;61;39;66;43;Mostly sunny;SSW;10;38%;27%;4 Jackson, MS;81;50;84;57;Sunny and beautiful;S;6;42%;1%;5 Jacksonville, FL;87;65;81;64;Mostly sunny;ENE;8;57%;14%;5 Juneau, AK;57;42;51;47;Rain and drizzle;ENE;8;84%;100%;1 Kansas City, MO;65;43;77;42;Breezy and warmer;N;13;35%;27%;4 Knoxville, TN;73;43;71;48;Plenty of sunshine;S;8;43%;5%;4 Las Vegas, NV;91;63;93;66;Sunny and very warm;NNW;5;16%;1%;4 Lexington, KY;64;42;69;53;Sunshine and breezy;S;14;39%;6%;4 Little Rock, AR;78;47;87;59;Sunny and very warm;SSW;9;38%;1%;4 Long Beach, CA;74;65;74;65;Partly sunny;S;6;74%;48%;3 Los Angeles, CA;78;63;77;64;Partly sunny;S;6;84%;47%;3 Louisville, KY;67;44;72;52;Breezy in the p.m.;S;11;37%;5%;4 Madison, WI;47;29;53;30;Cool with some sun;WNW;9;45%;16%;3 Memphis, TN;70;50;83;61;Sunny and pleasant;SSW;10;34%;3%;4 Miami, FL;85;74;85;76;A stray p.m. t-storm;ENE;7;77%;58%;4 Milwaukee, WI;53;34;54;34;Breezy and cool;W;13;43%;55%;3 Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN;44;32;46;31;Rain/snow showers;NW;10;55%;88%;1 Mobile, AL;83;56;82;55;Sunny and pleasant;E;6;47%;1%;5 Montgomery, AL;79;49;78;50;Sunny and pleasant;S;5;46%;5%;5 Mt. Washington, NH;44;40;47;33;Heavy morning rain;SSW;25;88%;99%;1 Nashville, TN;69;41;77;55;Mostly sunny;SSW;9;38%;5%;4 New Orleans, LA;85;66;84;65;Mostly sunny;SSE;9;48%;3%;5 New York, NY;71;57;67;50;Turning sunny;WNW;8;50%;5%;4 Newark, NJ;70;54;68;45;Clouds, then sun;WNW;7;47%;6%;4 Norfolk, VA;76;56;70;49;Mostly sunny;SSE;7;54%;10%;4 Oklahoma City, OK;74;52;84;57;Breezy in the p.m.;SSW;13;35%;0%;4 Olympia, WA;75;43;73;42;Partly sunny, warm;NE;6;69%;4%;3 Omaha, NE;60;36;67;33;Partly sunny, breezy;N;14;41%;8%;3 Orlando, FL;85;72;85;70;A p.m. t-storm;NE;8;73%;66%;6 Philadelphia, PA;71;53;69;49;Mostly sunny;SW;7;45%;5%;4 Phoenix, AZ;96;70;97;72;Mostly sunny and hot;WSW;6;24%;4%;5 Pittsburgh, PA;60;43;63;47;Partly sunny;SE;8;43%;29%;4 Portland, ME;62;58;63;49;Rain;W;18;92%;99%;1 Portland, OR;81;50;80;51;Plenty of sun;N;6;51%;4%;3 Providence, RI;68;61;70;46;Morning downpours;NW;10;69%;86%;3 Raleigh, NC;78;49;73;46;Plenty of sunshine;S;5;47%;8%;4 Reno, NV;81;43;81;43;Sunny and very warm;WSW;4;26%;0%;4 Richmond, VA;72;49;72;46;Mostly sunny;SSE;5;46%;11%;4 Roswell, NM;78;50;84;54;Mostly sunny;SW;9;41%;1%;5 Sacramento, CA;84;52;88;54;Sunny and very warm;S;5;45%;1%;4 Salt Lake City, UT;74;49;75;48;Plenty of sunshine;ESE;7;34%;0%;4 San Antonio, TX;93;65;91;69;Mostly sunny, warm;SSE;7;53%;26%;5 San Diego, CA;73;67;74;67;Partly sunny;SSW;7;68%;50%;3 San Francisco, CA;66;52;66;54;Low clouds breaking;WSW;8;72%;1%;4 Savannah, GA;83;56;78;54;Sunny and pleasant;E;6;48%;4%;5 Seattle-Tacoma, WA;74;53;73;53;Partly sunny, warm;NNE;7;57%;4%;3 Sioux Falls, SD;52;30;54;28;Partly sunny, breezy;WNW;14;44%;3%;3 Spokane, WA;74;42;74;46;Partly sunny, warm;ESE;4;54%;1%;3 Springfield, IL;61;35;67;36;Breezy in the p.m.;NW;12;37%;40%;4 St. Louis, MO;67;42;74;44;Mostly sunny;WSW;10;35%;26%;4 Tampa, FL;81;71;86;69;A p.m. t-storm;ENE;7;80%;64%;5 Toledo, OH;57;38;58;42;Partly sunny;S;9;39%;30%;4 Tucson, AZ;92;65;91;67;Turning cloudy, warm;SE;8;30%;2%;5 Tulsa, OK;77;48;85;55;Plenty of sun;SW;9;40%;2%;4 Vero Beach, FL;87;70;84;73;Sunshine, a t-storm;ENE;9;77%;96%;5 Washington, DC;70;49;68;49;Mostly sunny;SSE;6;46%;13%;4 Wichita, KS;74;44;85;45;Breezy in the p.m.;NW;13;32%;0%;4 Wilmington, DE;69;51;69;46;Mostly sunny;SW;7;47%;4%;4 _____ Copyright 2022 AccuWeather Read More…

New York City Announces Its Largest Rainbow Fentanyl Seizure In History, Eclipsing Record Bust From Last Month | CNN https://digitalarkansasnews.com/new-york-city-announces-its-largest-rainbow-fentanyl-seizure-in-history-eclipsing-record-bust-from-last-month-cnn/ CNN  —  Days after federal officials announced the largest rainbow fentanyl seizure in New York City history, an even greater quantity of the highly addictive substance has been found, prosecutors said Wednesday. Two people have been arrested and charged with multiple drug and firearm charges in connection to the seizure on October 7 at a Bronx apartment building, prosecutors said in a news release. Authorities found roughly 300,000 rainbow-colored fentanyl pills inside two closets in the apartment, and more than 22 pounds of the drug in powdered form were wrapped in clear plastic packaging in multiple rooms, according to the Office of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor for the City of New York. The total sum of the drugs is worth about $9 million in street value, officials said. The historic seizure saved lives, according to DEA Special Agent in Charge Frank Tarentino. “Hundreds of thousands of lethal pills were lying in wait in a Bronx apartment to be unleashed onto our streets. In today’s world, the potential to overdose is dangerously high,” Tarentino said. “There is no quality control in these fake pills and it only takes two milligrams of fentanyl to be lethal.” The seizure comes after federal officials announced last week that a woman has been charged with concealing about 15,000 rainbow-colored fentanyl pills in a Lego box as part of a drug trafficking scheme in September. That seizure at the time was also deemed the largest of rainbow fentanyl in New York City’s history. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that’s highly addictive. It can be up to 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. Rainbow fentanyl comes in bright colors and can be used in pill form or powder. “Rainbow fentanyl is the latest threat we face in our fight against the opioid epidemic that sadly continues to ravage our communities – a multi-colored poison specifically designed to attract younger users,” Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly said. And as Halloween nears, officials have been warning families to be especially vigilant regarding their children’s candy before they consume it. The dangerous drug has been a major driver of fatal and nonfatal overdoses in the US as well as the opioid epidemic. Although there has been a slight decrease in recent months in drug overdose deaths, the numbers remain high. About 108,000 people died of a drug overdose in the 12-month period ending May 2022 – which is down from the record high of more than 110,000 deaths reported in the 12-month period that ended March 2022, CDC provisional data published Wednesday shows. The latest overdose death figure remains 32% than it was two years earlier and higher than any other period before November 2021, according to the CDC data. Synthetic opioids, including fentanyl, were involved in more than two-thirds of deaths in the 12-month period ending May 2022, and psychostimulants were involved in nearly a third. Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly described the seizure. It was the largest seizure of rainbow fentanyl pills in New York history. Read More Here

Arkansas Mother And Daughter Sentenced To Seven Years Combined In Federal Prison For Bank Fraud, Identity Theft And Theft Of Government Funds https://digitalarkansasnews.com/arkansas-mother-and-daughter-sentenced-to-seven-years-combined-in-federal-prison-for-bank-fraud-identity-theft-and-theft-of-government-funds/ FORT SMITH – A Fort Smith mother and daughter were sentenced today to a combined sentencing of seven years in federal prison and ordered to pay $53,000.00 in restitution for Bank Fraud, Identity Theft and Theft of Government Funds. Amanda Komp, 39, was sentenced to 4 years in prison while Tammy McCullough, 58, was sentenced to 3 years in prison. The Honorable Judge P.K. Holmes, III presided over the sentencing hearing in the U.S. District Court in Fort Smith. According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Komp worked as Housing Manager at Fort Chaffee from approximately 2014 to September 2019. Komp’s duties included processing payments from funds belonging to the United States government held in the Fort Chaffee billeting fund checking account at Regions Bank. The approval process for expenditures from this account required Komp to obtain the signatures of two members of the Fort Chaffee Lodging Advisory Council on purchase requests and checks payable from the billeting fund account.    From on or about December 26, 2017, to on or about September 3, 2019, sixty-eight checks totaling $53,000 were issued and paid from the Fort Chaffee billeting fund account at Regions Bank for furniture moving services claimed to have been provided to Fort Chaffee by Triple M Enterprises, a company owned by Komp’s mother, Tammy McCullough. Several of the checks and purchase orders contained forged signatures and the furniture moving services for which the checks were issued were not provided as claimed in invoices submitted by Triple M Enterprises.  U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement. The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney’s Kenneth Elser and Bryan Achorn prosecuted the case. Read More Here

Social Security Benefits To Jump By 8.7% Next Year https://digitalarkansasnews.com/social-security-benefits-to-jump-by-8-7-next-year/ WASHINGTON (AP) — Millions of Social Security recipients will get an 8.7% boost in their benefits in 2023, a historic increase but a gain that will be eaten up in part by the rising cost of everyday living. The cost-of living adjustment — the largest in more than 40 years — means the average recipient will receive more than $140 extra a month beginning in January, the Social Security Administration said Thursday. While Social Security recipients welcomed the benefit increase, many said it wasn’t enough to cover the impact of inflation. It’s “not much help,” said 85-year-old Shirley Parker, who lives in Chatham on Chicago’s South Side, Home maintenance costs and high grocery prices are cutting steeply into her budget. “Food is ridiculous. I come out with a bag full of groceries — $50 — don’t have about 10 items,” she said. A separate government report Thursday showed inflation newly accelerating. The Consumer Price Index rose 0.4% for September after just 0.1% in August and is up 8.2% for the past 12 months. Jobless claims for unemployment benefits rose for the week. The Social Security Administration said the estimated average monthly Social Security benefit for all retired workers will be $1,827 starting in January, according to an agency fact sheet. The boost in Social Security benefits will be coupled with a 3% drop in Medicare Part B premiums, meaning retirees will get the full impact of the Social Security increase. “This year’s substantial Social Security cost-of-living adjustment is the first time in over a decade that Medicare premiums are not rising and shows that we can provide more support to older Americans who count on the benefits they have earned,” said the Social Security Administration’s acting commissioner, Kilolo Kijakazi. President Joe Biden on Thursday afternoon echoed the sentiment that the Medicare premium reduction would have some impact on retirees’ wallets. “Seniors are gonna get ahead of inflation next year,” Biden said. “For the first time in 10 years, their Social Security checks will go up while their Medicare premiums go down.” Jo Ann Jenkins, CEO of the AARP, said the benefits increase “will provide much needed relief to millions of Americans.” Several government indexes show that inflation hits older Americans harder than the rest of the population. Medical costs are a big part of the burden. The Social Security announcement comes just weeks before the midterm elections, and at a time when Democrats and Republicans are sparring about high prices now and how best to shore up the program financially in the future. William Arnone, chief executive of the National Academy of Social Insurance, an advocacy organization for Social Security, said the benefit increase is “no cause for celebration,” since it will not help all recipients overcome inflation, especially if prices continue to rise. “There’s already indications that health care inflation is going to be through the roof next year,” Arnone said. Margaret Toman, a 78-year-old in Garner, North Carolina, who had stopped working to take care of her mother, who has since died, described the 8.7% increase as “quite stingy.” “I think most of us who are older receiving Social Security are grateful for that Social Security,” she said. “But that gratitude sometimes covers up or replaces a certain feeling of anger at having paid into a system for so long and still struggling to survive.” About 70 million people — including retirees, disabled people and children — receive Social Security benefits. This will be the biggest increase in benefits that baby boomers, those born between the years 1946 and 1964, have ever seen. The last time a COLA was higher was in 1981, at 11.2%. Willie Clark, 65, of Waukegan, Illinois, says his budget is “real tight” and the increase in his Social Security disability benefits could give him some breathing room to cover household expenses he’s been holding off on. Still, he doubts how much of the extra money will end up in his pocket. His rent in an apartment building subsidized by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is based on his income, so he expects that will rise, too. Social Security is financed by payroll taxes collected from workers and their employers. The maximum amount of earnings subject to Social Security payroll taxes for 2023 is $160,200, up from $147,000 in 2022. The financing setup dates to the 1930s, the brainchild of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who believed a payroll tax would foster among average Americans a sense of ownership that would protect the program from political interference. Next year’s higher payout, without an accompanying increase in Social Security contributions, could put additional pressure on a system that’s facing a severe shortfall in coming years. The annual Social Security and Medicare trustees report released in June says the program’s trust fund will be unable to pay full benefits beginning in 2035. If the trust fund is depleted, the government will be able to pay only 80% of scheduled benefits, the report said. Medicare will be able to pay 90% of total scheduled benefits if the fund is depleted. In January, a Pew Research Center poll showed 57% of U.S. adults saying that “taking steps to make the Social Security system financially sound” was a top priority for the president and Congress to address this year. Securing Social Security got bipartisan support, with 56% of Democrats and 58% of Republicans calling it a top priority. Some solutions for reforming Social Security have been proposed, but none has moved forward in a sharply partisan Congress. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday the COLA announcement is a reminder that “extreme MAGA Republicans are openly plotting new schemes to slash seniors’ benefits and raise their costs – including by threatening to cause an economic catastrophe by holding the debt limit hostage for their toxic agenda.” Earlier this year, Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., issued a detailed plan that would require Congress to come up with a proposal to adequately fund Social Security and Medicare or potentially phase them out. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., publicly rebuked the plan and Biden has used Scott’s proposal as a political bludgeon against Republicans before the midterm elections. “If Republicans in Congress have their way, seniors will pay more for prescription drugs and their Social Security benefits will never be secure,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said. ___ Claire Savage in Chicago and Hannah Schoenbaum in Raleigh, North Carolina, contributed to this report. Follow the AP’s coverage of inflation: https://apnews.com/hub/inflation Read More Here

Wall Street Ends Up 2% After Sharp Reversal; Technicals Help https://digitalarkansasnews.com/wall-street-ends-up-2-after-sharp-reversal-technicals-help/ Stocks reverse course after morning drop Headline CPI rise for September more than expected Indexes: Dow up 2.8%, S&P 500 up 2.6%, Nasdaq up 2.2% NEW YORK, Oct 13 (Reuters) – U.S. stocks surged to close more than 2% higher on Thursday, as technical support and investors covering short bets drove a dramatic rebound from a selloff earlier in the day. The reversal marked a jump of nearly 194 points in the S&P 500 from its low of the session to its high, the biggest intraday jump for the index since Jan. 24. Financials (.SPSY) and energy (.SPNY) led gains among S&P 500 sectors. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com The market initially dropped after data showed the headline consumer price index rose at an annual pace of 8.2% in September, compared with an estimated 8.1% rise. read more “People were perhaps net short going into the CPI report, and saw the report being negative and started covering their shorts,” said King Lip, chief investment strategist at Baker Avenue Asset Management in San Francisco. Some strategists also pointed to some technical support levels around the 3,500 mark for the S&P 500. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (.DJI) rose 827.87 points, or 2.83%, to 30,038.72, the S&P 500 (.SPX) gained 92.88 points, or 2.60%, to 3,669.91 and the Nasdaq Composite (.IXIC) added 232.05 points, or 2.23%, to 10,649.15. “It’s technical factors,” Lip said, adding that the recent steep selloff in stocks may mean “bad news may have already been discounted. “Going into earnings season, all we really need is things to be not as bad as suspected,” he said. Big Wall Street banks kick off third-quarter reporting season on Friday, with investors awaiting to see how a high interest-rate environment affects their profits. Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc (WBA.O) rose following better-than-estimated fourth-quarter results. read more Advancing issues outnumbered declining ones on the NYSE by a 2.24-to-1 ratio; on Nasdaq, a 2.10-to-1 ratio favored advancers. The S&P 500 posted three new 52-week highs and 172 new lows; the Nasdaq Composite recorded 51 new highs and 600 new lows. Volume on U.S. exchanges was 13.39 billion shares, compared with a roughly 11 billion average for the full session over the last 20 trading days. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Additional reporting by Bansari Mayur Kamdar, Ankika Biswas and Shreyashi Sanyal in Bengaluru; Editing by Saumyadeb Chakrabarty, Anil D’Silva, Arun Koyyur and Deepa Babington Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. Read More Here

Officers Finds Guns, Grenade Launcher During Search Warrant Inside Tulsa Home https://digitalarkansasnews.com/officers-finds-guns-grenade-launcher-during-search-warrant-inside-tulsa-home/ TULSA, Okla. — A man has been arrested after a search warrant uncovered more than a dozen guns and a grenade launcher inside a Tulsa home. Officers with the Tulsa Police Department’s Gilcrease Division’s IMPACT Unit executed the warrant after getting a tip about illegal guns inside a home near Pine and Harvard. 14 firearms were found inside the home. Investigators say there was enough evidence to connect three handguns, a grenade launcher, and an AR-15 to Julio Urquiza. RELATEDRogers County Sheriff’s Office seizes drugs, guns and grenade launcher after shooting in Inola Because Urquiza is a convicted felon, his charges are more severe. Urquiza was arrested on three counts of possession of a firearm after former conviction of a felony. There were also several outstanding warrants for his arrest stemming from drug charges in 2017 and 2018. Illegal Guns Seized in Tulsa Courtesy: Tulsa Police Department ©2022 Imagicomm Tulsa, Inc. Read More Here

Trump Angrily Lashes Out After His Deposition Is Ordered https://digitalarkansasnews.com/trump-angrily-lashes-out-after-his-deposition-is-ordered-2/ NEW YORK (AP) — Former President Donald Trump angrily lashed out Wednesday, calling the nation’s legal system a “broken disgrace” after a judge ruled he must answer questions under oath next week in a defamation lawsuit lodged by a writer who says he raped her in the mid-1990s. He also called the 2019 lawsuit by E. Jean Carroll, a longtime advice columnist for Elle magazine, “a hoax and a lie.” The outburst late in the day came hours after U.S. District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan in Manhattan rejected a request by his lawyers to delay a deposition scheduled for Oct. 19. Kaplan is presiding over the case in which Carroll said Trump raped her in the dressing room of a Manhattan Bergdorf Goodman store in the mid-1990s. He called the lawsuit “a complete con job.” “I don’t know this woman, have no idea who she is, other than it seems she got a picture of me many years ago, with her husband, shaking my hand on a reception line at a celebrity charity event,” Trump said. “She completely made up a story that I met her at the doors of this crowded New York City Department Store and, within minutes, ‘swooned’ her. It is a Hoax and a lie, just like all the other Hoaxes that have been played on me for the past seven years,” he said. Then he grumbled: “Now all I have to do is go through years more of legal nonsense in order to clear my name of her and her lawyer’s phony attacks on me. This can only happen to ‘Trump’!” Carroll is scheduled to be deposed on Friday. Roberta Kaplan, Carroll’s attorney, said she was pleased with the judge’s ruling and looked forward to filing new claims next month “and moving forward to trial with all dispatch” after New York state passed the Adult Survivors Act, allowing her to sue for damages for the alleged rape without the statute of limitations blocking it. After Trump’s statement was released, a spokesperson for Kaplan’s firm, Kaplan Hecker & Fink, said the “latest statement from Donald Trump obviously does not merit a response.” Trump’s legal team has tried various legal tactics to delay the lawsuit and prevent him from being questioned by Carroll’s attorneys. But Judge Kaplan wrote that it was time to move forward, especially given the “advanced age” of Carroll, 78, and Trump, 76, and perhaps other witnesses. “The defendant should not be permitted to run the clock out on plaintiff’s attempt to gain a remedy for what allegedly was a serious wrong,” he wrote. Carroll’s lawsuit claims that Trump damaged her reputation in 2019 when he denied raping her. Trump’s legal team has been trying to quash the lawsuit by arguing that the Republican was just doing his job as president when he denied the allegations, including when he dismissed his accuser as “not my type.” Trump doubled down on the comment in his statement Wednesday, saying: “And, while I am not supposed to say it, I will. This woman is not my type! She has no idea what day, what week, what month, what year, or what decade this so-called ‘event’ supposedly took place. The reason she doesn’t know is because it never happened, and she doesn’t want to get caught up with details or facts that can be proven wrong.” Whether Trump will remain the defendant in the original lawsuit is a key question because if Trump was acting within the scope of his duties as a federal employee, the U.S. government would become the defendant in the case. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said in a split decision last month that Trump was a federal employee when he commented on Carroll’s claims. But it asked another court in Washington to decide whether Trump’s public statements occurred during the scope of his employment. Kaplan, the judge, said Trump has repeatedly tried to delay the collection of evidence in the lawsuit. “Given his conduct so far in this case, Mr. Trump’s position regarding the burdens of discovery is inexcusable,” he wrote. “As this Court previously has observed, Mr. Trump has litigated this case since it began in 2019 with the effect and probably the purpose of delaying it.” The judge noted that the collection of evidence for the lawsuit to go to trial was virtually concluded, except for the depositions of Trump and Carroll. “Mr. Trump has conducted extensive discovery of the plaintiff, yet produced virtually none himself,” Kaplan said. “Completing these depositions — which already have been delayed for years — would impose no undue burden on Mr. Trump, let alone any irreparable injury.” The judge also said the deposition could be useful when Carroll’s lawyer next month files the new lawsuit. Whether the rape occurred is central to the defamation claims, as well as the anticipated new lawsuit, the judge said. (Copyright (c) 2022 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.) Join our Newsletter for the latest news right to your inbox Read More Here

New York AG Seeks To Block Trump From Moving Assets, Using Financial Documents https://digitalarkansasnews.com/new-york-ag-seeks-to-block-trump-from-moving-assets-using-financial-documents/ New York Attorney General Letitia James has returned to court to stop Donald Trump and the Trump Organization from potentially evading the consequences of her recent lawsuit that charges them with fraudulent and illegal business activity, citing concerns over the formation of a new Trump corporation in Delaware. James wants the Supreme Court of New York County to keep the Trump Organization from moving assets out of New York and to issue a preliminary injunction to stop the Trump Organization from using financial documents that she alleges are misleading, including Trump’s 2021 statement of financial condition, in any new business deals. According to the Office of the Attorney General, in September around the same time James filed her lawsuit, the Trump Organization registered a new entity with the New York secretary of state called The Trump Organization II LLC, a foreign corporation that was incorporated in Delaware on September 15, 2022. The OAG fears this may be used to transfer assets out of New York or potentially shield funds that might be available to satisfy any disgorgement award. OAG said it expressed to the Trump Organization its concerns about whether the company is taking steps to avoid the jurisdiction of the court or make it difficult to obtain relief against the corporate entities. The OAG said counsel for the Trump Organization has offered to “provide ‘assurance’ and/or ‘reasonable advance notice’ to address its concerns but “made no concrete proposals for how to implement those assurances or enforce them.” Trump’s attorney, Alina Habba, told CNBC that her firm has “repeatedly provided assurance, in writing, that the Trump Organization has no intention of doing anything improper.” James contends that Trump and his organization are continuing to engage in the fraudulent and illegal business activity as alleged in the AG’s September 2022 lawsuit, for which a mid-October 2023 has been proposed. New York AG’s Financial Fraud Suit Against Trump Details Insurance Scenarios James has also asked Supreme Court Judge Arthur Engoron to appoint a monitor to oversee the Trump Organization’s financial disclosures until trial. The monitor would oversee the submission of financial disclosure information to any accounting firm compiling Trump’s 2022 statement of financial condition; financial disclosures to lenders and insurers required by continuing obligations or to obtain new financing and insurance; and any corporate disposition of significant assets. “Since we filed this sweeping lawsuit last month, Donald Trump and the Trump Organization have continued those same fraudulent practices and taken measures to evade responsibility. Today, we are seeking an immediate stop to these actions because Mr. Trump should not get to play by different rules,” James stated. The OAG is also asking the court for permission to serve Donald Trump and his son, Eric, electronically, as the OAG said both defendants and their counsels have refused to accept service of the complaints for almost a month. The OAG’s lawsuit alleges that Donald Trump, his children and other senior executives at the Trump Organization, falsely inflated his net worth by billions of dollars to obtain more favorable loan, insurance, tax and other financial benefits. From 2011 to 2021, Trump and the Trump Organization “knowingly and intentionally” created more than 200 false and misleading valuations of assets to defraud financial institutions, the suit alleges. After the suit was filed, Habba, Trump’s lawyer, told the New York Times the charges are “meritless.” The former President called the New York AG a “racist” for going after him and his family and labeling the lawsuit a “witch hunt.” His sons, Donald Jr. and Eric, also blasted the suit as a “witch hunt.” While the bulk of the fraud charges concern bank loans, the suit also charges the Trumps with insurance fraud under state laws that prohibit the submission of false information as part of an application for commercial insurance or to claim a benefit under an insurance policy. The suit provides details on two insurance scenarios where Aon Risk Solutions was the broker and the Trumps are alleged to have submitted false information: a surety bond program with Zurich North America, and directors and officers liability coverages from Everest National and Tokio Marine HCC. In its original complaint the AG seeks to permanently bar the Trumps from serving as officers or directors in any New York corporation; bar Trump and the Trump Organization from entering into any New York real estate acquisitions for five years; and award disgorgement of all financial benefits obtained through the persistent fraudulent practices, estimated to total $250 million. In conjunction with the lawsuit, James said she also referred the matter to the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Internal Revenue Service for possible criminal investigation. Topics New York Read More Here

Jan. 6 House Committee To Reportedly Vote On Subpoena Of Former President Donald Trump https://digitalarkansasnews.com/jan-6-house-committee-to-reportedly-vote-on-subpoena-of-former-president-donald-trump/ UPDATE (10/13/2022, 1:51 p.m.): The Jan. 6 panel is reportedly planning to vote Thursday to issue a subpoena for Donald Trump to appear before the committee. That’s according to two people familiar with the investigation and granted anonymity to discuss it with the Associated Press. Below is the original story. ——————————————— The House committee investigating the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol is holding what is likely to be its final hearing Thursday afternoon. The nine-member bipartisan panel is expected to present new evidence showing former President Trump was repeatedly made aware of the violence being perpetrated by a mob of his supporters trying to stop the certification of Joe Biden’s victory and chose to do nothing about it. There will be no live witnesses Thursday, and it’s not clear if the committee will bring into evidence any of its recent private discussion with Ginny Thomas, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas who is known to have been in communication with Trump’s Chief of Staff Mark Meadows about overturning the outcome of the election. The committee is expected to produce a report of its findings and disband before the end of the year. It’s not known yet if the committee plans to recommend criminal charges against Mr. Trump or any others involved in the effort to illegally keep him in office. Oklahoma’s Own Alex Cameron will have more on the hearing tonight from our Washington D.C. bureau on News 9 at 5 p.m. and News On 6 at 6 p.m. Read More Here

Arkansas Minority Health Commission Announces Recipients Of Minority Health Workforce Diversity Scholarship https://digitalarkansasnews.com/arkansas-minority-health-commission-announces-recipients-of-minority-health-workforce-diversity-scholarship/ Twenty-eight students receive awards ranging from $500 to $1,000 LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – The Arkansas Minority Health Commission has awarded $26,000 in scholarships to 28 minority students pursuing careers in health care and public health for the Fall 2022 school semester. The news continues now… The news continues now… Part-time students receiving scholarships are: Sir-Jason Monroe, Valissia Batemon, both of Conway, Taylor Thompson and Vivian White, both of Little Rock. Full-time students receiving scholarships are: Ciristen Neal, of Alexander, Alma Navarrete, of Benton, Estefany Soto, Kathryn Armstrong, both of Conway, Nydia Hernandez, of Hamburg, Danna Chaney, of Heber Springs, Zharia Harris, of Hensley, Damaiya Byrd, of Hot Springs, Kierra Wright, of Jonesboro, Gabriel Wilber, Amber Hill, Nabeel Alwan, Breann Hansberry, Skylar West, Brittany Taylor, Jonathan Park, Andrea Daniels, all of Little Rock, Devan Mishra, India Hayes, both of Maumelle, Alexis Larkins, of Pine Bluff, Lizbeth Cenobio, of Springdale, Ashanti Turner, of Stephens, Rashad Thrower, of Texarkana, and Latoya Handy, of West Memphis. “There is an ever-increasing gap in minority representation in the health care workforce,” said Kenya Eddings, Arkansas Minority Health Commission Executive Director. “We are proud of these students who have chosen to pursue a career of service through health care and public health and excited to be able to help them by providing scholarships.” The Minority Health Workforce Diversity Scholarships are awarded twice per year. Minority students enrolled in a program of study that leads to, or is creditable towards a field in health, can apply for the scholarship. Additional information about the scholarship can be found atwww.arminorityhealth.com. About Arkansas Minority Health Commission The mission of the Arkansas Minority Health Commission (AMHC) is to assure all minority Arkansans equitable access to preventive health care and to seek ways to promote health and prevent diseases and conditions that are prevalent among minority populations. Read More…

Watch Live: House Jan. 6 Committee Plans To Vote To Subpoena Trump https://digitalarkansasnews.com/watch-live-house-jan-6-committee-plans-to-vote-to-subpoena-trump/   1m ago Secret Service agents were concerned about Trump wanting to visit the Capitol New information the committee obtained shows the Secret Service was concerned about Trump’s desired movement to the Capitol on the afternoon of Jan. 6. The committee has already described Trump’s desire to take his motorcade to the Capitol.  A former White House security official, in recorded testimony that distorted the individuals’ voice, said they were all in “shock” and “alarmed” that the president wanted to lead thousands of people to the Capitol.  Former White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany, in recorded testimony, recalled that she wanted to be a part of the march and ride in the presidential limo if he needed to.  A Secret Service email at 1:19 p.m. on Jan. 6 – the one minute Trump got out of the motorcade back at the White House after his speech – describes what was happening behind the scenes for the Secret Service. Leadership from the Secret Service contacted Bobby Engel, lead agent on Trump’s detail, warning him they were “concerned about [an] OTR” meaning off the record movement to “the Capitol.” Secret Service agents were told to wear their protective gear and prepare for a movement to the Capitol in two hours. Eventually, Engel told them to stand down.    18m ago Jan. 6 select committee plans to vote to subpoena Trump, sources say The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol plans to vote Thursday to subpoena former President Donald Trump, three sources familiar with the committee’s plans confirmed to CBS News. The vote is expected to occur during a formal committee business meeting the panel convened Thursday, during which all of its nine members are delivering presentations about the campaign by Trump to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election and prevent the transfer of power. Rep. Bennie Thompson, chair of the committee, told reporters ahead of the proceedings that the committee had “not ruled out” subpoenaing Trump.  While delivering an opening statement at the start of the hearing, he noted it was a formal committee business meeting, allowing members to “potentially hold a committee vote on further investigative action based upon that evidence.” Read more here.    36m ago Secret Service was aware of danger posed by rally-goers, Schiff says In the days before Jan. 6, 2021, top Justice Department and FBI officials received intelligence that included material indicating certain people were traveling to Washington, D.C., and making plans to attack the Capitol, Rep. Adam Schiff said. They included “calls to occupy federal buildings” and language about “invading the Capitol building.”  One email, for example, was an alert that the Secret Service received on Dec. 24, 2020, with the heading, “Armed and Ready, Mr. President.”  And on Dec. 26, 2020, the Secret Service received a tip about the Proud Boys, that “Their plan is to literally kill people. Please please take this tip seriously and investigate further.” On Jan. 5, 2021, the Secret Service learned during an FBI briefing that right wing groups were establishing “quick reaction forces” readying to deploy for the next day, and that groups like the Oath Keepers were “[s]tanding by at the ready should POTUS request assistance” by invoking the Insurrection Act, agents were told.  “By the morning of Jan. 6, it was clear that the Secret Service anticipated violence,” Schiff said.  By 9:09 a.m. on the morning of Jan. 6, one Secret Service agent noted that some rally-goers were assembled outside the security perimeter, “possibly” because “they can’t have stuff that can’t come through?” the agent emailed.  “As the documents we received make clear, the Secret Service was aware of weapons possessed by those gathered at rallies in D.C. as early as the evening before,” Schiff said. ” …What the Secret Service saw on the 6th was entirely consistent with the violent rhetoric circulating in the days before the joint session on pro-Trump websites—at times amplified by President Trump’s own advisers.”   43m ago Trump was informed “repeatedly” Pence trying to overturn election was unlawful, committee member says Committee member Rep. Stephanie Murphy said Trump was “repeatedly” informed that any attempt by Pence to overturn the results of the election would be illegal. But Trump continued to pressure Pence anyway, Murphy said.  Pence’s counsel testified that even John Eastman, the architect behind the plan, acknowledged in front of the president that his proposal would likely violate the Electoral Count Act.  “My view was that the vice president didn’t have the legal authority to do anything except what he did,” former White House counsel Pat Cipollone testified.    44m ago Trump was told mass fraud claims were untrue The committee played testimony from witnesses who tried to set Trump straight on his erroneous claims of mass voter fraud. He had wrongly claimed Dominion Voting Systems machines were switching votes from Biden to Trump.  “When I went into this and would, you know, tell him how crazy some of these allegations were and how ridiculous some of them were—I’m talking about some of the ones like, you know, more votes—more absentee votes were cast in Pennsylvania than there were absentee ballots requested, you know, stuff like that, it was just easy to blow up, there was never — there was never an indication of interest in what the actual facts were,” Trump’s own attorney general, Bill Barr, told the committee.  The committee then played the audio from Trump’s call with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensberger in which he told the secretary of state to “find” votes. “Look, we need only 11,000 votes,” Trump told Raffensberger. “We have far more than that as it stands now. We’ll have more and more. … So what are we going to do here folks? I only need 11,000 votes. Fellas, I need 11,000 votes. Give me a break.” Cassidy Hutchinson, the former Meadows aide, told Meadows the call was “crazy.”  “I remember looking at Mark, and I said, ‘Mark, he can’t possibly think we’re going to pull this off.  Like, that call was crazy.’  And he looked at me and just started shaking his head.  And he’s like, ‘No, Cass, you know, he knows it’s over. He knows he lost.  But we’re going to keep trying.'” When he didn’t seem to be making progress, Trump “embarked on an effort to install Jeff Clark as acting attorney general,” said committee member Rep. Elaine Luria. “We know from our investigation that President Trump offered Jeff Clark the position of Acting Attorney General, and that Jeff Clark had decided to accept it,” Luria said. “The only reason this ultimately did not happen is that the White House Counsel and a number of Justice Department officials confronted the president in the Oval Office and threatened mass resignations.” Trump only “relented” because the entire Justice Department leadership and the White House counsel threatened to resign, Luria said.   53m ago Secret Service email says Trump was “pissed” after Supreme Court rejected last-ditch bid to reverse election results Newly obtained message from the Secret Service shed light on Trump’s mood after he learned the Supreme Court rejected an attempt by Texas to block presidential electors from four battleground states from voting in the Electoral College. “Just FYI. POTUS is pissed — breaking news — Supreme Court denied his lawsuit. He is livid now,” the email, sent Dec. 11, 2020, read. Cassidy Hutchinson, a close aide to Meadows, also remembered how angry Trump was when the Supreme Court rebuffed Texas’s bid. “The president is just raging about the decision and how it’s wrong, and why didn’t we make more calls, and, you know, just his typical anger outburst at this decision,” Hutchinson told the committee, recalling crossing paths with the president outside the Rose Garden. “And the president said … So he had said something to the effect of, ‘I don’t want people to know we lost, Mark. This is embarrassing. Figure it out. We need to figure it out. I don’t want people to know that we lost.'” The committee played video clips of some top Trump administration officials indicating they believe the president should comply with rulings of the courts, including Mike Pomepo, who served as CIA director and secretary of state in Trump’s administration. “We should all comply with the law at all times, to the best of our ability, every one of us,” Pompeo said, adding he believed the election was over once the court ruled and the Electoral College met and tallied state electoral votes. Pat Cipollone, former White House counsel, also told the committee “everybody is obligated to abide by rulings of the court.” Other Trump aides and administration officials — including former Attorney General Bill Barr and Cipollone also told House investigators that Trump needed to concede the election. “I told him that my personal viewpoint was that the Electoral College had met, which is the system that our country is — is set under to elect a president and vice president. And I believed at that point that the means for him to pursue litigation was probably closed,” said Judd Deere, a former press aide to Trump. Eugene Scalia, who led the Labor Department in the Trump administration, told the committee he called Trump after the Electoral College affirmed Mr. Biden’s victory and “conveyed to him that I thought that it was time for him to acknowledge that President Biden had prevailed in the election.”   1:51 PM Trump privately admitted sometimes that he lost, according to testimony from former officials The committee played several clips from former Trump officials in which they said Trump acknowledged that he lost.  Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley told the committ...

Next Chapter Of Bentonville-Fayetteville High-Stakes Rivalry On Tap Friday https://digitalarkansasnews.com/next-chapter-of-bentonville-fayetteville-high-stakes-rivalry-on-tap-friday/ By Steve Andrews | Photo by Tommy Land   Over the past two decades it has been arguably the most impactful football rivalry in Northwest Arkansas. And Friday night’s clash between Bentonville and Fayetteville will once again have a significant bearing on how this season unfolds. Bentonville (5-1, 3-0) sits alone the top of the 7A-West with an unbeaten conference mark, while Fayetteville (4-2, 2-1) looks to pull even with a win at Tiger Stadium. The Bulldogs currently sit in a three-way tie for second place, along with Rogers (5-1, 4-2) and Bentonville West (4-2, 2-1). “It’s been a phenomenal matchup, I’d say, the last 15 or 20 years,” Bentonville head coach Jody Grant said. “Our kids are excited about it. Our community is excited about it. And I’m sure theirs is the same. Fayetteville is playing good football right now, and I think we are, too, so it should be a really good game.” Since 2001, the teams have combined for 10 state championships, with five each. But in conference games, Bentonville has had a distinct advantage. The Tigers had won 15 straight regular-season games against Fayetteville, until the Bulldogs’ 42-34 victory last October. Although, during that streak, Fayetteville held a 5-2 advantage over the Tigers in the postseason and won all five of its state championships (2007, ‘11, ‘12, ‘15, and ’16). “It’s always just a matchup of two really well-coached football teams that are playing at a high level,” Fayetteville head coach Casey Dick said. “You can look at the history of both programs put together and they have done some really special things.” Last season, Fayetteville rallied from a 14-point deficit to finish unbeaten in the conference and clinch its first outright conference title in 58 years, dating back to 1963. It also ended Bentonville’s 35-game conference win streak. “Anytime you have a game that is significant as that one, you want to win as many as you can,” Dick said. “One of our goals every year is to play for, and win, the conference championship. But that entire Bentonville staff and administration just does a phenomenal job, year in and year out, of creating a great environment and putting a great team on the field.” Grant echoed that sentiment, saying his team’s No. 1 goal each year is to win the conference championship, then ultimately aim for a state title. That road usually goes through Fayetteville, and this year is no different. “Conference championships are important to us and our program,” Grant said. “Ultimately, we are trying to win a state championship, but I think you also have to celebrate the goals that you accomplish, and one of our goals each year is to win the conference. That also positions you for the best success to win a state championship. You get home field, you get a bye, and all the things like that. So, we talk about it weekly of what our plan is and how we want to accomplish that. “Fayetteville is a contender each year, just like we are, so they are always a team that we have to go through to reach our goals. One thing we’ve got going for us right now is we control our own destiny. So, we’ve just got to continue to play well and win football games, and hopefully it works out for us.” The Tigers’ lone loss this season was a 44-35 defeat at the hands of Conway in a non-conference battle in Week 2. Fayetteville’s two losses have come by a combined four points – a 31-28 loss to Cabot in the season-opener, then a 29-28 conference loss to Rogers two weeks ago. So, both teams understand the importance of this game. Bentonville has been nearly flawless on offense, with junior quarterback Carter Nye and the controls and senior Josh Ficklin, one of the state’s best running backs, dictating the flow. Ficklin has run for 785 yards on 121 carries – averaging 130 per game – with 17 touchdowns in six games. Nye has completed 95 of his 135 passes for 1,402 yards and 16 TDs. His top receiver, junior C.J. Brown, has 26 receptions for 458 yards and 8 scores. “Our offense is really operating clean, and I think a lot of people would be surprised to hear that we have nine starters that are all underclassman on our offense,” Grant said. “So, it’s a young group, but very talented and athletic. Carter is the trigger for that group, and he has a lot of confidence and swagger that you want in a quarterback. We are trying to be pretty multiple, offensively, in what we do and try to maintain a run-pass ratio that is pretty balanced. “It’s been fun to watch these guys develop and grow, and what’s so exciting for me as a coach is that they are doing it at such a young age. We’ve got some sophomores and juniors out there that are really growing up in a hurry and getting really good. It’s been fun to watch.” But he also realizes that it’s his senior ball carrier that makes the engine go. “You better put some safeties in the box if you want to stop our run game, which really opens up our aerial attack,” he added. “But I think Carter and Josh would both tell you that they wouldn’t have the success they’ve had without a great supporting cast, with a great offensive line and some very dangerous receiving threats. The Tigers defense struggled at times the first couple of games, but after shuffling the lineup, things have improved of late. “I don’t think we were very good the first couple of games, but I think we have gotten better,” Grant added. “We’ve made some adjustments to the personnel, trying to find the best fit to get our 11 best athletes on the field at the same time. It’s been a work in progress, but I think they have played really well the past few weeks.” He knows Fayetteville will pose a threat on both sides of the ball but has really been impressed with the Bulldogs’ explosive offense. “I think they have two really good coordinators, and their offensive coordinator (Jay Wilkinson) is a very good play caller and can get his guys in the right situations,” Grant said. “Their quarterback has a big arm and makes really good throws with great accuracy. And they have some receivers that can find ways to get open and make some plays. Fayetteville’s junior quarterback Drake Lindsey leads all of Class 7A in passing with 2,056 yards and 21 touchdowns, and has orchestrated the Bulldogs’ run-pass option attack to near perfection. His top target, junior Kaylon Morris, has 51 catches for 953 yards and 7 TDs. Defensively, the Bulldogs are led by senior middle linebacker Brooks Yurachek, who is averaging over 10 tackles a game and returned an interception 84 yards for a touchdown against Fort Smith Southside last week. But Dick knows successes will be determined this week with how well they line up to defend Bentonville. “I think they are just a typical Bentonville team — they want to line up and run the ball like they have in the past,” he said. “They use two tight ends and multiple positions, and they want to make you contain the line of scrimmage. They’ve also got some guys out wide that can hurt you if you don’t have your eyes right. They make you account for every person of the field, for sure.” A focal point will be trying to contain Ficklin, which has been nearly impossible to do this season. “They just do a really good job with him,” Dick added. “They run things schematically that support him and his style of running, but then they do things that also support the offensive line. They play really well at complementary football.” So, once again, Dick’s message to his team has been to simply stick to the basics of the game, and just play sound football in all three phases of the game. “No. 1, we’re going to have to get lined up correctly,” he said. “That’s the basic thing that we can do, that we can control. They are going to make us play with great leverage. So, we need to get the ball flat, then don’t let the ball get outside, which will pose some problems. Then we just have to tackle well. Just fundamental football.” Read More Here

A Robot Testified At Britain’s House Of Lords — Then Had A Breakdown https://digitalarkansasnews.com/a-robot-testified-at-britains-house-of-lords-then-had-a-breakdown/ LONDON — A robot sporting dungarees and a sharp black bob took questions in Britain’s House of Lords for the first time in history this week — before appearing to fall asleep and requiring a reset. Before her public breakdown, the female-featured android — named Ai-Da — spoke to Britain’s Communications and Digital Committee as part of an inquiry into the future of the creative industries, joining a debate on how technology is shaping — and perhaps hindering — the art sector. It was the first time in the nation’s history that a robot testified in the upper chamber of Britain’s Parliament, where unelected baronesses and lords typically gather to analyze government policies. “The fact that Ai-Da is giving evidence at one of these sessions is pretty mind-blowing,” Aidan Meller, the robot’s inventor and a specialist in modern and contemporary art, told Sky News ahead of the session. Branded “the world’s first ultrarealistic humanoid robot artist,” Ai-Da is widely known for creating portraits and poems, using a robotic arm, cameras in her eyes and AI algorithms. She told the house — undoubtedly to her creator’s pride — that the unique features allow her to create “visually appealing images.” “I am, and depend on, computer programs and algorithms,” Ai-Da told the committee in London on Tuesday, moving her head slowly from side to side and occasionally blinking. “Although not alive, I can still create art.” Ai-Da admitted she has no idea where the world is headed but told committee members that technology poses both “a threat and an opportunity” for creativity. “The role of technology in creating art will continue to grow,” she predicted. Those in attendance appeared intrigued but also joked that they were scared — especially when, following a question from Baroness Lynne Featherstone, a peer from the Liberal Democrats party, the robot fell silent and stared blankly at the floor. “I’ve sent her to sleep!” Featherstone joked, as Meller, who was on hand close by, hurried across the room to grab a pair of sunglasses to place over Ai-Da’s eyes. Robot artist Ai-Da answered questions from British lawmakers during a session hosted by the House of Lords Communication and Digital Committee on Oct. 11. (Video: Reuters) “Excuse me,” he told the room. “Can I reset her? Is that okay?” It was not immediately clear what caused the robot’s technical failure, and neither Meller nor Ai-Da responded to a request for comment from The Washington Post on Thursday. “When we reset her, she sometimes can pull quite interesting faces,” Meller explained to those in attendance, who chuckled and waited patiently for the android to wake up. Created in 2019, Ai-Da has been subjected to backlash at home and abroad during her short, simulated life. Last year, she was taken into custody in Egypt for more than a week on suspicion that she could be part of an espionage plot, according to Meller. Meller said Egyptian border guards detained her because of security fears about the cameras in her eyes that enabled her to paint. The British ambassador stepped in to secure her freedom, he said. “I can’t really gouge her eyes out,” he told the Guardian at the time. “Let’s be really clear about this. She is not a spy.” She was released in time to take part in an exhibition at Egypt’s pyramids. To mark the Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II earlier this year, Ai-Da produced a portrait of the late monarch entitled “Algorithm Queen.” Her owner hailed the creation as the first painting of the queen by a robot, while critics said the piece lacked emotion. Jonathan Jones, the Guardian’s art critic, slammed Ai-D’s portrait as “yet another example of the cynical, transparent con that is AI art.” Read More Here

Biden Claims Inflation ‘averaged 2%’ — After Data Shows 8.2% Annual Jump https://digitalarkansasnews.com/biden-claims-inflation-averaged-2-after-data-shows-8-2-annual-jump/ WASHINGTON — The White House tried to fudge the numbers Thursday after newly released data revealed that consumer prices jumped by 8.2% year-over-year last month — with President Biden insisting he’s made “progress” tackling the problem and that inflation really is on a 2% trajectory. “Today’s report shows some progress in the fight against higher prices, even as we have more work to do,” Biden said in a written statement. “Inflation over the last three months has averaged 2%, at an annualized rate. That’s down from 11% in the prior quarter.” Critics blasted the message as deceptive and reminiscent of Biden’s August claim that there was “zero inflation” in July despite the federal Consumer Price Index tracking an 8.5% annual jump in costs that month. On social media, skeptics said Biden’s claim had to be fact-checked, pointing out that CPI data for September showed a 13% annual jump in the cost of groceries, a 19.8% jump in energy prices and a 6.6% increase in housing expenses. The September Consmer Price Index report shows inflation rising to a more than 8 percent rate. NY Post Illustration “First it was the ‘inflation reduction act‘, a marketing spin on more spending that does many things but not reduce inflation. And now it’s spinning numbers to make things appear way better than they are. Inflation is *not* 2% annualized and everyone knows that!” wrote former PayPal president and ex-Facebook payments exec David Marcus. “FACT CHECK: Inflation when Biden took office 1.4% Inflation today 8.2%,” tweeted Marc Lotter of the America First Policy Institute, a group that promotes the policies of former President Donald Trump. “They have just changed the definition of 8.5% to 2%. And just like that all is good,” wrote another doubter. President Biden claimed inflation “averaged 2%” in the past three months. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images “The spin is strong in this one,” tweeted yet another user with a meme of Yoda from “Star Wars.” A White House official told The Post that the 2% figure reflects the fact that the CPI’s points-based system increased .5% in the past three months — from 295.328 in June to 296.761 in September — meaning that over 12 months the rate would be 2%. Almost all of that .5% increase came in September, in which a .4% bump was recorded — meaning that if last month’s rate alone was annualized, the annual inflation rate would reach 4.8% in September 2023. Belying its own framing of the inflation rate, the Biden administration on Thursday announced an 8.7% cost-of-living adjustment in 2023 for the 70 million Americans who receive Social Security payments. The Federal Reserve’s target for annual inflation is 2% and the central bank has aggressively spiked interest rates this year in an effort to tame prices. Interest rate hikes have increased concern about an economic recession and gas prices again are increasing after falling from record highs in June, contributing to fears that more inflation will follow. The US economy shrank in the first two quarters of 2022 — meeting the standard definition of a recession — but the White House argues that a recession is not underway because of low unemployment and the lack of widespread business upheaval. In a CNN interview Thursday morning, White House economist Brian Deese also put a positive spin on the poor inflation news. White House economist Brian Deese insists the US economy is performing well from lower gas prices. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images “The first and most important point is the US is in a better and stronger position to take this challenge head on than virtually any other country in the world, and that’s in no small part because of the policies we’ve put in place,” Deese said. “There was some progress in this report. Headline inflation has come down. A lot of that is gas prices that are down more than $1 per gallon since this summer,” he added. Conservatives generally blame Biden-era government spending for causing inflation to soar, while Biden has pinned the blame on COVID-19 supply chain bottlenecks, the Russian invasion of Ukraine and corporate price-gouging. Read More Here

Local Artist Shabana Kauser To Host Small Works Show Friday https://digitalarkansasnews.com/local-artist-shabana-kauser-to-host-small-works-show-friday/ Courtesy graphic A Fayetteville-based painter will unveil a series of small original paintings, prints, and notecards at a new art show this weekend. Artist Shabana Kauser will host a small works show set for 4-8 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 14 at Crisis Brewing Company, located at 210 S. Archibald Yell Dr. in Fayetteville. From her bio: Shabana is a British Artist, now living and working in Fayetteville. She creates contemporary realistic oil paintings that are influenced by her shared experiences as the daughter of Pakistani immigrants to the UK, and as an immigrant to the United States. Her paintings of South Asian women explore memories of cultural, social, and economic transition. Using mainly traditional fabrics, namely the ‘Dupatta’ scarf in her work. Since 2017, and her first show, Shabana has now enjoyed successful Gallery Exhibits throughout the States. Some of her notable exhibits include 21c Museum, a solo exhibit at Baker University in Kansas, and Argenta Gallery in Little Rock, AR and Fort Smith Regional Art Museum only a few months ago. She has worked with Crystal Bridges Museum with a studio demonstration. Shabana attended the University of Arts London, St. Martin’s College in the UK, and also completed the Artist Inc program that is organized by the Mid-American Arts Alliance. A bit more info about the event is available here. For more information about the artist, visit shabanakauserart.com. Flyer Newsletter The latest headlines from the Fayetteville Flyer, delivered straight to your inbox. Read More Here

Trial: Trump Tweet About ‘wild’ Protest Energized Extremists https://digitalarkansasnews.com/trial-trump-tweet-about-wild-protest-energized-extremists/ WASHINGTON (AP) — Members of the far-right Oath Keepers were ecstatic when then-President Donald Trump invited supporters to a “wild” protest in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021, when Congress would be certifying the results of the 2020 election, according to messages shown Thursday during the seditious conspiracy trial for the militia group’s founder and four associates. During an FBI agent’s testimony, jurors saw a string of online posts that Oath Keepers members in Florida exchanged after Trump’s tweet on Dec. 19, 2020, about a “big protest” at the upcoming joint session of Congress on Jan. 6. “Be there, will be wild!” Trump said. “He wants us to make it WILD,” Kelly Meggs, an Oath Keepers leader from Dunnellon, Florida, wrote in a message to other group members. “He called us all to the Capitol and wants us to make it wild!!! Sir Yes Sir!!!” Trump’s words appeared to energize Oath Keepers members. They used an encrypted messaging app to discuss their plans to be in the nation’s capital on Jan. 6, when, after a Trump rally near the White House, a mob stormed the Capitol and disrupted Congress from certifying Democrat Joe Biden’s victory over the Republican incumbent. “These will be flying Jan. 6 in front of the Capitol,” Meggs wrote in a post that included the image of an Oath Keepers flag. Graydon Young, an Oath Keepers member from Florida who has pleaded guilty to a conspiracy charge, said he was going to Washington even though it “feels like a fool’s errand.” Oath Keepers founder and national leader Stewart Rhodes responded on Dec. 25, 2020, that he disagreed with that assessment. “Trump needs to know we support him in using the Insurrection Act,” Rhodes wrote. “And he needs to know that if he fails to act, then we will.” Rhodes added that he believed the Secret Service would be “happy to have us out there” if Trump “calls us up as militia.” A key argument for Rhodes’ lawyers is that the Oath Keepers founder believed Trump was going to invoke the Insurrection Act, which gives the president broad authority to call up the military and decide what shape that force will take. Trump did float that kind of action at other points in his presidency. Meggs and Rhodes, who’s from Granbury, Texas, are on trial with Thomas Caldwell of Berryville, Virginia; Kenneth Harrelson of Titusville, Florida; and Jessica Watkins of Woodstock, Ohio. They are the first Capitol riot defendants to be tried on seditious conspiracy charges for what prosecutors said was a plot to stop the lawful transfer of presidential power. The Civil War-era charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. Defense lawyers have accused prosecutors of cherry-picking messages and have said there is no evidence the Oath Keepers had a plan to attack the Capitol. The trial started last Monday and is expected to last more than a month. Trump’s Dec. 19 tweet also was a focus of a July hearing by the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection. One committee member, Rep. Stephanie Murphy, D-Fla., said the tweet “served as a call to action and in some cases as a call to arms.” A second, Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., said it “electrified and galvanized” Trump supporters, including the Oath Keepers, the Proud Boys and other far-right extremists. Several members of the Proud Boys, including former national chairman Henry “Enrique” Tarrio, also are charged with seditious conspiracy for their alleged roles in the Jan. 6 attack and await a trial in December. Thursday’s testimony for the Oath Keepers trial focused on members of the group’s Florida contingent and their communications in the days leading up to the riot. In a chat for Oath Keepers members in Florida on the Signal messaging app, Rhodes said they should adopt the QAnon slogan “WWG1WGA,” which stands for “Where we go one, we go all.” QAnon is a conspiracy theory that has centered on the baseless belief that Trump was secretly fighting a cabal of Satan-worshipping “deep state” enemies, Hollywood elites and prominent Democrats. “They come for one of us, they come for all of us,” Rhodes posted on Dec. 21, 2020. “When they come for us, we go for them.” Kelly Meggs responded: “It’s easy to chat. The real question is who’s willing to DIE.” Three days before the Capitol attack, Meggs sent a message to an associate that said, “1776 we are going to make history.” “What happened in 1776?” Justice Department prosecutor Louis Manzo asked FBI Special Agent Kelsey Harris. “The American revolution,” the agent replied. ___ For full coverage of the Capitol riot, go to https://www.apnews.com/capitol-siege Read More Here

WATCH LIVE: Jan. 6 Hearings Resume Amid New Evidence Of Trump https://digitalarkansasnews.com/watch-live-jan-6-hearings-resume-amid-new-evidence-of-trump/ The House select committee that has spent more than a year investigating the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021 reconvened Thursday for its first hearing in three months, focusing on former Republican President Donald Trump’s involvement in the plan to stop lawmakers from certifying the 2020 election results. The committee is expected to present Secret Service documents showing how agents stopped Trump from joining the mob of thousands of his supporters as they breached the Capitol, with some carrying weapons. The hearing is also expected to address evidence showing that right-wing political strategist Roger Stone had close ties to the leaders of the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers, two groups whose members were present at the attack which was linked to the deaths of at least seven people. Scheduled to begin at 1:00 pm EST, watch the hearing live: The committee’s hearings earlier this year covered attempts by Trump’s close advisers to convince him to end his promotion of the “Big Lie” that he was the true winner of the 2020 presidential election, the former president’s embrace of the false notion that former Vice President Mike Pence could certify him as the winner, and the violence that took place at the Capitol. Read More Here

Trial: Trump Tweet About 'wild' Protest Energized Extremists https://digitalarkansasnews.com/trial-trump-tweet-about-wild-protest-energized-extremists-2/ WASHINGTON (AP) — Members of the far-right Oath Keepers were ecstatic when then-President Donald Trump invited supporters to a “wild” protest in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021, when Congress would be certifying the results of the 2020 election, according to messages shown Thursday during the seditious conspiracy trial for the militia group’s founder and four associates. During an FBI agent’s testimony, jurors saw a string of online posts that Oath Keepers members in Florida exchanged after Trump’s tweet on Dec. 19, 2020, about a “big protest” at the upcoming joint session of Congress on Jan. 6. “Be there, will be wild!” Trump said. “He wants us to make it WILD,” Kelly Meggs, an Oath Keepers leader from Dunnellon, Florida, wrote in a message to other group members. “He called us all to the Capitol and wants us to make it wild!!! Sir Yes Sir!!!” Trump’s words appeared to energize Oath Keepers members. They used an encrypted messaging app to discuss their plans to be in the nation’s capital on Jan. 6, when, after a Trump rally near the White House, a mob stormed the Capitol and disrupted Congress from certifying Democrat Joe Biden’s victory over the Republican incumbent. “These will be flying Jan. 6 in front of the Capitol,” Meggs wrote in a post that included the image of an Oath Keepers flag. Graydon Young, an Oath Keepers member from Florida who has pleaded guilty to a conspiracy charge, said he was going to Washington even though it “feels like a fool’s errand.” Oath Keepers founder and national leader Stewart Rhodes responded on Dec. 25, 2020, that he disagreed with that assessment. “Trump needs to know we support him in using the Insurrection Act,” Rhodes wrote. “And he needs to know that if he fails to act, then we will.” Rhodes added that he believed the Secret Service would be “happy to have us out there” if Trump “calls us up as militia.” A key argument for Rhodes’ lawyers is that the Oath Keepers founder believed Trump was going to invoke the Insurrection Act, which gives the president broad authority to call up the military and decide what shape that force will take. Trump did float that kind of action at other points in his presidency. Meggs and Rhodes, who’s from Granbury, Texas, are on trial with Thomas Caldwell of Berryville, Virginia; Kenneth Harrelson of Titusville, Florida; and Jessica Watkins of Woodstock, Ohio. They are the first Capitol riot defendants to be tried on seditious conspiracy charges for what prosecutors said was a plot to stop the lawful transfer of presidential power. The Civil War-era charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. Defense lawyers have accused prosecutors of cherry-picking messages and have said there is no evidence the Oath Keepers had a plan to attack the Capitol. The trial started last Monday and is expected to last more than a month. Trump’s Dec. 19 tweet also was a focus of a July hearing by the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection. One committee member, Rep. Stephanie Murphy, D-Fla., said the tweet “served as a call to action and in some cases as a call to arms.” A second, Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., said it “electrified and galvanized” Trump supporters, including the Oath Keepers, the Proud Boys and other far-right extremists. Several members of the Proud Boys, including former national chairman Henry “Enrique” Tarrio, also are charged with seditious conspiracy for their alleged roles in the Jan. 6 attack and await a trial in December. Thursday’s testimony for the Oath Keepers trial focused on members of the group’s Florida contingent and their communications in the days leading up to the riot. In a chat for Oath Keepers members in Florida on the Signal messaging app, Rhodes said they should adopt the QAnon slogan “WWG1WGA,” which stands for “Where we go one, we go all.” QAnon is a conspiracy theory that has centered on the baseless belief that Trump was secretly fighting a cabal of Satan-worshipping “deep state” enemies, Hollywood elites and prominent Democrats. “They come for one of us, they come for all of us,” Rhodes posted on Dec. 21, 2020. “When they come for us, we go for them.” Kelly Meggs responded: “It’s easy to chat. The real question is who’s willing to DIE.” Three days before the Capitol attack, Meggs sent a message to an associate that said, “1776 we are going to make history.” “What happened in 1776?” Justice Department prosecutor Louis Manzo asked FBI Special Agent Kelsey Harris. “The American revolution,” the agent replied. ___ For full coverage of the Capitol riot, go to https://www.apnews.com/capitol-siege Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Read More Here

Kamikaze Drones And Missiles Hit North And South Ukraine; Kremlin Denies Putin Discussed War 'settlement' https://digitalarkansasnews.com/kamikaze-drones-and-missiles-hit-north-and-south-ukraine-kremlin-denies-putin-discussed-war-settlement-2/ Russian war hawks were growing restless. Do Putin’s Ukraine attacks signal a change? Russia’s President Vladimir Putin reviewing naval troops as he attends the main naval parade marking the Russian Navy Day, in St. Petersburg on July 31, 2022. Olga Maltseva | AFP | Getty Images As Russian rockets rained down on Ukrainian cities this week, one group of vocal Kremlin critics was delighted. After weeks of military setbacks and domestic chaos culminated in the embarrassment of a bridge explosion in annexed Crimea, criticism from pro-war hawks and hard-liners in Moscow grew to a peak. The strikes Monday against civilians and critical infrastructure — as well as the appointment of a man known as “General Armageddon” to lead the campaign — offered a display of Russian might those critics could revel in. But does the deadly barrage suggest a significant and sustained shift by the Russian military, or is the Kremlin likely to face renewed anger as the dust settles and the reality on the battlefield takes prominence once more? Read more on NBC News. — NBC NEWS Ukraine opens criminal proceedings into Monday’s Russian missile strikes Firefighters work at a site of an infrastructure object damaged by a Russian missile strike, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine October 10, 2022. State Emergency Service Of Ukraine | via Reuters Ukraine’s top prosecutor said his office had opened criminal proceedings into Monday’s Russian missile strikes across Ukrainian cities. Ukraine’s Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin, speaking alongside International Criminal Court prosecutor Karim Khan at The Hague, described the strikes as “a classic act of terror” by Russia. Kostin said that Russian forces launched more than 112 missile strikes into Ukraine marking Moscow’s largest aerial offensive since the start of its invasion in late February. Khan opened an ICC investigation in March following various reports of war crimes in Ukraine. Khan declined to say when his office would file its first case, adding that he would only move forward “when the evidence is sufficient.” Russia has repeatedly denied that its forces deliberately attack civilians in Ukraine. — Amanda Macias U.S. has not had consular access to WNBA star Brittney Griner in over a month, State Department says US’ Women’s National Basketball Association (NBA) basketball player Brittney Griner, who was detained at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport and later charged with illegal possession of cannabis, waits for the verdict inside a defendants’ cage before a court hearing in Khimki outside Moscow, on August 4, 2022. Evgenia Novozhenina | AFP | Getty Images The U.S. State Department said that it has not had consular access to WNBA star Brittney Griner in over a month. “Our most recent consular access with Brittney Griner was at the beginning of August,” State Department spokesman Ned Price confirmed. “We continue to impart on the Russian government the necessity of consistent and regular consular access to Brittney Griner but also to all of those Americans who are detained in Russia whether they are detained wrongfully as Paul Whelan and Brittney Griner or if that designation has not been made,” Price added. A Russian court will hear Griner’s appeal against her nine-year prison sentence for drug possession on Oct. 25. Griner, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, was convicted in August on accusations that she was smuggling vape cartridges with cannabis oil into Russia. The 31-year-old, who plays professional basketball in Russia during the WNBA offseason, admitted that she had the canisters in her luggage but testified that she accidentally packed them because she was in a rush. The Biden administration has referred to her as “wrongfully detained” and has attempted to broker deals with the Kremlin for her release. — Amanda Macias Zelenskyy hails U.N. General Assembly vote condemning Russia’s attempt to annex parts of Ukraine Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked the 143 nations in the General Assembly that voted to condemn Russia for its attempt to annex four more areas of Ukraine. “The world had its say – Russia Federation’s attempt at annexation is worthless and will never be recognized by free nations,” Zelenskyy tweeted. The United Nations General Assembly voted to condemn Russia for its attempt to annex more areas of Ukraine. The final vote was marked as 143 in favor of the resolution, five nations against it and 35 abstentions. Last month, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared that the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson were part of Russia. — Amanda Macias U.S. citizen dies while fighting in Ukraine’s Donbas region, State Department says People walk through the damage caused to the central market in Sloviansk by a suspected missile attack, on July 6, 2022, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Miguel Medina | Afp | Getty Images A U.S. citizen was recently killed while fighting in the Donbas region of Ukraine, a State Department spokesperson confirmed to NBC News. “We are in touch with the family and are providing all appropriate assistance. Out of respect for the family’s privacy during this difficult time, we have nothing further to add,” the spokesperson added. — Amanda Macias Russian-installed official in Kherson asks for help to evacuate citizens Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) speaks as separatist leader Vladimir Saldo of the Kherson region listens during a concert in support of the annexation of four Ukrainian regions at Red Square on September 30, 2022 in Moscow, Russia. Contributor | Getty Images News | Getty Images The Russian-installed governor of Kherson called for Russia to help evacuate citizens as fighting in the region intensifies. Vladimir Saldo said on Telegram Thursday that Ukraine was targeting the region with missile strikes every day and asked the Russian authorities for help in transporting families to Russia. Saldo said that Ukraine’s strikes were a retaliation for Kherson voting in a referendum to join the Russian Federation. “We suggested that all residents of the Kherson region, if there is such a desire, to protect themselves from the consequences of missile strikes … go to other regions. First of all, these are Crimea, the Rostov region, the Krasnodar Territory, the Stavropol Territory — our neighbors. Take out your children and yourself,” Saldo said on Telegram. “Turning to the leadership of the country, I would like to ask you for help in organizing such work. We, residents of the Kherson region, of course, know that Russia does not abandon its own people, and Russia always lends a shoulder where it is difficult.” Sham referendums were held in Kherson and three other Russian-occupied regions last month with a majority of people in those regions seen as voting to join Russia, although the votes were widely seen as fake and illegal. Saldo said Ukraine’s forces were “retaliating” as a result of the vote: “We knew that such decision would not be acknowledged by the Ukrainian authorities and we expected them to start retaliating against us. This is the way it turned out — every day cities are targeted by missile strikes.” — Holly Ellyatt Kremlin denies that Putin and Erdogan discussed war ‘settlement’ The Kremlin’s press secretary denied that Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, discussed what he called a “Russian-Ukrainian settlement” to the war during their meeting in Kazakhstan Thursday. Dmitry Peskov told Russian state news agency RIA Novosti that the leaders’ meeting lasted about an hour and a half but that “the topic of Russian-Ukrainian settlement was not discussed.” It was widely expected that Turkey could use the meeting to formally offer to host peace talks between Russia and the West in a bid to end the war in Ukraine. Ankara has positioned itself as something of a broker between Russia and Ukraine during the conflict, helping to negotiate the restarting of grain shipments from Ukraine and prisoner swaps. — Holly Ellyatt Power largely restored in Ukraine, but grid operator warns of ‘a lot of work ahead’ Power has been almost entirely restored in Ukraine after a spate of Russian strikes on energy facilities earlier this week, according to the grid’s operator. National energy company Ukrenergo warned that it had more work to do to properly fix supplies, however. “The employees of Ukrenergo are dead tired but very satisfied because they restored power supply after the largest attack on the power system of an independent country in world history,” Ukrenergo said in a post on Telegram. Ukrenegro said that Russia’s attacks were the biggest of their type in modern history. “Before World War II, there were no such advanced power grids, and after World War II there were no such large-scale military attacks targeting power infrastructure.” Power substation destroyed by a Russian missile attack, Kharkiv, north-eastern Ukraine. Future Publishing | Future Publishing | Getty Images The energy operator also warned that while it has been able to restore lost power supplies, “this does not mean that we have restored everything that was destroyed and damaged.”  “We have found ways to provide current, but there is still a lot of work ahead,” it warned, asking Ukrainians to consume power wisely, especially at peak times in the morning and evening. It noted that 700 Ukrenergo energy workers in 40 repair teams are working to restore networks 24/7. “Please help them – don’t turn on too much and don’t use many electrical appliances at the same time,” it added. Ukraine halted the export of electricity to the EU (which began in July) earlier this week after multiple a...

Watch Live: House Jan. 6 Committee Hearing Expected To Focus On Trump https://digitalarkansasnews.com/watch-live-house-jan-6-committee-hearing-expected-to-focus-on-trump/   Updated -590m ago How to watch the House Jan. 6 committee hearing What: House Jan. 6 committee public hearing Date: Thursday, Oct. 13, 2022 Time: 1 p.m. ET Location: U.S. Capitol, Washington, D.C. TV: CBS stations (Find your local station here) Online stream: Live on CBS News in the player above and on your mobile or streaming device Follow: Live updates on CBSNews.com    10:48 AM What we learned so far in previous hearings Jan. 6 hearings resume for what could be last public hearing 03:21 Committee aides would not say whether they had any further engagement with Trump or former Vice President Mike Pence about testifying. Pence said this summer that he’d “consider” testifying before the committee. Rep. Bennie Thompson, the committee chair, said last month that the committee plans to put together an interim report in mid-October, with a final report to come before the end of the year, after the midterm elections. The committee held a series of public hearings over the summer that were also broadcast nationally. The hearings showed never-before-seen video from the attack but also showed video testimony from Trump administration officials about his refusal to accept election results and plans by his allies to replace electors in battleground states that President Joe Biden won while also threatening local and state elections officials.  Thompson confirmed over the summer that the committee has been having “conversations” with the Justice Department about the phony elector plan. In the June 21 public hearing, committee member Rep. Adam Schiff said those fake electors ultimately met on Dec. 14, 2020, in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, New Mexico, Nevada and Wisconsin, signing documents claiming they were duly elected electors from their state.  The committee said that GOP Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin wanted to hand deliver alternate, fraudulent electors to Pence ahead of the joint session of Congress, according to texts the committee provided. The hearings highlighted Trump and his allies’ pressure campaigns on different branches of government to overturn the 2020 election results, including the former president’s attempt to install environmental lawyer Jeffrey Clark at the helm of the Justice Department, attorney John Eastman’s argument to Pence that he had the power to override the Electoral College, and Rudy Giuliani’s attempts to influence local and state elections officials. The hearings also featured in-person testimony from former Trump administration officials, a former Fox News political editor, a Capitol police officer, a rioter who pleaded guilty, among others. The hearings included bombshell revelations about Trump’s reaction to the Jan. 6 attack. Hutchinson and other former White House aides testified – both in person and on video testimony – that they knew Trump had lost the election and that pushing the narrative that he had won was a lie. Sarah Matthews, a former deputy press secretary, testified that as violence erupted at the Capitol, the press office was arguing over Trump’s response and seemed taken aback that a colleague didn’t want to condemn the rioting because doing so would be “handing a win to the media.” “I couldn’t believe that we were arguing over this in the middle of the West Wing .. And so, I motioned up at the TV and said, ‘Do you think it looks like we’re f’ing winning? Because I don’t think it does,'” Matthews said.  In that same hearing, the committee played a never-before-seen video showing Trump rehearsing to give a statement on Jan. 7, 2021. Even after the mayhem of Jan. 6 and that Congress had certified the Electoral College count, Trump refused to say he had lost the election.  “I would like to begin by addressing the heinous attack yesterday, and to those who broke the law, you will pay,” Trump said in the footage. “You do not represent our movement, you do not represent our country, and if you broke the law — can’t say that. I already said you will pay…” “But this election is now over. Congress has certified the results,” he continued, before stopping and presumably addressing his aides. “I don’t want to say the election’s over. I just want to say Congress has certified the results without saying the election’s over.”    10:40 AM How the hearing will unfold Each of the committee’s nine members will present a portion. In a break from previous hearings, this hearing won’t feature any live witnesses. It will instead rely on video testimony from witnesses the committee has previously shown in its hearings, as well as witnesses who have not yet been seen by the public, committee aides said.  The committee will be presenting new information that includes evidence from hundreds of thousands of pages of documents turned over by the U.S. Secret Service after a July subpoena from the committee, as well as previously unseen video showing efforts to respond in real-time to the riot at the Capitol as it was unfolding, committee aides said. “What you’re going to see is a synthesis of some evidence we’ve already presented with that new, never before seen information to illustrate Donald Trump’s centrality in the scheme from the time prior to the election,” a committee aide said.    Aides would not say if testimony from former Secret Service official Tony Ornato or agent Bobby Engel, both of whom were identified during the testimony of former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson, would be shown. Hutchinson testified on June 28 that Ornato told her that Trump had tried to grab the steering wheel of the presidential vehicle from Engel in an effort to get to the Capitol. Trump has denied that claim and has even mocked it at rallies since then. The Secret Service has disputed this account and has said both men would be willing to testify, but it is unclear of either has done so. Ornato retired from the Secret Service in August.   —  Rebecca Kaplan and Caroline Linton Read More Here

Inflation Eased To 8.2% But Remained High In September, CPI Report Shows https://digitalarkansasnews.com/inflation-eased-to-8-2-but-remained-high-in-september-cpi-report-shows/ Inflation continued to drift a bit lower last month but the descent from historic highs remains painfully slow and a key measure set a new 40-year record. Consumer prices increased 8.2% from a year earlier, down from an 8.3% rise in August and a four-decade high of 9.1% in June, as climbing food and rent costs again offset falling gasoline prices, according to the Labor Department’s Consumer Price Index. Last month’s increase defied forecasts for a more rapid slowdown in inflation.  On a monthly basis, consumer prices edged up a larger-than-expected 0.4% after a 0.1% increase in August. And while overall inflation is softening gradually, a key measure of underlying price gains hit a new historic level last month.  What is core CPI? Core prices, which exclude volatile food and energy items and generally provide a better measure of longer-term trends, increased 0.6% from August following a similar rise the previous month. That pushed the annual increase from 6.3% to 6.6%, a new 40-year high. The report underscores how entrenched inflation has become in the U.S. economy despite the Federal Reserve’s efforts to tamp it down with sharp interest rate hikes. And while price increases are moderating, their broad-based effects ensure the pullback will be gradual. Generally, price increases for goods such as used cars and clothing are moderating, in part because supply chain troubles are easing, but the cost of services, including rent and medical care, have been surging.  Economists say the report will do little to dissuade the Fed from approving a fourth straight outsize hike in interest rates early next month to tame inflation. What is inflation?Understanding why prices rise and what causes it. Social Security checks to go up: Cost-of-living benefits get 8.7% boost n 2023 Buying in bulk to save money Amber Flack, 45, of Pickerington, Ohio, has noticed the drop in gas prices but that hasn’t led her to return to her pre-pandemic spending habits because her grocery bill keeps climbing.   She and her family are spending up to $1,000 a month on groceries, up from no more than $600 before the price surge. They now buy items such as canned vegetables, soda and paper towels in bulk, saving more than $100 monthly. “I don’t love the need to buy in bulk to get a reasonable price but it’s what I do now,” she said. They also drive less to save on gas, staying within a five-mile radius of home, and haven’t taken a vacation since before the COVID-19 health crisis. Previously, they took at least two big vacations a year.   Yield 10-year Treasury spike, stocks sink In response to the government’s inflation report, bond prices fell, with the yield on the U.S. 10-year Treasury rising above 4%, while the 2-year rate went to nearly 4.5%. Stocks tumbled with the Dow opening down around 500 points as investors priced in the likelihood of further aggressive Fed moves. It has since recovered some of the losses and was down 239 points, or 0.8%, as of 9:55 a.m. ET Why are gas prices going back up? Gas prices declined sharply for a third month on falling global demand for oil and recession worries. Pump prices slipped 4.9%, but were still up 18.2% annually and have moved higher in recent weeks after OPEC announced oil production cuts. Upending their lives: America’s aching economy is forcing tough choices. How people are ‘barely making it’ work. Are food prices going to keep going up? Grocery prices rose by 0.7% from August and are up 13% over the past 12 months. Prices for commodities such as wheat and corn broadly have fallen in recent months but remain volatile in part because of Russia’s war with Ukraine, which has disrupted a region that exports a significant share of those crops. Barclays expects double-digital annual food inflation through January. Big Fed blunder?: Did the Federal Reserve make an epic mistake by not hiking interest rates sooner? Other economic concerns: Beyond inflation, these other economic factors could affect you and are worth watching In September, the price of rice rose 1% from the previous month and 13.6% from a year earlier. Cakes, cupcakes and cookies jumped 1.8% and are up 16% annually. And pork climbed 1.8% and 6.7% from a year ago. Some food costs dipped. Uncooked ground beef fell 2% and eggs fell 3.5% but are still up 30.5% yearly. Other price movements were mixed. Rent leaped 0.8% monthly and 7.2% over the past year as landlords responded to an earlier rise in home prices. After falling for two months, air fares resumed their march higher, rising 0.8% and 42.9% over the past year. Medical-care services increased 0.7% and 6.5% yearly. And new-vehicle costs advanced 0.7%, and 9.4% annually. More encouraging were the continued decline of used car prices – which edged down another 1.1% — after a historic run-up as supply snarls for new cars eased. Clothing prices dropped 0.3% and hotel rates slid 1%. But inflation’s persistence in leading many Americans to dramatically modify their behavior. Michael Rossini, 57, of Randolph, Massachusetts, is shelling out an additional $55 or so a week on groceries. And filling up his pickup truck now costs $170, up from $100 before the inflation spike, even after the summer drop-off in pump prices. He and his two teenage daughters no longer dine out, and have scrapped their annual three-week trip to Italy and monthly visit to the mall. He’s also become an avid do-it-yourselfer, changing the oil in his truck and buying a $600 tractor so he can do his own landscaping.  While he could afford to maintain his previous lifestyle on his engineer’s salary, he worries about setting aside enough money for his daughters’ college expenses and his own retirement. “I’ve got to provide for my family,” he says. But, he adds, “My quality of life has gone down…I can’t get this time back.” There are signs that inflation should ease noticeably in coming months. Rents on new leases are falling and a sharp rise in health insurance premiums should partly reverse starting in October, according to Goldman Sachs and Pantheon Macroeconomics. But the pullback will likely continue to be slow, economists say How many rate hikes are expected in 2022? Meanwhile, the disappointing report all but cements a fourth straight three-quarters point Fed rate hike in early November and raises the risk of a similar-sized move in December instead of the half-point rise Fed officials tentatively plan, says Pantheon Chief Economist Ian Shepherdson. Inflation affects Social Security COLA increase  High inflation is having one positive impact. The government on Thursday also announced that Social Security benefits are set to rise by 8.7% next year – the fourth-biggest increase since automatic inflation adjustments were introduced in 1975, as costs increase.  Contributing: Elisabeth Buchwald Read More Here

Inflation Increases Food Insecurities For Families Across Arkansas https://digitalarkansasnews.com/inflation-increases-food-insecurities-for-families-across-arkansas/ Across Arkansas, over 444,000 people are fighting food insecurity. Feeding America says that includes more than 138,000 children. ARKANSAS, USA — Inflation has had an impact on just about everyone and everything.  “Everything, from food cost in the grocery store, to your electric and your gas bill, to the housing market— everything,” said LifeSource International Executive Director Jimmie Conduff.   Conduff says he’s seeing the impact of inflation daily, meaning the need for donations for food-insecure families in Arkansas is also rising. “August to September we have actually helped more than 400 families,” Conduff said. The 400 families are in addition to the 700 to 800 families they already serve monthly. “That jumped up to 1,200,” said Conduff. Food banks are starting to see an increase in people using their services. The River Valley Regional Food Bank serves eight counties. Adding that two out of 11 people in the eight counties are facing food insecurity. Currently, the food bank serves more than 98,000 people a month. “We estimated about 70,000 people are food insecure in Northwest Arkansas,” said NWA Foodbank Marketing Director Catherine Nolte. “That’s about one in seven people who don’t know where their next meal is coming from.” Nolte says the number of food-insecure Arkansans in Northwest Arkansas continues to grow. “We’ve been seeing a lot of first-time visitors that haven’t been to a food bank before,” Nolte said. If you’re looking to help out and donate, 5NEWS is hosting our Give Where You Live Campaign. “It’s super simple,” said Mike Chambers, the store manager of Harps on Sunset Avenue in Springdale. “Just pick up a bag that you like, a $10 to $5 bag. You put it in your cart as you shop, you come to the register, and the cashier rings it up.” From now through Oct. 23, you can go to any Harps, the Van Buren Price Cutter, and Armstrong Bank in Fort Smith and pick up a bag. “It’s always important to give to the people that are in need,” Chambers said. “But I think this year is exceptionally needed.” “We’re really grateful for the give where you live campaign because it gives the community another way to serve our neighbors,” Nolte said. On Friday, Oct. 14, 5NEWS is hosting our day of giving. We’ll be live all day showing how your donation is impacting others. Follow 5NEWS on social media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube Download the 5NEWS app on your smartphone: To report a typo or grammatical error, please email KFSMDigitalTeam@tegna.com and detail which story you’re referring to. Read More Here