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Arizona AG Seeks Probe Of Election Integrity Group https://digitalarkansasnews.com/arizona-ag-seeks-probe-of-election-integrity-group/ JONATHAN J. COOPER, Associated Press Oct. 14, 2022Updated: Oct. 14, 2022 8:50 p.m. FILE – Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich gestures and smiles during his visit to the Yuma Sun in Yuma, Ariz., Thursday morning, June 2, 2022. Arizona’s Republican attorney general, Mark Brnovich, on Friday, Oct. 14, 2022 asked the FBI and IRS to look into an election integrity group that claimed to have uncovered widespread fraud in the 2020 election but never provided evidence. (Randy Hoeft/The Yuma Sun via AP, File)Randy Hoeft/AP PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona’s Republican attorney general, Mark Brnovich, on Friday asked the FBI and IRS to look into an election integrity group that claimed to have uncovered widespread fraud in the 2020 election but never provided evidence. True the Vote, a nonprofit organization, has raised “considerable sums of money” on its claim that it had evidence of widespread fraud and may have broken federal tax laws, Reggie Grigsby, a criminal investigator in Brnovich’s office, wrote to federal authorities. Leaders from True The Vote promised repeatedly over the course of a year to provide data supporting their claim that people illegally collected ballots and delivered them to drop boxes during the 2020 election, Grigsby wrote. The claim was at the center of “2,000 Mules,” a debunked film that was aggressively promoted by former President Donald Trump to back up his claim he lost the presidency because of fraud. But True the Vote Founder Catherine Engelbrecht and contractor Gregg Phillips never provided the data they promised to the attorney general’s office despite claiming publicly that they had, Grigsby wrote. In June, they told state investigators they had given their data to the FBI while telling the FBI that the materials were given to the attorney general’s office. Representatives from the organization did not immediately respond to requests for comment Friday evening. Promises to investigate and expose fraud are a big fundraising draw among Trump supporters who believe the former president’s lies about the 2020 election. Several groups, for example, raised more than $5 million for a discredited audit of the 2020 election in Maricopa County, Arizona. That audit was conducted by Trump supporters on behalf of state Senate Republicans. Federal and state election officials and Trump’s own attorney general have said there is no credible evidence the 2020 election was tainted. Trump’s allegations of fraud were also roundly rejected by courts, including by judges he appointed. The referral to federal investigators is notable from Brnovich, who put his election investigations at the center of his unsuccessful run for the U.S. Senate. Brnovich’s campaign struggled after Trump assailed him for failing to arrest people based on discredited claims from the Maricopa County audit and the “2,000 Mules” film. Read More Here

White House Says Jan. 6 Committee Hearing https://digitalarkansasnews.com/white-house-says-jan-6-committee-hearing/ October 14, 2022 09:45 PM The White House said Friday night that President Joe Biden has “followed the coverage” of the most recent Jan. 6 committee hearing and remains vigilant about protecting democracy. Biden has made the threat to democracy he says is posed by former President Donald Trump and “MAGA Republicans,” a central part of his midterm election campaign messaging. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters during a gaggle aboard Air Force One that the hearings were a “somber reminder” that democracy remains at risk. BEN SASSE AND THE BATTLE OVER WHAT KIND OF CONSERVATIVE LEADS THE GOP Committee leaders have framed their efforts as an investigation into the 2021 Capitol riot that delayed the congressional certification of Biden’s win and a broader conspiracy to overturn the 2020 presidential election. Critics argue that it is a relitigation of Trump geared toward the midterm elections, conducted by Democrats and two anti-Trump Republicans who have largely turned on the party and will not be in Congress next year. Thursday’s hearing was widely expected to be the last, but the committee voted to subpoena Trump. It will be the last public hearing before November’s elections. Trump has repeated claims of widespread election fraud stealing the presidency from him, unproven allegations believed by those who stormed the Capitol. He has blasted the committee as “highly partisan.” Republicans, who are seeking to dethrone narrow Democratic majorities in both houses of Congress in next month’s elections, can expect to be asked about the Trump subpoena on the campaign trail. The White House has praised the committee’s investigative work. Jean-Pierre said Friday that Biden “watches it closely” and “believes that work is important and should continue to move forward.” CLICK HERE TO READ MORE IN THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER The exchange occurred as Biden was flying from California to Oregon as part of a four-day campaign swing. Read More Here

AP News Summary At 9:29 P.m. EDT https://digitalarkansasnews.com/ap-news-summary-at-929-p-m-edt/ Trump’s subpoena and what’s next for the Jan. 6 panel WASHINGTON (AP) — In an extraordinary step, the House Jan. 6 committee has voted unanimously to subpoena former President Donald Trump – a final effort to get the full story of the Capitol insurrection as the panel wraps up its work by the end of the year. Trump has been relentlessly hostile to the investigation, calling it a “charade and a witch hunt” in a letter to the committee on Friday. But he has not said whether he will comply with the demand for his appearance.  Even if he does, there’s no guarantee the committee would get anything different from the broadsides Trump sends out periodically. Putin calls his actions in Ukraine ‘correct and timely’ KYIV, UKRAINE (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin expects his troop mobilization for combat in Ukraine to end in about two weeks. That would allow him to end the unpopular and chaotic call-up meant to counter Ukrainian battlefield gains and solidify his illegal annexation of Ukrainian territory. Putin faces domestic discontent and military setbacks in a neighboring country increasingly armed with advanced Western weapons. He told reporters Friday he “did not set out to destroy Ukraine” and doesn’t regret starting the conflict. Russia’s difficulties in achieving its war aims are becoming apparent in the illegally annexed Kherson region. Anticipating an advance by Ukrainian forces, Moscow-installed authorities there urged residents to flee Friday. Police: 15-year-old boy kills 5 in Raleigh shooting rampage RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Police say a 15-year-old boy fatally shot five people in an attack that stretched from the streets of a Raleigh neighborhood to a nearby walking trail. Two others were also injured in the Thursday evening attack, which led police on an hours-long manhunt before the teen was arrested. Raleigh police Chief Estella Patterson said Friday that the teen is hospitalized in critical condition. The motive for the shooting is still not known. Some of the victims were going about their daily routines when they died. They ranged in age from 16 to their late 50s. The dead include off-duty Raleigh police Officer Gabriel Torres, who was on his way to work. Justice Dept. seeks end to arbiter’s review of Trump docs WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department has asked a federal appeals court to overturn a judge’s appointment of an independent arbiter to review documents seized during an FBI search of former President Donald Trump’s Florida estate. The appeal is the latest salvo in weeks of litigation over the scope of duties of the arbiter, also known as a special master. He was assigned last month by a judge to inspect the thousands of records taken in the Aug. 8 search of Mar-a-Lago and weed out from the investigation any that may be protected by claims of legal privilege. At debate, Walker denies past support for US abortion ban SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — Georgia’s Republican Senate candidate Herschel Walker is denying his previous support for an outright national ban on abortion, though he has insisted at various points throughout the campaign that it was a proposal he endorsed. Walker, a staunch anti-abortion politician, was recently accused by a former girlfriend of encouraging and paying for her 2009 abortion. He was asked during a debate Friday with Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock about his support for “a complete ban on a national level.” He said the moderator had misstated his position. Walker’s claim contradicted statements he had made repeatedly on the campaign trail. In July he said it’s “a problem” that there is no national ban. Los Angeles mystery: Who taped meeting with racist rants? LOS ANGELES (AP) — An anonymously leaked recording of crude, racist remarks and political scheming that led to the resignation of the Los Angeles City Council president and a powerful labor leader left behind a mystery: Who made the tape and why? Five days after the disclosure of the year-old tape, it remains unknown who recorded it and posted it to the website Reddit, or even how many people are involved. The recording of the racist language led to the resignations of then-Council President Nury Martinez and Los Angeles County Federation of Labor President Ron Herrera, and two other Council members who attended are facing pressure to resign. NC shooting claims mom, veteran, matriarch, officer and teen RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The mass shooting in North Carolina’s capital city occurred during a moment of late afternoon rituals along a neighborhood’s quiet streets and on a popular walking trail. A woman was talking to a neighbor outside her home. Another was walking her terrier mix, Scruff, along the trail. A police officer was headed off to work. Police in Raleigh say those moments were shattered on Thursday when a 15-year-old boy opened fire. Five people were killed. Two others were wounded. Among the dead were: An avid runner and the mother of three boys. A woman who was the “rock” of her family and knew everyone in the neighborhood. And a Navy veteran whose wedding was two weeks away. Officials: 25 dead, many trapped in Turkish coal mine blast ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish officials say an explosion inside a coal mine in northern Turkey has killed at least 25 people and dozens remain trapped underground. The explosion occurred Friday at a state-owned mine in the town of Amasra, in the Black Sea coastal province of Bartin. The country’s energy minister says a preliminary assessment indicates the blast was caused by firedamp — a reference to flammable gases found in coal mines. There were 110 people in the mine at the time of the explosion. Most were able to evacuate the mine following the blast, but the interior minister says 49 people were caught in a higher risk area of the mine. 5 years on, key #MeToo voices take stock of the movement Once again, disgraced mogul Harvey Weinstein sits in a courtroom, on trial in Los Angeles while the reckoning the accusations against him launched marks a significant milestone this month. It’s been five years since a brief hashtag galvanized a broad social movement. It’s been five years of #MeToo. The Associated Press went back to Weinstein accuser Louisette Geiss, Bill Cosby accuser Andrea Constand, and “Me Too” founder Tarana Burke about how their lives have changed, how hopeful they feel and the challenges ahead. Both Geiss and Constand said that coming forward was the right things to do. As the causes of US inflation grow, so do the dangers WASHINGTON (AP) — What keeps driving inflation so high? The answer, it seems, is nearly everything. Supply chain snarls and parts shortages inflated the cost of factory goods when the economy rocketed out of the pandemic recession two years ago. Then it was a surge in consumer spending fueled by federal stimulus checks. Then Russia’s invasion of Ukraine disrupted gas and food supplies and sent those prices skyward. Since March, the Federal Reserve has been aggressively raising interest rates to try to cool the price spikes. So far, there’s little sign of progress. Thursday’s report on consumer prices in September came in hotter than expected. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Read More Here

Walker Again Denies He Paid For 2009 Abortion For Mother Of One Of His Children https://digitalarkansasnews.com/walker-again-denies-he-paid-for-2009-abortion-for-mother-of-one-of-his-children/ SAVANNAH, Ga. — Former football star Herschel Walker once again denied that he paid for an abortion in 2009, using his appearance on debate stage Friday night to rebut an account that has dogged his campaign. “That is a lie,” Walker said when asked about the account. The comments came in the first half of Friday’s Georgia Senate debate between Walker, the Republican nominee, and Sen. Raphael G. Warnock (D-Ga.), hosted by Nexstar Media Group and held at the JW Marriott Savannah Plant Riverside District. The debate was among the most-anticipated clashes of the midterms, with strategists from both parties saying the outcome of Georgia’s contest may determine whether Democrats or Republicans control the Senate for the next two years. The debate also came about a week after the mother of one of Walker’s children said the former football star paid for a 2009 abortion that she said he wanted her to have. The woman told The Washington Post that she had to repeatedly press Walker for funds for the procedure. Walker, who has been running on a strict antiabortion platform, opposing the procedure without exceptions for rape, incest or to protect the life of the mother, has said the account is not true. Warnock did not focus on the abortion story but did attack Walker on other issues relating to his past behavior. “My opponent has a problem with the truth,” Warnock said. “Just because he says something doesn’t mean it’s true.” Warnock added: “And I’ve never threatened a shootout with the police.” His comment was a reference to an episode from Walker’s past where a police report detailed Walker threatening a “shootout.” Throughout the debate, Warnock referenced various times he’s worked with Republicans, name checking Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) for initiatives they’ve pushed to help reduce maternal mortality. Warnock pointed to profit-taking by large corporations when asked about inflation. “Who takes advantage of a pandemic?” he asked. Walker repeatedly sought to tie his opponent to President Biden, saying Warnock and Biden are “cut from the same cloth.” “He and Joe Biden, they’re the same,” Walker said to applause from the studio audience. Warnock tried repeatedly to rebut that charge. “I’ve stood up to the Biden administration,” Warnock said. But he dodged when asked whether Biden should run again, saying he has not thought about it. Walker, when asked if former president Donald Trump should run again, offered a clear answer and support for the idea. “Yes, I would. President Trump is my friend,” Walker said. “I won’t leave my allies.” Walker and Warnock both said they would accept the results of the Senate election, regardless of the results. Walker, who has previously supported Trump’s false claims that there was widespread fraud during the 2020 presidential election, also said Biden won the election in 2020. “President Biden won, and Senator Warnock won. That’s the reason I decided to run,” he said. An analysis by The Post found that more than 100 candidates for statewide office or Congress have repeated Trump’s lie about the election results. On Friday morning, ahead of the debate, Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), the chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, echoed Walker’s message on the abortion story. “Herschel Walker has denied those allegations,” Scott said at a rally in Savannah for Walker. “He’s had lots of struggles, like a lot of people do, like a lot of families do.” “The path to the majority comes right here through Georgia,” Scott said. Last week, the Daily Beast published an account of the mother of one of Walker’s children saying he paid for her 2009 abortion after she became pregnant while they were in a relationship. The Post has reviewed a receipt for the procedure, an ATM deposit slip that includes an image of a $700 check written by Walker days after the procedure and a “get well” card that he sent with the check. The Post has spoken with a person the woman confided in at the time, who corroborated her account. Though Democrats have said they think the revelations could upend what has been a tight race, some supporters had said the senator shouldn’t bring it up onstage. “That speaks for itself. Walker is showing his true color,” Mattie England, a retired nurse, said at a rally for Warnock in Savannah. “Reverend Warnock, in terms of the things that he needs to bring up today, I don’t necessarily know that Mr. Walker’s honesty is one of them,” said Donna Sanders, a student and caregiver from Savannah. “I think most of us voters see clearly, regardless of what’s plastered all over political commercials.” Scott, the NRSC chair, also tried to move on from the abortion story and instead focus on how much of the Republican agenda is at stake in the race. He said Walker will help lower taxes, secure the border and ensure parental involvement with schools. “If you name all these issues, Warnock is on the wrong side,” Scott said. Walker’s ads have focused on the issues that he said he would support in the Senate, including working to secure borders, reduce crime and fight inflation. Other GOP leaders have also tried to deflect from the stories about Walker’s personal life. “I’m more concerned about Raphael G. Warnock’s future than I am about Herschel Walker’s past, I’ll tell you that,” Rep. Earl L. “Buddy” Carter (R-Ga.) said. Democrats and the Warnock campaign have aired ads criticizing Walker for presenting a false account of his education, not giving promised money to charities, violently threatening an ex-wife, overstating his work for veterans and inflating the size of his company. Walker has acknowledged the onslaught of negative ads with a TV advertisement of his own. “I can take the hits,” Walker says in the spot as footage from a football game plays, “but it won’t change the facts.” On Sunday, the Atlanta Press Club is set to host another Senate debate. Warnock plans to attend, as does Chase Oliver, a Libertarian candidate in the race. Walker has not confirmed that he’ll be there, according to the press club’s website. On Monday, Walker is set to participate in a televised town hall hosted by Fox News’s Sean Hannity in Acworth, Ga., north of Atlanta. Linskey reported from Washington. Read More Here

Roger Stone Blasts https://digitalarkansasnews.com/roger-stone-blasts/ Longtime political “dirty trickster” and fervent Donald Trump ally Roger Stone was recorded cursing at Trump and referring to Ivanka Trump with an expletive after he failed to obtain a preemptive White House pardon for his activities on Jan. 6 last year. In documentary footage released Friday by Danish filmmaker Christoffer Guldbrandsen, Stone can be seen on a cell phone, ranting about what he imagines saying to the outgoing president for refusing to grant him a second pardon: “Fuck you.” Stone also bashes Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, in the footage, saying he “has an IQ of 70.” “Aside from Donald Trump, [Stone] also held Jared Kushner responsible as being the guy who was the point man on the pardon,” Guldbrandsen told The Daily Beast. Kushner is “coming to Miami,” Stone says on the phone in the video. “We will eject him from Miami very quickly; he’ll be leaving very quickly. Very quickly. He has 100 security guards. I will have 5,000 security guards. You want to fight, let’s fight. Fuck you. Fuck you and your abortionist bitch daughter.” Stone made the call in a car in Fort Lauderdale the day of Joe Biden’s inauguration last year when Trump no longer had the power to pardon anyone. It is unclear who he is talking to in the footage. Unreleased subpoenaed footage: Stone angry that Trump didn’t grant him a second pardon melts down calling Ivanka Trump – abortionist bitch daughter. pic.twitter.com/aAAOZLC5fu — Christoffer Guldbrandsen (@cguld) October 14, 2022 The video clip is from Guldbrandsen’s documentary “A Storm Foretold” about the events leading up to last year’s Capitol riot. The House Jan. 6 panel investigating the attack on the Capitol subpoenaed the footage, according to the filmmaker. He told The Daily Beast that there was “no doubt” that Stone was referring to Ivanka Trump as an “abortionist bitch” in the tape. The former first daughter was a strange target for Stone, since she staunchly declared herself in a 2020 interview “pro-life, and unapologetically so.” Stone, who opposes abortion, claims to respect life — even though, in other footage, he advocates killing people over the results of the 2020 election. “Fuck the voting; let’s get right to the violence,” Stone says in a video clip the filmmaker released last month. “Shoot to kill. See an antifa? Shoot to kill. Fuck ’em. Done with this bullshit.” The filmmaker told The Washington Post that spending nearly three years with Stone and his cronies convinced him and his crew that the 2020 presidential election and Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection marked the “beginning of an anti-democratic movement in the United States.” Guldbrandsen said Stone erupted when he learned he wouldn’t be getting a Jan. 6-related pardon from Trump. He had been “holding out for a pardon till the very last minute. He had written up a memo, earlier on, after January 6th, with a plan about encouraging Trump to pardon the lawmakers who had voted against certifying, and Roger Stone, and some of his clients,” the filmmaker added. Stone wasn’t facing any charges for Jan. 6 when he was ranting on the phone — and Trump had already granted him a previous pardon. In 2019, Stone was convicted of seven felonies, including obstruction of justice and witness tampering, during the investigation into Kremlin interference in the 2016 presidential election. He was sentenced to 40 months in prison. Stone indicated he expected a payback pardon in that case because he kept his mouth shut about damaging information concerning Trump. The then-president publicly praised Stone for not “flipping” and commuted his sentence before it even began in the summer of 2020. Trump then pardoned Stone shortly before leaving the White House. Just had a long talk with #RogerStone. He says he doesn’t want a pardon (which implies guilt) but a commutation, and says he thinks #Trump will give it to him. “He knows I was under enormous pressure to turn on him. It would have eased my situation considerably. But I didn’t.” — howardfineman (@howardfineman) July 10, 2020 Stone is currently being investigated for activities linked to the insurrection. The night before Trump supporters stormed the Capitol, he urged the crowd to “fight,” warning that they were in a battle between the “godly and the godless” and “good and evil.” He had previously urged Trump to call out the military and seize power if Trump lost the 2020 election. Stone could not be reached for comment about Guldbrandsen’s footage. He has claimed that earlier documentary video clips of him trash-talking Trump were “deep fakes.” Read More Here

AP News Summary At 8:48 P.m. EDT https://digitalarkansasnews.com/ap-news-summary-at-848-p-m-edt/ Trump’s subpoena and what’s next for the Jan. 6 panel WASHINGTON (AP) — In an extraordinary step, the House Jan. 6 committee has voted unanimously to subpoena former President Donald Trump – a final effort to get the full story of the Capitol insurrection as the panel wraps up its work by the end of the year. Trump has been relentlessly hostile to the investigation, calling it a “charade and a witch hunt” in a letter to the committee on Friday. But he has not said whether he will comply with the demand for his appearance.  Even if he does, there’s no guarantee the committee would get anything different from the broadsides Trump sends out periodically. Putin calls his actions in Ukraine ‘correct and timely’ KYIV, UKRAINE (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin expects his troop mobilization for combat in Ukraine to end in about two weeks. That would allow him to end the unpopular and chaotic call-up meant to counter Ukrainian battlefield gains and solidify his illegal annexation of Ukrainian territory. Putin faces domestic discontent and military setbacks in a neighboring country increasingly armed with advanced Western weapons. He told reporters Friday he “did not set out to destroy Ukraine” and doesn’t regret starting the conflict. Russia’s difficulties in achieving its war aims are becoming apparent in the illegally annexed Kherson region. Anticipating an advance by Ukrainian forces, Moscow-installed authorities there urged residents to flee Friday. Police: 15-year-old boy kills 5 in Raleigh shooting rampage RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Police say a 15-year-old boy fatally shot five people in an attack that stretched from the streets of a Raleigh neighborhood to a nearby walking trail. Two others were also injured in the Thursday evening attack, which led police on an hours-long manhunt before the teen was arrested. Raleigh police Chief Estella Patterson said Friday that the teen is hospitalized in critical condition. The motive for the shooting is still not known. Some of the victims were going about their daily routines when they died. They ranged in age from 16 to their late 50s. The dead include off-duty Raleigh police Officer Gabriel Torres, who was on his way to work. Justice Dept. seeks end to arbiter’s review of Trump docs WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department has asked a federal appeals court to overturn a judge’s appointment of an independent arbiter to review documents seized during an FBI search of former President Donald Trump’s Florida estate. The appeal is the latest salvo in weeks of litigation over the scope of duties of the arbiter, also known as a special master. He was assigned last month by a judge to inspect the thousands of records taken in the Aug. 8 search of Mar-a-Lago and weed out from the investigation any that may be protected by claims of legal privilege. Walker denies previous support for national abortion ban SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — Republican Senate candidate Herschel Walker is denying his previous support for an outright national ban on abortion, making the shift in his lone debate against Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock. Walker, a staunch anti-abortion politician recently accused by a former girlfriend of encouraging and paying for her 2009 abortion, accused Warnock of misstating his position by saying Walker had supported a national ban on abortion, without exceptions. But Walker has insisted at various points throughout the campaign that he supported a national abortion ban. The outcome of their race will help determine which party controls the U.S. Senate for the next two years of President Joe Biden’s term. Los Angeles mystery: Who taped meeting with racist comments? LOS ANGELES (AP) — An anonymously leaked recording of crude, racist remarks and political scheming that led to the resignation of the Los Angeles City Council president and a powerful labor leader left behind a mystery: Who made the tape and why? Five days after the disclosure of the year-old tape, it remains unknown who recorded it and posted it to the website Reddit, or even how many people are involved. The recording of the racist language led to the resignations of then-Council President Nury Martinez and Los Angeles County Federation of Labor President Ron Herrera, and two other Council members who attended are facing pressure to resign. NC shooting claims mom, veteran, matriarch, officer and teen RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The mass shooting in North Carolina’s capital city occurred during a moment of late afternoon rituals along a neighborhood’s quiet streets and on a popular walking trail. A woman was talking to a neighbor outside her home. Another was walking her terrier mix, Scruff, along the trail. A police officer was headed off to work. Police in Raleigh say those moments were shattered on Thursday when a 15-year-old boy opened fire. Five people were killed. Two others were wounded. Among the dead were: An avid runner and the mother of three boys. A woman who was the “rock” of her family and knew everyone in the neighborhood. And a Navy veteran whose wedding was two weeks away. Officials: 25 dead, many trapped in Turkish coal mine blast ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish officials say an explosion inside a coal mine in northern Turkey has killed at least 25 people and dozens remain trapped underground. The explosion occurred Friday at a state-owned mine in the town of Amasra, in the Black Sea coastal province of Bartin. The country’s energy minister says a preliminary assessment indicates the blast was caused by firedamp — a reference to flammable gases found in coal mines. There were 110 people in the mine at the time of the explosion. Most were able to evacuate the mine following the blast, but the interior minister says 49 people were caught in a higher risk area of the mine. 5 years on, key #MeToo voices take stock of the movement Once again, disgraced mogul Harvey Weinstein sits in a courtroom, on trial in Los Angeles while the reckoning the accusations against him launched marks a significant milestone this month. It’s been five years since a brief hashtag galvanized a broad social movement. It’s been five years of #MeToo. The Associated Press went back to Weinstein accuser Louisette Geiss, Bill Cosby accuser Andrea Constand, and “Me Too” founder Tarana Burke about how their lives have changed, how hopeful they feel and the challenges ahead. Both Geiss and Constand said that coming forward was the right things to do. As the causes of US inflation grow, so do the dangers WASHINGTON (AP) — What keeps driving inflation so high? The answer, it seems, is nearly everything. Supply chain snarls and parts shortages inflated the cost of factory goods when the economy rocketed out of the pandemic recession two years ago. Then it was a surge in consumer spending fueled by federal stimulus checks. Then Russia’s invasion of Ukraine disrupted gas and food supplies and sent those prices skyward. Since March, the Federal Reserve has been aggressively raising interest rates to try to cool the price spikes. So far, there’s little sign of progress. Thursday’s report on consumer prices in September came in hotter than expected. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Read More Here

Justice Dept. Asks Appeals Court To End Mar-A-Lago Special Master https://digitalarkansasnews.com/justice-dept-asks-appeals-court-to-end-mar-a-lago-special-master/ The Justice Department asked a federal appeals court to reverse a Florida judge’s order appointing a special master to review documents seized from Donald Trump’s home and club, arguing that the former president had no right to possess the seized materials after he left office and that there was no legal basis for an outside review. While prosecutors had already appealed portions of U.S. District Court Judge Aileen M. Cannon’s special master appointment, Friday was the first time they appealed the entire court order. If the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit sides with the government, the special master’s review would stop — and criminal investigators once again would be permitted to access thousands of unclassified documents that FBI agents took from Mar-a-Lago in August. The government said in its appeal that those unclassified documents are critical to its ongoing criminal probe of possible mishandling of classified material, obstruction and destruction of government records, and could help them conduct witness interviews and corroborate evidence. “In short, the unclassified records that were stored collectively with records bearing classification markings may identify who was responsible for the unauthorized retention of these records, the relevant time periods in which records were created or accessed, and who may have accessed or seen them,” the filing reads. The Atlanta-based appeals court said Trump’s lawyers have until Nov. 10 to file their response. As part of their appeal, Justice Department lawyers updated the number of documents taken from Mar-a-Lago, which was earlier said to be about 11,000 but now is about 13,000. Trump’s lawyers asked two weeks after the search for an outside expert to sift through the seized materials — including 103 documents marked classified — to determine whether any are protected by attorney-client or executive privilege, and should be shielded from criminal investigators. Prosecutors argued in Friday’s 53-page filing that Trump has no right to assert either form of privilege over the government documents, rendering the review by a Brooklyn-based federal judge, Raymond J. Dearie, unnecessary. Cannon had originally ordered the special master to review both the classified and nonclassified materials and barred the Justice Department from using any of the documents in its criminal investigation until that review was done. A panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit overturned part of that decision, which removed the classified materials from Dearie’s review and allowed investigators to use those documents right away. On Thursday, the Supreme Court rejected a petition from Trump’s lawyers that asked it to review part of the appeals court’s decision on narrow, technical grounds. Cannon has said Dearie would have until December to complete his review of the nonclassified documents. Read More Here

Responsible Growth Arkansas Tours State In Support Of Recreational Marijuana https://digitalarkansasnews.com/responsible-growth-arkansas-tours-state-in-support-of-recreational-marijuana/ by: Justin Trobaugh Posted: Oct 14, 2022 / 07:05 PM CDT Updated: Oct 14, 2022 / 07:05 PM CDT ROGERS, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — One group is touring Arkansas to support Issue 4. The ballot measure would legalize recreational marijuana. Responsible Growth Arkansas petitioned for recreational marijuana to be included on the ballot, saying Issue 4 would support the state in four ways. The group was at The Source Cannabis in Bentonville to discuss the ballot measure. “It provides funding for law enforcement,” said Eddie Armstrong, chairman of Responsible Growth Arkansas. “It would provide funding to help our cancer research accreditation be a final thing with UAMS. It actually helps drug courts and it improves our workforce population by providing over 6,000 new jobs.” Opponents think the measure is not beneficial for Arkansas residents. “The amendment was thrown together by the marijuana industry,” said Jerry Cox with Family Council Action Committee. “And, it is being placed there by them for them to benefit them.” Responsible Growth Arkansas says it will continue touring the state for the next few weeks. Arkansans to vote on recreational marijuana Arkansas Today: Arkansas Extension Service explains … Arkansas’ gubernatorial candidates’ plans for criminal … What to know before voter registration deadline Voter registration open late in Benton County Meet the candidates for Centerton Mayor TOP STORIES Read More Here

Cramer's Lightning Round: I'm Sticking By Intuitive Surgical https://digitalarkansasnews.com/cramers-lightning-round-im-sticking-by-intuitive-surgical/ Loading chart… Intuitive Surgical Inc: “People don’t like that group right now. I’m going to stick by it, though.” Loading chart… Qualcomm Inc: “It was painful to do, but I had to cut it back [for the Charitable Trust.]” Loading chart… Cisco Systems Inc: “I’m going to hold onto it for the Charitable Trust.” Disclaimer: Cramer’s Charitable Trust owns shares of Qualcomm and Cisco. watch now VIDEO2:2402:24 Cramer’s lightning round: I’m sticking by Intuitive Surgical Mad Money with Jim Cramer Jim Cramer’s Guide to Investing Click here to download Jim Cramer’s Guide to Investing at no cost to help you build long-term wealth and invest smarter. Sign up now for the CNBC Investing Club to follow Jim Cramer’s every move in the market. Disclaimer Questions for Cramer? Call Cramer: 1-800-743-CNBC Want to take a deep dive into Cramer’s world? Hit him up! Mad Money Twitter – Jim Cramer Twitter – Facebook – Instagram Questions, comments, suggestions for the “Mad Money” website? madcap@cnbc.com Read More Here

Governor Asa Hutchinson’s Public Schedule: October 16 22, 2022 – SWARK Today https://digitalarkansasnews.com/governor-asa-hutchinsons-public-schedule-october-16-22-2022-swark-today/ Home/Politics/Governor Asa Hutchinson’s Public Schedule: October 16 22, 2022 LITTLE ROCK – The following is a list of public appearances by Governor Asa Hutchinson from Sunday, October 16, 2022, through Saturday, October 22, 2022: Wednesday, October 19, 2022 BENTONVILLE America Leads: An Ideas Summit Thursday, October 20, 2022 MEMPHIS, TN 2022 CSforAll Summit 10:30 a.m. The Guest House Graceland LITTLE ROCK Arkansas Press Association’s Fall Gala 6:45 p.m. Wally Allen Ballroom State House Convention Center Friday, October 21, 2022 FAYETTEVILLE Political Animals Luncheon 12 p.m. Mermaid’s Restaurant Read More…

News Wrap: Teenager Accused In N.C. Mass Shooting, DOJ Seeks End To Special Master Review https://digitalarkansasnews.com/news-wrap-teenager-accused-in-n-c-mass-shooting-doj-seeks-end-to-special-master-review/ In our news wrap Friday, police say a 15-year-old boy is in critical condition after shooting and killing five people in Raleigh, North Carolina, the U.S. Justice Department asked a federal appeals court to end an outside review of documents seized from former President Trump, and actor Robbie Coltrane, who played Hagrid the “Harry Potter” movies, died in his native Scotland. Read More Here

Ohio Dems Press Party To Invest In High Stakes Senate Seat https://digitalarkansasnews.com/ohio-dems-press-party-to-invest-in-high-stakes-senate-seat-2/ COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Democrats across Ohio are pleading for help in the state’s Senate contest, afraid they may lose a winnable election unless national party leaders make major investments in the coming days. So far, the most powerful groups in Democratic politics have prioritized Senate pickup opportunities in North Carolina, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania over Ohio, once a perennial swing state that veered right in the Trump era. But on the eve of the 2022 midterms, some public polls suggest Ohio is as competitive as the other swing states, leaving many Democrats here wondering why their party isn’t backing Senate contender Tim Ryan more forcefully. “Ohio’s just not a priority anymore. It’s a daunting task that we have to navigate,” said state Rep. Dontavius Jarrells, a Ryan ally. “The reality is that without federal investments, he may not win.” Ryan, a 10-term congressman, said in an interview that party leaders who believe he can’t win “have no idea what’s going on out here.” “I’ve come to terms with the fact that we’re probably not going to get any help. I’m playing with the team we got on the field,” Ryan said. “I can’t think of anything more Ohio than us taking on the entire political establishment at this point.” The tension is a reflection of the difficult decisions Democratic leaders are facing about how to invest limited financial resources in the final weeks before the Nov. 8 election. With a razor-thin Senate majority, any move could carry long-term consequences. If Republicans gain even one seat, they would take control of the Senate — and with it, gain power to control judicial nominations and President Joe Biden’s legislative agenda. And if Ryan comes up short by just a few points, there will likely be an intense round of post-election questions about whether the party could have done more to win. The financial disparities in the race are stark. Republican JD Vance, a venture capitalist and author of “Hillbilly Elegy,” is the beneficiary of more than $30 million from outside Republican groups. They include organizations aligned with former President Donald Trump and Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell. By contrast, Ryan has benefited from less than $4 million in outside spending so far. U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, who has built a reputation as a progressive Democrat who can still win over working class voters in places like Ohio, said the party should do more. “If we want to win in Ohio, we need to invest in Ohio,” he said. “Tim Ryan is running a great campaign because he’s showing voters that he is the candidate who’s on their side. That’s how you win elections.” David Bergstein, the spokesperson for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, which is the official campaign arm for Senate Democrats, said the organization was “proud” to support Ryan’s campaign with a coordinated investment of roughly $1 million in television spending that allowed the campaign to take advantage of lower advertising rates for candidates. There is still a chance Democrats will find some additional money to help Ryan. The Senate Majority PAC, by far the most influential super PAC in Senate Democratic politics, is not ruling out significant Ohio investments over the election’s final days, although the group has spent little there so far compared with other key states. On Thursday, the group announced an additional $4 million investment in North Carolina television advertising, bringing its total spending in the state to $15 million and counting. “Tim Ryan is running a remarkably strong campaign that is resonating with Ohio voters of every political persuasion and putting Republicans on defense, while Vance’s weak candidacy has become a serious liability for the GOP,” said JB Poersch, Senate Majority PAC president. “We’re going to continue making strategic, effective decisions that put us in the best position possible to accomplish our mission: defending our Democratic Senate majority.” Another pro-Democrat group, the Save America Fund, has already spent $2.5 million on television ads designed to help Ryan since August. The group has been discussing more significant buys with other PACs. “We are having lots of conversations about how Tim Ryan can win this race,” said Eric Hyers, a former colleague of Ryan’s campaign manager who is running the Save America Fund. “We are all in on this.” But there are no easy options for Democratic groups deciding where to dedicate their final round of resources. Democrats are defending vulnerable incumbent senators across Arizona, Georgia, Nevada and New Hampshire. They have also been investing heavily in flipping Republican-held seats across Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Wisconsin. Democratic officials privately note that Trump twice won Ohio by 8 points, reflecting the Republican leanings of the state. By comparison, Trump won North Carolina by less than 1 percentage point and lost Wisconsin by just over 1 percentage point. National Democratic strategists also note that Ohio’s large working class population has shifted sharply away from Democrats in recent years, despite Ryan’s best efforts to appeal to such voters. That sentiment has led to a sense among Democrats in Ohio that their national party is abandoning them. “There’s a lot of frustration,” said Ohio-based Democratic strategist Cliff Schecter, conceding that national Democratic leaders have a difficult job. “Tim Ryan doesn’t need a lot — just something. Do what you gotta do. Find a little bit of extra money. This race is incredibly winnable.” Some Republicans privately see Vance as an underwhelming candidate, although most expect him to win because of the state’s recent Republican shift. He has badly trailed Ryan in fundraising, typically an important gauge of a candidate’s strength. Ryan has raised more than $21.5 million on his own, compared with Vance’s $6.9 million. As the race moves into its final weeks, Vance is leaning on Trump’s continued popularity in the state to maintain momentum, particularly among undecided working class white voters. Donald Trump Jr., one of Vance’s strongest supporters, campaigned alongside the Ohio Republican last week. But Vance’s relationship with Trump is complicated. Vance was initially a so-called “Never Trumper” before Trump won the president. The former president then botched Vance’s name at a rally during the spring primary. And at Trump’s most recent Ohio rally for Vance, the former president quipped that Vance “is kissing my a—” for political support. Ryan echoed that comment during a debate this week, calling Vance an “a— kisser.” In the interview, Ryan said he’s considering renaming his campaign bus “The A— Kicker Express.” He also made clear that while he’d welcome national Democratic dollars, he doesn’t want Biden to campaign on his behalf. “It’s nothing personal. It’s just like, I’m running in Ohio. I know Ohio. I know the message,” Ryan said. “There’s nobody that can express that better than me. And every time you bring people in, you take on their enemies, they may not say the things the way you want it to be said, and we’ve run a very disciplined campaign for the last year and a half. I just want to make sure that I’m the face, I’m the voice.” Ryan added, “And I want Ohioans to know I stand on my own.” Yet many Ryan allies continue to clamor for help from the national party. Former Ohio Democratic Party Chairm David Pepper said the DSCC needs to step up and support Ryan, who’s “fighting as effectively as anybody could” without national money. “It’s so similar to what happened in ‘16, it’s kind of hard to watch,” Pepper said, referencing former Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland’s loss to Republican Sen. Rob Portman in that year’s Senate race. “It’s when polls are tied, our candidate has more money and is a stronger candidate and, when Republicans throw a punch, we walk away. It’s a terrible signal to send.” In 2016, Strickland ultimately lost to Portman by 21 points. Next door in Pennsylvania, Republican Sen. Pat Toomey won by less than 2. ___ Peoples reported from New York. ___ This story has been corrected to fix the spelling of the last name of Democratic strategist Cliff Schecter. Copyright 2022 WTVG. All rights reserved. Read More Here

Jan. 6 Video Undermines Trump’s Repeated Efforts To Blame Pelosi For Capitol Security https://digitalarkansasnews.com/jan-6-video-undermines-trumps-repeated-efforts-to-blame-pelosi-for-capitol-security/ Never-before-seen video of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and other congressional leaders on Jan. 6, 2021, offers strikingly vivid evidence undermining former president Donald Trump’s long-debunked claim that the failure to adequately protect the Capitol from a pro-Trump mob lay not with him but with Pelosi. In the video shown Thursday by the House committee investigating the attack, Pelosi is on the phone pleading with Trump administration officials for help to stop the violence and secure the Capitol as U.S. Capitol Police were overmatched by the hundreds of rioters storming the building — including some who demanded her head. Getting nowhere with the officials, she contacts Virginia’s governor and says she will contact the D.C. mayor. Throughout the video, Pelosi is intent on resuming the congressional process of counting the electoral college votes for Joe Biden’s win while showing the nation that the government was still functioning despite the siege. The video was recorded by a documentary crew embedded with Pelosi and led by her daughter Alexandra. Trump often has suggested that Pelosi failed to do her job, that the breach of the Capitol was her fault and the absence of enough security to turn back the mob of his supporters was her responsibility — not that of the commander in chief. He has falsely claimed that Pelosi rejected his order for 10,000 National Guard troops — something that never happened. The former president, in a statement posted online Friday responding to the committee, wrote, “I fully authorized” deployment of National Guard troops, but, he added falsely, the request was refused by officials who answer to Pelosi. “Nancy Pelosi and [D.C. Mayor] Muriel Bowser didn’t do their job, they didn’t like the look of soldiers, and sadly your Committee refuses to say anything about it, because if they did, it would be clear that I did everything correctly, and that is not what the Committee wants to see,” Trump wrote. Trump’s false claims were echoed by Republican lawmakers, including some who — according to the newly released video — were literally in the room when Pelosi and others were calling in reinforcements. On the evening of Jan. 5, Trump made an offhand comment to his acting secretary of defense about needing thousands of troops in Washington the following day. The secretary told Trump he had to formally make that request, which Trump never did. For Pelosi, the video was just the latest eye-catching display of her authority in the face of Trump. In February 2019, after Trump delivered his State of the Union speech, she delivered a sarcastic clap that instantly became a legendary meme. That October she stormed out of a meeting in the Cabinet Room, but not before waving her finger at Trump and questioning his loyalty to the country. And moments after Trump delivered his State of the Union speech in 2020, Pelosi stood up behind him and literally tore it to pieces. Trump, needless to say, has sought to blame many of his problems on Pelosi. His statement came after the House committee voted to subpoena him on Thursday for records and testimony. He remains silent on whether he will comply or defy the panel. Here is a breakdown of the video: Pelosi demands Congress return to session that day Pelosi, being escorted through a corridor to safety, says into her cellphone, “We have got to get — finish the proceedings or else they will have a complete victory.” Later, in a secure location with staffers, Pelosi said a key goal is to “maintain the sense that people have that there’s some security or some confidence that government can function and that we can elect a president of the United States.” Pelosi and others speak with the acting secretary of defense Pelosi, House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.) and then-Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) huddle around a phone Schumer is holding as they speak with Christopher Miller, acting defense secretary. Schumer tells Miller: “We have some senators who are still in their hideaways. They need massive personnel now. Can you get the Maryland National Guard to come too?” Pelosi then tells Miller she will call the mayor “and see what other outreach she has.” Pelosi speaks with Va. Gov. Ralph Northam, who sends help Pelosi speaks on the phone with Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D) asking him about sending the Virginia National Guard into the District. She tells Northam that Hoyer spoke with Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) about sending National Guard troops, as well. Pelosi then says to Northam, “I still think you probably need the okay of the federal government to come in to another jurisdiction.” As Pelosi ends her call with Northam and hands the phone to an aide, Schumer says aloud, “Virginia Guard has been called in.” Pelosi then says Northam “sent 200 state police and a unit of the National Guard.” Schumer demands the acting attorney general push Trump to call off the attack Pelosi, speaking into a phone Schumer is holding, tells acting attorney general Jeffrey Rosen that the rioters are “breaking windows and going in, obviously ransacking our offices and all the rest of that.” She tells him, “That’s nothing. The concern we have about personal harm … personal safety, just transcends everything.” Schumer, clearly angry, chimes in and tells Rosen: “Why don’t you get the president to tell them to leave the Capitol, Mr. Attorney General, in your law enforcement responsibility.” Trump would eventually release a video statement that day asking rioters to leave, but restating the lie that he won the election. Pelosi, Schumer and Republicans speak with Pentagon officials. Pelosi, Schumer and Hoyer stand in a circle and are joined by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) and Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.). Schumer asks the Defense Department: “How soon in the future can you have the place evacuated? You know, cleaned out?” When the defense official balks at giving an estimate without knowledge of what officials are seeing on the ground, Pelosi presses for immediate action. “Just pretend for a moment that we’re in the Pentagon or the White House or some other entity that was under siege,” Pelosi says. “You can logistically get people there as you make the plan.” Pelosi speaks with Vice President Pence, pushes for Congress to return immediately. Pelosi speaks with Vice President Mike Pence. She tells him that McConnell is in agreement about wanting to minimize the objections to certifying Joe Biden’s victory. “We’re trying to figure out how we can get this job done today,” she told Pence. “We talked to Mitch about it earlier.” But Pelosi says it is not clear how soon lawmakers can reconvene. “The overriding wish is to do it at the Capitol. What we are being told very directly is it is going to take days for the Capitol to be okay.” Just before 6 p.m., Pence calls Pelosi and relays news he received from the Capitol Police: The House and Senate will be able to reconvene in about an hour. “Thank you very much, Mr. Vice President,” Pelosi says. Pelosi’s most explosive comments though can be seen in video the documentary crew provided not to the committee, but rather, to CNN. In the video, before the rioters reach the Capitol, Pelosi is seen in her office. As a staffer tells her that despite Trump publicly claiming he will join the march to the building, Secret Service “told him they don’t have the resources to protect him here. So at the moment he is not coming, but that could change.” Pelosi replies, “If he comes I’m going to punch him out.” As an aide says she would “hate to see that,” Pelosi continues: “I’ve been waiting for this. For trespassing on the Capitol grounds.” She adds: “I’m going to punch him out, and I’m going to go to jail, and I’m going to be happy.” Read More Here

Nancy Pelosi Wanted To 'punch Trump Out' Even If It Meant Going To Jail On Jan. 6 https://digitalarkansasnews.com/nancy-pelosi-wanted-to-punch-trump-out-even-if-it-meant-going-to-jail-on-jan-6/ Photo credit Getty Images | Alex Wong/Staff “If he comes, I’m going to punch him out.” That was the sentiment voiced by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on January 6, 2021, when then-President Donald Trump told his followers that he would march with them to the Capitol. The quote was recorded as part of a documentary being shot by Pelosi’s daughter that day. The footage aired on CNN Thursday and showed Pelosi watching Trump’s “Save America” rally on television. That rally would bleed into the eventual riots that raged through the Washington, D.C., streets for hours after the rally’s conclusion. “If he comes I’m going to punch him out,” Pelosi says in the footage. “I’ve been waiting for this. For trespassing on the Capitol grounds. I’m going to punch him out and I’m going to go to jail and I’m going to be happy.” In the end, Trump did not accompany the rallygoers who made their way to the Capitol. The video also showed Pelosi’s evacuation from the building as one of the chief targets of the mob rage that festered throughout the afternoon and the evening. Pelosi can be seen continuing to make phone calls asking for the activation of the National Guard and seeking ways to carry on with certifying the 2020 Presidential election that Trump lost. Some of the footage was also shown during that day’s Jan. 6 committee hearing. Featured Image Photo Credit: Getty Images | Alex Wong/Staff Read More Here

WSJ News Exclusive | Rupert Murdoch Explores Reuniting His Media Empire By Recombining Fox And News Corp https://digitalarkansasnews.com/wsj-news-exclusive-rupert-murdoch-explores-reuniting-his-media-empire-by-recombining-fox-and-news-corp/ This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. https://www.wsj.com/articles/rupert-murdoch-explores-reuniting-his-media-empire-by-recombining-fox-and-news-corp-11665778812 Move would bring assets such as Fox News and The Wall Street Journal back under one roof, nearly a decade after they split Updated Oct. 14, 2022 6:41 pm ET Rupert Murdoch has proposed a recombination of Fox Corp. and News Corp, the two wings of his media empire, nearly a decade after they split, according to people familiar with the situation. Special board committees have recently been established by both companies to study a possible deal and evaluate potential financial terms, the people said. The discussions are at an early stage, they added. Read More Here

Obituaries In Fort Smith, AR | Times Record https://digitalarkansasnews.com/obituaries-in-fort-smith-ar-times-record-73/ Marcus Lafayette (M.L.) Wilkins, Jr. age 85 of Magazine, Arkansas passed away after a short illness on October 13, 2022, in Fayetteville, Arkansas. He was born in Sugar Grove, Arkansas on September 4, 1937, to Marcus and Pearl Cupp Wilkins. M.L. served in the Air Force, worked as a tooling engineer for Whirlpool Corporation in Fort Smith, was a volunteer fireman and served on the board of Magazine Rural Fire Department. He was a member of the River Valley Antique Tractor Club and enjoyed spending hours in his home workshop restoring vintage tractors and vehicles and enjoyed helping his community with mechanics and welding work. He is preceded in death by his parents and eight siblings, Owen, Syble, Allie Mae, Verneda, Melvin, Charles Henry, John Paul, and Mary Alice. Services will be held on Monday, October 17 at 2:00 pm at Bulger Funeral Home with graveside services immediately following at Oak Hill Memorial Cemetery, under the direction of Bulger Funeral Home. Visitation will be from 1:00 – 2:00 pm on Monday, prior to the service. M.L. is survived by his wife of 64 years, Mary Ann Marrs Wilkins; his son and daughter-in-law, Bruce and Laura Wilkins of Fayetteville; grandchildren, Lauren and her husband Lance Stokes of Santa Rosa Beach, Florida and Austin Wilkins of Fayetteville; three great grandchildren; brother-in-law, Jim Marrs and his wife Glenda of Rome, Georgia; and many nieces and nephews. Pallbearers: Joe Roberts, Larry Garrett, Ricky Austin, Bruce Staton, Tommy Staton, and Stanley Beck. Honorary Pallbearers: Westmoreland brothers and other schoolmates In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to St. Jude Children’s Hospital or the Arkansas Sheriff Youth Ranch www.bulgerfh.com Posted online on October 14, 2022 Read More Here

Putin Accused Of Plotting Another ‘Full-Scale Offensive’ In Kremlin Leak https://digitalarkansasnews.com/putin-accused-of-plotting-another-full-scale-offensive-in-kremlin-leak/ Russian President Vladimir Putin has plans to launch a full-scale offensive next year in Ukraine, which would mark a significant escalation from the “partial mobilization” Moscow initiated last month, according to Meduza, which cites “multiple” sources close to the Kremlin. To stall before launching a fuller onslaught, Putin is working to drum up peace talks with Ukraine again, potentially through engaging in a ceasefire, Meduza reports. During that time, the Russian president reportedly hopes to have his troops trained up and prepared for fighting in Ukraine. His alleged designs, though, don’t align with reality. Ukrainian leadership has indicated for months now that Ukraine will not engage in peace talks while Moscow continues to wage war inside Ukraine. After Russia claimed parts of Ukrainian territory as its own last month—a move which world leaders have denounced as illegal—Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that negotiating with Putin would be “impossible.” It’s not clear how Putin plans to make the Ukrainians budge on that point. The Kremlin indicated earlier this week that it expected Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to propose that Turkey hold peace talks for Ukraine and Russia, which would be a reprisal of an earlier role Turkey took on in the early days of the war. Turkey hosted peace talks in March, just days after Russian forces invaded Ukraine. But Erdogan and Putin did not discuss Ukraine, let alone any peace negotiations, during their meeting Thursday in Kazakhstan, RFERL reported. Russian officials have also been waging a behind-the-scenes campaign with western officials, trying to convince them to urge Kyiv to come to the negotiating table, according to Meduza. As of Friday, the Biden Administration has seen no signs that Putin is prepared to engage in good faith negotiations, though, a State Department Spokesperson told The Daily Beast. “No one wants this war to be over more than Ukraine, and the United States will certainly not be the one to delay negotiations,” the spokesperson said. “If President Putin truly wanted a peace deal or a ceasefire, he would stop the bombs and missiles. He would fully withdraw his troops from Ukraine.” The news of Putin’s grander plans comes after Putin ordered a partial mobilization of 300,000 Russian men last month to try to account for losses on the battlefield. The partial mobilization has been wildly unpopular in Russia, prompting hundreds of thousands of Russian men potentially eligible for conscription to flee Russia. Some have even fled to the United States and have begun to seek asylum. Others, who have been swept up in the mobilization, have, in some cases, received minimal training for the war. Russia has already mobilized 222,000 people out of the 300,000 called up for service in the partial mobilization, Putin said Friday; 16,000 are already fulfilling combat tasks. The rest will be called up in the next two weeks, according to the president. But Putin appears to be trying to ease tensions domestically. “Nothing additional is being planned,” Putin said Friday of the mobilization. Following a series of missile launches targeting Kyiv and other major metropolitan centers in Ukraine earlier this week, Putin added Friday that he sees no need for more “massive” strikes right now. The Russian president warned western leaders to refrain from deploying troops in Ukraine and fighting with Russia directly. “The deployment of any troops for a direct clash with the Russian army is a very dangerous step that could lead to a global catastrophe. I hope that those who are talking about it will have enough sense to refrain from such steps,” Putin said, according to TASS. Putin appeared to be responding to commentary from NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg about the war, apparently having interpreted his statements as a suggestion that NATO was sending troops, or considering sending troops to Ukraine—rather than a symbolic warning that if Russia wins against Ukraine, NATO will be at risk of further aggression. If Russia wins, “that is not only a big defeat for Ukrainians, but it will be a defeat and dangerous for all of us, because it will make the world more dangerous and it will make us more vulnerable for further Russian aggression,” Stoltenberg said. Stoltenberg reasserted Thursday that NATO is not a party to the conflict, “but we will continue to support Ukraine, for as long as it takes,” he added. The Biden administration has been waging its own behind-the-scenes campaign to convince world leaders to avoid supporting Russia in its war against Ukraine. Biden has been making phone calls to other world leaders to lobby them, with a particular eye on countries that have stayed out of the fight, in Latin America, Asia, and Africa, The Washington Post reported. Read More Here

Trump Calls Investigation ‘witch Hunt’ After Jan. 6 Panel Unanimously Votes For Subpoena https://digitalarkansasnews.com/trump-calls-investigation-witch-hunt-after-jan-6-panel-unanimously-votes-for-subpoena/ WASHINGTON – In a bipartisan vote, the House committee investigating the January 6th Capitol riot attack voted 9 to 0 to subpoena former President Donald trump who lawmakers say provoked the insurrection in an effort to overturn the 2020 election. On Friday, Trump pushed back at the panel calling their investigation a “witch hunt” but did not challenge the details of their findings. Legal analyst David Weinstein told Local 10 News he now faces a big decision. “He’ll either have to answer the questions and testify or each time he is asked a question he’ll have to invoke the rights under the 5th amendment – decline to answer the question on the ground that it might incriminate him, he’s proven to be a tough client over time,” said Weinstein. In the past, Trump has urged his associates not to cooperate with the probe after former advisor Steve Bannon was found guilty of contempt of congress after he refused to comply with a January 6 subpoena and now faces up to 2 years in a prison. “Despite the fact that he is a former president he is still subject to the same rules and conditions as everybody else,” said Weinstein. Trump has argued that a former president has an executive privilege to keep conversations and materials confidential. As the subpoena adds to the growing list of his legal issues, Trump is already facing civil and criminal charges in his New York business dealings and a FBI criminal investigation over his handling of government documents. “I think his first play in all of this is to be delay the process,” Weinstein said. Copyright 2022 by WPLG Local10.com – All rights reserved. About the Authors: Ben Kennedy Ben Kennedy is an Emmy Award-winning Washington Bureau Chief for Local 10 News. He has more than a decade of reporting experience nationwide. Ryan Mackey Ryan Mackey is our newest digital journalist at WPLG. He is New York born and South Florida raised. Read More Here

DOJ Asks Appeals Court To End Outside Review Of Trump Mar-A-Lago Documents https://digitalarkansasnews.com/doj-asks-appeals-court-to-end-outside-review-of-trump-mar-a-lago-documents/ If the DOJ wins this round in federal court, it would represent another legal setback for Trump, who has lost one ruling after another in recent weeks related to the Mar-a-Lago document seizures. Bratt also argued that Trump hasn’t shown the requisite need for the special master process, which is very rarely used in federal investigations. “Plaintiff has failed to meet his burden in establishing any need for the seized records—indeed, a substantial number of them are not even his—or in establishing any irreparable injury in their absence, and Plaintiff does not lack an adequate alternative remedy at law,” the Justice Department lawyers wrote. Trump’s attorneys have argued that the special master process was needed in order to protect his right to claim attorney-client privilege or executive privilege. The former president’s attorneys have also fought to use the process to assert that seized records bearing classification markings like “Top Secret,” may have been declassified by Trump before he left office. DOJ attorneys continued to emphasize that Trump has never actually asserted in court that he declassified any of the records stored at his estate, nor has he claimed executive privilege or asserted attorney-client privilege over any of them. Rather, Trump’s lawyers have floated those possibilities hypothetically, even as Trump has publicly claimed to have declassified all sensitive documents found at his estate. In any event, the classification issue appears to be off the table for now due to a ruling from an 11th Circuit panel last month which effectively carved out the roughly 100 documents with classification markings from the broader review. Trump asked the Supreme Court to put those records back into the process, but the high court turned that down Thursday. In the new filing, the Justice Department emphasized that investigators need access to the 11,000 unclassified records also found at his estate as part of its investigation. Under the rules Cannon set, those documents were put off limits to prosecutors and criminal investigators until Trump’s side has a chance to raise objections and the special master, New York federal judge Raymond Dearie, resolves them. “The dates on unclassified records may prove highly probative in the government’s investigation,” DOJ contended, adding, “For example, if any records comingled with the records bearing classification markings post-date Plaintiff’s term of office, that could establish that these materials continued to be accessed after Plaintiff left the White House … The government may need to use unclassified records to conduct witness interviews and corroborate information.” Prosecutors said Trump’s claims of executive privilege are illogical in the current context, because the Justice Department, the FBI and others involved in analyzing the records are also in the executive branch. “Neither Plaintiff nor the district court has cited any instance in which executive privilege was successfully invoked to prohibit the sharing of records or information within the Executive Branch itself,” the Justice Department brief says. Trump’s brief to the appeals court is due Nov. 10. A court panel could hear arguments on the matter in late November or December. However, the bulk of the special master review could be completed by that time, so a ruling that it was unnecessary might have limited impact. Read More Here

Trump’s Subpoena And What’s Next For The Jan. 6 Panel https://digitalarkansasnews.com/trumps-subpoena-and-whats-next-for-the-jan-6-panel/ WASHINGTON (AP) — In an extraordinary step, the House Jan. 6 committee has voted unanimously to subpoena former President Donald Trump — a final effort to get the full story of the Capitol insurrection as the panel wraps up its work by the end of the year. Trump still does not acknowledge the “former” in front of “president,” and he has been relentlessly hostile to the investigation. He called it a “charade and a witch hunt” in a letter to the committee on Friday — but notably did not mention the subpoena or say whether he would comply with the demand for his appearance. The attempt to compel Trump’s testimony comes as the committee is tying together multiple investigative threads and compiling its final report. The panel is only authorized through this Congress, which ends on Jan. 3. A look at what’s next as the panel sprints to its finish: THE TRUMP SUBPOENA The nine-member committee has interviewed more than 1,000 witnesses, including many of the former president’s top White House aides. And they have laid out a detailed timeline of Trump’s efforts to overturn his 2020 election defeat — including his inaction as his supporters stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. But they still want to hear from Trump himself. Now that a subpoena has been authorized — on Thursday — it must be delivered in writing to Trump. That step, expected early next week, will set a date for an interview and lay out requests for documents. Trump and his lawyers will then decide how to respond. He could comply, negotiate with the committee, announce he will defy the subpoena or ignore it altogether. He could also go to court and try to stop it. If Trump doesn’t comply, the panel will have to weigh the practical and political implications of a vote on holding him in contempt of Congress. If the full House voted to recommend such a charge, the Justice Department would then review the case. The committee has taken that step with some of Trump’s allies who refused to comply with subpoenas, including Steve Bannon, who was convicted of contempt in July. But holding a former president in contempt would be another matter, an exceptional step for any Congress. In his letter on Friday, Trump repeated his false claims of widespread election fraud and said he was writing to express “anger, disappointment and complaint” that the committee wasn’t investigating his claims. He also took the opportunity to boast anew about the size of the crowd that gathered for his speech near the White House on the morning of Jan. 6, before he sent them marching to the Capitol. He included aerial photographs. He said nothing about the subpoena. Even if he does comply, there’s reason to doubt that Trump’s appearance would help the investigation. He did respond to some written questions from special counsel Robert Mueller during the probe of Russian cooperation with his 2016 campaign. But his answers produced little or nothing to advance the investigation. More recently, he appeared for a deposition by the office of New York State Attorney General Letitia James — but invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination more than 400 times in refusing to answer questions. WHAT ABOUT PENCE? The committee is still talking to lawyers for former Vice President Mike Pence, as it has been for months. But it is unclear whether the lawmakers will subpoena the vice president or ask him for testimony. Several of Pence’s aides have talked to investigators, some providing great detail about his movements and state of mind as he resisted Trump’s pleas to object to the certification of electoral votes that day and try to overturn their defeat to Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. Video shown Thursday at the committee’s final hearing before the midterm elections showed Pence coordinating with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer for help as the rioters were inside the building, some of them calling for Pence’s execution. The leaders were working with security officials to ensure that they could return to the Capitol and certify Biden’s victory. A CRIMINAL REFERRAL? The committee will also have to decide whether to refer any allegations of crimes to the Justice Department. While federal prosecutors are conducting their own investigations into Jan. 6 and Trump’s efforts to overturn the election, the congressional committee has its separate, massive trove of evidence. Lawmakers on the panel have hinted multiple times over the past year that they will issue criminal referrals. At the hearing on Thursday, Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, the committee’s Republican vice chairwoman, said that the panel “may ultimately decide” to do so. She said they have “sufficient information to consider criminal referrals for multiple individuals.” While such a referral would not force any action, it would amplify the political pressure on Attorney General Merrick Garland as the department pursues its own probes. SECRET SERVICE The committee recently received more than 1.5 million pages of documents from the Secret Service. But lawmakers say they still don’t have everything they want. The panel is working to verify the accounts of White House aides who described Trump’s actions on Jan. 6 as he tried to go to the Capitol and accompany his supporters, hundreds of whom eventually broke in. Security officials, along with many White House aides and GOP members of Congress, were vehemently opposed to the idea. Trump was livid and tried, ultimately unsuccessfully, to go to the Capitol anyway, according to several accounts aired by the committee. California Rep. Pete Aguilar, a Democratic member of the panel, said the lawmakers “will be recalling witnesses and conducting further investigative depositions” based on the Secret Service material. The agency has not turned over text messages that it says were deleted. FINAL REPORT The panel’s expected final action will be a massive report laying out evidence, findings and legislative recommendations to ensure nothing like Jan. 6 ever happens again. But it’s unclear how much of its investigative material will be released to the public. In one of eight hearings last summer, Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin, another Democratic member, said, “We have only shown a small fraction of what we have found.” Lawmakers have made clear that the report will lay out what they view as the stakes for the country as many Republicans still believe, falsely, that the 2020 election was stolen and as Trump considers another run in 2024. “With every effort to excuse or justify the conduct of the former president, we chip away at the foundation of our republic,” Cheney said at the hearing. ____ BY MARY CLARE JALONICK, The Associated Press Read More Here

Alert: Justice Dept. Asks Appeals Court To Overturn Appointment Of Special Master To Review Documents Seized From Trump Home https://digitalarkansasnews.com/alert-justice-dept-asks-appeals-court-to-overturn-appointment-of-special-master-to-review-documents-seized-from-trump-home/ Most Popular Great lunch, breakfast options abound at Café 53 Yuengling expanding to three states Trick-or-treat times for Halloween in Huron County North Huron celebrates Homecoming Friday, Oct. 14 Huron County jury convicts man of sexually abusing two children Everyday Cheapskate: How to painlessly declutter and organize your home… Valley Lutheran defeats Laker in postseason soccer action Gov. Whitmer concerned over MSU president’s resignation News Oct. 14, 2022 WASHINGTON (AP) — Justice Dept. asks appeals court to overturn appointment of special master to review documents seized from Trump home. More News Fitness gets a new look at the Harbor Beach Library The media center will insert a new fitness center inside the library gym, with treadmills, weight… Great lunch, breakfast options abound at Café 53 New eatery owned by popular server doing brisk business since opening in early October. Q and A with Cass City’s Carter Patrick The Tribune interviews Cass City’s Carter Patrick. Read on for more information about him. Dear Abby: Recovering addict believes past has ruined the present Therapy can help woman fill empty spaces in her life, Abby says. Read More Here

Trump Delivers A 14-Page Response To The Jan. 6 Committee, But He Didn https://digitalarkansasnews.com/trump-delivers-a-14-page-response-to-the-jan-6-committee-but-he-didn/ The latest Tweet by Bloomberg states, ‘Trump delivers a 14-page response to the Jan. 6 Committee, but he didn’t address its subpoena repeated debunked claims of election fraud …’ Socially Team Latestly| Oct 15, 2022 02:23 AM IST Trump delivers a 14-page response to the Jan. 6 Committee, but he didn’t address its subpoena repeated debunked claims of election fraud https://t.co/JhJaTq5QQl— Bloomberg (@business) October 14, 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

ZOA To Award Donald Trump With Its Highest Honor – Haaretz https://digitalarkansasnews.com/zoa-to-award-donald-trump-with-its-highest-honor-haaretz/ ZOA to award Donald Trump with its highest honor  Haaretz Read More Here

U.S. Treasury Asks Major Banks If It Should Buy Back Bonds https://digitalarkansasnews.com/u-s-treasury-asks-major-banks-if-it-should-buy-back-bonds/ Oct 14 (Reuters) – The U.S. Treasury Department is asking primary dealers of U.S. Treasuries whether the government should buy back some of its bonds to improve liquidity in the $24 trillion market. Liquidity in the world’s largest bond market has deteriorated this year partly because of rising volatility as the Federal Reserve rapidly raises interest rates to bring down inflation. The central bank, which had bought government bonds during the COVID-19 pandemic to stimulate the economy, is now also reducing the size of its balance sheet by letting its bonds reach maturity without buying more, a move which investors fear could exacerbate price swings. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com The Treasuries market has swelled from $5 trillion in 2007 and $17 trillion in early 2020, while banks are facing more regulatory constraints that they say make it more difficult to intermediate trades. The Treasury is asking dealers about the specifics of how buybacks could work “in order to better assess the merits and limitations of implementing a buyback program.” These include how much it would need to buy in so-called off-the-run Treasuries, which are older and less liquid issues, in order to “meaningfully” improve liquidity in these securities. The Treasury is also querying whether reduced volatility in the issuance of Treasury bills as a result of buybacks made for cash and maturity management purposes could be a “meaningful benefit for Treasury or investors.” It is further asking about the costs and benefits of funding repurchases of older debt with increased issuance of so-called on-the-run securities, which are the most liquid and current issue. “The Treasury is acknowledging the decline in liquidity and they’re hearing what the street has been saying,” said Calvin Norris, portfolio manager & US rates strategist at Aegon Asset Management. “I think they’re investigating whether some of these measures could help to improve the situation.” He said buying back off-the-run Treasuries could potentially increase liquidity of outstanding issues and buyback mechanisms could help contain price swings for Treasury bills, which are short-term securities. However, when it comes to longer-dated government bonds, investors have noted that a major constraint for liquidity is the result of a rule introduced by the Federal Reserve following the 2008 financial crisis which requires dealers to hold capital against Treasuries, limiting their ability to take on risk, particularly at times of high volatility. “The underlying cause of the lack of liquidity is that banks – due to their supplementary leverage ratios being capped – don’t have the ability to take on more Treasuries. I view that as the most significant issue right now,” said Norris. The Fed in April 2020 temporarily excluded Treasuries and central bank deposits from the supplementary leverage ratio, a capital adequacy measure, as an excess of bank deposits and Treasury bonds raised bank capital requirements on what are viewed as safe assets. But it let that exclusion expire and big banks had to resume holding an extra layer of loss-absorbing capital against Treasuries and central bank deposits. The Treasury Borrowing Advisory Committee, a group of banks and investors that advise the government on its funding, has said that Treasury buybacks could enhance market liquidity and dampen swings in Treasury bill issuance and cash balances. It added, however, that the need to finance buybacks with increased issuance of new securities could increase yields and be at odds with the Treasury’s strategy of predictable debt management if the repurchases were too variable in size or timing. The Treasury is posing the questions as part of its regular survey of dealers before each of its quarterly refunding announcements. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Reporting By Karen Brettell and Davide Barbuscia; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Chris Reese Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. Read More Here

Suspect, 15, Taken Into Custody After 5 Shot Dead, 2 Injured In Raleigh Neighborhood, North Carolina Officials Say https://digitalarkansasnews.com/suspect-15-taken-into-custody-after-5-shot-dead-2-injured-in-raleigh-neighborhood-north-carolina-officials-say-2/ A 15-year-old suspect was taken into custody after a “long standoff” with police in connection with a shooting that killed five people and left two others injured Thursday evening in Raleigh, North Carolina, officials said. North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper called the shooting spree “the nightmare of every community.” The shooting unfolded in a neighborhood northeast of central Raleigh and prompted warnings for residents to stay inside. One of the fatally wounded was an off-duty police officer, Mayor Mary-Anne Baldwin said. In a news conference Friday morning, Raleigh Police Chief Estella D. Patterson said the suspect had been taken into custody and was in critical condition. He was not identified. No information regarding a motive or the suspect’s background was released. Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman, in response to questions about when the suspect will be charged and what he will be charged with, said prosecutors intend to try him as an adult. “We continue to await word on the suspect’s condition. Juvenile petitions have been filed. It would be our intent to seek to transfer these matters to Superior Court and to proceed against the individual as an adult.” Patterson said the victims who were killed ranged in age from 16 to 52. They were identified as: Nicole Connors, 52; Susan Karnatz, 49; Mary Marshall, 35; off-duty Raleigh police Officer Gabriel Torres, 29, who was on his way to work; and a 16-year-old white male. The teenager’s high school identified him Friday as James Thompson. The two people who were injured were identified as Raleigh Police Officer Casey Clark, 33, who was treated and released from a hospital; and Marcille Gardner, 59, who was in critical condition. An off-duty police officer was killed in a shooting in an east Raleigh, N.C., neighborhood Thursday afternoon.WRAL “Tonight terror has reached our doorstep,” Cooper told reporters Thursday evening. “The nightmare of every community has come to Raleigh. This is a senseless, horrific and infuriating act of violence that has been committed.” Baldwin said: “We have to end this mindless gun violence that is happening across our country. There are too many victims. We have to wake up.” Patterson said Friday morning the crime scene was “expansive” and stretched over two miles.  President Joe Biden said in a statement Friday he is grieving alongside the families whose loved ones were killed. He also called for a ban on assault weapons. “Jill and I are grieving with the families in Raleigh, North Carolina, whose loved ones were killed and wounded in yet another mass shooting in America,” Biden said. “We are thinking of yet another community shaken and shattered as they mourn the loss of friends and neighbors, including an off-duty police officer.” He continued, “This year, and even in just the five months since Buffalo and Uvalde, there are too many mass shootings across America, including ones that don’t even make the national news. … We must pass an assault weapons ban.” In a statement Friday from Knightdale High School Principal Keith Richardson, he announced that junior James Thompson was one of the victims in the mass shooting. The school will provide mental health resources for students and staff who need it, Richardson said. “It is an unexpected loss and we are saddened by it. Our condolences, thoughts, and prayers go out to James’ family, the other victims, their families and all who have been impacted by yesterday’s events.” Police responded to a call about a person shot shortly after 5 p.m. in the 6000 block of Osprey Cove Drive. Patterson said the shootings unfolded in the streets of the neighborhood, then the suspect fled towards the Neuse River Greenway, where more victims were shot. Law enforcement work at the scene of a shooting in Raleigh, N.C., on Thursday.Travis Long / The News & Observer via AP The police department advised residents in the leafy neighborhood known as Hedingham to remain indoors. Aerial video from NBC affiliate WRAL showed a large police presence. A witness named Robert Anderson told NBC’s “TODAY” show that he saw the gunman from his back deck.  “He had a camouflage shirt, camouflage pants, black boots, he also had a backpack that looked like it was filled to the brim,” he said in an interview aired Friday. “He was walking, and when I tell you he was walking, it was like nothing had happened,” Anderson explained. “He was just walking looking straight forward. He had his gun on his side and it was pointed downwards and he was just walking.” Another witness told WRAL that she saw neighbors trying to help the off-duty officer, who was inside a car bleeding. The witness told the station that she saw the gunman run from the scene and disappear into a nearby park. He was wearing black boots and appeared to be a teenager, she said. “He looked like a baby,” she told WRAL, adding: “I just don’t even have the words to explain. This is not OK.” CORRECTION (Oct. 14, 2022, 10:10 a.m. ET): A previous version of this article misstated the age of one of those injured. The victim in critical condition is 59, not 50. Read More Here

US Forecast https://digitalarkansasnews.com/us-forecast-22/ City/Town, State;Yesterday’s High Temp (F);Yesterday’s Low Temp (F);Today’s High Temp (F);Today’s Low Temp (F);Weather Condition;Wind Direction;Wind Speed (MPH);Humidity (%);Chance of Precip. (%);UV Index Albany, NY;65;41;68;44;Patchy morning fog;S;9;57%;5%;3 Albuquerque, NM;76;51;76;53;Mostly sunny;ESE;7;29%;83%;5 Anchorage, AK;38;26;38;33;A wintry mix;NNE;9;73%;93%;0 Asheville, NC;69;41;78;51;Sunny and pleasant;SSW;7;45%;4%;4 Atlanta, GA;75;48;81;53;Plenty of sunshine;SSW;7;44%;3%;5 Atlantic City, NJ;70;49;69;57;Breezy in the p.m.;SSW;12;60%;4%;4 Austin, TX;91;70;92;70;Mostly sunny, warm;SSE;7;58%;2%;5 Baltimore, MD;69;51;74;53;Mostly sunny, nice;W;8;47%;8%;4 Baton Rouge, LA;85;58;88;61;Mostly sunny;SE;6;56%;0%;5 Billings, MT;74;49;64;38;Partly sunny;NNW;9;47%;25%;3 Birmingham, AL;76;51;83;55;Plenty of sun;SSW;8;44%;1%;5 Bismarck, ND;51;33;59;30;Windy with some sun;NNW;18;55%;8%;2 Boise, ID;76;45;77;45;Sunny and warm;E;7;29%;0%;3 Boston, MA;67;52;69;52;Sunshine;SSW;7;54%;4%;3 Bridgeport, CT;67;46;68;50;Breezy in the p.m.;SSW;11;54%;5%;4 Buffalo, NY;59;44;60;43;Windy;SW;19;49%;57%;3 Burlington, VT;62;43;65;44;Partly sunny;SW;10;65%;18%;3 Caribou, ME;65;59;63;45;A touch of rain;S;9;83%;87%;1 Casper, WY;72;36;58;32;Cooler;NNE;8;51%;2%;3 Charleston, SC;78;53;80;58;Plenty of sunshine;S;6;49%;1%;5 Charleston, WV;68;47;75;45;Clouds and sun;S;9;47%;8%;4 Charlotte, NC;73;45;80;54;Sunny and beautiful;SSW;7;43%;4%;4 Cheyenne, WY;70;38;58;33;Cloudy and cooler;N;11;45%;26%;2 Chicago, IL;60;37;54;44;Breezy with some sun;SW;14;53%;4%;4 Cleveland, OH;62;48;59;45;Winds subsiding;SW;16;55%;58%;3 Columbia, SC;75;46;82;54;Sunny and pleasant;SSW;6;44%;2%;5 Columbus, OH;63;46;61;37;Mostly cloudy;SW;10;47%;6%;3 Concord, NH;63;44;68;41;Sunlit and pleasant;S;7;60%;5%;3 Dallas-Ft. Worth, TX;87;69;93;66;Very warm;S;13;48%;62%;5 Denver, CO;76;43;66;41;Increasing clouds;NE;7;32%;3%;4 Des Moines, IA;59;31;63;40;Partly sunny;NW;11;48%;7%;3 Detroit, MI;61;42;54;41;A shower in the a.m.;SW;14;50%;59%;3 Dodge City, KS;84;43;79;45;Clouds and sun;NE;8;33%;26%;4 Duluth, MN;42;33;47;38;Rain, snow;WNW;11;68%;89%;1 El Paso, TX;83;60;85;60;A t-storm around;ENE;6;39%;69%;5 Fairbanks, AK;32;14;32;25;Rain and snow shower;NNE;7;59%;91%;1 Fargo, ND;42;28;52;33;Breezy and warmer;NNW;14;58%;82%;2 Grand Junction, CO;74;43;75;44;Sunny and nice;NE;7;25%;0%;4 Grand Rapids, MI;53;39;51;40;A shower in the a.m.;SSW;14;61%;60%;2 Hartford, CT;65;44;69;49;Breezy in the p.m.;S;10;55%;5%;4 Helena, MT;69;43;63;37;Partly sunny;W;6;55%;0%;3 Honolulu, HI;87;71;86;71;Nice with sunshine;NE;9;53%;7%;7 Houston, TX;87;67;90;71;Partly sunny, warm;SE;7;64%;4%;5 Indianapolis, IN;65;41;60;42;Mostly cloudy;SW;9;48%;2%;3 Jackson, MS;83;55;88;58;Sunny and very warm;S;7;48%;4%;5 Jacksonville, FL;83;60;84;61;Sunny and pleasant;ENE;8;51%;2%;5 Juneau, AK;51;47;56;50;Rain and drizzle;SE;8;83%;94%;0 Kansas City, MO;73;41;72;47;Clouds and sun;WNW;7;43%;5%;4 Knoxville, TN;73;49;78;55;Nice with sunshine;SW;10;47%;9%;4 Las Vegas, NV;91;65;88;63;Partly sunny;SE;6;27%;38%;4 Lexington, KY;68;51;70;44;Variable cloudiness;WSW;10;47%;6%;4 Little Rock, AR;87;57;90;61;Warm, a p.m. t-storm;SSW;9;47%;91%;4 Long Beach, CA;74;65;71;64;A shower and t-storm;W;6;77%;91%;1 Los Angeles, CA;73;63;71;62;A thundershower;WSW;6;85%;85%;1 Louisville, KY;70;51;70;45;Mostly cloudy;SW;8;43%;4%;3 Madison, WI;49;32;51;36;Partly sunny;W;9;58%;5%;3 Memphis, TN;78;60;86;62;A p.m. t-storm;S;10;46%;80%;4 Miami, FL;85;76;85;77;A stray p.m. t-storm;NE;10;77%;91%;5 Milwaukee, WI;53;36;53;39;Breezy in the p.m.;WSW;13;55%;4%;3 Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN;44;33;54;37;Mostly cloudy;NW;12;55%;9%;2 Mobile, AL;79;55;84;61;Sunny and pleasant;SE;6;51%;1%;5 Montgomery, AL;80;49;82;52;Plenty of sunshine;S;5;48%;2%;5 Mt. Washington, NH;50;36;43;32;Increasingly windy;SW;25;61%;15%;4 Nashville, TN;76;54;80;54;Clouds and sun;SE;6;43%;44%;4 New Orleans, LA;84;64;86;69;Sunny;ESE;8;54%;2%;5 New York, NY;68;50;69;53;Breezy in the p.m.;SSW;10;49%;4%;4 Newark, NJ;68;45;71;50;Breezy in the p.m.;SSW;10;50%;6%;4 Norfolk, VA;69;48;77;56;Sunny and pleasant;SSW;7;56%;5%;4 Oklahoma City, OK;84;57;88;58;A t-storm around;E;7;48%;96%;4 Olympia, WA;73;44;78;41;Plenty of sunshine;NNE;6;58%;3%;3 Omaha, NE;63;33;69;44;Breezy with some sun;NW;13;48%;8%;3 Orlando, FL;88;71;87;69;A t-storm around;ENE;9;60%;40%;5 Philadelphia, PA;72;50;74;53;Mostly sunny;S;8;49%;5%;4 Phoenix, AZ;97;73;86;67;Thunderstorms;NW;7;52%;99%;4 Pittsburgh, PA;64;47;69;40;Breezy in the p.m.;SSW;12;42%;8%;4 Portland, ME;64;53;68;47;Partly sunny, nice;SSW;7;65%;6%;3 Portland, OR;81;52;84;55;Plenty of sun;E;9;44%;3%;3 Providence, RI;72;48;70;49;Sunshine;SSW;6;52%;4%;4 Raleigh, NC;72;46;79;54;Sunny and nice;SSW;8;47%;2%;4 Reno, NV;81;43;80;41;Sunny and warm;W;4;29%;0%;4 Richmond, VA;71;46;79;53;Sunny and pleasant;SSW;10;47%;3%;4 Roswell, NM;82;54;87;54;A p.m. t-storm;SSW;6;42%;91%;4 Sacramento, CA;87;53;83;54;Abundant sunshine;S;7;51%;1%;4 Salt Lake City, UT;76;48;74;48;Mostly sunny;E;7;31%;0%;4 San Antonio, TX;91;70;93;71;Very warm;SE;8;61%;26%;5 San Diego, CA;72;66;71;65;A passing shower;W;7;70%;91%;1 San Francisco, CA;64;54;63;56;Breezy in the p.m.;WSW;12;76%;1%;3 Savannah, GA;79;51;81;55;Plenty of sunshine;SSE;6;50%;1%;5 Seattle-Tacoma, WA;73;54;78;55;Plenty of sunshine;E;9;52%;3%;3 Sioux Falls, SD;49;28;64;35;Milder;NW;12;48%;6%;3 Spokane, WA;73;43;77;43;Plenty of sunshine;ENE;7;46%;1%;3 Springfield, IL;65;35;60;41;Partly sunny;SW;8;50%;3%;4 St. Louis, MO;72;42;68;45;Clouds and sun;SSW;5;42%;2%;4 Tampa, FL;89;70;88;67;A t-storm around;ENE;8;68%;42%;6 Toledo, OH;62;39;57;39;A shower in the a.m.;SW;15;52%;59%;4 Tucson, AZ;91;68;82;62;A shower and t-storm;SSW;8;60%;99%;4 Tulsa, OK;87;54;85;55;A p.m. t-storm;NNE;5;48%;96%;4 Vero Beach, FL;87;74;85;73;Periods of sun;ENE;12;69%;33%;3 Washington, DC;68;49;75;53;Mostly sunny;WSW;9;49%;6%;4 Wichita, KS;85;46;79;48;Clouds and sun;NNE;7;40%;81%;4 Wilmington, DE;70;46;73;50;Breezy in the a.m.;S;12;55%;4%;4 _____ Copyright 2022 AccuWeather Read More…

Judge Dismisses 1 Of 5 Counts Against Trump Dossier Source https://digitalarkansasnews.com/judge-dismisses-1-of-5-counts-against-trump-dossier-source/ ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — A judge on Friday tossed out one of of five counts against a think-tank analyst charged with lying to the FBI about his role in the creation of a flawed dossier about former President Donald Trump. The remaining four counts against Igor Danchenko will go to a jury Monday after prosecutors and the defense rested their cases Friday. But Judge Anthony Trenga reserved the right to toss out the other four counts regardless of what the jury decides. In the count that was tossed out, prosecutors alleged that Danchenko lied to the FBI when he told an agent that he never talked with a Democratic operative named Charles Dolan about the information in the dossier. As it turns out, there was evidence that Dolan and Danchenko had discussed the information over email. Defense attorneys argued that Danchenko’s response was literally true because they did not talk orally, and the question the FBI agent asked specifically referenced talking. Trenga agreed, and he said that accepting the prosecution’s argument that the question had a broader context than mere talking would result in “divorcing words from their common meaning.” In the remaining counts that will go forward, prosecutors argue that Danchenko fabricated interactions with a supposed source named Sergei Millian, who was a former president of the Russian-American Chamber of commerce. Defense lawyers say Danchenko received an anonymous call from a person he believed to be Millian, and that Danchenko was forthright from the beginning that while he suspected the call came from Millian he was not certain. Danchenko is being prosecuted by Special Counsel John Durham, who was appointed by then-Attorney General William Barr to investigate any misconduct in the FBI’s investigation of the Trump campaign and its alleged ties to Russia. Danchenko is the third person to be prosecuted by Durham. It is the first of Durham’s cases that delves deeply into the origins of the “Steele dossier,” which alleged connections between Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and the Kremlin. and which Trump derided as fake news and a political witch hunt. Durham’s other two cases resulted in an acquittal and a guilty plea with a sentence of probation. Testimony this week at trial has highlighted Durham’s difficulty in proving his allegations. Two key FBI witnesses for the prosecution ended up providing testimony that was highly favorable to Danchenko, resulting in the unusual spectacle of Durham seeking to eviscerate the credibility of his own witnesses on re-direct. Read More Here

Fact Check: Trump Responds To Jan. 6 Committee Subpoena With Usual Election Lies | CNN Politics https://digitalarkansasnews.com/fact-check-trump-responds-to-jan-6-committee-subpoena-with-usual-election-lies-cnn-politics/ CNN  —  Former President Donald Trump was subpoenaed Thursday by the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. Trump’s response: his usual election lies. In a rambling 14-page letter to committee chairman Rep. Bennie Thompson, Trump did not say whether he would comply with the subpoena. Instead, he repeated various long-debunked election claims. Here is a non-exhaustive fact check of some of Trump’s claims in the letter. Trump’s title on the document was this: “THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION OF 2020 WAS RIGGED AND STOLEN!” Facts First: This is false. The 2020 election was not rigged or stolen. Joe Biden was the legitimate winner, Trump the legitimate loser. There is no evidence, in any state, of fraud even close to sufficient to have changed the outcome. Trump listed purported evidence of wrongdoing in swing states he lost. One of his claims about Pennsylvania, which Biden won by more than 80,000 votes, was this: “In Pennsylvania, as of February 2021, there were 121,240 more votes than voters.” Facts First: This is false. Pennsylvania did not have more votes cast in the 2020 election than it had registered voters; in reality, it had about 7 million votes cast and about 9 million registered voters, for a turnout of about 76.5%. This claim about the state having had more votes than voters – based on a Republican state legislator’s misreading of state data – was repeatedly debunked in 2020 and 2021. Trump made a dramatic claim about Arizona’s most populous county, Maricopa County, where Republicans conducted a sham partisan “audit” of the 2020 election. He wrote: “Maricopa County accepted at least 20,000 mail-in ballots after Election Day 2020, including 18,000 on November 4, 2020, picked up from the U.S. Postal Service—more than the entire Election margin of 10,457 ballots.” Facts First: This is false. As Reuters has reported, this claim, which has circulated among Trump supporters on social media, is based on a misinterpretation of a document that does not actually show that Maricopa County accepted any ballots after Election Day, let alone thousands of ballots. The document was a receipt for transfer of ballots to a company that scans the ballot envelopes, capturing voters’ signatures, as part of the process of the county verifying the signatures. Runbeck chief executive Jeff Ellington told Reuters in June: “These 18,000 ballots were received on Election Day prior to the deadline to cast a vote and delivered to Runbeck the next day for processing, following our standard operating procedure.” Trump returned to a favorite conspiracy theory about a particular county in Michigan, another swing state he lost to Biden. After claiming that one of his allies, Republican attorney general candidate Matthew DePerno, “found voting machines were subverted and accessed remotely,” Trump continued: “In Antrim County, 7,048 votes were changed in favor of Joe Biden.” Facts First: No votes were changed in Antrim County because of voting machines being subverted, and there is no evidence of any intentional wrongdoing of any kind in the county. Rather, the conservative county made a human error in readying its election technology. The error resulted in some votes for Trump being initially reported as votes for Biden in unofficial preliminary results. The error was rapidly corrected, long before any results were made official, and a Republican-led investigation of the 2020 election by a Michigan state Senate committee concluded that “that ideas and speculation that the Antrim County election workers or outside entities manipulated the vote by hand or electronically are indefensible.” As for DePerno’s efforts to prove something nefarious happened in Antrim County, the committee also wrote this in its section on the Antrim County situation: “The Committee closely followed Mr. DePerno’s efforts and can confidently conclude they are demonstrably false and based on misleading information and illogical conclusions.” DePerno and others are now under investigation by a special prosecutor over their own alleged efforts to gain access to election technology after the election; DePerno has denied any wrongdoing and claimed that the accusations are politically motivated. Trump insinuated, as he has before, that he lost Georgia in part because of nefarious doings in Fulton County, home to Atlanta. He wrote that an investigator reported 1,200 ballots being “‘wheeled in through the back door’ days after Election Day, when President Trump’s massive lead ‘shrunk as more votes continue to be tallied in Fulton County.’” Facts First: This is deceptive. The independent monitor who was hired by the state election board to observe the election in Fulton County did not report any sign that these ballots were fraudulent; in fact, he wrote in his report that “at no time did I ever observe any conduct by Fulton County election officials that involved dishonesty, fraud, or intentional malfeasance,” though he did find sloppiness and other issues. Rather, he simply wrote that, although “it was a judgment call,” he thought the “optics” of bringing ballots through a back door two days after Election Day were poor and that this was “the wrong call for transparency purposes.” Also, contrary to the impression Trump left here, the monitor did not connect this particular group of ballots to Trump’s illusory lead in Georgia shrinking. The words “shrunk as more votes continue to be tallied in Fulton County” appear to be a quote from CNN – which explicitly pointed out at the time that Trump’s shrinking lead wasn’t the result of anything nefarious – and not the monitor himself. This story has been updated. Read More Here

Trump Skirts Testimony Question In Blistering 14-Page Jan. 6 Response https://digitalarkansasnews.com/trump-skirts-testimony-question-in-blistering-14-page-jan-6-response/ (The Hill) — Former President Donald Trump on Friday skirted the question of whether he would testify under subpoena in a 14-page response to the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 riots at the Capitol, instead doubling down on his disproven claims that the 2020 election was stolen. Trump posted a letter to committee chairman Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) one day after the panel voted unanimously to subpoena him for testimony about his role in the events of Jan. 6, when supporters of the former president stormed the Capitol to halt the certification of the 2020 election results. “This memo is being written to express our anger, disappointment, and complaint that with all of the hundreds of millions of dollars spent on what many consider to be a Charade and Witch Hunt, and despite strong and powerful requests, you have not spent even a short moment on examining the massive Election Fraud that took place during the 2020 Presidential Election, and have targeted only those who were, as concerned American Citizens, protesting the Fraud itself,” Trump wrote in the letter, which is dated Oct. 13. The document includes numerous photos meant to demonstrate the crowd size at his Jan. 6 rally, as well as a state-by-state breakdown renewing baseless claims of election fraud in five states Trump lost to President Joe Biden.  There was no widespread fraud in the 2020 election — something Trump’s own campaign concluded. Courts on 62 different occasions ruled against Trump when he brought suits seeking to challenge the election based on fraud claims.  Trump’s response is, of course, not a formal compliance with the subpoena, which has yet to be sent after the committee voted unanimously to compel testimony from Trump. Such documents have to be served, and, in the case of prior subpoenas sent by the Jan. 6 committee, include a list of topics the panel wishes to discuss in a formal deposition as well as a breakdown of documents and other evidence that must be turned over.  In taking the vote in a public setting, lawmakers on the panel stressed the importance of hearing directly from Trump. “We are obligated to seek answers directly from the man who set this all in motion,” said Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), the vice chair of the committee, said shortly before the vote. “And every American is entitled to those answers.” Read More Here

As Jan. 6 Committee Discloses New Details, Trump Responds With Recycled Lines https://digitalarkansasnews.com/as-jan-6-committee-discloses-new-details-trump-responds-with-recycled-lines/ Former President Donald Trump prepares to speak at the Conservative Political Action Conference CPAC held at the Hilton Anatole, Aug. 6, 2022, in Dallas.(Brandon Bell/Getty Images) In nine televised hearings over the course of more than four months, the House committee investigating the events of Jan. 6, 2021, made public heaps of new information about the violent insurrection: hours of illuminating witness testimony, reams of documents and communications, updated timelines and movements, and reels of never-before-seen video footage of the day – including, in the panel’s would-be final hearing Thursday, extraordinary videos of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other high-ranking lawmakers attempting to navigate and respond to the situation while the siege unfolded. Former President Donald Trump, in response to the torrent of new disclosures, has done just the opposite. All of the information presented by the committee has gone toward building a measured, almost prosecutorial argument that has painted Trump as the person at the center of the event, someone who instigated and perpetuated the insurrection despite knowing from a variety of sources and conceding in a variety of forums that his fraud claims about the 2020 election were false. In response to the committee’s movements, Trump has kept up a running criticism of the investigation, cycling through a bevy of colorful insults aimed at the panel at large as well as individual lawmakers on it, and has repeatedly doubled down on the fraud claims at the heart of the issue. But rarely has Trump responded directly to any of the new information presented by the committee, refraining from mounting any kind of public defense against specific allegations made by the panel and putting forth little new information of his own. The cycle played out again this week, after the committee on Thursday took its boldest step yet, subpoenaing the former president in the final moments of what was expected to be its last public hearing. Trump, after a more-subdued response Thursday evening in which he continued his criticisms of the investigation while questioning the timing of the panel’s vote, released a 14-page response Friday morning addressed to committee Chairman Rep. Bennie Thompson, Mississippi Democrat. Political Cartoons The lengthy document was quintessentially Trump: it opens with a statement in all capital letters (“THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION OF 2020 WAS RIGGED AND STOLEN”) before sliding into oft-repeated criticisms of congressional Democrats and of the investigation’s focus – some so familiar that his allies and adversaries alike have become desensitized to them. “This memo is being written to express our anger, disappointment, and complaint that with all of the hundreds of millions of dollars spent on what many consider to be a Charade and Witch Hunt, and despite strong and powerful requests, you have not spent even a short moment on examining the massive Election Fraud that took place during the 2020 Presidential Election, and have targeted only those who were, as concerned American Citizens, protesting the Fraud itself,” the statement says. Trump also again lobbed meritless criticism at Pelosi and D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser for their actions ahead of the rally. For the majority of the rest of the document, Trump presents pages of recycled and repeatedly debunked misinformation about the 2020 election, broken down by state – the type that the panel spent hours painstakingly deconstructing, often through the testimony of Trump’s closest allies and advisers. “You have not gone after the people that created the Fraud, but rather great American Patriots who questioned it, as is their Constitutional right,” the statement said. He also included photos to boast of the size of the crowd at the rally before the march to the Capitol. Despite its length, the letter notably did not indicate whether Trump would or would not agree to testify in front of the committee – the most direct avenue available to him so far to confront the accusations and information brought forth by the panel. Though Trump’s hostility toward the investigation has led to skepticism about his cooperation, his PAC on Friday emailed out a link to a Fox News article quoting an anonymous source close to Trump who said the former president “loves the idea of testifying” before the panel. The New York Times also on Friday reported that Trump has told those close to him that he would consider the interview as long as it would be shown live. Before the vote to subpoena Trump, members of the committee expressed a duty to do so. “None of this is normal, acceptable or lawful in our republic,” Rep. Liz Cheney, Wyoming Republican and committee vice chairwoman, said during the hearing. “Our duty today is to our country and our children and our Constitution. We are obligated to seek answers directly from the man who set this all in motion,” she said later before the vote. It is yet to be seen how – if at all – the hearings or Trump’s claims of fraud will affect the upcoming midterm elections. A poll in August found that the hearings to date had not swayed public opinion about the insurrection. And a Washington Post analysis found that more than half of Republicans running in November maintain the election was illegitimate, including a majority that are expected to win their seats. Read More Here