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Trump At Center Of Oath Keepers Novel Defense In Jan. 6 Case https://digitalarkansasnews.com/trump-at-center-of-oath-keepers-novel-defense-in-jan-6-case/ WASHINGTON (AP) — The defense team in the Capitol riot trial of the Oath Keepers leader is relying on an unusual strategy with Donald Trump at the center. Lawyers for Stewart Rhodes, founder of the extremist group, are poised to argue that jurors cannot find him guilty of seditious conspiracy because all the actions he took before the siege on Jan. 6, 2021, were in preparation for orders he anticipated from the then-president — orders that never came. Rhodes and four associates are accused of plotting for weeks to stop the transfer of presidential power from the Republican incumbent to Democrat Joe Biden, culminating with Oath Keepers in battle gear storming the Capitol alongside hundreds of other Trump supporters. Opening statements in the trial are set to begin Monday. Rhodes intends to take the stand to argue he believed Trump was going to invoke the Insurrection Act to call up a militia to support him, his lawyers have said. Trump didn’t do that, but Rhodes’ team says that what prosecutors allege was an illegal conspiracy was “actually lobbying and preparation for the President to utilize” the law. James Lee Bright, together with other attorneys for Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes, leaves the federal courthouse on the first day of the jury selection for Rhodes’ trial in Washington, Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2022. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta) Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS/Manuel Balce Ceneta Former President Donald Trump gestures as he holds a rally Friday, Sept. 23, 2022, in Wilmington, N.C. (AP Photo/Chris Seward) Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS/Chris Seward FILE – Edward Tarpley the attorney of Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes, arrives to the federal courthouse in Washington, Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022. In his trial in the violent Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol, attorneys for the leader of the Oath Keepers extremist group will mount an unusual defense with former President Donald Trump at its center. Defense attorneys are poised to argue that Rhodes can’t be found guilty of seditious conspiracy because everything he did was in preparation for orders he anticipated coming down from the Republican president. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File) Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS/Jose Luis Magana PreviousNext It’s a novel legal argument in a trial that’s one of the most serious cases coming out of the Capitol attack. “This is an incredibly complicated defense of theory and I don’t think that it’s ever played out in this fashion in American jurisprudence,” one of Rhodes’ lawyers, James Lee Bright, told The Associated Press. The Insurrection Act gives a president broad authority to call up the military and decide what shape that force will take. Trump did float that kind of action at other points in his presidency. To succeed with this line of defense, Bright would have to convince a jury that Rhodes was waiting on the go-ahead from the president, which could be a major hurdle. Rhodes’ lawyers have argued Trump could have called up a militia in response to “what he perceived as a conspiracy to deprive a class of persons in several states of their voting rights.” Rhodes published an open letter on the Oath Keepers’ website in December 2020 urging Trump use the Insurrection Act to “‘stop the steal’ and defeat the coup.” If Rhodes testifies, he could face intense questioning from prosecutors, who say his own words show the Oath Keepers would act no matter what Trump did. Bright said Rhodes, a Yale Law School graduate, understands the risks of testifying but has insisted since the first day they met that he be able to “speak his piece.” Rhodes and his associates — Kelly Meggs, Thomas Caldwell, Jessica Watkins and Kenneth Harrelson — are the first Jan. 6 defendants to be tried on seditious conspiracy, a rarely used Civil War-era charge that can be difficult to prove. The defense would have to convince the jury that the Oath Keepers really intended to defend the government, not use force against it, said David Alan Sklansky, a former federal prosecutor who’s now a professor at Stanford Law School. “If you think you are plotting to help protect the government, there is an argument that that means you don’t have the required guilty mindset that’s necessary in order to be guilty of seditious conspiracy,” he said. Court records show the Oath Keepers repeatedly warning of the prospect of violence if Biden were to become president. The Oath Keepers amassed weapons and stationed armed “quick reaction force” teams at a Virginia hotel in case they were needed, prosecutors say. Among those likely to testify against Rhodes are three of his former followers, including one who has said Rhodes instructed them to be ready to use lethal force if necessary to keep Trump in the White House. Defense lawyers say the quick reaction force teams were defensive forces only to be used if Trump invoked the Insurrection Act. If Rhodes really wanted to lead a revolution, his lawyers say there was no better opportunity to deploy the quick reaction force than when hundreds of people were storming the Capitol. But the Oath Keepers never did. “The conditions would never be better. Yet, Rhodes and the others left the Capitol grounds and went to Olive Garden for dinner,” they’ve written in court papers. Rhodes never went into the Capitol and has said that the Oath Keepers who did acted on their own. The Insurrection Act is shorthand for a series of statues that Congress passed between 1872 and 1871 defining when military force can be used in the United States by the federal government, said University of Texas law professor Stephen Vladeck. The Act does give the president wide discretion to decide when military force is necessary, and what qualifies as military force, Vladeck said. The last time the Insurrection Act was used was in May of 1992, by President George H.W. Bush to call out the military to respond to Los Angeles riots after the acquittal of white police officers accused in the beating of Black motorist Rodney King. Even if Trump had acted, prosecutors would still have a strong case that the Oath Keepers tried to keep Congress from carrying out its responsibilities as part of the transfer of presidential power, Vladeck said. Even if the president could authorize their actions, the Oath Keepers could still have been — as the law puts it — forcibly opposing other elements of the government, he said. “The government of the United States is more than just the president,” Vladeck said. Michael Weinstein, a former Justice Department prosecutor, agreed that Rhodes’ argument is not likely to win over a jury. But that may not be his only goal. “I think it’s going to be a little bit of a show trial for him,” said Weinstein, now a criminal defense lawyer in New Jersey. “This is his opportunity to really promote himself and his philosophy and make himself out to be a bit of a martyr.” Trump did talk about sending in U.S. troops to American cities in summer 2020 as protesters filled the streets in the wake of George Floyd’s death at the hands of a police officer, an action that would have come under the Insurrection Act. He never did. Los Angeles-based defense lawyer Nina Marino said the Insurrection Act defense could work. “I think it’s a great defense from the 1800s resurrected into 2022,” she said. But she added: “If there’s evidence that they would have done it anyway, then I think that really, really damages the defense.” Prosecutors have already pointed to a message from December 2020 that Rhodes wrote, saying Trump “needs to know that if he fails to act, then we will.” Days before the riot, Rhodes warned that the “final nail” would be put in the “coffin of this Republic,” unless they fought their way out. “With Trump (preferably) or without him, we have no choice,” Rhodes wrote in a chat, according to court papers. He added: “Be prepared for a major let down on the 6-8th. And get ready to do it OURSELVES.” ____ Richer reported from Boston. Associated Press writer Michael Kunzelman contributed to this report. ___ For full coverage of the Capitol riot, go to https://www.apnews.com/capitol-siege Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Read More Here

Erickson: Are Biden’s 1988 Brain Aneurysms Affecting Him Today? https://digitalarkansasnews.com/erickson-are-bidens-1988-brain-aneurysms-affecting-him-today/ Erick Erickson Standing at the podium as part of a White House forum on food and hunger, President Joe Biden began working through the list of people to thank. He made it bipartisan. He thanked several Republicans and got to his friend Jackie. “Jackie, are you here? Where’s Jackie?” Biden asked. Jackie is Rep. Jackie Walorski of Indiana who died over a month ago in a car crash. There is no good way to consider what happened. Biden knew Walorski died. He mentioned it over a month ago. He is about to sign legislation, with her family present, to rename a VA hospital in her honor. His press secretary said the deceased congresswoman is “top of mind” for Biden because he knew he would be spending time with her family later in the week. If she really was top of mind, shouldn’t he have known she could not be present at the event? We should consider the options. First, his advance staff failed to prepare him. Prior to the president taking the stage, the event showed a brief video reflecting on Walorski’s life. An advance team should, in every case, brief their leader on everything happening at an event, including those events that happened right before he goes on stage. Second, perhaps they briefed him but failed to remind him that the congresswoman died. Whether it is the first reason or the second reason, the president’s staff has let him down again. We know that Chief of Staff Ron Klain has had a hard time navigating relationships in Congress, often undermining the president’s agenda. We also know that Biden has been bullied by his staff into taking policy positions that directly contradict the president’s own instincts. The student loan bailout is just one example, and it is the most recent example that will haunt the Democrats’ midterm cycle. It is not out of bounds to consider that Biden has a highly ideological progressive staff that is very long on opinions and short on competence. Of course, there is a third option. What if the team did tell Biden, did brief him, did do everything right, and Biden forgot that quickly? That would be the most troubling because it would be a sign the president’s age is getting the better of him. Perhaps Biden cannot get his staff to set policy based on his instincts because he cannot operate at the level necessary to have his will, as president, implemented by his team. They, in turn, are taking advantage of his infirmities. When former President Donald Trump served in the office, videographers caught him very, very carefully walking down a ramp at West Point. “Trump’s Halting Walk Down Ramp Raises New Health Questions,” the New York Times headline blared. The subheading was, “The president also appeared to have trouble raising a glass of water to his mouth during a speech at West Point a day before he turned 74, the oldest a president has been in his first term.” At CNN, its regulator regurgitator of stale conventional wisdom, Chris Cillizza, wrote a piece with the headline, “Why the Donald Trump-West Point ramp story actually matters.” Among the reasons Cillizza said it mattered was: “He is the oldest person ever elected to a first term in the White House,” and “Trump’s medical past is a total mystery.” Biden is now the oldest President ever and his health is no mystery. He had two brain aneurysms, both of which required surgery. Now, he’s calling out to dead congresswomen on stage who happen to be, in his press secretary’s telling, “top of mind” — just not top of mind enough to know she’s dead. “Trump tries to explain his slow and unsteady walk down a ramp at West Point,” read the headline of Phil Rucker’s story about Trump’s ramp walk in The Washington Post. He said, “Elements of Trump’s explanation strained credulity.” Does the Biden administration’s explanation for Biden not strain credulity? Of course it does. But note the relative lack of media coverage. If only Biden had delicately walked down a ramp instead of searching for a dead woman in a crowd, maybe the media would ask the tough questions. To find out more about Erick Erickson and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com. Newsletter Join thousands already receiving our daily newsletter. Read More Here

United Airlines To Halt Service At New York's JFK Airport In October https://digitalarkansasnews.com/united-airlines-to-halt-service-at-new-yorks-jfk-airport-in-october/ WASHINGTON, Sept 30 (Reuters) – United Airlines (UAL.O) said on Friday it will suspend service in late October to New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport (JFK). Earlier this month, United had threatened to take the action if the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) did not grant the air carrier additional flights. United has been flying just twice daily to San Francisco and Los Angeles from JFK, the busiest New York-area airport, after resuming service in 2021. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com “Given our current, too-small-to-be-competitive schedule out of JFK — coupled with the start of the Winter season where more airlines will operate their slots as they resume JFK flying — United has made the difficult decision to temporarily suspend service at JFK,” United said in a memo seen by Reuters. The airline did not specify when it might resume service. United said its “discussions with FAA have been constructive” but added “it’s also clear that process to add additional capacity at JFK will take some time.” United said the decision would impact 100 employees who work at JFK but emphasized that “no one is losing their job” and employees will transition to other nearby stations. United has been working to pursue additional slots – which are takeoff and landing authorizations – through the FAA and by seeking commercial agreements to acquire slots from other airlines. The FAA said Friday it is “dedicated to doing its part to safely expand New York City airports and airspace capacity. We will follow our fair and well-established process to award future slots to increase competition.” United said without permanent slots it cannot serve JFK “effectively compared to the larger schedules and more attractive flight times flown by” JetBlue Airways (JBLU.O) and American Airlines (AAL.O). United in 2015 struck a long-term deal to lease 24 year-round slots at JFK to Delta Air Lines (DAL.N) as it ended JFK service to concentrate at its nearby Newark hub in northern New Jersey. United argues there is room to grow at JFK, the 13th-busiest U.S. airport, because the FAA and the Port Authority since 2008 have made significant infrastructure investments, including “the widening of runways, construction of multi-entrance taxiways, and the creation of aligned high-speed turnoffs.” Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Reporting by David Shepardson Editing by Sandra Maler and Aurora Ellis Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. Read More Here

Ukrainian Forces Encircle Russian Troops In Lyman, A Day After Annexation Claims https://digitalarkansasnews.com/ukrainian-forces-encircle-russian-troops-in-lyman-a-day-after-annexation-claims/ KYIV — Less than 24 hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin proudly proclaimed the illegal annexation of Ukraine’s Donetsk region, thousands of his troops now appear to be trapped there. Ukrainian forces have surrounded Lyman, a key transport hub in Donetsk, eastern Ukraine, Serhiy Cherevaty, a spokesman for Ukraine’s armed forces told The Washington Post on Saturday. With Russian forces encircled, Ukrainian soldiers are now expected to reestablish full control of Lyman in the coming days. The powerful counterattack and seemingly imminent recapture of Lyman will come as an embarrassment to Moscow, a day after claiming swaths of eastern Ukraine as its own — in the face of widespread international condemnation. Ukrainian forces advanced on the city overnight even as Russia put on a grand ceremony and a pop concert in Moscow’s Red Square celebrating the annexation. Cherevaty said Ukrainian troops had recaptured four villages near Lyman in addition to encircling the city, which is a key supply hub on the western edge of Ukraine’s Donbas region. The pro-Kremlin separatist leader of Donetsk, Denis Pushilin, acknowledged Friday that the city was “semi-encircled,” describing Kyiv’s advances as “very unpleasant news,” which threatened to “overshadow” the annexation celebrations. Unverified social media video footage posted by the head of the Ukrainian president’s office on Saturday appeared to show Ukrainian troops carrying out celebrations of their own, raising the blue and yellow flag near the outskirts of the city. Another video appeared to show troops stamping on a Russian flag in the city. Pro-Russian military bloggers also appeared to acknowledge defeat in the city. A prominent anonymous Russian military blogger known as Rybar said Saturday that routes out of the city were limited for Russian fighters, and “at this stage, it is not possible to turn the tide.” Meanwhile, a pro-Kremlin Telegram channel with close ties to the Wagner mercenary group reported that Russian troops in Lyman were “completely surrounded” with “unprecedented” measures were underway to aid their release.” It added that it had been impossible to withdraw troops from the city earlier because of Putin’s annexation ceremony and speech on Friday. The battle presents a test for Putin, who has vowed to treat attacks in the annexed regions as attacks on Russia. Although the loss of Lyman presents “serious damage to the reputation of the Russian Federation,” Rybar wrote, the fact the accession treaties have yet to be finally rubber-stamped and ratified by Russia’s parliament leaves the situation unclear. Thousands of Russian troops are in the city, according to Luhansk regional governor Serhiy Haidai, who said “almost all the ways of leaving and transporting ammunition to Russians” were blocked. The Washington Post could not independently verify his claims. Haidai added bluntly that trapped Russian troops had three options: to try to escape, surrender or risk being killed. The city, home to more than 20,000 people in the Donetsk region before the war, is one of the four territories Russia illegally claimed to absorb this week. A victory would mark Ukraine’s most significant success in the Donbas region since Russia concentrated the bulk of its forces there in the spring. Haidai added the nearby city of Kreminna to the east of Lyman, in the Luhansk region, would be Ukraine’s next military target. Overnight, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky told the nation that troops were making “substantial results” in the east and named Lyman as a key example, thanking fighters there. “These are steps that mean a lot to us,” he added in a nightly address. Ukrainian military spokesman Cherevaty told The Post earlier this week that “almost all logistical routes” to the Lyman area were under Ukrainian control. This tactic, known as kettling, involves troops surrounding a city and leaving the occupied forces with few exit strategies other than surrender. Towns and villages in the eastern Donbas region tend to have few roads that lead in and out, leaving invading troops unfamiliar with area particularly vulnerable because they likely do not know any alternative paths out. A member of Ukraine’s military shared a video with The Post that appeared to show a destroyed column of Russian vehicles that might have tried to escape Lyman after Ukrainian forces had already closed in. In the video, bodies of Russian soldiers lie dead on the side of the road. Despite the patriotic pageantry during Friday’s grand treaty signing ceremony that claimed to annex parts of Ukraine’s Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions into Russia, Putin is facing criticism at home for his military mobilization, with thousands of people scrambling to borders and fleeing to avoid being called-up in the war. He has also faced criticism for losing ground in northern Ukraine. Oleg Tsarov, a Ukrainian separatist leader, noted on Twitter that the situation in Lyman is “a bad backdrop,” for the annexation celebrations. The loss of Lyman will also likely reinforce the idea that the annexations may not mirror the reality on the ground, with only a tenuous military hold over them, as Russian forces do not fully control any of the four regions. Nonetheless, Putin made clear in his scathing speech on Friday that he intended for the annexed land and populations to “forever” be part of Russia. He has previously said that any attack on annexed territories would be viewed as an attack on Russia and threatened to “use all the means at our disposal” to defend them — upping the ante of possible nuclear weapon use. On Friday, he made as an ominous reference to the United States’ atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan in 1945, calling it a “precedent” for use of the devastating weapons. Meanwhile in Ukraine, an adviser to President Zelensky, Mykhailo Podolyak, likened the encirclement of Lyman to the surrounding of the city of Ilovaisk in Donetsk by Russian forces in 2014. Then, “our guys agreed to surrender without weapons. But Russia broke its word. The column was shot,” he wrote on Twitter. The situation today had been reversed with Russian forces having “to ask for an exit from Lyman,” he added. Kostiantyn Khudov in Kyiv contributed to this report. Suliman reported from London. Dixon reported from Riga. War in Ukraine: What you need to know The latest: Russian President Vladimir Putin signed decrees Friday to annex four occupied regions of Ukraine, following staged referendums that were widely denounced as illegal. Follow our live updates here. The response: The Biden administration on Friday announced a new round of sanctions on Russia, in response to the annexations, targeting government officials and family members, Russian and Belarusian military officials and defense procurement networks. President Volodymyr Zelensky also said Friday that Ukraine is applying for “accelerated ascension” into NATO, in an apparent answer to the annexations. In Russia: Putin declared a military mobilization on Sept. 21 to call up as many as 300,000 reservists in a dramatic bid to reverse setbacks in his war on Ukraine. The announcement led to an exodus of more than 180,000 people, mostly men who were subject to service, and renewed protests and other acts of defiance against the war. The fight: Ukraine mounted a successful counteroffensive that forced a major Russian retreat in the northeastern Kharkiv region in early September, as troops fled cities and villages they had occupied since the early days of the war and abandoned large amounts of military equipment. Photos: Washington Post photographers have been on the ground from the beginning of the war — here’s some of their most powerful work. How you can help: Here are ways those in the U.S. can support the Ukrainian people as well as what people around the world have been donating. Read our full coverage of the Russia-Ukraine war. Are you on Telegram? Subscribe to our channel for updates and exclusive video. Read More Here

Supreme Court To Grapple With Race, Elections In New Term As Battle Over Abortion Lingers https://digitalarkansasnews.com/supreme-court-to-grapple-with-race-elections-in-new-term-as-battle-over-abortion-lingers/ Affirmative action and two major election cases are on the docket – along with a raging debate over just how far the high court’s conservative majority will go. The court’s recent decisions were celebrated on the right but polls show public confidence tanked. Race will be a major theme this term with challenges over affirmative action and minority voting. Another element to watch: How Justice Jackson’s arrival changes the high court. WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court will grapple with race, LGBTQ rights and election rules in a fraught new term that begins Monday, even as the justices and the nation wrestle with the fallout from the decision in June to overturn Roe v. Wade. With affirmative action on the docket, along with immigration and a case about whether businesses may deny services for same-sex weddings, the high court isn’t shying from opportunities to leave a mark once again on America’s economy, culture and politics. But as the nine justices take their seats Monday, the consequences of the previous term remain at the forefront of public awareness. The decision to wipe away the constitutional right to abortion established by Roe in 1973 has upended midterm election campaigns, sparked a dizzying series of changes to state abortion laws and added to a sense that the court’s 6-3 conservative majority is just getting started. “There’s no reason to think this coming term or any term in the foreseeable future will be any different,” said Irv Gornstein, a law professor and executive director of Georgetown University’s Supreme Court Institute. “On things that matter most, get ready for a lot of 6-3s.” Recap: Supreme Court ends historic term with shift to the right on abortion, guns Race: Supreme Court’s affirmative action cases could affect hiring, employment Roe: Roberts tried to persuade rest of Supreme Court to keep Roe v. Wade in place Many of the court’s biggest decisions in June – such as to expand access to guns and further blur the line separating church and state – cleaved the six Republican-nominated justices from the three-member liberal bloc, escalating a debate over the court’s fidelity to precedent and whether some of the vote splits have as much to do with the ideology of individual justices as with strict adherence to legal principles. A few of the justices themselves weighed in on that debate over the summer. Chief Justice John Roberts defended the court, arguing that critics shouldn’t question its legitimacy just because they disagree with an opinion. Associate Justice Elena Kagan appeared to contradict that assessment, warning that the court risks weakening its stature if the public views its work as political.  Though many of the court’s most controversial decisions last term were celebrated on the right, polls show public confidence took a hit. Four in 10 Americans said they approved of the Supreme Court in a recent Marquette Law School poll. That was a 26-percentage point slide from two years ago. Among the major cases this term: a free speech challenge to Colorado’s anti-discrimination law from a website developer who wants to deny her services for same-sex marriages because of her religious objections. President Joe Biden’s administration, meanwhile, is fending off a lawsuit from Texas and Louisiana over how much discretion the federal government has to prioritize certain immigrants for deportation. ‘The court should overrule it’ Just beyond the debate over the court’s legitimacy is a question about some of the justices’ commitment to precedent. Was the decision to overturn Roe a one-off, the result of the deeply personal and decadeslong battle over Roe? Or was it the first step in a long march to overturn numerous cases and systematically reshape constitutional law along more conservative lines?  The Supreme Court rarely overturns its decisions. The principle of stare decisis – the adherence to prior rulings – gives stability to the law. But “rarely” doesn’t mean “never.” “Litigants are much more aggressively inviting the court to reconsider and rewrite established precedent,” said David Cole, legal director at the American Civil Liberties Union, who regularly argues before the Supreme Court. “They see what the court did last term and they’re asking for more.” LGBTQ: Supreme Court to decide if businesses may decline same-sex weddings Guns: Will the Supreme Court wade into bump stock debate? Too late: Time is running out to block voting restrictions ahead of midterms Among the precedents most at risk is a 2003 ruling, Grutter v. Bollinger, that allowed universities to consider the race of applicants as one factor in admissions. Many colleges consider race to achieve diversity. But an anti-affirmative action group sued Harvard College and the University of North Carolina, asserting that that consideration discriminates against Asian American and other students. In its appeal to the Supreme Court, the group is asking for Grutter to be overruled, arguing the 5-4 decision was “wrong the day it was decided” and has “spawned significant negative consequences.” Harvard counters that Grutter was “resoundingly correct” and that admitting students “from all over the world who bring different backgrounds” is crucial to its mission.   The affirmative action cases could have sweeping implications not only for college admissions but also for the private sector. Several of the nation’s best-known companies – including Apple, General Electric, Google and Starbucks – are backing the schools. Precedent may also be in jeopardy in a major election case, Moore v. Harper. Republican lawmakers in North Carolina are asking the high court to rule that state legislatures have the power to change voting rules without oversight from state courts. The so-called independent state legislature theory is grounded in a clause in the Constitution that delegates responsibility for federal elections to state legislatures with oversight by Congress. That theory, opponents say, is tough to square with a 2015 decision in which a 5-4 majority of the Supreme Court upheld a commission that draws Arizona’s congressional districts – in other words, an entity that is not part of the state Legislature. The North Carolina lawmakers say a commission is different from a state court.  But if the Supreme Court ultimately decides the Arizona case is relevant, the lawmakers have a solution, which they raise in a footnote: “The court should overrule it.” Race takes center stage  Abortion was the dominant theme in the term that ended in June. This time, it is race that ties together many of the most significant questions before the high court. The 14th Amendment’s equal protection clause is central to the affirmative action litigation. It’s also key to another lawsuit dealing with elections.  In Merrill v. Milligan, scheduled for oral argument Tuesday, Alabama is defending a congressional redistricting map that includes one majority African American district out of seven, even though Black residents make up more than one quarter of the state’s population. A federal court in Birmingham in January said the state appeared to have given Black voters “less opportunity than other Alabamians to elect candidates of their choice” and ruled that the map probably violated the Voting Rights Act.  Explainer: How the Supreme Court is influencing the midterm elections Barrett: How Justice Barrett is wielding influence on the Supreme Court Federalist Society: Overturning Roe a triumph of long push by conservative legal movement Alabama counters that its map is substantially similar to the one the state has used for years. To draw what plaintiffs want – a map that includes two African American majority districts – would require officials to elevate race above every other factor mapmakers are supposed to consider in the redistricting process, the state says.  The decision could significantly change how much weight states give to race as they decide how neighborhoods are divvied up into congressional districts.  In another series of cases, the Supreme Court must decide whether a 1978 law intended to stop the forced removal of Native American children from their tribes violates the equal protection of rights. One of the law’s provisions requires preference be given to Native American families when a Native American child is placed for adoption. Non-Native families who sought to adopt Native American children say the law violates the Constitution because it gives a preference to one race over others. The Biden administration counters that the classification isn’t racial but rather is based on the fact that tribes are separate and sovereign.  “There are hundreds of adoptions that take place involving this law,” Lisa Blatt, a veteran Supreme Court litigator who argued a similar case before the court in 2013, said at a Georgetown Law School event. “It is of an enormous amount of importance to people who adopt children or want to give up their children for adoption.” New justice, different court?   Another dynamic to watch: How the court’s new associate justice, Ketanji Brown Jackson, changes the nation’s highest bench.  Jackson joined the court in June and has already taken part in a handful of emergency cases. But her first oral argument will coincide with the start of the term. And soon she’ll be writing opinions along with her colleagues. That will offer insight into a jurist who avoided hemming herself into any particular judicial philosophy during her confirmation hearings.  Because she was nominated by Biden and replaced retired Associate Justice Stephen Breyer, who was also nominated by a Democrat, her arrival isn’t expected to change outcomes in major cases.  But Jackson may exert influence in more subtl...

Kellyanne Conway Says Trump https://digitalarkansasnews.com/kellyanne-conway-says-trump/ Former President Trump could be a presidential candidate by the end of the year, according to Kellyanne Conway, one of Trump’s top advisers and his 2016 campaign manager. In an interview Friday with CBS News senior investigative correspondent Catherine Herridge, asked whether Trump, who has indicated he plans to run again, would announce his candidacy after the midterm elections — by Thanksgiving — Conway responded, “Well, he would like to.”  “He’s as active as anybody in these midterm elections. That’s important to the calculus also, Catherine, because we have the most ironic, if not unprecedented situation right now,” Conway said. “We have a president, a current president, whose party doesn’t really want him to campaign with them.” “I think once those midterms are done, President Trump can assess the timing of his announcement,” Conway continued. “I will tell you why he wants to run for president — Donald Trump wants his old job back.” When Conway spoke with Herridge in July, she said her advice to Trump was to wait for a few months. Conway, the first woman to run a successful presidential campaign, served as the former president’s counselor for most of his tenure.  “My advice to the president privately is my advice to him publicly, which is, ‘If you want to announce, wait until right after the midterms,'” she said this summer.  As she suggested in July, Conway reiterated her feeling that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a potential 2024 presidential candidate who is currently dealing with the devastation wrought by Hurricane Ian, should wait to run. Finishing two terms as Florida governor, she said, would better position DeSantis for a future presidential bid. “He has the skills, he has the temperament, he has the moxie, and he has the the commitment to do that,” Conway told Herridge. “Many of his generational peers will have been in the United States Senate,” Conway continued. “So if he’s running against a Ted Cruz or Rand Paul or Marco Rubio, let’s say Josh Hawley, Tom Cotton and others, Ron DeSantis, his argument is you’ve been in the United States Senate, sometimes in the minority party, sometimes in the majority party, but what have you got to show for it? They’ll have to answer those questions. He’ll say, I’ve been the governor of the third largest state. Look what I’ve done.” She dismissed the notion that Trump and his political team are concerned about competition from DeSantis in 2024 —”I don’t think they are, no,” she said. “They’re friends, they’re allies. I think people want Ron DeSantis and Donald Trump to be two scorpions in a bottle.” She added, “They’re just not.” The interview with Conway airs on CBS News Streaming Friday. Grace Kazarian contributed reporting.  In: Donald Trump Kathryn Watson Kathryn Watson is a politics reporter for CBS News Digital based in Washington, D.C. Thanks for reading CBS NEWS. Create your free account or log in for more features. Please enter email address to continue Please enter valid email address to continue Read More Here

Fear Of 'off The Rails' Trump Forced Aides To 'soften' Bad News During Strategy Sessions: Former White House Insider https://digitalarkansasnews.com/fear-of-off-the-rails-trump-forced-aides-to-soften-bad-news-during-strategy-sessions-former-white-house-insider/ Responding to an excerpt from Maggie Haberman’s “Confidence Man: The Making of Donald Trump and the Breaking of America,” a former senior White House aide under Trump stated that reporting that Jared Kushner inflated Trump’s poll numbers to his face during the 2020 presidential election inin an effort to quell his tantrums sounds about right. As Rolling Stone reports, Trump’s son-in-law was skeptical of polling that showed his father-in-law losing to Joe Biden, and tried to soften the blow when giving updates. The Rolling Stone report states Haberman wrote, “Kushner, who oversaw reelection strategy from his post as a White House senior adviser, advised a …campaign pollster, Tony Fabrizio, to inflate Trump’s standing in surveys that would be shown to the candidate by adding percentage points to his position in the horse race.” Asawin Suebsaeng of Rolling Stone adds, “…’the “ostensible reason’ for this was Kushner and others’ contention that polling firms ‘always missed Trump voters.’ However, to various Trump 2020 officials, it was obvious that the ‘real reason’ for Kushner’s advice to Fabrizio was to ‘avoid upsetting Trump.'” IN RELATED NEWS: The door to remove Judge Aileen Cannon from the Trump case is now ‘wide open’: former prosecutor Asked about Haberman’s claim, a former Trump aide said it was highly likely that Kushner was trying to avoid Trump’s wrath based on the president’s general demeanor during the 2020 campaign. “There is no doubt in my mind that that was the reason,” they explained. “There were discussions among other members of the Trump campaign about hiding or softening bad news like that, if only so that fewer [strategy] meetings [with Trump] would go off the rails because he was pissed off about people saying he was losing to Biden.” The report adds, “At the time, a variety of Trump’s closest confidants were similarly happy to indulge the then-president’s claims that the public polling had to be rigged against him, and the delusion that there was simply no way he could be trailing his Democratic foe. For instance, Haberman writes, Fox News host and frequent Trump adviser Sean Hannity ‘told Trump aides he did not trust the polling he was seeing and would commission his own.'” You can read more here. Read More Here

Former Trump Commerce Department Official And Turning Point USA Ex-Employee Sentenced To 5.5 Years In Prison For Child Pornography Possession https://digitalarkansasnews.com/former-trump-commerce-department-official-and-turning-point-usa-ex-employee-sentenced-to-5-5-years-in-prison-for-child-pornography-possession/ A former US Department of Commerce official pleaded guilty to a federal child pornography charge. Adam Hageman, 26, was sentenced to five-and-a-half years in prison. Prior to working for the Commerce Department in the Trump administration, he had a job with Turning Point USA. Loading Something is loading. A former Commerce Department official in the Trump administration has been sentenced to 5-and-a-half years in prison after pleading guilty to a federal charge of receiving child pornography. Adam Hageman, 26, was arrested in November 2020 after Homeland Security executed a search warrant of his home in Washington, DC. During the search, he voluntarily unlocked his cell phone and provided access to an image vault containing child pornography to Homeland Security officials, according to a pre-trial detention memo. The vault contained at least 33 videos that appeared to contain sexually explicit depictions of children, the memo said. In the memo, prosecutors accused Hageman of encouraging people in an online group to rape children and soliciting group members to share child pornography. According to an affidavit by a Homeland Security special agent, which was filed in November 2020, Hageman indicated that his preference was children aged 12 to 16 and said that the youngest person he had sex with was 15 years old. Hageman pleaded guilty to a charge of receiving child pornography last Thursday. US District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson sentenced him to 66 months in prison. After his release, he will be on parole for five years. Hageman will also have to register as a sex offender. Before working for the Commerce Department, Politico reported that Hageman was an administrator for Turning Point USA — the far-right conservative nonprofit organization. Hageman ‘s attorney, the US Department of Commerce, and Turning Point USA did not immediately respond to Insider’s requests for comment. Read More Here

Illinois Man Sentenced To 14 Years For Armed Robberies In Arkansas https://digitalarkansasnews.com/illinois-man-sentenced-to-14-years-for-armed-robberies-in-arkansas/ A 34-year-old Illinois man has been sentenced to 14 years in prison for a pair of armed robberies in Little Rock and North Little Rock. The holdups occurred three months apart. The first was May 11, 2021, at the Exxon at 2601 W. 65th St. in Little Rock where a man wearing a hoodie and a mask pulled a gun to steal three cartons of cigarettes at about 4 a.m. after he entered the wrong pin code for his credit card. Police said he pulled the gun when clerk Laretta Heyland approached him when he started walking out with the cigarettes. Shawn Anthony Bridgeman of Gibson City, Ill., was arrested after the Aug. 9, 2021, robbery at the Cell Phone Repair Center at the Lakewood Village shopping center in North Little Rock. Employee Rehman Aslam was held up by a bald man with a gun wearing a blue shirt and white pants. Searching the area, police came across a bald man in khaki pants and a gray T-shirt who ran when officers attempted to talk to him. Police chased the man into Shoe Carnival, where he ran into the restroom. Officers arrested him, identifying him as Bridgeman. Police also collected the four Apple iPhones and two Apple watches Bridgeman had stolen, along with the blue shirt Bridgeman had been wearing during the robbery. Detectives also found the BB gun that Bridgeman said he used in the robbery. Once North Little Rock police had Bridgeman in custody, they discovered Little Rock detectives had been looking for him for more than two months. Little Rock detectives had used surveillance video from the Exxon to figure out who the robber was, showing the recording to neighboring convenience stores and motels. Eventually, investigators ran across Junior Velazquez, 27, an acquaintance of Bridgeman’s who said he saw Bridgeman with cartons of cigarettes after Bridgeman had said he was going to the Exxon. Velazquez further told police Bridgeman had a gun that he’d purchased the same day as the holdup. Police also found Bridgeman’s fingerprint at the scene. Sentencing papers filed Thursday show Bridgeman pleaded guilty to two counts each of robbery, reduced from aggravated robbery, and theft in exchange for the 14-year term imposed by Pulaski County Circuit Judge Cathi Compton. Read More…

Donald Trump’s Dangerous Plan To Drain The Swamp – The National Herald https://digitalarkansasnews.com/donald-trumps-dangerous-plan-to-drain-the-swamp-the-national-herald/ FILE – Former President Donald Trump speaks at the Road to Majority conference Friday, June 17, 2022, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, File) Donald Trump’s threats to American democracy are often bold and flashy. He tried to overthrow a presidential election. He stole classified national-security documents. He promised to pardon January 6 insurrectionists if he retakes the presidency. But one of Trump’s most dangerous initiatives is a rather subtle maneuver: He wants to change the law so thousands of federal-government employees can be fired without cause. The implications of this seemingly innocuous tweak to employment law are profound. Right now, most federal employees can’t be fired absent good cause. That is, they can’t be sent packing unless they actually do something wrong. The employees, moreover, can dispute the basis of their terminations before a neutral judge. Trump wants to eliminate these significant protections – so he can fire whoever he wants, whenever he wants. Late in his presidency, Trump signed an executive order giving himself this authority. Joe Biden promptly repealed it. And this month the House of Representatives approved a bill cementing the federal-employment protections. It’s essential to the vitality of American democracy that this bill becomes law and thus beyond the reach of future executive orders. The only thing that stopped Trump from achieving numerous anti-democratic, anti-constitutional objectives from the Oval Office was a large group of government employees who disobeyed his orders. It happened time and again. Acting Attorney General Sally Yates refused to enforce Trump’s Travel Ban. Attorney General Jeff Sessions declined to close the FBI’s Russia investigation. White House Counsel Don Mcghan ignored Trump’s orders to fire Robert Mueller. Attorney General William Barr stymied Trump’s attempt to overturn the presidential election. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson even explained publicly (after leaving office) how he consistently rebuffed Trump’s attempts to violate the law: “The President would say, ‘here’s what I want to do and here’s how I want to do it.’ And I’d have to say to him, ‘well Mr. President, I understand what you want to do, but you can’t do it that way. It violates the law.’” The pressure Trump put on officials to overthrow the 2020 presidential election was, indeed, so extreme that ten former Secretaries of Defense issued a letter on January 3, 2021, warning federal employees in Trump’s orbit: “Efforts to involve the U.S. armed forces in resolving election disputes would take us into dangerous, unlawful and unconstitutional territory,” they wrote. “Civilian and military officials who direct or carry out such measures would be accountable, including potentially facing criminal penalties, for the grave consequences of their actions on our republic.” While these prominent examples involving high-level officials made headlines, the daily resolve of thousands of federal employees -those who quietly turn presidential orders into concrete government action – consistently protected the country from Trump’s worst instincts. These are the people who Trump wants gone. Trump and his advisers have identified American democracy’s core vulnerabilities – and that’s where they are focused. Instead of simply saying the Democrats stole the 2020 election, Trump wants loyalists to administer the 2024 election in battleground states. Instead of relying on Twitter and Facebook to reach voters, Trump has built his own social-media platform. And, now, instead of simply issuing illegal orders if he retakes the presidency, Trump wants to eliminate the people who would ignore them. Trying to reduce federal-employment protections isn’t as flashy as Trump’s higher-profile initiatives. And it’s certainly not getting the same amount of press. But the change would be enormously consequential. Principled federal employees stood firmly between Trump’s presidential ambitions and America’s empirical reality. This guardrail is essential. American democracy can’t withstand a second Trump presidency if his subordinates actually do what he says. William Cooper is an attorney and the author of Stress Test: How Donald Trump Threatens American Democracy. Read More Here

Death Toll Rises From Post-Tropical Cyclone Ian; Storm Crawls Across Carolinas, Virginia https://digitalarkansasnews.com/death-toll-rises-from-post-tropical-cyclone-ian-storm-crawls-across-carolinas-virginia/ A weakened Ian continues traveling north through the Carolinas, where it is expected to dissipate over Virginia late Saturday. Fox News is updating with the latest news surrounding the storm, its impact, travel and emergency updates. incoming update… The U.S. death toll from Hurricane Ian and its subsequent weather effects rose to at least 27 late Friday night as authorities have been able to confirm additional drownings and other fatalities. Just hours earlier, the death toll was recorded as 17, but the Florida Department of Law Enforcement said later that evening that other deaths in the state have been confirmed. One of the deaths was a 22-year-old woman who was fatally ejected from an ATV because of a road washout and a 68-year-old woman who drowned after she was swept into the ocean by a wave. An elderly couple died after their oxygen machines shut off when they lost power, authorities said.  Authorities expect the death toll to rise further as emergency officials are able to assess damages properties. Hundreds of rescues have already taken place across the state. Three people reportedly died to the storm in Cuba. Ian, officially a post-tropical cyclone with 55 mph sustained wind speeds, is estimated to be one of the costliest hurricanes ever to hit the U.S. According to the disaster modeling firm Karen Clark & Company, the storm has likely caused “well over $100 billion’’ in damage, including $63 billion in privately insured losses. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Posted by Lawrence Richard Florida’s Collier County 911 system is down. “We are working to fix it as quickly as possible. In the meantime, if you have an emergency you can reach us at 239-252-9300,” the Naples Police Department tweeted Saturday. Posted by Julia Musto The Florida Department of Transportation said that Interstate 75 was no longer safely passable for motorists due to rising water from the Myakka River. “Due to the rising water, I-75 in both directions is now closed from mile marker 179 (North Port / Toledo Blade Blvd) to mile marker 191 (Englewood / Jacaranda Blvd),” the department said in a release. Motorists planning on traveling on I-75 to southwest Florida should seek an alternative route or follow detours they have listed here. Posted by Julia Musto Early Saturday, President Biden approved an emergency declaration for North Carolina, ordering federal assistance to supplement response efforts to Hurricane Ian. Emergency protective measures, including direct federal assistance, under the Public Assistance program will be provided at 75% federal funding.  On Friday, the president approved a disaster declaration for the Seminole Tribe of Florida. The action makes federal funding available to individuals of the Seminole Tribe of Florida and its associated lands who were affected by the storm. These steps come as U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra declared a Public Health Emergency for the state of South Carolina. “Hurricane Ian is carving a destructive path along the southeast, placing the health of millions of people at risk,” said Becerra. “We are working closely with state, local and tribal health authorities to protect the health of everyone possible and save lives.” Posted by Julia Musto According to outage tracker PowerOutage.US, customers without power in states and territories impacted by Hurricane Ian still totaled nearly two million on Saturday morning. Florida customers accounted for more than 1.3 million of those outages. In the Carolinas, which have been impacted from Friday afternoon through this morning, 383,513 customers were powerless. Dominion Energy, which services South Carolina and other states, said Friday that it was restoring power after a peak of around 110,000 outages. “Ian is one heck of a fickle and stubborn storm,” Keller Kissam, president of Dominion Energy South Carolina, said in a release. “It couldn’t make up its mind where it wanted to go or how long it wanted to stay. That’s exactly why we had to be prepared – and we urged our customers to be prepared – for whatever bite Ian would bring. I want our customers to know that our crews will continue to work as hard and as long as we need to until everyone has their lights back on. Please stay safe, and please be patient.”  Puerto Rico was shown with 203,690 customers without power. Virginia was nearing 100,000 outages as Ian made its way north. Posted by Julia Musto Post-Tropical Cyclone Ian was located about 30 miles south of Greensboro, North Carolina. The storm has maximum sustained winds of 35 miles per hour, with higher gusts, and it is moving north-northwest at 12 mph. Winds are occurring over the waters east of North Carolina and Virginia. There are no coastal watches or warnings in effect. The National Hurricane Center said that a turn toward the north with a decrease in forward speed is expected later Saturday. Ian is projected to reach south-central Virginia by the afternoon. Additional weakening is anticipated and Ian is forecast to dissipate over south-central Virginia by tonight. Currently, heavy rains continue across the central Appalachians and Mid-Atlantic and the hurricane center said ongoing major to record river flooding would continue through next week across parts of central Florida. Limited flash, urban and small stream flooding is possible across parts of the central Appalachians and the southern Mid-Atlantic. In addition, gusty winds are expected for parts of the central and southern Appalachians through Saturday morning. Posted by Julia Musto The latest update from Dominion Energy, which serves electricity to several states including Virginia and North Carolina, shows as of 5:15 a.m. Saturday morning that over 44,000 Virginia customers are without power in its service area. The outages include: Chesapeake — 908 customers City of Richmond — 146 customers Henrico — 110 customers Chesterfield — 893 customers Dinwiddie — 132 customers James City — 234 customers Gloucester — 1,578 customers Halifax — 2,371 customers Hampton — 4,445 customers Isle of Wight — 1,243 customers Matthews — 245 customers Newport News — 4,658 customers Norfolk — 11,336 customers Portsmouth — 427 customers Suffolk — 676 customers Virginia Beach — 7,711 customers York — 1,633 customers According to Poweroutage.us, nearly 98,000 Virginians in total are without power. Posted by Lawrence Richard The National Hurricane Center released an advisory early Saturday morning warning of flash flooding risks over portions of North Carolina and Virginia still posed by post-tropical cyclone Ian. The center of the storm is about 50 miles south-southeast of Greensboro, North Carolina, the weather service said. Ian, once a Category 4 hurricane with 150 mph wind speed, maintains a maximum sustained wind speed of 40 mph. It continues to travel north at 13 mph. Ian’s remnants are expected to continue weakening as it moves further inland across central North Carolina on Saturday. It will then enter Virginia, where it is expected to dissipate by early Sunday. Posted by Lawrence Richard After making its final U.S. landfall, Ian will continue to bring tropical storm-force winds and torrential rain to the I-95 corridor through the weekend. Ian made landfall in South Carolina Friday afternoon as a Category 1 hurricane. The storm brought 85 mph winds to Georgetown, South Carolina, around 2 p.m. And while Ian no longer holds hurricane strength, the storm’s lasting effects will be felt through the weekend. The remnants of Hurricane Ian will bring widespread rain and strong winds along the I-95 corridor from North Carolina to Rhode Island. The storm is expected to weaken to an extratropical low-pressure system over North Carolina before dissipating Saturday night. Between 3 and 6 inches of rain is possible along the Appalachian Mountains from North Carolina into the Virginias. Persistent rain will also lead to rainfall totals between 2 and 4 inches from the Delmarva Peninsula to parts of New Jersey. On Sunday, soaking rains will continue to be the issue for a wide swath of the mid-Atlantic as the remnants of Ian slowly move away from the U.S. Between 2 and 4 inches of rain is possible in this region, with some places potentially receiving up to 5 inches. Click here to read more on Ian’s potential path from FOX Weather: Ian to impact I-95 corridor after leaving behind path of destruction from Florida to South Carolina Posted by Lawrence Richard A South Florida healthcare system is stepping up to assist the smallest patients at a Fort Myers hospital significantly affected by Hurricane Ian. On Friday, Memorial Healthcare System in Broward County announced three of its Neonatal Intensive Care Units will be accepting NICU patients from Lee Health. The system is expecting to receive 22 newborns over the next few days. The most critical patients will be transferred by helicopter and the rest will travel via ambulance, FOX 7 Miami reported. The babies will be placed in the care of Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital, Memorial Hospital West or Memorial Hospital Miramar. “It’s bad enough to have the stress of a sick baby in the hospital, and then with having a catastrophe of this size on top of that, it’s unthinkable,” Dr. Ronald Ford, the chief medical officer at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital, told FOX 7 Miami. Posted by Elizabeth Pritchett President Joe Biden declared that an emergency exists in the state of North Carolina on Saturday, following Ian’s impact and has ordered federal agencies to help in state and local disaster relief efforts.   The president authorized the Department of Homeland Security and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)...

Turned On Trump: Here Are The Republicans Backing Democrats Over MAGA Candidates – MsnNOW https://digitalarkansasnews.com/turned-on-trump-here-are-the-republicans-backing-democrats-over-maga-candidates-msnnow/ Turned on Trump: Here are the Republicans backing Democrats over MAGA candidates  msnNOW Read More Here

Five Takeaways From The Abbott-O’Rourke Debate Showdown In Texas Pipa News https://digitalarkansasnews.com/five-takeaways-from-the-abbott-orourke-debate-showdown-in-texas-pipa-news/ Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) and Democratic nominee Beto O’Rourke traded barbs and sought to portray each other as naturally out of touch with the state in their first and only televised debate on Friday evening. demanded. The debate — hosted by Nexstar Media Group, which also owns The Hill — gave candidates the opportunity to stake policy positions and address a range of issues from the Uvalde school shooting to teacher retention to border security. While the candidates touched upon some policy stances, the one-hour debate was mostly a civil matter, while the candidates opened old wounds and tried to portray each other as extremists. The debate comes at a crucial time for O’Rourke as recent polls have shown him trailing Abbott, giving him a crucial opportunity to reach voters in the final stages of the race. At the same time, the hour-long sermon comes amid speculation that the governor of Texas may bid for the presidency in 2024. Here are five takeaways from the Texas gubernatorial debate. Barbs fly but debate remains a stifled matter The hour-long debate was mostly stalled; There was no explosion or raised sound. But that doesn’t mean that Abbott and O’Rourke didn’t take advantage of opportunities when they could revisit the past and bring out each other’s shortcomings. “Governor Abbott’s grid failure is part of a pattern over these past eight years. Warning about, for example, school violence and gun violence against children in particular, does nothing,” O’Rourke said. . “Warned about problems within Child Protective Services, our foster care program, does nothing, and it gets worse. Warned before February 2021 that we had a problem with the grid, it did nothing. At the same time, Abbott touched on Democrats’ failed attempts to win a Senate seat in 2018 and the White House two years later. He also argued that O’Rourke was inconsistent in his positions. “He has turned on the border issue. He has flip-flopped on energy issues, such as energy jobs and the Green New Deal. He has turned his back on defaming the police. Whether it is one issue or another, he keeps changing his position,” Abbott said. Candidates label each other as extremists Both the candidates sought to cast each other as extremists in different ways. A major policy area in which the attacks were carried out was abortion. “Beto’s position is the most extreme because not only does he support abortion until the last second before the birth of a full-grown child, he is also against providing medical care for a child who survives the miscarriage. That’s at the taxpayer’s expense. is for unlimited abortion,” Abbott alleged. “That’s not true. It’s completely false,” O’Rourke replied. “I never said that. And no one in the state of Texas thinks so. He’s saying it because he signed the most extreme abortion ban in America. No exception for rape, no exception for incest.” The two men kept each other wildly out of touch over issues like immigration. For example, Abbott claimed that O’Rourke said he would reduce immigration enforcement and ease the situation at the border. Biden emerges as GOP boogeyman Abbott took several opportunities to ding President Biden during the debate as he sought to associate O’Rourke with the president, amid Biden’s lagging approval ratings. Responding to a question about whether more money should be given for Operation Loan, the governor said, “We shouldn’t allocate any money for it because it’s all because of the president’s failure to do the job of securing Joe Biden’s border.” reason.” Star, which was intended to deal with the cross-border between the US and Mexico. “We only have to do this because of the failure of Joe Biden and because this will be the path Beto will take us down,” he said. At one point during the debate, O’Rourke hit back at Abbott’s claim against the president, arguing that he was blaming people like Biden but that “buck stops at your desk.” no mention of trump While the former President Trump and the many state and federal investigations he has been embroiled in have consistently shadowed the midterm race, the former president was not once mentioned during the debate. While a reference to Trump would likely increase the GOP base in Texas, the absence of any mention of the former president allowed Abbott to focus on state-specific issues. And it suggested that O’Rourke also sees that the key to breaking up with Texas voters is to focus on core issues like immigration, abortion and gun violence — not just former White House occupants. O’Rourke’s decision to avoid mentioning Trump also comes after criticism during the last election cycle that Democrats had focused too much on trying to connect Republicans to the former president. probably not a game changer Given the civil nature of the debate and the fact that none of the candidates showed much change in rhetoric or policy stance, voters are unlikely to walk away from Friday night’s event with changed minds. This will likely be an asset to Abbott, as he is leading the polls, and it is likely to be a setback for O’Rourke, as there were no clear moments when he could successfully deliver a damaging blow against the governor. were able to. Instead, O’Rourke will have to rely on whether casting himself as a foil for a two-term term in power and a message of change will be enough to impress voters in November. For the latest news, weather, sports and streaming video, visit The Hill. . Read More Here

Live Updates On Ian’s Impact In Fayetteville: Biden Declares State Of Emergency In NC – MsnNOW https://digitalarkansasnews.com/live-updates-on-ians-impact-in-fayetteville-biden-declares-state-of-emergency-in-nc-msnnow/ Live updates on Ian’s impact in Fayetteville: Biden declares state of emergency in NC  msnNOW Read More Here

Burkina Faso Coup: African Union Condemns Military Takeover https://digitalarkansasnews.com/burkina-faso-coup-african-union-condemns-military-takeover/ By Natasha Booty & George Wright BBC News Image source, Radio Télévision du Burkina Image caption, Regional powers say they condemn the soldiers behind the coup (pictured) Burkina Faso’s neighbours have condemned Friday’s apparent coup, saying it was “inappropriate” for army rebels to seize power when the country was working towards civilian rule. Regional group Ecowas and the African Union said ousting leader Lt Col Paul-Henri Damiba was “unconstitutional”. This is the second time this year the country’s army has seized power. Both times, the coups’ leaders said they had to step in because national security was so dire. Burkina Faso controls as little as 60% of its territory, experts say, and Islamist violence is worsening. Flanked by rebel soldiers in fatigues and black facemasks, an army captain announced on national TV on Friday evening that they were kicking out junta leader Lt Col Paul-Henri Damiba, dissolving the government and suspending the constitution. Ibrahim Traoré said Lt Col Damiba’s inability to deal with an Islamist insurgency was to blame. “Our people have suffered enough, and are still suffering”, he said. He also announced that borders were closed indefinitely, a nightly curfew was now in place from 21:00 to 05:00, and all political activities were suspended. “Faced with the deteriorating situation, we tried several times to get Damiba to refocus the transition on the security question,” said the statement signed by Traoré. “Damiba’s actions gradually convinced us that his ambitions were diverting away from what we set out to do. We decided this day to remove Damiba,” it said. Since the takeover there has been no word on the whereabouts of the ousted leader. Lt Col Damiba’s junta overthrew an elected government in January citing a failure to halt Islamist attacks, and he himself told citizens “we have more than what it takes to win this war.” But his administration has also not been able to quell the jihadist violence. Analysts told the BBC recently that Islamist insurgents were encroaching on territory, and military leaders had failed in their attempts to bring the military under a single unit of command. On Monday, 11 soldiers were killed when they were escorting a convoy of civilian vehicles in Djibo in the north of the country. Earlier on Friday, Lt Col Damiba urged the population to remain calm after heavy gunfire was heard in parts of the capital. A spokesman for the ousted government, Lionel Bilgo, told AFP news agency on Friday that the “crisis” was in essence an army pay dispute, and that Lt Col Damiba was taking part in negotiations. But since Friday evening Lt Col Damiba’s whereabouts are unknown. France is a traditional ally, but French diplomatic sources have told RFI radio that Lt Col Damiba is not with them nor is he under their protection. The African Union meanwhile has demanded the return of constitutional order by July 2023 at the latest, and in the same statement its commission chair Moussa Faki Mahamat urged the military to “immediately and totally refrain from any acts of violence or threats to the civilian population, civil liberties, human rights”. The Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) earlier condemned the move too, stating it “reaffirms its unreserved opposition to any taking or maintaining of the power by unconstitutional means”. The United States said it was “deeply concerned” by events in Burkina Faso and encouraged its citizens to limit movements in the country. France issued a similar warning to its more than 4,000 citizens living in the capital city Ouagadougou. “We call for a return to calm and restraint by all actors,” a US State Department spokesperson said. Image source, Reuters Image caption, Lt Col Damiba urged the population to remain calm after heavy gunfire was heard in parts of the capital on Friday In January, Lt Col Damiba ousted President Roch Kaboré, saying that he had failed to deal with growing militant Islamist violence. But many citizens do not feel any safer and there have been protests in different parts of the country this week. On Friday afternoon, some protesters took to the capital’s streets calling for the removal of Lt Col Damiba. The Islamist insurgency broke out in Burkina Faso in 2015, leaving thousands dead and forcing an estimated two million people from their homes. The country has experienced eight successful coups since independence in 1960. Read More Here

Stopgap Spending Bill Signed By Biden https://digitalarkansasnews.com/stopgap-spending-bill-signed-by-biden/ The White House in Washington is illuminated at sunset in this undated file photo. (AP/Alex Brandon) WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden signed into law Friday a short-term spending package that would keep the government open through mid-December, staving off a midnight shutdown and sending about $12.3 billion in military and economic aid to Ukraine. The House passed the measure less than 12 hours before funding was set to lapse. It would keep the government open through Dec. 16, giving lawmakers time to iron out their considerable differences over the dozen annual spending bills. The package included a third tranche of aid to Ukraine for its battle with Russia, on top of a total of about $54 billion approved earlier this year. With Friday’s vote, Congress has now committed more military aid to Ukraine than it has to any country in a single year since the Vietnam War. In the end, support for the bill was unanimous among Democratic lawmakers. Only 10 Republican lawmakers joined them in voting yes. The measure passed on a vote of 230-201. Later Friday, former President Donald Trump responded to the bill’s passage with a message on his social media platform, Truth Social, attacking Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and his wife, who also served in Trump’s administration as a Cabinet secretary. Trump ominously wrote that McConnell has a “death wish.” Passage of the bill met the last legislative deadline facing Congress before the November midterm elections. Lawmakers, eager to return to the campaign trail, vowed to address outstanding disputes in the annual legislation as part of an increasingly packed to-do list for when the House and Senate return in November. “The investments included in this bill are urgent and necessary to avoid disruptions to vital federal agencies, to help communities get back on their feet, to ensure we have the time needed to negotiate a final funding agreement that meets the needs of hardworking people,” said Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., chair of the Appropriations Committee. Republican leaders, however, counseled their conference to oppose the package. Although several Senate Republicans supported the package when it passed that chamber Thursday, House Republicans argued that it did little to address their priorities, including providing a substantial increase for the military and shoring up resources at the southern border. “We know we have a crisis on the southern border. You can turn on the television every night. You can look at the fentanyl pouring into the country. You can see the tragedy of human trafficking,” said Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla. “That is a travesty.” Rep. Kay Granger, R-Texas, the top GOP member on the Appropriations Committee, chastised Democrats for a bill she said was being “rushed through the House today, with just hours to spare to avoid a government shutdown.” “It’s deeply unfortunate that we have once again waited to the last minute to fund the government,” Cole, a longtime member of the appropriations panel, added. “We should not be in this situation. Both sides have done this.” But the desire to avoid a government shutdown and to help Ukraine was enough to rally the support needed to pass the measure. It would allocate $1.5 billion to replenish weapons and equipment previously sent to the country, while allowing Biden to authorize the transfer of up to $3.7 billion of U.S. equipment and weapons. It will also provide $3 billion for military support, as well as $4.5 billion for the Ukrainian government to continue operating throughout the war. “This package comes at a critical moment,” said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., pointing to Ukraine’s recent success in reclaiming land that had been seized by Russia and commitments of support she and the Biden administration had made. “With this supplemental, we take another strong step toward honoring that pledge, our country’s pledge.” Democrats said passing the bill was important to helping Ukraine as well as victims of recent natural disasters in the U.S., including Hurricane Ian, as it provides a Federal Emergency Management Agency disaster fund with a year’s worth of money up front rather than for 2½ months. “We cannot leave communities behind that are still picking up the pieces from disastrous floods, wildfires and hurricane — and even basic water system failures,” said Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla. Domestic needs addressed by lawmakers in the legislation include ensuring the renewal of a five-year “user fee” agreement that the Food and Drug Administration relies on as part of its budget and setting aside $1 billion for a program that will help lower-income families with heating and energy costs in the coming months. The legislation also allows the federal government more flexibility to spend existing disaster relief funds in the coming weeks, even as lawmakers acknowledged that it was likely that a separate round of emergency aid would be needed in the coming weeks to address the devastation left by hurricanes in southwest Florida and Puerto Rico. It would transfer $3 billion from a Pentagon aid program to the State Department for continued Afghan resettlement operations. “This short-term funding bill will keep the government open and meet a range of critical needs — from helping communities recover from extreme weather events, to supporting Ukraine, to helping fulfill our promises and commitments to Afghan allies and partners, and more,” said Shalanda Young, the director of the Office of Management and Budget. To ensure there would be enough Republican support for the measure to pass the Senate, however, Democrats agreed to remove billions of dollars in emergency funds to help address the coronavirus pandemic and spread of monkeypox across the country. Republicans criticized the health spending as unnecessary. The White House said the money would have been used to accelerate the research and development of vaccines and therapeutics, prepare for future covid variants and support the global response. Democrats also dropped an energy infrastructure plan that had initially been included at the request of Sen. Joe Manchin, a conservative Democrat of West Virginia, as part of an agreement that won his vote in August for the party’s major climate, health and tax package. Dozens of House Democrats had called for the energy plan to be stripped out and considered separately. Senior lawmakers said they would reconsider it once Congress returned in mid-November. Information for this article was contributed by Emily Cochrane of The New York Times and by Kevin Freking of The Associated Press. Read More Here

Kellyanne Conway Says Trump 'wants His Old Job Back' And Would Like To Announce 2024 Run Within Weeks | Businessinsider https://digitalarkansasnews.com/kellyanne-conway-says-trump-wants-his-old-job-back-and-would-like-to-announce-2024-run-within-weeks-businessinsider/ Former President Donald Trump, left, and Kellyanne Conway, right, in a composite image. Getty Images Former President Donald Trump would like to announce his 2024 run within weeks, Kellyanne Conway told CBS News. He “wants his old job back,” Conway, a top advisor to the former president, said. GOP figureheads, including Kellyanne Conway, have advised him to wait until after the midterms. For more stories, go to www.BusinessInsider.co.za. Former President Donald Trump is eager to get back into the White House, and wants to announce his 2024 run in the coming weeks, said his 2016 campaign manager and close ally Kellyanne Conway. Speaking on Friday with CBS News, Conway was asked by senior investigative correspondent Catherine Herridge whether Trump would announce his candidacy after the midterm elections and before Thanksgiving. “Well, he would like to,” said Conway, per CBS News. “He’s as active as anybody in these midterm elections. That’s important to the calculus also, Catherine, because we have the most ironic, if not unprecedented situation right now,” Conway continued. “We have a president, a current president, whose party doesn’t really want him to campaign with them.” Trump will assess the timing of his announcement after the midterms, which take place on 8 November, Conway said. “I will tell you why he wants to run for president,” she said. “Donald Trump wants his old job back.” In July, Conway described Trump as “champing at the bit” to announce his third presidential bid. Speaking to CBS News, she said she advised him to wait until right after the midterms.  House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy also said he lobbied the former president not to announce a 2024 presidential run before the midterms. “My point to him has always (been), ‘Let’s go win ’22,”http://www.businessinsider.co.za/” McCarthy told reporters at the Capitol in July. That same month, a top Republican strategist told Insider that a pre-midterm announcement from Trump would be a “train wreck for the party” and “a complete mess.” Read More Here

Vote Common Good Campaign Urges Arkansas Evangelicals To Consider Chris Jones https://digitalarkansasnews.com/vote-common-good-campaign-urges-arkansas-evangelicals-to-consider-chris-jones/ Chris Jones, the Democratic nominee for governor of Arkansas, spoke with religious leaders Tuesday in North Little Rock, highlighting his faith and his vision for the state. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Frank E. Lockwood) With two preachers’ kids and a pastor in the race, Arkansans are poised to elect a governor who can sing hymns by heart and quote Scripture from memory. While acknowledging that many white evangelicals already have an affinity for Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the daughter of former Southern Baptist pastor Mike Huckabee, leaders of Vote Common Good are urging Christian voters to take a look at Democrat Chris Jones as well, arguing that his priorities better reflect gospel principles. The group held a rally Tuesday at Lindsey’s Hospitality House in North Little Rock, dubbed “Faith, Hope and Love: Not Insurrections and Christian Nationalism.” Preston Clegg, pastor of Little Rock’s Second Baptist Church Downtown, and one of the few white evangelical ministers from Central Arkansas in attendance, led the group in prayer. He thanked God “for Chris, for his heart, for his mind, for his life, for his witness, for his faith to step out and do something bold,” adding, “We see the goodness in it. We see the wonder in it, we see needles moving. We see people reconsidering and we see a little light that’s shining very very, very bright in a state we all love.” Vote Common Good, which launched during the 2018 congressional campaign, focuses on “inspiring, energizing, and mobilizing people of faith” while also helping “train and support Democratic candidates to connect with Evangelical and Catholic voters,” its website states. “There’s kind of this narrative that if you are a person of faith, if you’re a Christian, then you reflexively vote Republican, and we’re trying to communicate that for a lot of us, our faith compels us to vote differently than that,” said Robb Ryerse, Vote Common Good’s political director and a former Republican congressional candidate from Northwest Arkansas. “Our working assumption is that there’s 5% to 15% of evangelicals that are flippable, that are going through some kind of political identity crisis because of Jan. 6, because of Donald Trump, because of the Roe [v. Wade] decision, kids in cages,” Ryerse said. “We’re trying to communicate to the people that are going through that kind of political identity crisis: ‘You’re not alone,'” he said. ‘EXCEPTIONAL CANDIDATES’ Presented with “exceptional candidates,” such as Jones, a significant number of evangelicals can be persuaded to vote Democratic, Ryerse said. Jones, an MIT-educated nuclear engineer whose father is a United Methodist pastor in Pine Bluff, is “a person of faith, but isn’t trying to impose that on everybody else,” he added. Ryerse, co-founder and former pastor of Vintage Fellowship in Fayetteville, challenged 3rd district U.S. Rep. Steve Womack of Rogers in the 2018 Republican primary, capturing 15.8% of the vote. He subsequently published a book about the campaign, titled: “Running for Our Lives: A Story of Faith, Politics and the Common Good.” Now he’s helping campaign for Democratic candidates, not only in Arkansas but around the country. Similar stops are scheduled next week in Dallas and Austin, Texas; and Gardner, Kan. The autumn itinerary, at this point, also includes stops in Iowa, Ohio, Michigan and Pennsylvania. White evangelical Christians constitute the largest and most reliable bloc within the Republican Party. ‘EVANGELICAL PROGRESSIVE’ In 2016, Donald Trump received 81% of their votes, but only 76% in 2020, according to exit polling published in the New York Times. Doug Pagitt, founding pastor of Solomon’s Porch in Minneapolis, is a self-described “evangelical progressive” and Vote Common Good’s executive director. At Tuesday’s event, he questioned the Republican gubernatorial nominee’s leadership abilities, knocking the former White House press secretary without denying her faith. “I believe Sarah Huckabee Sanders is the light of the world and the salt of the earth,” he said. “But not every light of the world should be the governor of the great state of Arkansas, and we have to make sure that she doesn’t take her dim little light and mess up this state,” Pagitt said. Jones alleged that the opposition is “driving us towards division, hate, otherism and chaos.” If elected, Jones suggested he would be guided by his beliefs while also respecting the beliefs of others. “I’m a firm believer that, as a Christian, as a person of faith, as an ordained minister, that I should stand on my faith and live out my values. And I can do that without turning the state into a church,” he said. The Sanders campaign declined to comment on the gathering. ‘A VERY HARD SELL’ Jerry Cox, founder and president of the Arkansas Family Council, said it would be “a very hard sell,” to convince evangelicals to vote for candidates who wholeheartedly embrace positions espoused by the Democratic Party, including abortion and religious liberty. “What you would be asking them to do would be to betray the things that they believe most,” Cox said. In an interview, Ricky Dale Harrington, the Libertarian gubernatorial candidate and pastor of Mount Beulah Christian Church in Pine Bluff, said his faith also guides him. But he cautioned that religion and politics can be a toxic combination, pointing to examples from “Foxe’s Book of Martyrs,” a 16th-century account of people tortured and killed for their faith. “As a Christian, we strive every day to be our better selves and to walk the line that we are commanded to walk according to our faith. In the Christian faith, love is the center point,” he said.     Robb Ryerse, who once led a Fayetteville congregation, is now political director of Vote Common Good. He ran unsuccessfully against 3rd district U.S. Rep. Steve Womack of Rogers in the 2018 Republican primary. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Frank E. Lockwood)    Read More Here

Rice Industry Donates Over 214,900 Pounds Of Rice To Arkansas Foodbank – Talk Business & Politics https://digitalarkansasnews.com/rice-industry-donates-over-214900-pounds-of-rice-to-arkansas-foodbank-talk-business-politics/ The Arkansas rice industry donated 214,900 pounds of rice to the Arkansas Foodbank on Thursday (Sept. 29) in honor of National Rice Month. The donation from seven mills will provide over 1.6 million servings of rice to help feed families, children, and seniors across the state. Participating rice mills are Arkansas River Rice of Pine Bluff, Farmers Granary, Inc. of McCrory, Producers Rice Mill of Stuttgart, Ralston Family Farms of Atkins, Riceland Foods, Inc. of Stuttgart, Specialty Rice, Inc. of Brinkley, and Windmill Rice Company of Jonesboro. “Arkansas rice farmers grow over 50% of the nation’s total crop and will produce rice on approximately 1.1 million acres this year in over 40 counties, many of which are served by the Arkansas Foodbank,” said Arkansas Rice Executive Director Kelly Robbins. “As rice harvest continues, our growers, try to be good stewards by giving a portion of their crop to hunger relief efforts.” September was also Hunger Action Month. Arkansas ranks second in the nation for food insecurity. One in five children do not know where their next meal will come from. This rice donation will go directly to agency partners and will fill shelves at food pantries for families in need. “Arkansas rice farmers play a crucial role in the fight against hunger. We’re so grateful for their continued partnership and support as we provide nutritious food to Arkansans facing food insecurity,” said Arkansas Foodbank CEO Rhonda Sanders. “This record-setting donation will be distributed between the five other Feeding America food banks in our state who are working to provide food to our neighbors: River Valley Regional Food Bank in Fort Smith; Food Bank of Northeast Arkansas in Jonesboro; Harvest Regional Food Bank in Texarkana; Arkansas Foodbank in Little Rock; and Northwest Arkansas Food Bank in Springdale.” Arkansas is the largest rice-growing state in the nation, producing nearly 9 billion pounds annually. This year, Arkansas family-farmers will produce over 50% of the nation’s rice. Read More…

U.S. Justice Department Asks For Expedited Ruling In Trump Special Master Case – MsnNOW https://digitalarkansasnews.com/u-s-justice-department-asks-for-expedited-ruling-in-trump-special-master-case-msnnow/ U.S. Justice Department asks for expedited ruling in Trump special master case  msnNOW Read More Here

Trump Launches Direct Attack On McConnell A Month Out From Midterm Elections – MsnNOW https://digitalarkansasnews.com/trump-launches-direct-attack-on-mcconnell-a-month-out-from-midterm-elections-msnnow/ Trump launches direct attack on McConnell a month out from midterm elections  msnNOW Read More Here

Identity Crisis https://digitalarkansasnews.com/identity-crisis/ Chris Jones, the Democratic nominee for governor of Arkansas, spoke with religious leaders Tuesday in North Little Rock, highlighting his faith and his vision for the state. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Frank E. Lockwood) With two preachers’ kids and a pastor in the race, Arkansans are poised to elect a governor who can sing hymns by heart and quote Scripture from memory. While acknowledging that many white evangelicals already have an affinity for Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the daughter of former Southern Baptist pastor Mike Huckabee, leaders of Vote Common Good are urging Christian voters to take a look at Democrat Chris Jones as well, arguing that his priorities better reflect gospel principles. The group held a rally Tuesday at Lindsey’s Hospitality House in North Little Rock, dubbed “Faith, Hope and Love: Not Insurrections and Christian Nationalism.” Preston Clegg, pastor of Little Rock’s Second Baptist Church Downtown, and one of the few white evangelical ministers from Central Arkansas in attendance, led the group in prayer. He thanked God “for Chris, for his heart, for his mind, for his life, for his witness, for his faith to step out and do something bold,” adding, “We see the goodness in it. We see the wonder in it, we see needles moving. We see people reconsidering and we see a little light that’s shining very very, very bright in a state we all love.” Vote Common Good, which launched during the 2018 congressional campaign, focuses on “inspiring, energizing, and mobilizing people of faith” while also helping “train and support Democratic candidates to connect with Evangelical and Catholic voters,” its website states. “There’s kind of this narrative that if you are a person of faith, if you’re a Christian, then you reflexively vote Republican, and we’re trying to communicate that for a lot of us, our faith compels us to vote differently than that,” said Robb Ryerse, Vote Common Good’s political director and a former Republican congressional candidate from Northwest Arkansas. “Our working assumption is that there’s 5% to 15% of evangelicals that are flippable, that are going through some kind of political identity crisis because of Jan. 6, because of Donald Trump, because of the Roe [v. Wade] decision, kids in cages,” Ryerse said. “We’re trying to communicate to the people that are going through that kind of political identity crisis: ‘You’re not alone,'” he said. ‘EXCEPTIONAL CANDIDATES’ Presented with “exceptional candidates,” such as Jones, a significant number of evangelicals can be persuaded to vote Democratic, Ryerse said. Jones, an MIT-educated nuclear engineer whose father is a United Methodist pastor in Pine Bluff, is “a person of faith, but isn’t trying to impose that on everybody else,” he added. Ryerse, co-founder and former pastor of Vintage Fellowship in Fayetteville, challenged 3rd district U.S. Rep. Steve Womack of Rogers in the 2018 Republican primary, capturing 15.8% of the vote. He subsequently published a book about the campaign, titled: “Running for Our Lives: A Story of Faith, Politics and the Common Good.” Now he’s helping campaign for Democratic candidates, not only in Arkansas but around the country. Similar stops are scheduled next week in Dallas and Austin, Texas; and Gardner, Kan. The autumn itinerary, at this point, also includes stops in Iowa, Ohio, Michigan and Pennsylvania. White evangelical Christians constitute the largest and most reliable bloc within the Republican Party. ‘EVANGELICAL PROGRESSIVE’ In 2016, Donald Trump received 81% of their votes, but only 76% in 2020, according to exit polling published in the New York Times. Doug Pagitt, founding pastor of Solomon’s Porch in Minneapolis, is a self-described “evangelical progressive” and Vote Common Good’s executive director. At Tuesday’s event, he questioned the Republican gubernatorial nominee’s leadership abilities, knocking the former White House press secretary without denying her faith. “I believe Sarah Huckabee Sanders is the light of the world and the salt of the earth,” he said. “But not every light of the world should be the governor of the great state of Arkansas, and we have to make sure that she doesn’t take her dim little light and mess up this state,” Pagitt said. Jones alleged that the opposition is “driving us towards division, hate, otherism and chaos.” If elected, Jones suggested he would be guided by his beliefs while also respecting the beliefs of others. “I’m a firm believer that, as a Christian, as a person of faith, as an ordained minister, that I should stand on my faith and live out my values. And I can do that without turning the state into a church,” he said. The Sanders campaign declined to comment on the gathering. ‘A VERY HARD SELL’ Jerry Cox, founder and president of the Arkansas Family Council, said it would be “a very hard sell,” to convince evangelicals to vote for candidates who wholeheartedly embrace positions espoused by the Democratic Party, including abortion and religious liberty. “What you would be asking them to do would be to betray the things that they believe most,” Cox said. In an interview, Ricky Dale Harrington, the Libertarian gubernatorial candidate and pastor of Mount Beulah Christian Church in Pine Bluff, said his faith also guides him. But he cautioned that religion and politics can be a toxic combination, pointing to examples from “Foxe’s Book of Martyrs,” a 16th-century account of people tortured and killed for their faith. “As a Christian, we strive every day to be our better selves and to walk the line that we are commanded to walk according to our faith. In the Christian faith, love is the center point,” he said.     Robb Ryerse, who once led a Fayetteville congregation, is now political director of Vote Common Good. He ran unsuccessfully against 3rd district U.S. Rep. Steve Womack of Rogers in the 2018 Republican primary. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Frank E. Lockwood)    Read More Here

Friday’s Arkansas High School Football Scores https://digitalarkansasnews.com/fridays-arkansas-high-school-football-scores-4/ Abundant Life 22, Destiny Christian, Okla. 16 Arkadelphia 54, Mena 7 Bald Knob 26, Heber Springs 21 Batesville 35, Paragould 0 Bauxite 34, Pottsville 14 Benton 55, Marion 13 Bentonville 48, Fort Smith Southside 14 Bentonville West 41, Springdale 0 Bismarck 55, Paris 0 Blytheville 47, Jonesboro Westside 7 Booneville 48, West Fork 21 Brinkley 50, Augusta 22 Bryant 43, Jonesboro 14 Calhoun Academy, Miss. 38, Marvell Academy 24 Camden Fairview 21, Texarkana 8 Camden Harmony Grove 53, Dollarway 6 Carlisle 48, Little Rock Episcopal 21 Cave City 21, Riverview 7 Charleston 48, Cedarville 6 Clarendon 32, Cross County 6 Conway 35, North Little Rock 0 Conway Christian 34, Hector 30 Cutter-Morning Star 30, Rose Bud 16 Dardanelle 50, Pea Ridge 35 DeSoto 46, Hebron Christian, Miss. 0 DeWitt 35, Hamburg 0 Dierks 39, Murfreesboro 12 East Poinsett County 68, McCrory 42 El Dorado 56, Searcy 35 Elkins 41, Huntsville 0 Farmington 43, Alma 8 Fordyce 50, Drew Central 24 Fort Smith Northside 61, Little Rock Central 7 Fouke 49, Horatio 22 Fountain Lake 45, Genoa Central 8 Gentry 35, Berryville 0 Glen Rose 37, Jessieville 0 Gravette 31, Lincoln 29 Greene County Tech 28, Jacksonville 14 Greenland 19, Mansfield 13 Greenwood 49, Greenbrier 21 Hampton 28, Bearden 27 Harding Academy 31, Lonoke 21 Harmony Grove 45, Lamar 14 Hot Springs 49, Hope 13 Hoxie 55, Palestine-Wheatley 6 Izard County 38, Rector 8 Lake Hamilton 60, Van Buren 21 Lake Village Lakeside 27, Barton 14 Lavaca 35, Hackett 6 Lee Academy 36, Delta Academy, Miss. 8 Little Rock Catholic 37, West Memphis 16 Little Rock Hall 28, Dover 12 Magnet Cove 49, Two Rivers 14 Magnolia 55, Hot Springs Lakeside 28 Malvern 57, Waldron 0 Manila 15, Corning 12 Marked Tree 34, Earle 18 Mayflower 33, Central Arkansas Christian 14 Melbourne 44, Yellville-Summit 0 Midland 46, KIPP Blytheville 14 Mineral Springs 66, Lafayette County 30 Monticello 28, Dumas 3 Morrilton 38, Watson Chapel 20 Mount Ida 28, Poyen 0 Mountain Pine 52, Hermitage 0 Mountain View 44, Marshall 0 Mountainburg 38, Decatur 0 Nettleton 49, Brookland 20 Newport 44, Salem 28 North Sunflower Academy, Miss. 54, West Memphis Christian 8 Osceola 64, Piggott 0 Ozark 42, Green Forest 14 Perryville 42, Atkins 14 Pine Bluff 49, Beebe 14 Pocahontas 35, Gosnell 8 Prairie Grove 46, Harrison 40 Prescott 55, Junction City 20 Pulaski Academy 52, Mountain Home 14 Pulaski Mills 30, Maumelle 0 Pulaski Robinson 42, Vilonia 3 Quitman 43, England 23 Rivercrest 46, Harrisburg 13 Rogers 29, Fayetteville 28 Rogers Heritage 41, Har-Ber 39 Russellville 55, Siloam Springs 14 Shiloh Christian 57, Clarksville 13 Southwest Christian, Okla. 72, Arkansas Christian Academy 54 Spring Hill 34, Dermott 0 Star City 27, McGehee 6 Subiaco Academy 50, Cedar Ridge 0 Sylvan Hills 28, Sheridan 27 Trumann 32, Highland 13 Valley View 49, Forrest City 0 Warren 41, Crossett 14 Westside-Johnson County 24, Magazine 14 Woodlawn 50, Strong 20 Wynne 42, Southside Batesville 21 WebReadyTM Powered by WireReady® NSI Read More Here

Burkina Faso’s Military Leader Deposed In Second Coup This Year https://digitalarkansasnews.com/burkina-fasos-military-leader-deposed-in-second-coup-this-year/ Published On 30 Sep 202230 Sep 2022 Burkina Faso military leader Paul-Henri Damiba has been deposed in the country’s second coup in a year, as army Captain Ibrahim Traore took charge, dissolving the transitional government and suspending the constitution. Traore said on Friday evening that a group of officers had decided to remove Damiba due to his inability to deal with a worsening armed uprising in the country. The captain was previously head of special forces unit “Cobra” in the northern region of Kaya. “We have decided to take our responsibilities, driven by a single ideal: the restoration of security and integrity of our territory,” announced soldiers on state television and radio. It is the second takeover in eight months for the West African state. Damiba took power in a coup in January that overthrew former President Roch Kabore, also due in part to frustration over the worsening insecurity. Burkina Faso has been struggling to contain rebel groups, including some associated with al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS). Reporting from Dakar, Senegal, Al Jazeera correspondent Nicolas Haque said with 40 percent of Burkina Faso out of the control of the state, there is growing frustration over security in the country. Haque said the leaders of the last coup also had promised to deal with the armed groups. “There’s a feeling – when I speak to people who are on the streets of Ouagadougou – of deja vu,” he said. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) strongly condemned the coup on Friday, saying that it came at an “inopportune” time when progress was being made towards a return to constitutional order. “ECOWAS reaffirms its unequivocal opposition to any seizure or maintenance of power by unconstitutional means,” the regional bloc said in a statement shared on social media. Curfew imposed, borders shut On Friday, Traore announced that borders were closed indefinitely and that all political and civil society activities were suspended. A curfew from 9pm to 5am was also announced. “Faced with the deteriorating situation, we tried several times to get Damiba to refocus the transition on the security question,” said the statement signed by Traore and read out by another officer on television, flanked by a group of soldiers in military fatigues and heavy armour. The statement said Damiba had rejected proposals by the officers to reorganise the army and instead continued with the military structure that had led to the fall of the previous government. “Damiba’s actions gradually convinced us that his ambitions were diverting away from what we set out to do. We decided this day to remove Damiba,” the statement said. National stakeholders will be invited soon to adopt a new transitional charter and designate a new civilian or military president, it said. The Burkina Faso government had said earlier on Friday that an “internal crisis” within the army was behind troop deployments in key areas of the capital, adding that negotiations were under way after shots rang out before dawn. The state television was cut for several hours, broadcasting just a blank screen with the message “no video signal”. Damiba’s fate remains unknown. Though the deposed leader had promised to make security his priority when he took charge on January 24, violent attacks have increased since March. In the north and east, towns have been blockaded by rebel fighters who have blown up bridges and attacked supply convoys. Thousands have died and about two million have been displaced by the fighting since 2015 when the unrest spread to Burkina Faso, which has since become the epicentre of the violence across the Sahel. In September, a particularly bloody month, Damiba sacked his defence minister and assumed the role himself. With much of the Sahel region battling growing unrest, the violence has prompted a series of coups in Mali, Guinea and Chad since 2020. The United Nations had voiced concern and appealed for calm. “Burkina Faso needs peace, it needs stability, and it needs unity in order to fight terrorist groups and criminal networks operating in parts of the country,” UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. Attacks have increased since mid-March, despite the military government’s pledge to make security its top priority. Constantin Gouvy, Burkina Faso researcher at the Clingendael Institute, told The Associated Press that Friday night’s events “follow escalating tensions within the ruling MPSR junta and the wider army about strategic and operational decisions to tackle spiralling insecurity”. “Members of the MPSR increasingly felt Damiba was isolating himself and casting aside those who helped him seize power,” Gouvy said. Source : Al Jazeera and news agencies Read More Here

Impact Of Research Training On Newly Graduated Health Professionals&rs | JMDH https://digitalarkansasnews.com/impact-of-research-training-on-newly-graduated-health-professionalsrs-jmdh/ Introduction Research participation by newly graduated health professionals’ (HPs) when taking up their clinical roles in the hospital environment is largely dependent on whether they are research ready.1,2 Research readiness has traditionally been attributed to having acquired the knowledge and skills required to undertake research.2–4 For HPs, research training has to some degree become a precursor for conducting research; it may be defined as actions aimed at training researchers and includes the process of gaining required skills, knowledge, and information available pertaining to successfully conducting research.5 Interest in research amongst this cohort has traditionally been engendered in their undergraduate curriculum. Although, according to a recent UK study, this is less so in the case of nurses, midwives, and allied health than for medical professionals because of differences in undergraduate training programs.6 Undergraduate medical degrees may include research training which enhances motivation to undertake specialised post-graduate programs.7 For example, a recent Australian study found that 88% of respondents regarded research as a relevant part of medical training; however, only 24% stated that research was included in their undergraduate medical degree.8 Additionally, despite the substantial economic and health benefits realised from medical research with each $1 invested returning an average of $3.90 in health benefits,9 and financial benefit to the economy accounting for Australia’s largest manufacturing export sector worth $8.2 billion in 2019,10 research participation rates among Australian doctors has been declining from 2.1% in 2002 to 1.5% in 201011 and a further decline of 2.3% between 2013 and 201512 with similar declines echoed in the National Health Service (NHS) in the United Kingdom (UK) from 7.5% to 4.2% between 2004 and 2017.13 Nurses, midwives and allied health professionals6 are less likely to encounter and be influenced by research training in their undergraduate experience.14 Nevertheless, once in their clinical positions, they often develop interest in research and research training.6 They then compensate by undertaking formal post-graduate research training, motivated by a desire to improve patient care, career progression, personal development as well as the research capacity and culture of the organisation in which they work.13,15,16 While emerging evidence shows that increasingly organisations are attempting to build the research capacity of allied health professionals by promoting dedicated or embedded research positions,17–19 a recent study has shown that fewer than 1% of allied health professionals in the UK are employed in clinical academic roles,13 and these roles are held by mid/late career HPs with post-graduate research qualifications. Furthermore, the nursing, midwifery, and allied health workforce make up only 1% of the clinical academic workforce in the UK.15 In Australia, 64% of Victorian allied health clinicians perceived lack of access to self-defined “research lead” positions, resulting in blurred career pathways for allied health researchers.15 These challenges pose a clinical academic progression dilemma for newly graduated health professionals who do not have a post-graduate qualification and are unlikely to have research training and experience,16,20 contributing to a decline in the number of new researchers replacing an aging workforce. This has significant ramifications for the whole HP research workforce which has been experiencing a continuing global decline over the last 40 years.21–23 The decline of new researchers epitomises a conundrum that has resulted in a review of the position of research in the HP undergraduate education landscape internationally.24,25 Globally, there is a recognition of the importance of developing formalised research training pathways at junior levels.6 To supplement the “insufficient” coverage of research in undergraduate health curricula,14 new pathways are often developed within the organisations in which HPs work to enable research readiness.3,4,26,27 Nonetheless, this has not translated into an increased uptake of HPs becoming involved in future evidence-based practice or pursuing a research career globally.24,25,28 To stimulate research interest and capacity building, HPs should be provided conducive environment and protected research time to conduct research while in their clinical roles; access to research training opportunities to acquire the required skills, knowledge and information pertaining to successfully conduct research; as well as capability to critically evaluate and apply new developments to their clinical practice.14 To foster an interest in research uptake by HPs, a plethora of initiatives have been introduced at graduate and undergraduate levels.29 A major area of interest is fostering HPs’ motivation to engage in research education.28 Motivation is a human psychological characteristic that contributes to a person’s degree of commitment, it is a predictor of performance, and no task can be performed successfully unless the person involved has both the ability and the motivation towards completing the task.30 The question “could we catch them young”24 has been addressed by some researchers who used the Self-Determination Theory (SDT)24,28,31,32 to investigate if “motivation could be enhanced by building research competence and capability through research training.28,33,34 SDT proposes that people are more motivated to take action when they feel that what they do will affect the outcome.35,36 Studies have shown that desirability to achieve an outcome could be explored using the Expectancy-Value-Cost Model of Motivation (EVC).37,38 Expectancy relates to behaviour that is determined by confidence as well as competence and capability to achieve that outcome and it is traditionally gained by acquiring skills and knowledge.38 Within a research capacity building context, this refers to HPs’ perceived confidence and competence to undertake research successfully.37 Value is interpreted as either attainment value (ie, importance of doing well), intrinsic value (ie, personal enjoyment) and utility value (ie, perceived usefulness for future goals); and the value HPs place on the outcome largely drives their motivation to achieve it.39,40 Cost, on the other hand, pertains to the factors that prevent HPs from investing the time, energy and resources required to achieve the expected outcome of successfully engaging in research.37,38 However, little is known about how the domains within the EVC model interplay in motivating HPs to engage in research. Our recent systematic review highlighted the significance of investigating HPs’ motivation for research through the EVC model to foster a research culture; it also revealed that attitude to research is a catalyst for motivation or amotivation to engage in research as it directly influences the relevance of barriers.23 Research training has been identified as pivotal to enhancing HPs’ interest to undertake research.41,42 Nonetheless, reduced accessibility to research positions for HPs is further exacerbated in rural and remote settings,23 and draws attention to the importance of building capacity within this context. In this current study, we build upon the initial work by utilising the EVC model to investigate the research training experiences of newly graduated HPs working at a regional university teaching hospital and how this influences their motivation to undertake research. The findings may guide strategies for research capacity building and workforce development. This study aimed to answer the following four specific research questions. What factors impact new graduate HPs’ research capabilities? What is the influence of confidence and value on motivation to undertake research? What are the enablers and barriers to engaging with research/research training? How can motivation to engage in research be enhanced? Methods Study Design This study utilised a sequential explanatory mixed methods research design to collect and analyse quantitative cross-sectional survey and qualitative interview data.43 Findings from both phases of the study were triangulated to uncover the best possible explanations for the observed phenomenon.44 The Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC) of Townsville Hospital and Health Service granted approval for this study (Reference number: HREC/2019/QTHS/59607). All participants were provided with an information sheet and consent form that detailed the aims of the study and the ethical obligations of the researchers which included confidentiality and informed consent, including publication of anonymised responses. All these obligations were strictly adhered to during the research process. For the survey, informed consent was implied by submission of either the completed paper-based or online questionnaire. All interview participants were assured of anonymity and they provided verbal consent at the beginning of the interview. Quantitative Phase Research questions 1 and 2 were answered in this phase of the study. This phase involved the collection and analysis of survey data on the factors that impact new graduate HPs’ research capabilities, and the influence of confidence and value on their motivation to undertake research. Survey Instrument Development The survey instrument (Appendix 1) was adapted from previously validated questionnaires8,45–47 and developed based on the EVC model with a focus on the factors identified from our recent systematic review23 within the three domains: Expectancy for research capacity, Value reflected in attitude, and Cost which relates to barriers. The survey comprised three (3) major parts. Part A focused on t...

Conway Shuts Out North Little Rock https://digitalarkansasnews.com/conway-shuts-out-north-little-rock/ Conway running back Boogie Carr races to the end zone for a touchdown during the second quarter Friday night against North Little Rock at John McConnell Stadium in Conway. The Wampus Cats won 35-0. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Thomas Metthe) Conway — It’s been 10 quarters of football since the last points were scored on the Conway defense. No. 2 Conway’s defense held an opponent scoreless for a second consecutive week as the Wampus Cats cruised to a 35-0 win over North Little Rock Friday night in 7A-Central Conference play at John McConnell Stadium. “Any time you can pitch a shutout, you got to be happy,” Conway Coach Keith Fimple said. “They did a good job of again executing what we wanted to get done during practice this week and then coming out and doing it right here on the football field.” The Wampus Cats’ (5-0, 2-0) offense gets most of the attention and it did its part against the Charging Wildcats (2-3, 1-1). Quarterback Donoyvn Omolo passed for 320 yards and two touchdowns. Running back Boogie Carr rushed for 107 yards and scored three touchdowns. Carr scored the lone touchdown of the first quarter on a 15-yard run to make the score 7-0. Omolo had thrown a scoring pass to wide receiver Cris O’Neal earlier in the drive, but an ineligible man downfield penalty delayed the touchdown. To start the second quarter, Conway forced a turnover on downs at its own 1-yard line following a 16-play, 79-yard drive by NLR. The Wampus Cats took possession and drove inside the NLR 10-yard line. But a dropped pass in the end zone and a subsequent penalty forced Conway to settle for a 31-yard field goal that was blocked. The scoreline might not suggest it, but Conway had its warts against NLR. Penalties threatened to halt drives throughout the first half and second-half turnovers later helped to hold Conway to seven points after halftime. The Wampus Cats’ offense that entered the night scoring 50 points per game found its groove in the second quarter. Halfway through the quarter, Omolo lofted a ball up for O’Neal to run under near the left side of the end zone. Conway took a 14-0 lead thanks to the 30-yard connection. A little over three minutes later, Carr capitalized on a defensive holding penalty the play before to run one in from 40 yards, making the score 21-0. Conway’s defense came up with its first turnover four plays later when Quadrell Wilson intercepted NLR quarterback Tyson Bradden. It took Omolo and the offense four plays to repay Wilson’s favor with a touchdown. Wide receiver Rome Fields shrugged off a defender that was later called for pass interference to catch a 21-yard touchdown and make it 28-0. Conway and NLR traded turnovers early in the third quarter with Wilson recovering a fumble and Diemere Manuel intercepting Omolo. Later in the quarter, Carr found his third score on a 29-yard, seemingly boosted by a would-be NLR tackler. One of North Little Rock’s main strengths is its defensive line. Led by University of Arkansas commit Quincy Rhodes, the unit can cause offenses its fair share of problems. On the whole, the Conway offensive line was able to keep its opposition in check. “You know, they don’t get a whole lot of love because of the skill guys we have,” Fimple said. “They did a great job tonight blocking an extremely talented front of North Little Rock. . You can talk about Boogie Darr and Donovan, and you can talk about Rome and Jackson Anderson, I can keep on naming them. But it starts up front. I was really proud of the way those guys worked tonight.”     Conway defensive lineman Demarkale McKency tackles North Little Rock running back Torrance Moore during the first quarter Friday night at John McConnell Stadium in Conway. More photos at arkansasonline.com/101connlr/ (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Thomas Metthe)        North Little Rock running back Torrance Moore (22) is tackled by a pack of Conway defenders during the first quarter of the Wampus Cats’ victory Friday at McConnell Stadium in Conway. More photos at arkansasonline.com/101connlr/ (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Thomas Metthe)     Gallery: HS Football: NLR vs Conway Read More…

Why Most Twitter Users Don't Follow Political 'elites' But Celebrities https://digitalarkansasnews.com/why-most-twitter-users-dont-follow-political-elites-but-celebrities/ New York: Most Twitter users don’t follow political elites and they are much more likely to follow celebrities than an elected official, suggest researchers. Despite the prominence and impact of presidents, congressmen, journalists, pundits and the news media, researchers found that only 40 per cent of Twitter users follow one or more political “elites” and the remaining 60 per cent follow no political actors at all, according to the study published in the journal Science Advances. “Those users who do follow political accounts on Twitter, however, stick to insular online communities and mostly follow and share information from their political in-group,” said Magdalena Wojcieszak, lead author and professor of communication at the University of California, Davis, and the University of Amsterdam. In other words, speaking to ongoing debates about so-called “echo chambers” on social media platforms, the small group of users who do follow political elites display clear political biases and engage with these elites in a very one-sided way. The findings come after researchers analysed four years’ worth of data from a sampling of 1.5 million Twitter users. Researchers concluded that even though the group of social media users who display political biases in their online behaviours is small, it is nevertheless consequential. “Given that we analysed over 2,500 American political elite accounts including Donald Trump, Joe Biden, prominent pundits including Rachel Maddow and Sean Hannity, and the most popular media outlets such as MSNBC and Fox News, the fact that only 23 per cent of the representative sample of over 1.5 million users follow three of more of such elite accounts is revealing,” Wojcieszak informed. The research also reveals important ideological asymmetries: conservative users are roughly twice as likely as liberals to share in-group versus out-group content, as well as to add negative commentary to out-group shares. “Overall, the majority of American Twitter users are not sufficiently interested in politics to follow even a single political or media elite from our list,” Wojcieszak said. Given a growing radicalisation in America, decreasing support for democratic norms, and rising support for political violence, concerns about political biases on social media platforms are valid, no matter how small the groups displaying those biases may be. Read More Here

2020 U.S. Election Conspiracy Theorists Could Soon Oversee Voting https://digitalarkansasnews.com/2020-u-s-election-conspiracy-theorists-could-soon-oversee-voting/ Two far-right U.S. politicians who want to upend the way votes are cast and counted are tied or leading in races to become the top election administrators in their states, according to recent polls. Republicans Jim Marchant of Nevada and Mark Finchem of Arizona promote wild conspiracy theories about how the 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump. A victory in November could allow them, as secretaries of state, to restrict voting access or seek to block certification of results in these two critical battlegrounds for presidential elections. In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever. By subscribing, you can help us get the story right. SUBSCRIBE NOW Read More Here

Trump Gives Racist Nickname To Ex-Transport Secretary In Rant About Mitch McConnell https://digitalarkansasnews.com/trump-gives-racist-nickname-to-ex-transport-secretary-in-rant-about-mitch-mcconnell/ Former president Donald Trump lashed out at Mitch McConnell and his wife in a rant on social media by saying the Republican had a “death wish” for supporting “Democrat sponsored bills”. In a post on his Twitter-like social media platform Truth Social, Mr Trump wrote on Friday night: “Is McConnell approving all of these Trillions of Dollars worth of Democrat sponsored Bills, without even the slightest bit of negotiation, because he hates Donald J Trump, and he knows I am strongly opposed to them, or is he doing it because he believes in the Fake and Highly Destructive Green New Deal, and is willing to take the Country down with him?” He also mocked Mr McConnell’s wife, Elaine Chao, who served as the secretary of transport in his administration by giving her a racist nickname. “In any event, either reason is unacceptable. He has a DEATH WISH. Must immediately seek help and advise from his China loving wife, Coco Chow!” The former president’s attack on the senate minority leader came hours after Congress approved and president Joe Biden signed a stopgap funding bill to avert a federal government shutdown. The bill cleared was cleared in the House by a 230-201 vote on Friday and on a 72-25 vote in the Senate on Thursday, reported CNN. The latest attack on Mr McConnell comes just days after excerpts from Maggie Haberman’s new book Confidence Man published in The Atlantic on Sunday said the former president had called his fellow Republican “a piece of s***”. He also accused other Republican senators of treating him like a “schmuck”. Mr McConnell had criticised the former president in the aftermath of the attack on the US Capitol last January, but refused to impeach him the following month. It is not, however, clear which bills Mr Trump was referring to and criticising on Friday, or what he meant as he accused McConnell of believing in the Green New Deal. The deal includes a package of progressive proposals that Mr McConnell had blocked from coming to the Senate floor for a vote when he was majority leader. On Tuesday, Mr McConnell said he will “proudly support” legislation to overhaul rules for certifying presidential elections. Read More Here

Obama Off-The-Record Said 1 Trump Term Could Be OK But 2 'Would Be A Problem' https://digitalarkansasnews.com/obama-off-the-record-said-1-trump-term-could-be-ok-but-2-would-be-a-problem/ Then-President Barack Obama in early 2017 told reporters in a lengthy off-the-record conversation that he believed the United States could survive one term of Donald Trump as commander-in-chief but feared two Trump terms “would be a problem.” “I think that four years is okay,” Obama told journalists just three days before Trump’s inauguration, according to previously unreleased Justice Department documents that Bloomberg obtained and published this week. The U.S. could, with one Trump term, “take on some water, but we can kind of bail fast enough to be okay,” said Obama, who didn’t envision the rolling back of his entire legacy. But “eight years would be a problem,” he continued, adding: “I would be concerned about a sustained period in which some of these norms have broken down and started to corrode.” In the same discussion, Obama encouraged reporters to scrutinize any attempt from Trump to politicize law enforcement (which Trump later repeatedly did) — and slammed the GOP for being “ideologically completely incoherent.” “You don’t know what they stand for,” Obama added. Trump was eventually voted out of office following just one term — but he has continued to deny his 2020 election defeat to President Joe Biden and has repeatedly teased another presidential run in 2024. This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated. Related… Book Details Bizarre Way Trump Staffer Broke Air Con Unit With Hunter Biden Pics Marjorie Taylor Greene Likens Dems To The Hogs She Wants To Shoot Dead Trump Belittled Jared Kushner In Front Of Aides With ‘Deliverance’ Jibe: Book Read More Here