Digital Arkansas News

McConnell Backs Bipartisan Revisions To Elections Law https://digitalarkansasnews.com/mcconnell-backs-bipartisan-revisions-to-elections-law/ WASHINGTON — Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday he will “proudly support” legislation to overhaul rules for certifying presidential elections, bolstering a bipartisan effort to revise a 19th century law and avoid another Jan. 6 insurrection. The legislation would clarify and expand parts of the 1887 Electoral Count Act, which, along with the Constitution, governs how states and Congress certify electors and declare presidential winners. The changes in the certification process are in response to unsuccessful efforts by former President Donald Trump and his allies to exploit loopholes in the law to overturn his 2020 defeat to Joe Biden, and the violent attack on the Capitol by his supporters as Congress counted the votes. “Congress’ process for counting the presidential electors’ votes was written 135 years ago,” McConnell said. “The chaos that came to a head on Jan. 6 of last year certainly underscored the need for an update.” McConnell made the remarks just before the Senate Rules Committee voted 14-1 to approve the bill and send it to the Senate floor, where a vote is expected after the November election. The only senator to vote against the legislation was Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, one of two senators to stand and object to Biden’s certification last year. The GOP leader’s endorsement gave the legislation a major boost as the bipartisan group pushes to pass the bill before the end of the year and ahead of the next election cycle. Trump is still pushing false claims of election fraud and saying he won the election as he considers another run in 2024. McConnell’s support for the law could put him even more at odds with Trump, who frequently berates the GOP leader and has encouraged Republicans to vote against it. The House has already passed a more expansive bill overhauling the electoral rules, but it has far less Republican support. While the House bill received a handful of GOP votes, the Senate version already has the backing of at least 12 Republicans — more than enough to break a filibuster and pass the legislation in the 50-50 Senate. As he announced his support, McConnell noted that Democrats also objected to legitimate election results the last three times that Republicans won the presidency. “The situation obviously called for careful, methodical and bipartisan work,” he said, noting that the bipartisan group that negotiated the bill worked on the language for months. Today’s breaking news and more in your inbox Read More Here

New Book Recounts Donald Trump’s Homophobia, Anti-Trans Rhetoric | EDGE Media Network https://digitalarkansasnews.com/new-book-recounts-donald-trumps-homophobia-anti-trans-rhetoric-edge-media-network/ by Kilian Melloy EDGE Staff Reporter Wednesday September 28, 2022 Donald Trump gestures while speaking during a news conference at the White House, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2020, in Washington  (Source:AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)) New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman details episodes in her upcoming book, “Confidence Man: The Making of Donald Trump and the Breaking of America,” that illustrate the one-term president’s transphobia and anti-LGBTQ+ speech and attitudes, The Daily Beast reported. The piece recounts an especially telling incident in which then-candidate Trump was preparing for a debate with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in 2016. Reince Priebus, helping Trump prepare, asked a question about a transgender student’s right to use the restroom corresponding to their gender identity. Trump asked for clarification with these words: “Cocked or decocked?” When the people in the room didn’t understand what Trump was saying, “Trump then began making ‘a chopping gesture,'” the book relates, before he clarified his question: “With cock or without cock?” When an adviser asked, “What difference does that make?” Trump dug himself in deeper, saying, “What if a girl was in the bathroom and someone came in, lifted up a skirt, and a schlong was hanging out?” The book explains that the former president’s mind was so stuck in the gutter that his “conversations with associates would frequently lead toward ‘lurid detail[s]’ of sexually explicit topics,” the Daily Beast said — perhaps not a surprise, given that “even after the ‘Access Hollywood’ tape became public, Trump would refer to his hot-mic moment on grabbing women by the ‘pussy’ as merely ‘locker-room talk,'” the article added. According to the Daily Beast, the book documents “former Trump employees” recalling the former president as “mocking gay men, or men who were seen as weak, with the words ‘queer’ or ‘faggot,'” and it talks about how “Trump also tended to bully those who were gay,” though “not to their faces. Instead, behind closed doors.” The former president’s fixation extended to “strange obsessions over whether or not specific people both inside and outside his orbit were gay,” the article added. This conduct was nothing new in 2016 or during Trump’s single term in the White House, which ended after Trump lost the 2020 election to President Joe Biden. The Washington Post, also reporting on Haberman’s book, noted that the reporter “traces Trump’s political career back to the 1980s, where she reports he frequently made comments that were homophobic, particularly toward gay men, and washed his hands immediately after meeting someone who had AIDS.” “Confidence Man: The Making of Donald Trump and the Breaking of America” is due out from Penguin Random House on Oct. 4. Kilian Melloy serves as EDGE Media Network’s Associate Arts Editor and Staff Contributor. His professional memberships include the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, the Boston Online Film Critics Association, The Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association, and the Boston Theater Critics Association’s Elliot Norton Awards Committee. Read More Here

‘Daily Show’ Rips Biden A New One For Shouting Out Dead Congresswoman https://digitalarkansasnews.com/daily-show-rips-biden-a-new-one-for-shouting-out-dead-congresswoman/ Comedy Central Lest anyone think late-night TV is still nothing but Trump jokes more than a year and a half after he left office, The Daily Show took a few minutes on Wednesday to brutally mock President Joe Biden for apparently looking for a dead congresswoman in the audience of a White House event. “After a shaky start to his presidency, Joe Biden has recently gotten some of his groove back,” host Trevor Noah began, citing legislative and diplomatic victories. “People are saying that Biden might have a really good shot at winning a second term in office. All he has to do, though, is avoid doing stuff like this!” With that, the show cut to a deeply uncomfortable clip of Biden searching the crowd for Rep. Jackie Walorski (R-IN), who died in a car accident just last month. “Jackie, are you here? Where’s Jackie?” he asked. “She must not be here.” “No, Joe, what are you doing?!” Noah said in response. “So awkward.” He added that Biden’s explanation “didn’t help,” joking that the president was actually looking for Jackie Kennedy. The actual explanation from White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, who dodged reporters’ questions on the incident and said the late congresswoman was simply “top of mind” for the president, wasn’t much better. Pregnant Comedian Jena Friedman Has Some Killer Abortion Jokes “Look, I guess on the upside, at least he noticed that she wasn’t there,” Noah added, explaining that it would have been “much worse” if Biden had pointed her out. And while “a lot of people are saying that this is another example of Biden’s brain being foggy,” the host said, “if anything, this makes Biden a better president.” “Think of how hard he must be working to keep Americans safe, knowing that Osama bin Laden is still out there somewhere,” he joked. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast’s biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast’s unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. Read More Here

Live Updates: Flooding And Power Outages Grow As Ian Moves Inland https://digitalarkansasnews.com/live-updates-flooding-and-power-outages-grow-as-ian-moves-inland/ FORT MYERS, Fla. — Jessica Cosden’s family was huddled together at home as roofs rattled, trees crashed down and surging waters filled the 400 miles of canals lacing their city. Then everything went dark. “We just lost power,” Ms. Cosden said. “My 3-year-old son is freaking out.” As Hurricane Ian charged ashore along Florida’s southwest coast on Wednesday, it turned a laid-back stretch of suburban shoreline known for tiki bars, golf-course retirement communities and stone-crab fishing havens into a strand of destruction and chaos. With no electricity, the Cosden family waited together into the night on Wednesday in a single candlelit room in their house in Cape Coral, a fast-growing city of 205,000 near Fort Myers. Hannah, 12, felt OK but worried about her family getting hurt. Jacob, 10 and living through his first real hurricane, stood in a corner and closed his eyes. “I’m super shaken up,” Jacob said. “I just want this to be over. I’d rather be at school.” Cities along Florida’s Southwest Coast, pounded by storm surge and 150 mile-per-hour wind gusts from Ian, can feel like sleepier cousins to the high-rise multicultural pulsations of Miami. The region skews older, whiter and more conservative than Florida’s denser Atlantic coast. Places like Cape Coral have long drawn Midwesterners hunting for an affordable slice of Florida shoreline. But on Wednesday, much of that had been shattered. There were reports of roofs ripped off homes in Cape Coral. In the wealthy coastal enclave of Naples, a resident said he had three feet of water in his home. In Everglades City, a mecca for stone-crab fishing, some residents who had barely finished rebuilding after the devastation of Hurricane Irma in 2017 had lost everything once more, said Holly Dudley, whose family runs a crabbing business. Ms. Dudley said streets were flooding, cars were floating and fishermen were anxious about whether their boats had survived. “I know God has a plan,” Ms. Dudley said. “We’re thick-skinned and he makes us resilient. But at some point, when will it end?” In Cape Coral, Hurricane Ian’s sprawling fury reminded some longtime residents of Hurricane Donna, which pummeled the city in 1960 when it was barely a developer’s dream on a map, marketed as a Waterfront Wonderland where hundreds of miles of canals had been carved into the land. “There was nobody here,” said Gloria Raso Tate, a city councilwoman whose family arrived in 1960, right in the middle of Hurricane Donna. On Wednesday, she had fled her home along the swelling Caloosahatchee River, which runs nearby, in the hopes of finding safety farther inland at her sister’s house in a different neighborhood of Cape Coral. Ms. Raso Tate said she worried her house might not survive the storm. “We’re in the middle of it,” she said. The hurricane posed a menacing test of whether a fast-growing city could handle one of the worst storms to strike the coast in decades. “We’re swamped with people,” Ms. Raso Tate said. “That’s the issue right now. Most of our residents are new and have never had to go through a hurricane. There’s been some panic.” Late Wednesday, city officials said there had been no reports of injuries or deaths in Cape Coral, but the toll of the storm was still unclear. Police officers, firefighters and medics were not responding to 911 calls on Wednesday until the winds eased off. Some city officials said they believed that as many as half of the city’s 205,000 residents may have decided to stay in their homes, despite mandatory evacuation orders for much of the city that had been issued on Tuesday. The brunt of the storm was initially expected to hit farther north, in Tampa. Shelters that could hold 40,000 people were only about one-tenth full, and some residents who stayed home had been calling to ask about shelters only after it was too dangerous to venture onto the roads, city officials said. “I think a lot of people just hunkered down,” said Melissa Mickey, a spokeswoman for Cape Coral. “That’s a concern.” As a storm surge forecast to reach 12 feet or more washed into nearby Fort Myers, churning whitecaps in people’s front yards, residents and city officials in Cape Coral were nervously watching the levels of the Caloosahatchee River and 400 miles of freshwater and saltwater canals across the city. The canals threaded through Cape Coral had been dug with no permits and little regard for the environment, city officials said, but they were crossing their fingers that the web of waterways normally used for boating and fishing might act as a shock absorber for the storm surge and help drain some of the rain and flooding. Officials in Lee County, which includes Fort Myers and Cape Coral, had been opening up low dams to drain waterways ahead of the storm. Real estate values in the Fort Myers area, where a majority of residents are white, peaked and then crashed in the 2008 recession, but the region has boomed in recent years. The area’s Latino residents have been growing in numbers, and big new corporate arrivals like Hertz and a medical-device manufacturer have revved up an economy that is still powered by tourism and housing. “When I was growing up it was all retired people,” said Ms. Cosden, who is on the Cape Coral City Council. “The population has quadrupled since I was born. It’s a lot more families, middle and working class.” In Charlotte Harbor, about 30 miles north, Jeannie Croke, 50, had decided to ride out the storm at her home along a canal, though it was a decision she made when Hurricane Ian was still expected to strike the Tampa Bay area. Some of her neighbors changed their minds and fled for safer ground as the storm barreled toward them earlier on Wednesday. “We just saw two of them in the past hour decide to leave. We may be one of the few remaining,” Ms. Croke said. “We’ve tied down the boat and did everything we could do. Pray for us.” Jennifer Reed reported from Fort Myers, Fla., Charles Ballaro from Lehigh Acres, Fla., and Jack Healy from Phoenix. Robert Gebeloff contributed reporting from New York. Read More Here

No Biden? Here’s Who Experts Say Could Run For The Democrats Instead https://digitalarkansasnews.com/no-biden-heres-who-experts-say-could-run-for-the-democrats-instead/ The next presidential election is still two years away, but with a strong majority of voters saying they don’t want President Joe Biden to run again, there is a very real possibility that Biden becomes only the fourth sitting president in history not to run for a second term. This has led to some speculation about who might replace him on the Democratic ticket. Earlier this month, the president told “60 Minutes” correspondent Scott Pelley that “it’s much too early” to confirm a reelection bid. “My intention, as I said to begin with, is that I would run again. But it’s just an intention. But is it a firm decision that I run again? That remains to be seen,” Biden said.  The president’s indecision has brought renewed focus to the question, “If not Biden, then who?” Though no clear consensus figure has yet to emerge, several prospective Democratic candidates are already vying for the public’s attention.   Biden’s comments come after a summer where numerous polls highlighted his unpopularity among the general population and among Democratic voters. In July, Biden’s job approval rating hit 38%, according to Gallup, earning him the worst sixth-quarter job approval rating of any president in recent history.  Though his job approval rating among Democrats has remained much higher, closer to 80%, a New York Times/Siena College poll and a CNN poll, both conducted in July, found that only one-quarter of Democratic voters want Biden to run for reelection. For the other three-quarters, the president’s age and job performance, followed by a desire for someone new and more progressive, were primary reasons for preferring someone other than Biden as the party’s 2024 nominee. This sentiment is shared by independents, 80% of whom do not want Biden to run for reelection, according to a recent Deseret News/HarrisX poll. Public opinion might play a central role in Biden’s decision whether to run for reelection, said John Hudak, a senior fellow in governance studies at the Brookings Institution.  “If over the course of the next year you start to see his approval rating begin to tick back into the 30s, it really becomes difficult then for the president to believe that he would have a serious chance at winning reelection, and that perhaps passing the baton onto someone else would be more useful,” Hudak said.  Another determining factor for Biden will be his opponent, according to Hudak.  “I think there are probably a handful of candidates for whom the president believes it would be important for him to run against; chief among them would be Donald Trump,” he said, explaining that Biden sees himself as the only candidate who could beat Donald Trump in 2020 and might feel an obligation to run against him again if he is the 2024 Republican nominee.  In that case, if Trump declares his candidacy, and poor health or low job approval don’t rule out a presidential run, Biden would likely face little to no opposition in the Democratic primaries, according to Nathaniel Rakich, a senior elections analyst at FiveThirtyEight.  “I think that having that kind of clear and present danger for Democrats of a Trump candidacy could be an incentive for them to rally around their party’s standard bearer once again,” Rakich said.  But absent the threat of Trump, or if a low approval rating and old-age force Biden to bow out of the race (Biden would be 86 at the end of a second term), the party’s preferred nominee is far from certain. Though history might give us a clue. “The list has to start with Vice President Kamala Harris,” Rakich said.  Rakich’s claim is backed up by historical precedent. There have been 14 vice presidents since the end of World War II, and eight of them have gone on to become their party’s presidential nominee, making it the most predictive factor in party nomination and, subsequently, the presidency.   Harris would enter the 2024 primary season with the name recognition of vice president, just as Biden did in 2020, and could be seen as his natural successor by the coalition who voted for him in the 2020 primary, Rakich said, citing her ability to straddle the liberal and progressive camps and her appeal to Black voters.  Polls are split on whether Harris is the frontrunner for a 2024 presidential bid if Biden decides not to run again. But with an approval rating even lower than Biden’s, hovering around 37%, precedent might not hold in the case of Harris.  Besides the vice president, we should expect other familiar faces from the 2020 Democratic primary to return in the 2024 race, Rakich said. First among them is Pete Buttigieg, whose spot in Biden’s cabinet and focus on policy could make him a popular candidate for the moderate and technocratic wings of the party, Rakich said, and Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, who experienced early success as a moderate candidate in 2020.  On the progressive end of the 2020, and potential 2024, primary candidates is Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, who has made a name for herself by proposing blanket student debt relief and higher taxes on businesses and the rich. Then there’s Bernie Sanders, who briefly led the race in 2020 and remains one of the most popular and recognizable politicians in America. However, at 81, and with two failed presidential attempts behind him, a Sanders’ nomination seems unlikely, Hudak said There are also some newer political figures who appear to be gearing up for 2024 presidential runs, according to Hudak. These include Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and California Gov. Gavin Newsom — both with significant fundraising capacity and executive experience as governors that could give them momentum in a presidential run, Hudak said. Newsom, especially, has gained national recognition for speaking out on culture war issues, such as gun policy and abortion, and for his willingness to go head to head with Republican governors like Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas and Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida.  The list could go on. But when considering who could replace Biden as the Democrat’s presidential nominee we should keep one thing in mind, according to Rakich.  “Democrats are probably looking for someone who they feel can beat a Republican, regardless of whether that’s Donald Trump or not,” he said. For Rakich, this means a more moderate candidate. “I think that a progressive candidate will have a harder time making their case to voters for that reason.” Read More Here

Russia-Ukraine War Latest: What We Know On Day 218 Of The Invasion https://digitalarkansasnews.com/russia-ukraine-war-latest-what-we-know-on-day-218-of-the-invasion/ The European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, has proposed a fresh round of proposed sanctions on Russia designed “to make the Kremlin pay” for escalating the conflict in Ukraine. The proposed eighth package of “biting” sanctions includes a cap on the price of Russian oil and further curbs on hi-tech trade. Politicians across Europe have warned that the suspected sabotaging of the two Nord Stream pipelines could herald a new stage of hybrid warfare targeting vulnerable energy infrastructure in order to undermine support of Ukraine. Norway’s prime minister, Jonas Gahr Støre, said his country would step up its military presence at Norwegian installations after the country became Europe’s largest supplier of natural gas. A report drawn up by an international working group on sanctions concluded Russia should now be declared a “state sponsor of terrorism” and had reached the legal definition of a terrorist state under US and Canadian law. The head of the Office of the Ukrainian Presidency, Andriy Yermak, called for sweeping American and European sanctions in light of the report, after Ukraine accused Russia of sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines under the Baltic Sea. Moscow is poised to formally annex Russian-occupied regions after so-called referendums that have been denounced by the west. The Russian-installed leaders of the Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions in Ukraine have formally asked President Vladimir Putin to annex the occupied territories into Russia. Russia’s foreign ministry said action would be taken soon to meet the “aspirations” of four occupied Ukrainian regions to become part of Russia. Once annexed, Russia’s leadership has said it will consider attacks on the Russian-controlled areas as a direct attack on Russia. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy says Ukraine will “act to protect our people” in Russian-occupied regions after the what he described as “an imitation of referendums”. Ukraine’s foreign ministry said Kyiv and its allies “condemn such actions of Russia and consider them null and worthless”. Britain’s prime minister, Liz Truss, told Zelenskiy in a phone call that the UK would never recognise Russian attempts to annex parts of Ukraine, Downing Street said. The EU’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, also denounced the “illegal referenda and their falsified outcome” in Ukraine. Israel has strengthened its hitherto cautious stance on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, saying it will “not accept the results of the referendum in the eastern districts” of the occupied country. Tuesday night’s statement from the Israeli foreign ministry, which also said it “recognises the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine”, has been received as an unprecedented show of support for Ukraine, and a rare Israeli rebuke to Moscow. Gas prices have risen on fears that Russia could halt supplies to Europe through Ukraine, adding to turmoil caused by damage to the Nord Stream pipelines. The statement came after the discovery of leaks on the two Nord Stream gas pipelines near the Danish island of Bornholm in a suspected act of sabotage. The Kremlin dismissed claims that Russia was behind the attack on the Nord Stream gas pipelines, describing them as “quite predictable and also predictably stupid”. In a call with reporters, the Kremlin spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, said the incident needed to be investigated and that the timings for the repair of the damaged pipelines were not clear. Authorities in the Russian region of North Ossetia, which borders Georgia, are reportedly putting in place travel restrictions to prevent people fleeing to Georgia to avoid conscription. The report by the Moscow Times cites the head of the region, Sergey Menyaylo, as saying that more than 20,000 people had entered Georgia through the section of the border in just the past two days. The US embassy in Moscow has issued a security alert and urged American citizens to leave Russia immediately. In a statement on its website, it warned that dual Russian-US nationals may be called up as part of the Russian government’s mobilisation. US citizens should not travel to Russia and that those residing or travelling in the country should depart Russia immediately while limited commercial travel options remain, it said. The governments of Romania, Bulgaria and Poland are urging any citizens that remain in the Russian Federation to leave urgently. That may be in anticipation of border crossings becoming much more difficult as routes out close and more people flee forced mobilisation in Russia. Russian authorities say they are establishing checkpoints at some of the country’s borders to forcibly mobilise Russian men seeking to avoid mobilisation by fleeing the country. Social media footage shows military vehicles moving toward the border, reportedly to establish the mobilisation checkpoint. Russia is mounting a more substantive defence than previously as Ukraine attempts to press forward “on at least two axes east”, according to the UK’s Ministry of Defence. Heavy fighting continued in the Kherson region, where the Russian force on the right bank of the Dnipro remained vulnerable, it said in its latest intelligence update. Ukrainian authorities say they have identified five Russian soldiers who allegedly shot at civilian cars in the Kyiv region during the first days of the war. The Russian soldiers are charged with killing five people, and injuring a further six, who were trying to flee Hostomel on 25 February, a day after Russia invaded. Read More Here

MacKenzie Scott, Billionaire Philanthropist, Files For Divorce https://digitalarkansasnews.com/mackenzie-scott-billionaire-philanthropist-files-for-divorce/ Less than two years after announcing the marriage and their intent to give money away together, Ms. Scott has parted ways with her second husband, a teacher. Send any friend a story As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Anyone can read what you share. MacKenzie Scott married Dan Jewett early last year.Credit…Evan Agostini/Invision, via AP Sept. 28, 2022Updated 10:08 p.m. ET Less than two years after announcing their intention to give away a vast fortune together, the billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott and her husband, Dan Jewett, a former science teacher, are parting ways. Ms. Scott filed a petition for divorce in the King County Superior Court in Washington State on Monday, according to a copy of the filing. The breakup punctuates an eventful period for Ms. Scott, who in less than four years got divorced from her longtime husband, the Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, gave away more than $12 billion to nonprofits and married an instructor at the prestigious school attended by her children. Court records show Mr. Jewett did not contest the divorce. The petition says any division of property is laid out in a separation contract, agreed to by the couple, which is not public. Both still live in King County, the filing says, which includes the city of Seattle. Their marriage, which garnered significant public attention after Ms. Scott’s divorce from the world’s richest man, had also been a philanthropic partnership, with Mr. Jewett publicly promising to join her in donating their enormous fortune to good causes. But there were recent signs that the partnership was no more. Previously, grateful nonprofits that had received grants from Ms. Scott and Mr. Jewett thanked them both, but recent recipients thank her alone. In the past week his name vanished from her philanthropic endeavors. On the site for the Giving Pledge, where billionaires promise to give away half of their wealth before they die, his letter no longer appeared with hers. Without fanfare, his name was recently edited out of a Medium post Ms. Scott had written last year about their gifts. Ms. Scott, a novelist, also deleted Mr. Jewett from her author bio on Amazon, the online retailer that is the source of her vast wealth. She rocketed to global attention as she began giving away money at a pace rarely seen in the philanthropic world. After her divorce from Mr. Bezos, Ms. Scott assembled a team of advisers and began quietly making multimillion-dollar donations to nonprofit groups that totaled more than $12 billion in just three years. In her May 2019 letter on the Giving Pledge, Ms. Scott promised to “keep at it until the safe is empty.” Bloomberg has estimated her net worth as high as $62 billion, but between her billions of dollars in contributions and the decline in the stock market, it now gauges her fortune at $27.8 billion. Two years later, in his own Giving Pledge letter, Mr. Jewett sounded full of enthusiasm. “I am married to one of the most generous and kind people I know — and joining her in a commitment to pass on an enormous financial wealth to serve others,” he wrote. Yet he also noted that he had not previously considered making any kind of public statement about his charitable priorities because he had “never sought to gather the kind of wealth required to feel like saying such a thing would have particular meaning.” As recently as last week, according to the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine, which preserves old versions of web pages, his letter was still twinned with hers on the site, accompanied by a photo of the two of them looking as though they were out for a hike together. Today there is just a headshot of Ms. Scott, along with her letter. Ms. Scott has refused to speak publicly about her giving, declining repeated interview requests from news organizations including The New York Times. Her lawyer did not respond to requests for comment on Wednesday. Attempts to reach Mr. Jewett through friends, family and former colleagues and at an address associated with him in Seattle were unsuccessful. His lawyer declined, through a legal assistant, to comment on the divorce. Ms. Scott made her charitable announcements in long posts on Medium that listed the names of organizations that received billions of dollars cumulatively. Last month, Ms. Scott gave two homes in Beverly Hills, valued at a combined $55 million, to the California Community Foundation. The foundation’s affordable housing grant-making functions will receive 90 percent of the value of the properties. Mr. Jewett’s name, which had been in recent gift announcements, was nowhere in the news release. The Health Forward Foundation in Kansas City, Mo., announced on Tuesday that it had received a $15 million gift from Ms. Scott. The Episcopal Health Foundation in Houston also recently announced that it had received a $20 million grant from Ms. Scott. Neither announcement mentioned Mr. Jewett. Mr. Jewett taught at the Lakeside School, the prestigious Seattle private school attended by the Bezos children, where he was popular among students and fellow teachers alike. “He’s earnest, not very edgy,” said Angela Loihl, who met Mr. Jewett through a mutual friend. Ms. Loihl, who spent weeks in 2014 with Mr. Jewett driving in a small-motored car from London to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, recalled how that mutual friend had told her years later, after he married Ms. Scott, “He’s the perfect person to end up with this money to give away — no sense of greed at all.” According to the divorce filing, the couple married in California in 2021. The news of their marriage took even Mr. Jewett’s friends and colleagues by surprise — producing a whirlwind of news coverage far beyond his expectations, as reporters even appeared on the Lakeside campus. Though he finished the term there, Mr. Jewett felt his presence on campus was a distraction. His new wife had become arguably the most influential philanthropist in the world with an approach that emphasized huge grants — often the largest single gift a group had received — with no strings attached. In his Giving Pledge letter published in March 2021, Mr. Jewett wrote that he was “grateful for the exceptional privilege it will be to partner in giving away assets with the potential to do so much good when shared.” In June 2021, Ms. Scott posted about her giving on Medium, where she wrote: “Me, Dan, a constellation of researchers and administrators and advisers — we are all attempting to give away a fortune that was enabled by systems in need of change.” Sometime in the past week, searches on the Internet Archive showed, the post was edited, and Mr. Jewett’s name removed from there as well. Kitty Bennett contributed research. Read More Here

Review: THE PHILADELPHIA STORY At Fort Smith Little Theatre Proves Why They Have Been Around For 75 Years https://digitalarkansasnews.com/review-the-philadelphia-story-at-fort-smith-little-theatre-proves-why-they-have-been-around-for-75-years/ For 75 years, the Fort Smith Little Theatre has been bringing live shows to western Arkansas. I had the privilege of getting a personal tour of the theatre, 401 N. 6th Street in Fort Smith, before watching THE PHILADELPHIA STORY, and both were amazing. Directed by Tina Dale, this play runs through this weekend, so grab your tickets. The troupe originally formed the Young Ladies Guild of Sparks Hospital with Flo Pattee leading the way in 1947, due to the population boom from the people remaining in the area after serving time at nearby Fort Chaffee. Mrs. Pattee had a dramatics degree from Northwestern University and performed in New York before settling in the Fort Smith area. She thought it would be a great idea to have a Little Theatre to entertain the community and raise money for the hospital. Over the years the Little Theatre has changed addresses and finally settled in its current location in 1986. Through planning and fundraising, they have managed to stay out of debt, expand their performance space, and successfully bring quality entertainment to the western portion of the river valley. THE PHILADELPHIA STORY has been presented twice before this production here at FSLT-1957 and again in 1981. It is a crowd favorite, and it is easy to see why. Written by Philip Barry, most people will remember the movie starring Katherine Hepburn, Cary Grant and Jimmie Stewart. Upper class Tracy Lord (Grace Andrews) and family are preparing for her wedding to fiancé number two George Kitteridge (Ian Miller). However, due to her father’s (Charles Belt) indiscretions, her brother Sandy (Brandon Bolin) brings in reporter Mike (Eric Wells) and photographer Liz (Jamie Lambdin-Bolin) to capture society life to distract them from the scandal. Little sister Dinah (Isabella Ree) is not fond of the new fiancé and invites husband number one Dexter (Christian Meurer) over to join in on the fun. Their mother Margaret (Jill Ledbetter) tries to keep everything running smoothly, but with three guys vying for Tracy’s affections, the nuptials do not go as planned. This was my first visit to FSLT, but it is clear to see that the theatre family is close nit and works well together. There were several sets of people to watch in this play. The women of the family (Andrews, Ree, and Ledbetter) did a great job setting the stage for what was to come. They really blended well like a family, and young Ree was a star as the mischievous, attention-seeking younger sister. Another fun mix of people were Tracy (Andrews) with her three leading men (Meurer, Miller, and Wells). Each had a protective hold on her but in their own characteristic way. Watching them fight over her was amusing. Uncle Willie (Brett D. Short) was comical, and I loved how everyone would pause from speaking to take a picture. It was all very charming. Several people mentioned how wonderful the set looked, so I would like to give a special shout out to Set Designer Gary Cameron and his construction crew. This show has one more weekend, so don’t miss your chance to see this classic. Visit fslt.org or call 479-783-2966 for tickets. Read More Here

The GOP Has An Antisemitism Problem – Opinion https://digitalarkansasnews.com/the-gop-has-an-antisemitism-problem-opinion/ Neither party in the United States has a monopoly on antisemitism. Jew-haters can be found on the extremes of both parties, but the GOP seems to attract a disproportionate number. White nationalists and xenophobes are firmly entrenched in today’s party mainstream. And for many in another major pillar of today’s GOP – the Christian Right – an affinity for Israel and a fascination with Jewish religious symbolism conceal motives steeped in “end-time” prophecies and the conversion of the Jews. The core of the GOP revolution centers on racism and xenophobia, and antisemitism is the inevitable partner of these malignant forms of bigotry. Southern Democrats had a long reputation as racists, dating back before the Civil War, but that changed dramatically in the 1960s with the enactment of historic civil rights legislation, led by Lyndon Johnson and Congressional Democrats. Richard Nixon quickly sought to capitalize on the expected backlash with his Southern Strategy, targeting a “silent majority” – really thinly disguised buzz words to call racists to cross over to the Republican Party. It worked. Former US president Richard Nixon, upon facing impeachment in the Watergate scandal, stepped down from his position in a final televised address to the public (credit: REUTERS) The GOP energetically appealed to whites who wanted to preserve segregation and their “way of life.” Their appeal may have been largely anti-black, but it was also anti-Hispanic, anti-Asian, anti-immigrant and antisemitic. Nixon himself was a racist and an antisemite, as his tapes revealed. Many Democrats followed South Carolina Senator Strom Thurmond, who called themselves Dixiecrats, and became Republicans.  Where did the political polarization come from? Today’s polarizing politics can be traced back to the revolution led by Newt Gingrich (R-Georgia) in the mid-1990s. He infused the GOP with the idea that the Democrats were the enemy and no longer just political rivals. What ensued has been insurrection, authoritarianism and tribalism in his party. A central tenant has been, as Washington Post columnist Dana Milbank noted, “stoking fears of minorities and immigrants.”  Jews are barely 2% of the US population but targets of 60% of all religiously motivated hate crimes, according to an FBI report cited in The Jerusalem Post. All indicators show it is getting worse. Bess Levin notes in her Vanity Fair column, “Republicans have never been accused of embracing people from all walks of life regardless of their race, religion, gender, sexuality or country of origin,” but lately they’ve “ramped up their attacks.” Republicans complain about “cancel culture,” but theirs is the party that wants to cancel church-state separation, abortion rights, teaching about racism, gay marriage and the investigation of the January 6 insurrection. One of the most disturbing cancellations for Jews is the movement among Republicans, supported by conservative Supreme Court justices, to tear down the wall between religion and state. That protection has been vital to Jewish survival and success in the American democracy that is so threatened today. Among those trying to destroy the wall is Rep. Laurent Boebert (R-Colorado). “The church is supposed to direct the government, the government is not supposed to direct the church. I’m tired of this separation of church and state junk,” she has said. CNN has reported public opinion polling shows support for Christian nationalism is growing among Christians. Extremism on the rise  Another strident voice for that cause is Marjorie Taylor Green (R-Georgia), a self-declared “Christian nationalist.” She often shares platforms with Donald Trump as well as with notorious antisemites, compares COVID-19 restrictions to the Holocaust, has been a QAnon conspiracy follower and is best known for revealing that California forest fires were ignited by Jewish space lasers. After the president’s address at Independence Hall about the threats to democracy, she tweeted, “Joe Biden is Hitler. Nazi Joe has to go.” The response from GOP leadership was its usual acquiescent silence. The American Jewish Committee called her tweets “vile, offensive.” Haaretz reported her comments “were echoed by conservative pundits.” In an interview at the far-right Turning Point USA Student Action Summit in Florida in July, she declared, “We need to be the party of nationalism and I’m a Christian, and I say it proudly, we should be Christian nationalists.” The problem permeates the House Republican leadership. When someone like Greene is particularly outrageous, the invertebrate House GOP leader, Kevin McCarthy, announces he will have a private chat with the alleged offender and then reports that the problem has been solved. Green and Boebert are increasingly seen as the new voices of the Republican party, and if Republicans control the next House they can expect high profile and more vocal roles. Antisemitism is a central element of the Right’s warnings about the Great Replacement Theory. They see themselves as threatened by foreigners, notably non-white and non-Christian, who want to replace good old white Americans of western European descent.  White Christians fear that they will no longer be the majority in this country in another generation or so, and in their view “any Democratic victory will irrevocably reconfigure the nation,” making them a minority, Ron Brownstein wrote in the Atlantic. In some races this year, a candidate’s Jewish heritage is a target for attacks. Doug Mastriano is an election denier who showed up at the Capitol on January 6 and is now the Republican nominee for governor of Pennsylvania. He accused Josh Shapiro  – the state attorney-general, and now Mastriano’s opponent in the race for governor – of sending his children to a “privileged, exclusive, elite school” as proof of “a disdain for people like us.”  Of course, he didn’t mention that it is a Jewish day school and the same one their father had attended as a boy. The attack was the work of Mastriano’s campaign consultant, Andrew Torba, a rabid antisemite who runs Gab, the social network widely popular among antisemites, white nationalists and neo-Nazis. Mastriano eventually and quietly tried to distance himself from Torba. Some of the antisemitic dog whistles are subtle, like the rants about the “war on Christmas” and accusations that people are afraid to say, “Merry Christmas.” Others are as clumsy as a Jewish space laser and day school tuition. But you won’t hear much, if anything, critical of them on Fox News, One America News Network or Newsmax, or read about them in the Daily Caller, the Washington Examiner, Gab or the Daily Wire. As Trump reportedly said about the white supremacists at Charlottesville, “they’re my people.” Read More Here

Michigan Election Worker Charged With Tampering With Voting Equipment By Reuters https://digitalarkansasnews.com/michigan-election-worker-charged-with-tampering-with-voting-equipment-by-reuters/ Please try another search World 5 minutes ago (Sep 28, 2022 09:55PM ET) By Nathan Layne (Reuters) – An election worker in a western Michigan town has been charged with two felonies after allegedly inserting a flash drive into a computer containing confidential voter registration data during an election in August, local officials said on Wednesday. At the Aug. 2 primary, an election worker was seen inserting a USB drive into the computer used to administer the election at a precinct in Gaines Township in Kent County, according to a statement by county clerk Lisa Posthumus Lyons. The incident highlights the so-called “insider threat” risk that has increasingly worried election officials, especially in battleground states like Michigan where falsehoods about systemic voter fraud in the 2020 election have spread most widely. “This incident is extremely egregious and incredibly alarming. Not only is it a violation of Michigan law, but it is a violation of public trust and of the oath all election workers are required to take,” Lyons said in the statement. Chris Becker, the county’s prosecuting attorney, said he had charged the election worker, James Donald Holkeboer, with falsifying election records and using a computer to commit a crime. If convicted, he could face up to nine years in prison. Holkeboer could not be immediately reached for comment. While Lyons did not name Holkeboer, she said the incident involved one of the “everyday citizens trained and certified by clerks to work the precincts and absentee county boards” and was not an employee of the county or Gaines Township. The election worker was seen by a witness at a precinct in Gaines Township inserting a USB drive into the Electronic Poll Book, the computer used to administer the election. The poll book contains voter registration data, including confidential information barred from release under Michigan laws. Lyons said the breach did not impact the outcome of the August primary as it occurred after the files had already been saved to the precinct’s encrypted system. She said the poll book is not connected to any tabulation equipment or the internet. There have been a series of security breaches related to voting equipment in Michigan following the 2020 presidential election, with supporters of former President Donald Trump and his baseless claims about widespread voter fraud seeking access to tabulators in various locations in the state. Last month, Attorney General Dana Nessel, a Democrat, appointed a special prosecutor to oversee the criminal investigation her office had kicked off into the security breaches. She sought to step back from the probe because her Republican challenger in November’s election, Matt DePerno, was among the nine individuals facing possible charges. A spokesperson for Michigan’s Secretary of State said the breached equipment in Gaines Township has been decommissioned and will not be used in the November general election. “While our elections remain secure and safe, we take seriously all violations of election law and will continue to work with the relevant authorities to assure there are consequences for those who break the law,” Angela Benander said in an emailed statement. Related Articles Read More Here

Trump Refuses To Delay Florida Deposition In Phone-Fraud Case Despite Hurricane https://digitalarkansasnews.com/trump-refuses-to-delay-florida-deposition-in-phone-fraud-case-despite-hurricane/ By JONATHAN LANDRUM Jr. and ANDREW DALTON – AP Entertainment Writers 10 min ago Coolio, the rapper who was among hip-hop’s biggest names of the 1990s with hits including “Gangsta’s Paradise” and “Fantastic Voyage,” has died. Manager Jarez Posey tells The Associated Press that Coolio, whose legal name was Artis Leon Ivey Jr., died at the Los Angeles home of a friend on Wednesday. The cause was not immediately clear. Coolio was 59. He won a Grammy for best solo rap performance for “Gangsta’s Paradise,” the 1995 No. 1 hit from the soundtrack of the Michelle Pfeiffer film “Dangerous Minds” that sampled Stevie Wonder’s 1976 song “Pastime Paradise.” Read More Here

Don't Take Our Word That Trump Is A Fascist. His Bigoted Chief Of Staff Mark Kelly Called Him One. https://digitalarkansasnews.com/dont-take-our-word-that-trump-is-a-fascist-his-bigoted-chief-of-staff-mark-kelly-called-him-one/ While Maggie Haberman is enjoying the rush of publishing her background stories on Donald Trump’s Presidency, there was a nugget that CNN decided to share with the rest of us not wanting to reward Haberman by buying her book:  bigoted former Chief of Staff Mark Kelly called Trump a “fascist.”  What is so special about that fact is that Mark Kelly was fine with Trump’s racism, especially when it came to separating undocumented immigrant children from their families. Let’s take a stroll down memory lane: President Trump’s chief of staff John Kelly defended the technique of separating undocumented immigrants from their children as a necessary evil in the administration’s effort to increase border security during an interview with National Public Radio Thursday. Kelly told NPR that “the vast majority” of the immigrants “are not bad people.” “They’re not criminals. They’re not MS-13,” Kelly said. “But they’re also not people that would easily assimilate into the United States into our modern society. They’re overwhelmingly rural people.” He said they are poorly educated, don’t speak English — “obviously that’s a big thing” — and don’t have skills, so they “don’t integrate well.” “They’re not bad people,” Kelly repeated. “They’re coming here for a reason. And I sympathize with the reason. But the laws are the laws.” In the effort to enforce U.S. border laws, “a big name of the game is deterrence,” he explained. And separating families “could be a tough deterrent.” Kelly disputed the notion that such action was cruel. “The children will be taken care of — put into foster care or whatever,” Kelly said. “But the big point is they elected to come illegally into the United States and this is a technique that no one hopes will be used extensively or for very long.” Emphasis is mine.  Rural people that are poorly educated, don’t speak English, and don’t have any skills.  Except for the speaking English bit, the same description can be thrown at white rural Americans, at least some of the ones I know.  The ones I know are not wealthy, and I know for a fact that most of their kids did not value education.  I know because I tried to teach them as a high school teacher.   And while they could speak English, more than a few of them in Kentucky are functionally illiterate. And believe it or not, it was the kids who couldn’t speak English who BELIEVED in education and wanted to learn English.  The kids who were ESL (English as a Second Language) actually behaved in class and wanted to learn to improve their lives.  Their parents wanted them to have a better life in America, so obtaining an American education was invaluable to those parents.  Oh, and those kids were primarily from war torn areas, so they were from all walks of life:  urban and rural.  It was a mixed group, but the one thing they all shared was that they want to be Americans and never go back to the violence they were escaping from.  Their parents are not bums.  They had the courage to risk their lives and save their kids. And Mark Kelly is also a liar.  “The childern will be take care of-”.  How about we take care of Kelly like we did those kids?  How would Kelly like to be put in a cage with a hard floor to sleep on?   I’d imagine a man his age would not fair well, even if he was a marine. But Kelly NEVER spoke out like this against Trump.  I don’t remember him calling Trump a fascist.  I think that would have made news before the 2020 Election.  Instead, we get to read about it from CNN more than 18 months after Trump left office. So you can see why I do not put a lot of value in Mark Kelly’s calling Trump a fascist.  A cruel racist is calling another cruel racist a fascist.  I’m sure we could get a childish rebuttal from Trump like, “You’re the fascist!”   Wasn’t that  whatTrump did with Hillary Clinton during one of those debates?  “I’m not a puppet.  You’re the puppet!”  Difference was that Hillary Clinton is a decent human being, while Mark Kelly disgraced his uniform working for a vile bastard like Trump. So thanks Mark Kelly for confirming what we already know about Trump.  Now, go fuck yourself. Read More Here

Arkansas LLC | MarketWatch https://digitalarkansasnews.com/arkansas-llc-marketwatch/ Creating your Arkansas LLC is as easy as filing a few documents with the Arkansas Secretary of State. Forms are available online for almost any action you need to take, including making amendments to previous filings. 1. Choose a Name for Your Arkansas LLC The first step to starting your business is to name it. Before you start designing your logo, make sure your name isn’t already taken, since it needs to be unique to be attached to your LLC. You can perform an Arkansas LLC search for free to make sure your name is available. Even if the name seems to be available, the Arkansas Secretary of State can deny your request to reserve your name if it doesn’t follow certain guidelines: Contains the words “Limited Liability Company,” “Limited Company,” or “LLC” or “LC,” with or without punctuation Contains the words “Professional Limited Liability Company,” “Professional Limited Company,” “PLLC” or “PLC” if the company provides professional services Doesn’t contain words which could confuse your business with a government agency Isn’t too similar to an existing Arkansas business name Differentiating your name is an important part of figuring out how to get an LLC. In Arkansas, if your preferred name is similar to an existing business name, the following practices can help distinguish it and increase your chances of acceptance: Specific geographic location if businesses are in different towns outside of a 100-mile radius Specific services offered (for example, Lola’s Bakery vs. Lola’s Tax Services) Adding keywords The following types of businesses require special approval from the relevant state licensing authorities, which should be included with the application to gain approval from the Secretary of State: The name includes “bank,” “trust” or a similar word The name includes “engineer,” “engineering” or a similar word An LLC engaging in the practice of medicine or dentistry An LLC operating as an insurance company The name includes “razorback(s)” or “Arkansas razorback(s)” Once you’ve decided on a name, you can reserve it through the Secretary of State. If accepted, the name will be held for 120 days for you to finish forming your LLC. Inside Scoop: You can register your LLC under a formal name and do business under another name, if you choose. To do this, after forming your LLC, you’ll need to file an “Application for a Fictitious Name for LLC” on the Secretary of State’s website. This fictitious name is also called a “DBA,” which stands for “doing business as.” 2. Hire a Registered Agent in Arkansas A “registered agent” is a designated entity located in Arkansas that receives official correspondence on behalf of the business. You can change your registered agent for free on the Secretary of State’s website after your LLC is formed. Wondering how to get an LLC in Arkansas for the lowest cost? Registered agent companies provide this service for as low as $49 per year. You have the option to serve as your own registered agent, but most business owners choose not to because of the legal requirement that a registered agent be available during all business hours at the designated address. This can make it difficult to work remotely, take days off or find a replacement if you’re sick. Inside Scoop: Another reason you may not want to serve as your own agent is because legal filings are delivered to that address. If you serve as your own, and you have clients in your office, you could be served with a lawsuit or other documents in front of them which you may not want everyone to see. 3. Request a Federal Employer Identification Number (EIN) Before officially forming your LLC, you’ll need a federal tax number from the IRS, commonly called an employer identification number (EIN) or federal tax identification number. Request one for free from the IRS website. Even if you don’t plan to hire employees, you’ll need this number to register for Arkansas’s franchise tax system. Inside Scoop: Many states don’t require LLCs to request EINs if they’re single-member LLCs, don’t have any employees and meet certain other requirements. This is not true in Arkansas, where you need an EIN to form any type of LLC. 4. File Your Certificate of Organization To fill out your certificate of organization, Arkansas will require the following information: Name of your LLC Address of your principal place of business, which will be part of the public business record Name and address of your registered agent Name and title of at least one member Federal EIN You can file the certificate of organization two ways. The first option is to file online on the Secretary of State’s website using a fillable form, which requires choosing an effective date for your LLC and paying a $45 fee. The second option is to print a PDF form and submit a $50 check or money order made out to the Arkansas Secretary of State to the following address: Secretary of State, 1401 West Capitol, Suite 250, Little Rock AR 72201. Inside Scoop: It’s hard to get it perfect the first time you learn how to get an LLC. In Arkansas, you can always amend your certificate of organization after your LLC is formed, but amendments cost $22.50 to file online and $25 to file by mail or in-person. 5. Create an Operating Agreement Arkansas does not require an operating agreement to be on file, but it’s wise to have one from the very beginning to determine how you want your business to be run. An operating agreement is essentially a contract among members of the LLC, so it may be a good idea to consult an attorney when drafting one, even if you start with a template (these are widely available online). LLC formation businesses can help draft operating agreements for a fee, in addition to helping you figure out how to get an LLC in Arkansas. Operating agreements usually contain information about the following: LLC Name Membership Management structure (the default structure is that all members make management decisions collectively, known as “member-managed;” you can also designate specific managers — this is known as “manager-managed”) Duties of members and managers Voting rights Distributions Meetings Buyout and buy-sell policies Succession Dissolution How to modify the operating agreement Inside Scoop: The filing act for LLCs in Arkansas, known as the Uniform Limited Liability Company Act (ULLCA), effective beginning September 2021, declared that operating agreements were not mandatory. However, the ULLCA states operating agreements can be “implied,” meaning they don’t have to be written down and can be established by the behavior of the LLC members. For this reason, if you want to avoid any ambiguity on how your LLC should operate, create a written operating agreement and ensure every member agrees to it. 6. Fulfill Your Ongoing Obligations Figuring out how to get an LLC in Arkansas off the ground is only the beginning. There will inevitably be ongoing requirements to keep your business legitimate, especially tax obligations. Pay Federal, State and Local Taxes You’ll pay federal income tax on your earnings from your Arkansas LLC, either as a disregarded entity or as a corporation if you elect to be taxed that way. You’ll also need to file an Arkansas Corporate Franchise Tax in the amount of $150, due by May 1 of each year. Local taxes may apply depending on where you operate. Keep Necessary Licenses Up to Date You may need professional licenses, such as medical or accounting certifications, which have to be renewed periodically. You may also need certain licenses to operate, say, a retail business or restaurant. Inside Scoop: The Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center offers consulting services to residents who want to start a small business in the state. Developing a formal business plan before you form your LLC can guide you through the licensure process and let you know what to expect after your business is up and running. Read More…

Donald Trump Seeks End To Rape Accuser's Defamation Lawsuit https://digitalarkansasnews.com/donald-trump-seeks-end-to-rape-accusers-defamation-lawsuit-2/ NEW YORK, Sept 28 (Reuters) – Donald Trump is seeking a quick end to the defamation lawsuit by an author who claims he raped her more than a quarter century ago. A lawyer for the former U.S. president asked a federal judge in Manhattan on Wednesday to substitute the United States as the defendant in E. Jean Carroll’s lawsuit, a move that would end her case because the government cannot be sued for defamation. The request came one day after the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said Trump was a federal employee when he branded Carroll a liar, but left it to a Washington, D.C., appeals court to decide whether Trump acted as president when he spoke. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com In a letter to U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan in Manhattan, Trump’s lawyer Alina Habba said the decision meant the government “must be substituted as a defendant.” She also asked to put the case on hold, saying it would be “highly prejudicial” for Trump to spend time and money preparing for trial if the Washington court ruled in his favor. Roberta Kaplan, a lawyer for Carroll, said “nothing has changed” and the case should proceed. “The parties have been cooperatively engaged in discovery at Donald Trump’s request, and nothing has happened that should change that,” she said in an interview. “There has been no final determination by an appellate court that the government should be substituted in.” Carroll sued Trump in November 2019, five months after he denied raping her in a dressing room of department store Bergdorf Goodman in the mid-1990s and said “she’s not my type.” The former Elle magazine columnist still plans to sue Trump for battery and inflicting emotional distress in a separate lawsuit in November. Carroll plans to invoke a new state law giving accusers a one-year window to sue over alleged sexual misconduct even if the statute of limitations expired long ago. Tuesday’s decision set aside Kaplan’s ruling that Trump was neither acting as president when discussing Carroll, nor a federal employee for purposes of her case. The case is Carroll v Trump, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 20-07311. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Leslie Adler Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. Read More Here

Donald Trump Seeks End To Rape Accuser's Defamation Lawsuit https://digitalarkansasnews.com/donald-trump-seeks-end-to-rape-accusers-defamation-lawsuit/ By Jonathan Stempel NEW YORK (Reuters) – Donald Trump is seeking a quick end to the defamation lawsuit by an author who claims he raped her more than a quarter century ago. A lawyer for the former U.S. president asked a federal judge in Manhattan on Wednesday to substitute the United States as the defendant in E. Jean Carroll’s lawsuit, a move that would end her case because the government cannot be sued for defamation. The request came one day after the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said Trump was a federal employee when he branded Carroll a liar, but left it to a Washington, D.C., appeals court to decide whether Trump acted as president when he spoke. In a letter to U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan in Manhattan, Trump’s lawyer Alina Habba said the decision meant the government “must be substituted as a defendant.” She also asked to put the case on hold, saying it would be “highly prejudicial” for Trump to spend time and money preparing for trial if the Washington court ruled in his favor. Roberta Kaplan, a lawyer for Carroll, said “nothing has changed” and the case should proceed. “The parties have been cooperatively engaged in discovery at Donald Trump’s request, and nothing has happened that should change that,” she said in an interview. “There has been no final determination by an appellate court that the government should be substituted in.” Carroll sued Trump in November 2019, five months after he denied raping her in a dressing room of department store Bergdorf Goodman in the mid-1990s and said “she’s not my type.” The former Elle magazine columnist still plans to sue Trump for battery and inflicting emotional distress in a separate lawsuit in November. Carroll plans to invoke a new state law giving accusers a one-year window to sue over alleged sexual misconduct even if the statute of limitations expired long ago. Tuesday’s decision set aside Kaplan’s ruling that Trump was neither acting as president when discussing Carroll, nor a federal employee for purposes of her case. The case is Carroll v Trump, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 20-07311. (Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Leslie Adler) Read More Here

LISTEN: River Valley Report – Homecoming Wins And More https://digitalarkansasnews.com/listen-river-valley-report-homecoming-wins-and-more/ [DON’T SEE THE VIDEO ABOVE? CLICK HERE: nwaonline.com/101rvreport/] Leland Barclay brings it home with a recap of last week’s high school football action in the Arkansas River Valley, including Greenwood’s homecoming win over Van Buren, conference openers for Fort Smith Northside and Fort Smith Southside, and Alma improving to 4-0 for the first time since 2004. Then, Leland counts down the area’s top prep performances of the past week in his latest edition of Gimme 5, presented by Atchley Air — before looking ahead to this Friday’s key matchups on the gridiron. Read more River Valley sports stories at: nwaonline.com/news/rivervalleyDG/sports/ Read More Here

McDonald's Owners Group Says Company Rejected Request To Delay Big Changes To Franchise System https://digitalarkansasnews.com/mcdonalds-owners-group-says-company-rejected-request-to-delay-big-changes-to-franchise-system/ A customer places an order September 24, 2022 at a McDonald’s Restaurant along the New York State Thruway in Hannacroix, New York. Robert Nickelsberg | Getty Images News | Getty Images A group representing McDonald’s owners said the company rejected its request to delay changes to franchising policies, including updated standards and adjustments to how the company evaluates potential new restaurant operators, according to a letter seen by CNBC. The National Franchisee Leadership Alliance said in a letter to owners Wednesday that McDonald’s denied its request to make the changes in June 2023 instead of Jan. 1. related investing news The leadership group represents McDonald’s owners across the country. As of the end of last year, according to the company, there there were more than 2,400 franchise owners. Franchisees run some 95% of McDonald’s locations. The company declined to comment on the changes or the NFLA’s letter and its request to delay the adjustments. McDonald’s unveiled new policy changes during the summer, sparking tensions between some operators and the company. Several owners unhappy with these changes expressed a lack of confidence in the company’s CEO, Chris Kempczinski and its U.S. president, Joe Erlinger, in a poll taken by a separate group, the National Owners Association. The NFLA is seeking more clarity and education from the company on what it calls “McDonald’s Values,” as it pushes to hold franchise owners accountable for how they represent the brand online and in person. McDonald’s says its values are: “Serve, Inclusion, Integrity, Community and Family,” and the update is meant to reflect how these should be incorporated into owner and operator standards, according to a previous document obtained by CNBC. The new policies also call for evaluating potential new operators equally, instead of giving preferential treatment to spouses and children of current franchisees. McDonald’s is also separating how it renews leases, which are given in 20-year terms, from assessments of whether owners can operate additional restaurants – meaning, a lease renewal would not automatically make an owner eligible to operate additional locations. In a previous message to owners about the changes that was viewed by CNBC, the company said: “This change is in keeping with the principle that receiving a new franchise term is earned, not given.” The company has been actively working to recruit new and more diverse owners, underscored in a message to franchisees from Erlinger that was viewed by CNBC earlier this summer. “We’ve been doing a lot of thinking about how we continue to attract and retain the industry’s best owner/operators – individuals who represent the diverse communities we serve, bring a growth mindset and focus on executional excellence, while cultivating a positive work environment for restaurant teams,” he said. In December, McDonald’s pledged to recruit more franchisees from diverse backgrounds, committing $250 million over the next five years to help those candidates finance a franchise. The company has yet to reveal how its recruitment effort is going. “Several of these internal changes in my opinion may further limit the marketplace, reduce demand and strain the financial capability for sales between owners beyond the external factors that presently exist today,” NFLA chair Mark Salebra wrote in the letter. It goes on to underscore other challenges facing operators today including legislative changes at the state level, likely alluding to a newly signed law, A.B. 257 in California, which would regulate the fast food industry’s pay and conditions. The law was championed by the AFL-CIO, the biggest federation of unions in the United States, and condemned as “radical” by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the nation’s largest business advocacy group. McDonald’s is also rolling out a new grading system for restaurants in 2023. Owners said they were concerned about alienating workers as employers fight to lure and retain employees. The letter said that given all of these factors, “a consideration to delay (not change or renegotiate) the implementation felt appropriate and warranted.” It added that the company has provided more than 20 documents on the changes and educational sessions are forthcoming for further clarity. Read More Here

Biden Mistakenly Asks If Deceased Congresswoman Is In Audience https://digitalarkansasnews.com/biden-mistakenly-asks-if-deceased-congresswoman-is-in-audience/ President Biden on Wednesday called out to a recently deceased congresswoman during a conference on combating hunger, attempting to acknowledge her from the stage and apparently forgetting that she had recently passed away. “Jackie, are you here? Where’s Jackie?” Biden said, looking out into the crowd and expressing uncertainty over whether she planned to be in attendance. “I didn’t think she was — she wasn’t going to be here — to help make this a reality.” He was referring to Jackie Walorski (R-Ind.), who died in a car crash in early August. The White House did little to shed light on whether the mishap was a simple mistake, a problem with Biden’s prepared remarks or a momentary mental lapse, but rather simply explained that Walorski had been in his thoughts. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Walorski had been “top of mind” for the president because he was publicly praising members of Congress who, like her, were leaders of the fight against hunger. He plans to welcome the late congresswoman’s family to the White House on Friday, Jean-Pierre added, when he will sign a bill to rename a veterans clinic in her honor. But she dismissed questions about how Biden’s belief that Walorski might be in the audience squared with those plans to honor her memory, suggesting such a slip-up could happen to anyone. “I don’t find that confusing. I mean, I think many people can speak to — sometimes when you have someone top of mind, they are top of mind. Exactly that,” Jean-Pierre said. “Also, if you put it into the context — it’s not like it happened without — outside of context.” “Again, he’s going to see her family in just two days,” she added. Biden has a long history of gaffes and mistakes, a tendency he regularly makes light of himself. During a 2008 campaign event, he paused at an event and asked a man in a wheelchair to stand up and be recognized. He once said that the Obama administration was focused on a “three-letter word: jobs. J-O-B-S. Jobs.” He has forgotten and bungled names — struggling last year to recall the name of the prime minister of Australia and referring to him as “that fellow down under” — or calling his vice president “President Harris.” To his supporters, such verbal miscues are endearing and relatable, a sign of his authenticity and perhaps a reminder of his courageous struggle against stuttering as a child. But for the nation’s oldest president — one who has sought to dispel questions about his age by telling voters, “Just watch me” — the latest slip-up could also be cast in a harsher light. And Republicans wasted little time in doing so. “Truly an awful and disgraceful blunder,” tweeted Rep. Vicky Hartzler (R-Mo.). “Jackie was a selfless leader and a dear friend. Her family deserves better than this. Biden and the entire White House staff should apologize.” Former president Donald Trump and some other Republicans have seized on Biden’s verbal stumbles to suggest that Biden, who is 79, is not up to the job of being president, and such attacks are likely to intensify if Biden announces he is seeking reelection as expected. On Wednesday, however, some focused on Jean-Pierre’s attempts to smooth over the mistake. Doug Andres, spokesman for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), tweeted, “Just admit he misspoke!! good grief.” Walorski was one of four lawmakers who sponsored bipartisan legislation to hold Wednesday’s conference on hunger and nutrition, the first of its kind at the White House in more than 50 years. Before inquiring about Walorski, Biden had praised the other three: Sens. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Mike Braun (R-Ind.) and Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.). Last month, following Walorski’s death in a car crash along with two of her staffers, Biden and first lady Jill Biden issued a statement extending their condolences, saying they “appreciated her partnership” in arranging the conference on hunger. “We send our deepest condolences to her husband, Dean, to the families of her staff members, Zachery Potts and Emma Thomson, who lost their lives in public service,” the statement read. The flags at the White House also flew at half-staff. Another motorist also died in the accident in Indiana. Wednesday’s event marked an effort by Biden to focus on the long-standing problem of hunger in the United States, and officials announced they had secured $8 billion in commitments from public and private entities toward helping provide more food and better nutrition in coming years. “This goal is within our reach — just look at how far we’ve come on child poverty,” Biden told the assembled lawmakers, officials and advocates. The event launched efforts to make healthy food more affordable and accessible, provide more options for physical activity, and bolster research on food and nutrition. Beyond the cruelty of hunger itself, the pervasiveness of diet-related diseases creates broader problems for the country, White House officials said, hampering military readiness, workforce productivity, academic achievement and mental health. Still, the issue of hunger has not always been front and center in presidential administrations. President Richard M. Nixon convened a White House conference on hunger in 1969. Decades later, first lady Michelle Obama spearheaded the “Let’s Move” campaign focusing on childhood obesity. But some of Wednesday’s discussion was overshadowed by Biden’s reference to Walorski. As Biden was praising lawmakers who had been prominent in the fight against hunger in America, he looked out into the crowd and motioned to see if Walorski was in the room so she could be acknowledged. The moment attracted some notice, but it escalated during the White House daily briefing a few hours later when Jean-Pierre was asked to explain the incident. “The president was naming the congressional champions on this issue and was acknowledging her incredible work,” Jean-Pierre said. “He had already planned to welcome the congresswoman’s family to the White House on Friday. … She was top of mind.” That only led to more questions, and at one point James Rosen, the chief White House correspondent for Newsmax, shouted out, “I have John Lennon top of mind just about every day, but I am not looking around for him anywhere.” The late Beatles member was killed in 1980. “When you sign a bill for John Lennon as president, then we can have this conversation,” Jean-Pierre shot back. Later, Jean-Pierre would not explicitly say that Biden had made a mistake or had perhaps forgotten about Walorski’s death. She wouldn’t say whether it was a comment Biden might have handled differently, if he had another opportunity. “I’ve answered it multiple times already in this room,” she said. “And my answer is certainly not going to change.” Read More Here

Hurricane Ian Makes Landfall In Southwest Florida As Category 4 Storm https://digitalarkansasnews.com/hurricane-ian-makes-landfall-in-southwest-florida-as-category-4-storm-2/ Hurricane Ian made landfall Wednesday in southwest Florida as one of the most powerful storms ever recorded in the U.S.Here’s the latest on Hurricane Ian: As of 7 p.m. ET, Ian has maximum sustained winds of 125 mph and is moving north northeast at 8 mph. Ian was located 25 miles northeast of Punta Gorda, Florida, and 100 miles south-southwest of Orlando as of 7 p.m. ET. More than 1 million homes and businesses were without electricity, and Florida Power and Light warned those in Ian’s path to brace for days without powerThe NHC said Ian is battering the Florida peninsula with catastrophic storm surge, winds and flooding Hurricane Ian made landfall near Cayo Costa around 3:05 p.m. ET as an extremely dangerous Category 4 hurricane, according to the NHC Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has requested President Joe Biden grant a Major Disaster Declaration for all 67 of the state’s countiesThe center of Ian is forecast to move across central Florida Wednesday night and Thursday morning and emerge over the western Atlantic by late Thursday.Hurricane Ian knocked out Cuba’s power grid and work is underway to restore service to the country’s 11 million people.Watch live video coverage above from sister station WESH in Orlando.Live storm coverage is also available for free on your connected TV from Very Local. Download the app hereTracking Ian: The latest cone, models and satellite imagesLATEST CONELATEST MODELSLATEST SATELLITEIan makes landfall in Florida The hurricane’s center struck Wednesday afternoon near Cayo Costa, a protected barrier island just west of heavily populated Fort Myers. The massive storm was expected to trigger flooding across a wide area of Florida as it crawls northeastward across the peninsula.The Category 4 storm slammed the coast with 150 mph winds and pushed a wall of storm surge accumulated during its slow march over the Gulf of Mexico. Ian’s windspeed at landfall tied it for the fifth-strongest hurricane to strike the U.S., along with several other storms. Among them was Hurricane Charley, which hit almost the same spot on Florida’s coast in August 2004, killing 10 people and inflicting $14 billion in damage.Ian made landfall more than 100 miles south of Tampa and St. Petersburg, sparing the densely populated Tampa Bay area from its first direct hit by a major hurricane since 1921. Officials warned residents that Tampa could still experience powerful winds and up to 20 inches of rain.Isolated tornadoes spun off the storm well ahead of landfall. One tornado damaged small planes and a hangar at the North Perry Airport, west of Hollywood along the Atlantic coast. Video below: Florida governor gives update after Hurricane Ian makes landfall as Category 4 stormImpacts in Florida More than 1 million homes and businesses were without electricity, and Florida Power and Light warned those in Ian’s path to brace for days without power.In Naples, the first floor of a fire station was inundated with about 3 feet of water and firefighters worked to salvage gear from a firetruck stuck outside the garage in even deeper water, a video posted by the Naples Fire Department showed. Naples is in Collier County, where the sheriff’s department reported on Facebook that it was getting “a significant number of calls of people trapped by water in their homes” and that it would prioritize reaching people “reporting life threatening medical emergencies in deep water.” Details about IanThough expected to weaken to a tropical storm as it marched inland at about 9 mph, Hurricane Ian’s hurricane-force winds were likely to be felt well into central Florida.Before making its way through the Gulf of Mexico to Florida, Ian tore into western Cuba as a major hurricane Tuesday, killing two people and bringing down the country’s electrical grid.The center of the massive Category 4 storm lingered offshore for hours, which was likely to mean more rain and damage from a hurricane that was trudging on a track that would have it making landfall north of the heavily populated Fort Myers area. Catastrophic storm surges could push 12 to 18 feet of water across more than 250 miles of coastline, from Bonita Beach to Englewood, forecasters warned.Fueled by warm waters in the Gulf of Mexico, Ian grew to a Category 4 hurricane overnight with top winds of 155 mph, on the threshold of the most dangerous Category 5 status, according to the National Hurricane Center.Florida braces for catastrophic damageAbout 2.5 million people were ordered to evacuate southwest Florida before the storm hit. Off the coast on Sanibel Island, just south of where Ian made landfall, traffic cameras hours earlier showed swirling water that flooded streets and was halfway up mailbox posts. Seawater rushed out of Tampa Bay as the storm approached, leaving parts of the muddy bottom exposed, and waves crashed over the end of a wooden pier at Naples.Ian had strengthened rapidly overnight, prompting Fort Myers handyman Tom Hawver to abandon his plan to weather the hurricane at home and head across the state to Fort Lauderdale.”We were going to stay and then just decided when we got up, and they said 155 mph winds,” Hawver said. “We don’t have a generator. I just don’t see the advantage of sitting there in the dark, in a hot house, watching water come in your house.” Video below: Hurricane Ian makes landfall in Florida, tracks into North Carolina this weekendFlorida residents rushed ahead of the impact to board up their homes, stash precious belongings on upper floors and join long lines of cars leaving the shore.Some chose to stay and ride out the storm. Jared Lewis, a Tampa delivery driver, said his home has withstood hurricanes in the past, though not as powerful as Ian.”It is kind of scary, makes you a bit anxious,” Lewis said. “After the last year of not having any, now you go to a Category 4 or 5. We are more used to the 2s and 3s.”Video below: Key West rain Tuesday morning from Hurricane Ian Emergency response at the readyBarely an hour after the massive storm trudged ashore, a coastal sheriff’s office reported that it was already getting a significant number of calls from people trapped in homes. Flash floods were possible across all of Florida. Hazards include the polluted leftovers of Florida’s phosphate fertilizer mining industry, more than 1 billion tons of slightly radioactive waste contained in enormous ponds that could overflow in heavy rains.Isolated tornadoes spun off the storm well ahead of landfall. One tornado damaged small planes and a hangar at the North Perry Airport, west of Hollywood along the Atlantic coast.More than 450,000 homes and businesses were without electricity, and Florida Power and Light warned those in Ian’s path to brace for days without power.The federal government sent 300 ambulances with medical teams and was ready to truck in 3.7 million meals and 3.5 million liters of water once the storm passes.Gov. DeSantis issues warning Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said the state has 30,000 linemen, urban search and rescue teams, and 7,000 National Guard troops from Florida and elsewhere ready to help once the weather clears.Catastrophic storm surges could push as much as 12 to 18 feet of water over a nearly 100-mile stretch of coastline, from Bonita Beach north through Fort Myers and Charlotte Harbor to Englewood, the hurricane center warned. Rainfall near the area of landfall could top 18 inches. Ongoing closuresAirports in Tampa, St. Petersburg and Key West were closed Wednesday.Walt Disney World announced on Tuesday evening that the parks would be closing due to Hurricane Ian. The parks will be closed Wednesday and Thursday.Universal Orlando and Busch Gardens Tampa Bay also announced they will close on Wednesday and Thursday.NASA rolled its moon rocket from the launch pad to its Kennedy Space Center hangar, adding weeks of delay to the test flight.Video below: Space station flies over Hurricane IanPresident Biden declares emergencyAt the White House, President Joe Biden said his administration was sending hundreds of Federal Emergency Management Agency employees to Florida and sought to assure mayors in the storm’s path that Washington will meet their needs. He urged residents to heed to local officials’ orders. The federal government sent 300 ambulances with medical teams and was ready to truck in 3.7 million meals and 3.5 million liters of water once the storm passes.“We’ll be there to help you clean up and rebuild, to help Florida get moving again,” Biden said Wednesday. “And we’ll be there every step of the way. That’s my absolute commitment to the people of the state of Florida.”Video below: Hurricane Ian FEMA announcement at White House press briefingDeSantis has requested Biden grant a Major Disaster Declaration for all 67 of the state’s counties, which would open a range of federal assistance for residents and funding for public infrastructure repairs. DeSantis has also requested Biden allow FEMA to provide a 100% federal cost share for debris removal and emergency protective measures for 60 days.The governors of Virginia, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina all preemptively declared states of emergency. Forecasters predicted Ian will turn toward those states as a tropical storm, likely dumping more flooding rains into the weekend, after crossing Florida.Biden previously declared an emergency, authorizing the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate disaster relief and provide assistance to protect lives and property. FEMA has strategically positioned generators, millions of meals and millions of liters of water, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.Georgia, South Carolina watch Ian’s pathParts of Georgia and South Carolina also could see flooding rains and some coastal surge into Saturday. Georgi...

15-Year-Old Girl Killed In Hesperia Shootout Had Been Staying With Father Before Mother's Slaying https://digitalarkansasnews.com/15-year-old-girl-killed-in-hesperia-shootout-had-been-staying-with-father-before-mothers-slaying/ HESPERIA, Calif. (KABC) — A man who was accused of killing his estranged wife in Fontana and abducting their 15-year-old daughter had been living with the teenager out of his pickup truck and hotels for weeks before the violence, authorities said Wednesday. Anthony John Graziano and his daughter, Savannah Graziano, were killed Tuesday in a shootout with law enforcement on a highway in the high desert after a 45-mile chase. The girl, wearing a tactical helmet and military-style vest that can hold armored plates, ran toward deputies amid a hail of gunfire. Authorities are investigating whether she was shot by deputies or her father, or both. While many questions remain regarding Tuesday’s gunbattle, police in Fontana – where Graziano’s wife, 45-year-old Tracy Martinez, was killed Monday – offered some details about the family’s life before the bloodshed erupted this week. Graziano, 45, had moved out of the family’s home a month or two before the mother’s killing, as the couple went through a divorce, Fontana police Sgt. Christian Surgent told The Associated Press and confirmed to ABC7. Savannah Graziano left with her father, while her younger brother stayed with their mother. Police issued an Amber Alert after Martinez’s killing, saying Savannah Graziano had been abducted by her father. Now, detectives are trying to determine whether or not she was coerced into leaving Fontana. “Did she go willingly?” Surgent said. “Or was she actually abducted? We haven’t been able to prove that just yet.” Fontana police had not received any reports of domestic violence at the home before the slaying, Surgent said, and child services had not been involved with the family. Neither parent was on probation or parole at the time and investigators believe Savannah was being home-schooled while she lived with her father, whom police said liked to camp out in the desert and mountains in his pickup truck. On Monday, witnesses saw Martinez walking in Fontana when Graziano picked her up in his truck. Surgent said it was not clear whether she was forced into the vehicle or got in on her own. “And immediately that’s when they started arguing and yelling and domestic violence was occurring,” he said. Martinez got out of the truck – potentially to escape – and Graziano opened fire on her with a handgun, striking her multiple times, Surgent said. The shooting on the street near an elementary school during morning drop-off forced students and parents to duck for cover. “The man just came down the street shooting. He started shooting in that direction,” neighborhood resident Andy Davis told ABC7. “Hit those trees, houses across the street. They say the bullets were skipping off the street, and the woman was trying to run for her life, and unfortunately she was hit. Once she was hit I guess he shot at her a few more times.” Graziano fled the scene and drove to get Savannah, who had been somewhere else at the time – likely wherever they had been staying that day, Surgent said. The son was at the family’s home at the time and was not involved. The next day, a 911 caller reported seeing the suspect’s Nissan Frontier around Barstow. Deputies located the pickup truck and chased it on the highway for around 45 miles to Hesperia. Throughout the pursuit, Graziano – and possibly his daughter as well – was “constantly shooting back at the deputies” with a rifle through the truck’s rear window, San Bernardino County Sheriff Shannon Dicus said Tuesday during a news conference. The pickup truck became disabled on the shoulder of a highway in Hesperia, and a firefight ensued, with dozens of bullets flying. Savannah ran toward deputies – who did not realize it was her – in the chaos and went down amid the gunfire. She was taken to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead shortly before noon. Her father was found in the driver’s seat and pronounced dead at the scene. Although the only weapon found — a rifle — was in the truck with Graziano, detectives said it was possible that his daughter was also firing. “There may be some information that the passenger was involved in firing back at the deputies and we’re still trying to confirm that at this point,” Dicus said. One deputy was injured by shrapnel during the firefight, Dicus said. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Copyright © 2022 KABC Television, LLC. All rights reserved. Read More Here

Virgin Atlantic Says Men Can Wear Skirts, Updates Gender Policy https://digitalarkansasnews.com/virgin-atlantic-says-men-can-wear-skirts-updates-gender-policy/ British airline Virgin Atlantic on Wednesday updated its gender policy and uniform requirements, allowing male employees to wear skirts. Under the airline’s new policies, there will no longer be a “requirement for its people to wear gendered uniform options,” Virgin Atlantic said in a press release. The airline’s crew, pilots and ground team members will now get to pick which uniform they want to wear regardless of gender. Virgin Atlantic’s crew, pilots and ground team members will now get to pick which uniform they want to wear regardless of gender. (Reuters/Phil Noble / Reuters) VIRGIN ATLANTIC RELAXES EMPLOYEE TATTOO POLICY Virgin Atlantic previously changed a policy related to uniforms in June, amending its tattoo policy so that employees no longer had to hide their ink while in uniform. That change came several years after the airline started allowing female cabin crew members to decide how much makeup to put on as well as to wear pants and flat shoes. Virgin Atlantic recently relaxed its tattoo policy for employees. (Virgin Atlantic) Virgin Atlantic on Wednesday also launched optional pronoun badges for employees and customers. Passengers can ask for them at the check-in desk or in one of its lounges, the airline said. Additionally, the airline’s ticketing systems have been updated so that passengers with gender-neutral passports can select “U” or “X” as their gender code and “Mx” as their title when booking, according to the release. TSA IMPLEMENTING NEW GENDER-NEUTRAL SCREENING PROCESS AT CHECKPOINTS “At Virgin Atlantic, we believe that everyone can take on the world, no matter who they are,” the airline’s chief commercial officer, Juha Jarvinen, said in a statement. “That’s why [it’s] so important that we enable our people to embrace their individuality and be their true selves at work. It is for that reason that we want to allow our people to wear the uniform that best suits them and how they identify and ensure our customers are addressed by their preferred pronouns.” Virgin Atlantic said it plans to roll out mandatory inclusivity training for its employees and to offer inclusivity “learning initiatives” for tourism partners and hotels. (Reuters/Phil Noble / Reuters) Virgin Atlantic said it plans to roll out mandatory inclusivity training for its employees and to offer inclusivity “learning initiatives” for tourism partners and hotels. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ON FOX BUSINESS Read More Here

Biden Takes Aim At Food Insecurity With First Hunger Conference In 50 Years – Live https://digitalarkansasnews.com/biden-takes-aim-at-food-insecurity-with-first-hunger-conference-in-50-years-live/ LIVE – Updated at 21:01 © Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images Joe Biden speaks in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington DC Wednesday. Biden releases national hunger and nutrition strategy, which includes a slate of goals to help end food insecurity. Closing summary 21:01 Joe Biden rolled out his plan to fight hunger in the United States, with an eye towards ending it by 2030. Meanwhile, Hurricane Ian made landfall in Florida amid fears it could do grievous damage to its west coast. Here’s what else happened today: The supreme court is getting ready for its next term, and is expected to receive an update regarding the investigation into the leak of its draft decision overturning abortion rights. Donald Trump called for negotiating with Russia to end the war in Ukraine and mulled himself, of course, as leading the delegation. Meanwhile, a new book revealed further disquieting details of his presidency. Jury selection continued in the trial of five Oath Keepers accused of seditious conspiracy for their actions related to the January 6 insurrection. The White House denied a report that Treasury secretary Janet Yellen could depart the administration next year as it looks to reframe its fight against inflation. 20:55 As she sometimes does, singer-songwriter and trained flautist Lizzo played a flute during her performance in Washington on Tuesday. But it wasn’t just any instrument. Lizzo played notes through a more than 200-year-old crystal flute made for President James Madison and on loan from the Library of Congress. The largest library in the world also has the largest collection of flutes in the world, and when its librarian Carla Hayden heard that Lizzo was coming to town, she asked if she was interested in playing Madison’s instrument at her show. The library has written an amusing blog about what happened next: When Library curator Carol Lynn Ward-Bamford walked the instrument onstage and handed it to Lizzo to a roar of applause, it was just the last, most visible step of our security package. This work by a team of backstage professionals enabled an enraptured audience to learn about the Library’s treasures in an exciting way. “As some of y’all may know I got invited to the Library of Congress,” Lizzo said, after placing her own flute (named Sasha Flute) down on its sparkling pedestal, which had emerged minutes earlier from the center of the stage. Following the aforementioned, highly popular Twitter exchange between Lizzo the Librarian of Congress, the crowd knew what was coming. “I want everybody to make some noise for James Madison’s crystal flute, y’all!” They made more noise than the instrument, having been at the Library for 81 years, has been exposed to in quite some time. Maybe ever. She took it gingerly from Ward-Bamford’s hands, walked over to the mic and admitted: “I’m scared.” She also urged the crowd to be patient. “It’s crystal, it’s like playing out of a wine glass!” NBC4 Washington has footage of the moment she played it at the show: 20:33 Last April, at least nine people were bitten by a rabid red fox that stalked Capitol Hill, sparing neither lawmaker nor reporter alike. The animal was caught and euthanized by the DC health department, while those bitten were given many shots to stop rabies or any other infections. But the story, surprisingly, does not end there. The Wall Street Journal reports that one of those bit, Democratic representative Ami Bera of California, introduced legislation to cover the cost of rabies vaccines for the uninsured: The rabid fox that terrorized the Capitol grounds has led to legislation. Rep. Ami Bera (D., Calif.), one of the victims, introduced legislation to reduce the cost of the rabies vaccine for uninsured Americans — Natalie Andrews (@nataliewsj) September 28, 2022 From Bera’s office: The Affordable Rabies Treatment for Uninsured Act would establish a program to reimburse health care providers for furnishing post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) to uninsured individuals. — Natalie Andrews (@nataliewsj) September 28, 2022 The CDC estimates that 60,000 Americans receive PEP each year after possible exposure to rabies. Although rabies is a vaccine-preventable disease, costs for patients can be high, with treatment ranging from $1,200 to $6,500. — Natalie Andrews (@nataliewsj) September 28, 2022 Related: Rabid red fox that bit nine on Capitol Hill caught and euthanized 20:33 Nina Lakhani With universal free lunches a long long way off, one of the new food strategy’s more interesting commitments is about supporting schools in making meals from scratch and buying produce from local farmers. “This will lead to healthier meals and strengthen rural economies,” said Biden. This is a welcome nod to the urgent need to redesign our globalised food system, which is dominated by a handful of transnational monopolies like Tyson Foods. Today, Tyson pledged to give more free chicken to schools – rather ironic, some might argue, given the company’s track record on worker conditions, unhealthy processed foods and animal welfare. Biden also rightly emphasises the “we are what we eat” mantra, given that diets high in processed fatty, sugary, salty foods have led to at least 35% of adults being obese in 19 states, and one in 10 Americans having diabetes. “Science changes things. People are realising that certain diseases are affected by what they eat. The more we can spread the word and educate people, the more we’ll see changes,” Biden said. Not quite so sure about him suggesting that the link between our diets and disease is new information – the evidence has been overwhelming for decades now, but powerful business interests like the sugar, fast food and meat packing industries have often stymied government regulations to improve food labelling and reduce the toxicity of processed foods. Still, a commitment to piloting food prescriptions for people on Medicaid and Medicare is a definite thumbs up. 20:32 Nina Lakhani Biden closes up with some remarks on the Covid pandemic, describing the grassroots efforts to get food to struggling families as “people doing God’s work”. Then he makes a claim that’s worth fact checking. Biden said that the high level of food insecurity caused by the pandemic has come down thanks to the American Rescue Plan and the economy rebounding. One in 10 families struggled to feed their families in 2021 – which is back around pre-pandemic levels, but the numbers are rising quickly this year since key economic policies like the child tax credit, expanded food stamps eligibility and universal free school meals were not renewed by Congress. Biden knows, and the new strategy suggests, that tackling economic and racial inequalities through things like a living wage, closing the Medicaid coverage gap, and affordable childcare and housing are the only ways to really eradicate food poverty. That’s why the $8bn pledged by private corporations, universities, foundations and nonprofits may help a bit, but will not tackle the structural and systemic issues that cause poverty and racial inequalities, which is what’s needed in order to end hunger and cut the burden of diet-related diseases in the richest country in the world. Still, Biden ended with a rallying call: “In America, no child should go to bed hungry. No parent should die of a preventable disease… this is the United States of America, nothing is beyond our capacity.” Related: More than $8bn pledged to Joe Biden’s goal of ending hunger 20:30 Gloria Oladipo In other news, a California man who pleaded guilty to plotting to bomb the state’s Democratic party headquarters following the defeat of Donald Trump will be sentenced today, reported the Associated Press. Ian Benjamin Rogers, a Napa, California resident, pleaded guilty in May to conspiring to destroy the headquarters building and other properties in Sacramento by fire or explosives. Rogers also pleaded guilty to possessing an explosive device and possessing a machine gun as part of a plea agreement that could get him seven to nine years in federal prison. Rogers and Jarrod Copeland had been charged by prosecutors in San Francisco for planning to attack buildings they associated with Democrats following Trump’s defeat in the 2020 US presidential election. Rogers’ attorney, Colin Cooper, spoke about his client before today’s sentencing, emphasizing how remorseful Rogers is: “Mr Rogers feels awful for letting anybody down. He’s been in custody for a year and a half. He’s never been in trouble before. Every single day he expresses regret and remorse for any involvement he’s had in anything and all he’s asking for now is for people to give him a chance to prove that he has redemptive qualities.” 20:17 A man whose actions likely changed the course of American history is petitioning for his freedom after decades behind bars, the Associated Press reports: Sirhan Sirhan, who assassinated presidential candidate Robert F Kennedy in 1968, is asking a judge to free him from prison by reversing a decision by the California governor to deny him parole. Sirhan shot Kennedy in 1968 at the Ambassador hotel in Los Angeles, moments after the US senator from New York claimed victory in California’s pivotal Democratic presidential primary. He wounded five others during the shooting. Gavin Newsom, the California governor, in January overruled two parole commissioners who had found that Sirhan no longer was a risk. The governor argued Sirhan remains a threat to the public and has not taken responsibility for a crime that changed American history. Related: Sirhan Sirhan, man who assassinated Robert Kennedy, asks judge to free him 19:59 One of the biggest problems the Biden administration is facing is the state of the...

Arkansas Hospital Visitor Shot Dead; Acquaintance Arrested https://digitalarkansasnews.com/arkansas-hospital-visitor-shot-dead-acquaintance-arrested/ LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — A man visiting a patient at a Little Rock-area hospital was shot dead Wednesday by a person he knew, and the suspect was arrested about an hour later at a gas station, police said. Sherwood Police Chief Jeff Hagar said police found 21-year-old Leighton Whitfield dead on the fourth floor of CHI St. Vincent North in Sherwood, which was on lockdown as authorities responded to reports of the shooting A little over an hour after the shooting, 24-year-old Raymond Lovett was taken into custody by Little Rock police at an Exxon station about 15 miles from the hospital. Charges had not been filed yet against Lovett, Hagar said Wednesday afternoon. “It appears to be an isolated event that just happened to take place in a public facility,” Hagar said at a news conference Wednesday afternoon. A hospital spokesman said the hospital’s lockdown had been lifted early Wednesday afternoon. Sherwood is a city of about 33,000 people located northeast of Little Rock. Hospital workers could be seen meeting colleagues and loved ones in the parking lot of an Academy Sports store near the medical center. Law enforcement from multiple agencies responded. The shooting occurred months after four people were shot dead at a Tulsa, Oklahoma, hospital by a gunman who also killed himself. Police said the gunman in that shooting blamed the doctor, who was one of the four victims, for his continuing pain after a recent back operation and bought an AR-style rifle just hours before the rampage. Experts said that shooting and other incidents highlight the vulnerabilities of health care facilities. CHI St. Vincent North opened in 1999, and more than 200 physicians and staff work at the facility, according to the hospital’s website. CHI St. Vincent Chief Executive Officer Chad Aduddell said the hospital will debrief and review its security protocols following the incident. He praised police for their quick response to the shooting and the hospital’s physicians and employees for their work during it. “I can’t express in words how brave they were,” he said. “In the face of the unknown, they didn’t yield, they were still there to take care of their patients, they didn’t know what was going on but nonetheless were willing and ready to take care of their patients.” Read More…

Hurricane Ian Makes Landfall In Southwest Florida As Category 4 Storm https://digitalarkansasnews.com/hurricane-ian-makes-landfall-in-southwest-florida-as-category-4-storm/ Hurricane Ian made landfall Wednesday in southwest Florida as one of the most powerful storms ever recorded in the U.S.Here’s the latest on Hurricane Ian: Hurricane Ian made landfall near Cayo Costa around 3:05 p.m. ET as an extremely dangerous Category 4 hurricane, according to the National Hurricane Center.As of 5 p.m. ET, Ian has maximum sustained winds of 140 mph and is moving north northeast at 8 mph. Ian was located 5 miles east of Punta Gorda, Florida, and 120 miles south-southwest of Orlando as of 5 p.m. ET. More than 1 million homes and businesses were without electricity, and Florida Power and Light warned those in Ian’s path to brace for days without powerThe NHC said Ian is battering the Florida peninsula with catastrophic storm surge, winds and flooding The center of Ian is forecast to move across central Florida Wednesday night and Thursday morning and emerge over the western Atlantic by late Thursday.Hurricane Ian knocked out Cuba’s power grid and work is underway to restore service to the country’s 11 million people.Watch live video coverage above from sister station WESH in Orlando.Live storm coverage is also available for free on your connected TV from Very Local. Download the app hereTracking Ian: The latest cone, models and satellite imagesLATEST CONELATEST MODELSLATEST SATELLITEIan makes landfall in Florida The hurricane’s center struck Wednesday afternoon near Cayo Costa, a protected barrier island just west of heavily populated Fort Myers. The massive storm was expected to trigger flooding across a wide area of Florida as it crawls northeastward across the peninsula.The Category 4 storm slammed the coast with 150 mph winds and pushed a wall of storm surge accumulated during its slow march over the Gulf of Mexico. Ian’s windspeed at landfall tied it for the fifth-strongest hurricane to strike the U.S., along with several other storms. Among them was Hurricane Charley, which hit almost the same spot on Florida’s coast in August 2004, killing 10 people and inflicting $14 billion in damage.Ian made landfall more than 100 miles south of Tampa and St. Petersburg, sparing the densely populated Tampa Bay area from its first direct hit by a major hurricane since 1921. Officials warned residents that Tampa could still experience powerful winds and up to 20 inches of rain.Isolated tornadoes spun off the storm well ahead of landfall. One tornado damaged small planes and a hangar at the North Perry Airport, west of Hollywood along the Atlantic coast. Impacts in Florida More than 1 million homes and businesses were without electricity, and Florida Power and Light warned those in Ian’s path to brace for days without power.In Naples, the first floor of a fire station was inundated with about 3 feet of water and firefighters worked to salvage gear from a firetruck stuck outside the garage in even deeper water, a video posted by the Naples Fire Department showed. Naples is in Collier County, where the sheriff’s department reported on Facebook that it was getting “a significant number of calls of people trapped by water in their homes” and that it would prioritize reaching people “reporting life threatening medical emergencies in deep water.” Details about IanThough expected to weaken to a tropical storm as it marched inland at about 9 mph, Hurricane Ian’s hurricane-force winds were likely to be felt well into central Florida.Before making its way through the Gulf of Mexico to Florida, Ian tore into western Cuba as a major hurricane Tuesday, killing two people and bringing down the country’s electrical grid.The center of the massive Category 4 storm lingered offshore for hours, which was likely to mean more rain and damage from a hurricane that was trudging on a track that would have it making landfall north of the heavily populated Fort Myers area. Catastrophic storm surges could push 12 to 18 feet of water across more than 250 miles of coastline, from Bonita Beach to Englewood, forecasters warned.Fueled by warm waters in the Gulf of Mexico, Ian grew to a Category 4 hurricane overnight with top winds of 155 mph, on the threshold of the most dangerous Category 5 status, according to the National Hurricane Center.Florida braces for catastrophic damageAbout 2.5 million people were ordered to evacuate southwest Florida before the storm hit. Off the coast on Sanibel Island, just south of where Ian made landfall, traffic cameras hours earlier showed swirling water that flooded streets and was halfway up mailbox posts. Seawater rushed out of Tampa Bay as the storm approached, leaving parts of the muddy bottom exposed, and waves crashed over the end of a wooden pier at Naples.Ian had strengthened rapidly overnight, prompting Fort Myers handyman Tom Hawver to abandon his plan to weather the hurricane at home and head across the state to Fort Lauderdale.”We were going to stay and then just decided when we got up, and they said 155 mph winds,” Hawver said. “We don’t have a generator. I just don’t see the advantage of sitting there in the dark, in a hot house, watching water come in your house.” Video below: Hurricane Ian makes landfall in Florida, tracks into North Carolina this weekendFlorida residents rushed ahead of the impact to board up their homes, stash precious belongings on upper floors and join long lines of cars leaving the shore.Some chose to stay and ride out the storm. Jared Lewis, a Tampa delivery driver, said his home has withstood hurricanes in the past, though not as powerful as Ian.”It is kind of scary, makes you a bit anxious,” Lewis said. “After the last year of not having any, now you go to a Category 4 or 5. We are more used to the 2s and 3s.”Video below: Key West rain Tuesday morning from Hurricane Ian Emergency response at the readyBarely an hour after the massive storm trudged ashore, a coastal sheriff’s office reported that it was already getting a significant number of calls from people trapped in homes. Flash floods were possible across all of Florida. Hazards include the polluted leftovers of Florida’s phosphate fertilizer mining industry, more than 1 billion tons of slightly radioactive waste contained in enormous ponds that could overflow in heavy rains.Isolated tornadoes spun off the storm well ahead of landfall. One tornado damaged small planes and a hangar at the North Perry Airport, west of Hollywood along the Atlantic coast.More than 450,000 homes and businesses were without electricity, and Florida Power and Light warned those in Ian’s path to brace for days without power.The federal government sent 300 ambulances with medical teams and was ready to truck in 3.7 million meals and 3.5 million liters of water once the storm passes.Gov. DeSantis issues warning Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said the state has 30,000 linemen, urban search and rescue teams, and 7,000 National Guard troops from Florida and elsewhere ready to help once the weather clears.Catastrophic storm surges could push as much as 12 to 18 feet of water over a nearly 100-mile stretch of coastline, from Bonita Beach north through Fort Myers and Charlotte Harbor to Englewood, the hurricane center warned. Rainfall near the area of landfall could top 18 inches.”It’s time to hunker down and prepare for the storm,” DeSantis said. “Do what you need to do to stay safe. If you are where that storm is approaching, you’re already in hazardous conditions. It’s going to get a lot worse very quickly.”Ongoing closuresAirports in Tampa, St. Petersburg and Key West were closed Wednesday.Walt Disney World announced on Tuesday evening that the parks would be closing due to Hurricane Ian. The parks will be closed Wednesday and Thursday.Universal Orlando and Busch Gardens Tampa Bay also announced they will close on Wednesday and Thursday.NASA rolled its moon rocket from the launch pad to its Kennedy Space Center hangar, adding weeks of delay to the test flight.Video below: Space station flies over Hurricane IanPresident Biden declares emergencyAt the White House, President Joe Biden said his administration was sending hundreds of Federal Emergency Management Agency employees to Florida and sought to assure mayors in the storm’s path that Washington will meet their needs. He urged residents to heed to local officials’ orders. The federal government sent 300 ambulances with medical teams and was ready to truck in 3.7 million meals and 3.5 million liters of water once the storm passes.“We’ll be there to help you clean up and rebuild, to help Florida get moving again,” Biden said Wednesday. “And we’ll be there every step of the way. That’s my absolute commitment to the people of the state of Florida.”Video below: Hurricane Ian FEMA announcement at White House press briefingBiden previously declared an emergency, authorizing the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate disaster relief and provide assistance to protect lives and property. FEMA has strategically positioned generators, millions of meals and millions of liters of water, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.Georgia, South Carolina watch Ian’s pathParts of Georgia and South Carolina also could see flooding rains and some coastal surge into Saturday. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp preemptively declared an emergency, ordering 500 National Guard troops on standby to respond as needed.Cuba without electricity after storm hits power gridHurricane Ian knocked out power across all of Cuba and devastated some of the country’s most important tobacco farms when it slammed into the island’s western tip as a major hurricane.Cuba’s Electric Union said work is being done to gradually restore service to the country’s 11 million people between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.Ian made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane early Tuesday. It devastated Pinar del Río provi...

Weather Permitting: The Latest On Hurricane Ian’s Expected Impact On The Fayetteville Area – MsnNOW https://digitalarkansasnews.com/weather-permitting-the-latest-on-hurricane-ians-expected-impact-on-the-fayetteville-area-msnnow/ Weather Permitting: The latest on Hurricane Ian’s expected impact on the Fayetteville area  msnNOW Read More Here

Pa. Election 2022: Shapiro Sets Spending Record, Outraises Mastriano In Final Weeks Of Governor’s Race https://digitalarkansasnews.com/pa-election-2022-shapiro-sets-spending-record-outraises-mastriano-in-final-weeks-of-governors-race/ State Sen. Doug Mastriano (left) and Attorney General Josh Shapiro (right). Photos by Thomas Hengge and Steven M. Falk | Philadelphia Inquirer Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — Democrat Josh Shapiro’s campaign spent a staggering $28 million on his bid for Pennsylvania governor over the past three months, eclipsing spending by Republican nominee Doug Mastriano, who has struggled to amass support from high-profile donors despite national attention on the race. Shapiro, the state’s attorney general, raised $25.4 million between early June and late September, according to the latest campaign finance reports. Much of that total came from state and national groups that work to elect Democrats, as well as private and public unions. His campaign spent $27.9 million during that same time period, primarily on television ads, printed campaign materials, and other media-related expenses, leaving it with just shy of $11 million in the bank as the race kicks into high gear in the final stretch before the Nov. 8 election. And with six weeks left until voters go to the polls, Shapiro has already set a state record for a single governor’s race, with $42.7 million in campaign spending. The sum breaks the more than $40 million figure set by former Democratic Gov. Ed Rendell in the 2002 gubernatorial election. Mastriano, a far-right state senator from Franklin County, raised $3.1 million, mostly from small donors giving $250 or less. His campaign spent less than $1 million and had $2.5 million left at mid-month. For the first time, his campaign attracted a smattering of support from donors outside Pennsylvania, including $1 million from the billionaire owners of a Wisconsin shipping supply company and supporters of former President Donald Trump. The large-scale donations to both candidates underscore the importance of this year’s gubernatorial election, which is being watched nationally as a referendum on nearly every major issue in American politics. The outcome will determine the future of abortion rights, ballot access, and public school funding in the state. The geyser of money, including multiple six-figure contributions, also puts Pennsylvania’s weak campaign finance law on full display. The state places no limits on the amount of money donors can contribute to campaign committees, and candidates have great latitude when it comes to spending that cash. Here is a closer look at the candidates’ fundraising and spending between June and September, which became publicly available this week. Donations big and small Shapiro’s largest single donor was the Democratic Governors Association, which helps elect Democratic governors and contributed $5.1 million between early June and mid-September. Earlier this year, the group gave Shapiro another $547,500, the money showcasing the national emphasis on keeping Pennsylvania’s top job in Democratic hands when Gov. Tom Wolf leaves office in January. Shapiro also received millions in donations from the political action committees associated with public and private unions, including $500,000 each from the two parent unions that represent state workers; $156,566 from the union representing Pennsylvania’s public school teachers and another $250,000 from the National Education Association; and $500,000 from the Laborers’ International Union of North America, based in Washington, D.C. He also received another $500,000 from the political action committee representing trial lawyers in Pennsylvania. Other notable donations include $500,000 each from New York billionaire Michael Bloomberg, Silicon Valley venture capitalist Reid Hoffman, and California doctor Jennifer Duda. With her latest check, Duda has given Shapiro a total of $2 million since the start of the campaign. Shapiro’s campaign also received $120,000 from relatives of Democratic megadonor George Soros. A number of corporations based in Pennsylvania also donated to Shapiro through their political action committees, including telecom giant Comcast, convenience chain Wawa, and western Pennsylvania insurer Highmark. Executives from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, trucking company Pitt Ohio Express, and Pittsburgh-based language app Duolingo also donated to Shapiro. On top of all the big money, Shapiro received almost $4.2 million in donations from individuals who donated less than $250 — $1 million more than Mastriano raised all cycle. The bulk of the Democrat’s nearly $29 million in spending over the past three months was on advertising and digital consulting. The spending underscores the ways Shapiro’s more traditional campaign strategy — which has included holding frequent public events and flooding the airwaves with ads — contrasts Mastriano’s decision to campaign largely to his base. The Republican has run without television ads, and blocked mainstream media from covering campaign events. Shapiro tapped Grassroots Media LLC, the Bala Cynwyd firm founded by Mike D’Ettorre, who began his political career working on Rendell’s 2002 primary race for governor; RWT Production LLC, which has worked with the Democratic National Committee; and GPS Impact, a Democratic firm that has worked in other swing states, including Wisconsin, Michigan, and Ohio. The campaign also spent a considerable amount of cash on salaries and benefits for a big campaign staff, which has more than doubled in size since the primary election. The campaign reported paying salaries to 34 different people — including one of Pennsylvania U.S. Sen. Bob Casey’s daughters — and stipends to several interns. Most are based in Philadelphia, though the campaign also has staff in Pittsburgh, the Philadelphia suburbs, the Harrisburg area, and a few who live in Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Kentucky. Many people on the payroll have worked on Democratic campaigns before, for politicians like Bloomberg, Casey, now-Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Pennsylvania U.S. Rep Conor Lamb, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, and President Joe Biden. Mastriano’s megadonors Up until this point, Mastirano’s biggest donor had given him only a little more than $100,000 — small change in a statewide campaign — and his reports showed little institutional support from Republican powerbrokers or aligned special interest groups. His latest filing showed a continuation of that trend. Mastriano’s single biggest donors were Richard and Elizabeth Uihlein, supporters of former President Donald Trump and conservative megadonors from Illinois. The couple made headlines last year for their financial support of one of the groups that participated in the rally that preceded the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Mastriano, who also attended the rally and marched on the Capitol, was subpoenaed by Congress’s January 6th committee. The Uihleins gave Mastriano’s campaign a combined $1 million, roughly a third of his total fundraising in the cycle. Among the other notable absences were support from the Republican Governors Association, the partisan opposite of Shapiro’s largest donor that also can tap big money support, and a constellation of groups linked to suburban Philadelphia billionaire Jeff Yass. Yass-backed groups spent millions during the primary against Mastriano, including the Commonwealth Leaders Fund. That PAC reported spending $4.6 million on TV and digital ads between June and September, but none of the spending appeared as an in-kind contribution to Mastriano, according to his campaign finance report. In the primary, the fund spent millions on ads playing up chosen candidate Bill McSwain’s law enforcement credentials. But in lieu of pro-Mastriano ads, Matt Brouillette, chief executive of the fund, said its recent spending either attacked Shapiro or was spent on state legislative races. Mastriano referenced the dearth of backing, without naming names, in a Facebook video Wednesday morning, noting that “nationwide Republican organizations … have not been forthcoming in supporting this campaign.” (By Wednesday afternoon, the video was no longer online.) “Pennsylvanians, if you’re giving money to these national organizations, just know the money is not coming to Pennsylvania,” he said. Overall, he raised a little less than $175,000 from political action committees — mostly ones run by fellow lawmakers, such as state Sen. Mike Regan (R., Cumberland) and political players like GOP national committeeman Andy Reilly. His lieutenant governor running mate, state Rep. Carrie DelRosso (R., Allegheny), donated $50,000. Most of Mastriano’s larger contributions came from business owners and executives around the state, including the general manager of an RV company in Mastriano’s home county and the owner and founder of a Cumberland County home improvement company. Each gave Mastriano $50,000. As previous reports showed, Mastriano’s campaign is propped up by smaller donations. Nearly $420,000 of the $3.1 million he raised in the past three months were from contributions of $250 or less. Mastriano’s campaign didn’t purchase any TV ads during the reporting period that ran from June 7 to Sept. 19, and paid no formal staff salaries. It spent some of its limited funds on signs and other physical advertising, but most of the money went to an array of conservative consultants, some from Trump’s campaign orbit and others who are political unknowns. One of those relative unknowns is Mastriano’s campaign manager, Vishal Jetnarayan. He lives in Chambersburg, where Mastriano also lives. In a self-published book, in speaking engag...

Georgia State Elections Board Seeks FBI Help In Criminal Investigation Of Voting System Breach After 2020 Election – KTVZ https://digitalarkansasnews.com/georgia-state-elections-board-seeks-fbi-help-in-criminal-investigation-of-voting-system-breach-after-2020-election-ktvz/ By Zachary Cohen, CNN The Georgia State Elections Board revealed Wednesday that the board has asked the FBI to participate in an ongoing criminal investigation into the voting system breach in Coffee County because of similarities between what happened there and incidents in other states. “The conduct in Coffee County is similar to conduct in Antrim County, Michigan, and Clark County, Nevada,” elections board Chairman William Duffey Jr. said, citing two other places where pro-Trump operatives gained access to voting systems with the help of sympathetic local elections officials after the 2020 election. The Georgia elections board also revealed it is investigating communications between local election officials in a second Georgia county and SullivanStrickler — the same cybersecurity firm hired by attorneys working for former President Donald Trump to access voting systems in Coffee County in January 2021. The board has received documents that include an “unexecuted engagement agreement” for SullivanStrickler to forensically image voting systems in Spalding County, Georgia, Duffey said. The move represents an escalation by state investigators in Georgia, raising new questions about whether the same group of individuals involved in the Coffee County breach sought access to voting systems in other parts of the state as well. Duffey said it remains unclear why Spalding County was interested in having SullivanStrickler conduct this kind of work but that the board is investigating whether there is any link to what happened in Coffee County. It is also unclear if voting systems in Spalding County were breached. Duffey noted that he has asked for an update from the FBI regarding the status of its participation in the state-level Georgia probe related to Coffee County but does not yet know what the bureau is doing, if anything, at this time. CNN has reached out to the Justice Department and FBI about the request. CNN previously reported that a Republican county official in Georgia and operatives working with an attorney for Trump spent hours inside a restricted area of the Coffee County elections office the day it is known to have been breached. SullivanStrickler, which court documents show was hired by former Trump lawyer Sidney Powell, previously said in a statement to CNN that it was “directed by attorneys to contact county election officials to obtain access to certain data” in Georgia and also “directed by attorneys to distribute that data to certain individuals.” SullivanStrickler says it did not image any Spalding County equipment. “We did not image any equipment in Spalding County,” said Amanda Clark Palmer, an attorney representing SullivanStrickler, on Wednesday. “We will continue to cooperate with law enforcement on any investigation as we have done up until now.” The-CNN-Wire & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved. Read More Here

UN Envoy: Israel Defies UN Resolution On Halting Settlements https://digitalarkansasnews.com/un-envoy-israel-defies-un-resolution-on-halting-settlements/ UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Israel continued its defiance of a 2016 U.N. Security Council resolution demanding an immediate halt to all settlement activity in lands the Palestinians want for their future state, advancing plans for construction of nearly 2,000 housing units in the last three months, the U.N. Mideast envoy said Wednesday. Tor Wennesland told the council that no progress was made by Israelis and Palestinians on other demands in the resolution — preventing all violence against civilians, refraining from acts of provocation, incitement and inflammatory rhetoric, distinguishing between Israeli territory and territories occupied since the 1967 war, and exerting “collective efforts to launch credible negotiations.” He did cite several positive steps during the three-month period ending Sept. 20 — two contacts between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and high-level Israeli officials in July, Israel’s issuance of some 16,000 permits for workers and businesses for Palestinians in Gaza, and a 1.5% increase in imports and 54% increase in exports through the main Kerem Shalom crossing from Israel to Gaza compared to the monthly average for the first two quarters of 2022. But Wennesland said “We continue to see little progress” in implementing the resolution since its adoption in December 2016. The resolution was approved by the Security Council when the United States, in the final weeks of the Obama administration, abstained rather than using its veto to support longtime ally Israel as it had done many times previously. The Trump administration strongly opposed the resolution. U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield told the council Wednesday that from day one the Biden administration has supported a two-state solution, a position President Joe Biden reiterated to world leaders at last week’s high-level meeting at the General Assembly. She said many leaders made similar calls, praising Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid’s “courageous and impassioned speech that articulated his vision of `two states for two peoples.’” “The significance of his appeal for peace between Israelis and Palestinians should not be underestimated,” Thomas-Greenfield said. “And I also want to acknowledge president Abbas’ stated commitment to non-violence and reaffirmation of his support for a two-state solution.” She said now it’s time “to turn these words into action” and make real progress, stressing that “there are no short-cuts to statehood.” Speaking to reporters afterward, Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian U.N. ambassador, called for the Security Council to start implementing its resolutions. It should now propose “practical steps” to open the doors “for a meaningful political process” to begin implementing the “global consensus” for a two-state solution, he said. Wennesland warned that “the absence of a meaningful peace process to end the Israeli occupation and resolve the conflict is fueling a dangerous deterioration” across the Palestinian territories, particularly the West Bank, “and driving the perception that the conflict is unresolvable.” “Israelis and Palestinians must determine how they envision the future,” he said. “Negotiations can no longer be pushed indefinitely.” “The current course is leading us towards a perpetual state of violence and conflict,” The Mideast envoy warned, and “meaningful initiatives” are needed quickly to turn this trajectory around. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Read More Here

Hurricane Ian Makes Landfall In Southwest Florida As Category 4 Storm With 150-Mph Winds | CNN https://digitalarkansasnews.com/hurricane-ian-makes-landfall-in-southwest-florida-as-category-4-storm-with-150-mph-winds-cnn/ Editor’s Note: Affected by the storm? Use CNN’s lite site for low bandwidth. You also can text or WhatsApp your Ian stories to CNN +1 332-261-0775. CNN  —  Hurricane Ian made landfall along the southwestern coast of Florida near Cayo Costa around 3:05 p.m. ET Wednesday with winds near 150 mph, making it a strong Category 4 hurricane, according to the National Hurricane Center. The storm is delivering a catastrophic trifecta of high winds, heavy rain and historic storm surge to the state and is set to cause significant power outages and flooding as it moves at a slow pace across central Florida over the next day or two. Hurricane Ian is tied for the strongest storm to make landfall on the west coast of the Florida peninsula, matching the wind speed of Hurricane Charley in 2004. Already, over 800,000 Florida utility customers were without power as of 3:45 p.m., according to PowerOutage.us, and officials in Cape Coral and Punta Gorda reported significant impacts. Much of west-central Florida and places inland face disaster: “Historic” storm surge up to 18 feet is possible and could swallow coastal homes; rain could cause flooding across much of the state; and crushing winds could flatten homes and stop electricity service for days or weeks. “This is a wind storm and a surge storm and a flood storm, all in one,” CNN meteorologist Chad Myers said. “And this is going to spread itself out across the entire state. Everybody is going to see something from this.” Photos: Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida NOAA/AP A satellite image shows the eye of Hurricane Ian approaching the southwest coast of Florida on Wednesday, September 28. Photos: Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida Naples Police The streets of Naples, Florida, are flooded on Wednesday. City officials asked residents to shelter in place until further notice. Photos: Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida Pedro Portal/El Nuevo Herald/TNS/Abaca/Reuters Sailboats anchored in Roberts Bay are blown around in Venice, Florida, on Wednesday. Photos: Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida Crystal Vander Weit/TCPalm/USA Today Network Melvin Phillips stands in the flooded basement of his mobile home in Stuart, Florida, on Wednesday. Photos: Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida Bryan R. Smith/AFP/Getty Images A man walks where water was receding from Tampa Bay due to a negative storm surge on Wednesday. Photos: Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel/AP Utility trucks are staged in a rural lot Wednesday in The Villages, a Florida retirement community. Photos: Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida Marco Bello/Reuters Traffic lights are blown by strong gusts of wind in Fort Myers, Florida, on Wednesday. Photos: Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida Greg Lovett/The Palm Beach Post/USA Today Network Damage is seen at the Kings Point condos in Delray Beach, Florida, on Wednesday. Officials believe it was caused by a tornado fueled by Hurricane Ian. Photos: Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida Marco Bello/Reuters A TV crew broadcasts from the beach in Fort Myers on Wednesday. Photos: Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida Shannon Stapleton/Reuters Highways in Tampa, Florida, are empty Wednesday ahead of Hurricane Ian making landfall. Several coastal counties in western Florida were under mandatory evacuations. Photos: Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida Wilfredo Lee/AP An airplane is overturned in Pembroke Pines, Florida, on Wednesday. Photos: Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP Zuram Rodriguez surveys the damage around her home in Davie, Florida, early on Wednesday. Photos: Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida Ramon Espinosa/AP People play dominoes by flashlight during a blackout in Havana, Cuba, on Wednesday. Crews in Cuba have been working to restore power for millions after the storm battered the western region with high winds and dangerous storm surge, causing an islandwide blackout. Photos: Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida Chris O’Meara/AP Workers board up windows on the University of Tampa campus on Tuesday, September 27. Photos: Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida Yamil Lage/AFP/Getty Images People walk through a flooded street in Batabano, Cuba, on Tuesday. Photos: Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida Chris O’Meara/AP Southwest Airlines passengers check in near a sign that shows canceled flights at the Tampa International Airport on Tuesday. Photos: Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida Ramon Espinosa/AP Maria Llonch retrieves belongings from her home in Pinar del Rio, Cuba, on Tuesday. Photos: Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida Willie J. Allen Jr./Orlando Sentinel via AP Traffic builds along Interstate 4 in Tampa on Tuesday. Photos: Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida Alexandre Meneghini/Reuters A man carries his children through rain and debris in Pinar del Rio on Tuesday. Photos: Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida Alexandre Meneghini/Reuters People drive through debris in Pinar del Rio on Tuesday. Photos: Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida Joe Raedle/Getty Images Frederic and Mary Herodet board up their Gulf Bistro restaurant in St. Pete Beach, Florida, on Tuesday. Photos: Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida Yamil Lage/AFP/Getty Images People stand outside a flooded warehouse in Batabano on Tuesday. Photos: Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images NASA’s Artemis I rocket rolls back to the Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Tuesday. The launch of the rocket was postponed due to the impending arrival of Hurricane Ian. Photos: Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida NASA via AP Hurricane Ian is seen from the International Space Station on Monday, September 26. Photos: Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida Photos: Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida Yamil Lage/AFP/Getty Images A Cuban family transports personal belongings to a safe place in the Fanguito neighborhood of Havana on Monday. Photos: Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida Shannon Stapleton/Reuters Local residents fill sandbags in Tampa on Monday to help protect their homes from flooding. Photos: Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida Adalberto Roque/AFP/Getty Images A family carries a dog to a safe place in Batabano on Monday. Photos: Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida Phelan M. Ebenhack/AP People wait in lines to fuel their vehicles at a Costco store in Orlando on Monday. Photos: Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida Mike Lang/USA Today Network Ryan Copenhaver, manager of Siesta T’s in Sarasota, Florida, installs hurricane panels over the store’s windows on Monday. Photos: Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida Kevin Morales/AP A woman takes photos while waves crash against a seawall in George Town, Grand Cayman, on Monday. Photos: Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida Yamil Lage/AFP/Getty Imagaes A man helps pull small boats out of Cuba’s Havana Bay on Monday. Photos: Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida Gregg Newton/AFP via Getty Images Shelves are empty in a supermarket’s water aisle in Kissimmee, Florida, on Monday. Photos: Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida Martha Asencio-Rhine/Tampa Bay Times via ZUMA Press Wire Cathie Perkins, emergency management director in Pinellas County, Florida, references a map on Monday that indicates where storm surges would impact the county. During a news conference, she urged anyone living in those areas to evacuate. Photos: Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida NOAA/NASA This satellite image, taken Monday at 1 p.m. ET, shows Hurricane Ian near Cuba. Photos: Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida Andrew West/USA Today Network Sarah Peterson fills sandbags in Fort Myers Beach, Florida, on Saturday, September 24. Photos: Hurricane Ian barrels into Florida Andrew West/USA Today Network Besnik Bushati fills gas containers at a gas station in Naples on Saturday. The station had only premium gas that morning. Fort Myers Beach was already feeling the brunt of the storm’s powerful eyewall just after noon Wednesday. Frank Loni, an architect from California staying in the community, posted video from a building’s balcony of some of the flooding on the streets below. “The storm surge is very significant. We’re seeing cars and boats float down the street. We’re seeing trees nearly bent in half,” Loni said. “There’s quite a bit of chaos on the streets.” FOLLOW LIVE UPDATES Mandatory evacuations have been ordered for flood-prone areas on the coast, and the National Weather Service warned those who stayed behind to move to upper floors in case of rising water levels. “This is a powerful storm that should be treated like you would treat” a tornado approaching your home, Gov. Ron DeSantis said around 8 a.m. Images showed extensive flooding in coastal neighborhoods in Naples, where officials asked residents to shelter in place until further notice. In some areas, such as Charlotte County, Florida, 911 response teams have stopped emergency service due to the high winds and dangerous conditions. Sarasota Mayor Eric Arroyo said on CNN’s “At This Hour” that police officers were being taken off the streets due to the wind speeds and hazardous conditions. “It is too late to evacuate at this point,” Arroyo said. Ian poses several major dangers: • Storm surge: Some 12 to 18 feet of seawater pushed onto land was predicted Wednesday for the coastal Fort Myers area, from Englewood to Bonita Beach, forecasters said. Only slightly less is forecast for a stretch from Bonita Beach down to near the Everglades (8 to 12 feet), and from near Bradenton to Englewood (6 to 10 feet), forecasters said. Lower – but still life-threatening – surge is possible elsewhere, including north of Tampa...

Ford To Spend $700 Million On Kentucky Truck Plant, Add 500 Jobs https://digitalarkansasnews.com/ford-to-spend-700-million-on-kentucky-truck-plant-add-500-jobs/ LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Even as it invests billions in electric vehicles, Ford Motor Co. is also ensuring its gas-guzzling cash cows keep rolling off the line at Louisville’s Kentucky Truck Plant for many years to come. The Detroit automaker on Tuesday said it would spend $700 million on equipment upgrades and add 500 full-time jobs at the plant, which makes Ford’s F-Series Super Duty pickup trucks as well as the Expedition and Lincoln Navigator SUVs. The announcement coincides with the build of the 2023 Super Duty, the vehicle’s first wholesale redesign since 2017. Kentucky Truck, the bigger of Ford’s two Louisville plants, currently employs about 8,500 hourly workers and about 250 salaried corporate employees, according to a Ford spokeswoman. A 2022 Ford Super Duty truck on display at Kentucky Truck Plant on Sept. 27, 2022. John Savona, vice president of Americas manufacturing and labor affairs in Ford’s gas-powered car division, said the $700 million consists of “updating or adding new equipment throughout the facility to make sure we are ready for the content of the new truck.” He said the upgrades are “primarily machinery,” as the plant’s eastern Jefferson County footprint is maxed out. Savona wouldn’t discuss the details of the 2023 Super Duty ahead of an unveiling event scheduled for Tuesday night at Churchill Downs. The announcement comes one year after Ford and Korean partner SK Innovation revealed a $5 billion plan to build a pair of electric vehicle battery production plants in Hardin County, Kentucky. The automaker plans to grow EV sales to half of its portfolio by 2030. Tuesday’s move underscores how, despite its electric vehicle ambitions, Ford has no plan to curtail investments in bread-and-butter internal combustion products like the Super Duty. The trucks, F-250 through F-550, range from $40,000 to $97,000 in price depending on model and options and are among the company’s most profitable products. Ford this year began selling an electric version of its popular F-150 consumer pickup, the F-150 Lightning. But it’s unclear if or when the company would pursue an EV version of the larger Super Duty trucks, which are often used for heavy-duty work like construction. Asked about the future of the big trucks as Ford transitions to EVs, Savona said: “What we’re producing here with the Super Duty and the capability it provides for our customers, we just don’t have — nobody has — the technology today to do what our customers expect (in electric form), so we think we have a long and strong future here.” Ford’s Super Duty output at KTP was down about 12% in the first half of 2022 compared to the same period in 2021, according to WDRB’s analysis of company figures. The plant produced 135,428 Super Duty trucks in the first half of the year. Ford’s F-Series franchise, which includes the F-150 not made in Louisville, has suffered declining sales since 2018. Ford doesn’t release sales figures specific to the Super Duty models. But the sales and production declines are related to supply issues such as the worldwide microchip shortage, rather than a lack of demand for the big trucks. “These trucks are sold before we build them. There’s a wait,” said Todd Dunn, president of UAW Local 862, the union representing hourly KTP workers. “Our main goal is to focus on, how can we get the products out of here?” “We have teams working hard to maximize production at all of our plants, including Kentucky Truck Plant,” Ford spokeswoman Kelli Felker said. Plant hiring now Kentucky Truck is currently hiring for “temporary” production workers, who work a full-time schedule but do not have the same benefits and job protections as regular, full-time employees. Those jobs can be found at this link by searching “Louisville” in the location field. Felker said the temporary jobs are the only route for new hires into Kentucky Truck Plant currently, but employees are often converted from temporary to permanent status within a few months. According to its 2019 contract with the UAW, Ford must convert temporary workers within two years. The starting hourly wage at the plant ranges from $16.67 to $19.59 depending on the crew and shift, Felker said. New jobs come at cost to taxpayers Ford’s latest spending on the massive plant it has owned since 1969 comes at a cost to Kentucky and Louisville Metro taxpayers: $150,000 per new job, according to WDRB’s analysis. On Tuesday, the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority expanded a special incentive the state adopted for Ford in 2007. The incentive program arose from an effort to convince the automaker not to close its other plant across town, Louisville Assembly Plant, at the onset of the Great Recession. Over the last 15 years, state officials have expanded and sweetened the 2007 deal six times as Ford brought forward plans to spend money upgrading its plants and sometimes adding jobs. Tuesday’s expansion is the latest. Kentucky increased the total incentive available to Ford by $75 million, to $430 million, from 2007-26. Ford had already claimed $315 million and will have another $115 million available through 2026. “This is a special partnership. Ford is an important part of Team Kentucky, and together, we’re going to be building the automobiles and trucks of the future for many years to come,” Gov. Andy Beshear told reporters at the announcement on Tuesday, before the details of the incentive package were made public.   Brandon Mattingly, a spokesman for Beshear’s Cabinet for Economic Development, said in an email that the incentive agreement “takes into consideration several key factors, which include job creation/retention and the significance of the investment.” He did not challenge the $150,000-per-new-job analysis. “In addition to the creation of 500 jobs and $700 million investment in equipment, new technology and a new product platform, the agreement considers job retention of Ford’s existing employee base of more than 12,000 employees,” Mattingly said. “…The incentives also reflect the four added years of economic activity tied to the scale of the investment for a new product platform, which extends the benefits to the commonwealth and employees of the facility. As always, the incentives must be earned.” Ford will be able to claim $20 million to $25 million a year from Kentucky in 2022 through 2026 if it hits the 12,500-employee target between its two Louisville plants, or a prorated amount so long as the total jobs is at least 11,000. The state said Ford’s current employment between the two plants is 12,200. The new jobs will have an “anticipated average total hourly compensation” of $29, which includes the value of benefits like health insurance in addition to cash wages, according to documents from the Finance Authority. That’s $60,320 a year. “We should be doing the math on these projects, not just what’s politically advantageous,” said Jim Waters, president of the Bluegrass Institute for Public Policy Solutions, a free-market think tank that has long criticized Kentucky’s “corporate welfare” programs for big companies. “If you’re talking about the economic benefits of creating jobs, if taxpayers are out more or even similar amount as the job pays, where is the benefit for the taxpayer and where is the benefit for our economy?” Reach reporter Chris Otts at 502-585-0822, cotts@wdrb.com, on Twitter or on Facebook. Copyright 2022 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved. Read More Here