Digital Arkansas News

Elections Board Acts Again To Protect Voters, Process https://digitalarkansasnews.com/elections-board-acts-again-to-protect-voters-process/ Early voting for the 2022 elections begins Oct.t 20, and in preparation for what is expected to be a high volume of voters, the Lee County Board of Elections is taking additional steps to ensure that both voters and the processes they follow will provide the highest levels of protections available to them to make this election safe. The Elections Board met on Oct. 11 to select an attorney who would be available for short-notice consultations through the time that the polls close at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 8. The County’s Board of Commissioners has approved an expenditure of up to $20,000 for the retention of an attorney specializing in elections law.  Commissioners said that they would be willing to consider further allocations of funding if circumstances require it. Elections Board Chair Susan Feindel, Director Jane Rae Fawcett, and County Attorney Whitney Parrish interviewed three firms that could potentially provide the level of services that the Board might need in applying North Carolina election laws and administrative rules that relate to specific circumstances that could arise during the elections process. The firm chosen by the Elections Board — PoynerSpruill of Raleigh — has broad experience in dealing with North Carolina election law. Caroline Mackey of the firm, who will take the lead on Lee County’s behalf in the 2022 election, provided advice one year ago to County Commissioners as they navigated the politically charged waters of redrawing electoral districts.  Another partner at PoynerSpruill, Bob Hagemann, will also be available to help as needed. Hagemann also serves as County Attorney for Chatham County and will be Mackey’s backup if election disputes arise. The Elections Board will pay a flat fee of $375 per hour for any consultations and no retainer fee will be charged. Board Chair Susan Feindel said that the firm’s experience in election matters and its willingness to provide consultation on an as-needed basis without the need for a retainer arrangement provides the best form of representation that the County can get. “In the best-case scenario, we won’t need them at all, and they won’t have to charge us a dime,” she said. “But if we do need them, they are the best there is to represent our interests.” Hoping for the Best, Preparing for the Worst Fawcett will be meeting on Monday with local law enforcement to discuss how to address issues that could potentially arise with the election. Although Republican Sheriff Brian Estes is on the ballot for election to a full four-year term, he has pledged that his office will be fair and impartial in any services they might be asked to provide.  Fawcett will also meet later in the day with election judges to ensure clarity with the process for handling any issues that might arise. On the same day that the Elections Board met, the State Board of Elections issued a detailed 12-page ‘numbered memo’ that goes into detail about how order is to be maintained at the polls so that “all voters can have a safe experience, free from unlawful interference.” The guidance goes into detail about the means by which poll workers must balance the rights of every voter to enter the voting place freely and without harassment with the First Amendment guarantees of free speech that have to be granted to others who are legally participating in electioneering activities in designated areas.  The memorandum sets forth the role of chief judges at each precinct. State law says that it is the judge’s responsibility to ensure that voters have unimpeded access into both the buffer zone and the voting enclosure, and that they must act as needed to maintain order and prevent violence at the voting place. Board member Jon Silverman spoke for the other 4 members when he said, “Our election judges have a right and a duty to maintain order in a broad sense at the polling place. But they do not have a duty to acquiesce to the demands of any person or mob just because there is a demand.” Fawcett told the Board that “Even if someone is causing a problem, we will see that they are allowed to vote before escorting them off the property.” But even so, the State Board of Elections will have a representative stationed on duty within the County on election day in the event that something comes up that requires onsite guidance. Public Records Requests Continue Commissioners also provided funding for an additional staff member at the Elections Board office to handle the growing number of public records requests that have been received during the year. This position will also provide backup support to the Elections Technician staff member that is already on staff. As The Rant reported last month, the bulk of these requests are coming from outside the County and appear to be intended solely to occupy the staff’s attention at a time when their focus should be on running an election that voters can have confidence in. My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell, known for promoting baseless theories of election fraud, held an online event in late August that urged participants to request cast vote records, or ‘CVRs’, from local election boards. Almost immediately, counties across the country saw a barrage of requests for those records and for forms of documentation.  Lee County’s Board of Elections Office received one such request almost immediately after Lindell’s event. On August 30, local Republican Party Chairman Jim Womack requested CVRs, not from the May primary, but from the 2020 general election where former President Donald Trump continues to promote unsupported conspiracy theories that the election was stolen from him. Womack asked for “every ballot, its sequential ID, its timestamp, its method of voting…the specific votes contained for all races, and the batch ID and tabulator ID for each file or report created in Lee County.” The State Board of Elections website shows that there were 29,008 individual ballots cast in Lee County during the 2020 election for President of the United States. The sheer volume of those individual records would have been a heavy lift even under normal circumstances, and much more so during a federal election. But Fawcett said that North Carolina’s Public Records Law prohibits the release of these types of materials and so Womack’s request was denied. Fawcett told Commissioners at their meeting on October 3 that “we have an obligation to fulfill these requests as the law permits, but it should not impede election preparation,” and that among the requests is one that contains “a notice of prospective litigation and demands for records retention” that goes beyond the time required by the state for preserving these types of records. The Elections Board asked the Commissioners for $50,000 to cover attorneys’ fees and County Manager Dr. John Crumpton recommended an allocation in that same amount. However, the Commissioners funded the position at $20,000 initially and told the Elections Board that it could come back with an additional request if more is needed. Salary for the Public Records Technician position will be provided at a level comparable to other professionals in the office. Read More Here

China's Xi Calls For Military Growth Amid Tension With US https://digitalarkansasnews.com/chinas-xi-calls-for-military-growth-amid-tension-with-us/ BEIJING — Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Sunday called for faster military development and announced no change in policies that have strained relations with Washington and tightened the ruling Communist Party’s control over society and the economy. China’s most influential figure in decades spoke as the party opened a congress that was closely watched by companies, governments and the Chinese public for signs of its economic and political direction. It comes amid a painful economic slump and tension with Washington and Asian neighbors over trade, technology and security. The congress will install leaders for the next five years. Xi, 69, is expected to break with tradition and award himself a third five-year term as the party’s general secretary, entrenching his vision of reasserting its dominance in the economy, society and culture following four decades of market-style liberalization. Xi called for accelerating military and technology development to propel the “rejuvenation of the Chinese nation” in a televised speech of one hour and 45 minutes to some 2,000 delegates in the cavernous Great Hall of the People. The party’s military wing, the People’s Liberation Army, needs to “safeguard China’s dignity and core interests,” Xi said, referring to a list of territorial claims and other issues over which Beijing says it is ready to go to war. The PLA is the world’s second-largest military after the United States and is trying to extend its reach by developing ballistic missiles. “We will work faster to modernize military theory, personnel and weapons,” Xi said in the speech, which was punctuated by brief bursts of applause from the masked delegates. “We will enhance the military’s strategic capabilities.” Xi cited his government’s severe “zero COVID” strategy, which has shut down major cities and disrupted travel and business, as a success. He gave no indication of a possible change despite public frustration with its rising cost. The congress will name a party Standing Committee, the ruling inner circle of power. Economic officials aren’t due to be named until China’s ceremonial legislature meets next year. But the party lineup, due to be revealed after the congress ends Saturday, will indicate who is likely to succeed Premier Li Keqiang as the top economic official and take other posts. Xi is widely expected to promote allies who share his ambition for state-led development. Analysts are watching whether a slump that saw economic growth fall to below half of the official 5.5% annual target might force him to compromise and promote supporters of market-style reform and entrepreneurs who generate wealth and jobs. Xi on Sunday gave no indication whether he would pursue a third term as leader or when he might step down. During his decade in power, Xi’s government has pursued an increasingly assertive foreign policy while tightening control at home on information and dissent. Beijing is feuding with Japan, India and Southeast Asian governments over conflicting claims to the South China and East China Seas and a section of the Himalayas. The United States, Japan, Australia and India formed a strategic group dubbed the Quad in response. The party has increased the dominance of state-owned industry and poured money into strategic initiatives aimed at nurturing Chinese creators of renewable energy, electric car, computer chip, aerospace and other technologies. Its tactics have prompted complaints Beijing improperly protects and subsidizes its fledgling creators and led then-President Donald Trump to hike tariffs on Chinese imports in 2019, setting off a trade war that jolted the global economy. Trump’s successor, Joe Biden, has kept those penalties in place and this month increased restrictions on Chinese access to U.S. chip technology. The party has tightened control over private sector leaders including e-commerce giant Alibaba Group by launching anti-monopoly, data security and other crackdowns. Under political pressure, they are diverting billions of dollars into chip development and other party initiatives. Their share prices on foreign exchanges have plunged due to uncertainty about their future. The party has stepped up censorship of media and the internet, increased public surveillance and tightened control over private life through its “social credit” initiative that tracks individuals and punishes infractions ranging from fraud to littering. Last week, banners criticizing Xi and “zero COVID” were hung from a pedestrian bridge over a major Beijing thoroughfare in a rare protest. Photos of the event were deleted from social media and the popular WeChat message service shut down accounts that forwarded them. On Sunday, Xi said the party will step up technology development and “ensure security” of its food sources and industrial supply chains. Xi said the party would build “self-reliance and strength” in technology by improving China’s education system and attracting foreign experts. He said Beijing will launch “major national projects” with “long-term importance” but gave no details. The president appeared to “double down” on technology self-reliance and “zero COVID” at a time when other countries are easing travel restrictions and rely on more free-flowing supply chains, said Willy Lam, a politics specialist at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Xi was joined on stage by party leaders including his predecessor as general secretary, Hu Jintao, former Premier Wen Jiabao and Song Ping, a 105-year-old party veteran who sponsored Xi’s early career. There was no sign of 96-year-old former President Jiang Zemin, who was party leader until 2002. The presence of previous leaders shows Xi faces no serious opposition in the top party ranks, said Lam. “Xi is making it very clear he intends to hold on to power for as long as his health allows him to,” he said. Xi made no mention of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which Beijing refuses to criticize. Ahead of the February attack, Xi issued a joint statement with Russian President Vladimir Putin saying they had a “no limits” friendship. Xi defended a crackdown aimed at crushing a pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong, saying the party helped the former British colony “enter a new stage in which it has restored order and is set to thrive.” Xi’s government also faces criticism over complaints about mass detentions and other abuses against mostly Muslim ethnic minority groups and the jailing of government critics. Amnesty International warned Sunday that extending Xi’s time in power will be a “disaster for human rights.” In addition to conditions within China, it pointed to Beijing’s efforts to “redefine the very meaning of human rights” in the United Nations. Xi’s government poses a “threat to rights not just at home, but globally,” the group’s deputy regional director, Hana Young, said in a statement. Xi said Beijing refuses to renounce the possible use of force against Taiwan, the self-ruled island democracy the Communist Party claims as part of its territory. The two sides split in 1949 after a civil war. Beijing has stepped up efforts to intimidate Taiwanese by flying fighter jets and bombers near the island. That campaign intensified after Speaker Nancy Pelosi of the House of Representatives in August became the highest-ranked U.S. official to visit Taiwan in a quarter-century. Unification of the two sides “will be achieved,” Xi said. Beijing needs to prevent “interference by outside forces,” he said, a reference to foreign politicians the ruling party says are encouraging Taiwan to make its de facto independence permanent, a step the mainland says would lead to war. “We will continue to strive for peaceful reunification,” Xi said. “But we will never promise to renounce the use of force. And we reserve the option of taking all measures necessary.” The ruling party elite agreed in the 1990s to limit the general secretary to two five-year terms in an effort to prevent a repeat of power struggles from earlier decades. That leader also becomes chairman of the commission that controls the party’s military wing, the People’s Liberation Army, and holds the ceremonial title of national president. Xi made his intentions clear in 2018 when he had a two-term limit on the presidency removed from China’s constitution. Officials said that allowed Xi to stay if needed to carry out reforms. The party is widely expected to amend its charter this week to raise Xi’s status as leader after adding his personal ideology, Xi Jinping Thought, in a 2017 amendment. The vague ideology emphasizes reviving the party’s leadership role in a throwback to what Xi regards as its golden age following the 1949 revolution. The spokesperson for the congress, Sun Yeli, said Saturday the changes would “meet new requirements for advancing the party’s development” but gave no details. Read More Here

“Clean Up The Poo-Poo” And Other Rank Quotes Of The Week https://digitalarkansasnews.com/clean-up-the-poo-poo-and-other-rank-quotes-of-the-week/ “The entire state is covered in goo. Frankly, it’s getting on my nerves.” — Horticulturist Neil Sperry, describing an increase in honeydew, a sticky substance secreted from aphids, tiny sap-sucking insects that live in trees. (Wednesday, The Dallas Morning News) “I don’t think people who believe in public education can run as a Republican anymore, because the Republican Party of Texas is doing everything it can to dismantle public education. You have to embrace all of those crazy conspiracies in public education to win a Republican primary these days.” — Former Republican state Rep. Bennett Ratliff, on his decision to endorse another former Republican, Tracy Fisher, for a seat on the State Board of Education. (Wednesday, The Dallas Morning News) “Walls work. They worked in Berlin. They work in Israel.” — Former Collin County Judge Keith Self, describing his immigration policy as candidate for Texas’ 3rd Congressional District. (Friday, The Dallas Morning News) “Thanks to the tireless work of our members and investigators, we have left no doubt — none — that Donald Trump led an effort to upend American democracy that directly resulted in the violence of Jan. 6. He is the one person at the center of the story of what happened on Jan. 6. So we want to hear from him.” — Rep. Bennie Thompson, chair of the House select committee on the Jan. 6, 2021, riot, introducing a proposal to subpoena the former president, which passed unanimously. (Thursday, CNN) “It could take time to clean up the poo-poo that they’re making all over — literally and figuratively.” — U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Jan. 6, 2021, in a video presented by the House select committee on the Jan. 6 riot, discussing how soon Congress could reconvene to certify the 2020 election. (Thursday, The New York Times) “Sure, she would’ve been upset at first, but she would have found it in herself to forgive him. That’s how good she was.” — Terry McGill, a lifelong friend of Asia Womack, who was slain near T.G. Terry Park Oct. 3 allegedly by a man she had beaten in basketball. McGill said Womack would have forgiven the assailant had she lived. (Thursday, The Dallas Morning News) “The monster that killed them gets to live another day.” — Tony Montalto, parent of one of the 17 people murdered at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., in 2018, after the a jury sentenced the killer to life in prison without the possibility of parole, instead of the death penalty. (Thursday, The New York Times) “Grammy Award-winning musician, two-time inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Wimberley Valley resident Paul Simon made a surprise guest appearance in what amounted to the interview of a lifetime. Locals gathered around the ‘fishbowl’ studio at the radio station just off the Wimberley Square just to get a glimpse of the famous musician in person.” — Reporter Colton McWilliams of The Wimberley View, on the appearance of Simon and his Dallas-born wife, Edie Brickell near where they have purchased a home in the Texas hill country. (Thursday, The Dallas Morning News) “You’ve got to get comfortable with turning over the pen.” — Tariq Hassan, chief marketing and customer-experience officer for McDonald’s, on the decision to give creative control for a new marketing campaign to Cactus Plant Flea Market, a tiny apparel company that has created clothing and “adult Happy Meal” toys that have sparked a frenzy. Some franchises have sold out of the meals. Buyers are reselling the toys for more than $20 online. (Thursday, The Wall Street Journal) “We are just, nationally, a little low in resilience. So part of the reason for seeing an uptick in these kinds of events is because we’re just — we’re not rested, we’re stressed out, and so it takes a little bit less prodding for people to lose that ability to calm themselves down. Our watchword right now really needs to be grace.” — Art Markman, a psychology professor at the University of Texas at Austin, describing our shared national stress that is leading to a surge in road rage incidents. (Wednesday, The Dallas Morning News) Read More Here

Russia Is Grabbing Men Off The Street To Fight In Ukraine https://digitalarkansasnews.com/russia-is-grabbing-men-off-the-street-to-fight-in-ukraine/ Police and military officers swooped down on a Moscow business center this week unannounced. They were looking for men to fight in Ukraine — and they seized nearly every one they saw. Some musicians, rehearsing. A courier there to deliver a parcel. A man from a Moscow service agency, very drunk, in his mid-50s, with a walking disability. “I have no idea why they took him,” said Alexei, who, like dozens of others in the office complex, was rounded up and taken to the nearest military enlistment office, part of a harsh new phase in the Russian drive. In cities and towns across Russia, men of fighting age are going into hiding to avoid the officials who are seizing them and sending them to fight in Ukraine. Police and military press-gangs in recent days have snatched men off the streets and outside Metro stations. They’ve lurked in apartment building lobbies to hand out military summonses. They’ve raided office blocks and hostels. They’ve invaded cafes and restaurants, blocking the exits. At a predawn sweep on the MIPSTROY1 construction company dormitories on Thursday, they took more than 200 men. On Sunday, they rounded up dozens at a Moscow shelter for the homeless. Officials raided the MIPSTROY1 construction company dormitories Oct. 13, taking more than 200 men. (Video: @mozhemobyasnit |Telegram) The press-gangs appear to descend at random. It is terrifying — and, at times, comically haphazard. Alexei, a 30-something pacifist, lives with his cat and, until Russia’s he was hauled off, enjoyed hanging out with friends in bars, cafes and parks, going to concerts and planning his next holiday in Europe. (He and others in this report spoke on the condition that his last name be withheld out of concern for his safety. The Washington Post has confirmed the raid, but could not independently verify the details he provided.) An official barged into Alexei’s office on Tuesday. Two police officers and several plainclothes military officials arrived and demanded his identification. They ordered him to go with them quietly “or we will use force,” he said. “I was panicking,” he said. “I’d never been detained before. Everyone knows that if you are detained by the police in Russia, it’s very bad.” Suffering massive military casualties and repeated defeats in Ukraine, Russia has begun cannibalizing its male population. The hard-eyed pundits on state television are demanding more Ukrainian blood and more sacrifice from Russian men who they say have grown too used to soft living. But the new phase of Putin’s mobilization risks denting Russians’ tacit support for the war and even his manufactured popularity — and could stir social unrest. Particularly in Moscow and St. Petersburg, major cities that until now have been largely untouched by the war. More than 300,000 Russian men and their families have fled Russia since mobilization, reports from neighboring countries indicate. Authorities have set up mobilization points at border crossings to prevent departures. Many others want to leave after seeing the aggressive police raids and the first reports of the newly conscripted men dying in the war. Activist Grigory Sverdlin, who left Russia and is based in Georgia, this month launched an organization, Go By The Forest, to advise men in Russia on avoiding the draft. He said group has consulted with 2,700 men in 11 days and told 60 drafted men how to surrender in Ukraine. At least eight have succeeded, he said. “Obviously, people are very stressed because they are worried they will be pushed to shoot other people,” Sverdlin said. “So people are afraid not only for themselves, but about taking part in this unjust war.” At a restaurant in Moscow, police present conscription orders to a diner who says he’s celebrating his daughter’s birthday. (Video: The Washington Post) Yevgeny, 24, quit his job as a mechanic and is hiding at a relative’s dacha far from Moscow. He has deleted his social media profiles and cut contact with friends. He spends his days working in the garden, and he goes to bed early and watches a lot of YouTube. “I don’t want to kill people, and I don’t want to be killed, so I really have to lie low now,” he said. “But even here, I don’t feel safe. We live at a time when your neighbors could report on you. They might call police and say that there is a young guy staying in this house when he should be fighting fascists in Ukraine.” Yevgeny never supported the war. Now he has stopped driving for fear of being pulled over by police. He cannot leave Russia, because he has no passport, and even going to the store in the small village feels risky. “I am panicking, and my mom is very nervous,” he said. “I’m stressed, and I’m depressed. I try not to think how long this could go on, because you can go crazy.” Two of his friends are worse off. They were conscripted late last month, he said, and with little training are on their way to the front. “I have a couple of friends who supported the war believing that there are Nazis there who kill poor Ukrainians and that Ukrainians should be liberated and so on. But they are changing their opinions after mobilization. They have started to ask questions and surf the internet for information,” Yevgeny said. “They don’t want to die, especially when you don’t understand why you should die,” he said. “What is the point?” Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday that 222,000 of the 300,000 target had been conscripted and that the process would be completed within two weeks. Pro-war hard-liners insist a second round will be needed. The raids in Moscow and St. Petersburg have been deeply controversial, in part because the cities have suffered comparatively few casualties in Ukraine. The burden of fighting has largely been borne by small ethnic groups and poorly educated men from impoverished rural regions. In a sign that the government fears a growing urban backlash over the raids, Andrei Klishas, a senior member of Putin’s United Russia party, said Friday that the conscription drives were illegal. “It is inadmissible to grab everyone on the street indiscriminately,” he said. Antiwar sentiment could harden as the bodies of soldiers who were deployed just weeks earlier begin returning home for burial. Alexei Martynov, the 29-year-old head of a Moscow government department, was mobilized Sept. 23 and was killed Oct. 10. He was buried last week. Five soldiers from the Southern Urals region, mobilized on Sept. 26 and Sept. 29, were killed in Ukraine in early October, authorities in Chelyabinsk reported. A woman angrily berated a team delivering military summons in the lobby of her St. Petersburg apartment building. (Video: SOTA) A comrade of the Chelyabinsk men who survived an overwhelming Ukrainian assault called a friend and described what happened, according to the transcript of a phone call published by BBC News Russian. He said he had been given no training. When he fled, he said, corpses lay everywhere. “We got there the first day, having never fired a shot, and they sent us, like meat, straight to an assault unit, with two grenade launchers. I had at least read the instructions on how to use them.” By Day 3, the soldier and his comrades were in front-line trenches. Almost daily, videos surface on Russian social media of conscripted soldiers, angry because they have not been given decent uniforms, weapons, training or quarters. Testimonies about men who should be exempt being sent to fight are common. Aleksei Sachkov, a 45-year-old Moscow doctor, signed a contract to treat wounded soldiers in Voronezh, Russia, near the border with Ukraine. He stopped calling his wife, Natalia, on Sept. 24. She learned from Russia’s military hotline a week later that he was fighting in Ukraine as part of a tank unit, she said in a video posted online. As unease grows, men of military age are being turned back at borders as they try to leave the country. In March, weeks after Putin launched the invasion, he promised there would be no mobilization. But last month, he dashed the tacit assurance that the conflict would be fought only by professional soldiers in return for the Russian public’s passive acceptance of the war. The widespread anger over Putin’s Sept. 21 announcement suggests that public support for the war is lower than the Kremlin claims. “It’s the regime’s agony, because quite a common opinion in Russia now is that this war is lost,” Sverdlin said. “And it seems that just giving out summonses, detaining many thousands of people and sending them to war just buys this regime a bit more time. But it’s just buying time, because, obviously, these people who were caught on the streets now won’t make good soldiers because they don’t know how to fight.” As the backlash intensifies, some Russians are confronting authorities and recording videos. A woman berated a team in the lobby of her St. Petersburg apartment building. A Russian truck driver posted video of himself confronting a police officer and a military enlistment official who tried to take him to the enlistment office. “I don’t give a s— about your mobilization. You’re the one who is eligible, not me. You’ve got a gun after all, not me. Why don’t you go mobilize yourself?” The police officer tried to write a charge, demanding the driver’s documents. “I’m not giving you my documents. Why should I?” the truck driver said, “If you fail to create order in your country, why do it in another country? And how? By just destroying it completely?” A Russian truck driver posted video of himself confronting a police officer and a military enlistment official who tried to take him to the enlistment office. (Video: Svoboda Slova) In the rowdy hubbub of the military enlistment office where Alexei wound up, he said, many of the men were agitated, some were furious and others sh...

In The Garden: Known And Unknown Pests https://digitalarkansasnews.com/in-the-garden-known-and-unknown-pests/ Frost flower (Verbesina virginica) spreads rapidly by rhizoes and seeds. (Special to the Democrat-Gazette) Two plant IDs Q: I need your expertise on this plant that’s taking over my side yard. [The reader sent a photo.] A: The plant in question is a native perennial called Verbesina virginica, commonly called white crown-beard, frost weed or iceplant. It blooms in the fall; and in good soil, it can spread rapidly by rhizomes and seed. It gets the common name iceplant because in the winter when we have a hard freeze “frost flowers” form when water from the stems is forced out and forms interesting ice sculptures in the landscape. Be aware that the low growing green plant in front of it is also invasive — it is perilla and in the mint family, and can spread like crazy too. One and done purple fountain grass Q: I have purple fountain grass in a large pot. It has done well but I would like to plant it in the ground for next year. When should I move it and cut it back? It could overwinter in the garage if needed. Thanks for your advice. Enjoy your column a lot. A: Purple fountain grass is an annual grass, so it won’t come back in the ground or in a container. It does well in both locations, giving you a lot of color, but you will have to replant it every season. Armadillo makes home in reader’s garden Q: My gardens have been invaded by an armadillo — at least one, that I know of. It looks like the soil between the plants has been tilled. Also, there is a very deep tunnel dug next to the foundation, which I guess may be his daytime hidey-hole. How do I get rid of this pest? A: Armadillos are hard to eradicate and can cause a lot of damage in a very short time. Unfortunately, they often pick the best landscapes to attack — healthier soils and more earthworms and beetles to feed on. They are nocturnal, and can be trapped if you have patience. Here is a fact sheet from the UA Extension that has lots of good information: arkansasonline.com/108dillo. Good Luck! Kudzu threatens Little Rock park trees Q: I’m writing you because of a problem with many trees in one area of Two Rivers Park. Someone, maybe an arborist, needs to investigate. In the part of the park closest to the community gardens is a big meadow area with many large gumdrop-shaped trees. We think they are cedars. We ride the trail around the meadow several times a week. We’ve noticed that many of these majestic cedars have the beginnings of kudzu vines and some are already heavy with vines. This will quickly overtake all the trees in this area like it has in many Southern states. Eradication is needed. I thought with all your contacts you could forward this to someone who understands this invasive plant. A: Kudzu is an awful, invasive vine that can take over natural areas and smother out native vegetation. I am not sure who maintains the trees in the park, but sooner, rather than later, efforts will be needed to stop the spread. Hopefully, someone in the know will read this and take action. And I will make some inquiries. Now’s the time to move peonies Q: I need to divide and transplant peonies. How do I go about that? A: If your peonies are too crowded, or in too much shade to bloom, now is the time to dig and divide, as they are dying back. I will forewarn you that peonies can be a bit finicky and pay you back by not blooming for a year or two after transplant, but if there is a real need to move them, now is the correct time. Make sure you don’t over-divide and that you replant them shallowly. There are eyes on the root system that should not be planted any deeper than one inch underground. Move them, water and mulch. Retired after 38 years with the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service, Janet Carson ranks among Arkansas’ best known horticulture experts. Her blog is at arkansasonline.com/planitjanet. Write to her at P.O. Box 2221, Little Rock, AR 72203 or email [email protected] Delicate ice “petals” formed as freezing water oozed from plant stems along a trail at Hobbs State Park-Conservation Area on Thanksgiving 2013. (NWA Democrat-Gazette file photo/Flip Putthoff) With poor eyesight but a keen sense of smell and long claws for digging, an armadillo forages in North Little Rock’s Burns Park in December 2010. (Democrat-Gazette file photo) A peony garden puts on a show at Hot Springs in May 2010. (Sentinel-Record file photo/Mara Kuhn) Read More…

4 Bodies Pulled From Oklahoma River Amid Search For Missing Bike Riders https://digitalarkansasnews.com/4-bodies-pulled-from-oklahoma-river-amid-search-for-missing-bike-riders/ The bodies of four males were found Friday in a river outside an Oklahoma city where authorities have been searching for four missing men — though it wasn’t clear if the remains are those of the missing, police said. Friday’s discovery outside the city of Okmulgee came as police have been looking for four local men who disappeared after, investigators believe, they left an Okmulgee home on bicycles Sunday evening. Still, the city’s police chief told the missing men’s families of the remains’ discovery as a courtesy before he alerted news media, he said. “The natural (assumption), once the information gets out … would be that their loved ones were found deceased,” so he notified them while emphasizing he didn’t know the bodies’ identities, city Police Chief Joe Prentice said in a Friday news conference. Police haven’t said how the four dead males died. A medical examiner in Tulsa will conduct autopsies and make identifications, Prentice said. Prentice suspects foul play in the deaths of those found in the river, he told CNN Saturday, but did not elaborate, and did not directly answer questions about whether there were signs of trauma. A passerby called police after seeing something suspicious in a river Friday afternoon outside Okmulgee, a city of about 11,000 people roughly a 35-mile drive south of Tulsa, Prentice said. Police arrived and saw remains protruding from the river, Prentice said. Police initially said they didn’t know how many bodies were there, though hours later they said four male bodies had been removed from the water. Four friends reported missing this week The bodies punctuate a deepening mystery for police in the eastern Oklahoma city: What happened to four friends who were reported missing from their hometown this week? And if the bodies aren’t those of these four men, whose are they? Four men living in Okmulgee — Mark Chastain, 32; Billy Chastain, 30; Mike Sparks, 32; and Alex Stevens, 29 — were reported missing by relatives Monday night or early Tuesday, Okmulgee police said. “All four are close friends and are believed to have left Billy Chastain’s home on the west side of Okmulgee” on Sunday, October 9, around 8 p.m., police said in their initial release. “All were reportedly on bicycles,” the police statement reads, without elaborating about why they’d gathered or where they might have intended to go. At least two men were believed to have cell phones with them. Police were able to trace the path of at least one phone to the east of town and then south, but the phone eventually was turned off or lost power, police said. Data indicates the phones went to two salvage yards — one about 5 miles from the river, and the other about 10 to 12 miles from the river, Prentice told CNN on Saturday. Police haven’t said whether the phones have been recovered. Because the phone data wasn’t near the river, “we never considered this (river) as a search area,” he told reporters Friday. Prentice cautioned that the phones’ paths didn’t necessarily have to be the path that the men traveled. No bicycles have been found, Prentice said Saturday. Police have received reports of sightings of the men after Sunday evening, but investigators — including those checking surveillance videos in the area — have not verified any of them, Prentice told reporters Friday. CNN’s attempt to reach the Tulsa medical examiner for comment Saturday was not immediately successful. The CNN Wire & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved. Read More Here

Weekend Update: Trump's 14-Page Response To Jan. 6 Subpoena, Kanye West's Anti-Semitic Tweets – SNL #HD (Video) – Social News XYZ https://digitalarkansasnews.com/weekend-update-trumps-14-page-response-to-jan-6-subpoena-kanye-wests-anti-semitic-tweets-snl-hd-video-social-news-xyz/ Posted By: Social News XYZ October 16, 2022 Weekend Update anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che tackle the week’s biggest news, like a newly released video of a phone call between Nancy Pelosi and Mike Pence during the January 6 insurrection. Saturday Night Live. Stream now on Peacock: https://pck.tv/3uQxh4q Subscribe to SNL: https://goo.gl/tUsXwM Stream Current Full Episodes: http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live WATCH PAST SNL SEASONS Google Play – http://bit.ly/SNLGooglePlay iTunes – http://bit.ly/SNLiTunes SNL ON SOCIAL SNL Instagram: http://instagram.com/nbcsnl SNL Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/snl SNL Twitter: https://twitter.com/nbcsnl SNL TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nbcsnl GET MORE NBC Like NBC: http://Facebook.com/NBC Follow NBC: http://Twitter.com/NBC NBC Tumblr: http://NBCtv.tumblr.com/ YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/nbc NBC Instagram: http://instagram.com/nbc #SNL #MeganTheeStallion #SNL48 About SocialNewsXYZ An Indo-American News website. It covers Gossips, Politics, Movies, Technolgy, and Sports News and Photo Galleries and Live Coverage of Events via Youtube. The website is established in 2015 and is owned by AGK FIRE INC. Summary Title Weekend Update: Trump’s 14-Page Response to Jan. 6 Subpoena, Kanye West’s Anti-Semitic Tweets – SNL #HD (Video) Description Weekend Update anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che tackle the week’s biggest news, like a newly released video of a phone call between Nancy Pelosi and Mike Pence during the January 6 insurrection. Saturday Night Live. Stream now on Peacock: https://pck.tv/3uQxh4q Subscribe to SNL: https://goo.gl/tUsXwM Stream Current Full Episodes: http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live WATCH PAST SNL SEASONS Google Play – http://bit.ly/SNLGooglePlay iTunes – http://bit.ly/SNLiTunes SNL ON SOCIAL SNL Instagram: http://instagram.com/nbcsnl SNL Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/snl SNL Twitter: https://twitter.com/nbcsnl SNL TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nbcsnl GET MORE NBC Like NBC: http://Facebook.com/NBC Follow NBC: http://Twitter.com/NBC NBC Tumblr: http://NBCtv.tumblr.com/ YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/nbc NBC Instagram: http://instagram.com/nbc #SNL #MeganTheeStallion #SNL48 Read More Here

Donald Trump Jr. And Eric Trump Wanted Large Stakes In Their Father's Media Company Even Though They Were Barely Involved, Co-Founder Says: 'They Were Coming In And Asking For A Handout' https://digitalarkansasnews.com/donald-trump-jr-and-eric-trump-wanted-large-stakes-in-their-fathers-media-company-even-though-they-were-barely-involved-co-founder-says-they-were-coming-in-and-asking-for-a-handoutx27/ Former President Donald Trump, left, Eric Trump, center, and Donald Trump Jr. watch golfer during the final round of the Bedminster Invitational LIV Golf tournament in Bedminster, N.J., Sunday, July 31, 2022.Seth Wenig/Associated Press Will Wilkerson, co-founder of Trump’s media company, filed an SEC whistleblower complaint in August. Wilkerson detailed his allegations to The Washington Post, including some about the Trump family. Wilkerson told the Post Trump’s adult sons wanted stakes, describing it as “asking for a handout.” Former President Donald Trump’s two adult sons wanted stakes in their father’s media company even though they were barely involved, according to one of the co-founders of Trump Media & Technology Group. Will Wilkerson made the allegations about Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump in a story published by The Washington Post on Saturday. The story detailed accusations of infighting and potentially illegal activity at the company made by Wilkerson, who filed a whistleblower complaint to the SEC in August. “They were coming in and asking for a handout,” Wilkerson said of Donald Jr. and Eric, according to the Post. “They had no bearing in this company … and they were taking equity away from hard-working individuals.” The Trump Organization did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment. In a statement provided to Insider, Trump Media & Technology Group blasted the Post’s reporting and touted Truth Social’s successes, such as launching on the Apple and Google app stores and attracting millions of users. “Ignoring these achievements, the Washington Post published a story rife with knowingly false and defamatory statements and other concocted psychodramas,” the statement said. The statement did not comment directly on specific allegations. Wilkerson, who served as senior vice president of operations, said he was fired on Thursday after talking to the Post, the outlet reported. Lawyers for Wilkerson did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment, but told the Post he is cooperating with the SEC and New York prosecutors investigating Trump Media. Wilkerson provided the Post with materials he had given the SEC that he said proved his claims about the company. Among the materials was a log kept by Wilkerson and two other co-founders detailing their daily experiences at the company. According to the Post, the log showed the three men weighed how to address the Trump family’s involvement in the business. One of the logs noted a person told them that Donald Jr. “needs a bedtime story and some love,” the outlet reported. Read the original article on Business Insider Read More Here

'SNL' Takes On The January 6 Committee And Trump – ABC17NEWS https://digitalarkansasnews.com/snl-takes-on-the-january-6-committee-and-trump-abc17news/ By Frank Pallotta, CNN Business “Saturday Night Live” opened this week’s episode taking on one of the most notable moments in news as of late: the House Select Committee investigating the January 6, 2021, insurrection. Kenan Thompson, who played Rep. Bennie Thompson, opened the NBC variety show by introducing the crowd to the committee’s ninth and final hearing. “January 6 was one of the most dramatic and consequential moments in our nation’s history, so to fight back we assembled a team of monotone nerds to do a PowerPoint,” Thompson’s Bennie Thompson said. He then went on to say the committee has been looking into the attack for more than a year but this session would be a “little different.” “We are going to summarize our findings, hold a history-making vote and then and only then we all get to have a little treat,” Thompson’s Bennie Thompson said bringing out pastries. After this introduction, Rep, Liz Cheney, played by Heidi Gardner, took the floor. “Over the past few months, this bipartisan committee has presented our case to all Americans,” she said. “Whether you’re a Republican who’s not watching or a Democrat who’s nodding so hard your head is falling off, one person is responsible for this insurrection: Donald Trump. And one person will suffer the consequences: Me.” Gardner’s Cheney said audiences may be wondering what makes her so tough, and she said that she would ask the audience, “Who’s your dad? Is it Dick Cheney?” “So yeah, I guess you could say I have big Dick Cheney energy,” she said. The committee then went over some of its evidence including a video of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, played by Chloe Fineman, and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, played by Sarah Sherman, in a bunker. “Hello, DoorDash? It’s Chuck Schumer,” Sherman’s Schumer said on a phone from the bunker. “Yes, we still haven’t received our lunch order. And I did change our drop off location due to some unfortunate treason, but it should have arrived by now.” The committee then went to evidence of then-President Donald Trump asking a bunch of people if he lost the election including a White House janitor who said that he did, in fact, lose the election. Trump even asked a dog who “shook his dead side to side.” “Donald was desperate to hang on to power,” Rep. Adam Kinzinger, played by Andrew Dismukes, said. “While real heroes like Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer were the ones actually running this country. Then it immediately cut to Sherman’s Schumer and Fineman’s Pelosi talking to then-Vice President Mike Pence. “Let me tell you, if Trump comes here right now I’m going to punch him right in the face,” Fineman’s Pelosi said. “I’ll go to jail, but I’ll be happy.” Thompson’s Bennie Thompson then asked Gardner’s Cheney for any final thoughts. “The fact is that Trump planned to declare victory no matter the results,” she said. “Look at this video of the President a day before the election.” The video shown was of James Austin Johnson as Trump on the phone saying the “votes don’t matter.” “What even is a vote?” he said. The committee then took a vote to subpoena Trump. They all voted yes and thought he would actually show up. “Alright, I can already see that this is a complete zero,” Thompson’s Bennie Thompson said. “I want to thank my colleagues for throwing their summers and in some cases their careers to serve on this committee.” He then added it was “a fun country while it lasted.” After that, it led to the show’s signature phrase, “Live… from New York! It’s Saturday night!” The-CNN-Wire & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved. Read More Here

'SNL' Takes On The January 6 Committee And Trump – Local News 8 https://digitalarkansasnews.com/snl-takes-on-the-january-6-committee-and-trump-local-news-8/ By Frank Pallotta, CNN Business “Saturday Night Live” opened this week’s episode taking on one of the most notable moments in news as of late: the House Select Committee investigating the January 6, 2021, insurrection. Kenan Thompson, who played Rep. Bennie Thompson, opened the NBC variety show by introducing the crowd to the committee’s ninth and final hearing. “January 6 was one of the most dramatic and consequential moments in our nation’s history, so to fight back we assembled a team of monotone nerds to do a PowerPoint,” Thompson’s Bennie Thompson said. He then went on to say the committee has been looking into the attack for more than a year but this session would be a “little different.” “We are going to summarize our findings, hold a history-making vote and then and only then we all get to have a little treat,” Thompson’s Bennie Thompson said bringing out pastries. After this introduction, Rep, Liz Cheney, played by Heidi Gardner, took the floor. “Over the past few months, this bipartisan committee has presented our case to all Americans,” she said. “Whether you’re a Republican who’s not watching or a Democrat who’s nodding so hard your head is falling off, one person is responsible for this insurrection: Donald Trump. And one person will suffer the consequences: Me.” Gardner’s Cheney said audiences may be wondering what makes her so tough, and she said that she would ask the audience, “Who’s your dad? Is it Dick Cheney?” “So yeah, I guess you could say I have big Dick Cheney energy,” she said. The committee then went over some of its evidence including a video of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, played by Chloe Fineman, and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, played by Sarah Sherman, in a bunker. “Hello, DoorDash? It’s Chuck Schumer,” Sherman’s Schumer said on a phone from the bunker. “Yes, we still haven’t received our lunch order. And I did change our drop off location due to some unfortunate treason, but it should have arrived by now.” The committee then went to evidence of then-President Donald Trump asking a bunch of people if he lost the election including a White House janitor who said that he did, in fact, lose the election. Trump even asked a dog who “shook his dead side to side.” “Donald was desperate to hang on to power,” Rep. Adam Kinzinger, played by Andrew Dismukes, said. “While real heroes like Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer were the ones actually running this country. Then it immediately cut to Sherman’s Schumer and Fineman’s Pelosi talking to then-Vice President Mike Pence. “Let me tell you, if Trump comes here right now I’m going to punch him right in the face,” Fineman’s Pelosi said. “I’ll go to jail, but I’ll be happy.” Thompson’s Bennie Thompson then asked Gardner’s Cheney for any final thoughts. “The fact is that Trump planned to declare victory no matter the results,” she said. “Look at this video of the President a day before the election.” The video shown was of James Austin Johnson as Trump on the phone saying the “votes don’t matter.” “What even is a vote?” he said. The committee then took a vote to subpoena Trump. They all voted yes and thought he would actually show up. “Alright, I can already see that this is a complete zero,” Thompson’s Bennie Thompson said. “I want to thank my colleagues for throwing their summers and in some cases their careers to serve on this committee.” He then added it was “a fun country while it lasted.” After that, it led to the show’s signature phrase, “Live… from New York! It’s Saturday night!” The-CNN-Wire & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved. Read More Here

‘SNL’ Takes Aim At Trump, Jan. 6 Committee In Cold Open https://digitalarkansasnews.com/snl-takes-aim-at-trump-jan-6-committee-in-cold-open/ “Saturday Night Live” opened with its latest episode Saturday night with a sketch that took aim at Donald Trump and the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 riot. “One person is responsible for this insurrection, Donald Trump, and one person will suffer the consequences: me,” said Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, played by Heidi Garner, after holding hands with her “best friend” Rep. Bennie Thompson (Kenan Thompson). Thompson let his panel-mates know that after presenting evidence they would all get the chance to enjoy “a little treat,” and showed off a tin of cupcakes, one of which was stolen by Rep. Adam Kinzinger (Andrew Dismukes). After taking turns around the panel condemning the insurrection and taking jabs at its participants, the camera panned to a video of Trump (James Austin Johnson) taken the day before the election. Trump, while sitting on the toilet and taking a phone call, brags that the election votes don’t matter and that Apollo Creed is a close friend of his. The audience audibly gasped when Austin Johnson’s Trump asked, “Is Pence dead yet?” Megan Thee Stallion, the episode’s host and musical guest, presented a monologue in which she took pride in recent accomplishments, such as mastering a British accent, and looked toward the future. The rapper then teased the news that her Los Angeles home had been robbed while she was in New York prepping for her ”SNL” hosting duties. “I would like to address a certain incident that I’m sure it’s on everybody’s mind,” she teased. “No, I don’t know why Popeye’s took dirty rice off the menu!” Read More Here

McDermott: In Today’s Republican Party, Hypocrisy Isn’t A Bug, It’s A Feature https://digitalarkansasnews.com/mcdermott-in-todays-republican-party-hypocrisy-isnt-a-bug-its-a-feature/ To hear Democrats and left-leaning pundits tell it, Herschel Walker’s abortion scandal has practically sealed his fate in Georgia’s Senate race. The former NFL star turned staunchly anti-choice Republican nominee is accused of having paid for one abortion for an ex-girlfriend, then unsuccessfully urging her to get a second one, and then all but abandoning the resulting child. On its face, Democratic glee is merited by the fact that the story is both credible (though Walker vehemently denies it) and clearly at odds with stated Republican principles opposing abortion and supporting family values — all of it infused with that most toxic of political poisons, hypocrisy. But that’s where Walker’s critics look almost adorably naïve. If the past few years have taught us anything, it’s that Republicans no longer consider shameless hypocrisy in their politicians to be a bug. In fact, in today’s win-at-all-costs GOP, it’s a feature. Walker is one of a string of shady Republican midterm nominees who have been essentially forced upon the party by that sterling judge of character, Donald Trump. The former president relishes the role of kingmaker, and his first, second and only criterion for lending his support to candidates is how utterly they bow and scrape to him and imitate his noxious brand of politics. But even among that crowd, Walker stands out in his unfitness for office. Well before the current abortion controversy, his campaign was in constant damage control over his shifting account of how many children he has with different women and his general incoherence on policy issues. The one issue he’s been clear on, though, is abortion: He has called for a national ban in all cases, even for rape, incest or to save the woman’s life. So when The Daily Beast reported recently on a woman who said Walker paid for her abortion in 2009, his alleged hypocrisy was naturally the core of the story. Walker initially denied even knowing the woman, though that became an untenable strategy after it emerged that she is the mother of one of his children. He hasn’t denied giving the woman $700 and a get-well card shortly after her abortion, but he maintains the two things are unrelated. “I give money to people all the time,” Walker told Fox News’ Sean Hannity. Oddly, that airtight explanation hasn’t put the story to rest. With control of the Senate on the line, prominent Republicans have circled the wagons in Walker’s defense, somehow keeping straight faces as they claim to believe his increasingly convoluted denials. You have to wonder why they’re bothering. The race with Democratic incumbent Sen. Raphael Warnock was a close one to start with, and Walker could certainly lose — but if so, it won’t be his hypocrisy that brings him down. Not in this party. This is the party, after all, that has stacked the Supreme Court with radically conservative justices by way of what may be the most startling display of political hypocrisy of our era — a high (or low) bar. By now, the stunt by top Senate Republican Mitch McConnell is practically legendary: He refused to allow Barack Obama to fill a court vacancy for the last 11 months of his presidency on the sanctimonious rationale that the voters in the next presidential election should have a say, then four years later he rammed through a Trump nominee in mere weeks to make sure they couldn’t. If hell has a wing dedicated to hypocrites, it’s surely been renamed for McConnell. Or recall how leaders of the “family values party” reacted when, before the 2016 election, video came out showing Trump bragging about how easy it is for him to grope women. Trump’s pious running mate, Mike Pence, pearl-clutched that “Mother is not going to like this” (referring, creepily enough, to his wife). But Pence, like virtually every other prominent Republican, ultimately swallowed his piety and continued kneeling to the man who personifies practically every societal vulgarity that conservatives claim to abhor. Today’s Republicans are for fiscal responsibility, except when they want to pass budget-busting tax cuts for the rich. They’re for local control, except when locally elected school boards want to institute responsible pandemic precautions. They’re for law and order, except when it comes to preventing criminals from getting guns. They’re for national security, except when a Republican former president pilfers classified government documents and refuses to give them back. They’re for free and fair elections — unless they lose. Of course, the party poohbahs don’t put it that way. To get an honest assessment of the GOP’s cynical mindset today, you have to ignore the performative gaslighting from the party’s putative grownups and listen instead to its rhetorical bomb-throwers. “I don’t care if Herschel Walker paid to abort endangered baby eagles. I want control of the Senate,” opined far-right pundit Dana Loesch — adding, because she’s such a class act, that women who get abortions are “skanks.” “Winning,” declared Loesch, “is a virtue.” No. Honesty, integrity, compassion, fair play — those are virtues. Winning is a goal, with power as its end. And it is, more and more, the only end the Republican Party cares about. Kevin McDermott is a Post-Dispatch columnist and Editorial Board member. On Twitter: @kevinmcdermott Email: kmcdermott@post-dispatch.com Catch the latest in Opinion Get opinion pieces, letters and editorials sent directly to your inbox weekly! 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A Co-Founder Of The Firm Behind Truth Social Says Trump Retaliated Against Another Exec Who Refused To Gift Some Of His Shares To Melania https://digitalarkansasnews.com/a-co-founder-of-the-firm-behind-truth-social-says-trump-retaliated-against-another-exec-who-refused-to-gift-some-of-his-shares-to-melania/ Will Wilkerson, co-founder of Trump’s media company, filed an SEC whistleblower complaint in August. Wilkerson detailed several allegations about the company to The Washington Post. An email obtained by the Post showed another co-founder believed Trump was retaliating against him. Loading Something is loading. Thanks for signing up! Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you’re on the go. A co-founder of Trump Media & Technology Group, the company behind Truth Social, said former President Donald Trump pushed another executive to give some of his shares to Melania Trump and retaliated when the request was declined, according to a Washington Post report. Will Wilkerson, who filed a whistleblower complaint about the company to the SEC in August, made the allegation in a story published by the outlet on Saturday. The Post, which obtained materials submitted with Wilkerson’s complaint, detailed accusations of infighting and potentially illegal activity at the company. Trump had been given a 90% stake in the company when it was founded, according to the SEC complaint. But Wilkerson told the Post he was with fellow co-founder Andy Litinsky in October 2021 when the latter received a call from Trump. At the time, the company had recently reached a merger deal that would catapult the value of its stock. Wilkerson said the former president asked Litinsky to give some of his shares to Melania Trump. Wilkerson told the Post that Litinsky demurred and explained the gift would result in a tax bill he would be unable to pay: “Trump didn’t care. He said, ‘Do whatever you need to do.'” Litinsky, a former contestant on “The Apprentice,” was removed from the company’s board five months later in what Wilkerson believed was retaliation. According to a March email obtained by the Post, Litinsky also believed he had been retaliated against. “President Trump over the past 2 months has repeatedly demanded that I give my TMTG equity to Melania Trump,” Litinsky wrote, according to a screenshot of the email published by the Post. “As I have informed him several times, I have earned that equity, and also ‘gifting’ equity to Melania Trump would be a taxable event of which I can’t afford to pay the taxes.” Litinsky also said Trump had threatened to “blow up the company” if his demands weren’t met, adding he believed Trump was now “retaliating” against him and that he’d be seeking legal counsel, according to the screenshot of the email. A spokesperson for Trump did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment. Litinsky did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment sent via his consulting and production company, ZideLitinsky Media. In a statement provided to Insider, a representative for Trump Media & Technology Group blasted the Post’s reporting and touted Truth Social’s successes. “As Chairman of TMTG, President Trump hired Devin Nunes as CEO to create a culture of compliance and build a world-class team to lead Truth Social,” the statement said, noting the platform has launched on the Apple and Google app stores, attracted millions of users, and “executed multiple feature updates.” “Ignoring these achievements, the Washington Post published a story rife with knowingly false and defamatory statements and other concocted psychodramas,” the statement continued. The statement did not comment directly on specific allegations. Wilkerson, who was serving as senior vice president of operations, said he was fired on Thursday after talking to the Post, the outlet reported. Lawyers for Wilkerson did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment but told the Post he is cooperating with the SEC and New York prosecutors investigating Trump Media. Read More Here

Crawford County Sheriff’s Office Faces Second Use-Of-Force Lawsuit After Mulberry Incident https://digitalarkansasnews.com/crawford-county-sheriffs-office-faces-second-use-of-force-lawsuit-after-mulberry-incident-2/ A law enforcement officer gestures toward a person recording the arrest of a man in Crawford County in this screenshot from a video recorded Sunday, Aug. 21, 2022. Crawford County Sheriff Jimmy Damante said the video shows two of his deputies and a Mulberry officer. (Photo courtesy of Naomi Ruth Johnson via Arkansas Democrat-Gazette) FORT SMITH — One of the Crawford County sheriff’s deputies facing a lawsuit over an arrest captured in a video that went viral in August was sued Friday by a woman claiming he also used excessive force against her during an arrest about two months earlier. Attorneys Adam Rose and David L. Powell of Fort Smith filed the lawsuit on behalf of Sarah Trammell, 44, of Uniontown in U.S. District Court, according to court records. The lawsuit includes a request for a jury trial and lists former Deputy Zack King, current Sheriff Jimmy Damante, the sheriff’s office and Crawford County as defendants. The lawsuit accuses the parties of violating Trammell’s rights under the Fourth and 14th amendments of the U.S. Constitution and, by extension, federal law during an arrest of Trammell on June 19, as well as committing negligence, battery and assault. The lawsuit states King was dispatched near Zion Road and Bushong Lane in Van Buren on June 19 in response to a call reporting Trammell was going into a van that wasn’t hers. King approached Trammell as she was walking in the area and asked for her name. Trammell responded by refusing to give her last name until he explained why he was approaching her and if she was under arrest. Trammell told King her own last name was King and she was born on that day, according to the lawsuit. “Clearly this alerted Defendant King that Ms. Trammell was not in the right state of mind at this point,” the lawsuit states. The lawsuit states King then aggressively tried to put Trammell’s arms behind her back to handcuff her without provocation or giving a reason for the arrest. This led to a physical altercation in which King used “violent, excessive force” against Trammell, according to the lawsuit. This included repeatedly pushing, punching and using a stun gun on Trammell’s face, head and stomach after detaining her, the suit says. “Such force used by the Defendant King, individually and in his official capacity, was in excess of any force required to take Ms. Trammell in custody and maintain her in custody, was grossly out of proportion to any need for the use of force by Defendant King, was not employed in good faith, and caused severe injuries to Ms. Trammell,” the lawsuit says. Trammell was afterward treated at a hospital for the injuries she suffered, according to the lawsuit. Among these were an injury to her face, body and stomach for which she’ll reportedly need continual medical treatment, as well as permanent injuries. Trammell is asking for compensatory and punitive damages in addition to other relief such as attorney’s fees and costs, medical bills and lost wages. Trammell pleaded innocent in Crawford County Circuit Court on June 30 to charges of second-degree battery on a law enforcement officer, breaking or entering, unauthorized use of a vehicle and resisting arrest in connection with the June 19 arrest, according to court records. A jury trial is set for Feb. 23. Rose and Powell filed a lawsuit on behalf of Randal Worcester, 27, of Goose Creek, S.C., Aug. 29 after King, then-Deputy Levi White and officer Thell Riddle of the Mulberry Police Department were recorded using force while arresting Worcester. The arrest occurred about 10:40 a.m. Aug. 21 outside the Kountry Xpress convenience store off Interstate 40 in Mulberry. The video depicted the officers repeatedly punching and kneeing Worcester, as well as telling a bystander to get away from the scene. One of the officers, who Worcester’s lawsuit identified as White, was shown slamming Worcester’s head to the pavement as well. Worcester was arrested on charges of second-degree battery, first-degree assault, second-degree assault, resisting arrest, possessing an instrument of crime, criminal trespass, second-degree criminal mischief and first-degree terroristic threatening, according to the sheriff’s office online inmate roster. He was released from jail on $15,000 bail Aug. 22. Attorney Emily White has said she was appointed as special prosecuting attorney for the Arkansas State Police’s independent investigation into the use of force. She received the investigative file from state police on Sept. 2. The U.S. attorney’s office for the Western District of Arkansas, the Department of Justice and the FBI’s field office in Little Rock also opened a civil rights investigation into the incident, according to authorities. Linda Phillips, administrative assistant for the sheriff’s office, confirmed Oct. 6 that King and White had been fired. They had been suspended following Worcester’s arrest. Sherry Jones, administrative assistant to the financial director of Mulberry, said Oct. 6 that Riddle was still on administrative leave. Rose on Friday identified Trammell as one of two clients Carrie Jernigan, an attorney with the Van Buren-based Jernigan Law Group, claimed in a TikTok video and news conference in August were “attacked” by deputies within about the past month. Jernigan identified White as being involved in both instances. Rose has said he, Jernigan and Powell planned to file federal lawsuits pertaining to these clients, although he couldn’t provide any details regarding the second client Friday. Jernigan couldn’t be reached by phone at her law firm Friday afternoon for comment. WebReadyTM Powered by WireReady® NSI Read More Here

Xi Warns Against Foreign Interference In Taiwan, Says China Will 'never Promise To Renounce' Force https://digitalarkansasnews.com/xi-warns-against-foreign-interference-in-taiwan-says-china-will-never-promise-to-renounce-force/ In a wide-ranging speech during the opening session of the 20th Chinese Communist Party’s Congress, Xi spoke firmly about China’s resolve for reunification with the self-governed island, which Beijing considers part of its territory. Noel Celis | AFP | Getty Images BEIJING — Chinese President Xi Jinping said China reserves the option of “taking all measures necessary” against “interference by outside forces” on the issue of Taiwan. In a wide-ranging speech Sunday, Xi spoke firmly about China’s resolve for reunification with the self-governed island, which Beijing considers part of its territory. He was speaking at the opening ceremony of the ruling Communist Party of China’s 20th National Congress, held once every five years. “We will continue to strive for peaceful reunification with the greatest sincerity and the utmost effort,” Xi said in Chinese, according to an official translation. “But, we will never promise to renounce the use of force. And we reserve the option of taking all measures necessary.” “This is directed solely at interference by outside forces and a few separatists seeking Taiwan independence,” he said, emphasizing that resolving the Taiwan question is a matter for the Chinese to resolve. Cross-strait tensions Tensions around Taiwan intensified this summer after U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s controversial visit to the island. The visit came despite warnings from China, which maintains the island should have no right to conduct foreign relations. The U.S. recognizes Beijing as the sole legal government of China, while maintaining unofficial relations with Taiwan. On Sunday, Xi gave the issue of Taiwan greater prominence in his speech than he had five years ago at the party’s 19th National Congress. The high-level meeting decides which officials will become the leaders of the party, and ultimately, of China. Next weekend, the names of the new core team around Xi are due to be announced. State titles such as president and premier are officially confirmed at an annual meeting of the Chinese government, typically held in March. Read More Here

Hundreds Gather To Walk For A Cure https://digitalarkansasnews.com/hundreds-gather-to-walk-for-a-cure/ JONESBORO, Ark. (KAIT) – The Alzheimer’s Association Walk To End Alzheimer’s in Jonesboro took place on Saturday, residents came out to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer’s care, support and research. The atmosphere at Saturday’s event on Heritage Lawn was energetic, as hundreds gathered to walk the trails around Arkansas State University. Alzheimer’s is the 7th deadliest disease in the United States according to the CDC. A person with the disease can experience memory loss that disrupts daily life, such as getting lost in a familiar place or repeating questions. Kay Greenway knows all about the struggles of this disease as she watched Alzheimer’s slowly take her husband from her until he passed four years ago. “He got to where he could not walk and where he could not talk,” said Greenway. “We took care of him just like he was a baby.” According to the Alzheimer’s Association, the disease affects over 60,000 Arkansas residents. Kirsten Dickens was only 8 years old when her grandma first was diagnosed but she remembers the impact it had on her family. Dickens is now the executive director of the Arkansas chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association. “The beautiful woman that we knew was slowly disappearing, day by day and year by year, and for me, I did not get to know her,” said Dickens. The walk hosted a “Promise Garden” where participants used flowers to represent how they are connected to the disease. Purple flowers represented a person lost to the disease, and blue represented someone that is currently battling the disease. There were a lot of purple flowers. There was one white flower to represent the first person that will survive Alzheimer’s. For many in attendance, a cure cannot come fast enough. “It would be amazing to find a cure for Alzheimer’s, there are so many struggling with this awful disease, and if we could find a cure that would be amazing, not only to the residents but to their families,” said Melissa Orr, caregiver for an Alzheimer’s patient. For people like Greenway and Dickens, this yearly event will be used to carry on the memory of their loved ones. “The grandkids called him ‘Papa’ and he was a carpenter for 50 years, so that is why we came up with our slogan, ‘Hammer out Alzheimer’s’,” said Greenway. Copyright 2022 KAIT. All rights reserved. Read More Here

1 Person Shot, Injured At Fayetteville Convenience Store – MsnNOW https://digitalarkansasnews.com/1-person-shot-injured-at-fayetteville-convenience-store-msnnow/ 1 person shot, injured at Fayetteville convenience store  msnNOW Read More Here

Hundreds Gather To Spread And Celebrate Love At 10th Central Arkansas Pride Festival https://digitalarkansasnews.com/hundreds-gather-to-spread-and-celebrate-love-at-10th-central-arkansas-pride-festival/ Happy Pride Month! Hundreds of people gathered in Argenta Plaza today to celebrate the 10th annual Central Arkansas Pride Festival. NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Rainbows weren’t just in the sky on Saturday, but all over the streets of North Little Rock as hundreds of people gathered in Argenta for the 10th Central Arkansas Pride Festival. “It just feels good to be free. It feels good to live in a time where we can do this,” said festival-goer Jackie Mason. She said that this was her first time attending Pride, and added that she wanted to celebrate the person she truly is. She was decked out in all of her favorite rainbow gear for the occasion. “[I] always wanted to go. I grew up in a really sheltered Christian household,” Mason explained. On the other hand, Matthew Law is no stranger to the festival. He grew up in a small town and has been attending the event since 2018— now, he said that he just wants to be an ally for someone else. “There are some people who are just not comfortable with it, so if I can be that involvement, or that person for one person, that’s more than enough for me,” Law said. For the past two years, the in-person festival was postponed and transitioned to a virtual event due to the pandemic. Organizers and attendees said that they were simply happy to be back in what they consider to be a safe space. “There’s a whole community that’s out here [and] fighting for equality out here and we’re here and ready to accept you and embrace you for who you are,” said Zach Baker, executive director of Central Arkansas Pride He said that he takes part in planning every year because he remembers not being able to attend festivals like this when he was younger. “To have a place where you can go and you can be yourself or have role models that you can look up to is really important for our community,” Baker said. In addition, Baker said that the nearly 60 vendors at the festival have played an important role in strengthening the community. “The other great thing about the festival is the opportunity to connect with local organizations, businesses, [and] local colleges,” Baker added. He hoped that the biggest takeaway from the festival will be for people to realize that they aren’t alone on their journey. “We hear from people that say, you know, this is the first time they felt they can come and be themselves,” Baker said. Like Jackie, who said that Saturday’s festival has become more important to her now than ever.  “Nobody should be hated for anything and we should be able to love who we want and be who you want [and] look how we want and dress how we want,” Mason said. Read More…

The Latest Death And In Memoriam Notices From Families Across South Wales https://digitalarkansasnews.com/the-latest-death-and-in-memoriam-notices-from-families-across-south-wales/ These are the latest death, memoriam and funeral announcements from across south Wales listed online and in our newspapers between October 7 and 14. To read all of the family announcements, visit this section of our sister site Funeral Notices, where you can search by name, date or location. You can also post your own announcements there. We are thinking of everyone who has lost a loved one in recent weeks. If you’d like to add a tribute message or memory to any of these death notices, you can do so online here – simply find the notice you’d like to comment on and click on “message” on the right-hand side, write your comment and then click ‘next,’ to submit it to be moderated. Below you’ll find all the most recent funeral and death notices in alphabetical order. Swansea: Menna Alexander Peacefully, on Saturday 24th September 2022, at the age of 92, Menna, beloved wife of James and much-loved mother of Alistair and Nicola, passed away surrounded by family. Funeral Service to be held at 11.00am on Friday 21st October at Llandaff Cathedral. All are welcome. The Service at the Cathedral will be followed by a service and burial at Salem Chapel, Rhydypandy, Swansea SA6 6PE at 1.30pm. Family flowers only. Donations in lieu of floral tributes may be sent to The British Heart Foundation, Compton House, 2300 The Crescent, Birmingham Business Park, Birmingham, B37 7YE in memory of Menna. Donations/tributes can also be made via www.colesfuneraldirectors.co.uk/funeral-notices-birchgrove/ All enquiries to Coles Funeral Directors, 2-4 Heathwood Road, Birchgrove, Cardiff, CF14 4XE. Telephone 02922 093388. Roy George Barfott It is with great sadness that the family of Mr Roy George Barfoot announces his passing on October 5th 2022. Roy passed away peacefully at Swn-y-Gan Nursing Home, Penclawdd and was the beloved husband of the late Doreen. He will be lovingly remembered by his daughters Amanda and Fiona, grandchildren Edwina, Davina, Alexandra and Charlotte and great grandchildren Llewelyn, Ioan and Dylan. The funeral service will be held at St. Peter’s Church, Newton, Swansea at 2.15pm on Friday 21st October All are welcome to attend. Family flowers only please, but you are invited to make a donation to the RNLI (Mumbles) c/o The Honorary Treasurer, 9 Croftfield Crescent, Newton, SA3 4UL Further enquiries c/o William Pressdee Funeralcare Tel. 01792 366513 David Edwards Peacefully passed away on 6th October 2022. Much loved husband of Linda, much loved father, grandfather and great-grandfather. Will be missed by all family and friends. Funeral service to be held on Friday 21st October, 11.30am at Swansea Crematorium. Any enquiries c/o D G Attwell Funeral Directors 95 Eaton Road, Brynhyfryd Swansea, SA5 9JH Tel: 01792 650205 Linda Mary El-Ansari Passed away peacefully on Wednesday 21st September 2022. Linda, a cherished wife of Rafik, loved mother of Susan, Selma and Haider, devoted nana of May, Luma, Nadia, Lena and Ali, dear sister of Handel and the late Derek, Byron, Gareth and Wendy. Funeral service to be held on Friday 14th October 2022 at Salem Capel-y-Cwm, Bonymaen at 2.00pm followed by Interment at Chapel Cemetery. Family flowers only please. All enquiries to: Sims and Jones Independent Funeral Directors, 240 Jersey Road, Bonymaen, Swansea, SA1 7DL. Tel: 01792 700501. Arwel Evans Bu farw yn dawel yn ei gartref ar Heol Newydd, Cwmllynfell yn 74 mlwydd oed. Annwyl briod y diweddar Jan, tad cariadus Rhian a Gareth, tad yng-nghyfraith hoff Andrew a Vicky, tadcu ffyddlon Steffan, Cai, Nia a Cerys. Gweler ei golli gan ei deulu a ffrindiau holl. Cynhelir yr angladd Dydd Sadwrn 15 Hydref 2022. Gwasanaeth yn Amlosgfa Abertawe am 11y.b. Blodau teulu yn unig. Rhoddion os dymunir er cof am Arwel i Ammanford District Nurses trwy law Roger Castle A’i Ferch Trefnwyr Angladdau 86 Commercial Street Ystalyfera Swansea. SA9 2HU. Tel: 01639 843231. Joan Frances Geary Sadly, but peacefully passed away on 25th September 2022. Beloved wife of the late Clifford, much loved mother of Graham and the late Matthew, much loved auntie to Yvonne. Will be missed by all family and friends. Funeral to take place Monday 17th October, Swansea Crematorium at 2.00pm. Any enquiries D G Attwell Funeral Directors 95 Eaton Road, Brynhyfryd Swansea, SA5 9JH Tel: 01792 650205 Christopher Grahame Godsmark Christopher Grahame Godsmark (Image: Christopher Grahame GODSMARK) Chris Peacefully at Morriston Hospital, following a short illness, Chris of Llanrhidian, Gower, passed away aged 71. Loving husband of Liz, cherished father to Nia, adored grandfather of Eloushka and a dear brother to Dave and Kathy. Chris will be dearly missed by all who knew him. Funeral service to take place Tuesday 18th October at 12pm, in Llanelli Crematorium. Family flowers only but donations, if so desired, may be made to The British Heart Foundation (cheques only please) c/o James Cowley, Cowley Family Funerals, Crossways, Burry Green, Gower, Swansea SA3 1HR Kerry Hanford Peacefully on 10th October 2022 at his home surrounded by his loving family. Kerry, beloved husband of Barbara, devoted Dad of Carl and Lee. Dear father-in-law of Jane and the late Julie, cherished grandfather of Daniel, Sophie, Emma, James, Matthew, Abigail and his great-granddaughter Loa. Funeral Tuesday 25th October, family and friends kindly meet for service at Swansea Crematorium at 11.00am. No flowers by request, donations in lieu if so desired for LATCH (Welsh Children’s Cancer Charity) may be sent to David Hitchings & Sons Independent Funeral Directors 34 Frampton Rd, Gorseinon Swansea. SA4 4XY Tel: 01792 897323. Leonard Harries (Fagin ) 1926 – 2022 Peacefully on Wednesday 21st September at Morriston Hospital after a short illness, Leonard. Loving father of Peter, Anthony, Darren and baby Alison, a grandfather and great-grandfather. Resting at St. James Funeral Home, 31 St. James Gardens, Uplands, Swansea until the service in the Chapel on Friday 14th October, at 1pm. Followed by interment at Morriston Cemetery at 2:15pm. Flowers may be sent to the funeral home. ”God Bless from Peter” Julia Ann Holiday Sadly passed away on 1st October at Morriston Hospital with her family by her side. Loving mother to Christian and Susie, a dear mother-in-law to Tammy, cherished nannie to Isabella and Oren, dearest sister to Mark, Mandy, Sarah and Carmen. Julia will be sadly missed by all her family and friends. A funeral service will be held at Swansea Crematorium Chapel on Thursday 20th October at 1:15pm followed by interment at Morriston Cemetery (new section) at 1:45pm. Flowers and all enquiries to Gwyn Jones Funeral Director, 118 Trallwn Road, Llansamlet, Swansea. SA7 9UU Tel: 01792 771066 / 07483125296 Thelma Jones (Formerly of The Gower Inn, Parkmill and Roger Beck Way, Swansea) Peacefully passed away at Plas Cwmcynfelin, Aberystwyth on Monday 3rd October 2022 aged 93. Thelma was always the life and soul of the party with a zest for life. She will be greatly missed. Beloved wife of the late David, loving mother to Marilyn, Richard and the late Gaynor and beloved Nan to Joanne, Christian, Kelly, Rebecca and Ben. A public funeral service will be held at Aberystwyth Crematorium, Clarach Road, Aberystwyth, SY23 3DG on Tuesday 18th October at 1pm. Family flowers only. Donations however would be gratefully accepted for Alzheimer’s UK and the Chemo Unit Appeal at Bronglais Hospital, Aberystwyth. Please make cheques payable to the chosen charity c/o Selwyn Evans, D J Evans Funeral Directors, Kairali, Penrhyncoch, Aberystwyth, SY23 3EQ. Telephone 01970 820249. Betty Eileen Joseph-Jones Passed away peacefully at Singleton Hospital on Tuesday 4th October aged 98 years. Dearly loved wife of the late George. Loving mother of Andrea and dear mother-in-law of the late Mark. Much loved grandma of Georgia, Miranda and Francesca and great-grandmother to Richie. A funeral service will be held at St Cynog’s Church, Ystradgynlais on Friday 21st October at 1.30pm, followed by interment at St David’s Churchyard, Abercrave at 2.15pm. Family flowers only. Donations in lieu of flowers, if so desired, to Guide Dogs for the Blind and/or The Salvation Army c/o Les Davies Independent Funeral Directors, Neath Funeral Home, Main Road, Cadoxton, Neath, SA10 8AP. Tel 01639 642945. Arthur Royston Keane (Beanzi) Passed away suddenly at Morriston Hospital on Thursday 29th September 2022 aged 69 years, Roy. Loving brother of Terry, Chris, Julie and the late Christine, Gerald and Sharon, beloved uncle to James and all his nephews and nieces. Roy will be greatly missed and lovingly remembered by all his family and friends. Funeral service will take place at Swansea Crematorium on Tuesday 18th October 2022 at 10.30am Family flowers only please, donations in lieu of flowers if so desired to Diabetes UK c/o D.G.Attwell Funeral Directors, 95 Eaton Road, Brynhyfryd, Swansea, SA5 9JH Tel: 01792 650205 Alyson Susan Lewis Alyson Susan Lewis (Image: Funeral-notices.co.uk) Sadly on Sunday 2nd October 2022, Alyson after a long illness aged 64 peacefully passed away at her home. Loving partner of the late Herbie, cherished daughter of the late Madeleine and Gerald, sister of Steve, sister in law of the late Wendy and auntie of Alex. Alyson will be greatly missed by her family, close friends and anyone who knew her. Funeral Service Thursday 20th October 2022. Service at Christchurch, Oystermouth Road, Swansea, 11:30am followed by Cremation at Swansea Crematorium, 12:30pm. Black attire optional. Donations in lieu of flowers to Cancer Research Wales c/o Clive Harris Independent Funeral Directors, 84 Sterry Road, Gowerton, Swansea, SA4 3BW. Tel: 01792 879516. Brinley James Morgan Brinley James Morgan (Image: Funeral-notices.co.uk) Formerly Fords Jersey Marine ...

Our Voice: Journalists And Democracy – By Jan Wondra – Ark Valley Voice https://digitalarkansasnews.com/our-voice-journalists-and-democracy-by-jan-wondra-ark-valley-voice/ “Our Voice” is the editorial section of Ark Valley Voice. We in the news media sometimes consider our jobs to be ‘damned if we do, damned if we don’t.” If we do cover something, or question something, there are always some who complain that we covered it too much, or not enough, or that it wasn’t news, or that it wasn’t true, or that it might be true, but it’s not fair to bring it up. If we don’t cover something, because we didn’t know, or had no one to send, then we get accused of leaning left, or right, or maybe sideways. This week Democratic Lawyer  Steven Woodrow, a 42-year-old Democrat and lawyer who represents Denver in the Colorado House of Representatives, Tweeted this: “CO is home to Lauren Boebert, John Eastman, Jena Ellis, Joe Oltmann and other threats to democracy largely because our media are too afraid to do their jobs.” “Truth.” George Orwell. visual by Red Bubble Plenty of us in the news media have covered the antics and ignorance, bigotry and hate, private armies and violence espoused by these power-seeking personalities, and others on the national scene. We’ve pointed out the lies and incitement to violence of “election-result denier”former-President Donald Trump, election-equipment tampering Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters, and Colorado State Representative Ron Hanks, to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Arizona candidate for governor Kari Lake, and  Wisconsin U.S. Senator Ron Johnson. We’ve raised questions about candidates’ motives and purpose, threats to our local Clerk and Recorder, the sudden appearance of local private armies, the falsehood of the Constitutional sheriff movement, and stances that would seem to run counter to the United States Constitution. We’ve been threatened, doxed, followed, and generally terrorized, and that’s not while covering the wildfires of recent years. “It’s not that journalists are afraid,” Denver Post reporter Conrad Swanson is reported to have told Woodrow. “We’re running skeleton crews because our organizations have been pillaged by hedge funds, we’ve been furloughed and laid off, we’re struggling to recover from trauma and those who remain are stretched thin and exhausted.” “This is helpful and refreshingly honest,” said Woodrow in response. His is a mild response to the 60-hour weeks, six-day-week schedule that journalists have been on for years. Journalists have to be committed to what we do and why we do it because we’re some of the lowest-paid members of a community workforce. We do more — with less, all the time. It’s not just staff cuts and budget squeezes, or the inability to find good journalists who will work for what we can pay. Colorado news crews have been covering wildfires and drought — then the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Then came the election-denying lie and January 6 and literally everything we do is seen by one segment of the public as filtered through politics. “Journalists would rightly be sensitive to such a comment from a politician any time,” wrote Cory Hutchins, who writes a weekly newsletter for journalists, who spoke with some of our fellow journalists: “Do you have any idea how many journos we’ve lost from burnout?” Rylee Dunn of Colorado Community Media responded to Woodrow’s Twitter post. “From low wages? from extreme trauma? as disrespectfully as possible; you’re just as bad as the ‘threats to democracy’ you decry.” Quentin Young, who runs Colorado Newsline and has made covering threats to democracy a major focus of his nonprofit news site, said: “It’s one thing to urge more coverage, but to smear reporters as being afraid of covering a guy who calls for mass executions of political enemies is pretty unseemly, and I doubt any of the figures named would agree local press has given them a pass.” Carina Julig of Sentinel Colorado wondered what set Woodrow off in the first place. “Fair criticism of the press is always needed,” she told him, “but if you simply assumed the reason there isn’t the level of coverage of these people that you’d like to see is because we are cowards–that hurts.” In 2019, the Colorado Media Project, with which Ark Valley Voice (AVV) is associated,  published a report called “Local News is a Public Good”. The piece includes five recommendations for lawmakers to help support local journalism in Colorado. Colorado legislators and local government officials and staff would do well to read it. Newsflash: like freedom, the news isn’t free. Someone IS paying for it in blood, sweat, and commitment to truth and democracy. The fact is– we have trained readers to expect news for free and at AVV, we see this as democratically-even news access. At this critical juncture — it can honestly feel like it is the free press protecting democracy while a segment of business and the public is looking the other way. Second news flash — telling the truth is not left-wing/liberal. It is simply the truth. At AVV we take seriously our promise that “truth has a voice.” We look for it, we verify it, we quote it,  we cover it and we stand behind our investigative work. When we get it wrong, we correct it. We also highlight others, such as fellow journalist Hutchins. The poison in the water barrel: Trump lost the election, not by a little bit, but by a lot. He knew he lost. He didn’t want us to know. January 6 was his attempt to remain in power in any way possible. Everything else is flowing around that massive lie; adding more ingredients to a power-seeking stew. In 2021 National Public Radio published a news story titled “When This Hedge Fund Buys Local Newspapers, Democracy Suffers.  Alden Global Capital has bought up major news organizations such as the Chicago Tribune, The Baltimore Sun and New York Daily News. The fund is gutting newsrooms across the country. Research has shown that when local news disappears or is dramatically gutted, communities tend to see lower voter turnout, increased polarization, a general erosion of civic engagement, and an environment in which misinformation and conspiracy theories can spread more easily. The 2019 merger of the nation’s two largest newspaper chains, Gannett and GateHouse came about with a pile of hedge-fund cash. They own  The Coloradan in Ft. Collins and the Pueblo Chieftain. Stay tuned. According to The Wall Street Journal, since 2010 hedge funds have favored Republicans. But according to Open Secrets, the hedge fund contributions for 2021-22 are more moderate and more evenly divided; nothing like the $240 million they put into the 2016 campaign (which begs the question; what about 2024?). In the latest corporate tax cuts, hedge fund tax rates ticked down from 39.6 percent to 37 percent. But hedge fund leadership wants the same tax rate given to major corporations in the Republican’s 2018 tax cut bill: 21 percent. Think about this for a minute: given that news organizations are notoriously poor — WHY then are hedge funds setting out to own and control major and secondary newsrooms all across the country?  The first thing they do is strip the physical assets. But that’s not an attractive target, really. So then there are the human assets – investigative journalists. Here is where Swanson’s gut-wrenching response is prophetic — After the physical assets are stripped and newsroom staff gutted — the next to go could be transparency and truth. The demise of real democracy may not be far behind, followed by control of information to the public. Now you see why local newsrooms are so important. Read More Here

Live Updates: Xi Jinping Doubles Down On ‘Zero-Covid’ Policy https://digitalarkansasnews.com/live-updates-xi-jinping-doubles-down-on-zero-covid-policy/ China’s Communist Party begins a momentous congress on Sunday at which Xi Jinping’s leadership is widely expected to be extended, discarding a precedent of regular transition at the top and cementing a return to strongman rule. Mr. Xi, who was appointed to the party’s top post in 2012, is almost certain to receive a third five-year term, enabling him to surpass his most recent predecessors. Since Mr. Xi took the top job, China has seen a comprehensive expansion of its economy, military strength and role as global power. It has sought to reshape the world order and mold its diverse ethnic groups into an increasingly monolithic Chinese identity. But the extension of Mr. Xi’s leadership comes as China faces growing challenges, partly of his own making. Growth has slowed with China forcefully implementing a “zero Covid” policy of extensive testing, quarantines and lockdowns aimed at stopping the spread of the coronavirus. Youth unemployment has hit record levels, and the housing market has entered a painful slump. Abroad, Beijing faces growing criticism for its crackdowns in Hong Kong and the Xinjiang region, its tacit support of Russia’s war in Ukraine and its increasingly aggressive harassment of Taiwan, the self-ruled island it claims as its own territory. Trade and technology disputes with the United States show little sign of easing. Underscoring those tensions is Mr. Xi’s vow to bring about a “great rejuvenation” of China to its past glory. As his power has grown, so has his responsibility for such grand successes — and any potential failures. In other developments: Mr. Xi will give a speech, probably a long one, which will describe key developments since the last congress in 2012 and set expectations for what will come over the next five years. The congress is also expected to elevate Xi Jinping Thought in the party charter, which would place him at a level comparable to Mao Zedong. The ideology focuses on building the power of the nation and the party, with Mr. Xi at the top. At the close of the meeting, the Communist Party will also name a new slate of senior leaders. Their names will be closely examined to see how many close allies of Mr. Xi have been picked, a key indicator of his grip on authority. Oct. 15, 2022, 10:56 p.m. ET Oct. 15, 2022, 10:56 p.m. ET Keith Bradsher Reporting from Beijing Orville Schell, the director of the Center on U.S.-China Relations at the Asia Society, said that, “The idea of holding a moment of silence before Xi’s speech for Chairman Mao Zedong along with President Liu Shaoqi, whom Mao put in prison, where he ultimately died, is jarring.” Image Credit…Mark Schiefelbein/Associated Press Oct. 15, 2022, 10:52 p.m. ET Oct. 15, 2022, 10:52 p.m. ET Christopher Buckley Xi Jinping is laying out his idea of “Chinese-style modernization.” He and other party officials have been using the term more and more. Xi says it’s about coordinating material and spiritual needs, creating harmony between people and nature. Its implications are still a little unclear, but it’s another sign that he wants China to follow its own path. Oct. 15, 2022, 10:50 p.m. ET Oct. 15, 2022, 10:50 p.m. ET Image Xi Jinping during the opening session of the previous Communist Party congress in Beijing, in 2017.Credit…Aly Song/Reuters The state-of-China report that Xi Jinping is delivering on Sunday in Beijing will play a major role in the country’s policymaking, especially given that he appears nearly certain of staying on as China’s dominant leader. Mr. Xi will most likely follow the pattern of past reports, speaking for two or more hours, describing China’s accomplishments over the past five years, and laying out his priorities for the next five years and beyond. These documents rarely contain specific new policies; for example, don’t expect Mr. Xi to respond directly to the new United States national security policy that focuses on China as a challenge. But the broad phrases and shifts in the wording that Mr. Xi uses will signal the direction of policy. “This report is a statement of principles and intentions — of broad priorities for the party and the country — then it takes a while for it to be filled with life,” said William Klein, a former American diplomat with a longtime focus on China, who now works for FGS Global, an advisory firm. “The formulations are carefully thought through, and everything means something.” Party leaders’ reports run the gamut of topics: political affairs, the environment, education and so on. This time, many investors, officials and diplomats will be particularly interested in four things: The Economy: What signals will Mr. Xi send about the direction of Chinese economic policy? In particular, when, if ever, might the country begin to ease its stringent “zero Covid” rules? No easing is in immediate sight, but Mr. Xi might indicate how he may try to mitigate the economic damage from Covid restrictions. “Common Prosperity”: How will Mr. Xi explain his plans for “common prosperity?” That is Mr. Xi’s long-term initiative to reduce wealth inequalities and spread resources like schools and hospitals around more equitably. Investors have been unsure about its speed and ambition, and how private firms will be affected. China’s View on the World. Party leaders have said in their reports for two decades that China has a period of “strategic opportunity,” when it can focus on economic development and building international influence without risks of major conflict. But tensions with the United States and its allies have deepened, and Mr. Xi has warned that China is in a turbulent world. He appears likely to say that China still has a period of opportunity, but diplomats will be keenly interested in how far he hedges that judgment. Taiwan: There will be intense interest in China and beyond about what Mr. Xi signals about his plans to try to regain Taiwan, the self-ruled island claimed by Beijing. Mr. Xi is likely to repeat that China wants peaceful unification. But he may indicate greater impatience over the dispute, especially after a jump in tensions with Washington over the island. Oct. 15, 2022, 10:47 p.m. ET Oct. 15, 2022, 10:47 p.m. ET Keith Bradsher Reporting from Beijing Xi Jinping seems to be emphasizing national strength as a higher goal than the pace of economic growth. Oct. 15, 2022, 10:45 p.m. ET Oct. 15, 2022, 10:45 p.m. ET Christopher Buckley We’re in the part of the speech about the party’s organizational and ideological changes over the past five years. It’s a time when it’s easy to lose interest or run and get a coffee. But these party issues are vitally important for Xi and previous party leaders — the lifeblood of their power in a one-party state. Oct. 15, 2022, 10:43 p.m. ET Oct. 15, 2022, 10:43 p.m. ET Jane Perlez Xi Jinping is unlikely to mention the United States directly. He doesn’t need to. He made clear that relations with Washington are at the lowest point since diplomatic ties began, adding that China had “stood firm” against “protectionism and bullying.” Video Oct. 15, 2022, 10:40 p.m. ET Oct. 15, 2022, 10:40 p.m. ET Christopher Buckley If you thought the Covid pandemic that started in central China was a negative internationally for Xi Jinping, he tells the congress something very different: China, he says, developed international cooperation in fighting the pandemic and “won widespread international praise.” Oct. 15, 2022, 10:39 p.m. ET Oct. 15, 2022, 10:39 p.m. ET Vivian Wang Reporting from Beijing Wang Quanzhang, a human rights lawyer, said civil liberties had deteriorated dramatically during Xi Jinping’s tenure. “Ten years ago, there were still some public events or public speech that could be heard,” he said. “These few years, after the official suppression of civil society and human rights lawyers, there is basically no one who is willing to speak publicly anymore.” Oct. 15, 2022, 10:37 p.m. ET Oct. 15, 2022, 10:37 p.m. ET Jane Perlez China’s Belt and Road Initiative that built roads, port and rail in developing nations has been heavily criticized as predatory. Xi Jinping said it has been “welcomed as a public good.” Launched in 2013, the initiative became a dirty word in places like Malaysia and Sri Lanka where projects were canceled by local officials. Image Credit…Lauren DeCicca for The New York Times Oct. 15, 2022, 10:34 p.m. ET Oct. 15, 2022, 10:34 p.m. ET Christopher Buckley Xi Jinping tells the congress about another achievement of the past few years: “the online environment has undergone sustained improvement and there’s been a comprehensive, fundamental transformation in the ideological sphere.” That is, to put it plainly, censorship, party propaganda and ideological indoctrination are working in China. Oct. 15, 2022, 10:36 p.m. ET Oct. 15, 2022, 10:36 p.m. ET Chang Che The comment about the internet overlooks the sweeping crackdown on Internet companies that befell sectors including ecommerce, education, and fintech. Oct. 15, 2022, 10:33 p.m. ET Oct. 15, 2022, 10:33 p.m. ET Keith Bradsher Reporting from Beijing China is now the world’s largest grain producer and the top manufacturer of goods, and it has the biggest stash of foreign currency reserves. Xi Jinping is highlighting all these as strengths of the economy, but he is skipping talk about recent economic weakness. Image Credit…Alex Plavevski/EPA, via Shutterstock Oct. 15, 2022, 10:31 p.m. ET Oct. 15, 2022, 10:31 p.m. ET Paul Mozur Xi Jinping says China has joined the ranks of the world’s innovators. He points to a series of major tech achievements including manned space flight, aircraft manufacturing, biomedicine and supercomputers. Notably missing from that list was microchips, where China has struggled to achieve its goals of freeing itself from reliance on...

Perspective: The Shadow Side Of The Fight Against White Christian Nationalism https://digitalarkansasnews.com/perspective-the-shadow-side-of-the-fight-against-white-christian-nationalism/ When something brand new starts to be discussed as “the great threat” to America, we should pay attention. Lately, we’ve all seen an uptick in commentary about “white Christian nationalism” in that space. And there are good reasons for that. Bad things happen when partisan passion leads to fusing religion and politics, casting ideological opponents as dangerous enemies, and advancing rhetoric driven by anger and fever. This is why David French recently wrote that Christian nationalism is “not a model of national renewal. It’s a blueprint for corruption, brutality, and oppression.”  But this is clearly not limited to the political right. Especially since Joe Biden’s now infamous speech in Philadelphia, in which he excoriated Donald Trump supporters, many Republicans have been quick to point out that aggressive and demonizing rhetoric shows up plentifully on the left. That’s why “white Christian nationalist” seems a fitting parallel to “social justice warrior” on the left — two ideological zealots bent on winning their respective crusades against the dark side by any means possible. Admitting this could be a starting point for a more productive conversation about threats to democracy. But tribal warfare seems to demand something more than nuance. When yet another article on the topic appeared recently in The New York Times, entitled “The Twin Threats to American Democracy,” my colleague Christopher Cunningham asked me, “would I be too hopeful in imagining one of the threats comes from the left?” (The answer is yes.) Acknowledging positive intent and a need to grow (on both sides) doesn’t spike the dopamine quite like dramatic portrayals of the “great threat” to American democracy coming solely from the right (or the left). And that’s where some of the more serious concerns about this newly urgent fight against “white Christian nationalism” deserve more attention. The rhetoric around this growing threat seems to be expanding its borders even faster than “racist” or “bigot” did before it.  This isn’t our first rodeo with the power of rapid definitional expansions, of course. Over the past decade, we’ve seen “hater” and “bigot” attached to people who are overtly hostile or threatening to LGBTQ folks as well as those who simply believe in traditional views of marriage. Similar expansions have happened with other words. Whatever threat there may be in aggressive and demonizing political rhetoric, this represents another, less obvious threat of sweeping up lots of good people in a narrow and dangerous definitional scope and calling them bad. Really bad. As in “extremist” bad, and “threat to American democracy” bad.  To be clear, not everyone is jumping on the expanding definition bandwagon. Most mainstream analyses of white Christian nationalism tend to have at least some qualification. John Blake asked on CNN, “Does this mean that any white Christian who salutes the flag and says they love their country is a Christian nationalist? No, not at all.” And Gary Abernathy reminded people in The Washington Post that “for most Christians, God’s hand on America is a comfort, not a weapon.”   But for every paragraph that makes these crucial distinctions, there seems to be 99 others that blur them — or race beyond them. That includes our own president’s words in Philadelphia about an “extremism that threatens the very foundations of our Republic.” In response to that speech, New York Times columnist Bret Stephens raised concern that Biden cast a “net so wide” that it takes up Proud Boys and “every faithful Catholic or evangelical Christian whose deeply held moral convictions bring them to oppose legalized abortion” (and support traditional marriage), thus treating “tens of millions of Americans as the enemy within.” Jennifer Rubin of The Washington Post has likewise taken to suggesting that “the GOP is not a political party anymore,” but rather “a movement dedicated to imposing white Christian nationalism.” As if taking over the Republican Party wasn’t bad enough, others have suggested the movement has taken over Christendom as a whole. Historian Kristin Kobes Du Mez was recently quoted as saying that ideas associated with Christian nationalism have become so widespread that “any individual pastor or Christian leader who tries to turn the tide and say, ‘Let’s look again at Jesus and scripture,’ are going to be tossed aside.” I believe the insistent expansion and increasing blurring of definitional boundaries is an ominous sign, one that portends prophesied persecution on the horizon.  The wide net could ultimately assign the white Christian nationalist label to anyone that loves God and America a little too much, a little too loudly, a little too publicly. Does that include you?  And what about anyone who preaches that America’s departure from God’s teachings is at the root of the nation’s decay? It’s not hard to see how any such evangelical zeal could be labeled as part of the larger, amorphous white Christian nationalist threat.   In this sense, the rhetoric becomes just another more potent version of the argument that “religion is ultimately just causing more suffering in the world.”  All this underscores the crucial need to differentiate between what is an actual threat, and what is not — and encourage others to do the same. That needs to include discerning the difference between at least the following: A healthy influence and role for people of faith in the public square, versus a total fusion of religion and politics. A healthy place for legitimate concerns and honest questions in our public conversations, versus a demonization of groups who see the world differently than we do. Those (of any political party) insistent upon preserving norms of truth seeking, respectful engagement and democratic norms, versus those who aren’t.   Clarity starts with us. No, not everyone who disagrees with you is bent on the destruction of America, democracy or Christianity, so don’t believe it when someone tells you that, no matter how no matter how passionate and persuasive they are. Most people are doing the best they can and really do want the best for our country, even if they disagree deeply with us. That may not fire up the dopamine in our brains quite so much. But it’s the truth. Jacob Hess is the editor of Public Square Magazine and served on the board of the National Coalition of Dialogue and Deliberation. He has worked to promote liberal-conservative understanding since the publication of “You’re Not as Crazy as I Thought (But You’re Still Wrong)” with Phil Neisser. With Carrie Skarda, Kyle Anderson and Ty Mansfield, Hess also authored “The Power of Stillness: Mindful Living for Latter-day Saints.” Read More Here

Kamala Harris Campaigns With Gretchen Whitmer In Potential 2028 Preview https://digitalarkansasnews.com/kamala-harris-campaigns-with-gretchen-whitmer-in-potential-2028-preview/ Vice President Kamala Harris campaigns with Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in Detroit on Saturday. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) Vice President Kamala Harris smiled, laughed and showered her fellow Democrats with compliments as she campaigned in Detroit on Saturday with Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who remains a favorite for reelection even as her race with Republican Tudor Dixon appears to tighten. But politicos watching Harris’ and Whitmer’s appearance together were interested in more than the governor’s chances in next month’s midterm elections. The vice president and the governor, now allies, are seen as possible future rivals and could well face each other in a presidential primary in 2024 or 2028, depending on whether President Biden seeks another term, as he has promised. At a Michigan Democratic Party fundraising event at a facility that trains young people for jobs in tech and construction, Harris greeted Whitmer with a hug. She opened her speech by thanking and praising the governor, whom she called an “extraordinary leader” who is “always about real talk” and had kept her campaign promise to “fix the damn roads.” But at the highest levels of American politics, permanent allies can be hard to find. Harris and Whitmer “have played well and supported each other,” said John Sellek, a Lansing, Mich.-based Republican consultant who led Utah Sen. Mitt Romney’s 2012 presidential campaign in the state. “But I think Republicans feel it’s safe to say that if Biden didn’t run for reelection, or even if Biden serves a second term, that friendship will become secondary to pursuing the presidency.” Vice President Kamala Harris with Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) The future of the Democratic Party is a subplot that has appeared throughout this midterm campaign season for Harris, who ran for the nomination in 2020 but has been unable to position herself as the prohibitive favorite to succeed Biden. Her encounters with Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg have drawn similar interest, given his role as a former candidate and rising star in the party. Both Whitmer and Harris gained stature during Donald Trump’s presidency, when Democrats sought a counterweight and Republicans saw both women as targets. Trump went after Whitmer repeatedly in his public comments, elevating her national profile. He showed little remorse when state and federal officials charged 13 extremists with a plot to kidnap her in October 2020. “She’s just tough as nails,” said Jill Alper, a Michigan-based Democratic consultant. Whitmer’s standing as a favorite for reelection in a state that helped Trump secure the 2016 election has only enhanced her national appeal among Democrats, who have lost their lock on the group of Midwestern states that were once the center of their “blue wall.” “I don’t think Michigan’s going to stop being a swing state in the future. I think any Democrat who wants to become president is going to have to carry Michigan,” said Mark Brewer, chairman of the state Democratic Party from 1995 to 2013. “What better way to carry Michigan than to have a candidate from Michigan?” Brewer noted that Buttigieg moved his official residency from Indiana to Michigan this summer, and added that Whitmer could just as easily seek a Senate seat or Cabinet nomination. But Whitmer’s flirtations with higher office, while tantalizing, have become a political liability in her reelection effort. She raised eyebrows in June when she declined in an NBC interview to say whether Biden should seek reelection and called interest in her own potential candidacy “flattering.” In an interview with the Detroit News on Tuesday, she promised to serve her full second term if reelected and called national speculation that she would run for higher office in the near term “baloney.” Harris’ allies have also tried to quiet talk about her ambition to run for president, especially as Biden insists he will be on the ballot in 2024. Vice President Kamala Harris greets well-wishers at Southfield High School in Detroit on Saturday. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) “It’s six years away,” said Bakari Sellers, a co-chair in Harris’ 2020 campaign who is now a CNN commentator. “Kamala Harris is trying to win races in the midterms. She’s not out here running for president. There’s no rivalry between Kamala and Gretchen and anybody else.” Biden’s and Harris’ low polling numbers have made it challenging for them to campaign for fellow Democrats, some of whom have reason to avoid joint appearances with their parties’ top leaders. Biden has said he will do whatever helps his allies the most, even if that means staying away. Neither Biden nor Harris have appeared at many campaign rallies. Harris remains in demand as a fundraiser and, in many places, as a promoter of the administration’s accomplishments. People close to her say her campaign strategy is tied more to her appeal with key demographic groups — including women, people of color and young voters — than regions of the country. Hers is similar in some ways to the role played by former Republican Vice President Mike Pence, who courted evangelical voters and members of the Republican establishment who were uncomfortable with Trump. Harris, notably, has spoken more extensively and forcefully about abortion rights than Biden has, emerging as the administration’s main spokesperson on the issue after the Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade in June. Democrats hope a ballot initiative adding abortion rights to Michigan’s Constitution will help drive turnout in the state, where several House races remain competitive. Harris appeared in a series of interviews with Black-oriented radio stations in Atlanta, Las Vegas and Milwaukee this week, and also spoke in July to the Essence Festival, a Black-oriented gathering in New Orleans. She also spoke with news radio stations in Philadelphia, Detroit and Minneapolis this week. After the state party fundraiser at the job training site on Saturday, Harris and Whitmer toured the facility together. Later that afternoon, Harris spoke at an organizing event for first-time voters in a Detroit suburb. In a packed gymnasium at Southfield High School, Harris — at 57, the youngest of the Democrats’ current national leaders — addressed a boisterous crowd of students and parents. “To the young leaders here, I will say: I know you guys have been through a lot these past two years,” she said. “People that have had to go through the most … are usually some of the most generous people you’ve ever met.” Voting, she added, is one of the greatest ways that young people can serve their communities: “Our nation needs you.” After the high school event, Harris headed to the airport. She had to catch a flight home to California, where Gov. Gavin Newsom has emerged as another potential rival. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Read More Here

Investigation Underway After North Little Rock Officer Discharges Weapon https://digitalarkansasnews.com/investigation-underway-after-north-little-rock-officer-discharges-weapon/ Four suspects have been detained after shots were fired on Velvet Ridge Drive— an officer has also been placed on administrative leave after discharging his weapon. NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — On the evening of October 15, officers with the North Little Rock Police Department responded to a shots fired call on Velvet Ridge Drive. When officers arrived, they encountered several male subjects with firearms, and one of the officers discharged his service weapon. The officer has been placed on administrative leave according to departmental policy. The four suspects involved were detained, and officers recovered several firearms from the scene. There were no reported injuries as a result of the gunfire, however, one of the suspects is receiving treatment for unrelated injuries. Detectives have been called to the scene, and are processing evidence and conducting interviews. The names of the suspects and involved officer have not been released at this time. This investigation is currently ongoing. We will continue updating this article as it becomes available. Read More…

Donald Trump Raised $24 Million In The Third Quarter, A 41% Increase Over The Previous … – Latest Tweet By Bloomberg | LatestLY https://digitalarkansasnews.com/donald-trump-raised-24-million-in-the-third-quarter-a-41-increase-over-the-previous-latest-tweet-by-bloomberg-latestly/ The latest Tweet by Bloomberg states, ‘Donald Trump raised $24 million in the third quarter, a 41% increase over the previous quarter, but he spent $22 million to do it …’ Socially Team Latestly| Oct 16, 2022 07:26 AM IST Donald Trump raised $24 million in the third quarter, a 41% increase over the previous quarter, but he spent $22 million to do it https://t.co/o2OKX737iL— Bloomberg (@business) October 16, 2022 (SocialLY brings you all the latest breaking news, viral trends and information from social media world, including Twitter, Instagram and Youtube. The above post is embeded directly from the user’s social media account and LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body. The views and facts appearing in the social media post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY, also LatestLY does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.) Read More Here

Get Over Trump: Obama Takes Aim At Dems Over Donald Obsession Ahead Of Midterms https://digitalarkansasnews.com/get-over-trump-obama-takes-aim-at-dems-over-donald-obsession-ahead-of-midterms/ October 15, 2022 09:50 PM Former President Barack Obama cautioned Democrats against campaigning with a heavy focus on former President Donald Trump, suggesting instead candidates focus on issues important to voters. The 44th commander-in-chief made the comments while appearing on Pod Save America, a podcast hosted by his former White House aides, while discussing the upcoming midterm elections. Obama told the four hosts that Democratic candidates in key battleground races shouldn’t risk getting swept up in controversies surrounding their GOP opponents or Trump himself, as that wasn’t what was driving the majority of voters to the polls. ‘PESSIMISTIC’ VOTERS: CRUSHED BY GAS PRICES AND FADING PERSONAL FINANCES “The thing that I think sometimes we seem to make a mistake on is his behavior can be so outrageous, and now, folks who try to copy him and his outrageous behaviors, [are] getting a lot of attention,” Obama said, referencing Trump and Republicans campaigning as MAGA allies. “And so we join that game,” he continued, referencing how Democrats respond to GOP controversies. “And we spend enormous amounts of time and energy and resources pointing out the latest crazy thing he said, or how rude or mean some of these Republican candidates behaved. That’s probably not something that, in the minds of most voters, overrides their basic interests: Can I pay the rent? What are gas prices? How am I dealing with child care?” The former president’s comments come as he prepares to return to the campaign trail in the coming weeks for Democratic candidates in Georgia, Michigan, and Wisconsin, three must-win states. While on the podcast, Obama also warned that Democratic politicians had to work on presenting solutions without getting lost in policy, and acknowledged that some in his party were “buzzkills.” “I think we do get into trouble. Look, I used to get into trouble whenever, as you guys know well, whenever I got a little too professorial,” he said, getting candid, “When I was behind the podium as opposed to when I was in a crowd, there were times where I’d get, you know, sound like I was giving a bunch of policy gobbledygook.” “My family, my kids, work that gives me satisfaction, having fun. Hell, not being a buzzkill. And sometimes Democrats are,” the former president later added. “Sometimes people just want to not feel as if they are walking on eggshells, and they want some acknowledgment that life is messy and that all of us, at any given moment, can say things the wrong way, make mistakes.” CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER He also appeared to offer a preview of his campaign messaging during the podcast, saying: “The great thing that I think we have going for us is that even with really slim majorities, what we’ve shown is, is that we can deliver. The Biden administration has accomplished a lot. You’ve got a historic infrastructure bill that’s going to help rebuild America and create jobs all across the country. You’ve got an inflation control act that has lowered prescription drug prices, has made sure that health care is even more affordable through the ACA, that is looking at lowering energy costs. You’ve got a gun bill that is the first major piece of gun safety legislation that we’ve seen in 30 years.” “You know, across the board, what we’ve seen is that when Democrats have a working majority, or even a really slim majority in Congress, they can make peoples lives better.” Read More Here

CASEY: A Pile Of Suggestions For A Marie March Vs. Wren Williams Duel https://digitalarkansasnews.com/casey-a-pile-of-suggestions-for-a-marie-march-vs-wren-williams-duel/ Back at the beginning of this month, Randall Wells, the poet/professor/philosopher from Floyd, offered me a genuine Rolodex watch as a bribe. In return, Wells demanded I write a column about a duel between state Dels. Marie March of Floyd and Wren Williams of Stuart. Politically, the Republican lawmakers have been going after each other ever since they got mapped into the same House of Delegates district for the 2023 elections. March has accused Williams of assault, after he (allegedly) hard-bumped her like a hockey check while exiting a GOP dinner-dance in Wytheville last month. In response, Williams more or less accused March with assaulting reality. He also kvetched that she’s trying to rig a 2023 GOP convention against him. I suggested lemon cream pies at 30 paces in Lane Stadium, with proceeds donated to the League of Women Voters. But many readers had more flagrant and fragrant notions on how to settle the dispute. Before we get to those, let’s consider a New River Valley precedent noted by Kay Johnson of Christiansburg. She pointed to a historical marker regarding a May 1808 rifle duel in the Montgomery County town. One participant, Thomas Lewis, was a lawyer and grandson of Revolutionary War Gen. Andrew Lewis (at whose grave U.S. Rep. Morgan Griffith, R-Salem, was later married). The other, John McHenry, was a lawyer and member of the Virginia House of Delegates. Their specific dispute is unclear, but the duel happened at what is now the intersection of West Main and South Franklin streets. Dr. John Floyd, a future Virginia governor, was the attending physician. Not too surprisingly (for a contest with rifles at 15 yards) the participants shot and killed each other. The event spurred enactment of an 1810 law known as the Barbour Bill that banned dueling in the Virginia. While the Lewis-McHenry duel was real and evidently serious; the remainder of this column is not. For example, many readers suggested fruit pies might not be the most suitable dueling instrument. “It would seem more appropriate for the weapon of choice to be cow pies, to determine once and for all who is the champion bulls— slinger!” wrote Andrew McLaughlin of Daleville. He must have been reading the mind of Gene Holt Pulaksi. “I suggest bulls— at 20 paces,” Holt wrote in an email. “The two of them seem to have an endless supply to hurl at each other.” Tom Long of Staunton adorned his email with a turd emoji. “The weapon of choice … slinging cow pies from 10 paces … because, well, they are both so full of BS,” Long wrote. “First one to take it in the face loses and quits the race. In case of a tie both lose and both quit.” In the latter instance, every resident of Virginia would be a winner. “The most fitting duel should be a mud wrestling event since they both have experience in mudslinging,” wrote Donna Agee of Roanoke. “The venue should be a neutral site such as the Martinsville Speedway to ease the embarrassment brought to their constituents by their behavior.” Cara Gangloff suggested March and Williams face each other in a rap-off. That could be quite entertaining. And Gangloff put a lot of thought into it. “The candidates rap in detail, and in poetry, the planks of their platforms through megablaster speakers from atop Route 8 Donuts, where a no-shove zone has been established. “Beats provided by Jerry Pentecost of Old Crow Medicine Show. Threads provided by La De Da and La De Dude on Church Avenue. Proceeds go to Angels of Assisi where, I hear, they’re fighting like cats and dogs.” In that case, the MAGA contestants will need a word that neatly rhymes with “Trump,” right? I can think of a handful along the lines of “bump the chump” and “dump the hump’s rump.” Betsy Biesenbach of Roanoke proposed the warring lawmakers settle their disagreement peacefully and on their toes. “A duel to the death over a social slight reeks of toxic masculinity,” she penned. “I have a more cooperative and civilized idea for getting these two to play nice: The Wythe County Republicans need to throw another dinner-dance at which March and Williams are the only ones dancing and they must dance with each other. “I mean full-on tangoing, waltzing and cha-chaing,” Biesenbach continued. “The threat of repeat invitations should be enough to prompt them to at least pretend to be grownups. For the rest of us, it would be a gold mine of internet memes.” Gerry McAtavey of Roanoke County suggested the duelists use Amazonian implements powered by political hot air. “How about having them face off at 25 paces using blow guns similar to the ones used by primitive tribesmen?” he wrote. “Maybe someone can come up with a ‘Trump Fever’ antidote that could be loaded into a syringe and used as the weapon to settle this major dispute.” Drawback: That sounds similar to “vaccine,” which (go figure) has become a fighting word in Republican politics. As a pacifist, Paul Zenner of Blacksburg wrote he cannot countenance anything that smacks of violence. Instead, he suggested the lawmakers settle their dispute Quaker-style, in a high school library, “preferably one with all the books that certain Republicans are suggesting should be banned.” “My weapon of choice is silence,” Zenner wrote. “While the candidates face off at just over arms distance (I don’t trust either of these folks) a moderator will read selected quotes from each. “The winner is the candidate that can keep their mouth shut the longest,” Zenner added. “I’m really hoping for a tie but suspect it will be over before the first commercial break.” Rob Neurkirch of Floyd believes Zenner’s idea might be too mature, given the contestants’ emotional ages. Neukirch proposed a junior-high auditorium as the setting. Students would pose questions about the history of the House 47th District, the history of Virginia and the history of the United States.” The only potential problem is we might never hear a correct answer. Steve Huppert of Christiansburg suggested a cornhole contest at half-time during a Hokies basketball game. “Mr. Trump could be the judge,” Huppert proposed, adding “the best answer is to get Chris Tuck to run.” But Tuck might be the worst possible GOP candidate. Current rumors suggest he suffers from the dreaded affliction KSR — otherwise known as knowledge, sanity and reasonableness. Last but not least, we have Jen Nelson of Botetourt County. Brace your stomachs and your funny bones for the pie-eating contest she proposed. Nelson specified the weapons as “two super-fudgy chocolate pies with billowy white topping.” Thoughtfully, she included the recipe. It could’ve been borrowed from a cookbook titled, “Montezuma’s Revenge.” “One pie shell; 30 cartons of Ex-Lax melted down; thinned with milk of magnesia; bake and then cool. For topping: Beat one cup Dawn liquid until light and fluffy; top cooled pie. “Serve and begin contest,” Nelson wrote. “Let the elimination begin!” Yikes, I think we’ve found a worthy recipient for Randall Wells’ genuine Rolodex watch! Contact metro columnist Dan Casey at 981-3423 or dan.casey@roanoke.com. Follow him on Twitter:@dancaseysblog. Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Read More Here

Suspected Stockton Serial Killer Caught With Gun While 'out Hunting,' Police Chief Says https://digitalarkansasnews.com/suspected-stockton-serial-killer-caught-with-gun-while-out-hunting-police-chief-says-2/ A man has been arrested in Stockton in connection to a series of killings in the city and one in Oakland, authorities announced on Saturday. He could face charges for the murders of six men. Wesley Brownlee, 43, was arrested overnight “while out hunting,” police Chief Stanley McFadden said at a news conference with City Manager Harry Black, Mayor Kevin Lincoln and San Joaquin County District Attorney Tori Verber Salazar.McFadden believes they “stopped another killing.” The police chief said the arrest was made possible thanks to community tips and the work of the police department.”Our surveillance team followed this person while he was driving. We watched his patterns and determined early this morning he was on a mission to kill. He was out hunting,” McFadden said. | MORE | Stockton serial killings: Everything we know and don’t know so far about the victims and suspectHe was caught around 2 a.m. at Winslow Way and Village Green Drive and was wearing dark clothing with a mask around his neck and armed with a firearm in his waistband, police confirmed to KCRA 3.Authorities said that Brownlee has lived in Stockton off and on, while also living in other cities. He has a criminal record, though police did not detail the previous crimes. Police confirmed that he is the sole suspect “at this time” and is believed to be the person of interest captured on video from shooting scenes. Stockton’s mayor said the city will be able to get past this and that public safety is their number one priority.”I want to make this very very clear, to the people of Stockton, to the United States and around the world. When the people of Stockton come together and we unite we can get things done. Stockton will be a place where people can live, raise a family and grow a business,” Mayor Kevin Lincoln said.Video below: Stockton mayor speaks on arrest Salazar on the arrest of Brownlee said, “The crime was solved because we’re Stockton. You don’t come to our house and bring this reign of terror.” Video below: San Joaquin County DA speaks on arrestBrownlee will appear in court on Tuesday afternoon, officials said. Salazar said the district attorney’s office is working to determine the charges against him.Officials are still unsure what the motive behind the killings are, but said his patterns were consistent. It’s unclear if the gun police found on Saturday is linked to all seven shootings. “I am grateful for the work of the Stockton Police Department and law enforcement agencies who lent their support to this investigation, including the California Department of Justice’s Bureau of Firearms and Bureau of Forensic Services,” Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement. “When we face a challenge or threat to the safety of Californians, we stand stronger when we stand together. Because of our collaborative work, the citizens of Stockton and California communities can feel comfort in knowing that this suspect is now in custody.”| MORE | What we’re learning about victims of the Stockton serial killingsSix men were killed — five in Stockton this year and one in Oakland last year. The victims were identified by police as:35-year-old Paul Alexander Yaw43-year-old Salvador William Debudey Jr.21-year-old Jonathan Hernandez Rodriguez52-year-old Juan Cruz52-year-old Lorenzo LopezThe victim in Oakland was a 40-year-old Hispanic man. Affiliate KTVU reported that the coroner identified the man as Juan Miguel Vasquez Serrano.A 46-year-old Black woman is the only known survivor of the shootings. Stockton Police Chief Stanley McFadden said the woman biked to an encampment at Park and Union streets in Stockton where she was shot on April 16, 2021, at around 3:30 a.m.The woman was by a tent when she saw a man, dressed in all dark clothing, wearing a dark face mask and a dark jacket. She said the man was anywhere between 5 foot 10 inches to 6 foot 2 inches.The woman told police that no words were exchanged between them and that she tried defending herself by advancing toward him. She was hit multiple times by gunfire.Where did the shootings happen?Most of the deadly shootings happened in Stockton within a four-mile radius of one another. The shooting where the woman survived happened to the south of the five deadly shootings.Here’s a map with more information:Authorities ask for people to continue to send in tipsMcFadden said it is still a “very active investigation.” “Just because an arrest was made, does not mean the investigation stops,” McFadden said. He said they still need more tips to come in. A tip line will remain open for people to submit information at 209-937-8167. People can email tips to at policetips@stocktonca.gov. Video surveillance can be submitted to Stocktonpdca.evidence.com. This is a developing story. Stay with KCRA 3 as we learn more about the suspect arrested and the series of killings.Here is where you can download our app for the latest.-KCRA 3’s Hilda Flores contributed to this report. STOCKTON, Calif. — A man has been arrested in Stockton in connection to a series of killings in the city and one in Oakland, authorities announced on Saturday. He could face charges for the murders of six men. Wesley Brownlee, 43, was arrested overnight “while out hunting,” police Chief Stanley McFadden said at a news conference with City Manager Harry Black, Mayor Kevin Lincoln and San Joaquin County District Attorney Tori Verber Salazar. McFadden believes they “stopped another killing.” The police chief said the arrest was made possible thanks to community tips and the work of the police department. “Our surveillance team followed this person while he was driving. We watched his patterns and determined early this morning he was on a mission to kill. He was out hunting,” McFadden said. | MORE | Stockton serial killings: Everything we know and don’t know so far about the victims and suspect He was caught around 2 a.m. at Winslow Way and Village Green Drive and was wearing dark clothing with a mask around his neck and armed with a firearm in his waistband, police confirmed to KCRA 3. Authorities said that Brownlee has lived in Stockton off and on, while also living in other cities. He has a criminal record, though police did not detail the previous crimes. Police confirmed that he is the sole suspect “at this time” and is believed to be the person of interest captured on video from shooting scenes. This content is imported from Twitter. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. Stockton’s mayor said the city will be able to get past this and that public safety is their number one priority. “I want to make this very very clear, to the people of Stockton, to the United States and around the world. When the people of Stockton come together and we unite we can get things done. Stockton will be a place where people can live, raise a family and grow a business,” Mayor Kevin Lincoln said. Video below: Stockton mayor speaks on arrest Salazar on the arrest of Brownlee said, “The crime was solved because we’re Stockton. You don’t come to our house and bring this reign of terror.” Video below: San Joaquin County DA speaks on arrest Brownlee will appear in court on Tuesday afternoon, officials said. Salazar said the district attorney’s office is working to determine the charges against him. Officials are still unsure what the motive behind the killings are, but said his patterns were consistent. It’s unclear if the gun police found on Saturday is linked to all seven shootings. “I am grateful for the work of the Stockton Police Department and law enforcement agencies who lent their support to this investigation, including the California Department of Justice’s Bureau of Firearms and Bureau of Forensic Services,” Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement. “When we face a challenge or threat to the safety of Californians, we stand stronger when we stand together. Because of our collaborative work, the citizens of Stockton and California communities can feel comfort in knowing that this suspect is now in custody.” | MORE | What we’re learning about victims of the Stockton serial killings Six men were killed — five in Stockton this year and one in Oakland last year. The victims were identified by police as: 35-year-old Paul Alexander Yaw 43-year-old Salvador William Debudey Jr. 21-year-old Jonathan Hernandez Rodriguez 52-year-old Juan Cruz 52-year-old Lorenzo Lopez The victim in Oakland was a 40-year-old Hispanic man. Affiliate KTVU reported that the coroner identified the man as Juan Miguel Vasquez Serrano. A 46-year-old Black woman is the only known survivor of the shootings. Stockton Police Chief Stanley McFadden said the woman biked to an encampment at Park and Union streets in Stockton where she was shot on April 16, 2021, at around 3:30 a.m. The woman was by a tent when she saw a man, dressed in all dark clothing, wearing a dark face mask and a dark jacket. She said the man was anywhere between 5 foot 10 inches to 6 foot 2 inches. The woman told police that no words were exchanged between them and that she tried defending herself by advancing toward him. She was hit multiple times by gunfire. Where did the shootings happen? Most of the deadly shootings happened in Stockton within a four-mile radius of one another. The shooting where the woman survived happened to the south of the five deadly shootings. Here’s a map with more information: Authorities ask for people to continue to send in tips McFadden said it is still a “very active investigation.” “Just because an arrest was made, does not mean the investigation stops,” McFadden said. He said they still need more tips to come in. A tip line will remain open for people to submit in...

Trump Pressured Truth Social Executives To Hand Over Their Shares To Melania https://digitalarkansasnews.com/trump-pressured-truth-social-executives-to-hand-over-their-shares-to-melania/ Donald Trump pressured Truth Social executives to hand over their shares in his right-wing social media platform to former first lady Melania Trump, according to a whistleblower. Will Wilkerson, one of the first employees of Trump Media & Technology Group, claims the former president called co-founder Andy Litinsky in a Florida coffee shop and made the demand of him. The Washington Post says that Mr Trump made the request, which was worth millions of dollars, despite having already been given 90 per cent of the company’s shares. Mr Wilkerson says that Mr Litinsky refused, telling the former president that “the gift would have meant a huge tax bill he couldn’t pay. “Trump didn’t care. He said, ‘Do whatever you need to do.” Mr Wilkerson filed a whistleblower complaint in August with the Securities and Exchange Commission, alleging securities violations involving the Trump Media and Digital World merger. Mr Litinsky, who first met Mr Trump as a contestant on The Apprentice TV show in 2004, was removed five months after the alleged incident took place, with Mr Willkerson telling the newspaper that it was payback. Mr Wilkerson and his lawyer shared emails with The Washington Post and the SEC in which Mr Litinsky reportedly told him that Mr Trump was “retaliating against me” and threatening to “’blow up the company’ if his demands are not met.” The Post says that Mr Wilkerson was fired from his job as a senior vice president of operations at the company after he spoke to the newspaper. Mr Trump was forced to set up his own social media network after he was banned from Facebook and Twitter in the wake of the January 6 insurrection by his supporters. The planned merger between Truth Social’s parent Trump Media & Technology Group and blank-check company Digital World Acquisition Corp is currently under investigation by the SEC. Mr Trump’s following on the platform has grown to more than 4m, but that is still well below the 86m followers he enjoyed on Twitter before his January 2021 ban. Read More Here

Reuters US Domestic News Summary | Politics https://digitalarkansasnews.com/reuters-us-domestic-news-summary-politics-4/ Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs. Biden says Jan. 6 committee testimony was ‘devastating’ U.S. President Joe Biden said testimony and video from last week’s Jan. 6 committee hearing, which featured congressional leadership in tense phone calls with Pentagon and White House officials, was “devastating.” Biden was speaking to reporters during a stop at an ice cream shop in Oregon as he helped campaign for Tina Kotek, who is running for governor or Oregon. Biden, campaigning for Oregon’s Kotek, warns about Trump’s impact on states U.S. President Joe Biden warned that former President Donald Trump’s hold on the Republican Party would spill into state government on Saturday during an event to boost Democrat Tina Kotek in Oregon’s tight race for governor. Biden, who is finishing a western travel swing that included stops in Colorado and California, came to Oregon in part to help Kotek, who supporters hope will keep the governorship in Democratic hands in a state the president won handily in 2020. Herschel Walker and Raphael Warnock trade blows in Georgia U.S. Senate debate Democratic U.S. Senator Raphael Warnock and Republican challenger Herschel Walker sparred over a range of issues from abortion and policing to personal integrity on Friday, as a key Georgia contest that could help determine control of the Senate came to a head in a contentious televised debate. Walker, a one-time football star and political novice backed by former President Donald Trump, sought to brand the incumbent as a rubber stamp for Democratic President Joe Biden’s agenda, which Republicans have painted as responsible for inflation, crime and other social ills. Biden arrives in Oregon as Democratic hold on governorship is threatened U.S. President Joe Biden arrived in Oregon on Friday to rally support for the Democratic gubernatorial candidate, who is in danger of losing in a state where a Republican has not been elected governor since 1982. The race for the governorship pits Democrat Tina Kotek against Republican Christine Drazan and an independent candidate, Betsy Johnson, a former Democrat who is financially backed by Nike co-founder Phil Knight. All three women are former state legislators. Incumbent Governor Kate Brown, a Democrat, cannot run for re-election because of term limits. U.S. President Joe Biden to visit Philadelphia month-end – White House U.S. President Joe Biden will travel to Philadelphia on Oct. 28 for a reception hosted by the Pennsylvania Democratic Party, the White House said on Saturday. Biden would be accompanied by Vice President Kamala Harris. There were no further details. The visit would come ahead of the high-stakes Nov. 8 mid-term elections that would determine control of the U.S. Congress. Obama to stump for Democrats in three states ahead of high-stakes Nov. 8 election Former U.S. President Barack Obama will campaign for Democratic Party candidates in Georgia, Michigan and Wisconsin later this month ahead of the Nov. 8 midterm elections that will determine control of the U.S. Congress. Obama will stump for candidates for federal and state offices, appearing in Atlanta on Oct. 28 before traveling to Detroit and Milwaukee on Oct. 29, his office said on Saturday. Raleigh shooting emergency callers tell of bodies, screams and gunshots Distressed callers who dialed 911 as a deadly shooting unfolded in Raleigh, North Carolina, last week described chilling scenes of bleeding bodies lying on the ground, screams and gunshots ringing out in a quiet neighborhood. Recordings of the calls released by Raleigh police late on Friday captured the fear and horror that gripped the streets of the city’s Hedingham neighborhood on Thursday, where authorities said a 15-year-old male suspect shot and killed five people, and was only apprehended after an hours-long manhunt. Biden takes aim at Big Pharma, Republicans in California U.S. President Joe Biden criticized Republicans and drug companies during a stop at a California community college on Friday as he campaigned for fellow Democrats in November’s midterm elections. Biden’s trip includes stops in California on Friday and Oregon on Saturday as the president looks to position his party, the Democrats, as a champion of consumers and lower healthcare costs at a time that inflation ranks among voters’ top concerns. The midterm elections are on Nov. 8. Justice Dept. asks court to end arbiter’s review of Trump documents The U.S. Justice Department on Friday asked an appeals court to end a third-party review of documents seized from Donald Trump’s Florida home, arguing that a judge should not have appointed an independent arbiter as the former president battles a criminal investigation into his handling of sensitive government records. At issue is the appointment of a special master by the Florida-based federal judge presiding over Trump’s legal effort to restrict access to documents seized by FBI agents during a court-approved Aug. 8 search of his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach. Former WSJ reporter says law firm used Indian hackers to sabotage his career A former Wall Street Journal reporter is accusing a major U.S. law firm of having used mercenary hackers to oust him from his job and ruin his reputation. In a lawsuit filed late Friday, Jay Solomon, the Journal’s former chief foreign correspondent, said Philadelphia-based Dechert LLP worked with hackers from India to steal emails between him and one of his key sources, Iranian American aviation executive Farhad Azima. (This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Read More Here