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KARACHI, Pakistan (AP) — Two more U.S. military planes loaded with tons of aid for Pakistanis affected by flooding from deadly monsoon rains landed Sunday in southern Sindh province, one of the worst-affected regions in the impoverished country.
Saif Ullah, spokesman for the country’s Civil Aviation Authority, said each plane was loaded with about 35 tons of relief aid that would be distributed in the province by the World Food Program. The aircraft landed at Sukkur Airport in Sindh and Ullah said the U.S. operation that began Thursday would continue until Sept. 16.
Pakistan has suffered under extremely heavy monsoon rains that started early this year — in mid-June. Multiple officials and experts have blamed the rains and resulting floodwaters on climate change. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres last week called on the world to stop “sleepwalking” through the dangerous environmental crisis. He has called repeatedly on the international community to send massive amounts of aid to Pakistan.
Ullah said Sunday that two more flights bringing relief goods from the United Arab Emirates landed at Karachi airport. So far, U.N. agencies and several countries have sent multiple planeloads of aid, and authorities say the UAE has been one of the most generous contributors.
Near 1,400 people have been killed, 13,000 injured and millions left homeless by the heavy flooding since mid-June. The waters also destroyed road and communications infrastructure.
In the worst-hit Sindh province, 621 people, including 270 children, were killed and 8,400 people left injured.
Miles of cotton and sugarcane crops, banana orchards and vegetable fields could be seen submerged in floodwaters. Thousands of mud and brick homes caved in under the deluge leaving people homeless and sheltering in tents alongside damaged roads.
According to the latest report from authorities, the unprecedented monsoon rains and and flood destroyed more than 1.5 million houses, 63 bridges, 2,688 kilometers of roads and near half a million animals drowned in the flood water across the Sindh province, leaving over 30 million homeless.
Pakistan’s military chief Gen. Qamar Jawed Bajwa toured the badly affected district of Dadu in Sindh and its surroundings on Saturday. Dadu could suffer further flooding from the rising waters of the Indus River.
“People will continue to suffer if we don’t have a drainage system and dams,” Bajwa told reporters.
He said constructing dams would help produce electricity, curb pollution and decrease global warming and that army engineers have been asked to conduct an initial study.
Bajwa said working on alternate energy sources is essential and called for the gradual reduction of oil and coal as energy sources to minimal levels.
Since June, heavy rains and flooding have added a new level of grief to cash-strapped Pakistan and highlighted the disproportionate effect of climate change on impoverished populations.
Experts say Pakistan is responsible for only 0.4% of the world’s historic emissions that are blamed for climate change. The U.S. is responsible for 21.5%, China for 16.5% and the European Union for 15%.
___
Associated Press writer Asim Tanveer in Multan, Pakistan contributed.
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SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — A few days before middle school teacher Shaun Nielsen joined a work group to develop South Dakota’s social studies standards, he got a thick package in the mail.
Sent from Hillsdale, Michigan, home to a conservative private college enjoying outsize influence among top Republicans, it contained materials that would ultimately form what the state’s public schools students could be expected to learn about American history and civics.
“Whoa — these are already written,” Nielsen remembers thinking as he opened the document this spring.
Hillsdale College, which has sought in recent years to “revive the American tradition of K-12 education” by fostering a nationwide network of schools, won new prominence when then-President Donald Trump tapped the school to help develop a “patriotic education” project. Now, in a sign of Hillsdale’s growing influence in public education, South Dakota has proposed statewide standards that contain distinct echoes of Hillsdale’s material.
While Republican governors such as Tennessee’s Bill Lee and Florida’s Ron DeSantis have embraced Hillsdale’s education for K-12 students, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem has been perhaps the most enthusiastic. Larry Arrn, the school’s president, even said in a speech last year that Noem had “offered to build us an entire campus in South Dakota.”
That doesn’t appear to be in the works. But it was Noem, widely seen as a 2024 White House hopeful, who turned to former Hillsdale politics professor William Morrisey to develop the state’s social studies standards. The state paid him $200,000, and he tapped Hillsdale’s material, according to members of the standards commission.
The college played an integral part in Trump’s “1776 Report,” a conservative response to work like the New York Times’ “1619 Project,” which re-examined the founding of the United States with the institution of slavery at the center. Hillsdale followed up by producing “The Hillsdale 1776 Curriculum,” which offers nearly 2,400 pages of lesson plans on American history.
South Dakota’s proposed standards released in mid-August align with the “1776 Curriculum.” Both emphasize the ideals of the country’s founders as an argument for American exceptionalism — an idea popular in conservative circles that the U.S. is uniquely worthy of universal praise.
The documents both define patriotism similarly, as preserving the “good” of the country while correcting its flaws. They teach that progressivism conflicts with the nation’s founding ideals, and assert that most of the founders — including such slave owners as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison — wanted to end slavery.
Morrisey declined an interview, and Hillsdale did not grant a request to interview a member of its K-12 Education Office.
Noem’s administration referred questions to Ben Jones, who oversees the South Dakota Historical Society and worked on the commission to develop the standards. Jones defended the scholarship at Hillsdale as respected in higher education and said Morrisey brought the commission a “generic” version of U.S. history that could be found in most textbooks.
“Frankly, it’s a logical fallacy to say that something is bad because it’s associated with this group that I don’t agree with over this other thing,” he said of criticism of Hillsdale.
Jones pointed out that Morrisey’s draft included descriptions of how the first Africans were enslaved and brought to the colonies and how the U.S. broke treaties with Native American tribes.
“The good, the bad, the ugly was all there,” he said.
Jones added that the group discussed and debated the standards over several meetings and by the end, “my sense was that we all made this very much our own.”
When Noem’s administration formed the 15-person commission, it chose three people, including Nielsen, currently certified to teach in South Dakota public schools. The group decided which grade levels should learn the standards and added South Dakota and Native American components to the proposal, Nielsen said.
As the proposal became public last month, Nielsen said he felt conflicted. He said he is a conservative but is careful to separate his political opinions from his classroom teaching. He said he agreed with Noem’s desire to make South Dakota a national leader in social studies education and even with much of the content it covered.
Ultimately, he said, he decided to speak out against the standards because they didn’t originate with South Dakota educators.
“The ‘1776 curriculum’ — it’s pretty much close to that,” he said.
“When you’re handed a set of standards to approve, it’s not a collaborative process at all,” he added. The standards, he worried, were not written with the practical needs of a classroom in mind.
Prominent voices among South Dakota educators agree. The standards — which will be subjected to public hearings this fall before the governor-appointed Board of Education Standards decides whether to adopt them — have been greeted coolly by organizations representing teachers, school boards and school administrators.
“It’s coming from a private, out-of-state college,” said Tim Graf, the superintendent of Harrisburg School District outside Sioux Falls. “I just don’t want it to be political in any way.”
Jennifer Lowery, the superintendent at Tea Area School District, worried teachers for younger grade levels would have to spend more time on social studies at the expense of foundational skills like basic math and reading.
“We’re not stomping our feet because our feelings got hurt or our profession was disrespected,” she said. “You’re hearing the outcry because this isn’t what’s best for our kids.”
Several educators said the standards rely too much on memorization and too little on inquiry-based learning that teaches students to question and analyze. Jones, the state historian, countered that memorization at younger grade levels will pave the way for analysis later.
Stephen Jackson, a history professor at the University of Sioux Falls, said that runs counter to criteria for state standards from the American Historical Association, which says inquiry engages students and helps them connect historical events to modern contexts.
Jackson was part of a group that created social studies standards last year, only to have its work scrapped by the governor. As conservatives began pushing back against historical analyses that argued racism and U.S. history are inextricably intertwined, Noem called for teaching how the “U.S. is the most special nation in the history of the world.”
Noem said the new standards are the best in the nation, calling them “a true, honest, and balanced approach to American history that is not influenced by political agendas.” Hillsdale College used similar language when it launched its curriculum.
Jonathan Zimmerman, an education historian at the University of Pennsylvania, suggested high school students could benefit from analyzing the “1619 Project” alongside the Trump administration’s “1776 Report” and learning how to evaluate and debate them. That’s unlikely in South Dakota, since Noem has moved to block teachings like the “1619 Project” from public schools.
“People like Kristi Noem are correct when they say that the fundamental narrative of America is under challenge like never before,” Zimmerman said. “I just think it’s a good challenge.”
___
This story has been corrected to show that history professor Stephen Jackson referenced the guidelines of the American Historical Association, not the American Historical Society.
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| 2022-09-21T09:52:04Z
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MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Some leaders in states with strict abortion bans say exceptions for rape or incest victims aren’t needed because emergency contraceptives can be used instead. But medical professionals and advocates for rape survivors say that while emergency contraception is a helpful tool, it’s not always foolproof, and getting access to these emergency measures in the short time frame in which they would be effective may not be realistic for someone who has just been assaulted.
Here’s a look at emergency contraceptives and what some people are saying.
WHAT ARE EMERGENCY CONTRACEPTIVES?
Emergency contraceptives are used to prevent pregnancy after unprotected sex or if a method of birth control fails.
Two types of medications, sometimes referred to as “morning after pills,” are available: levonorgestrel, known by the popular brand name Plan B; and ulipristal acetate, known under the brand ella. They should be taken as soon as possible after unprotected sex.
The pills prevent ovulation, which is when an egg is released from an ovary, said Dr. Jonah Fleisher, director of the Center for Reproductive Health at the University of Illinois in Chicago. If an egg is not released, it cannot be fertilized.
ARE THEY THE SAME AS ABORTION PILLS?
No. Emergency contraceptives prevent a pregnancy. The abortion pill, mifepristone, ends a pregnancy after a fertilized egg has implanted in the lining of a woman’s uterus. It’s commonly administered with the drug misoprostol and can be taken up to 11 weeks after the first day of a woman’s last period.
DOES EMERGENCY CONTRACEPTION WORK?
Not 100% of the time. The pills’ effectiveness improves the sooner they are taken after unprotected sex, doctors said. The drugs won’t prevent pregnancies if they are taken before sex, Fleisher said.
The Food and Drug Administration has approved Plan B for use up to 72 hours, or three days, after unprotected sex. Ella is approved for up to 120 hours, or five days.
Timing is important because sperm can live inside a woman’s body for up to five days, so a woman can still get pregnant if ovulation occurs after intercourse, said Dr. Dana Stone, an OB-GYN in Oklahoma City. If a woman has ovulated prior to intercourse, the pills are unlikely to help.
“So that’s where the failure comes in. It’s based on the timing,” Stone said.
A woman’s weight also may play a role, though there is conflicting information on that. Guidance from the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology says levonorgestrel may be less effective in women with a body mass index that’s over 25. The organization says some research suggests ulipristal acetate also has lower effectiveness among women with a BMI that’s 30 or higher.
However, the FDA found conflicting data and reached no conclusion in a 2016 review of the effectiveness of levonorgestrel in women who weigh more than 165 pounds or have a BMI above 25. The agency said additional research should be a priority.
Another form of emergency contraception, a copper intrauterine device, is seen as the most effective method, if inserted into a woman’s uterus within five days of unprotected sex. Its effectiveness is not dependent on weight, Fleisher said.
A doctor or nurse must insert a copper IUD, which can remain in place for many years as a regular form of birth control.
Plan B can be purchased over the counter by anyone 17 or older, but younger people need a prescription. Ella requires a prescription.
WHAT DID THEY SAY?
Officials in some states, such as Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and South Carolina state Rep. Doug Gilliam, point to emergency contraceptives as a reason abortion bans don’t need exceptions for rape or incest.
During an Aug. 31 House debate, Gilliam said, in a hypothetical case of a 12-year-old raped by her father, the child would have “choices” and wouldn’t be “forced” to carry a pregnancy. Among them, he said, she could go to the hospital and get an emergency contraceptive, or go to the store and get one without a prescription.
Pressed by a fellow lawmaker on who would take the girl to the store to get the pill, he initially replied “The ambulance,” then corrected himself and said, “The hospital when she’s there.”
In a follow-up interview with The Associated Press, the Republican lawmaker said he did not mean to suggest that an ambulance would take a girl to a store, but that if she were to go to the hospital, she would likely be offered emergency contraception.
“I don’t want anybody to think that I told you a 12-year-old that just been raped … is going to call an ambulance to go to a store,” he said. “I just let them know the options were out there, and one of them was emergency medical contraceptives.”
WHAT ABOUT RAPE VICTIMS?
Most rape victims don’t report the crime to law enforcement, according to Jude Foster, advocacy medical forensic and prevention programs director for the Minnesota Coalition Against Sexual Assault. Many also may not go in for immediate medical care. Not everyone knows that emergency contraceptives are an option and part of a routine rape exam, or that such an exam is free.
“Why is sexual assault used as a political football when you are talking about access to reproductive care?” Foster said. “Please don’t. It just really frustrates me.”
Stone said the belief that a woman can just take Plan B if she is raped is misguided.
“We need all kinds of options for women because nothing is a one size fits all,” Stone said. “People have transportation problems, they have financial problems. There are always barriers to some percentage of women that will keep them from accessing this in the short time frame that they have.”
STATE LAWS
Several states have explicitly allowed for emergency contraception in their abortion laws.
Arkansas, Kentucky and Oklahoma all have laws that ban abortion at all stages of pregnancy, and make no exceptions for cases of rape or incest. Arkansas’ and Kentucky’s laws explicitly say they don’t prohibit contraceptive measures if they are used before a pregnancy can be determined. Oklahoma’s abortion ban also does not apply to emergency contraception.
Abortion bans aside, the National Conference of State Legislatures says 21 states and the District of Columbia have statutes related to accessing emergency contraception, and 16 of them and the District of Columbia require hospitals or health care facilities to provide information about or administer emergency contraception to women who have been sexually assaulted.
Fleisher said emergency contraception does not replace the need for abortion care, and these issues should be between a doctor and patient.
“The people writing the laws don’t understand the choices that real people are making,” he said.
___
For more of AP’s coverage on abortion: https://apnews.com/hub/abortion
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THESSALONIKI, Greece (AP) — Greece’s prime minister says that he cannot imagine that tensions with neighboring NATO ally Turkey could ever escalate into armed conflict.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis spoke at a press conference Sunday at the Thessaloniki International Fair, where he gave the keynote speech Saturday outlining his government’s economic policy goals.
Asked by The Associated Press whether a recent escalation in rhetoric from Turkey, led by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, could be the prelude to an armed conflict, Mitsotakis replied negatively.
“I don’t believe this will ever happen. And if, God forbid, it happened, Turkey would receive an absolutely devastating response. And I think they know it very well. Turkey knows the competence of the Greek (armed) forces,” he said.
Erdogan has accused Greece of occupying supposedly demilitarized islands in the Aegean Sea and has threatened that Turkey would take action.
Mitsotakis added that, despite Erdogan’s “unacceptable” comments, he was still open to dialogue and a meeting with him.
Mitsotakis linked Greece’s unequivocal support for Ukraine to concerns that, if Russia prevails, it could serve as an example to other countries with expansionist designs.
“There is a dividing line between the countries that respect the inviolability of borders (and) the rules of international law and those who believe that, based on the law of the strongest, they can target countries they believe are weaker and change the borders on a whim,” Mitsotakis said.
Mitsotakis added “it is very important to give Ukraine the chance to negotiate a peace with Russia on its own terms and certainly not as the loser in this war.”
___
Demetris Nellas contributed from Athens, Greece
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| 2022-09-21T09:52:20Z
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NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Upon taking the throne in 1952, Queen Elizabeth II inherited millions of subjects around the world, many of them unwilling. Today, in the British Empire’s former colonies, her death brings complicated feelings, including anger.
Beyond official condolences praising the queen’s longevity and service, there is some bitterness about the past in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and elsewhere. Talk has turned to the legacies of colonialism, from slavery to corporal punishment in African schools to looted artifacts held in British institutions. For many, the queen came to represent all of that during her seven decades on the throne.
In Kenya, where decades ago a young Elizabeth learned of her father’s death and her enormous new role as queen, a lawyer named Alice Mugo shared online a photograph of a fading document from 1956. It was issued four years into the queen’s reign, and well into Britain’s harsh response to the Mau Mau rebellion against colonial rule.
“Movement permit,” the document says. While over 100,000 Kenyans were rounded up in camps under grim conditions, others, like Mugo’s grandmother, were forced to request British permission to go from place to place.
“Most of our grandparents were oppressed,” Mugo tweeted hours after the queen’s death Thursday. “I cannot mourn.”
But Kenya’s outgoing president, Uhuru Kenyatta, whose father, Jomo Kenyatta, was imprisoned during the queen’s rule before becoming the country’s first president in 1964, overlooked past troubles, as did other African heads of state. “The most iconic figure of the 20th and 21st centuries,” Uhuru Kenyatta called her.
Anger came from ordinary people. Some called for apologies for past abuses like slavery, others for something more tangible.
“This commonwealth of nations, that wealth belongs to England. That wealth is something never shared in,” said Bert Samuels, a member of the National Council on Reparations in Jamaica.
Elizabeth’s reign saw the hard-won independence of African countries from Ghana to Zimbabwe, along with a string of Caribbean islands and nations along the edge of the Arabian Peninsula.
Some historians see her as a monarch who helped oversee the mostly peaceful transition from empire to the Commonwealth, a voluntary association of 56 nations with historic and linguistic ties. But she was also the symbol of a nation that often rode roughshod over people it subjugated.
There were few signs of public grief or even interest in her death across the Middle East, where many still hold Britain responsible for colonial actions that drew much of the region’s borders and laid the groundwork for many of its modern conflicts. On Saturday, Gaza’s Hamas rulers called on King Charles III to “correct” British mandate decisions that they said oppressed Palestinians.
In ethnically divided Cyprus, many Greek Cypriots remembered the four-year guerrilla campaign waged in the late 1950s against colonial rule and the queen’s perceived indifference over the plight of nine people whom British authorities executed by hanging.
Yiannis Spanos, president of the Association of National Organization of Cypriot Fighters, said the queen was “held by many as bearing responsibility” for the island’s tragedies.
Now, with her passing, there are new efforts to address the colonial past, or hide it.
India is renewing its efforts under Prime Minister Narendra Modi to remove colonial names and symbols. The country has long moved on, even overtaking the British economy in size.
“I do not think we have any place for kings and queens in today’s world, because we are the world’s largest democratic country,” said Dhiren Singh, a 57-year-old entrepreneur in New Delhi.
There was some sympathy for the Elizabeth and the circumstances she was born under and then thrust into.
In Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, resident Max Kahindi remembered the Mau Mau rebellion “with a lot of bitterness” and recalled how some elders were detained or killed. But he said the queen was “a very young lady” then, and he believes someone else likely was running British affairs.
“We cannot blame the queen for all the sufferings that we had at that particular time,” Kahindi said.
Timothy Kalyegira, a political analyst in Uganda, said there is a lingering “spiritual connection” in some African countries, from the colonial experience to the Commonwealth. “It is a moment of pain, a moment of nostalgia,” he said.
The queen’s dignified persona and age, and the centrality of the English language in global affairs, are powerful enough to temper some criticisms, Kalyegira added: “She’s seen more as the mother of the world.”
Mixed views were also found in the Caribbean, where some countries are removing the British monarch as their head of state.
“You have contradictory consciousness,” said Maziki Thame, a senior lecturer in development studies at the University of the West Indies in Jamaica, whose prime minister announced during this year’s visit of Prince William, who is now heir to the throne, and Kate that the island intended to become fully independent.
The younger generation of royals seem to have greater sensitivity to colonialism’s implications, Thame said — during the visit, William expressed his “profound sorrow” for slavery.
Nadeen Spence, an activist, said appreciation for Elizabeth among older Jamaicans isn’t surprising since she was presented by the British as “this benevolent queen who has always looked out for us,” but young people aren’t awed by the royal family.
“The only thing I noted about the queen’s passing is that she died and never apologized for slavery,” Spence said. “She should’ve apologized.”
___
Associated Press journalists around the world contributed to this report.
___
Follow AP stories on Queen Elizabeth II’s death and other stories about the British monarchy at https://apnews.com/hub/queen-elizabeth-ii
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| 2022-09-21T09:52:27Z
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MERCED, Calif. (AP) — After a months-long manhunt, police arrested a suspect in the death of an 8-year-old girl who had been reported missing before her body was found last March inside a central California home, authorities said Sunday.
Dhante Jackson was taken into custody Saturday in the San Francisco Bay Area city of Newark on suspicion of killing Sophia Mason, police and the California attorney general’s office said.
Investigators determined the child suffered continuous physical abuse, was malnourished and at times was forced to live in a shed in the backyard of Jackson’s home, Merced Police Department Lt. Joe Perez said during a news conference Sunday.
Jackson was in a relationship with the young victim’s mother, 30-year-old Samantha Johnson, who was arrested in March and has pleaded not guilty to murder and child abuse, prosecutors said.
Jackson, 34, also faces murder and child abuse charges. It wasn’t known Sunday if he has an attorney who could speak on his behalf.
Four other people were arrested Saturday on suspicion of helping Jackson evade arrest, Perez said.
“In my 20 years of law enforcement, this case is the most disturbing and horrific that I’ve seen,” the lieutenant said.
Sophia was reported missing by relatives in the San Francisco Bay Area city of Hayward. They told police they had not had contact with the girl since December, and that she was known to stay at different locations between Hayward and Southern California.
The missing person report led Hayward police to arrest Johnson on a warrant stemming from a case of child abuse in Alameda County last year, police said.
Statements Johnson made to Hayward police prompted them to ask for assistance from the Merced Police Department, which served a search warrant in March at the house in Merced where Jackson lived, they said.
Merced police found Sophia’s body in a bathtub, inside a locked bathroom, according to court documents.
Johnson told a Merced police detective that Jackson, her boyfriend, had kept Sophia in a shed and that the child was subjected to physical and sexual abuse by Jackson.
Sophia twice personally told social workers that her mother had choked and hit her, according to child-welfare documents uncovered by the Bay Area News Group.
At one point, the internal documents show, a teacher and a social worker reported grave concerns over what they considered signs of abuse.
Sophia’s grandmother, Sylvia Johnson, last week filed a wrongful death legal claim against Alameda County, alleging the Department of Child and Family Services didn’t do enough to protect the little girl.
Alameda County has 45 days to respond to the family’s claims, the news group reported Sunday. If no settlement is offered by the county and the claim is rejected, the family has six months to file a lawsuit.
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| 2022-09-21T09:52:42Z
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JERUSALEM (AP) — A Palestinian man who is seen in an amateur video lying face down, bloody and motionless, as an Israeli policeman kneels on his neck, said Sunday that Israeli forces beat and detained him without provocation as he headed to pray at Jerusalem’s chief Muslim shrine.
Yousef Adi, 36, said that he suffered a broken nose and required four stitches on his forehead after last Thursday’s beating nearby the Al Aqsa mosque. The incident is the latest in a series of violent acts by Israeli police against Palestinians. Israeli police said the video distorted the facts and they had used “reasonable force.”
Adi, a West Bank resident who works as a technician at Palestine TV, said he had all the necessary Israeli permits to enter Jerusalem. Inside the Old City, he said officers arbitrarily detained him and dragged him against a wall and began to beat him.
“I did nothing except shout at them to leave me alone and stay away from me,” he said. “But then more policemen came and began hitting me everywhere on my body.”
A video circulated on social media appeared to show an officer from the Israeli border police pinning Adi’s head to the ground with his knee. Adi is seen bleeding from his nose and hanging limply as police officers cuff him and move his apparently unconscious body. A pool of blood is visible on the ground.
Adi said the beatings continued and that he was eventually hospitalized.
The border police said the video did not tell the full story. It released a separate video of security camera footage that showed part of the events preceding Adi’s arrest.
Although there is no sound, Adi can be seen arguing over being stopped near a police barrier and appears to push an officer as he is detained. He also appears to be shouting and waving his arms frantically as they try to subdue him. The video, however, does not show the moments when he was beaten.
“Because of his violent behavior, the troops were forced to use reasonable force in order to subdue the suspect who ran wild and remove the threat his violent behavior posed,” the police statement said. Tamir Paro, the force’s spokesman, declined to answer any additional questions.
Adi said the following day he was fined 500 shekels (about $150) and banned from entering Jerusalem for a month.
“I’m still suffering from the pain,” he said. “My children, after seeing the video, wake up at night crying … I need surgery on my nose. Who will pay for it?”
The border police is a paramilitary force that is often deployed to maintain order in tense areas, such as the Old City, or to quell unrest, and its officers have been targets of Palestinian attackers. At the same time, Palestinian and human rights groups accuse the force of frequently using excessive force and say officers are rarely punished for violent acts.
Last December, an AP photographer was beaten by a border policeman in an unprovoked attack, and two years ago, an autistic Palestinian man was killed by a border policeman in the Old City. Israeli authorities say that shooting was a tragic mistake, and an officer has been charged with reckless homicide in the case.
Earlier Sunday, a Palestinian man who was wounded in a firefight with Israeli troops in the occupied West Bank last week died of his injuries, Palestinian health officials said.
Hamad Mustafa Abu Jelda, 24, was shot during a shootout with Israeli forces in Jenin. The forces were demolishing the home of a Palestinian gunman who killed three Israelis in an attack in Tel Aviv earlier this year.
It was not clear whether he was taking part in the violence when he was shot.
Israel has been conducting near-daily arrest raids in the West Bank for months, which were prompted by a spate of deadly attacks against Israelis earlier this year that killed 19 people.
Israel captured the West Bank, along with east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, in the 1967 Mideast war and the Palestinians seek those territories for a future state.
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EDINBURGH, Scotland (AP) — In a somber, regal procession, Queen Elizabeth II’s flag-draped coffin was driven slowly through the Scottish countryside Sunday from her beloved Balmoral Castle to the Scottish capital of Edinburgh. Mourners packed city streets and highway bridges or lined rural roads with cars and tractors to take part in a historic goodbye to the monarch who had reigned for 70 years.
The hearse drove past piles of bouquets and other tributes as it led a seven-car cortege from Balmoral, where the queen died Thursday at 96, for a six-hour trip through Scottish towns to Holyroodhouse palace in Edinburgh. The late queen’s coffin was draped in the Royal Standard for Scotland and topped with a wreath made of flowers from the estate, including sweet peas, one of the queen’s favorites.
The procession was a huge event for Scotland as the U.K. takes days to mourn its longest-reigning monarch, the only one most Britons have ever known. People turned out hours early to grab a space by the police barricades in Edinburgh. By afternoon, the crowds were 10 people deep.
“I think she has been an ever-constant in my life. She was the queen I was born under, and she has always been there,” said Angus Ruthven, a 54-year-old civil servant from Edinburgh. “I think it is going to take a lot of adjusting that she is not here.”
Silence fell on the packed Royal Mile in Edinburgh as the hearse carrying the queen arrived. But as the convoy vanished from view, the crowd spontaneously started clapping.
“A very historic moment. I am quite speechless actually,” said Fiona Moffat, a 57-year-old office manager from Glasgow. “She was a lovely lady. Great mother, grandmother. She did well. I am very proud of her.”
When the hearse reached Holyroodhouse, members of the Royal Regiment of Scotland, wearing green tartan kilts, carried the coffin past the queen’s youngest three children —Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward — into the throne room, where it was to remain until Monday afternoon so staff can pay their last respects.
King Charles III and his Queen Consort Camilla will travel Monday to Edinburgh to join another solemn procession that takes the queen’s coffin to St. Giles Cathedral on the city’s Royal Mile. There the coffin will remain for 24 hours so the Scottish public can pay their respects before it is flown to London on Tuesday.
The first village the cortege passed through was Ballater, where residents regard the royal family as neighbors. Hundreds of people watched in silence. Some threw flowers in front of the hearse.
“She meant such a lot to people in this area. People were crying, it was amazing to see,” said Victoria Pacheco, a guest house manager.
In each Scottish town and village, the entourage was met with respect. People stood mostly in silence; some clapped politely, others pointed their phone cameras at the passing cars. In Aberdeenshire, farmers lined the route with an honor guard of tractors.
Along the route, the cortege passed through locations laden with House of Windsor history. Those included Dyce, where in 1975 the queen formally opened the U.K.’s first North Sea oil pipeline, and Fife, near St. Andrews University, where her grandson Prince William, now the Prince of Wales, studied and met his future wife, Catherine.
Sunday’s solemn drive came as the queen’s eldest son was formally proclaimed the new monarch — King Charles III — in the rest of the United Kingdom: Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. It came a day after a pomp-filled accession ceremony in England.
“I am deeply aware of this great inheritance and of the duties and heavy responsibilities of sovereignty, which have now passed to me,” Charles said Saturday.
Just before the proclamation was read Sunday in Edinburgh, a protester appeared with a sign condemning imperialism and urging leaders to “abolish the monarchy.” She was taken away by police. Reaction was mixed. One man shouted, “Let her go! It’s free speech!” while others shouted: “Have some respect!”
Still, there was some booing in Edinburgh when Joseph Morrow, Lord Lyon King of Arms, finished his proclamation with “God save the king!”
That upset Ann Hamilton, 48.
“There’s tens of thousands of people here today to show their respect. For them to be here, heckling through things, I think it was terrible. If they were so against it, they shouldn’t have come,” she said.
Still, it was a sign of how some, including people in Britain’s former colonies, are struggling with the legacy of the monarchy — and its future.
Earlier in the day, proclamations were read in other parts of the Commonwealth, including Australia and New Zealand.
Charles, even as he mourned his late mother, got to work at Buckingham Palace, meeting with the secretary-general and other Commonwealth envoys. Many in those nations are grappling with both affection for the queen and lingering bitterness over their colonial legacies, which ranged from slavery to corporal punishment in African schools to looted artifacts held in British cultural institutions.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who is in favor of an Australian republic, said Sunday that now was not the time for a change but for paying tribute to the late queen. India, a former British colony, observed a day of state mourning, with flags lowered to half-staff.
Amid the grief enveloping the House of Windsor, there were hints of a possible family reconciliation. Prince William and his brother Harry, together with their respective wives, Catherine, Princess of Wales, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, delighted mourners near Windsor Castle with a surprise joint appearance Saturday.
The queen’s coffin was taking a circuitous journey back to the capital. After it is flown to London on Tuesday, the coffin will be moved from Buckingham Palace on Wednesday to the Houses of Parliament to lie in state until a state funeral at Westminster Abbey on Sept. 19.
In Ballater, the Rev. David Barr said locals consider the royal family as neighbors.
“When she comes up here, and she goes through those gates, I believe the royal part of her stays mostly outside,” he said of the queen. “And as she goes in, she was able to be a wife, a loving wife, a loving mum, a loving gran and then later on a loving great-gran — and aunty — and be normal.”
Elizabeth Taylor, from Aberdeen, had tears in her eyes after the hearse passed through Ballater.
“It was very emotional. It was respectful and showed what they think of the queen,” she said. “She certainly gave service to this country, even up until a few days before her death.”
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Corder reported from London.
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Follow AP coverage of Queen Elizabeth II at https://apnews.com/hub/queen-elizabeth-ii
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| 2022-09-21T09:53:05Z
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LONDON (AP) — People wanting to pay their final respects to Queen Elizabeth II as she lies in state at the Houses of Parliament in London need to be prepared for a long wait.
The government has published guidelines for people wishing to file past the late queen’s closed coffin as it lies in state at the Palace of Westminster from 5 p.m. (1600 GMT) Wednesday until 6:30 a.m. (0530 GMT) on Sept. 19. Thousands are expected to want to pay tribute to the only monarch that many in the United Kingdom have ever known.
The rules were made public a day after thousands of people lined roads and bridges Sunday as a hearse carried the queen’s coffin across the Scottish countryside from her beloved Balmoral Castle to Edinburgh.
“If you wish to attend the Lying-in-State, please note that there will be a queue, which is expected to be very long. You will need to stand for many hours, possibly overnight, with very little opportunity to sit down as the queue will be continuously moving,” the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport said in its guidelines.
The closed coffin of the monarch who died Thursday at 96 will rest on a raised platform called a catafalque in Westminster Hall at the Houses of Parliament.
“Large crowds are expected, and there are likely to be delays on public transport and road closures around the area,” the ministry warned.
Visitors will have to pass through airport-style security and can only bring one small bag with one zipper opening. Larger bags can be stowed at a special facility — but only if there is space available.
The ministry advises people to bring essentials for a potentially long wait exposed to whatever elements an early fall day in London can throw at them — an umbrella or sunscreen, a cell phone power bank and any needed medication.
No food or liquids will be allowed past security screening at the Houses of Parliament. Nor will flowers or other tributes such as candles, toys or photographs.
“Please respect the dignity of this event and behave appropriately. You should remain silent while inside the Palace of Westminster,” the advice says, adding that people must dress appropriately and turn off their mobile phones before going through security.
Included in a list of things not to do: “Film, photograph, use mobile phones or other handheld devices in the security search area or within the Palace of Westminster. Bring or erect gazebos or tents. Light barbecues and fires.”
And a long list of prohibited items includes fireworks, smoke canisters, flares, whistles, laser devices and other items that could be used to cause a disturbance as well as any banners, placards, flags, advertising or marketing messages.
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Follow AP stories on Queen Elizabeth II’s death and other stories about the British monarchy at https://apnews.com/hub/queen-elizabeth-ii
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| 2022-09-21T09:53:12Z
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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Chaos reigned in the home where Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz grew up, testimony in his ongoing penalty trial has shown.
He and his half-brother Zachary tormented their adoptive, widowed mother, Lynda. By the time Cruz reached middle school in the early 2010s, the pair took their fists and baseball bats to the walls, leaving gaping holes. They destroyed televisions and carved gashes in furniture, witnesses said.
Zachary may have been two years younger, but he was bigger and stronger and relentlessly picked on his brother — one social worker remembered Zachary climbing atop a counter and stepping in Nikolas’ cereal as he ate.
Lynda Cruz called sheriff’s deputies to the family’s 4,500-square-foot (420-square-meter) home at least two dozen times between 2012 and 2016 to deal with one son, the other or both. Most calls were for fighting, destroying her property, disrespecting her or running away.
“Nikolas was very easily set off and I think Zachary derived some pleasure from pushing Nikolas’ buttons,” testified Frederick Kravitz, one of Cruz’s childhood psychologists. In turn, “they were very good at pushing (their mother’s) buttons.”
Nikolas Cruz, 23, pleaded guilty in October to murdering 17 students and staff members at Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Feb. 14, 2018. His trial is only to decide whether he is sentenced to death or life without parole. The trial resumes Monday after a week off.
Lead prosecutor Mike Satz’s case was straightforward. He played security videos of the shooting and showed the AR-15-style semiautomatic rifle Cruz used. Teachers and students testified about watching others die. He showed graphic autopsy and crime scene photos and took jurors to the still blood-stained, bullet-pocked classroom building Cruz terrorized. Parents and spouses gave tearful and angry statements about their loss.
In an attempt to counter that, assistant public defender Melisa McNeill and her team have made Cruz’s history their case’s centerpiece, hoping at least one juror will vote for life. A death verdict must be unanimous.
The defense wants to show that from Cruz’s birth to a hard-drinking, crack-smoking Fort Lauderdale prostitute, he never fully received needed help even as he grew increasingly out of control.
And nowhere was that more apparent than in the home Roger and Lynda Cruz built in Parkland, an upscale Fort Lauderdale suburb. They adopted Nikolas at birth in 1998 and, in 2000, Zachary, who had a different birth father.
Lynda Cruz, who turned 50 shortly after adopting Nikolas, was a stay-at-home mom. Roger Cruz, then 61, owned a successful marketing business.
Lynda Cruz “had wanted a child, always wanted a child. So once she got Nikolas, she felt like her family was complete,” friend Trish Davaney-Westerlind testified. “He was a cute little baby. She would go and get him all these sailor outfits. She was just the happiest I ever saw.”
But by preschool, Cruz showed extreme behavior. Neighbors and teachers testified he hit and bit other children and didn’t socialize. He was anxious, fell when he ran and couldn’t use utensils. Nikolas started seeing psychiatrists and psychologists at age 3 and didn’t fully talk or become potty trained until 4.
At 5, just as Cruz entered kindergarten, he witnessed his father suffer a fatal heart attack in the family’s den. That left Lynda Cruz alone in her mid-50s with two sons who would have challenged a much younger couple.
Unemployed, she became paranoid about spending, keeping her air conditioners’ thermostats in the 80s (25 to 30 Celsius) and unplugging unused appliances. One friend said her monthly electric bill was $80, a fraction of what the owner of a large South Florida home typically pays.
She padlocked the refrigerator so her sons couldn’t eat without permission and kept it so poorly stocked neighbors gave her groceries.
Friends gave conflicting testimony over whether Lynda Cruz really was financially strapped or had wealth she didn’t want to spend.
In either case, she had expenses other parents didn’t. Cruz’s mental health treatments weren’t fully covered by insurance. He loved online, often violent video games, but hated losing – that’s what caused him to destroy TVs and damage walls. She sometimes locked his video game console in her car as punishment — and Cruz at least once broke a window to get it back.
“She was a little afraid of him,” neighbor Paul Gold testified.
Despite Cruz’s tantrums, Lynda Cruz told teachers and counselors he was gentle and loving, a mama’s boy. Friends testified that wasn’t wholly a facade — Cruz and his mother did have a strong, often affectionate attachment and she favored him over his brother.
Still, Zachary remained popular in the neighborhood while Cruz was the outcast — and not just with children.
Steven Schusler testified that shortly after moving nearby, his landlord called over the Cruz boys and pointed at Nikolas, then about 10.
“He’s the weird one, aren’t you Nicky?” Schusler recalled the woman saying. Cruz ”curled up” and “looked like a snail when you put salt on one.”
But Cruz’s behavior was often strange and sometimes violent. When he was 9, a parent called police after he hit her child in the head with a rock. When his dog died after eating a poisonous toad, he went on a killing spree against the amphibians. At middle school, his outbursts disrupted classes and he plastered his homework with racist slurs, swastikas, obscenities and stick figures having sex or shooting each other.
Lynda Cruz became so overwhelmed in Cruz’s early teens, a social services agency was assigned to help. That’s what brought case manager Tiffany Forrest to the home. She said Lynda Cruz complained Nikolas wouldn’t bathe, so Forrest tried to explain to him the importance of hygiene. Cruz stood up, walked outside and jumped clothed into the pool. He then climbed out.
“I showered,” he told Forrest.
In the coming weeks, Cruz’s attorneys are expected to present testimony about his transfer to a school for students with emotional and behavioral problems, his time at Stoneman Douglas and call his brother to the stand. Zachary now lives in Virginia with two benefactors.
Their mother died less than four months before the shooting.
___
Associated Press writer Freida Frisaro in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, contributed to this report.
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| 2022-09-21T09:53:20Z
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BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Thousands of opponents of a pan-European LGBTQ event planned for this week in Belgrade marched through the Serbian capital on Sunday despite an announced ban of Europe’s largest annual gay gathering.
The procession called by the conservative Serbian Orthodox Church and led by its clergy included anti-Western slogans as well as Russian flags and portraits of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
After the march, Serbian Patriarch Porfirije held prayers at the main Saint Sava temple in Belgrade, saying “evil forces” want to “desecrate the purity of the family by imposing anti-God and unnatural unions as a substitute for marriage and family.”
Organizers of the EuroPride — which includes a week of events and a Pride march in Belgrade on Sept. 17 — have said they will ignore the police ban and hold the LGBTQ festivities.
Members of the European Pride Organizers Association chose Serbia’s capital three years ago to host the annual event, hoping it would represent a major breakthrough for a Slavic country that is traditionally conservative and under strong influence from the Orthodox Church.
Serbia is formally seeking European Union membership, but has for years been moving closer to Russia’s political orbit. The Balkan country has voted for U.N. resolutions condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but has refused to join Western sanctions against Moscow.
Serbia’s populist President Aleksandar Vucic, who has announced the ban, said Serbia’s police cannot cope with possible riots by right-wing groups against the Pride march amid a crisis over Serbia’s breakaway province of Kosovo as well as the energy crisis caused by the war in Ukraine.
Serbia’s rights groups have urged supporters to join the Pride march as part of struggle for democracy that they say is under threat in Serbia from Vucic’s autocratic regime.
Several EU officials have said they will join the LGBTQ events, while those calling on the Serbian government to reverse the announced ban include U.S. State Secretary Antony Blinken.
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| 2022-09-21T09:53:27Z
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ISTANBUL (AP) — Greek coast guard ships opened fire on a cargo vessel sailing in international waters in the Aegean Sea, the Turkish coast guard said, escalating tensions between the regional rivals that have mounted in recent weeks.
There were no casualties in the shooting 11 nautical miles (13 miles) southwest of the Turkish island of Bozcaada on Saturday, the Turkish statement said. It added that after “harassment fire” from two Greek coast guard vessels, two Turkish coast guard ships went to the area and the Greek boats left.
Calls to the Greek Embassy in Ankara went unanswered Sunday, and it wasn’t clear why the gunfire occurred.
The neighboring countries have been embroiled in disputes for decades and frictions have ratcheted up in recent weeks, with both sides alleging airspace violations. Greek officials have raised concerns about another outbreak of conflict in Europe, following Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Turkey says Greece is breaking international agreements by keeping a military presence on islands close to Turkey’s Aegean coastline. It also has accused Greek air defenses of locking on to Turkish fighter jets during NATO exercises over the eastern Mediterranean.
Greece says it needs to defend its eastern islands — including tourist hotspots Rhodes and Kos, which are much closer to Turkey than to the Greek mainland — against its larger and militarily stronger neighbor.
Video footage from Saturday purportedly shows a Greek coast guard ship alongside the Comoros-flagged ship Anatolian as the sound of about a dozen gunshots are heard. A crew member speaks in Turkish, saying they are being attacked by the Greek coast guard.
The video, which was released by the Turkish coast guard and seems to have been filmed on a cellphone, shows what appears to be a bullet hole in a window and in the ceiling of the cargo ship’s bridge.
The Turkish statement said the gunfire was “in disregard of the rules of international law.” The 18 crew of the Anatolian consisted of six Egyptians, four Somalis, five Azerbaijanis and three Turks.
A Turkish prosecutor ordered an investigation. The country also has protested to Greek authorities, with Ankara demanding a swift investigation and explanation.
The Anatolian was anchored Sunday in the Dardanelles Strait off the Turkish coast, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported.
This week, the Greek government wrote letters to NATO, the European Union and the United Nations, asking them to formally condemn increasingly aggressive talk by Turkish officials and suggesting that tensions could escalate into open conflict.
Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias said the behavior of Turkey — also a NATO member — risked “a situation similar to that currently unfolding in some other part of our continent,” referring to the war in Ukraine.
The Marine Traffic website, which monitors global shipping, says the Anatolian was previously named the Mavi Marmara. Israeli commandos stormed the vessel — then a passenger ship — in 2010 as it attempted to break a blockade on the Palestinian enclave of Gaza, killing nine Turkish activists, including a dual American citizen.
The Mavi Marmara incident led to a serious diplomatic rift between Israel and Turkey, which withdrew its ambassador to Israel and scaled back military and economic ties. Israel later apologized for the deaths and agreed to compensate the victims’ families.
In its entry for the Anatolian, Marine Traffic carried photographs of the Mavi Marmara with Turkish and Palestinian flags hanging from its sides. The website’s last recorded location for the Anatolian was in the Somali capital Mogadishu in late June.
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| 2022-09-21T09:53:34Z
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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — A Black pastor who was arrested by white police officers while watering the flowers of a neighbor who was out of town filed a federal lawsuit alleging the ordeal violated his constitutional rights and caused lingering problems including emotional distress and anxiety.
Michael Jennings filed the lawsuit Friday night against three officers and the central Alabama town of Childersburg requesting a jury trial and seeking an unspecified amount of money.
Jennings’ lawyers held a news conference outside the Birmingham federal courthouse on Saturday to discuss the lawsuit, and the NAACP, the nation’s oldest civil rights organization, and other groups planned a rally afterward at a downtown park.
“I’m here for accountability, and I’m here for justice,” Jennings told the news conference.
The suit alleged the actions of Officers Christopher Smith and Justin Gable, Sgt. Jeremy Brooks and the city violated rights protecting against unlawful arrest and guaranteeing free speech. He cited multiple continuing problems including post traumatic stress disorder and humiliation.
Childersburg city attorney Reagan Rumsey didn’t return an email seeking comment.
Jennings, 56, was arrested in May after a white neighbor called 911 and said a “younger Black male” and gold SUV were at a house while the owners — who are friends of Jennings and had asked him to watch their home — were away.
Jennings identified himself as “Pastor Jennings” but refused to provide identification to the officers, who arrested him on a charge of obstructing government operations after a 20-minute confrontation that included raised voices on both sides.
Filed in municipal court, the charge was dismissed within days at the request of the then-police chief. Jennings’ attorneys last month released police body camera video that was obtained following a records request to the city, located 55 miles (88 kilometers) southeast of Birmingham.
Benard Simelton, president of the Alabama branch of the NAACP, said the officers who arrested Jennings did “so many things” that weren’t in line with good community policing tactics.
“These poor judgment decisions reflect poorly on the type of training the Childersburg police officers receive … if they were acting in accordance within police guidelines,” Simelton said in a statement.
While Jennings could have filed a claim against the city seeking damages, attorney Harry Daniels said that wasn’t done because the arrest was well within the time frame allowed by law for a lawsuit.
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| 2022-09-21T09:53:42Z
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ARVADA, Colo. (KDVR) – A police officer in Colorado was killed early Sunday morning while responding to a disturbance call.
According to the Arvada Police Department, the reported disturbance was located on the 6700 block of West 51st Avenue. Arvada is a city northwest of Denver.
Officers arrived to a chaotic scene, they said, and when they attempted to calm those present, shots were fired by a male suspect, who hit both a woman and an officer. The officer was identified as 27-year-old Dillon Michael Vakoff.
Vakoff was transported to the hospital where he died from his injuries. A procession was held from the hospital to the Jefferson County Coroner’s Office.
Additionally, the suspect in the shooting and one woman that he allegedly shot during the incident were both taken to the hospital. Officials said they are expected to survive.
The investigation is ongoing, but the department said it has taken the suspect into custody. The suspect’s identity was not released Sunday morning.
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| 2022-09-21T09:53:49Z
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LAS VEGAS (KLAS) – You hit the Forum Shops at Caesars. You watched the fountains at Bellagio. You rode the High Roller at The LINQ and the rollercoaster at New York, New York.
It was a whirlwind trip. But there’s one thing you didn’t do.
You didn’t go to Las Vegas.
Millions of tourists visit the Strip — and lose money in its casinos day and night. But unless they crossed Sahara Boulevard and ventured north toward the downtown casinos, they were never within Las Vegas city limits.
Most people don’t realize it, but the Strip is actually located in unincorporated Clark County, not Las Vegas. Most of the Strip is within the Paradise township — appropriate, right? — while the northern end lies in Winchester township.
The distinction is a point of pride for county leaders. And far beyond that, the Strip is the biggest economic engine in Nevada, bringing tax dollars to the county that city leaders can only dream about.
Many visitors think they’re already in Vegas when they travel north through the southern end of the Strip, which is marked with the recognizable “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” sign. But the dividing line between Las Vegas and the rest of Clark County is several miles north, at Sahara Avenue.
It’s a noticeable transition, but Las Vegas has recently added a gateway of sorts at the border — an arch that extends over Las Vegas Boulevard with towering showgirls welcoming visitors to the city — just in case it wasn’t clear.
The Strip was born when mobster Bugsy Siegel got fed up with Las Vegas city officials while he was trying to expand his newly purchased El Cortez hotel on Fremont Street in the mid-1940s. His criminal background kept getting in the way.
His solution? He bought into the Flamingo, which was under construction four miles south of downtown — and outside city limits. The 105-room hotel opened in 1947 at a cost of $6 million, and was toasted as “The West’s Greatest Resort Hotel.”
The Flamingo has since changed hands, but it’s the oldest resort on the Strip still in operation.
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| 2022-09-21T09:53:57Z
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PALM BEACH, Fla. (WFLA) — A Florida boy who went missing Saturday afternoon has been found dead, according to authorities.
Dahud Jolicoeur, 5, disappeared from his home in Palm Beach County at around 5 p.m., according to WPTV.
Hours later, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement said Dahud died from a “possible drowning” early Sunday morning.
“We extend our condolences to Dahud’s family, friends and the Palm Beach County community,” the department said.
According to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, the 5-year-old was found dead in a waterway a block from his home.
Before the boy was found, deputies said Dahud was autistic, non-verbal, and couldn’t swim.
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| 2022-09-21T09:54:04Z
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(The Conversation) – Most of the debates on the usage of “Latinx” – pronounced “la-teen-ex” – have taken place in the U.S. But the word has begun to spread into Spanish-speaking countries – where it hasn’t exactly been embraced.
In July 2022, Argentina and Spain released public statements banning the use of Latinx, or any gender-neutral variant. Both governments reasoned that these new terms are violations of the rules of the Spanish language.
Latinx is used as an individual identity for those who are gender-nonconforming, and it can also describe an entire population without using “Latinos,” which is currently the default in Spanish for a group of men and women.
As a Mexican-born, U.S.-raised scholar, I agree with the official Argentine and Spanish stance on banning Latinx from the Spanish language – English, too.
When I first heard Latinx in 2017, I thought it was progressive and inclusive, but I quickly realized how problematic it was. Five years later, Latinx is not commonly used in Spanish-speaking countries, nor is it used by the majority of those identifying as Hispanic or Latino in the U.S.
In fact, there’s a gender-inclusive term that’s already being used by Spanish-speaking activists that works as a far more natural replacement.
Low usage
Though the exact origins of Latinx are unclear, it emerged sometime around 2004 and gained popularity around 2014. Merriam-Webster added it to its dictionary in 2018.
However, a 2019 Pew research study and 2021 Gallup poll indicated that less than 5% of the U.S. population used “Latinx” as a racial or ethnic identity.
Nonetheless, Latinx is becoming commonplace among academics; it’s used at conferences, in communication and especially in publications.
But is it inclusive to use Latinx when most of the population does not?
Perpetuating elitism
The distinct demographic differences of those who are aware of or use Latinx calls into question whether the term is inclusive or just elitist.
Individuals who self-identiy as Latinx or are aware of the term are most likely to be U.S.-born, young adults from 18 to 29 years old. They are predominately English-speakers and have some college education. In other words, the most marginalized communities do not use Latinx.
Scholars, in my view, should never impose social identities onto groups that do not self-identify that way.
I once had a reviewer for an academic journal article I submitted about women’s experiences with catcalling tell me to replace my use of “Latino” and “Latina” with “Latinx.” However, they had no issue with me using “man” or “woman” when it came to my white participants.
I was annoyed at the audacity of this reviewer. The goal of the study was to show catcalling, a gendered interaction, as an everyday form of sexism.
How was I supposed to differentiate my participants’ sexism experiences by gender and race if I labeled them all as Latinx?
The ‘x’ factor
If a term is truly inclusive, it gives equitable weight to vastly diverse experiences and knowledge; it is not meant to be a blanket identity.
Women of color, in general, are severely underrepresented in leadership positions and STEM fields. Using “Latinx” for women further obscures their contributions and identity. I have even seen some academics try to get around the nebulous nature of Latinx by writing “Latinx mothers” or “Latinx women” instead of “Latinas.”
Furthermore, if the goal is to be inclusive, the “x” would be easily pronounceable and naturally applied to other parts of the Spanish language.
Some Spanish speakers would rather identify by nationality – say, “Mexicano” or “Argentino” – instead of using umbrella terms like Hispanic or Latino. But the “x” can’t be easily applied to nationalities. Like Latinx, “Mexicanx” and “Argentinx” don’t exactly roll off the tongue in any language. Meanwhile, gendered articles in Spanish – “los” and “las” for the plural “the” – become “lxs,” while gendered pronouns –“el” and “ella” becomes “ellx.”
The utility and logic of it quickly falls apart.
‘Latine’ as an alternative
Many academics might feel compelled to continue to use Latinx because they fought hard to have it recognized by their institutions or have already published the term in an academic journal. But there is a much better gender-inclusive alternative, one that’s been largely overlooked by the U.S. academic community and is already being used in Spanish-speaking parts of Latin America, especially among young social activists in those countries.
It’s “Latine” – pronounced “lah-teen-eh” – and it’s far more adaptable to the Spanish language. It can be implemented as articles – “les” instead of “los” or “las,” the words for “the.” When it comes to pronouns, “elle” can become a singular form of “they” and used in place of the masculine “él” or feminine “ella,” which translate to “he” and “she.” It can also be readily applied to most nationalities, such as “Mexicane” or “Argentine.”
Because language shapes the way we think, it’s important to note that gendered languages like Spanish, German and French do facilitate gender stereotypes and discrimination. For example, in German, the word for bridge is feminine, and in Spanish, the word for bridge is masculine. Cognitive scientist Lera Boroditsky had German speakers and Spanish speakers describe a bridge. The German speakers were more likely to describe it using adjectives like “beautiful” or “elegant,” while the Spanish speakers were more likely to describe it in masculine ways – “tall” and “strong.”
Moreover, the existing gender rules in Spanish are not perfect. Usually words ending in “-o” are masculine and those ending in “-a” are feminine, but there are many common words that break those gender rules, like “la mano,” the word for “hand.” And, of course, Spanish already uses an “e” for gender-neutral words, such as “estudiante,” or “student.”
I believe Latine accomplishes what Latinx originally meant to and more. Similarly, it eliminates the gender binary in its singular and plural form. However, Latine is not confined to an elite, English-speaking population within the U.S. It is inclusive.
Nevertheless, problems can still arise when the word “Latine” is imposed onto others. “Latina” and “Latino” may still be preferable for many individuals. I don’t think the “-e” should eliminate the existing “-o” and the “-a.” Instead, it could be a grammatically acceptable addition to the Spanish language.
Yes, Argentina and Spain’s ban of Latinx also included a ban on the use of Latine. Here is where I diverge from their directive. To me, the idea that language can be purist is nonsensical; language always evolves, whether it’s through technology – think emojis and textspeak – or increased social awareness, such as the evolution from “wife beating” to “intimate partner violence.”
Linguistic theory posits that language shapes reality, so cultures and communities can create words that shape the inclusive world they want to inhabit.
Language matters. Latine embodies that inclusivity – across socioeconomic status, citizenship, education, gender identity, age groups and nations, while honoring the Spanish language in the process.
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| 2022-09-21T09:54:19Z
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(NEXSTAR) – Beer tourism. It’s a thing.
Beer enthusiasts across the world are likely familiar with the concept of a “beercation,” or an excursion planned with the intention (at least in part) of visiting the local breweries or taprooms. Interest in “beercations” has actually become so prevalent, in fact, that Travelocity debuted a “Beer Tourism Index” in 2019 after a survey of just over 1,000 users found that over three-quarters showed interest in booking a trip that included local beer tastings or brewery tours.
Recognizing this growing trend, the analysts at HomeToGo — a vacation rental platform — sought to determine America’s best “beer towns” using a “Beer Lovers Index” based on the number of brewpubs, breweries and top-rated bars, as well as the average prices of beer and the median cost of nightly accommodations for travelers hoping to spend a few nights in the city.
After researching hundreds of cities, HomeToGo settled on a ranking of the top 17 destinations for beer buffs looking for a quick, boozy getaway.
Topping HomeToGo’s rankings is Chicago, Illinois, a city which scored high for its abundance of breweries and well-reviewed bars, as well as the affordability of pints and overnight stays.
“The brewery scene has taken off over the past few decades with Goose Island Beer Company opening in 1988,” writes HomeToGo, which noted that Chicago boasts 50 breweries. “Other local brewers like Two Brothers, Half Acre Beer Company, and Metropolitan Brewing have also become tremendously popular over the years.”
Rounding out the top five were Portland, Oregon, which boasts 52 breweries; Milwaukee, which earned a perfect score for affordable accommodations; Denver, which hosts the annual Great American Beer Festival; and Seattle, whose oldest brewery dates back to 1854, HomeToGo noted.
The full list of the best “beer towns,” according to HomeToGo, are ranked as follows:
- Chicago
- Portland, Oregon
- Milwaukee
- Denver
- Seattle
- New York City
- Asheville, North Carolina
- Austin
- Tampa
- Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
- San Diego
- Daytona Beach, Florida
- Charleston, South Carolina
- Birmingham, Alabama
- Portland, Maine
- Boston
- Key West, Florida
In researching each city, HomeToGo utilized data from the Brewers Association. Open Brewery DB, Rate Beer, Numbeo and HomeToGo, the latter providing median nightly prices for vacation rentals.
More information, including category-specific scores for each top-rated city, can be found at HomeToGo.
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| 2022-09-21T09:54:26Z
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CLEVELAND (WJW) — With the summer holidays behind us, it may be time to start thinking about your holiday travel plans.
For those who have to catch a plane to their destination, several travel blogs and price-comparison sites have some suggestions on how to avoid heavy crowds and costly ticket prices.
According to Cheapflights.com, summer is a great time to book winter holiday travel, with deals to be found as early as 25 weeks in advance. Google Flights and Priceline, meanwhile, say airfares are typically the least expensive around September and October.
Meanwhile, The Vacationer, a trip-planning blog, say the most important thing is to buy your tickets before Halloween. The airlines know you need to fly home in time for the turkey or to open presents under the tree, and costs are always higher for those who wait. Another thing to remember is that there are a limited number of available flights for the winter holidays.
Incidentally, June and July are the cheapest time to purchase your holiday tickets, according to Vacationer.
THANKSGIVING
Thanksgiving is always on a Thursday in late November, falling on Nov. 24 this year. That means the busiest travel days are the Wednesday before and the Sunday after. If you missed the window to buy in June or July, late August or early September is your next best option, Vacationer says.
In addition, it might pay off to look at flights three days prior, or on Thursday itself, when heading to your destinations, NerdWallet says. Flying on Thanksgiving can save you around 12% when compared to the Wednesday before, according to the site. When flying back, try to leave on Black Friday, or on the following Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday.
CHRISTMAS
Christmas Eve falls on a Saturday this year, and Christmas is on Sunday — two weekend days. The best times to book flights are the same as for Thanksgiving: August or September if you missed your chance in June or July.
Vacationer says to look for the following dates, which may be less busy and cheapest to fly.
- Sunday, Dec. 18
- Monday, Dec. 19
- Tuesday, Dec. 20
- Saturday, Dec. 24
- Sunday, Dec. 25
When booking a flight back, the site recommends the following dates:
- Wednesday, Dec. 28
- Thursday, Dec. 29
Other tips include searching on Google Travel for the best airline optimization, and always look at nearby airports for price comparisons. Some experts also suggests going through the airline to book your flight rather than a third-party platform. That way, if there are cancelations, you’ll be working with the airline directly.
Despite all of these tips, expect the flight to be more expensive than other times of the year. Also, if you can, consider driving or taking a train.
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| 2022-09-21T09:54:34Z
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(WXIN) — While fall begins on Sept. 22, leaf peepers in most parts of the United States will have to wait a few weeks until peak foliage time, according to one prediction map.
The Smoky Mountains are one of the most popular places to catch leaves changing color, and its 2022 Fall Foliage Prediction map is a tool designed to help travelers decide on the best time to visit.
Using a complex algorithm, the map forecasts county-by-county fall foliage based on millions of data points. The data includes historical temperatures, historical precipitation, forecast temperatures from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; historical leaf peak trends, and even user-generated information.
The northernmost states in the contiguous U.S. are the first to see the changing of leaves, and the trend slowly trickles down to the southernmost states.
Across the U.S., the peak foliage happens sometime between Oct. 3 and Nov. 21.
For Smoky Mountain visitors, the leaf peeping doesn’t get better than the week of Oct. 31.
In the Midwest, the second and third weeks of October are typically the peak times, depending on your location, according to the Almanac. The change there starts by late September.
In the New England area, also beloved for its colorful fall leaves, peak foliage will be around Oct. 10, according to the foliage prediction map.
Why do leaves change color?
Chlorophyll is the compound that gives leaves their green color and helps plants by converting sunlight into “food” through photosynthesis.
As the days get shorter and colder in the fall, chlorophyll in leaves breaks down and reveals the natural colors underneath, including red, orange and yellow.
The colors are based on chemicals in the leaves like carotenoids and anthocyanin, according to the Harvard Forest.
What’s the effect of the weather?
“Another important part of leaf-peeping is knowing the right time to go!” according to the Almanac. “For the best experience, not only should leaves be near their peak colors, but the weather should be agreeable, too.”
While many folks prefer blue skies and full sun to view the brilliance of the changing colors, others say a lightly overcast day could make the colors appear to “pop against the somber skies.”
The least desirable conditions are rain and wind, the latter of which can result in prematurely bare trees, the Almanac said.
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| 2022-09-21T09:54:41Z
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WASHINGTON (AP) — When Emmanuel Obeng-Dankwa is worried about making rent on his New York City apartment, he sometimes holds off on filling his blood pressure medication.
“If there’s no money, I prefer to skip the medication to being homeless,” said Obeng-Dankwa, a 58-year-old security guard.
He is among a majority of adults in the U.S. who say that health care is not handled well in the country, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
The poll reveals that public satisfaction with the U.S. health care system is remarkably low, with fewer than half of Americans saying it is generally handled well. Only 12% say it is handled extremely or very well. Americans have similar views about health care for older adults.
Overall, the public gives even lower marks for how prescription drug costs, the quality of care at nursing homes and mental health care are being handled, with just 6% or less saying those health services are done very well in the country.
“Navigating the American health care system is exceedingly frustrating,” said A. Mark Fendrick, the director of the University of Michigan Center for Value-Based Insurance Design. “The COVID pandemic has only made it worse.”
More than two years after the pandemic’s start, health care worker burnout and staffing shortages are plaguing hospitals around the country. And Americans are still having trouble getting in-person medical care after health centers introduced restrictions as COVID-19 killed and sickened millions of people around the country, Fendrick said.
In fact, the poll shows an overwhelming majority of Americans, nearly 8 in 10, say they are at least moderately concerned about getting access to quality health care when they need it.
Black and Hispanic adults in particular are resoundingly worried about health care access, with nearly 6 in 10 saying they are very or extremely concerned about getting good care. Fewer than half of white adults, 44%, expressed the same level of worry.
Racial disparities have long troubled America’s health care system. They have been abundantly clear during the COVID-19 pandemic, with Black and Hispanic people dying disproportionately from the virus. Black and Hispanic men also make up a disproportionately high rate of recent monkeypox infections.
Fifty-three percent of women said they are extremely or very concerned about obtaining quality care, compared to 42% of men.
While Americans are united in their dissatisfaction with the health care system, that agreement dissolves when it comes to solutions to fix it.
About two-thirds of adults think it is the federal government’s responsibility to make sure all Americans have health care coverage, with adults ages 18 to 49 more likely than those over 50 to hold that view. The percentage of people who believe health care coverage is a government responsibility has risen in recent years, ticking up from 57% in 2019 and 62% in 2017.
Still, there’s not consensus on how that coverage might be delivered.
About 4 in 10 Americans say they support a single-payer health care system that would require Americans to get their health insurance from a government plan. More, 58%, say they favor a government health insurance plan that anyone can purchase.
There also is broad support for policies that would help Americans pay for the costs of long-term care, including a government-administered insurance plan similar to Medicare, the federal government’s health insurance for people 65 or older.
Retired nurse Pennie Wright, of Camden, Tennessee, doesn’t like the idea of a government-run health care system.
After switching to Medicare this year, she was surprised to walk out of her annual well-woman visit, once fully covered by her private insurance plan, with $200 worth of charges for a mammogram and a pap smear.
She prefers the flexibility she had on her private insurance plan.
“I feel like we have the best health care system in the world, we have a choice of where we want to go,” Wright said.
A majority of Americans, roughly two-thirds, were happy to see the government step in to provide free COVID-19 testing, vaccines and treatment. Roughly 2 in 10 were neutral about the government’s response.
The government’s funding for free COVID-19 tests dried up at the beginning of the month. And while the White House says the latest batch of recommended COVID-19 boosters will be free to anyone who wants one, it doesn’t have money on hand to buy any future rounds of booster shots for every American.
Eighty percent say they support the federal government negotiating for lower drug prices. President Joe Biden this summer signed a landmark bill into law allowing Medicare to negotiate the price of prescription drugs. The move is expected to save taxpayers as much as $100 billion over the next decade.
“Medication costs should be low, to the minimum so that everyone can afford it,” said Obeng-Dankwa, the Bronx renter who has trouble paying for his medication. “Those who are poor should be able to get all the necessary health they need, in the same way someone who also has the money to pay for it.”
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AP polling reporter Hannah Fingerhut in Washington contributed to this report.
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The poll of 1,505 adults was conducted July 28-Aug. 1 using a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for all respondents is plus or minus 3.6 percentage points.
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Follow AP’s coverage of health care costs at https://apnews.com/hub/health-care-costs.
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| 2022-09-21T09:54:48Z
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PRESTONSBURG, Ky. (AP) — Derrek McIntosh was left homeless twice within weeks — first by floodwaters that destroyed his eastern Kentucky home, then when a fire burned down the house he stayed in with relatives.
Now that he’s moved into a temporary travel trailer, McIntosh said he no longer worries where he’ll lay his head at night. And the 34-year-old Republican gives the credit for that to a Democrat — Gov. Andy Beshear.
When flooding swept through parts of Appalachia in late July, McIntosh said, the governor moved quickly.
“I think he’s doing an awesome job,” McIntosh said.
Beshear’s first term in office has been dominated by one deadly crisis after another: the global COVID-19 pandemic, tornadoes that killed scores of people in western Kentucky in December and floodwaters in Appalachia that left dozens more Kentuckians dead. Through it all, Beshear has offered encouragement to victims, pledged to hold officials accountable for the federal response and dived into the details of the recovery process.
“This rebuilding process is going to be one of the most challenging the country has ever seen,” Beshear said during a recent stop in Hazard. “And I think we’re up to it. I saw this saying the other day. It was: God saves his toughest challenges for his strongest soldiers.”
If there’s a playbook for a Democratic politician navigating the treacherous politics of a ruby-red state, Beshear may have found it. The 44-year-old governor talks about his Christian faith, his stewardship of the state’s record-setting economy and the resilience of his fellow Kentuckians.
Beshear, who is seeking reelection to his second term next year, typically steers away from partisan politics.
“Every time that we can put aside red or blue, D or R, and just focus on things that are good for our families, are the times that we jump in front of every other state that can’t do that,” the governor said recently at the Kentucky Farm Bureau’s annual ham breakfast. “And I’m convinced that our job in state government isn’t to move the state to the right or to the left but to move it forward.”
Beshear’s approach has caught the eye of New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, who will chair the Democratic Governors Association in 2023. He said Beshear has an “unlimited ceiling” if the Kentuckian wins another term.
“He’s every bit as good as he seems,” Murphy said. “And he’s just an extraordinary leader and, by the way, knows how to get stuff done with the other side of the aisle.”
Other Democrats may find the formula hard to duplicate in places that haven’t faced the gauntlet of challenges Kentucky has — or if they lack his political pedigree. His father, Steve Beshear, was a popular two-term Kentucky governor from 2007 to 2015.
And while crisis management has marked the younger Beshear as a politician to watch since his election as governor in 2019, Republicans are lining up to challenge him in a state where Democrats have struggled in recent years.
The GOP holds both U.S. Senate seats, five of six congressional seats, every statewide office other than governor and lieutenant governor and supermajorities in the legislature.
“I think his personal image is right side up, but his party’s image is decidedly upside-down,” said Scott Jennings, a Kentucky-based Republican political commentator and former adviser to President George W. Bush.
Following a strategy that catapulted the GOP to dominance in Kentucky, Republican contenders for governor hope to nationalize the race, in part by tying Beshear to the inflationary surge that caused President Joe Biden’s approval ratings to sag.
But Beshear’s appearances with Biden have come in the aftermath of natural disasters and only served to amplify Beshear’s role as a state-level consoler in chief as he focuses on helping people.
He intends to make his management of the state’s economy a cornerstone of his reelection campaign. During his term, Kentucky has posted record highs for job creation and investments and record low unemployment rates.
Republicans, meanwhile, consistently remind Kentuckians of the restrictions Beshear imposed during the pandemic.
“Folks, just because we lived through a global pandemic doesn’t mean that our rights, our freedoms and liberties should be tossed out the window,” GOP gubernatorial hopeful Ryan Quarles said this summer at the Fancy Farm picnic, the state’s top political event.
Republican Attorney General Daniel Cameron, among the Republicans running for governor, led a legal fight against Beshear’s pandemic restrictions on businesses and gatherings, winning before the Kentucky Supreme Court. That cleared the way for the legislature to rein in the governor’s emergency powers.
But as Republican rivals at the picnic slammed his job performance, Beshear was across the state in the mountains, consoling families left homeless by the flooding.
The governor defends his pandemic-related actions, which he says reflected guidance from then-President Donald Trump’s coronavirus task force. More importantly, Beshear says, they saved lives.
For all his niceties, Beshear also has shown a fighter’s instincts — whether it’s on the campaign trail or in skirmishes over legislation.
He vetoed bills putting more restrictions on abortion and banning transgender girls and women from female sports teams, beginning in the sixth grade. Both were political risks in socially conservative Kentucky. Beshear also vetoed bills aimed at launching charter schools, phasing out individual income taxes and tightening rules for public assistance benefits. Republican lawmakers overrode all those vetoes and cite them as evidence that he’s out of touch.
“It shows that his beliefs are inconsistent with the beliefs of Kentuckians,” said state Auditor Mike Harmon, another GOP officeholder running for governor.
But for some Republican voters, Beshear’s handling of epic natural disasters and his empathy for Kentuckians struggling to overcome tragedy matter more.
Timothy Carter, an eastern Kentucky coal miner and diehard Trump supporter, said Beshear has been there for flood victims.
“He’s gotten out and stomped right through the mud just the same as they have,” Carter said. “And when a lot of people see that, that brings a different respect. It’s an earned respect.”
In a region with deep affection for Trump, Carter and several others praised Beshear as they waited recently for their children to be fitted with donated shoes at Jenny Wiley State Resort Park, one of several places Beshear designated as emergency shelters after the tornadoes or flooding.
During another visit there, Beshear comforted Pansy McCoy, who took refuge at the park after floodwaters swamped her home. She’s hit a snag in getting the help she needs.
“I just want my home,” she told the governor. “I just want a home.”
“We’ll work with you on that, OK?” Beshear said before connecting her with members of his team.
While McCoy expressed her appreciation for the governor, not everyone saw things that way.
Randy Johnson stayed outside the park lodge when the governor spoke to a crowd inside. Johnson said later that he’s been in limbo since his home was flooded, living at the park with his wife and grandchild and awaiting federal aid.
“He sure let us down,” Johnson said. “I just don’t see nothing getting any better.”
But that wasn’t the prevailing view. McIntosh, the Republican who’s moved into a temporary travel trailer, said he’ll have no problem voting for the governor next year.
“I can’t believe he’s doing as much as he’s doing here,” McIntosh said, “trying to help all us eastern Kentuckians.”
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Associated Press writer Mike Catalini in Trenton, N.J., contributed to this report.
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Follow AP for full coverage of the 2022 midterm elections at https://apnews.com/hub/2022-midterm-elections and on Twitter at https://twitter.com/ap_politics.
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| 2022-09-21T09:55:03Z
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WASHINGTON (AP) — The discovery of hundreds of classified records at Donald Trump’s home has thrust U.S. intelligence agencies into a familiar and uncomfortable role as the foil of a former president who demanded they support his agenda and at times accused officers of treason.
While the FBI conducts a criminal investigation, the office that leads the intelligence community is also conducting a review — currently on pause pending a court order — of the damage that would result from disclosure of the documents found at the Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida.
The investigation comes at a perilous time in American politics, with increasing threats to law enforcement and election workers and as a growing swath of officials assail the FBI and spread baseless theories of voter fraud. There’s already a wide range of speculation about what was in the documents, with some Democrats pointing to reporting about possible nuclear secrets while some Trump allies suggesting the case is a benign argument about storage.
So far, the U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence has proceeded cautiously, issuing no public statements and declining to answer questions about the review’s structure or how long it will take.
A look at what’s known and expected:
NOT A FORMAL ‘DAMAGE ASSESSMENT’
According to the government, the documents seized at Mar-a-Lago and papers the Republican former president had turned over previously included highly sensitive “Special Access Program” designations as well as markings for intelligence derived from secret human sources and electronic signals programs. Those forms of intelligence are often produced by the CIA or the National Security Agency, and the underlying sources can take years to develop.
The ODNI review will try to determine the possible damage if the secrets in those documents were to be exposed. It has not said if it’s investigating whether documents already have been exposed.
Avril Haines, the director of national intelligence, confirmed the review in a letter to the chairpersons of two House committees. Haines’ letter says the ODNI will lead a “classification review of relevant materials, including those recovered during the search.” Experts say that could include non-classified papers with notes written on them that might reference classified information.
Haines’ letter also says her office will lead an assessment of “the potential risk to national security that would result from the disclosure of the relevant documents.”
That’s different from a formal “damage assessment” that intelligence agencies have carried out after high-profile breaches like the disclosures of programs by former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden.
Damage assessments have specific requirements under intelligence community guidelines published online, including an estimate of “actual or potential damage to U.S. national security,” the identification of “specific weaknesses or vulnerabilities” and “detailed, actionable recommendations to prevent future occurrences.”
Under those guidelines, the National Counterintelligence and Security Center, a subsidiary within the ODNI, would lead a damage assessment. The center is led by acting Director Michael Orlando as President Joe Biden has not yet nominated a chief counterintelligence executive.
It’s unknown whether the intelligence review will include interviewing witnesses. Haines’ letter says the ODNI will coordinate with the Justice Department to ensure its assessment does not “unduly interfere” with the criminal investigation.
For now, the Justice Department has said the ODNI review is paused after a federal judge barred the use of records seized at Mar-a-Lago in a criminal investigation. “Uncertainty regarding the bounds of the Court’s order and its implications for the activities of the FBI has caused the Intelligence Community, in consultation with DOJ, to pause temporarily this critically important work,” attorneys for the government said in a court filing.
THE ANSWERS COULD BE UNSATISFYING
The results may not come for weeks or months, and full findings will likely remain classified.
Lawmakers in both parties are calling for briefings from the intelligence community. None is known to have been scheduled.
Former officials note that it’s often difficult for agencies to diagnose specific damage from an actual or potential breach. Given the political climate and the unprecedented nature of evaluating a former president, the ODNI is widely expected to be limited and precise in what it says publicly and privately to Congress.
But reviews like the one underway often help top officials and lawmakers better understand vulnerabilities and how to manage risk going forward, said Timothy Bergreen, a former Democratic majority staff director for the House Intelligence Committee.
“No healthy organization or society can exist without comprehensive review of its mistakes,” Bergreen said. “That’s always been a democracy’s big advantage over authoritarians.”
AN OFFICE CREATED AFTER SEPT. 11
Lesser known than many of the agencies it oversees, the ODNI was created in the reorganization of the intelligence community after the Sept. 11 attacks. Amid revelations that the FBI and the CIA did not share critical information with each other, the ODNI was intended to oversee the 18-member intelligence community and integrate the different streams of collection and analysis produced by different agencies.
The ODNI supervises the drafting of the President’s Daily Brief, the distillation of top American intelligence provided to Biden and top advisers daily. Haines is the president’s principal intelligence adviser and often briefs Biden in the Oval Office along with other national security leaders.
Trump went through three directors of national intelligence in his last year, part of his long-running battles with the intelligence community.
Some of his top officials were accused of selectively declassifying information for political purposes. And before, during and after his time in office, Trump has accused intelligence officials of selectively leaking material to undermine him or not being sufficiently loyal.
He was incensed by the long-running investigations into allegations of Russian influence on his 2016 campaign, calling them the “greatest political CRIME in American History.” And he excoriated the person who spoke to a whistleblower about his pressuring Ukraine for derogatory information, saying that person was “close to a spy” who could have committed treason.
Under Biden, Haines and other top officials have been involved in declassifying information about Russia’s war plans against Ukraine. They have also faced questioning about overly optimistic assessments of Afghanistan prior to the fall of Kabul.
Michael Allen, a former Republican majority staff director of the House Intelligence Committee, said the ODNI is uniquely positioned to handle such a closely watched review.
“This, I think, is one of the reasons why you have a DNI, to coordinate across the wide and disparate community of intelligence agencies,” said Allen, author of “Blinking Red,” a history of the post-Sept. 11 intelligence reforms. “This is their bread and butter.”
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Election officials preparing for the rapidly approaching midterm elections have one more headache: trying to combat misinformation that sows distrust about voting and results while fueling vitriol aimed at rank-and-file election workers.
Some states and counties are devoting more money or staff to a problem that has only grown more concerning since the 2020 presidential election and the false claims that it was marred by widespread fraud. A barrage of misinformation in some places has led election officials to complain that Facebook parent Meta, Twitter and other social media platforms aren’t doing enough to help them tackle the problem.
“Our voters are angry and confused. They simply don’t know what to believe,” Lisa Marra, elections director in Cochise County, Arizona, told a U.S. House committee last month. “We’ve got to repair this damage.”
Many election offices are taking matters into their own hands, starting public outreach campaigns to provide accurate information about how elections are run and how ballots are cast and counted. That means traveling town halls in Arizona, “Mythbuster Mondays” in North Carolina and animated videos in Ohio emphasizing the accuracy of election results. Connecticut is hiring a dedicated election misinformation analyst.
Still, the task is daunting. Despite Oregon putting additional money into joining a national #TrustedInfo2022 campaign, misinformation continues to reach social media and force local election officials to respond, taking time from other duties.
Ben Morris, spokesperson for the Oregon secretary of state’s office, cited three recent Facebook posts that Meta allowed to remain on Facebook despite his office providing evidence to them that they were false.
One alleged a candidate’s name had been improperly censored from election fliers. Another falsely asserted that one party was purposefully denied access to a local elections office. Yet another claimed inaccurately that election workers in Multnomah County were being required to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination.
“Meta’s policies are too limited to address the misinformation we see at a state and local level,” Morris said. “Their policies cover big national issues, but false posts about a county clerk or a state law aren’t removed. When you realize this could be happening at Meta’s scale, it’s deeply concerning.”
The disconnect may be that Facebook policies “prioritize provably false claims that are timely, trending and consequential.” All three posts Morris referenced were presumably too localized to have “trended,” though he contends they were still damaging.
They also were posted by candidates for office, a group that includes a growing number of election deniers and whose speech social media companies strive to protect.
Meta spokesperson Corey Chambliss said the policies exempt much of what politicians say online because of “Facebook’s fundamental belief in free expression, respect for the democratic process, and the belief that, especially in mature democracies with a free press, political speech is the most scrutinized speech there is.”
But he said those protections are waived in cases of direct election interference or threats of violence or intimidation.
In Arizona’s largest county, Maricopa, candidates shielded by those protections have liberally posted misinformation during this year’s election cycle. That has prompted officials to aggressively condemn the false narratives themselves.
When a candidate for county supervisor encouraged supporters to steal ballot-marking pens given to them at polling places on Election Day during the state’s August primary, the county attorney, Rachel Mitchell, wrote warning her to stop. The candidate pushed false claims that the pens allow election workers to change people’s votes.
And when Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake made unsupported claims of potential fraud ahead of the primary, Board of Supervisors Chairman Bill Gates told local reporters her claims were “beyond irresponsible.”
“They never brought any specifics to us,” said Gates, a fellow Republican.
He said he has been more vocal on social media and more available to traditional media than ever before this year, in an effort to tamp down false election claims before they get out of hand.
Gates and County Recorder Stephen Richer regularly respond directly to false Twitter posts with the facts. Richer said his department also emails Twitter when it sees a misleading narrative or threats against election workers gathering steam online, though it has disagreed with some of the platform’s responses.
When debunked claims about the county deleting election data off a server in 2021 resurfaced at an activist-led “election security forum” three days before the state’s August primary, the presenters publicly identified two election workers they claimed were responsible and called their actions a crime. That prompted threats and harassment against the workers online, part of a disturbing trend affecting election offices across the country.
Richer said the county wrote to Twitter in hopes of muting the hate, but the platform “didn’t always agree” that the content violated its policies.
Last month, Twitter activated enforcement of 2022 election integrity policies intended to “enable healthy civic conversation on Twitter, while ensuring people have the context they need to make informed decisions about content they encounter.” The company’s efforts included unveiling state-specific pages with live election updates featuring tweets from election officials and local reporters. The platform didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Video app TikTok, whose growing popularity has made it yet another hub for misinformation this election cycle, announced last month it is launching an election center that will help people find voting locations and candidate information. The platform said it works with over a dozen fact-checking organizations to debunk misinformation and will incorporate artificial intelligence as part of its efforts to detect and remove threats against election workers and push back against voting misinformation.
Not every state or county has Maricopa’s command of social media.
Relatively few county election offices have official presences on both Facebook and Twitter, according to a recent report by a pair of scholars who specialize in voter participation and the electoral processes, Mississippi State University’s Thessalia Merivaki and Connecticut College’s Mara Suttmann-Lea.
Many more local offices are on just one platform or the other, and the vast majority aren’t on either.
Legislation introduced in Congress earlier this year would provide $20 billion over the next decade to help state and local governments support election administration, which includes fighting misinformation.
“Election after election, millions of Americans see inaccurate or misleading information about elections and the voting process on social media, and it is hurting our democracy,” Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a Minnesota Democrat who is co-sponsoring the legislation, said during a hearing last spring.
When election officials battle through staffing, funding and personal safety concerns to get more involved on social media, voters of all ages — and particularly younger voters — become more engaged, according to the recent academic report on elections. The electorate benefits, the researchers wrote, “as does democracy itself.”
That’s just what the election supervisor’s office in Collier County, Florida, is trying to do.
In one TikTok video on her personal account, office spokesperson Trish Robertson snaps her fingers to the Sicilian song “Che La Luna” amid images of district maps, portraits of election officials and large windows that allow for public viewing during vote counting.
The lighthearted video from June, playing off a TikTok trend in which users display essential items in their homes and offices, is one of many efforts Robertson is making to restore voters’ trust. Besides posting to her own TikTok feed, she manages the county supervisor’s social media channels, hosts “transparency tours” of the office and responds to piles of public record requests, which often demand information that doesn’t exist.
Amid election falsehoods stoked by former President Donald Trump and amplified by his allies, Robertson said fighting misinformation “has pretty much become a full-time job.”
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Associated Press misinformation reporter David Klepper contributed to this report.
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New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Delaware will host the final multistate primary elections of the 2022 midterm season Tuesday, with contests to select candidates for governor, U.S. Senate and the U.S. House.
Because of their late primaries, the winners of Tuesday’s races will have a mere eight weeks to win over voters ahead of the Nov. 8 general election. Delaware’s primary will feature just one contested statewide race — the Democratic primary for auditor.
As in earlier contests in other states, former President Donald Trump’s shadow looms large over some key races to be decided Tuesday, particularly in New Hampshire.
What to watch:
SUNUNU SEEKS A FOURTH TERM AS NEW HAMPSHIRE GOVERNOR
Until late last year, New Hampshire’s Republican Gov. Chris Sununu was widely expected to run for the U.S. Senate, taking on Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan. Instead, he opted to seek a fourth two-year term as governor, dealing a major blow to Republicans who had hoped he could help them retake control of the Senate.
Although he faced intense pressure to run for the Senate, Sununu insists he can have a bigger and more direct impact as governor than as a senator. And despite efforts by Trump’s former campaign manager to recruit a challenger, none of the other five Republicans on the ballot Tuesday poses a serious threat.
Democratic state Sen. Tom Sherman is running unopposed for his party’s nomination for governor.
REPUBLICANS’ SCRAMBLE FOR U.S. SENATE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE
With Sununu out of the running, a crowd of 11 candidates stepped forward to seek the GOP Senate nomination, including state Senate President Chuck Morse, former Londonderry town manager Kevin Smith and cryptocurrency entrepreneur Bruce Fenton. But retired Army Brig. Gen. Donald Bolduc, who lost the GOP primary for New Hampshire’s other Senate seat in 2020, quickly emerged as the front-runner via dogged grassroots campaigning to compensate for his lack of cash.
That has made establishment Republicans nervous, with Sununu calling Bolduc “not a serious candidate” and a conspiracy theorist. Sununu issued a last-minute endorsement for Morse.
Democratic groups, meanwhile, have put up ads promoting Bolduc, hoping he’ll be an easy opponent for Hassan in November.
Hassan, seeking a second term in the battleground state, faces two virtually unknown challengers on the Democratic side. Although Democrats hold all four of New Hampshire’s congressional seats, Republicans control the state Legislature, and Hassan’s 2016 win was a narrow one.
GOP EYES 2 CONGRESSIONAL SEATS IN NEW HAMPSHIRE
Many expected major changes in New Hampshire’s two congressional districts thanks to the once-a-decade redistricting process, but that didn’t happen. Earlier this year, the Republican-controlled Legislature redrew the state’s two districts to give the GOP an advantage in the 1st District. But Sununu vetoed the plans, and the maps were updated by the courts instead with only minor changes.
Still, Republicans are bullish about their chances in New Hampshire and are eagerly eyeing both Democratic-held seats as potential pickups in November.
New Hampshire’s 1st District flipped five times in seven elections before Democrat Chris Pappas won his first term in 2018. He faces no primary opponent this year, while more than 10 Republicans are competing for a chance to challenge him.
The field includes a number of candidates with ties to Trump: Matt Mowers, the district’s 2020 Republican nominee and a former Trump State Department adviser; Karoline Leavitt, a former assistant press secretary in the Trump White House; and former TV broadcaster Gail Huff Brown, who is married to Scott Brown, a former U.S. senator from Massachusetts and the Trump administration ambassador to New Zealand. While Trump hasn’t endorsed in the race, the candidates haven’t been shy about emphasizing their connections to him.
In the second district, Democratic Rep. Annie Kuster faces no primary challenge as she seeks a sixth term. Seven Republicans are vying for their party’s nomination to challenge her, including pro-Trump candidate Bob Burns, a former county treasurer who runs a pharmaceutical safety company; the more moderate George Hansel, mayor of Keene; and Lily Tang Williams, who grew up in China and is a former libertarian U.S. Senate candidate in Colorado.
TOUGH DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY FOR RHODE ISLAND GOVERNOR
Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee is trying to fend off four Democratic challengers as he seeks his first full term in office. McKee, the former lieutenant governor, became governor a year and a half ago when then-Gov. Gina Raimondo was tapped to be the U.S. commerce secretary in the Biden administration.
McKee is expected to be in a close contest against Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea. Both were first elected to statewide office in 2014 and maintain a base of support and name recognition among voters.
Also running in the Democratic primary: Helena Foulkes, a former CVS Health executive who has proved to be an adept fundraiser and is spending heavily on the race in her first bid for public office; former Rhode Island secretary of state and progressive candidate Matt Brown; and community activist Dr. Luis Daniel Muñoz.
McKee is hoping his stewardship during the COVID-19 pandemic — and his 94-year-old mother — will earn him the Democratic nomination.
Willa McKee is a star of her son’s first television ad, titled “motha” because that’s how she pronounces “mother.” The two are playing cards as the governor talks about helping the economy, eliminating the state’s car tax, creating affordable housing and passing gun safety laws to keep families safe.
“Not bad for a year and a half,” the governor says.
He laughs as his mother replies, “Not bad for a governor that lives with his motha.”
A RHODE ISLAND CONGRESSIONAL SEAT RIPE FOR FLIPPING?
The 2nd Congressional District seat has been held by Democrats for more than three decades in a state traditionally dominated by the party. National Republican leaders think now is their best chance to flip it.
U.S. Rep. Jim Langevin, who has represented the district since 2001, announced his retirement in January. The state’s Democratic treasurer, Seth Magaziner, had been running for governor but switched races after Langevin’s announcement to try to keep the seat in Democratic control.
Magaziner, who is considered the front-runner and has been endorsed by Langevin, faces a crowded Democratic field, including Joy Fox, a former top aide to Langevin; former Biden administration official Sarah Morgenthau; Omar Bah, executive director of The Refugee Dream Center in Providence; and former state lawmakers David Segal and Spencer Dickinson.
A popular former Rhode Island mayor, Allan Fung, is running unopposed for the Republican nomination after two rivals dropped out of the race. House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy visited Rhode Island in August to raise money for Fung.
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Follow AP for full coverage of the midterms at https://apnews.com/hub/2022-midterm-elections and on Twitter at https://twitter.com/ap_politics.
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Tips for making the perfect sweet and spicy wine-based beverage
When the seasons change and there’s a chill in the air, it’s the perfect time to indulge in mulled wine. This classic beverage isn’t difficult to make, but it’s best made slowly with consistent heat to bring out the flavors of the ingredients. While you can make mulled wine in a saucepan on your stovetop, you’ll get excellent results when you prepare it in a slow cooker.
In this article: All-Clad Programmable Slow Cooker, 2018 Concept Album Mixtape Red Blend Merlot and Monterey Bay Spice Company Mulling Spices.
What is mulled wine?
Mulled wine is a wine-based drink that’s usually made with merlot, zinfandel, cabernet sauvignon or other variety of red wine. Recipes vary around the world, but those that are popular in the United States include fruit such as oranges and cranberries and mulling spices such as cloves, cinnamon and anise. Maple syrup, honey or sugar adds sweetness and a bit of liquor (such as brandy) produces bold notes. The ingredients are cooked together to create an earthy flavor that’s both sweet and spicy.
Steps to making mulled wine in a slow cooker
One of the main reasons for making mulled wine in a slow cooker is that the small appliance cooks slowly. It gives the flavors time to meld together without the risk of overheating or burning. A slow cooker is also simple to use and easy to clean. Mulled wine recipes vary, but here’s a look at some classic ingredients and basic steps to creating this flavorful alcoholic beverage.
Gather the ingredients
Depending on the amount of mulled wine you want to make, you’ll need one or two bottles of red wine. A full batch calls for two bottles of wine and ½ cup each of brandy and maple syrup (or other sweetener). Orange peels or slices, raisins, cherries, berries and cranberries are popular fruits to include in the recipe. Finally, spice it up with cloves, anise pods and cinnamon sticks. Allspice or pre-mixed mulling spices can be used as alternatives to individual spices.
Prepare the ingredients
Using a kitchen knife, slice oranges to add to the mixture. Measure the brandy, sweetener and spices. Mix the ingredients in the slow cooker.
Cook the mulled wine
Once you’ve placed the ingredients for mulled wine in your slow cooker, choose the low heat setting and cover it with the lid. Cook it for an hour. When the mulled wine is ready to serve, use a large ladle to pour it into heat-resistant mugs. Although optional, you can garnish it with cinnamon sticks, anise stars and pieces of fruit. Enjoy!
Best products for making mulled wine in a slow cooker
All-Clad Programmable Slow Cooker
With a 6.5-quart capacity, this All-Clad slow cooker is perfect for making a large batch of mulled wine. The sleek design features a digital control panel with cook times of four to 20 hours and a convenient keep-warm function. The ceramic liner is removable and can be cleaned in the dishwasher.
2018 Concept Album Mixtape Red Blend
A red wine such as a Napa Valley merlot offers rich fruity and berry notes and deep purple color that makes the perfect mulled wine. What’s more, you don’t have to invest in an expensive bottle to make this classic wine recipe.
Sold by Wine Access
Monterey Bay Spice Company Mulling Spices
Cloves, cinnamon, allspice and dried orange peel — this blend takes the guesswork out of making mulled wine by including several key ingredients. It comes in a choice of one- or two-pound packs.
Sold by Amazon
KitchenAid Classic Measuring Spoons
You’ll be able to measure the perfect portion of spices to make mulled wine with a set of measuring spoons. KitchenAid’s Classic set includes five nesting spoons that are made of durable, BPA-free plastic.
Sold by Amazon
McCormick Organic Cinnamon Sticks
Placing cinnamon sticks in mulled wine adds a burst of spicy flavor and gives it the perfect finishing touch. This jar includes eight ounces of sticks that are certified organic and produced by a top brand in herbs and spices.
Sold by Amazon
These whole cloves are fresh and aromatic with bold flavor that will spice up your favorite recipes.
Sold by Amazon
Many people enjoy adding star anise to their mulled wine. It’s an appealing garnish that gives the beverage a burst of flavor.
Sold by Amazon
Butternut Mountain Farm 100% Pure Vermont Maple Syrup
A dark hue and nice flavor make this maple syrup ideal for making mulled wine. It’s also pure and derived from Vermont maple trees.
Sold by Amazon
Nature Nate’s 100% Pure Raw and Unfiltered Honey
Nature Nate’s honey has a delicious flavor that pairs perfectly with the other ingredients used to make mulled wine. In addition to the taste, you’ll also love that it’s pure, unfiltered and tested for optimal quality.
Sold by Amazon
This top-selling brandy will give your favorite mulled wine recipe a flavor that’s warm and bold. Its combination of fruity and nutty flavors pairs nicely with the fruits and spices you’ll use when you prepare your next batch.
Sold by Saucey
Rosle 4.1-ounce Stainless Steel Ladle with Pouring Rim
With a large bowl, pouring rim and long, sturdy handle, this ladle makes it easy to serve mulled wine and other tasty recipes. It’s constructed of 18/10 stainless steel that’s designed to last through years of use.
Sold by Amazon
Anchor Hocking 16-ounce Cafe Glass Coffee Mugs, Set of 6
Don’t forget the mugs to serve your slow cooker mulled wine. This set of six glass mugs sport an attractive minimalist design with a stylish curved shape that will complement beverages.
Sold by Amazon
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How to make delicious espresso-based drinks in your own kitchen
If you can’t start the day without a piping hot cup of coffee, you probably your favorite local coffee house pretty regularly. With all their fancy equipment, they can make impressive — and delicious — coffee-based drinks.
If you invest in a professional-quality espresso machine, you can re-create many of your favorite espresso- and coffee-based drinks in your own kitchen. Check out these tips for making some of the most popular espresso-based beverages at home.
In this article: Breville Barista Express Espresso Machine, Philips 3200 Series Fully Automatic Espresso Machine and Calphalon Espresso Machine
What to look for in an espresso machine
If you want a barista-quality espresso machine for your kitchen, it’s essential to know what features to look for.
Start by deciding whether you want a semi-automatic or a super-automatic espresso machine:
- Semi-automatic model: With a semi-automatic model, you need to grind the beans, tamp the grounds and steam the milk manually.
- Super-automatic espresso machine: A super-automatic espresso machine does all the work for you, so they’re pretty much foolproof. They cost more than semi-automatic machines, though.
The best espresso machines have a water tank large enough to hold enough water for all the drinks you’ll make in a day. Many tanks are even removable for quick, easy refills, and some also have a filter to ensure there aren’t any toxins or impurities in the water.
Another important factor is the time it takes for the machine to reach the proper brewing temperature. Pro-grade machines can often reach their peak temperature in 10 minutes or less. Lower-end models usually require extra heating time.
You’ll also want to consider whether the espresso machine has a built-in burr grinder for producing the super-fine grind you need to make espresso. If your machine isn’t equipped with its own grinder, you’ll need to purchase one separately.
Most espresso machines have a built-in milk frother or steam wand, which is a necessity for making many espresso-based drinks. The frother or wand heats the milk and gives it a foamy texture you can then mix into the espresso or use to top your drinks. You can purchase a milk frother or wand separately if your machine doesn’t have a built-in frother.
How to make popular cafe drinks at home
With a high-end espresso machine in your kitchen, you can make nearly any espresso- or coffee-based drink you usually order at your favorite coffee shop.
Americano: An Americano is essentially a watered-down espresso. Add a single or double shot of espresso to 6 ounces of hot water. You can adjust the amount of water depending on how strong you want your drink to be.
Macchiato: A macchiato is a shot of espresso with a dollop of frothed milk on top. Start with a shot of espresso in an espresso cup, and fill it the rest of the way with steamed milk. You can add as much or as little milk as you like, but it’s traditionally meant to be equal parts espresso and milk. Finish off the drink by adding a spoonful of frothed milk on top.
Cappuccino: A cappuccino is a balanced drink with equal parts espresso, milk and foam. Pull a shot of espresso into a cup, which is usually 1 ounce. Then add 1 ounce of steamed milk and 1 ounce of frothed milk. You can increase the amount of espresso to two shots, but you also have to increase the amount of milk and foam.
Latte: A latte is similar to a cappuccino, so it begins with a single or double shot of espresso. Then pour 4 to 8 ounces of steamed milk down the side of the cup, so it mixes with the espresso for an almost swirled appearance. You can then add a thin layer of microfoam on top. For a flavored latte, add the syrup of your choice to the milk before steaming.
Cafe mocha: A cafe mocha combines espresso with chocolate and steamed milk. Start with a single or double shot of espresso, and add 1 to 2 tablespoons of chocolate syrup or powder. Next, add frothed milk until the cup is full. You can then top your drink with whipped cream and a dusting of cocoa powder.
Barista-quality espresso machines for the home
Breville Barista Express Espresso Machine
This pro-grade espresso machine has a built-in burr grinder that grinds directly into the portafilter. It offers optimal water pressure to extract the best flavor from the ground beans. It also features a powerful steam wand that’s ideal for making cappuccinos, lattes and other cafe drinks.
Sold by Amazon
Philips 3200 Series Fully Automatic Espresso Machine
If you’re new to brewing espresso, this user-friendly machine is for you. It has a clear, digital touch display that allows you to make espresso, coffee and other espresso-based drinks by pressing a single button. It also has a built-in ceramic grinder and milk frother and is extremely easy to clean.
Sold by Amazon and Sur La Table
With its precise heating technology, this espresso machine offers even heating that extracts the perfect flavor for your espresso. It also has a steaming wand for cappuccinos, lattes and other coffee house-inspired drinks. The hinged, removable water tank is easy to refill, too.
Sold by Amazon
GE Profile Semi Automatic Espresso Machine
This Wi-Fi-connected espresso machine features an Italian-made, 15-bar pump that provides the right pressure to draw out the best flavor for your espresso. It also has a built-in conical burr grinder with 15 grind levels. The Wi-Fi connection allows you to customize your drink preferences via the smartHQ app.
Sold by Home Depot
Breville Barista Touch Espresso Machine
This high-end espresso machine is preprogrammed with a cafe drinks menu that lets you make a wide range of beverages with the press of a button. It also heats up in seconds and offers automatic milk texturizing for your drinks. Best of all, it doesn’t take up much space on your counter.
Sold by Amazon
Gaggia Classic Pro Espresso Machine
This semi-automatic espresso machine is ideal for beginners but still features commercial-quality components. It uses dual heating elements to heat up in only five minutes and a durable chrome-plated brass portafilter similar in size and design to those in coffee house machines. It has a commercial-grade steam wand, too.
Sold by Amazon
Cuisinart EM-200 Programmable Espresso Maker
With a 15-bar pump, this espresso machine brews a rich-tasting espresso that can make cafe-quality beverages. It has a 69-ounce removable water tank that’s easy to refill, and the stainless steel steam wand lets you make delicious lattes and cappuccinos. It also has a warming tray on top.
Sold by Macy’s, Amazon and Wayfair
Capresso 116.04 Pump Espresso and Cappuccino Machine
This espresso machine is perfect for anyone who wants to make espresso, cappuccinos and lattes. It comes with two filters, one that can be used with ground coffee and one for espresso pods. It also has a swivel frother that steams and froths milk and a removable water reservoir for easy refills.
Sold by Amazon
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Jennifer Blair writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
Copyright 2022 BestReviews, a Nexstar company. All rights reserved.
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U.S. military forces compete to earn the German Shutzenschner at Camp Bondsteel, Kosovo August 27, 2022. The Shutzenschner, or German Armed Forces Badge for Weapons Proficiency, is a decoration of the Bundeswehr, the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany worn by enlisted Soldiers. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. Alexander Hellmann)
This work, Schutzenschnur: Shooting for Gold [Image 26 of 26], by SGT Alex Hellmann, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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Georgia reclaimed the top spot in The Associated Press college football poll on Sunday, and Kentucky, Oklahoma State and Arkansas moved into the top 10 after an upset-filled weekend across the country.
The defending national champion Bulldogs, who started the season at No. 3 in the AP Top 25 presented by Regions Banks, took two weeks to get back to where they spent most of last year.
Georgia jumped Alabama after it cruised to a 33-0 victory against Samford.
But it wasn’t so much about what the Bulldogs did this week as much as what they did last week, combined with the Crimson Tide needing a late field goal to escape at Texas on Saturday.
Georgia, which opened the season by beating Oregon 49-3, received 53 of 63 first-place votes from the media panel. No. 2 Alabama received nine first-place votes and No. 3 Ohio State got one first-place vote.
No. 4 Michigan and No. 5 Clemson held their places, but the rest of the top 10 was shuffled.
Oklahoma moved up a spot to No. 6. Southern California jumped three places to No. 7, its best ranking since September 2017.
The rest of the top 10 are new arrivals: No. 8 Oklahoma State moved up three spots. No. 9 Kentucky jumped 11 places for its best ranking since it reached No. 8 in October 2007. And No. 10 Arkansas was up six.
After being upset at home by Sun Belt schools, Texas A&M dropped from No. 6 to No. 24 and Notre Dame tumbled out all the way from No. 8.
The Aggies were beaten by Appalachian State and the Fighting Irish fell to 0-2 after losing to Marshall.
It was the fifth time in the last 10 seasons and first time since 2020 that two top-10 teams lost at home to unranked teams in the same week.
Notre Dame is unranked for the first time since Sept. 17, 2017, snapping a streak of 80 straight poll appearances, which was fourth in the country behind Alabama, Ohio State and Georgia among active runs.
POLL POINTS
No. 1 winning and dropping, as Alabama did, is a common occurrence. Since the AP college football poll started in 1936, it has happened 91 times.
The last time it happened was 2019, when twice during the season the top spot flipped twice while teams remained unbeaten.
IN
— No. 21 Texas was rewarded for its effort against Alabama by moving into the ranking for the first time since Oct. 10.
The Longhorns are believed to be the first team to lose and still enter the AP Top 25 since Missouri did it in 1997. That came after the famous Flea Kicker game against Nebraska.
— No. 22 Penn State appeared in the ranking for the first time since dropping out in the middle of last November during a late-season slide.
— No. 25 Oregon is back after putting up 70 points on Eastern Washington.
OUT
— Wisconsin’s 17-14 home loss to Washington State knocked the Badgers out of the ranking for the first time this season.
— Houston dropped out after losing in overtime at Texas Tech, the Cougars’ second straight OT game to open the season.
CONFERENCE CALL
SEC — 8 (Nos. 1, 2, 9, 10, 15, 18, 20, 24).
ACC — 5 (Nos. 5, 13, 16, 19, 23).
Big Ten — 4 (Nos. 3, 4, 11, 22).
Big 12 — 4 (Nos. 6, 8, 17, 21).
Pac-12 — 3 (Nos. 7, 14, 25).
Independents — 1 (No. 12).
RANKED vs. RANKED
No. 12 BYU at No. 25 Oregon. Second straight ranked Power Five opponent for the Cougars.
No. 13 Miami at No. 24 Texas A&M. Aggies’ loss cost College Station a chance to host ESPN’s “College GameDay,” but it’s still a matchup of ranked teams.
___
Follow Ralph D. Russo at https://twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP and listen at http://www.appodcasts.com
___
More AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25. Sign up for the AP’s college football newsletter: https://apnews.com/cfbtop25
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| 2022-09-21T09:56:18Z
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CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Bears were hung out to dry by their own towel during their season opener against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.
Trenton Gill was whistled for unsportsmanlike conduct after the rookie holder used a towel to dry off a small area of the field ahead of a potential field goal try late in the second quarter. The 15-yard penalty moved Chicago out of Cairo Santos’ range, leading to Gill’s punt.
“No one told me, but I know now. I know never to do it now,” Gill said after the Bears’ 19-10 victory.
It rained for much of Sunday morning in Chicago, soaking Soldier Field. There were splashes of water almost every time a player went to the turf.
Facing fourth-and-6 at the San Francisco 29 in the final minute of the first half, first-year Bears coach Matt Eberflus sent Santos and Gill out for the field goal.
Gill used a towel to pat down the area where the kick would be attempted, and Santos also stepped on the towel and used it to dry a different spot. Gill then cast the towel aside.
That’s when the flag hit the field.
“I honestly didn’t think I was doing anything wrong,” Santos said. “I think now I know not to use that. It wasn’t to dry because it was raining. I didn’t expect it was going to dry the field. It was just to flatten the spot and I didn’t want to do it with my foot in the water because I was just about to kick the ball. So I just did it with my hand and got called that. So I just want to take responsibility. Trent didn’t know.”
Making a wiping motion with his left arm, referee Clay Martin announced the penalty on Gill.
“You cannot bring what we consider a foreign object — this was not a towel that would go on a uniform — out to alter the playing surface,” Martin told a pool reporter after the game. “We felt that provided an unfair advantage, using the towel to wipe down the area where the ball was going to be placed.”
Martin said it would have been fine if Gill had just used the towel to wipe his hands.
“To put it on the ground and alter the playing surface where we were going to spot the ball, that’s why we called a penalty,” he said.
___
More AP NFL coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL
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| 2022-09-21T09:56:25Z
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ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Tom Brady as the first 45-year-old starting quarterback in NFL history looked quite a bit like the younger versions.
Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys were left with an old, familiar feeling that isn’t quite so fuzzy.
Brady and Mike Evans connected on a punctuating touchdown, Leonard Fournette ran for 127 yards, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers dominated the Cowboys 19-3 in a season opener Sunday night.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said after the game Prescott needs surgery for a fracture near the thumb on his throwing hand and will miss multiple weeks, a season-altering blow for the defending NFC East champs.
A rough night for Prescott got worse after his right hand struck a defender when throwing a pass in the fourth quarter. He was checked on the sideline before jogging to the locker room.
The latest injury came almost two years after the compound fracture of Prescott’s right ankle on the same field, a gruesome injury that ended his 2020 season in Week 5.
“It’s very disappointing, but injuries happen,” Prescott said. “Can’t necessarily control it. Obviously going to miss some time, not be there for my team. And that’s what hurts more than anything.”
Brady was in control throughout despite an extended break during training camp to attend to personal issues. The seven-time Super Bowl champ got a big assist from the defense in Todd Bowles’ debut as Tampa Bay’s coach following three seasons as defensive coordinator.
“I always play the game for my team, my teammates and the organization,” Brady said. “Just being around them is something I always enjoy. It keeps me very grounded, very humble. I feel like just one of the guys. Not many places where I can go where I feel like just one of the guys, but the locker room’s definitely one of those places.”
The Cowboys and Bucs had the top two offenses in the NFL last season, which started with Tampa Bay’s 31-29 win at home over Dallas when Brady and Prescott combined for seven TDs passing. Only one offense showed up this time.
Dallas drove 54 yards to a field goal on the first possession, but didn’t score again while finishing with its second-fewest points in an opener. The Cowboys lost to New Orleans 28-0 in 1989 — Jerry Jones’ first game as owner.
Julio Jones had a 48-yard catch in the two-time All-Pro’s Tampa Bay debut to set up one of four first-half field goals from Ryan Succop, who had five attempts before the break without a punt from the Bucs.
Brady, who improved to 7-0 against the Cowboys, was 18 of 27 for 212 yards with an interception that didn’t amount to much because Prescott and receiver Noah Brown couldn’t connect on an easy third-down throw near midfield early in the fourth quarter.
The Cowboys did nothing to quiet questions about the receiving group behind CeeDee Lamb, the third-year player who is the new No. 1 target after the offseason trade of Amari Cooper.
Lamb had two catches for 29 yards while drawing most of the attention. Noah Brown had five catches for 68 yards, while Prescott finished 14 of 29 for 134 yards with an interception that set up one of the first-half field goals.
The gap in receiving depth was clear, with Evans and Chris Godwin both having catches of at least 20 yards in the first quarter before Godwin had to leave with a hamstring injury.
The Cowboys stayed close in the first half only because of two sacks from reigning NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Micah Parsons. Both forced field goals, and Succop missed one of the tries.
Devin White matched Parsons with two sacks of Prescott as the Cowboys lost to the Bucs at home for just the second time while coach Mike McCarthy dropped to 0-3 in openers with Dallas.
Bowles is 1-0 with the Bucs after taking over when Bruce Arians retired and moved to the front office.
“I think it was just about being dominant,” White said. “We wanted to set a tone for him as a head coach, for us as a defense as a whole. I think it was a great thing. We still have some things. We left a lot of plays out there.”
Fournette had 40 of the 79 yards on the drive that ended with Brady’s 5-yard scoring pass to Evans for a 19-3 lead.
ROOKIE LINEMEN
Dallas first-round pick Tyler Smith was the first rookie in franchise history to start an opener at left tackle. The Bucs also had a rookie starter in left guard Luke Goedeke, a second-rounder. Both teams entered the opener with questions up front because of injuries and personnel changes.
The injuries mounted, too. Dallas left guard Connor McGovern didn’t return after injuring his right ankle on the first series. Tampa Bay left tackle Donovan Smith exited in the second quarter with an elbow issue and also was ruled out.
INJURIES
Bucs: Godwin’s hamstring injury came after he entered the game with an uncertain status because of his recovery from a knee injury. … Cowboys S Jayron Kearse, who was questionable coming with a neck issue, left in the second half with a knee injury. … Dallas DE Tarell Basham was sidelined by a thigh injury. Cowboys S Jayron Kearse, who was questionable coming with a neck issue, left in the second half with a knee injury.
UP NEXT
Buccaneers: At NFC South rival New Orleans next Sunday. One of these teams has either won or shared the past five division titles.
Cowboys: Defending AFC champion Cincinnati visits next Sunday. Dallas opens with three of four games at home.
___
More AP NFL coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL
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| 2022-09-21T09:56:32Z
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NEW YORK (AP) — Walking out for his first Grand Slam final at age 19, Carlos Alcaraz bumped fists with fans leaning over a railing along the path leading to the Arthur Ashe Stadium court. Moments later, after the coin toss, Alcaraz turned to sprint to the baseline for the warmup, until being beckoned back to the net by the chair umpire for the customary pre-match photos.
Alcaraz is imbued with boundless enthusiasm and energy, not to mention skill, speed, stamina and sangfroid. And now he’s a U.S. Open champion and the No. 1 player in men’s tennis.
Using his uncommon combination of moxie and maturity, Alcaraz beat Casper Ruud 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (1), 6-3 on Sunday to both earn the trophy at Flushing Meadows and become the youngest man to lead the ATP rankings.
“Everything came so fast. For me it’s unbelievable. It’s something I dreamed since I was a kid, since I started playing tennis,” said Alcaraz, whom folks of a certain age might still consider a kid.
“Of course,” he said, “I’m hungry for more.”
Alcaraz, who will move up three ranking spots from No. 4 on Monday, already has attracted plenty of attention as someone considered the Next Big Thing in a sport dominated for decades by the Big Three of Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer.
“He’s one of these few rare talents that comes up every now and then in sports. That’s what it seems like,” said Ruud, a 23-year-old from Norway. “Let’s see how his career develops, but it’s going all in the right direction.”
The Spaniard was serenaded by choruses of “Olé, Olé, Olé! Carlos!” that reverberated off the arena’s closed roof — and Alcaraz often motioned for the spectators to get louder. There were a couple of magical points that drew standing ovations, including one Alcaraz lost with a laser of an on-the-run forehand while ending up face-down on his belly.
He only briefly showed signs of fatigue from having to get through three consecutive five-setters in the three rounds right before the final; no one had gone through that arduous a route on the way to the title in New York in 30 years.
Alcaraz went five sets against 2014 U.S. Open champion Marin Cilic in the fourth round, ending at 2:23 a.m. Tuesday; against Jannik Sinner in the quarterfinals, a 5-hour, 15-minute thriller that ended at 2:50 a.m. Friday after Alcaraz needed to save a match point; and against Frances Tiafoe in the semifinals.
“It’s not time to be tired,” Alcaraz said.
This was not a stroll to the finish. He faced a pair of set points while down 6-5 in the third. Could have been an outcome-altering moment.
But Alcaraz erased each of those point-from-the-set opportunities for Ruud with the sorts of quick-reflex, soft-hand volleys he repeatedly displayed.
“He just played too good on those points. We’ve seen it many times before: He steps up when he needs to,” Ruud said. “When it’s close, he pulls out great shots.”
One break in the fourth was all it took for Alcaraz to seal the victory in the only Grand Slam final between two players seeking both a first major championship and the top spot in the ATP’s computerized rankings, which date to 1973.
The winner was guaranteed to be first in Monday’s rankings; the loser was guaranteed to be second.
“We knew what was at stake,” said Ruud, who entered the U.S. Open ranked No. 7. “I’m disappointed, of course, that I’m not No. 1, but No. 2 is not too bad, either.”
He also was the runner-up to Nadal at the French Open in June.
If nothing else, Ruud gets the sportsmanship award for conceding a point he knew he didn’t deserve. It came at 4-3 in the first set, when he raced to a short ball that bounced twice before his racket touched it. Play continued, and Alcaraz hesitated, then flubbed his response. Ruud told the chair umpire what had happened, giving the point to Alcaraz, who responded with a thumbs-up.
Alcaraz certainly seems to be a rare talent, possessing an all-court game, a blend of groundstroke power with a willingness to push forward. He won 34 of the 45 points that he finished at the net.
He is increasingly a threat while serving — he delivered 14 aces at up to 128 mph — and returning, earning 11 break points, converting three.
And, as Ruud noted, Alcaraz showed “incredible fighting spirit and will to win.”
Make no mistake: Ruud is no slouch. There’s a reason he is the youngest man since Nadal to get to two major finals in one season.
But this was Alcaraz’s time to shine under the lights.
Some perspective: He is the first teenager to win the U.S. Open since Pete Sampras in 1990, the first to triumph at any Slam since Nadal at the 2005 French Open.
Decent company.
Another way to understand how precocious Alacaraz is: The last man to win this tournament by his second appearance was Pancho Gonzalez in 1948, before pros were allowed into the field.
For context on the rankings, it is helpful to know that Novak Djokovic did not play at the U.S. Open or Australian Open this year, unable to enter those countries because is not vaccinated against COVID-19, and did not receive any ranking boost for his Wimbledon championship because no points were on offer for anyone after the All England Club banned athletes from Russia and Belarus over the invasion of Ukraine.
Regardless of the circumstances, it is significant that Alcaraz is the first male teenager at No. 1.
No one else did it. Not Nadal, not Djokovic, not Federer, not Sampras or anyone else.
When one last service winner glanced off Ruud’s frame Sunday, Alcaraz dropped to his back on the court, then rolled over onto his stomach, covering his face with his hands.
He went into the stands for hugs with his coach Juan Carlos Ferrero, a former No. 1 himself who won the French Open in 2003 and reached the final of that year’s U.S. Open, and others, crying all the while.
“He was born to play this kind of tournament, born to play these kind of matches,” said Ferrero, who has worked with Alcaraz for three years. “Since the moment that I started with him, I saw some things that were different than the other guys at his age.”
You only get to No. 1 for the first time once.
You only win a first Grand Slam title once.
Many folks expect Alcaraz to be celebrating these sorts of feats for years to come.
“I want to be (at) the top for many, many weeks — I hope many years,” he said. “I’m going to work hard again after this week, these amazing two weeks. I’m going to fight (to) have more of this.”
___
More AP coverage of U.S. Open tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/us-open-tennis-championships and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
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10-ton weights lay on the ground as contractors end a load test, where a foundation pile successfully resisted a pressure of 225 tons, on Chièvres Air Base, Belgium, Aug. 28, 2022. (U.S. Army photo by Pascal Demeuldre)
This work, Chièvres Water Infrastructure Works: Successful Load Test for Foundation Piles [Image 10 of 10], by Pascal Demeuldre, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Chicago White Sox manager Tony La Russa says he is recovering well from having a pacemaker inserted for his heart, and is uncertain when he will be medically cleared to run the club again.
La Russa was back with the White Sox in Oakland on Sunday to celebrate Dave Stewart having his No. 34 jersey retired by the Athletics. La Russa was there for the ceremony, but not to manage his team.
The Hall of Famer, who turns 78 on Oct. 4, shared specifics of the procedure with The Associated Press after discussing his absence before Chicago’s series finale against the A’s. He is grateful to have had what he considered a relatively “simple” heart issue.
“Health is nothing to mess with,” La Russa said, standing in the dugout wearing jeans, sneakers and a short-sleeve collared golf shirt. “So I got checked in Chicago and the reason that I flew to Arizona is that’s been the place since the ’90s I’ve had my physicals. They addressed it, they fixed it and now it’s just a question of regaining strength.”
La Russa didn’t want to miss the special day for Stewart, his longtime ace with the A’s.
“It was an amazing bunch of years,” La Russa said of his stretch with Oakland from 1986-1995 that included the 1989 earthquake World Series sweep of the San Francisco Giants.
La Russa is uncertain when he will be in uniform again and back in the dugout. Bench coach Miguel Cairo has been leading the club during La Russa’s nearly two-week absence.
He was set to manage the reigning AL Central champions on Aug. 30 before being pulled away by the medical staff.
“I’m glad to see him. He looks really good,” Cairo said. “I’ve been talking to him so I know how he feels and he’s feeling good and he’s smiling. I’m glad to see him. I know the whole team is glad to see him.”
The plan is for La Russa to fly home with the team Sunday, take Monday’s team off day then see what’s next — “I don’t plan on being in uniform until the say it’s time to put a uniform on.”
La Russa and Cairo have been speaking twice a day and La Russa watches every game from home until he is cleared to do more. He said he had an issue at spring training, too.
“I’ve had my issue fixed, I’m mending,” La Russa said. ”When it gets better at some point, I’ll be strong enough to do a triathlon.”
So, might he actually consider training for a triathlon?
“No chance,” La Russa said, grinning.
___
More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb and https://twitter.com/AP—
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| 2022-09-21T09:57:02Z
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ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott will need surgery for a fractured bone in his throwing hand sustained in the season opener and will miss multiple weeks.
The quarterback got hurt in the fourth quarter of the Cowboys’ 19-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday night. Prescott’s right hand made contact with rushing linebacker Shaquil Barrett when throwing a pass.
Prescott said he initially thought he had just jammed a finger, like he has many times before, but realized on the next play that he couldn’t grip the football.
After initially being checked on the sideline, he jogged to the locker room and had X-rays. Backup Cooper Rush finished the game.
“I’ve hit my hand on helmets or bodies a lot in my career and never had anything, maybe a jammed finger and actually thought that is what it was,” Prescott said. “Told the trainers the same thing, I can’t grip (the ball), I feel like if you yank it, I’ll be OK. Came in and got X-rays, and things are different.”
Prescott said he will see a doctor Monday and have surgery after that. He said he was told after the X-rays that the injury “was much cleaner than it could have been.”
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said the injury is above his thumb, and behind the joint, and he pointed to an area between his own thumb and wrist.
Prescott’s 2020 season ended in the fifth week because of a gruesome ankle injury. He returned last season to throw for 4,449 yards and 37 touchdowns as the Cowboys won the NFC East before losing their first-round playoff game to San Francisco at home.
The 29-year-old Prescott said he got into the best shape of his life going into this season, his seventh in the NFL.
When there appeared to be a setback in practice last week, Prescott blamed a change in cleats for soreness in his surgically repaired ankle.
Prescott and the Cowboys are dealing with a bigger issue now, after losing the season opener without scoring a touchdown.
“To be very candid with you, all of that takes a backseat to the fact that as we go forward here for the next few weeks, we’ll be going forward without Dak,” Jones said. “That’s foremost on my mind.”
Jones reiterated that while Prescott will be out “several games,” he would not be out for the season.
Asked to characterize his emotions, Prescott said while disappointing and unfortunate, injuries are not necessarily anything he can control.
“Obviously going to miss some time and not be there for my team, and that’s what hurts more than more than anything especially after the start that we just put out there,” Prescott said. “Wanted to be able to respond and not necessarily having that opportunity for several weeks, yeah, it’s unfortunate. But I’ll do what I’ve always done any time adversity comes, take it on headfirst and I’ll give my best and I’m sure I’ll come out of this thing better.”
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More AP NFL coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL
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| 2022-09-21T09:57:10Z
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SAN DIEGO (AP) — Reaching the playoffs is becoming routine yet still special for Justin Turner and the the Los Angeles Dodgers.
After emphatically becoming the first team to clinch a postseason spot this year with an 11-2 victory Sunday over the San Diego Padres, the Dodgers didn’t celebrate on the field beyond their usual post-victory handshake line.
Afterward in the clubhouse, manager Dave Roberts led a toast with sparkling wine and the players and staff were given caps with the postseason logo.
The message was simple — there’s a lot more to come for the Dodgers, who sealed a playoff berth for the 10th straight season. They have the best record in the majors at 96-43.
“I don’t think it’s anything you can take for granted,” said Turner, who hit a grand slam and a solo homer and will be in the postseason for the ninth straight year. “I’ve been on some teams early in my career that didn’t have this opportunity, so I definitely feel fortunate to be a part of an organization that cares about winning and puts winning first.”
With thousands of their blue-clad fans cheering them on at Petco Park, the Dodgers reduced to two their magic number for winning the NL West for the ninth time in 10 seasons.
“It’s a big accomplishment,” Roberts said. “For me it’s just making sure guys appreciate that it’s not a rite of passage to get into the postseason every year and there’s still a lot of work to be done. I feel our best baseball is yet to be played and just continue to stay focused.”
Max Muncy hit a go-ahead, two-run, bases-loaded single in the sixth inning and Chris Taylor and Trea Turner also homered for the Dodgers, who won their eighth straight series against the Padres dating to June 2021. The Dodgers have beaten the Padres 12 times in 15 games this year and for the 21st time in their last 25 games.
Roberts, who led the Dodgers to the World Series title after the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, said the Dodgers are conditioned to stay focused.
“It’s kind of who we are. It’s a very smart group, it’s a very focused group,” said Roberts, in his seventh season as manager. “We have a long way to go to accomplish our goal. We kind of understand that if you look at yourself as a ballclub and set a certain standard of play, then it allows you to kind of reach that and realize those goals. It’s pretty easy for us and we don’t care about the standings. We just want to play good baseball.”
Freddie Freeman helped the Atlanta Braves win the 2021 World Series before signing with the Dodgers as a free agent. He said that although the Dodgers are already looking forward to winning the division, “you do have to step back and realize that what we’ve done the last four months has been pretty special.”
“To do it this quick is pretty amazing,” Freeman said. “Just all around, just been playing really good baseball for a long time now as a group and hopefully we can get this division wrapped up here shortly, too.”
It was such a blowout that the Padres had first baseman Wil Myers pitch the ninth, and Trea Turner drove his first pitch into the third balcony of the brick warehouse in the left field corner for his 20th homer. It was Myers’ fourth pitching appearance this season and second against the Dodgers.
The Padres’ lead over Milwaukee for the NL’s third wild-card spot was reduced to two.
Padres All-Star right-hander Joe Musgrove (9-7) had a 2-0 lead after three innings before Justin Turner homered to left with one out in the fifth and Taylor homered to center with two outs.
Musgrove loaded the bases with one out in the sixth before Muncy chased him with a single to right that gave the Dodgers a 4-2 lead.
The Dodgers blew it open with a six-run seventh against the Padres’ bullpen. Trea Turner hit an RBI single off Robert Suarez and Tim Hill walked Muncy with the bases loaded. Craig Stammen came on and Justin Turner drove his first pitch deep into the seats in left for his second career slam.
It was Justin Turner’s 14th career multi-homer game. He has 13 homers this season.
Musgrove, who made his first All-Star team this season, allowed four runs and six hits in 5 1/3 innings, struck out five and walked one. He lost for the seventh time in eight decisions over 14 starts.
Andrew Heaney (3-2) allowed two runs, one earned, and three hits in five innings. He struck out six and walked two.
San Diego’s Jake Cronenworth homered with two outs in the second, his 16th.
PERSPECTIVE
Heaney is on a postseason team for the first time. Last year he was designated for assignment by the New York Yankees shortly before they played in the AL wild-card game. “That was a low point for me,” said Heaney, who signed as a free agent with the Dodgers. “So now to be on a team like this and hopefully be contributing to it and trying to hold my weight and doing whatever I can to help us win is something I relish for sure,” he said.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Dodgers: Muncy was back in the lineup as DH after sitting out the last two games after getting a cortisone shot in his left knee.
Padres: RHP Stammen (right shoulder inflammation) from the injured list and optioned RHP Nabil Crismatt to Triple-A El Paso. Designated RHP Tayler Scott for assignment.
UP NEXT
Dodgers: LHP Tyler Anderson (14-3, 2.73) is scheduled to start Monday night in the opener of a three-game series at Arizona, which will counter with RHP Ryne Nelson (1-0, 0.00).
Padres: Haven’t named a starter for Tuesday night’s opener of a two-game series at Seattle.
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More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
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DIEGO GARCIA, British Indian Ocean Territory (Sept. 19, 2022) – Seabees assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 4 work with civilian contractors to pour concrete at U.S. Navy Support Facility Diego Garcia. NMCB-4 is forward deployed throughout the Indo-Pacific region and United States territories to support and maintain a free and open Indo-Pacific. As the stand-in, crisis response, naval engineering force, NMCB-4 maintains a ready posture to deliver in-theater expeditionary logistics via expeditionary shore infrastructure, forward damage repair, and mobile construction. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jan David De Luna Mercado)
This work, NMCB-4 Seabees Work on Concrete at NSF Diego Garcia [Image 7 of 7], by PO2 Jan David Mercado, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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Anthony Varvaro, a former Major League Baseball pitcher who retired in 2016 to become a police officer in the New York City area, was killed in a car crash Sunday morning on his way to work at the Sept. 11 memorial ceremony in Manhattan, according to police officials and his former teams.
Varvaro, 37, was an officer for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. He played baseball at St. John’s University in New York City before a career in the majors as a relief pitcher with the Seattle Mariners, Atlanta Braves and Boston Red Sox from 2010 to 2015.
“We are deeply saddened on the passing of former Braves pitcher Anthony Varvaro,” the Braves said in a statement. “Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and colleagues.”
The crash happened Sunday morning in New Jersey. Messages seeking details about the crash were left with New Jersey state police.
St. John’s head baseball coach Mike Hampton said he was “at a loss for words” over Varvaro’s death.
“Not only was he everything you could want out of a ball player, he was everything you could want in a person,” said Hampton, who was an assistant coach at St. John’s during all three of Varvaro’s seasons there. “My heart goes out to his family, friends, teammates and fellow officers.”
Port Authority officials said in a statement that Varvaro “represented the very best of this agency, and will be remembered for his courage and commitment to service.”
“On this solemn occasion as the Port Authority mourns the loss of 84 employees in the attacks on the World Trade Center — including 37 members of the Port Authority Police Department — our grief only deepens today with the passing of Officer Varvaro,” said the statement by Port Authority Chairman Kevin O’Toole and Executive Director Rick Cotton.
Raised in Staten Island in New York City, Varvaro was drafted by Seattle in the 12th round in 2005. He played for the Mariners in 2010 and Atlanta from 2011 to 2014.
Varvaro was traded to the Red Sox in late 2014 and pitched 11 innings for Boston early in the 2015 season. In May 2015, the Chicago Cubs claimed him off waivers from Boston, but returned him to the Red Sox after testing showed he had a elbow injury in his right pitching arm, which resulted in season-ending surgery.
For his major league career, he pitched 183 innings in 166 games, compiling a 3.23 earned run average, 150 strikeouts and one save.
In 2016, he appeared in 18 games for Boston’s top minor league affiliate before retiring in June and beginning his police training.
Varvaro, who studied criminal justice at St. John’s and graduated in 2005, told the student newspaper, The Torch, in December 2016 that he inquired about police jobs at the Port Authority while pitching in the majors.
“I figured that I had a pretty successful career in baseball, I had played a number of seasons, and I was fine moving on to the next step of my life,” he told the newspaper.
Port Authority officials said Varvaro became a police officer in December 2016 and was assigned to patrol for nearly five years before transferring to the Port Authority Police Academy to become an instructor.
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ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Former President George W. Bush took part in a first ball ceremony in Texas, Aaron Judge put on special cleats at Yankee Stadium and the New York Mets wore first responder caps as Major League Baseball paused Sunday to remember the Sept. 11 attacks.
There were moments of silence, remembrances and tributes at ballparks all across America on the 21st anniversary of 9/11.
“It’s a moment in our country’s history. We all have certain things we remember, where we were when it happened and how we felt. So many people involved, so it’s a chance to honor those people today. Realizing the people and families that were affected by this that are still feeling the pain from it,” Mets manager Buck Showalter said before a game in Miami.
Bush, who was president on the day of the attacks, was at Globe Life Field as the Rangers played Toronto. He joined Jimmy Pollozani, a police officer in nearby Fort Worth, and Pollozani’s 13-year-old daughter, Andita, in the ceremony.
They represented police officers, firefighters and first responders across the state. Andita threw the pitch to Rocky Wolfe, a firefighter from the central Texas city of Killeen.
Bush famously delivered a perfect strike before Game 3 of the 2001 World Series at Yankee Stadium between the Yankees and Arizona Diamondbacks weeks after New York City’s twin towers fell.
There was a moment of silence before the Blue Jays and Rangers played. During the Canadian and U.S. national anthems, Bush stood between Texas interim manager Tony Beasley and first base coach Corey Ragsdale in front of the home dugout.
Bush delivered the ball to Andita and gave her a hug and a word of advice before she threw from just in front of the mound. Afterward, Bush gave a fist bump to her father before they left the field.
Bush received rousing applause when he was announced. As he headed toward the Rangers’ dugout afterward, some fans chanted, “USA! USA!”
All Rangers and Blue Jays personnel in uniform wore a special Patriot Day patch on their caps. Special lineup cards and base jewels were used.
Bush was part of the investment group that owned the Rangers from April 1989 until June 1998 and remains involved with the club. He and wife Laura have lived in Dallas since he left the White House in January 2009.
At Yankee Stadium as New York played Tampa Bay, Judge wore cleats marking the day. His left cleat had “9/11 Patriot Day” on the back and the right one had “9-11-01.”
The Yankees wore hats in tribute of 9/11 responders rather than their interlocking NY.
Starter Domingo Germán’s cap said NYPD and there was a mix of FDNY. He sprinted to the bullpen to warm up holding an American flag in his right hand, drawing cheers from a crowd that had been sitting through a rain delay.
Germán said he was inspired by watching Sammy Sosa running with a flag in the Chicago Cubs’ first home game following the attacks.
“It was a way to show support to the country, to the people, the victims, and today I felt like it was a good way to kind of replicate that and show that horrific event, you remember what happened, and that it’s close to your heart,” Germán said through a translator.
“That moment marked me as a kid, so I always felt that given the opportunity, given the right time, I wanted to do it, and it happened here with the Yankees. I guess it’s something that my kids can see and hopefully use it as inspiration,” he said.
Manager Aaron Boone placed a wreath at the monument in Monument Park that was dedicated on the first anniversary of the attacks.
Yankee Stadium public address announcer Paul Olden began a brief pregame ceremony by calling the attacks “an unsuccessful attempt to break the spirit of our great nation.”
Firefighter Regina Wilson sang “The Star-Spangled Banner” after the Port Authority Honor Guard presented the colors.
The Mets wore caps with insignias representing New York first responder departments. Featured were the city’s police and fire departments as well as Port Authority Police and departments of sanitation and correction.
Anthony Varvaro, a former big league pitcher who retired in 2016 to become Port Authority police officer, was killed in a car accident Sunday morning in New Jersey on his way to work at the Sept. 11 memorial ceremony in Manhattan.
Varvaro, 37, was born in Staten Island and played at St. John’s before becoming a reliever for Seattle, Atlanta and Boston from 2010-15.
“We are deeply saddened on the passing of former Braves pitcher Anthony Varvaro,” the Braves said in a statement. “Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and colleagues.”
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More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
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DIEGO GARCIA, British Indian Ocean Territory (Sept. 19, 2022) – Seabees assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 4 work with civilian contractors to pour concrete at U.S. Navy Support Facility Diego Garcia. NMCB-4 is forward deployed throughout the Indo-Pacific region and United States territories to support and maintain a free and open Indo-Pacific. As the stand-in, crisis response, naval engineering force, NMCB-4 maintains a ready posture to deliver in-theater expeditionary logistics via expeditionary shore infrastructure, forward damage repair, and mobile construction. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jan David De Luna Mercado)
This work, NMCB-4 Seabees Work on Concrete at NSF Diego Garcia [Image 7 of 7], by PO2 Jan David Mercado, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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VIRGINIA WATER, England (AP) — Shane Lowry tapped in for birdie at the 18th hole and then had to wait and see if Rory McIlroy could produce something special to force a playoff at Wentworth.
McIlroy gave himself a chance and the crowd cheered as his long eagle putt on the final hole crept slowly toward the cup, only to stop less than an inch short.
McIlroy crouched down, staring at the ball in disbelief, while Lowry hugged his caddie in the scorer’s tent to celebrate a one-shot victory at the BMW PGA Championship on Sunday.
It was Lowry’s first win since the British Open at 2019 and came after a bogey-free performance over three days at Wentworth.
It was also, according to the 35-year-old Irishman, a win for all the golfers who — like him — have rejected the lucrative offers from Saudi Arabia-backed breakaway series LIV Golf. Lowry and McIlroy were both outspoken this week in criticizing the fact that a contingent of LIV golfers had been allowed to play at Wentworth.
“I wanted to go out and win this tournament for myself, first and foremost, but I think for this tour and everyone that has stayed loyal to this tour,” Lowry said. “I really feel like this is one for the good guys.”
McIlroy and Jon Rahm were tied for second, one shot back. Talor Gooch, who plays on the LIV circuit, was another shot back in fourth place.
It was Lowry’s first win since the British Open at 2019 and came after a bogey-free performance over three days at Wentworth.
The tournament was reduced to 54 holes with no play on Friday after the death of Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday.
Lowry finished with a 7-under 65 for a 17-under total of 199.
“I said to my coach this morning, ‘I need to just allow myself to play golf today,’” Lowry said. “I’m playing the best golf of my life, I need to just allow myself to do that. And I did that.”
Rahm surged up the leaderboard with a 62, rolling in an eagle putt on the 18th to take a two-shot clubhouse lead at 16 under. He then had to wait more than two hours to see if it would be good enough for the win, although on a low-scoring day at Wentworth it never looked likely to be.
A superb approach shot from Lowry on the 18th made sure of that.
Lowry hit an iron from 242 yards onto the center of the green — a shot good enough to earn an immediate fist bump from his caddie — and then rolled an eagle putt to within a few inches of the hole, leaving himself a tap-in birdie for the lead.
McIlroy, playing in the pairing behind Lowry, also had a 14-foot birdie putt on the 17th break just to the right of the hole. When Lowry then birdied the last hole, McIlroy knew he needed to eagle the par-5 18th — something he has never managed at Wentworth.
He came agonizingly close.
“I thought three feet out even that that putt was going in the hole,” said McIlroy, who won his third FedEx Cup title last month. “It just sort of wriggled right on me at the end. But overall it’s been another really good week.”
It was a first win for Lowry at Wentworth in his 13th appearance in the European Tour’s flagship event, having finished second to McIlroy in 2014.
“I love it here, I’ve contended in the past,” Lowry said. “The bad shots that I’ve hit over the years in contention actually started to creep into my head. It’s amazing what this game does.”
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More AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
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| 2022-09-21T09:57:47Z
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GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Kansas City coach Andy Reid looked slightly perplexed during Sunday’s postgame press conference when asked why his quarterback Patrick Mahomes is so good in season openers.
Reid didn’t notice any difference.
“He’s pretty good all the time,” he said with a slight grin. “We’re lucky to have him.”
Mahomes threw for 360 yards and five touchdowns, Clyde Edwards-Helaire caught two touchdown passes and the Chiefs rolled to an impressive 44-21 road win over the Arizona Cardinals in the opener for both teams.
The game was never in doubt after the opening minutes, with Mahomes picking apart the Cardinals’ defense with his usual array of good decisions and deft passing touch. The quarterback was playing his first NFL game against Kliff Kingsbury, who coached Mahomes in college at Texas Tech and now leads the Cardinals.
The student put on quite a show for his mentor: The 2018 MVP threw three touchdown passes on Kansas City’s first three drives.
After his fourth touchdown, he turned toward the Cardinals’ sideline for a little trash talk, holding up four fingers to remind them of the damage he had already caused against the Arizona defense.
Mahomes said no matter how successful he becomes, he’ll always feel like the underdog. He’s now 5-0 in season openers, throwing 18 touchdowns and zero interceptions.
“I’m just a guy from Texas Tech they said couldn’t play in the NFL,” Mahomes said. “I’ve always had that mindset of proving we’re the Kansas City Chiefs, we still can win the AFC Championship, win the AFC West and win the Super Bowl.”
Tight end Travis Kelce caught eight passes for 121 yards and a touchdown. It was his 30th career game with at least 100 yards receiving. Kansas City outgained Arizona 488 yards to 282. Mahomes completed 30 of 39 passes.
“We always believed we were going to go out there and put on a show,” Mahomes said. “Guys did that.”
The onslaught started in a hurry.
Kansas City jumped out to a 7-0 lead on the opening drive, capping an 11-play, 75-yard march with a 9-yard touchdown pass from Mahomes to Kelce. The Chiefs pushed ahead 14-0 later in the first on a nifty play from Mahomes, who threw an underhanded shovel pass to Edwards-Helaire for the 3-yard score.
The Chiefs led 23-7 by halftime after Harrison Butker, who missed part of the first half with a left ankle injury, made a 54-yard field goal with two seconds left in the second quarter.
Kansas City — which is trying to make the AFC title game for a fifth straight season — had a 37-7 advantage by the fourth quarter.
It was a rough start for Arizona, which also suffered through a brutal ending to 2021. The Cardinals have lost six of seven games dating to last season, including the playoffs.
“They beat us in every way,” Kingsbury said. “There is no denying it, no hiding from it. We didn’t execute in any phase and they played at a high level.”
Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray was playing his first game since being rewarded with a $230.5 million, five-year contract during the offseason. He finished 22-of-34 passing for 193 yards and two touchdowns, though much of that production came when the Chiefs already had control of the game.
“You can either start sulking about it or look in the mirror for what it is,” Murray said. “It’s a long season. We got punched in the mouth. How do you respond?”
The Cardinals came into Week 1 missing some of their best players. Three-time All-Pro receiver DeAndre Hopkins was suspended for the season’s first six games after violating the NFL’s performance-enhancing drug policy. Star defensive lineman J.J. Watt was inactive because of a calf injury.
SAFETY KICKER
Butker left the game in the first quarter because of an ankle injury, so the Chiefs turned to safety Justin Reid to handle the job.
He actually did OK.
Reid was made 1 of 2 attempts on extra points and also blasted a kickoff through the back of the end zone for a touchback. The safety was prepared for his role as the emergency kicker: He made an extra point during a preseason game.
Butker returned late in the second quarter.
READY TO GO
Mahomes completed touchdown passes on the first three drives of Kansas City’s season. He’s the second quarterback to do that since at least 1991. The other was Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers in 2011.
INJURIES
Chiefs: RG Trey Smith (ankle) left the game in the first half and didn’t return. … CB Trent McDuffie (hamstring) left the game in the second half. … Mahomes fell on his left wrist during the first quarter, which is his non-throwing arm. The quarterback said he was sore, but postgame tests didn’t reveal any structural damage.
Cardinals: Arizona entered the game with a banged-up roster, especially considering this is the first week of the season. WR Rondale Moore (hamstring), CB Trayvon Mullen (toe), OL Justin Pugh (neck) and Watt were all inactive because of injuries.
UP NEXT
Chiefs: Host the Chargers on Thursday night.
Cardinals: Travel to face the Raiders next Sunday.
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More AP NFL coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL
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MONTEREY, Calif. (AP) — IndyCar’s intense season came to a nail-biting end in which Team Penske’s superstars duked it out for the title and the future of the race winner clouded once again.
Will Power beat Team Penske teammate Josef Newgarden by 16 points for the Australian to win his second IndyCar title, and the 16th national championship for Roger Penske. He finished third on Sunday at Laguna Seca Raceway, a spot behind crestfallen Newgarden.
But the win went to outgoing IndyCar champion Alex Palou, who has been entangled in a messy legal battle in negotiations and a courtroom over his 2023 rights. Chip Ganassi Racing says it picked up next year’s option on the Spaniard; McLaren Racing says it has Palou under contract.
Palou insisted in July he’d be a McLaren driver next season, but as he celebrated his only win of the season, with owner Chip Ganassi behind him, Palou sounded far less certain. But he did indicate a resolution could be coming, perhaps as soon as Monday.
“Yeah, we talk. We talked in Portland. We talked before that … I think, Nashville. “Talked this morning,” Palou said of recent, rekindled communication with the team owner.
“We’ll see when I know. I wish I could tell you guys, ‘Hey, I’m doing this,’ but I don’t have an answer yet. Maybe tomorrow.”
It was a blatant about-face that closed a spectacular season in which IndyCar, even without the pizazz and popularity of a Netflix show, drew the most viewers to its 17-race schedule since 2008.
It’s championship had seven drivers in it until the penultimate race, and with five still mathematically in the hunt on Sunday at Laguna Seca Raceway, IndyCar had its tightest championship race since 2003 to celebrate.
The battle came down to Ganassi vs. Team Penske, which had its three drivers in the hunt for Chevrolet against six-time champion Scott Dixon and Indianapolis 500 winner Marcus Ericsson in Honda-pushed Ganassi entries.
Power, at 41 years old and eight years removed from his only other title, went into this season with a refreshed approach. He’s played the long-game, he said, and settled for solid finishes rather than pushing for wins.
It was Newgarden who went for the victories and his five led IndyCar this season. But he was inconsistent and crashed hard at Iowa while leading — an accident that caused a probable concussion and required Newgarden to be airlifted out of the track.
Team Penske made it clear this week it did not play team orders and all three of its drivers could fairly race for the title. So it was Power against Newgarden, who started down 20 points to his Australian teammate. Dixon was also 20 points back — and had he not been penalized for speeding in the Indianapolis 500 likely would have collected a record-tying seventh championship — but this was an inside fight.
Newgarden this week admitted he’s struggled all season with his drive for perfection; Power has dropped jaws for his new chilled approach.
Newgarden had a disastrous qualifying, went off course, and it pretty much decided his season. Power won his 68th pole to break the record for most in IndyCar.
So Power earned a point for winning the pole, and another point for leading the first lap. He now had Newgarden by 22 and it would take a Power collapse for the American to win a third title. He did everything he could, including three passes in Laguna Seca’s famed corkscrew, but the second-place finish just wasn’t enough.
“We’re all competitive, and we want to personally be the winners, but when we win as a team, it is big for everybody. I’m filled with a lot of pride,” Newgarden said. “But I’m also filled with a little bit of a relief. I’m kind of happy to come into this offseason reset, recharge, and then figure out a way to just hit everybody harder next year.”
While Newgarden was already wondering what he’d do differently if able to run Sunday’s race again, Power was at last ready to relax. He knew all along that nothing any other driver did mattered so long as he finished third, and so that’s where he stayed the bulk of the race.
But he never allowed himself a moment off the gas.
“I did not relax at any point. I knew I had to keep digging. I went hard the whole race,” Power said. “It was high-stress the whole race. It was very like our whole season. It was a very solid, consistent, no-mistake day.”
Power won just once this season at a time Team Penske notched nine of IndyCar’s 17 wins, and watched from the sidelines as teammates Newgarden and Scott McLaughlin became close friends and developed a YouTube Series. Then came the last month of racing, when many believed McLaughlin gave Newgarden a win at Gateway but denied Power a similar favor last week at Portland.
He said he never felt as if he’s the odd-man-out at Penske, where McLaughlin finished fourth in the final standings.
“The two boys, well, I guess they’re younger and similar in age and enjoying having fun,” Power said. “I find Scott McLaughlin a great guy, easy to get along with, and Josef is, as well. They’re good guys. Fiercely competitive, and I expect Scott to be a legit championship contender next year.
“This is the strongest combination that Penske has ever had as far as driver, speed, ability. A tough group. Tough, tough trio.”
None of the three had anything Sunday for Palou, who beat Newgarden by 30.381 seconds in a Laguna Seca record.
We gave our best, as we always do. Alex was tough to catch. I think he just was incredible,” Newgarden said. “It’s been a really tough year. It’s been good in a lot of ways, but it’s also been really negative in a lot of others. I’m excited for a reset, excited to come back next year, and I know we’ve got the team to do the job.
Colton Herta, the 22-year-old Californian being courted by the AlphaTauri Formula One team, was a nonexistent 11th in what could have been his last IndyCar race for some time. Herta won the last two races at Laguna Seca from pole and there’s serious interest from F1 if he can get licensed.
Christian Lundgaard, who raced last year in the Formula One ladder system, finished fifth for the Danish driver to win rookie of the year.
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More AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
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LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska fired Scott Frost on Sunday, the situation so dire in the once-proud football program that athletic director Trev Alberts made the move only three weeks before the coach’s contract buyout would have been cut in half.
The Cornhuskers lost 45-42 to Georgia Southern as a three-touchdown favorite at home Saturday night, and the student section chanted “Fire Frost” at the end of the game.
Frost was 16-31 three games into his fifth season, and his .340 winning percentage was second-worst among Nebraska coaches who lasted more than four years.
“You run a professional organization that has high standards, (and) accountability has to matter,” Alberts said at a news conference. “Scott and I talked about this: 16-31 was not at a level that was acceptable to us.”
Associate head coach Mickey Joseph was named interim coach for the rest of the season. The Huskers play No. 6 Oklahoma at home this week.
Joseph, 54, is the first Black head coach at Nebraska in any sport and among four new members of the staff this season. Like Frost, he is a former Nebraska quarterback, having played from 1988-91.
“I won’t meddle in Mickey’s decision-making process,” Alberts said. “I encouraged Mickey to be the head coach and make decisions as the head coach. There’ll be some structural changes and things that I think Mickey believes in.”
Alberts didn’t elaborate on what changes Joseph would make. Joseph is scheduled to meet with reporters on Tuesday.
Joseph returned to Nebraska as wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator after coaching receivers at LSU from 2017-21. He also was LSU’s assistant head coach his last two seasons there.
Alberts made a surprising move last November when he announced he would bring back Frost after what turned out to be a 3-9 season. Frost fired four offensive assistants, had his pay cut from $5 million to $4 million and agreed to having his buyout drop from $15 million to $7.5 million on Oct. 1.
Alberts said the university didn’t try to negotiate a lower buyout and declined to comment on whether donors contributed the money to pay off Frost.
“The University of Nebraska has a long history of living up to what we’ve agreed to,” Alberts said, “and so the contract is what the contract is.”
Alberts said firing Frost now gives him ample time to conduct a thorough search for the next coach. He said it would be best if the new coach were in place for the early signing period in December but added that the process won’t be rushed.
The Huskers opened the season with a 31-28 loss to Northwestern in Ireland, struggled into the fourth quarter before putting away FCS North Dakota 38-17 and then allowed 642 yards while losing to a Sun Belt Conference team in Georgia Southern.
The 47-year-old Frost’s spectacular failure was never envisioned when he left Central Florida as the hottest coach in America.
The storyline for his hiring was delicious, with Frost returning to his home state and the school he quarterbacked to a share of the 1997 national championship.
He had taken over a Central Florida program that went 0-12 in 2015, and two years later he led the Golden Knights to a 13-0 record and a Peach Bowl win over Auburn.
Frost, who grew up 90 minutes west of Lincoln in Wood River, was hailed as a savior of the program when former athletic director Bill Moos signed him to a seven-year, $35 million contract.
Moos boasted he had gotten “the pick of the litter” from the 2017-18 coaching cycle and that Big Ten powers would be “running scared” once Frost got the Huskers on track. Frost, when asked about having to possibly adjust his style to the Big Ten, shot back that he hoped the Big Ten would have to adjust to him instead.
What followed were four-plus seasons of underachieving and undisciplined play — and unhappiness among a loyal fan base desperately hoping for a return to a semblance of the program’s glory days.
There was never an indication that would happen under Frost. His Huskers were famous for losing close games — 22 of his 31 losses were decided by eight points or fewer — and for getting beat as double-digit favorites.
The Frost era was the worst at Nebraska since Bill Jennings was 15-34-1 (.310) in the five years before Hall of Fame coaches Bob Devaney and Tom Osborne reigned over four decades of sustained success that brought five national championships and 22 conference titles.
The Huskers have gone through five coaches since Osborne retired in 1997, and they are a shell of their former selves. They haven’t won a conference championship since 1999, and they haven’t won more than five games in a season since going 9-4 in 2016 under Mike Riley.
Frost was 10-26 in Big Ten games and, worse, 6-18 against West Division opponents. His teams never won more than three conference games in a season or finished higher than fifth place in the seven-team West.
Asked why he didn’t wait to make the change, Alberts said: “We owed it to the players, to give them a different voice, perhaps a slightly different vision. … We needed to inject something into this team to give them the confidence and hopefully help them compete. I think nothing would please me more than to see a pretty significant change and help this team get over the hump and win some games.”
___
More AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25 Sign up for the AP’s college football newsletter: https://apnews.com/cfbtop25
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CINCINNATI (AP) — Minkah Fitzpatrick and the Pittsburgh Steelers kept kicking the door open against the Cincinnati Bengals. It took until the final whistle to finally walk on through.
Chris Boswell kicked a 53-yard field goal as time expired in overtime and the Steelers overcame T.J. Watt’s injury late in the fourth quarter to beat the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20 in a sloppy season opener for both teams Sunday.
Watt and Fitzpatrick had two of four interceptions off Joe Burrow, who rebounded from a lousy start and rallied Cincinnati from a 17-6 halftime deficit. His 6-yard touchdown pass to Ja’Marr Chase tied it at 20 with 2 seconds left in regulation
Fitzpatrick kept the Steelers alive by blocking Evan McPherson’s point-after try, sending the game to overtime.
“It’s just good to come in here in a hostile environment, man, and not blink, particularly with a number of new guys, whether they’re rookies or new to us,” Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin said.
McPherson and Boswell missed potential winning field goals in overtime before Steelers quarterback Mitch Trubisky completed passes of 9, 26 and 10 yards in the final 56 seconds.
“That was pretty crazy — the back-and-forth nature,” Trubisky said. “We found out a lot about this team. We battled, we stuck together. We have a lot to clean up, but we found a way in the end. Winning is fun.”
Watt, the Defensive Player of the Year, left the field and headed to the locker room shortly before the game went to overtime with a pectoral injury. Before that, he was his usual disruptive self, with a sack and a pick.
Burrow’s four interceptions were a career worst, and he was sacked seven times in front of what was supposed to be an improved offensive line.
“It’s frustrating,” Burrow said. “We came back in the second half. We finished strong. Give them credit. They had a good plan.”
Burrow didn’t play in the preseason games as he recovered from an appendectomy, and he got a rude welcome back to the field. Cam Heyward sacked him on Cincinnati’s first offensive play, and Fitzpatrick jumped Tyler Boyd’s route the next snap and returned it 31 yards for a Pick-6.
McPherson made a 59-yard field goal in the first quarter, but Watt made a leaping interception at the line on the next series. That set up Trubisky’s 2-yard TD pass to Najee Harris for a 17-3 edge.
Trubisky, the first quarterback to start for the Steelers after Ben Roethlisberger’s retirement, was 21 for 38 for 194 yards and the short TD pass to Harris as first-round pick Kenny Pickett watched from the sideline.
When asked about his offense, Tomlin said: “It was enough — we’re 1-0.”
The Bengals wasted a solid performance by the their defense, which limited the big plays and did a good job containing running back Harris, who finished with 23 yards on 10 carries before leaving late with a foot injury.
Chase had 10 catches for 129 yards for the Bengals.
JOE’S SLOW START
For much of the day, Burrow looked as if he was struggling to get back on track. He finished 33 for 53 for 338 yards and two touchdowns.
Asked if he was still trying to shake off the effects of his July surgery, he would only say, “I felt good.”
“We don’t overreact when things go well. We don’t overreact when things don’t go well,” Burrow said. “We’re even-keeled. We got into position to win the game.”
INJURIES
Steelers: CB Levi Wallace left in the second half with an ankle injury and didn’t return. … OL Mason Cole suffered an ankle injury in the second half and didn’t return. … Harris suffered a foot injury late in the game. … Tomlin said LB Robert Spillane suffered an eye injury.
Bengals: WR Tee Higgins left with a concussion from a hard hit by several Steelers. … LS Clark Harris went out with a biceps injury.
UP NEXT
Steelers: At New England next Sunday.
Bengals: At Dallas next Sunday.
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More AP NFL coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL
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| 2022-09-21T09:58:33Z
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CINCINNATI (AP) — The Pittsburgh Steelers defense began the season Sunday looking like a vulturous force, and reigning Defensive Player of the Year T.J. Watt was the chief disruptor.
Then Watt walked off injured in the fourth quarter, his left arm hanging limply at this side, casting serious doubt on when Pittsburgh might look so fearsome again.
Watt suffered a pectoral injury in the fourth quarter of a 23-20 overtime win over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.
The Steelers didn’t provide many details after the game. Coach Mike Tomlin said only that “T.J. has been evaluated with an upper-body injury.”
The 27-year-old Watt got hurt in the waning minutes of regulation. He bull-rushed his way past Cincinnati right tackle La’el Collins — ripping Collins’ helmet off in the process, a penalty that gave the Bengals a first down — and then jumped on top of Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow. Burrow ducked under Watt and managed to get the ball away, and Watt’s left arm went motionless as Burrow eluded his grasp.
Watt was greeted by Dr. James Bradley, the team physician, as he made his way off the field. He went straight to the locker room and did not return. Pittsburgh later ended a three-game losing streak to the Bengals on the final play of overtime.
The three-time All-Pro did not address reporters postgame, though he was in the locker room. He is expected to undergo further testing and evaluation on Monday.
“I’m not going to speculate what’s going and how bad the injury is,” defensive tackle Cam Heyward said. “But you know having T.J. out there definitely benefits us. He’s a leader. He’s a defensive player here. However long it takes, other guys are going to step up.”
One of the NFL’s elite edge rushers, Watt was at his disruptive best in Cincinnati, sacking Burrow once and picking off a pass in the first quarter that set up Mitch Trubisky’s 2-yard TD pass to Najee Harris to give Pittsburgh a 17-3 lead.
Losing Watt would be a huge blow to the Steelers, who will have to rely on their defense while trying to get their offense on track. Watt tied the NFL single-season sacks record with 22 1/2 last season despite missing two games.
If Watt tore his pectoral muscle, he likely would miss extended time and potentially the season. His older brother J.J. Watt tore a pec in the middle of the 2019 season while playing for Texas and missed two months. Heyward, his longtime teammate, missed the second half of the 2016 season after tearing a pec, and former Steeler defensive end Stephon Tuitt missed the final 10 games of the 2019 season after tearing a pec in a win over the Chargers.
The Steelers are thin behind Watt at outside linebacker. Alex Highsmith — who also left the game on Sunday with an injury — is the only other outside linebacker on the roster who has spent extended time in Pittsburgh.
The Steelers acquired backup Malik Reed in a trade with Denver last month and claimed Jamir Jones off waivers on Sept. 1 after he was released by Jacksonville a day earlier. Jones did spend a few months with Pittsburgh in 2021 before being released last September.
Jones and Reed were credited with three combined tackles against the Bengals.
Watt has been durable during his five-year career, missing just three games due to injury. With him, the Steelers have a defense with elite players at all three levels, in Watt, Heyward and safety Minkah Fitzpatrick. Without him, Pittsburgh’s offense under first-year quarterback Mitch Trubisky might need to accelerate the learning curve.
That might be difficult without Harris, who left in the fourth quarter after injuring his left foot. The foot was heavily wrapped postgame. Backup Jaylen Warren, who earned the job after a stellar training camp, ran for 7 yards on three carries in his NFL debut.
The Steelers host New England (0-1) next Sunday.
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More AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
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NEW YORK (AP) — Ahead of the U.S. Open trophy ceremony, Iga Swiatek pulled on a white jacket with “1GA” written in black over her heart — the numeral replacing the “I” of her first name represents her No. 1 ranking.
Above that were three gold stars to reflect her updated total of major championships: There’s the one she won Saturday at Flushing Meadows and the pair from the French Open in 2020 and this June (when her pullover sported two stars).
If Swiatek keeps playing and performing like this, if she manages to remain healthy and grounded, they’re going to need to keep making new jackets for her.
Still just 21 yet already guaranteed a spot on the International Tennis Hall of Fame ballot five years after retirement, Swiatek is quickly establishing herself as a player no one wants to face. Especially in a final. Her 6-2, 7-6 (5) victory over Ons Jabeur in Arthur Ashe Stadium on Saturday gave Swiatek 10 consecutive triumphs in title matches, every one in straight sets.
And to think: This is not her favorite surface, her favorite tennis balls, her favorite weather, her favorite site. Each of Swiatek’s past three trips to New York had ended with third-round exits. She arrived this time with few expectations and zero idea that it would be a two-week stay.
Which just all makes it that much more impressive.
Plus, as big as her forehand is, as skilled a returner as she is — winning half of Saturday’s 10 games served by Jabeur, who didn’t face a single break point in the semifinals — as speedy and full of anticipation as her get-to-every-ball court coverage is, it’s Swiatek’s ability to think her way through the crucible of a match that might be her most valuable ability.
“I’m proud that I have much more solutions and options on court than I had before, tennis-wise, but also mentally. I’m using these skills pretty well. I’m really proud of that, because I just know how it feels to not have ideas on court, not have anything you can change to make the match better,” said Swiatek, the first Polish tennis player to win a Grand Slam singles title. “Right now, it’s been a long time since I didn’t have any idea. So that’s great. It shows that I’m actually doing progress.”
That’s daunting for everyone else in the game.
“In the key moments, Iga plays a little bit better,” said Arantxa Sánchez Vicario, who counts the 1994 U.S. Open among her four Grand Slam singles titles and was advising Jabeur during the tournament. “Iga is just amazing. She has a lot of confidence and everyone knows she’s the top player right now on the tour.”
Swiatek is 55-7 with seven titles in 2022.
She’s now shown she can win on the red clay of Roland Garros and on the hard courts, and amid the hubub, of Flushing Meadows.
“I feel like she improved a lot from last year until the beginning of this year,” Jabeur said. “She’s, I think, working on a lot of things that get in her way.”
So there is little reason to diminish her chances on hard courts at the Australian Open, where she made it to the semifinals in January, or even on the grass at Wimbledon, even if she hasn’t been beyond the fourth round there.
Asked what she’s most excited about as she thinks about the future, Swiatek said she wants to see how, or whether, anything will be different now.
There will be more attention on her. There will be more away-from-tennis distractions.
“I’m going to see how I’m going to react,” she said. “Winning the U.S. Open is different than winning a Slam in Europe or in Australia, because I don’t know how the popularity thing is going to change, if it’s going to change.”
Then, with her latest trophy sitting in front of her, Swiatek offered this thought: “For now, I’m kind of going to observe and learn. For the future, I know I still have a lot to improve on court. That’s something that I’m excited for, because maybe it’s just going to get easier to play these matches.”
Easier? Look out.
Swiatek said this championship showed her “the sky’s the limit.”
She’s right.
___
Howard Fendrich has been the AP’s tennis writer since 2002. Write to him at hfendrich@ap.org or follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/HowardFendrich
___
More AP coverage of U.S. Open tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/us-open-tennis-championships and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
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| 2022-09-21T09:58:47Z
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HOUSTON (AP) — The Houston Texans used their opener Sunday against Indianapolis to honor and remember the victims of the Uvalde Elementary school shooting.
The Texans hosted the Uvalde high school football team and wore “Uvalde Strong” decals on their helmets after 19 children and two teachers were killed in a shooting there in May.
The team joined with grocery store chain H-E-B to pay for the team to travel the 280 miles from Uvalde and watch the game from a suite. It’s part of the team’s continuing support for the community after donating $400,000 to the Robb Elementary School memorial fund soon after the shooting.
Senior linebacker Justyn Rendon said it was the first time most of his teammates had ever attended an NFL game.
“It means a lot to a lot of these guys just to get away from Uvalde in general and just enjoy being here,” he said. “A lot of these guys may never experience an NFL game like this. So it’s a real big thing.”
Uvalde coach Wade Miller said they want to do whatever they can to continue to honor those who lost their lives in the shooting.
“As far as the memory of 21, it’s important to us,” he said. “We all either lost somebody or knew somebody (that did) and … we’re like the rest of the world, we just want to help in some way. And hopefully this helps.”
A video recognizing the team was shown on the video board in the stadium during a timeout in the first quarter Sunday. Uvalde players cheered as they were shown on the screens before a message that read: “We stand with Uvalde” flashed on the boards.
A contingent from the Texans including linebackers Christian Kirksey and Kamu Grugier-Hill visited Uvalde earlier this month and surprised the team with new uniforms provided by Nike during a team dinner.
They were both thrilled to have the team at Sunday’s opener.
“Whenever those kind of things happen, news comes in, people come in and they’re with them for a little bit,” Grugier-Hill said. “But at the end of the day, the reality is the people leave and they’ve got to still deal with the reality of what happened. So to just be with them for a little bit and just try to bring some joy to them and get them out here is great (and) I’m glad they’re here today.”
Kirksey said he’s built relationships with some of the players and enjoyed getting to know them before their visit to Houston.
“For them to allow me to come visit their city and sit down and go to their school, go to their field, it was good to have them come to Houston and see us play as well,” he said. “So it was great to have them in the stands.”
Miller has been overwhelmed by the support the Texans have give his team.
“It’s unbelievable,” he said. “You live out in a small southwest Texas town, and to know people care about us and when these guys find out that those guys want to know what their score is, it means the world.”
Rendon was asked if he was a Texans fan before the game. He paused and looked sheepish before answering.
“I’ll be totally honest, I’m 49ers fan,” he said. “But it’s just amazing and wonderful what the Texans have done for us and the whole city of Houston, too.”
Added Miller: “We have a lot of fans on our team of a bunch of different teams — but we’re all Texans fans now.”
Both Miller and Rendon spoke about how sports has helped the city find a distraction and try to heal in the wake of such an unthinkable tragedy. Rendon takes special pride in wearing No. 21 on his jersey to remember the victims every time he takes the field.
“It means a lot, especially to the city of Uvalde just being able to run out on Friday nights and represent the 21 lives that were lost on May 24,” he said. “I’m representing them on and off the field.”
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More AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl and https://apnews.com/hub/pro-32 and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL
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| 2022-09-21T09:58:55Z
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MONZA, Italy (AP) — Having won in front of his own fans last weekend, Max Verstappen did it on enemy turf on Sunday to leave the Red Bull driver within touching distance of a second straight F1 title.
Boos rang out from the passionate red-clad tifosi fans when Verstappen stepped onto the iconic Monza podium for the first time in his career, after winning the Italian Grand Prix on Sunday.
“I had a great view,” said a tactful Verstappen, whose previous highest finish at the track was fifth in 2018. “The atmosphere for me was not amazing. But it is what it is.”
Verstappen now has a 116-point lead over Charles Leclerc, who finished second after another questionable strategy decision from Ferrari on its home track. With just six races remaining, the Dutch driver could clinch the title in Singapore next month.
Verstappen started seventh after he was among a number of drivers hit by grid penalties but made his way up to third by the first corner of the second lap. The Red Bull driver then picked off George Russell in a Mercedes at the start of Lap 5 setting up the hunt for polesitter Leclerc in his Ferrari.
“The start was very good,” Verstappen said. “It was enjoyable to drive today even though it was quite hot out there. Great day for us.”
The Virtual Safety Car (VSC) gave Verstappen an opportunity as it came out on Lap 12 after Sebastian Vettel’s final race at Monza came to an ignominious end, with the four-time world champion pulling up at the side of the track after complaining about a power issue.
Ferrari decided to bring Leclerc in to change to medium tires, allowing Verstappen to take the lead. Leclerc rejoined the race in third.
“I think we all had a doubt, I think if I wouldn’t have done it Max would have done it,” Leclerc said.
“It was a bit unfortunate because in the middle of the pit lane we had the virtual safety car ending so we didn’t get all the benefit of stopping at that moment. And from that moment onward we were a little bit on the back foot.”
It has been a strange season for Ferrari, full of botched strategy decisions and bizarre incidents, but Leclerc believes it was just unfortunate timing at Monza.
“I think if you look at our season as a whole, for sure there’s been mistakes and we need to get better,” Leclerc said. “If today was a clear mistake, I don’t think so. It was just our choice and looking back at it you just cannot predict whenever the VSC is going to end.
“So, yeah, nothing to blame on anybody there. Just a bit unlucky and probably missing a little bit of pace too.”
Leclerc moved past Russell and then briefly regained the lead when Verstappen pitted on the 26th lap but the pair swapped places again seven laps later when the Ferrari driver pitted for new tires for a second time.
The safety car came out again shortly after last year’s winner, Daniel Ricciardo, pulled up on Lap 47 prompting most drivers to pit for soft tires.
However, a final battle never materialized when the race finished behind the safety car with Verstappen securing his fifth straight victory and his 11th of the season — one more than last year.
Russell was third, ahead of Carlos Sainz Jr. and Lewis Hamilton, who had both fought through the field after starting at the back of the grid following penalties.
Verstappen’s Red Bull teammate Sergio Pérez had also been hit by grid penalties and had started 13th but, despite an eventful race that also featured a brake fire, he managed to finish sixth and also pick up the extra point for fastest lap.
Lando Norris was seventh, after a poor start from third, with Pierre Gasly just behind him.
Williams reserve driver Nyck de Vries finished his first-ever F1 race in ninth. The 27-year-old was a late replacement for Alex Albon after the Thai driver was diagnosed with appendicitis.
“Wow, wow. Thank you, thank you very much. This has been incredible, points on debut, thank you,” De Vries said on team radio after crossing the line, before then uttering an expletive and adding “my shoulders are dead, dead.”
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More AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
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KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Bubba Wallace won his second career NASCAR Cup Series race Sunday and denied the playoff field an automatic spot in the next round for the second straight week when he held off championship contenders Denny Hamlin and Christopher Bell to win at Kansas Speedway.
Wallace, who is not among the 16 in the title hunt, got around Alex Bowman for the lead with 67 laps to go, then built a 2-second lead over a parade of playoff drivers trying to earn a win and ensure their spot in the round of eight.
Hamlin was at the front of it. And the co-owner with Michael Jordan of Wallace’s car at 23XI Racing managed to whittle about a tenth of a second off the No. 45’s lead over the closing laps. Hamlin ultimately ran out of time, and Wallace took the checkered flag in the same car that Kurt Busch won with at Kansas earlier this year.
“I knew Denny was going to be strong,” said Wallace, who stepped into the car while Busch deals with the effects of a concussion. “It’s cool to beat the boss, but it’s just cool to be lights-out today and come away with the win.”
Busch wasted no time in tweeting his congratulations.
Bell finished third and Bowman fourth with playoff outsider Martin Truex Jr. in fifth. William Byron, Ross Chastain, Kyle Larson, Ryan Blaney and Daniel Suarez — all in the playoff hunt — rounded out the top 10.
Bell clinched a spot in the next round of the playoffs on points. The other 11 spots are up for grabs heading to Bristol.
Wallace also won during last year’s playoffs at Talladega, when he was likewise out of the title picture. And his win came after Erik Jones, who likewise missed out on the postseason, won a week ago at Darlington.
Wallace became the 18th driver to win this season.
“I was driving as hard as I could,” said Hamlin, who gave all he had to chase Wallace down. “Nothing will ever come free when you’re driving for me. If you think I’m going to let you win, you better find another team.”
Kevin Harvick spent the week ruing an inferno that ruined his playoff opener, and led to plenty of discussion of safety in the Next Gen car. But it was the aerodynamics of the car that ruined Sunday and left his playoff hopes in peril.
The trouble began when Harvick was caught four-wide shortly after a Lap 25 competition caution. Ross Chastain drifted in front of him, took the air off Harvick’s nose and instantly made him loose. The three-time Kansas winner touched the wall out of Turn 4, then hit hard again across the start-finish line, leaving him with heavy damage to the right side.
It’s the first time in a Cup career spanning 782 races that Harvick has failed to finish three straight races.
“It is what it is,” Harvick said. “We were racing to win anyway today, so that’s what we will do again next week.”
Tyler Reddick’s brilliant weekend, which included his first pole on an oval, likewise ended in the first stage when his right rear went down. That sent his No. 8 sliding into the wall, breaking the upper control arm in the right front.
“We leave here with not a lot of points,” Reddick said, “so we’re going to fight hard at Bristol.”
Stage 2 was just as frustrating to playoff hopefuls. Many had problems on pit road, including Kyle Busch, who not only had a penalty for an uncontrolled tire but later spun into the grass and went a lap down. Busch finished 26th and fell below the playoff cutline along with Harvick, Chase Briscoe and Austin Dillon.
Busch trails Reddick and Austin Cindric by two points heading to Bristol. Dillon is another point back.
ODDS AND ENDS
JTG Daugherty Racing learned that longtime team member JR Hollar died early Sunday. He was 57. The cause was not disclosed. … Ricky Stenhouse Jr. also had a right rear tire go down while running near the front, then Harrison Burton and Corey LaJoie wrecked on the restart.
UP NEXT
The final race in the round is Saturday night on the concrete at Bristol, where Busch won the Cup race on dirt in April.
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More AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
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| 2022-09-21T09:59:10Z
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LAS VEGAS (AP) — A’ja Wilson remembers what it was like being swept in the WNBA Finals two years ago, and didn’t like it.
Sunday, she made sure neither she nor her teammates would feel like that this season.
Wilson had 24 points and 11 rebounds and the Las Vegas Aces beat the Connecticut Sun 67-64 on Sunday in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals.
“In the bubble, we were just happy to be there; and also happy to leave,” Wilson said. “Now in the moment, it’s like okay, we know that feeling. It sucks getting swept, it’s the worst thing ever. That’s the chip on your shoulder, that’s the fire, that’s the grind that you want to say, ‘I don’t wanna get swept anymore. I don’t wanna even have gentleman’s sweep.’
“You wanna go out there and play for your teammates because you felt the way that you felt in 2020 – and you hate it.”
The Aces staved off a late run by the Sun, who nearly erased a seven-point deficit with 1:24 left when Alyssa Thomas hit back-to-back shots to pull Connecticut within three. But DeWanna Bonner’s desperation 3-point attempt to tie the game fell short as time expired.
Chelsea Gray finished with 21 points for Las Vegas, while Jackie Young chipped in 11 as the franchise won their first WNBA Finals game in franchise history. They were also swept in 2008 when the team was in San Antonio.
After squandering a first-quarter lead, and allowing the Sun to control the second and carry momentum in the third, the Aces outscored Connecticut 13-3 to close the third quarter and seize momentum for the final period before a frenzied record sold out gathering of 10,135.
Thomas led Connecticut with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Jonquel Jones added 15 points, Brionna Jones came off the bench to score 12 and Natasha Hiedeman contributed with 10.
Saturday during Media Day, Las Vegas Aces coach Becky Hammon said she was unsure if she was ready to let Dearica Hamby put her physical game to play after missing the final month of the regular season with a knee injury, missing the first round of the playoffs, and then being used sparingly in the final two games of the semifinals.
But when Hamby came off the bench with 4:33 left in the third quarter, the two-time Sixth Woman of the Year provided an immediate spark for the Aces.
“She was phenomenal, she was ready to go,” Hammon said. “I just got to the point where I was like, my biggest, baddest beast is sitting over there. I’ve just got to throw her in. They want to play a rough game – she’s my girl.”
And Hamby delivered, grabbed three rebounds – two key boards on the offensive end – a put back under the basket, two assists and a steal.
With Hamby in the game, the Aces clawed their way back to turn a six-point point deficit into a two-point lead heading into the final period.
“I just want to do whatever it takes to win. If that means play zero minutes, if that means play 10 minutes and play as hard as I can, I want to do that,” said Hamby, who was in for 10:47. “I thought I could screen well and just put a body on (Thomas) a little bit more, just be aggressive physically. I felt like we were kind of missing that, just to bring physicality.
“I enjoy that kind of style of basketball. I think the crowd, to come back and to feel so loved and know I was kind of missed, I think that gave me a little bit more motivation.”
The Aces set the tone early, hitting 56.3% (9 of 16) of their shots and took a 25-17 lead after one quarter. The Sun wasted no time in getting back into the game, scoring the first six points of the second and outscored Las Vegas 21-9 to take a four-point lead into halftime.
“In the second half of that third quarter, they started to make some difficult shots and we could not find any kind of offensive rhythm, and missed some shots we were certainly capable of, forced some shots, and got stagnated by their defense,” Sun coach Curt Miller said.
COURTSIDE CLUB
In attendance for Game 1 included Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Shea Theodore, Miami Heat guard Kyle Lowry, Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant, free agent DeMarcus Cousins and Los Angeles Clippers coach Ty Lue.
EXHIBITION, EH?
Commissioner Cathy Engelbert announced during her pregame press conference that the WNBA will hold a preseason exhibition game in Canada next year with hopes of continuing global exposure for the league. This will be the first time since 2011 that the WNBA has played an international game.
UP NEXT
The teams will play Game 2 in Las Vegas on Tuesday.
___
More WNBA playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-playoffs and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
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SHREVEPORT, La (KMSS/KTAL) – This week on the Sunday Night Sports Blitz, we recap the Saints and Cowboys opening week games, hear from Louisiana Tech’s Sonny Cumbie after his first win, and recap Grambling State’s first win of the Hue Jackson era against Northwestern State.
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BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) – A Louisiana State University (LSU) student was taken into custody after trespassing onto the field during the LSU football game against Southern University on Saturday, Sept. 10.
LSU officials say that Marwan Okeil walked onto the field at Tiger Stadium in the middle of play between LSU and Southern University around 7 p.m. The stadium’s security officers were able to apprehend him and took him off the field. Okeil was issued a misdemeanor summons for criminal trespass and resisting an officer by the Louisiana State University Police Department.
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by: Kylee Bond Posted: Sep 11, 2022 / 12:24 PM CDT Updated: Sep 11, 2022 / 03:22 PM CDT SHARE WHO DAT! Today the Saints kick off the regular season against long-time rival Atlanta Falcons. Can’t make it to the game? See live updates, scores, and commentary below! TEAMTIME/QUARTERSCORENew Orleans SaintsFINAL27Atlanta Falcons26 LIVE UPDATES
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Welcome to the Sports Zone Podcast, where we discuss, opine, and report on all things local sports.
In this episode, the Saints start the season where it ended in January. Will they have a key addition on board?
Our panel weighs in on how many games the Saints will win this season. Is it time to bet the over?
In Baton Rouge, LSU regroups. They are huge favorites against Southern, but can they get a myriad of issues fixed before they play Mississippi State next Saturday?
Brian Kelly gets a vote of confidence from a Tiger-turned-Greenie.
All this and more, in the WGNO Sports Zone.
The Sports Zone Podcast is also available via Apple Podcasts on iTunes.
Bonus Podcast – Friday Night Football: 2022 Week 2
Friday Night Football, presented by the Allstate Sugar Bowl, is back with all the prep football highlights and feature stories as the 31st season officially kicks off with Week 1 hosted by Ed Daniels and Coach JT Curtis.
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NEW YORK, Sept. 21, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Ideanomics (NASDAQ: IDEX), a global company focused on accelerating the commercial adoption of electric vehicles (EV), is pleased to announce the successful testing of WAVE's 500kW at the Port of Los Angeles. This first-of-its-kind high-power, ultra-fast wireless charging system fully charged a class 8 electric truck in less than 15 minutes, heralding a future where fleet operators could realize near continuous electric vehicle uptime.
"We're showing that today, right now, electric heavy-duty vehicles can operate 24/7, "topping off" their charge while the work is happening," says Robin Mackie, Ideanomics Mobility president. "The benefits of this technology are crystal clear - fleet operators become more efficient by cutting out vehicle downtime otherwise spent filling up or plugging a central depot."
Construction and charger installation at the Port of Los Angeles is underway, and Ideanomics expects the first 500kW charger to enter service in 2023. Supported by an $8.4 million U.S. Department of Energy grant, the WAVE 500kW charger is being deployed as part of a consortium project.
More than 12 million medium and heavy-duty trucks are in service today in the U.S., many still powered by polluting combustion engines. The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) provides more than $75 billion in programs and tax credits to electrify these vehicles, giving fleet operators the confidence to transition faster. Several of these programs and incentives include specific designations to electrify heavy-duty vehicles operating in disadvantaged communities and at ports and warehouses.
To help further accelerate the deployment of wireless charging, Ideanomics is offering an innovative "As a Service" model. Enabled by the IRA, a leading e-commerce company is partnering with Ideanomics to deploy wireless charging and electric vehicles on a subscription basis. The customer pays a flat, predictable monthly fee instead of a big, upfront cost. This is the future of fleet electrification.
Wireless charging is the ideal solution for any fleet operator with vehicles moving along a fixed route. In logistics, where minutes and seconds count, fully automated and unobtrusive high-power wireless charging keeps vehicles powered up during regularly scheduled stops. Additionally, it allows for smaller batteries and fewer chargers, resulting in reduced vehicle weight and costs.
Ideanomics is a leading provider of electrification solutions for ports and warehouses. Earlier this year, Ideanomics released its WareSmart platform to help Southern California warehouse operators plan and implement clean fleet technology to comply with local regulations.
Ideanomics is solving the complexity of fleet electrification by bringing together high-performance electric vehicles, charging infrastructure, and financing solutions under one roof. The company views WAVE wireless charging as a flagship charging technology and is committed to supporting its ongoing development and deployment. This includes exploring opportunities to incorporate wireless charging into the design of the company's next generation of electric vehicles.
About Ideanomics
Ideanomics is a global group with a simple mission: accelerating the commercial adoption of electric vehicles. By bringing together vehicles, charging and financing solutions under one roof, we are the one-stop partner needed to simplify the transition to and operation of any EV fleet. To keep up with Ideanomics, please follow the company on social @ideanomicshq or visit https://ideanomics.com.
Safe Harbor Statement
This press release contains certain statements that may include "forward-looking statements". All statements other than statements of historical fact included herein are "forward-looking statements." These forward-looking statements are often identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "believes," "expects" or similar expressions, involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, and include statements regarding our intention to transition our business model to become a next-generation financial technology company, our business strategy and planned product offerings, our intention to phase out our oil trading and consumer electronics businesses, and potential future financial results. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, they do involve assumptions, risks and uncertainties, and these expectations may prove to be incorrect. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. The Company's actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of a variety of risks and uncertainties, such as risks related to: our ability to continue as a going concern; our ability to raise additional financing to meet our business requirements; the transformation of our business model; fluctuations in our operating results; strain to our personnel management, financial systems and other resources as we grow our business; our ability to attract and retain key employees and senior management; competitive pressure; our international operations; and other risks and uncertainties disclosed under the sections entitled "Risk Factors" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" in our most recent Form 10-K and Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, and similar disclosures in subsequent reports filed with the SEC, which are available on the SEC website at www.sec.gov. All forward-looking statements attributable to the Company or persons acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by these risk factors. Other than as required under the securities laws, the Company does not assume a duty to update these forward-looking statements.
Contacts:
Ideanomics, Inc.
Tony Sklar, SVP of Investor Relations
1441 Broadway, Suite 5116, New York, NY 10018
ir@ideanomics.com
Theodore Rolfvondenbaumen, Communications Director
Trolfvondenbaumen@ideanomics.com
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Ideanomics
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(Our Auto Expert) — Jeep has some serious news. We are witnessing history in the form of technology combined with electrification and added capability. Jeep has given us a glimpse of its future. Vowing to go all-electric. They begin in early 2023 in the UK, with the North American roll in 2024. Four models have been selected. Let’s take a peek.
Jeep is going all electric with four distinct models. By 2024 Jeep will introduce Jeep to North America the Jeep Wagoneer S, Jeep Recon, Wrangler 4xe, and the Jeep Avenger, which will be released in 2023 and is going exclusively to the UK market.
For us in the states, we are already anticipating the Wagoneer S. The clean body lines and new posture make the quick Zero to sixty in 3.5 seconds a beautiful sight to watch. With up to 600HP and 400 miles of estimated range.
Following the Wagoneer S, we get the Jeep Recon. This is for you off-road outdoor people. Inspired by the Wrangler, It maintains the authentic open-air design we have all fallen in love with. Fully removable doors and windows with available one-touch power top.
The UK-exclusive all-electric Jeep Avenger is the first all-electric Jeep in Europe. Getting all new tech and infotainment center makes the range of 400 kilometers seem like a breeze to travel.
Jeep has something for everyone, whether you’re in North America or the UK.
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The Volvo P1800 Cyan restomod first shown in 2020 recently appeared on “Jay Leno’s Garage,” with Cyan Racing Managing Director Hans Bååth explaining the ins and outs of the build.
This car started out as a 1964 Volvo P1800 and was handed over to Cyan Racing, the Swedish racing team previously known as Polestar, before Volvo reassigned that name to the current EV brand. The project actually had its origins in 2017 as a way to celebrate a recent world championship and the sale of the company’s road-car division to Volvo, Bååth said.
Extensive modifications started with the body. Some of the original steel unibody was retained, but with reinforcements to address the stock P1800’s lack of structural rigidity, Bååth said in the video, adding that some of the steel is a modern formula that wasn’t available in the 1960s. The body is all carbon fiber, helping keep the curb weight below 2,200 lb. While the body looks mostly stock, nearly everything was changed from the original P1800, Bååth explained. For example, the track was widened and the wheels moved closer to the corners for better proportions. A fuel cell now lives in the trunk.
Cyan Racing also replaced the stock 1.8-liter turbo-4 with a modern 2.0-liter turbo-4 derived from a World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) race engine, producing 420 hp and 336 lb-ft of torque here. It’s housed in a remarkably clean-looking engine bay, with the turbo tucked underneath the exhaust manifold. That’s symbolic of the driving characteristics Cyan Racing aimed for, Bååth said, as the goal was to make the powertrain feel naturally aspirated.
The relatively compact engine also enables a 47/53 front/rear weight distribution, and drives the rear wheels through a manual gearbox. The 5-speed manual from Australian firm Holinger was specifically chosen for its mechanical feel, Bååth said.
Feel was the priority here, rather than lap times. Engineers could have done some things to make the P1800 faster, but the emphasis was on making it fun, Bååth said. The P1800 lacks traction control, anti-lock brakes, and power assist for the brakes but, in a concession for convenience, it does have electric power steering. That helps with parking lot maneuvering, Bååth noted.
Cyan Racing built this car as a one-off, but it’s now headed to production. Cyan Racing is accepting orders, but customers will have to pony up at least $700,000 for one. So if you like what you see here, start planning a bank robbery.
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- 1930 Cadillac V-16 thunders into Jay Leno’s Garage
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(WTRF/NEXSTAR) – Passengers flying with Spirit Airlines erupted in applause after a nurse helped save a baby who stopped breathing on a recent flight, video from the plane shows.
The incident, which unfolded on a flight from Pittsburgh to Orlando, was first reported by Ian Cassette, a meteorologist for Orlando news outlet WOFL. Cassette was also a passenger on the flight, where he captured video of the relieved passengers.
On Twitter, Cassette explained that the 3-month-old baby’s parents were “terrified” when the child stopped breathing. Luckily, nurse Tamara Panzino was also on the flight, and reportedly massaged the baby’s chest and legs until she started breathing again, according to WOFL.
In the video, the baby can even be seen smiling after the incident.
“We thank our crew and Guest for the quick response,” a representative for Spirit Airlines said in a statement shared with Nexstar.
“Our Flight Attendants are trained to respond to medical emergencies onboard and utilize several resources, including communicating with our designated on-call medical professionals on the ground, using onboard medical kits, and receiving assistance from credentialed medical professionals traveling on the flight.”
It’s unclear what caused the infant to stop breathing, though her parents indicated that they had never experienced any similar incidents in the past, according to Cassette.
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(NEXSTAR) – The National 9/11 Museum & Memorial has a special place for “sky blue.”
In recent years, the 9/11 Museum & Memorial has encouraged buildings across New York City to light up their rooftops or facades in remembrance of those who were killed during the attacks on September 11. Specifically, the city’s iconic buildings will be illuminated in a striking sky blue — a color that holds special significance for the organization, and the city as a whole.
Sky blue, or “Memorial Blue” as the color is also referred to, symbolizes the city’s (and the world’s) general perception of the sky in the morning just prior to the attacks. In fact, the cloudless skies above NYC on 9/11 had been described as what pilots and meteorologists call “severe clear,” meaning visibility conditions were seemingly infinite, according to the National 9/11 Museum & Memorial.
This year, dozens of iconic buildings, landmarks and institutions will again be partaking in the “Tributes in Light” event, itself an extension of the longstanding (and perhaps more recognizable) “Tribute in Light” art installation in Lower Manhattan, which form two columns of white light shining up the heavens.
Sky blue, too, is also a prominent feature of one of the museum’s most visually arresting installations, titled “Trying to Remember the Color of the Sky on That September Morning.” Found inside museum’s Memorial Hall, the piece is comprised of 2,983 watercolor squares — representing each of the lives lost on Sept. 11 and the 1993 bombing at the World Trade Center — showcasing different hues of blue to symbolize our memories of the sky on the morning of September 11, 2001.
“Our own perception of the color blue might not be the same as that of another person,” the museum explains of the different hues in the piece, created by artist Spencer Finch. “However, just like our perception of color, our memories share a common point of reference.”
The Museum is also encouraging folks to “Remember the Sky” by sharing photos of the sky to social media on Sept. 11, to help ensure that younger generations never forget the significance of the date.
“Through creating a shared moment of active remembrance together, the 9/11 Memorial & Museum aims to help spur conversation on social media platforms and elsewhere that can serve as a bridge between memory and history for the tens of millions of young people who did not live through that day that changed our world forever,” the museum has written of the campaign.
Those wishing to learn more about the commemorations taking place on 9/11 can visit 911memorial.org for additional information.
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ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — An emotional Harrison Ford appeared along with a new trailer for the fifth Indiana Jones film, cast members from “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” showed footage from their forthcoming sequel, and trailers and details were unveiled from the widening TV presence of the “Star Wars” galaxy on Saturday at the D23 Expo.
An arena-sized audience gave a standing ovation to Ford, co-star Phoebe Waller-Bridge and director James Mangold after the trailer was shown at a presentation from Disney divisions Marvel, Lucasfilm and 20th Century Studios at the festival at the Anaheim Convention Center, next door to Disneyland.
“Thank you for making these films such an incredible experience for all of us,” the usually stoic Ford said, choking up at times. “I’m very proud to say to say that this one is fantastic.”
He pointed to Waller-Bridge and said, “this is one of the reasons.”
The 80-year-old Ford suggested this would be his last time donning the hat and holding the whip of one of the two characters that made him famous.
“This is it,” he said, as shouts of “no” came from the crowd. “I will not fall down for you again.”
The 37-year-old Waller-Bridge said Ford showed no signs of slowing down, saying “I had the time of my life making this movie,” and “keeping up with this guy is exhausting.”
The trailer shows Ford cracking that whip in front of a group of heavily armed henchmen with Waller-Bridge at his side.
The film, whose title has yet to be announced, is set for release on June 30, 2023. It also stars Mads Mikkelsen, Toby Jones and Antonio Banderas, and is the first in the franchise not directed by Steven Spielberg.
Angela Bassett and Winston Duke were among the cast members who presented part of “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” which is set for release on Nov. 11.
The sequence shows a team trying to steal some of the nation of Wakanda’s precious substance vibranium, and a Wakandan team beating them back.
It has not been clear how the film would deal with the death of the title star of the first film, Chadwick Boseman, who died of prostate cancer in 2020.
But the footage acknowledged that his character T’Challa had died, and suggests that his sister Shuri, played by Letitia Wright, might be the next Black Panther.
“We had to meet his level of excellence, and we did,” Bassett said.
Neither the “Indiana Jones” trailer nor the “Black Panther” footage were released outside of the convention hall.
Marvel also announced cast members of the forthcoming Phase 5 films from its cinematic universe, “Captain America: New World Order” and “Thunderbolts.”
Anthony Mackie will take up the familiar shield as Captain America in the movie slated for a May 2024 release, as he did at the end of the television series “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier,” and he’ll be joined by Tim Blake Nelson as central villain the Leader. Danny Ramirez and Shira Haas will play heroes alongside Mackie.
Marvel’s team of antiheroes “Thunderbolts” will include role reprisals from Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, Sebastian Stan as the Winter Soldier and David Harbour as Red Guardian. Wyatt Russell and Julia Louis Dreyfus also appear in the film set to be released in July of 2024.
Pedro Pascal and the cast of “The Mandalorian” unveiled a trailer and new details for the series’ third season and Diego Luna did the same for the forthcoming series “Andor” as Lucasfilm and the “Star Wars” galaxy deepens its television presence with no big screens in sight.
“You are a Mandalorian no more,” Pascal’s title character is told in the trailer for the new season, a penalty for his having removed his helmet and showed his face.
The trailer shows the Mandalorian and his baby-Yoda sidekick Grogu zipping through space, and suggests an increased role for “Battlestar Galactica” star Katee Sackhoff and her character Bo-Katan Kryze, who first appeared in season two.
Carl Weathers and Giancarlo will both reprise their roles, and “Back to the Future” star Christopher Lloyd is joining the cast. The show is set to premiere in February.
In a different Lucasfilm galaxy, a trailer was unveiled for the forthcoming TV series “Willow,” based on the 1988 Ron Howard fantasy film. Christian Slater was announced as a cast member, and appeared live to talk about it.
“I love the fantasy, the sci-fi, just getting to be a part of this show was, I will be honest with you an absolute dream come true,” Slater said. “This was a very fun character.”
The character was described only as someone aiding in a quest who is a friend of Madmartigan, the rogue adventurer played by Val Kilmer in the film.
The trailer brings epic echoes of “Lord of the Rings,” with original “Willow” actor Warwick Davis leading a group of teen adventurers in cloaks on a magical mission.
All the shows will stream on Disney+.
___
Follow AP Entertainment Writer Andrew Dalton on Twitter: https://twitter.com/andyjamesdalton
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LOS ANGELES (AP) — Ask veteran television executive Frank Cicha to recall the last time the daytime TV schedule has seen such turnover, and he has a ready answer: Never.
“Never,” he repeated. “There’s been sort of signature tumultuous moments,” including Oprah Winfrey ending her 25-year run in 2011. But the “en masse” exit of shows and the relatively few new ones replacing them is unprecedented, he said.
What Cicha terms daytime’s “re-rack” has created openings for “The Jennifer Hudson Show” and “Sherri,” with Sherri Shepherd, both debuting Monday, and “Karamo” with Karamo Brown of “Queer Eye” fame, starting Sept. 19.
They are joining a daytime lineup that includes continuing talk-variety series “The Kelly Clarkson Show,” “The Drew Barrymore Show,”“Tamron Hall” and ratings leaders “The View,” “Dr. Phil” and “Live with Kelly and Ryan.”
Gone from the picture are the long-running shows led by Ellen DeGeneres, Wendy Williams and Maury Povich. Others that have turned off the stage lights include “The Nick Cannon Show,” “Dr. Oz” and “The Real.”
Success with daytime’s female-skewing audience isn’t guaranteed no matter a contender’s resume or fame, as illustrated by the short-lived runs of hosts including Queen Latifah, Megan Mullally and Harry Connick Jr.
“Talented people have tried to grace daytime. But if they don’t have an every-person appeal and they don’t interview people well” they wash out, said marketing analyst Stacey Lynn Schulman, founder and chief executive of Human Insight.
The producers behind Shepherd and Hudson’s shows express confidence their respective hosts have the right touch.
Hudson, the “American Idol” alum who went on to award-winning screen, stage and music success, is “funny, authentic and genuine,” said executive producer Mary Connelly, who held that job with DeGeneres’ show.
“What we’ve learned in our short time together is how much the audience loves Jennifer, and how much she loves the audience,” Connelly said. “We’re going to have all the conventions of a talk show, but one of the things that will make the show stand out is her interactions with the audience.”
David Perler, executive producer and showrunner for “Sherri,” said Shepherd’s depth of talk-show experience, including her tenure as a co-host on “The View” and subbing for the health-challenged Williams, is a big advantage.
“It’s so easy to work with somebody who has done this for many years and different incarnations,” Perler said. The new show is built around her desire to “make you feel better when you leave at the end of the hour than you did before.”
“At the root of it, which is just who Sherri is, is always going to be the comedic element. She’s funny. She loves to laugh, and she’s still going out there and doing stand-up,” Perler said.
Brown, whose entry is from the production team behind “Maury” and “The Steve Wilkos Show,” has said he wants to ”connect with people from all walks of life” and plans to discuss issues including infidelity, race and parenting.
The new hosts, all of whom are Black, are expanding daytime TV’s lagging diversity. But veteran TV journalist Hall waves off the idea that they can be lumped together.
“We are owed the respect to recognize what each of us bring to the table and how each of us are different. And I think that’s very important at this time where we are seeing a number of shows hosted by people who happen to be Black,” she said. “We’re not all the same, and to make us all the same is unfair.”
There’s an inevitable hodgepodge scheduling in syndicated TV because shows carried nationwide can have varying air times and stations. One way to get to an edge is to inherit the home of an established show — the case with Shepherd, whose distribution includes Williams’ Fox-owned station slots.
DeGeneres’ NBC-owned station turf is going primarily to Clarkson. That upgrade, coupled with the “kind of America’s sweetheart” appeal she’s demonstrated on her show, could give her an edge in the revamped landscape, Schulman suggested.
Clarkson’s show is making a format tweak to give her more time to connect with guests, said Alex Duda, the show’s executive producer and showrunner. It will open its fourth season Monday with a fan-oriented celebration of the 20th anniversary of the singer’s “American Idol” victory.
“We thought we would bring music to the masses, so we got this big box that is like a recording studio on wheels,” Duda said, and kicked off a road trip in New York where “anybody could come in and do a virtual duet with Kelly.”
Hudson’s show will be joining Shepherd’s on Fox-owned stations, a chance for the two to complement each other rather than compete in those markets.
“I love the idea of a total freshness and newness to syndication in our blocks,” said Cicha, executive vice president of programming for Fox Television Stations. “Some shows have stayed on for years because they could, not necessarily because they should.”
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Writer Gary Gerard Hamilton in New York contributed to this report.
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NEW YORK (AP) — You’d have thought it was a movie premiere, with the hoopla converging outside midtown Manhattan’s Hammerstein Ballroom. But inside, despite the celebrity presence, the real star was a handbag.
Not just any handbag, but the “Baguette” — the ubiquitous Fendi bag created 25 years ago and named for the long French loaf of bread and the way it, too, is carried under the arm of the discerning buyer. The Fendi show on Friday night was a big birthday party for the bag and its long-lasting claim to pop-culture fame.
But why New York, when Fendi usually shows in Italy? The bag had early success and pop-culture resonance in New York, most memorably immortalized in a 2000 episode of “Sex and the City,” when a mugger had the temerity to try to take one from Carrie Bradshaw when he apparently didn’t know what it was called.
“Gimme your bag,” the thug in the alley demanded. “It’s a baguette!” Carrie admonished him as he made off with her shiny purple version.
It’s safe to say everyone knew their bags from their baguettes on Friday night, when about 600 people packed into the ballroom — some on the main floor and others in high balcony seating — to celebrate the bag and its many iterations over the years.
The evening marked a three-way collaboration. Fendi women’s designer Kim Jones had brought in his friend and onetime boss, Marc Jacobs — the quintessential New York designer — to lend his distinctive romantic streetwear vibe to a series of 10 or so ensembles starring, of course, the baguette. (“I am never one to shy away from an iconic bag,” Jacobs was quoted as saying in a theater-style program.) And jeweler Tiffany & Co. presented its own baguettes in signature robin’s-egg blue.
In the front row sat Kim Kardashian, in blonde locks and a figure-hugging sheer and sequined dress, but the baguettes were the focus on the runway. There were big baguettes, small baguettes, nano-sized baguettes. Shiny baguettes, fluffy baguettes, sparkly and smooth baguettes.
There were fanny-pack baguettes, and sometimes double baguettes — two sizes stacked together. Pockets were reimagined as baguettes. There were tiny baguettes in satin fashioned onto tube socks — a perfect place to put little gadgets — or if you wanted them closer to your head, attached to a satin baseball cap. The vibe was a mix of fancy and casual, of sequins and sweatshirts.
As the show began, a huge drape on the wall dropped to the ground to reveal a giant mirror, suddenly allowing the entire room, balconies and all, to see itself. The models snaked along the floor, but when they were done, the mirror suddenly disappeared and the models were standing in a huge display case, as if at a store.
Linda Evangelista, in a huge Tiffany blue cape and gown, came out with the designers for a final bow. They applauded her, in what was a very public moment for the ’90s supermodel, now 57, after her recent ordeal with what she has described as a disastrous body-sculpting procedure that left her disfigured.
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NEW YORK (AP) — Prabal Gurung sent his New York Fashion Week models down a long, stark runway Saturday in the shadow of the United Nations wearing an explosion of sheers and colors as an ode to the misfits of the world who are “often watched and monitored, scrutinized but unseen.”
The designer told The Associated Press he discovered the building occupied by U.N. consulates and nonprofits while on a bike ride on Manhattan’s East Side. He turned it into a white runway that made his revealing metallics, bondage looks and neon brights pop.
“I wanted to create a space for this particular show where we felt what we are feeling in the culture itself: Kind of unsure politically, culturally, but we still want to be hopeful, want to be optimistic,” he said. “I needed to be near the reminder of the U.N. that our job in fashion is not done until we are alert and vigilant.”
Over the last year, Gurung said, he found his hope and optimism fading as the “status quo, the patriarchy,” seemed ever more unnerved over those who resist “regressive values.”
To find some joy again, and belonging, he wrote in his show notes, he ventured into New York City’s outer boroughs, where “the style, the confidence, the nightlife and these younger generations evoked a familiar but new sense of unabashed authenticity that reignited the same fire my mother gave me as a boy.”
So how did that translate into his latest spring collection on his clean white runway?
In a fiery red mini dress. In a jet black bodysuit paired with a crinkle chiffon, hand-draped skirt. In a white corseted jumpsuit and a barely there mint blouse worn with a black leather lambskin mini skirt by Ella Emhoff, the stepdaughter of Vice President Kamala Harris.
He called his misfits “my families, my tribes, my friends” whose rights are often taken advantage of. As a creative person, Gurung said, the pandemic has reaffirmed his need to tell stories rather than simply send clothes down a runway.
His story continued in a bright pink dress of hand-embroidered sequins and multicolored ostrich feathers, an acid wash denim corseted blazer and a fuchsia and black mesh goddess gown. There was a tulle gown in soft pink and black, and another in soft blue and black. There were tap shorts and a one-shoulder blouse in lilac.
Gurung’s sheer cobalt blue trousers worn with an equally sheer long-sleeve blouse in chartreuse that opened to reveal a black bralette moved with the model as so many of his liquid looks did. It was most definitely a different direction for Gurung.
“Instead of just doing a regular show, I wanted to create an experience,” he told the AP. “Storytellers are healers.”
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NEW YORK (AP) — Waterfalls cascaded down the marble walls of the imposing early 20th-century Beaux-Arts building where Proenza Schouler showed its latest collection at New York Fashion Week.
To be clear, the water wasn’t actually wet, but rendered in video installations. Still, the soothing waterfalls set a strong sense of mood for the clothes on display in Friday’s runway show — particularly the cascading ruffles gracing a number of the ensembles, either spilling down the back of a dress or “dripping” down a long sleeve.
In the Hall des Lumières exhibition space, set in the old Emigrant Industrial Savings Bank building (an early example of a New York building in Beaux-Arts style), designers Lazaro Hernandez and Jack McCollough presented a collection they said was a mix of their personal histories — in their own words, “the sensuous and fiery qualities of Lazaro’s Latin roots coupled with the pragmatism and grit of Jack’s American experience.” Water, the duo said, was chosen as a symbol of life.
The collection, which notably featured more skin-baring or sheer looks than the designers usually present, opened with two dresses with sheer, crocheted skirts and fringed bodices. Later there was a shimmering gold crocheted ensemble of a sleeveless top and sheer skirt.
Hernandez said backstage that the duo had found “this amazing community of hand weavers in Bolivia,” who worked on a set of pieces for six months.
In conceiving the show, McCollough said the duo had started with a series of silhouettes. The idea of water, he said, was expressed in the feeling of dripping — for example, the rippling feeling of a loose pair of bell-bottom trousers or a ruffled black leather skirt. In addition to the crocheted looks, lace dresses added another sheer look.
The designers, who met as students at the Parsons School of Design, named their fashion label after both of their mothers’ maiden names. They often base their collections on themes in contemporary art or culture.
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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — A sexual assault complaint has been filed against Puerto Rico pop star Ricky Martin, who recently sued his nephew over what he said were false allegations of sexual abuse.
The complaint was filed Friday at a police precinct in the capital of San Juan, police spokesman Edward Ramírez told The Associated Press on Saturday. Information including who filed the complaint and details of the allegations are not public, given the nature of the complaint.
A person who was not authorized to speak about the case confirmed that Martin’s nephew, Dennis Yadiel Sánchez Martin, filed the complaint. The person said the complaint does not automatically trigger an arrest because the alleged incident is not recent, adding that police will investigate and determine whether charges are warranted.
Sánchez previously requested a restraining order against Martin in July, but a judge later archived the case after Sánchez admitted under oath that he had never been sexually assaulted by the singer.
Flavia Fernández, a spokeswoman for Martin, told the AP that his legal team is evaluating the situation and not issuing public comment for now.
On Thursday, the artist’s attorneys filed a lawsuit against his nephew, whom they described as “troubled.” They accused him of extortion, malicious persecution, abuse of law and damages.
They said Sánchez’s allegations cost Martin at least $10 million worth of canceled contracts and projects, plus another $20 million in damages to his reputation.
The lawsuit states that Sánchez would send up to 10 messages a day to Martin, the majority “meaningless diatribes without any particular purpose.” It also accuses him of publishing Martin’s private number, forcing him to change it.
In addition, the lawsuit said Sánchez falsely claimed he had a romantic relationship with Martin for seven months and that the singer didn’t want it to end and would call Sánchez with frequency.
“Nothing further from the truth,” the lawsuit stated.
Attorneys also noted that a judge previously issued Sánchez two restraining orders in an unrelated stalking case.
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LONDON (AP) — Prince William and wife Kate made a surprise joint appearance with Prince Harry and wife Meghan on Saturday, warmly greeting a large crowd gathered outside Windsor Castle to remember their long-reigning monarch, Queen Elizabeth II.
Their “walkabout,” the first time the brothers have appeared amicably together in public since March 2020, comes at a time when the younger generation of Britain’s royal family must step up their responsibilities significantly.
William, long second-in-line to the throne, is now the heir apparent after his father, King Charles III, became Britain’s new monarch upon his mother’s death. That means William and Kate, both 40 and parents of three young children, immediately assume a much more central role as the new face of the monarchy.
William and Harry had been on frosty terms since Harry quit as a senior royal and moved to the U.S. two years ago. Their show of unity Saturday was reportedly initiated by William and left some observers hoping that Harry, 37, might return to the fray and support his elder brother in sharing the heavy workload now on William’s shoulders.
“Certainly William and Catherine, as the new Prince and Princess of Wales, will be even more in the media spotlight if that’s possible,” said Joe Little, managing editor of Majesty magazine. “Until Thursday, there was a buffer between him and the throne. That buffer has now been removed.”
It’s a stark contrast to how thing were just two weeks ago, when William and Kate announced they were moving their family from central London to a more rural base in Windsor. Observers thought they were seeking more privacy and a more “normal” upbringing for their children, who just started a new year together at a private school.
Long before he ascended to the throne, Charles indicated that he wanted a “slimmed down” monarchy with a tighter core group of full-time working royals and lower expenses.
That was before Harry’s move — and before the princes’ uncle, Prince Andrew, was effectively banished from public life following sexual misconduct scandals.
Not many other recognizable “working royals” — members of the royal family who officially represent the monarch — were left to share the hundreds of official engagements and numerous overseas visits undertaken each year.
The group includes Charles and his wife, Camilla, now the Queen Consort; William and Kate; the queen’s only daughter, Princess Anne; and the queen’s youngest child, Prince Edward, and his wife, Sophie. Also working royals, but much lesser known, are the queen’s first cousin, Prince Richard, and his wife, Birgitte.
In his first speech to the nation, which was broadcast Friday, Charles formally bestowed his own title, the Prince of Wales, to William. Kate is now the Princess of Wales, and is the first person since William’s late mother, Princess Diana, to hold the title.
William and Kate also inherit Charles and Camilla’s other honorary titles, the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall. That means managing and taking income from the Duchy of Cornwall, an estate comprising land across the U.K. that is reportedly worth 1 billion pounds.
“With Catherine beside him, our new Prince and Princess of Wales will, I know, continue to inspire and lead our national conversations, helping to bring the marginal to the center ground where vital help can be given,” Charles said Friday.
In his speech, Charles said he knows won’t be able to devote as much time and energy to causes he cares most about, such as the environment and climate change.
William will now likely spend more time championing those topics. He already made his mark by founding the Earthshot Prize, an ambitious “legacy project” expected to hand out millions of pounds in grants for environmental initiatives over the next 10 years.
“It will be some time before the reality of life without Grannie will truly feel real,” William wrote in a statement Saturday. “I will honour her memory by supporting my father, The King, in every way I can.”
Charles also spoke briefly of Harry in his address to the nation, expressing his “love for Harry and Meghan as they continue to build their lives overseas.”
Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, moved away from the U.K. to seek financial independence and freedom from severe British media scrutiny into their lives.
The couple is now settled in California with their two young children. Both Harry and Meghan repeatedly have aired their unhappiness with the royals since their departure.
Those tensions were put aside Saturday, as the two princes and their wives arrived in the same car to greet people who pressed against road barriers outside the gates of Windsor Castle. Each royal stopped to speak to both children and adults, accepting flowers and condolences from an excited crowd.
“It was so beautiful to see. I felt so emotional and I felt the queen would have loved it,” said Banita Ranow, 28. Her mother, Baljinder, said the visit was “fabulous.”
“I just hope in the future they remain like that and that the brothers come together,” she said.
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Follow AP stories on Queen Elizabeth II’s death and other stories about the British monarchy at https://apnews.com/hub/queen-elizabeth-ii
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“All the Beauty and the Bloodshed,” Laura Poitras’s epic documentary about photographer Nan Goldin and her activism against the Sackler family and their art connections has been awarded the Golden Lion for best film at the 79th Venice International Film Festival.
Poitras, the American filmmaker behind the Oscar-winning Edward Snowden documentary “Citizenfour,” thanked the festival for recognizing that “documentary is cinema” at the ceremony Saturday evening in Venice. Neon is expected to release the film in theaters this fall and HBO Documentary Films recently acquired it for a television run.
Runner up went to Alice Diop’s “Saint Omer,” the narrative debut from the documentarian about a young novelist observing the trial of a woman accused of infanticide.
Cate Blanchett and Colin Farrell won the top acting prizes. Blanchett won for her performance as a renowned conductor in Todd Field’s “TÁR” and Farrell for playing a man who has broken up with by his longtime friend in Martin McDonagh’s “The Banshees of Inisherin.”
“Thank you so much, it’s such an enormous honor,’ Blanchett said, having just flown back to Venice from the Telluride Film Festival where the film also played.
Her performance as a successful woman in the world of international music whose reputation comes under threat has gotten nearly universal acclaim.
“I’m shocked to get this and thrilled,” Farrell said in a live video message. McDonagh was on site to collect the prize before he got one of his own for screenplay.
Luca Guadagnino won the Silver Lion award for best director for the cannibal romance “Bones and All” starring Timothée Chalamet and Taylor Russell, who also was recognized for her performance for best young actress.
“I have a speech prepared because I’m nervous,” Russell said. “I’m grateful beyond belief to be standing here. So many of my heroes are in this room.
Russell also thanked Guadagnino.
“He’s been a great friend to me and I love him so dearly,” Russell said.
The jury also gave a special jury prize to “No Bears,” by imprisoned Iranian director Jafar Panâhi. The acclaimed director was in July ordered by Iran to serve six-year prison sentence from a decade ago that had never been enforced. The order came as the government seeks to silence criticism amid growing economic turmoil and political pressure.
Julianne Moore led the jury that selected Saturday’s winner from a pool of 23 films that included many Oscar hopefuls. The Oscar-winner presided over a jury that included French director Audrey Diwan, whose film “Happening” won the Golden Lion last year, author Kazuo Ishiguro (“Never Let Me Go”), who has been judging from his hotel room after testing positive for COVID-19, and Iranian actor Leila Hatami (“A Separation”). Also on the main jury were Italian director Leonardo Di Costanzo (“The Inner Cage”) Argentinian filmmaker Mariano Cohn (“Official Competition”) and Rodrigo Sorogoyen (“The Candidate”).
Premiering in competition at Venice has launched many successful Oscar campaigns in recent years, leading to nominations and even wins. Seven times in the last nine years the best director Oscar has gone to a film that world premiered at the festival, including Chloé Zhao, Alfonso Cuarón, Alejandro G. Iñarritu, twice, Guillermo del Toro and Damien Chazelle. It’s also debuted a handful future best picture winners like “Nomadland,” “The Shape of Water” and “Birdman.”
Outside of the festival’s acting winners, Venice cemented several films, actors and directors, as strong awards contenders for the season to come. Brendan Fraser moved many to tears for his portrayal of Charlie, a reclusive English teacher who weighs 600 pounds and is attempting to mend things with his estranged, cruel daughter Ellie (Sadie Sink) in Darren Aronofsky’s “The Whale.”
If standing ovation timers are any indication of reception, some of the most beloved of the festival were Andrew Domink’s “Blonde,” an evocative, semi fictional account of Marilyn Monroe’s life, starring Ana de Armas, and “The Banshees of Inisherin.” “Banshees” got a reported 13-minute standing ovation to “Blonde’s” 14 minutes—nearly double that of most other well-liked films.
Other films made also waves but went home from the awards empty handed, like Netflix’s “Athena,” a pulsating French drama about the murder a young boy that incites an all-out war in the community, led by his other brothers. Another, quite different, French film also charmed audiences and critics: Rebecca Zlotowski’s “Other People’s Children,” about a 40-year-old childfree woman (Virinie Efira) dating a man (Roschdy Zem) with a young daughter.
Some were more divisive, like Iñárritu’s “Bardo (or False Chronicles of a Handful of Truths),” a nearly three-hour, surrealist epic about a journalist returning his home country, Mexico, for the first time in 20 years. Loosely based on Iñárritu’s experience of finding success in another country, the film was beloved by some and not by others. Noah Baumbach’s Don DeLillo adaptation “White Noise” also received mixed reviews.
One major surprise was the generally negative reception for “The Son,” Florian Zeller’s follow-up to his Oscar-winner “The Father,” that stars Hugh Jackman and Laura Dern.
Aside from awards, it was a Venice for the books, with high glamour from Timothée Chalamet, who stunned in a red backless halter neck from Haider Ackermann, and Florence Pugh, looking the part of a movie star in a sheer tulle off the shoulder Valentino that slyly evoked both classic romanticism and playful modernity, and high drama, mostly around Olivia Wilde’s “Don’t Worry Darling.” The behind-the-scenes intrigue on Wilde’s film led to some excessive silliness as the world watched the cast’s every move for clues, from where people were seated, to who looked at who during the premiere.
Chris Pine even became an unlikely meme for various shots of him looking zoned out at a press conference. Then came “spit-gate” where onlookers turned into amateur sleuths trying to determine whether or not Harry Styles spit on Pine before the world premiere of the film (he didn’t). As ever, Venice gets people talking.
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Follow AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ldbahr
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For more on the Venice Film Festival, visit: www.apnews.com/VeniceFilmFestival
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LONDON (AP) — The Irish carrier Aer Lingus canceled all flights out of Dublin to European and U.K. destinations Saturday after a major computer networking incident knocked offline its check-in and boarding systems and website, the company said.
It said all outgoing flights from Dublin beginning at mid-afternoon were canceled, and a number of Dublin-bound flights from European destinations were also canceled. Flights from Portugal and Spain were delayed, it said.
An Aer Lingus spokesperson said later by email that connectivity had been restored by the impacted network provider — which they did not name — and the airline was getting IT services back online.
The spokesperson said the provider had identified the reason for the incident “and we are not treating it as a cyberware/ransomware attack at this time.” They did not elaborate.
In all, 51 flights were canceled, Aer Lingus said, adding that transatlantic flights operating out of Shannon Airport were not affected but that transatlantic service from Dublin operated with delays and reduced passenger numbers due to security restrictions related to the systems outage.
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NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — A global search for alternative sources to Russian energy during the war in Ukraine has refocused attention on smaller, easier-to-build nuclear power stations, which proponents say could provide a cheaper, more efficient alternative to older model mega-plants.
U.K.-based Rolls-Royce SMR says its small modular reactors, or SMRs, are much cheaper and quicker to get running than standard plants, delivering the kind of energy security that many nations are seeking. France already relies on nuclear power for a majority of its electricity, and Germany kept the option of reactivating two nuclear plants it will shut down at the end of the year as Russia cuts natural gas supplies.
While Rolls-Royce SMR and its competitors have signed deals with countries from Britain to Poland to start building the stations, they are many years away from operating and cannot solve the energy crisis now hitting Europe. Nuclear power also poses risks, including disposing of highly radioactive waste and keeping that technology out of the hands of rogue countries or nefarious groups that may pursue a nuclear weapons program.
Those risks have been accentuated following the shelling around Europe’s largest nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, which has raised fears of potential nuclear disaster.
In the wake of the war, however, “the reliance on gas imports and Russian energy sources has focused people’s minds on energy security,” Rolls-Royce SMR spokesman Dan Gould said.
An SMR’s components can be built in a factory, moved to a site in tractor trailers and assembled there, making the technology more attractive to frugal buyers, he said.
“It’s like building Lego,” Gould said. “Building on a smaller scale reduces risks and makes it a more investible project.”
Some SMRs are essentially pressurized water reactors identical to some 400 reactors worldwide, while other designs use sodium, lead, gas or salt as a coolant instead of water. The key advantages are their size — about one-tenth as big as a standard reactor — the ease of construction and the price tag.
The estimated cost of a Rolls-Royce SMR is 2.2 billion to 2.8 billion pounds ($2.5 billion to $3.2 billion), with an estimated construction time of 5 1/2 years. That’s two years faster than it took to build a standard nuclear plant between 2016 and 2021, according to International Atomic Energy Agency statistics. Some estimates put the cost of building a 1,100-megawatt nuclear plant at between $6 billion and $9 billion.
Rolls-Royce aims to build its first stations in the U.K. within 5 1/2 years, Gould said.
Similarly, Oregon-based NuScale Power signed agreements last year with two Polish companies — copper and silver producer KGHM and energy producer UNIMOT — to explore the possibility of building SMRs to power heavy industry. Poland wants to switch from polluting, coal-powered electricity generation.
Rolls-Royce SMR said last month that it signed a deal with Dutch development company ULC-Energy to look into setting up SMRs in the Netherlands.
Another partner is Turkey, where Russia is building the Akkuyu nuclear power plant on the southern coast. Environmentalists say the region is seismically active and could be a target for terrorists.
The introduction of “unproven” nuclear power technology in the form of SMRs doesn’t sit well with environmentalists, who argue that proliferation of small reactors will exacerbate the problem of how to dispose of highly radioactive nuclear waste.
“Unfortunately, Turkey is governed by an incompetent administration that has turned it into a ‘test bed’ for corporations,” said Koray Dogan Urbarli, a spokesman for Turkey’s Green Party.
“It is giving up the sovereignty of a certain region for at least 100 years for Russia to build a nuclear power plant. This incompetence and lobbying power make Turkey an easy target for SMRs,” said Koray, adding that his party eschews technology with an “uncertain future.”
Gould said one Rolls-Royce SMR would generate nuclear waste the size of a “tennis court piled 1-meter high” throughout the plant’s 60-year lifetime. He said initially, waste would be stored on site at the U.K. plants and would eventually be transferred to a long-term disposal site selected by the British government.
M.V. Ramana, professor of public policy and global affairs at the University of British Columbia, cites research suggesting there’s “no demonstrated way” to ensure nuclear waste stored in what authorities consider to be secure sites won’t escape in the future.
The constant heat generated by the waste could alter rock formations where it’s stored and allow water seepage, while future mining activities could compromise a nuclear waste site’s integrity, said Ramana, who specializes in international security and nuclear energy.
Skeptics also raise the risks of possibly exporting such technology in politically tumultuous regions. Gould said Rolls-Royce is “completely compliant” with U.K. and international requirements in exporting its SMR technology “only in territories that are signatories to the necessary international treaties for the peaceful use of nuclear power for energy generation.”
Ramana said, however, there’s no guarantee nations will follow the rules.
“Any country acquiring nuclear reactors automatically enhances its capacity to make nuclear weapons,” he said, adding that every SMR could produce “around 10 bombs worth of plutonium each year.”
Rolls-Royce SMR could opt to stop supplying fuel and other services to anyone flouting the rules, but “should any country choose to do so, it can simply tell the International Atomic Energy Agency to stop inspections, as Iran has done, for example,” Ramana said.
Although spent fuel normally undergoes chemical reprocessing to generate the kind of plutonium used in nuclear weapons, Ramana said such reprocessing technology is widely known and that a very sophisticated reprocessing plant isn’t required to produce the amount of plutonium needed for weapons.
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Associated Press writers Andrew Wilks in Ankara, Turkey, and Jennifer McDermott in Providence, Rhode Island, contributed.
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DETROIT (AP) — United Auto Workers union members went on strike Saturday at the Stellantis casting plant in Indiana, citing health and safety issues including the company’s alleged refusal to repair and replace the plant’s air conditioning and heating systems.
The 35-acre plant in Kokomo makes parts used in the power trains of Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and RAM vehicles and a long-term strike could affect vehicle assembly lines across North America.
Stellantis says production had not been scheduled for this weekend and it hoped to resume negotiations as soon as possible on a contract with striking UAW Local 1166.
In a statement, Stellantis said it was committed “to providing a safe and healthy work environment for all employees. After bargaining in good faith for two days and presenting an offer we believed addressed the union’s concerns, we are disappointed by the UAW’s decision to walk out.”
The 1,200-worker plant, Kokomo Casting, is the world’s largest die cast facility, according to Stellantis. It makes aluminum parts for components including transmissions and engine blocks.
The UAW local complained in a statement that Stellantis “claims it has no money to meet its membership’s basic needs” — including providing clean uniforms — while ”making record profits and investing billions in a new battery plant across the street.”
In May, Stellantis announced a $2.5 billion joint venture with Samsung to build an electric vehicle battery factory in Kokomo that is to employ 1,400 workers.
UAW local president David Willis did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment. A person who answered the phone at union offices said he was preparing for a resumption in negotiations.
The casting plant is to be retooled to produce engine blocks for hybrid-electric vehicles.
Stellantis, formed last year with the merger of Fiat Chrysler and France’s PSA Peugeot, had said it would build two electric vehicle battery factories in North America. The other is slated for Windsor, Ontario.
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| 2022-09-21T10:02:00Z
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NEW YORK (AP) — Payment processor Visa Inc. said Saturday that it plans to start separately categorizing sales at gun shops, a major win for gun control advocates who say it will help better track suspicious surges of gun sales that could be a prelude to a mass shooting.
But the decision by Visa, the world’s largest payment processor, will likely provoke the ire of gun rights advocates and gun lobbyists, who have argued that categorizing gun sales would unfairly flag an industry when most sales do not lead to mass shootings. It joins Mastercard and American Express, which also said they plan to move forward with categorizing gun shop sales.
Visa said it would adopt the International Organization for Standardization’s new merchant code for gun sales, which was announced on Friday. Until Friday, gun store sales were considered “general merchandise.”
“Following ISO’s decision to establish a new merchant category code, Visa will proceed with next steps, while ensuring we protect all legal commerce on the Visa network in accordance with our long-standing rules,” the payment processor said in a statement.
Visa’s adoption is significant as the largest payment network, and with Mastercard and AmeEx, will likely put pressure on the banks as the card issuers to adopt the standard as well. Visa acts as a middleman between merchants and banks, and it will be up to banks to decide whether they will allow sales at gun stores to happen on their issued cards.
Gun control advocates had gained significant wins on this front in recent weeks. New York City officials and pension funds had pressured the ISO and banks to adopt this code.
Two of the country’s largest public pension funds, in California and New York, have been pressing the country’s largest credit card firms to establish sales codes specifically for firearm-related sales that could flag suspicious purchases or more easily trace how guns and ammunition are sold.
Merchant category codes now exist for almost every kind of purchase, including those made at supermarkets, clothing stores, coffee shops and many other retailers.
“When you buy an airline ticket or pay for your groceries, your credit card company has a special code for those retailers. It’s just common sense that we have the same policies in place for gun and ammunition stores,” said New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a former police captain who blames the proliferation of guns for his city’s deadly violence.
The city’s comptroller, Brad Lander, said it made moral and financial sense as a tool to push back against gun violence.
“Unfortunately, the credit card companies have failed to support this simple, practical, potentially lifesaving tool. The time has come for them to do so,” Lander said recently, before Visa and others had adopted the move.
Lander is a trustee of the New York City Employees’ Retirement System, Teachers’ Retirement System and Board of Education Retirement System — which together own 667,200 shares in American Express valued at approximately $92.49 million; 1.1 million shares in MasterCard valued at approximately $347.59 million; and 1.85 million shares in Visa valued at approximately $363.86 million.
The pension funds and gun control advocates argue that creating a merchant category code for standalone firearm and ammunition stores could aid in the battle against gun violence. A week before the mass shooting at the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, Florida, where 49 people died after a shooter opened fire in 2016, the assailant used credit cards to buy more than $26,000 worth of guns and ammunition, including purchases at a stand-alone gun retailer.
Gun rights advocates argue that tracking sales at gun stores would unfairly target legal gun purchases, since merchant codes just track the type of merchant where the credit or debit card is used, not the actual items purchased. A sale of a gun safe, worth thousands of dollars and an item considered part of responsible gun ownership, could be seen as a just a large purchase at a gun shop.
“The (industry’s) decision to create a firearm specific code is nothing more than a capitulation to anti-gun politicians and activists bent on eroding the rights of law-abiding Americans one transaction at a time,” said Lars Dalseide, a spokesman for the National Rifle Association.
Over the years, public pension funds have used their extensive investment portfolios to influence public policy and the market place.
The California teacher’s fund, the second largest pension fund in the country, has long taken aim on the gun industry. It has divested its holdings from gun manufacturers and has sought to persuade some retailers from selling guns.
Four years ago, the teacher’s fund made guns a key initiative. It called for background checks and called on retailers “monitor irregularities at the point of sale, to record all firearm sales, to audit firearms inventory on a regular basis, and to proactively assist law enforcement.”
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Associated Press writer Bobby Calvan in New York contributed to this report.
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(NEXSTAR) – It was fun while it lasted, Chipotle fans.
Chipotle has confirmed that guests will no longer be able to take advantage of an online “hack” that gained popularity on social media, as it resulted in a “poor experience” for employees and customers in the restaurants.
Users who had partaken in the “hack,” as it was referred to on social media, had instructed their followers to use Chipotle’s online ordering platforms to place an order for a single taco with all of the free toppings on the side, along with a tortilla. By doing so, many users claimed they could construct what essentially amounted to an entire burrito (or burrito bowl) for around $3 and change.
When ordered the traditional way, burritos generally cost upwards of $9, depending on proteins and add-ons, according to the Chipotle website.
As first reported by Insider, Chipotle disabled the online option to order a single taco earlier this week.
“Guests are currently unable to order a single taco from our online ordering systems,” said Laurie Schalow, the chief corporate affairs officer for Chipotle, in a statement shared with Nexstar. “While we have long embraced customizations and even released our own hack menu, the current social media trend is resulting in a poor experience for our food, our employees and our customers waiting for orders.”
Workers at several Chipotle locations across the U.S. told Insider that having to fulfill these orders would slow down the entire restaurant. The item itself also wasted more packaging and single-use plastic cups than a traditional burrito order.
One manager, from Ohio, even told Insider that customers would get “aggressive” with employees when they were given the appropriate-sized sides for a taco (rather than the larger sides provided in burrito orders), even though they were technically only entitled to the smaller taco-sized portions.
“It was just annoying for everyone,” she said, in part, in a statement to Insider.
Meanwhile, Schalow indicated in her statement that Chipotle isn’t against all menu “hacks” on social media, pointing to three that Chipotle itself shared on TikTok in 2020. But each of these “hacks” — for ordering nachos, a taco salad or a seven-layer dip — were aimed at helping customers create off-menu items, rather than cheaper versions of current menu items.
Chipotle customers who still wish to order tacos, meanwhile, can still do so in-person, Schalow told Nexstar.
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SAN DIEGO (KSWB) – Michael James Pratt, a co-owner of a pornographic website, has now been added to the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list.
Pratt, 39, is wanted for his alleged involvement in a conspiracy to recruit young women and girls to engage in commercial sex acts by force, fraud and coercion, authorities say.
“Pratt is alleged to have been the owner of adult websites ‘GirlsdoPorn’ and ‘GirlsdoToys,'” said U.S Attorney Randy Grossman, who added that Pratt has been charged in the Southern District of California “for sex trafficking crimes, in connection with a scheme to deceive and coerce young women to appear in sex videos on those websites.”
FBI San Diego Special Agent in Charge Stacey Moy said Pratt recruited hundreds of women from all over the United States and Canada between the years 2012 and 2019, and that most of the videos were shot in San Diego, in hotel rooms and home rentals.
Special Agent Moy said Pratt would lure these women with “the false promise of legitimate clothed modeling jobs,” but then often “forced or coerced them into participating in pornographic videos.”
Special Agent Moy added that Pratt would promise anonymity and convince victims that the videos would never be posted on the internet — which would later be found to be a lie.
“Pratt operated these sites as a front to force for commercial sex acts, which generated more than $17 million in revenue for Pratt and his co-hosts,” said Special Agent Moy.
The adult websites are no longer running, but officials say the videos still exist and hundreds of victims are still out there.
A warrant had been issued for Pratt, a New Zealand native, in 2019.
The FBI is encouraging victims to come forward. Anyone with information as to Pratt’s whereabouts are urged to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or reach out to the nearest American Embassy or Consulate.
The FBI is also offering a reward of up to $100,000 for any information leading to Pratt’s arrest.
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CRESTWOOD, Mo. (KTVI) — Pikachu can’t help with this one. A man in Missouri is facing three felony charges — after police say he stole over $12,000 in Pokémon cards and other merchandise from a gaming store.
St. Louis County prosecutors charged Nicholas Garrison, 24, of Tulsa, Oklahoma, with second-degree burglary, stealing $750 or more, and property damage from Yeti Gaming in Crestwood, Missouri. The burglary happened on Oct. 10, 2021.
Crestwood Police said that the items stolen included thousands of dollars of items related to the Japanese franchise in windows and display cases. Property damages are estimated at $2,000.
Blood droplets inside the store were a DNA match to a known DNA sample of the defendant, according to officials. Garrison reportedly admitted to authorities that he entered the store illegally and took the merchandise because he needed money, per court documents.
Garrison is jailed on a $50,000 cash-only bond.
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| 2022-09-21T10:02:30Z
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CHICAGO (WGN) — Police in Chicago have issued a community alert after a man attempted to kidnap a 5-year-old girl from the city’s Northwest Side.
The mother and child were walking in the neighborhood of Belmont-Cragin around 11:58 a.m. Thursday when an unknown man began following them.
The man engaged in conversation with the mother and offered her an unknown amount of money in exchange for her daughter, police said.
After the woman refused, the man attempted to grab the girl by the hair and pull her towards him, video released by the Chicago Police Department shows.
The mother and daughter were able to get away safely, police said.
The suspect was described as being between 20 and 25 years old, standing about 5-foot-6, and weighing around 160 pounds. Police said he also had a thin beard and bright red hair. At the time of the incident, he was wearing a black hat, black t-shirt, and red shorts.
Chicago police urge anyone with information about the offender or incident to call police at (312)-746-6554.
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PASCO COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) announced news of a “cheating scandal” Friday that had likely cost taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars and put the success of roughly a thousand students in Pasco County in doubt.
“Plain and simple, this was a cheating scandal — greed and cheating at the most bearish level,” said FDLE Tampa Bay Special Agent in Charge Mark Brutnell.
The year-long investigation began after an anonymous caller dialed Agriculture Education Services and Technology (AEST) and claimed they cheated on an old exam. AEST is responsible for making the test banks that are provided to the Florida Department of Education.
Before AEST could initiate its own state-wide audit as a result of the anonymous tip, another phone call and text alleged cheating by teachers at Hudson High School in Pasco County.
Brutnell said the audit revealed several striking irregularities.
First, the tests, which consist of 50 or 100 questions, take students between 30 and 45 minutes to complete, on average. But students taking the test at Hudson High School were completing them in as little as five minutes.
“Hudson High School had a higher pass rate than any other school in Florida,” Brutnell said. “Hudson High School issued the most certificates state-wide. Ten times the number than the school behind them.”
Why?
“For each successfully completed AEST exam, the scheduling teacher receives a bonus from the FDOE of $25 or $50 depending on the exam,” Brutnell added.
In addition, the FDOE paid Pasco County School District between $400 and $800 for each certification passed to enhance their agriculture program.
To discourage cheating, proctors were required by the state to supervise test-takers.
“When our agents started this investigation, they found that none of the mandatory requirements were followed,” Brutnell said. “So not a single proctor was used in any of these tests. And it gets better.”
Instead, Hudson High School teachers Harold Martin, Kate Troutman, and Robert Herrington “took the exams together and used their exams — and I’ll coin it from their own mouth — as study guides to be given to their students,” Brutnell fumed.
“These guides were the exact copies of the exams. Students were also allowed to use the study guides while taking their exams.”
The investigation found that, in total, 284 students took the test using “study guides.”
Further, as students took the exams, Brutnell said the teachers would photograph the tests to produce and update the study guides.
“In many instances, teachers provided students with answers during exams and one teacher actually took the exam for the students,” Brutnell said.
Even students in the Exceptional Student Education program “routinely had their tests taken for them.”
Brutnell continued: “Often these students were not even aware they were scheduled to take the exam but they were given a passing grade.”
As a result of the crimes, AEST will invalidate more than 1,000 of the tests taken at Hudson High School.
Authorities said the testing fraud spanned a four-year period and resulted in a combined loss of $708,000. Of that, $36,000 went into the teacher’s pockets, combined.
The investigation is still active.
“We are extremely disappointed in these teachers who were placed in a position of trust, and repeatedly chose to violate that trust,” Pasco Superintendent of Schools Kurt Browning said. “They took advantage of students for personal gain, and that kind of behavior is shocking to teachers everywhere who sacrifice for their students every day.”
All three teachers worked at Hudson High School. Two have resigned, and one has remained on unpaid leave.
Arrangements are being made for the affected students to have an opportunity to retake the tests for free.
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(NerdWallet) – Bringing a child into your family is a big decision, emotionally and financially. The process can be long and cost anywhere from less than $1,000 to more than $50,000. Here’s a breakdown of the different ways you can grow your family through adoption — and how much you could expect to spend.
How much does adoption cost?
The cost of adoption depends on the type of adoption you pursue. As you consider how you might want to move forward, keep in mind there are several ways to pay for adoption, from fundraisers and grants to personal loans.
Public agency adoption
How it works: Adopting children through the public welfare system often means beginning as a foster parent. Each state has its own agency, which oversees licensing, education, placement and support for adoptive families.
What it costs: Adoption from foster care is a low-cost option for parents. Child Welfare Information Gateway, a service of the Children’s Bureau under the federal Office of the Administration for Children and Families, characterizes foster care adoption as “virtually free of cost.” The majority of foster adoptions cost less than $1,000, according to the most recent Adoptive Families magazine adoption cost survey conducted in 2016-17.
This path to adoption is inexpensive because of state and federal adoption assistance programs put in place to make it more accessible and appealing to adopt children who are in foster care. These children are often older and may have experienced trauma or have special needs.
Helpful resource: The Children’s Bureau offers a state-by-state guide to adoption assistance.
Private adoption
How it works: Parents can work with an adoption agency or attorney to find and adopt children in the U.S. Generally, the process of adopting a child is similar whether you work through a private agency or independently with the help of an attorney. It involves a home study, placement, counseling, training and legal documentation.
What it costs: The cost of a private adoption varies. Working with an agency, you can expect to spend between $30,000 and $60,000, according to the Child Welfare Information Gateway. It’s slightly less expensive to pursue an independent adoption, which involves working with an attorney. That process ranges in cost from $25,000 to $45,000. Private adoptions are more likely to involve newborns. That means in addition to paying for the adoption process, you would also cover the birth mother’s medical and other expenses.
Intercountry adoption
How it works: This path involves working with private or public adoption agencies in countries outside the United States. The process and fees vary by country and depend on the organization you work with, which could be a government office, agency, orphanage, nonprofit or an individual like an attorney. Some aspects of the process are unique. You’ll have to work through the immigration process, including applying for passports and travel visas, and navigate foreign legal systems. The road can be long. Child Welfare Information Gateway estimates intercountry adoption can take one to five years to complete.
What it costs: On average, intercountry adoption costs $20,000 to $50,000.
Expenses that may arise when adopting a child
Home study
A home study marks the beginning of the adoption process.
During a home study, prospective parents — and their family members — are checked out to make sure they would provide a safe and loving place for a child. A home study requires you to produce documents, including financial statements, employment records and a letter from your doctor about your latest physical. You’d also undergo background checks and interviews. This evaluation phase can cost from $2,000 to $4,000, according to The Gladney Center for Adoption, an adoption agency based in Fort Worth, Texas. That price may be adjusted based on your family’s income.
This step in the process also includes education and training. Some of it may be provided by the state agency that administers the home study at a cost ranging from $300 to $600. Additional hours of training are likely required and would be done on your own through books or online courses, which can cost $100 to $200 per person.
Lastly, during the home study, you’ll agree to a post-placement reporting phase. In the United States, a social worker visits the family multiple times over a six-month period after the child has been placed in the home. Fees for post-placement reporting can range from $1,500 to $2,000.
Search fees
When working with a private agency or an attorney, a major expense in the process goes to searching for and getting matched with a birth mother. Fees for a consultant and advertising may be rolled into an adoption agency’s overall fee. But if you’re pursuing an independent adoption, you’ll likely pay for these services separately and costs can range more widely, depending on how and where you want to advertise. The Gladney Center estimates consulting and advertising can cost between $3,000 and $7,000 for an independent adoption.
Birth mother expenses
People adopting a newborn will be responsible for paying the birth mother’s expenses. This can include medical bills and some living expenses, as well as counseling, legal fees and travel. The Gladney Center estimates these expenses can cost between $6,000 and $8,000 for parents pursuing a private adoption.
Legal fees
There are a lot of legal requirements in adoption, including terminating the rights of the birth parents, court filings, negotiating birth mother expenses and finalizing the adoption after the post-placement reporting period. An adoption agency may roll some of these expenses into its overall fee.
If you’re pursuing an independent adoption, legal fees will be the bulk of your expenses, costing between $7,000 and $15,000.
Travel
Travel costs can crop up for domestic adoptions, though they’re most significant in intercountry adoptions. Distance is a key factor in how much you’ll pay for travel. Another is time. You might be waiting days or weeks for the final legal approval to bring a child home, especially when crossing state lines or country borders.
For private domestic adoptions, you could pay up to $3,000 in travel expenses, according to the Gladney Center. (You could look at getting a travel credit card to offset some of those expenses.)
Estimates vary for intercountry adoption-related travel. The cost can depend on the country where the child is living and the organization you’re working with. In a cost estimate on its website, New Beginnings — an international adoption agency based in New York — says the adoption of a child in South Korea could include $6,000 to $9,000 in travel expenses. The Child Welfare Information Gateway advised in a September 2020 intercountry adoption guide that adoptive parents are often required to be in the child’s country to finalize the adoption. It may require multiple, extended visits.
Raising a child
Adoption in itself can be a long and expensive process, but that’s only a precursor to the full cost of raising a child. New parents should budget for those expenses, which can top $21,000 in the first year alone.
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(The Hill) – King Charles III said that he was “deeply aware” of the inheritance and duties of becoming Britain’s sovereign in Saturday during a speech at St. James’s Palace.
The king was officially proclaimed the sovereign of Britain on Saturday by the Accession Council following the death of of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II. The council convenes following the death of a monarch to officially proclaim the successor to the throne.
“I am deeply aware of this great inheritance and of the duties and heavy responsibilities of Sovereignty which have now passed to me,” he said to his audience at St. James’s Palace in London.
The king continued: “In taking up these responsibilities, I shall strive to follow the inspiring example I have been set in upholding constitutional government and to seek the peace, harmony and prosperity of the peoples of these Islands and of the Commonwealth Realms and Territories throughout the world.”
Charles thanked the Accession Council, the nation and the world for the sympathy given to him and his siblings during their time of mourning following Elizabeth’s death. The queen was 96 at the time of her passing. She is the longest-reigning monarch in Britain’s history, serving seven decades on the throne.
“My Mother’s reign was unequalled in its duration, its dedication and its devotion,” he said. “Even as we grieve, we give thanks for this most faithful life.”
The king added that his mother “gave an example of lifelong love and of selfless service” to her children as well as the world at large.
“And in carrying out the heavy task that has been laid upon me, and to which I now dedicate what remains to me of my life, I pray for the guidance and help of Almighty God,” he concluded.
Charles gave his first address to the nation as king on Friday, the day following the queen’s death, where he expressed his love and devotion to his mother. He also expressed his love for the Royal Family, including Prince Harry and his wife Meghan.
“May flights of angels sing thee to thy rest,” Charles said of his mother in his Friday speech.
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(WFLA/NEXSTAR) — They may look cute and cuddly but they’ve also been described as one of the most venomous creatures in the U.S. Ever heard of “puss caterpillars”?
Many Central Florida residents are currently experiencing the return of the inch-long crawlers typically found on oak and elm trees. The caterpillars (also known as “asps”) are covered in furry-looking hair — which hide “extremely” toxic spines that stick to your skin, according to the Fish & Wildlife Foundation of Florida.
Puss caterpillar stings can involve itching, burning, rashes, lesions and swelling — sometimes in several places on the body.
Measuring in around an inch long, the puss caterpillar is common in Texas, Florida, New Jersey and Arkansas, in addition to surrounding areas. The bugs are typically seen in fall and spring months.
Then 15 year-old Logan Pergola, of Central Florida, told WFLA in Tampa a puss caterpillar stung him while he was out with his family, leaving a large grid-like mark on his wrist.
“It’s burning,” he told his mom before the pain radiated to his chest.
Looking at photos of the caterpillar, you might wonder: where are its head and legs? They’re there, just hidden by hair. Texas A&M University’s AgriLife Extension explains puss caterpillars have chewing mouthparts.
Interesting (gross) fact: puss caterpillars propel their feces. University of Florida says this may be to keep feces off their food.
After a winter cocoon phase, the caterpillars will emerge as flannel moths — also known as southern flannel moths. Adults have wingspans around 1-1.5 inches long, Fish & Wildlife Foundation of Florida says. Wing colors are usually yellow and black (front wings) and cream yellow on hid wings. Their thoraxes are typically orange.
While it’s best to leave them alone altogether, experts say if you do get stung, get the spines out of your skin as soon as possible using cellophane tape. Ice packs, oral antihistamine, and hydrocortisone cream can also be used to help with the pain.
Even though southern flannel moths are less hazardous than puss caterpillars, officials say you should still probably resist touching them.
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ARKANSAS (KNWA/KFTA) — Arkansas State Police and the Department of Human Services launched a new online portal to report child abuse.
Mandated reporters can now go online and submit reports without ever having to call the hotline. Executive Director of the Hamilton Center for Child Advocacy Laurie Burnett said this new tool will get help to children faster.
“Every minute saved in the process of reporting is one minute quicker that we can get to the child and get help to the child,” Burnett said.
Burnett said calling in reports could sometimes be a lengthy process.
“You would have to wait on hold for an extended period of time. Sometimes you had to repeat the information to whoever you were talking to give them all the information instead of just typing in yourself,” Burnett said.
Burnett said the center’s advocates have already seen a faster response time with the new portal.
“She was amazed at how much quicker it was, and not only that, that how much quicker she got a response, that the case had been accepted and assigned,” Burnett said.
Burnett said anyone can report child abuse in Arkansas and help protect kids.
“Suspicion is enough to make the call, and we’re all about protecting kids, so it’s the best thing to do for our children,” Burnett said.
The Arkansas child abuse hotline is still accessible at 1-800-482-5964.
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(NEXSTAR) — How clean are the air and water in your state?
Using 2021 data, U.S. News and World Reports’ feature on the “Best States” has ranked U.S. states on several metrics, including economics, education and health care. The listing also measures natural environment, which is based on a state’s air/water quality and pollution levels.
Pollution was determined based on air and water emissions from industry and utilities, and overall measures to long-term human health effects, using information from the Environmental Protection Agency.
Below are the most polluted (no. 50-40) and least polluted (no. 10-1) in U.S. News’ Pollution Rankings.
States with the worst pollution
50. Louisiana
49. Nevada
48. Indiana
47. Delaware
46. Utah
45. Ohio
44. Oregon
43. Tennessee
42. Illinois
41. Alabama
40. Texas
Louisiana ranks dead last, coming in as the most-polluted state in the U.S., according to EPA information.
A January 2022 study by Tulane University found very high incidences of cancer in Louisiana, the second-highest in the U.S. At least 85 cancer cases per year in the state were due to exposure to high levels of air pollution, the study found. Authors included data for neighborhoods in an area between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, which is locally known as “Cancer Alley.”
The state of Nevada ranks as the second-most polluted state, according to EPA information. Just last year, Nevada ranked among the “unhealthiest” states for air quality in the American Lung Association’s State of the Air report.
At that time, Melissa Ramos, manager of the Nevada ALA’s Clean Air Advocacy, said the Classic Car loophole was partly to blame for the state’s high emissions. Under the state’s Classic Vehicle Insurance policies, vehicles bearing certain license plates are exempt from emissions testing. Some tightening of the laws on classic vehicles is coming Jan. 1, 2023, however.
The least polluted states
10. Idaho
9. Colorado
8. Maine
7. Rhode Island
6. California
5. Wyoming
4. New Mexico
3. South Dakota
2. New Hampshire
1. Vermont
The state of Vermont is aware of its relatively good bill of health.
The Vermont Agency of Natural Resources writes that “Vermont’s air quality is considered to be among the best in the nation.” The agency notes, however, that Vermont’s air is not pollutant-free.
Interesting: Even though California ranks sixth among the least polluted states, many of its cities rank among America’s most polluted. Research from the American Lung Association ranked cities by ozone pollution, year-round particle pollution, and short-term particle pollution. California areas that ranked in the ALA’s top 10 most polluted cities in all three pollution categories include Los Angeles-Long Beach, Bakersfield, Fresno-Madera-Hanford, and Sacramento-Roseville.
Pollutants
Six common air pollutants identified and regulated by the EPA are carbon monoxide, lead, nitrogen oxides, ground-level ozone, particle pollution (also called “particulate matter”), and sulfur oxides. Other air pollutants include asbestos, fuel oils and kerosene, and benzene.
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| 2022-09-21T10:03:21Z
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NEW ORLEANS (AP/WGNO)— Former New Orleans Mayor Moon Landrieu — whose early, lonely stand against segregationists in the Louisiana legislature launched a political career at the forefront of sweeping changes on race — died Monday, a family friend confirmed. He was 92.
Ryan Berni, a longtime friend of the family, confirmed that Landrieu passed away early Monday.
“He died peacefully this morning surrounded by family,” Berni told The Associated Press.
A progressive white Democrat whose demeanor could be combative at times, Landrieu came from a blue-collar Roman Catholic family, served in the Army and sat alongside the first Black students at the city’s Loyola law school before winning a statehouse seat in 1960.
By then, six years had passed since the U.S. Supreme Court ordered public schools to desegregate nationwide, and Landrieu couldn’t in good conscience go along when Gov. Jimmie Davis steamrolled legislation to keep students in New Orleans separated by race. They passed by lopsided margins with Landrieu, at least once, the lone “no” vote.
The white politicians who had a lock on power on Louisiana said he’d dug his political grave, but he held onto his House seat in 1963 and then won a city council seat in 1965 with strong support from Black voters, whose influence was beginning to be felt at the polls.
To win his first mayoral term, Landrieu assembled a coalition of white liberals and African Americans and campaigned to bring Black people into important positions in government.
Integrating City Hall had its costs: In a 2018 memoir, Mitch Landrieu wrote that death threats were phoned into his family home and his school. Moon Landrieu discussed the blowback over race in a 1977 speech to the National League of Cities convention.
“If you embark on a campaign to end racial discrimination in your hometown, you will need nerves of steel, a will of iron, skin like leather and testicles of brass to withstand the slings and arrows,” he said. “I have myself these past eight years been known in some quarters as ‘Moon the Coon,’ an epithet that has caused me some pain at times, but that is also a badge of honor that bears testimony to what we try to do.”
His mayoral legacy also includes the New Orleans Superdome, which finally opened in 1975. It’s a beloved fixture of the city landscape now, but cost overruns and a contract scandal caused headaches for its supporters, including Landrieu.
“There has been an unbelievable emphasis on the few things that have been wrong with it and total neglect of the many, many things that are right with it,” he said several years later.
As Black voters gained influence, the coalition that elected Landrieu to the maximum two terms helped make Ernest “Dutch” Morial the city’s first Black mayor, in 1978.
Landrieu then became President Jimmy Carter’s secretary of housing and urban development, an agency whose programs came under attack when President Ronald Reagan took office on a platform to reduce the federal government’s size and power.
Landrieu criticized Reagan for “gutting” public aid programs, and briefly considered a presidential bid of his own. But he never sought national office. Instead, he became a judge — “I really wanted to get out of my kids’ way,” he said – serving on Louisiana’s 4th Circuit Court of Appeal from 1992 to 2000.
Several of Landrieu’s nine children continue his legacy in law and politics: Mitch, also a two-term New Orleans mayor, is now President Joe Biden’s infrastructure coordinator; Mary, who served three terms as a U.S. senator, is now a policy adviser with a Washington law firm. Madeleine became dean of the law school at Loyola University New Orleans, and Maurice is a federal prosecutor.
Born Maurice E. Landrieu on July 23, 1930, he was called Moon, a family nickname, throughout his life and eventually made that his legal first name. He served three years in the Army before opening a small, walk-up law office with law school classmate Pascal Calogero, later the chief justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court.
Landrieu credited his wife, Verna, with nudging him into politics, and his Black classmates, including Norman Francis, who would become Xavier University’s dean and president, for opening his eyes.
“It wasn’t just a question of racial justice, but from a practical standpoint, I recognized — as a politician, as a legislator and councilman — that we were wasting so much talent, wasting so much energy, by precluding Blacks from participation in all matters,” he recalled in a 2020 interview with the New Orleans weekly newspaper Gambit.
“And I was determined, as I became mayor, to revitalize this city and to bring about racial integration, so that the city could enjoy the full benefit of white and Black participants.”
Gov. John Bel Edwards called Landrieu a man of “bold vision.”
“Moon Landrieu was a courageous and defining voice for Louisiana and his beloved hometown of New Orleans,” Edwards said in a statement. “In addition to his many contributions to our state and nation, he leaves behind the most enduring legacy of all – a family that continues his fight for equality.”
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| 2022-09-21T10:03:29Z
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(NEXSTAR) — From the slew of emotional faces to the countless country flags, there are more than 3,600 emojis on your smartphone. That doesn’t include the roughly two dozen that are expected to become available in the coming months.
Though it likely takes you mere moments to find the perfect emoji to express how you’re feeling, the process of becoming an approved emoji isn’t so easy.
To understand the process, we’ve got to go back over 30 years to the early 1990s. That’s when the Unicode Consortium, now known as Unicode, was started in Silicon Valley. The organization was intended to create a universal character set to be used by our developing technology, with early founders working for Xerox and Apple.
“Unicode decided to create a standard that, thankfully, the majority of the global community adheres to to ensure that the letter A will always be the letter A, across all of our digital devices, all of our Arabic numbers – 1, 2, 3, 4, those symbols – are represented correctly across these devices,” Keith Broni, the editor-in-chief of Emojipedia.org tells Nexstar. Emojipedia serves as both a dictionary and an encyclopedia to research and monitor emojis.
Vendors such as Apple, Google, and Facebook are now members of Unicode and send staff to help run the organization. Apple and Google, according to Broni, were key drivers in Unicode encoding characters that have become well-used in our digital communication: emojis.
In 2010, Unicode encoded its first-ever set of emojis. This included many faces, animals, hand signals, and other more basic characters. These were largely inspired by the sets that already existed in Japanese mobile phones, which were initially created in Japan in the late 1990s (hence why you can find a map of Japan — 🗾 — in your emoji library).
Apple users were among the first to experience the initial round of emojis, according to Broni. Then Google began to support emoji use within Android devices and Samsung began creating its own style of emojis, as did Microsoft.
Technically speaking, an emoji is comprised of a sequence of one or more Unicode characters. But even the most innocent of them — take the otter (🦦) or the VHS tape (📼) — has to go through an intense process before it becomes an emoji on your digital device.
First, Unicode invites the public — meaning you — to propose a new emoji. The proposal process is explained in detail by Unicode here, but selection is basically dependent on whether the image will work at the small size emojis appear as, adds to what can we can communicate, and would likely be used by a large number of people.
A draft list of emojis is expected to be approved by Unicode on September 13, meaning we’ll have new emojis within a few months, if not sooner. One of those is expected to be a plain pink heart emoji.
‘Pink Heart’ has been one of the most requested emojis, Broni says. It should look like the other heart emojis already available, such as the blue (💙) or orange (🧡) hearts.
It’s also important to note that once an emoji has been created and added to our libraries, it will, likely, never be removed. According to Broni, the basis of Unicode is to make our digital text readable by devices around the globe forever, and removing an emoji from our library would make such text unreadable. Emojis can, though, be updated, like the pistol or certain faces.
Regardless of how often they’re updated or how realistic they are, there are some emojis you may never use. Even Unicode Emoji subcommittee chair Jennifer Daniel has said the emoji keyboard can sometimes feel “like a junk drawer.”
“There are certain objects in there that maybe shouldn’t be an emoji, certain symbols, etcetera,” Broni says. This may include the aforementioned VHS tape, a trackball mouse (🖲), or maybe even the DVD (📀). In hindsight, they may be a bit of clutter in our phones, but these have helped Unicode better determine what sort of emojis will be useful further down the road, and whether certain proposed eemojis are worth adding.
If, despite the more than 3,600 emojis already available at your fingertips, there’s one you wish existed — like a desk or peanut butter or a bowl of mashed potatoes — you can make it happen. You may want to check Unicode’s list of emojis that have already been submitted.
Some of the recently proposed and declined ideas include an almond, a marijuana leaf, a solar panel, a wine bottle, and a 3D printer.
Unicode accepts emoji proposals between early April and late July each year.
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| 2022-09-21T10:03:37Z
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There are less than two months left before the midterm elections.
Lately, Democrats have become more hopeful and Republicans more nervous as the polling lead the GOP enjoyed earlier in the year has eroded.
The battle for the Senate looks, for now, to be balanced on a knife-edge, even as the GOP remains favored to take over the House.
Candidates and local issues will clearly be vital in many races. But this is a national election too.
Here are the five biggest issues that will determine the outcome.
Inflation
A man shops at a supermarket on Wednesday, July 27, 2022, in New York. An inflation gauge that is closely tracked by the Federal Reserve, Friday, July 29, jumped 6.8% in June from a year ago, the biggest increase in four decades, and leaving Americans with no relief from surging costs. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)
Inflation is the single biggest political liability the Democrats face.
President Biden polls worse on inflation than on any other issue. In an ABC News-Ipsos poll last month, for example, just 29 percent of adults approved of Biden’s handling of inflation.
The low marks are hardly surprising given that inflation hit a 40-year high in June, at 9.1 percent.
The latest figures, for July, saw the headline number taper off to 8.5 percent. But the slight reduction is cold comfort to millions of struggling Americans.
Inflation can be a devastating political issue because, unlike many other topics, it affects every voter — including those who do not follow every twist and turn in politics — in ways that cannot be ignored.
Democrats hope that inflation will continue to fall as supply chains return to normal after the massive disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic. They also point to the Inflation Reduction Act as a new weapon in the battle, especially when it comes to its capacity to bend the cost of prescription drugs downward. The law allows Medicare to negotiate drug prices for the first time ever.
Still, there is no real question that inflation will weigh Democrats down in November.
The question is, by how much?
Abortion
FILE- Demonstrators gather at the federal courthouse in Austin, Texas. following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, on June 24, 2022. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)
If inflation is a headwind for Democrats, the same is true for Republicans and abortion.
The catalyst for these troubles is the June decision by the Supreme Court to strike down Roe v. Wade.
The GOP’s edge in opinion polls has been declining since that day. And while other factors may have also played their part, such as gas prices ticking down at roughly the same time, abortion clearly plays a key role.
Several opinion polls have indicated that around 60 percent of the population supports Roe, the 1973 decision that enshrined a constitutional right to abortion.
There have been even more concrete examples of the political potency of the issue, too.
An August ballot initiative in Kansas, a conservative state, was won by the pro-abortion rights side by almost 20 points.
A special House election in New York’s 19th District — a classic bellwether — was won by a Democrat who put abortion rights at the heart of his campaign.
Some Republicans, including Blake Masters, the party’s Senate candidate in Arizona, have deleted references to their own anti-abortion positions from their websites.
But that might not be enough to neutralize the issue.
Right now, it looks like the GOP could have real trouble, especially with female voters, in November.
Former President Trump, Mar-a-Lago and “ultra-MAGA Republicans”
Trump is hitting back hard against the Mar-a-Lago probe. (AP Photo)
Former President Trump was never going to retire to the sidelines of American political life. But the FBI search of Mar-a-Lago on Aug. 8 has injected him right back into the center of the midterms campaign.
The investigation adds to legal challenges the former president already faces.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) is investigating the insurrection of Jan. 6, 2021, and a Georgia probe is looking into efforts by Trump and his allies to overturn the 2020 election results in that state.
Trump, meanwhile, is hitting back hard against the Mar-a-Lago probe. In a speech in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., last weekend, the former president described his enemies as “tyrants” and the DOJ and FBI as “vicious monsters.”
The broader picture is one in which Trump and Biden are battling each other once again, almost two years on from their presidential contest.
Biden, who was reluctant to attack Trump frontally for much of the early phase of his presidency — he would sometimes obliquely refer to Trump as “the former guy” — has changed tack.
In recent weeks, he has blasted “ultra-MAGA Republicans” as a danger to American democracy and branded elements of current conservative ideology “semi-fascism.”
Trump, for his part, has called Biden an “enemy of the state.”
Opinions about Trump are so fixed that the whole debate might not shift many voters from one column to the other.
But it has certainly affected the framing of the contest, which could have a direct impact on turnout.
Immigration
FILE – A group of Brazilian migrants make their way around a gap in the U.S.-Mexico border in Yuma, Ariz., seeking asylum in the U.S. after crossing over from Mexico, June 8, 2021. (AP Photo/Eugene Garcia, File)
Illegal immigration remains a huge issue with conservative voters and in right-leaning media, even as it is not seen as so big a problem among liberals.
Concerns about border security often get portrayed as xenophobic or racist. But many voters who don’t fit into either of those categories clearly have concerns about the huge numbers of unauthorized border crossings that are taking place.
The Wall Street Journal recently reported that Border Patrol agents had made more than 1.8 million arrests at the southern border during the current fiscal year. By the time the fiscal year ends at the end of this month, that number is expected to have surpassed 2 million for the first time ever.
In an Economist-YouGov poll last month, Biden’s ratings on immigration were dismal. Overall, 49 percent of adults disapproved of his handling of the issue while just 30 percent approved.
Republican voters, as expected, were overwhelmingly negative. But they were joined in that opinion by self-described independents, a mere 17 percent of whom backed Biden’s performance on the issue.
Democrats ignore figures like those at their peril.
Biden’s performance
FILE – President Joe Biden speaks outside Independence Hall, Thursday, Sept. 1, 2022, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum, File)
Midterm elections are always, at some level, a referendum on the party in power.
Biden and the Democrats also have to contend with the historical pattern in which a president’s party almost always loses seats in the first midterms of his tenure.
Biden has had some success in broadening the focus in this year’s campaign. But voters will still be rendering a verdict on him in November.
That doesn’t augur well for Democrats. Biden’s approval ratings have bounced back to some degree from a low point at the height of summer — but they’re still nothing to write home about.
In the average maintained by data and polling site FiveThirtyEight, Biden was 11 points under water — 53 percent disapproval against 42 percent approval — as of Thursday evening.
The president has, to be sure, hit a hot streak recently. In addition to passing the Inflation Reduction Act, he has also enacted the CHIPS bill, to boost the semiconductor industry. He has expanded health care to better cover veterans exposed to toxic burn pits. And he has announced executive action to lighten the burden of student loan debt.
In the final stretch of the campaign, Democrats will also try to remind voters of earlier or broader successes, such as prodigious job creation, the passage of the 2021 American Rescue Plan and the infrastructure bill Biden signed into law late last year.
Right now, though, it’s very hard to see Biden’s popularity surging between now and November.
If he dooms his party to the loss of even one chamber of Congress, he will likely be hamstrung from further significant action for the rest of his first term.
If that happens, all 2024 bets are off.
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| 2022-09-21T10:03:43Z
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ERIE, Colo. (KDVR) – An 82 year-old Colorado man wowed the crowd at a wedding reception with dance moves that defy his age — and now a video of his performance is going viral on Instagram.
“I’ve been dancing since about 50 years, you know,” Navnit Tailor, an architect from Erie, told Nexstar’s KDVR.
Last month, Tailor went to a wedding in Canada, where a DJ’s camera caught his exuberant, jubilant dance moves.
Tailor’s son, Samir Tailor, said his father is “always the first one to start the dancing.”
“The DJ there captured [his dance] and the next thing I know, a day or a couple days later, the DJ sent my sister a text saying, ‘Hey, your dad’s going viral.'”
Over the next 24 hours, the video had been seen by hundreds of thousands of people all over the world. To date, the original Instagram video has been viewed over 1.2 million times.
“I was shocked,” Navnit Tailor said.
His family wasn’t. Dancing runs in the family’s blood, according to his son.
“My whole family is a set of dancers,” Samir Tailor said. “My sister and myself, we’ve always danced quite a bit, but you know, dad seems to capture the attention of people like no other.”
Samir believes that Instagram’s fascination with an 82 year-old man, being healthy and active enough to dance so excitedly, proves you’re never too old to act young.
“It really inspires people,” he said.
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| 2022-09-21T10:03:50Z
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WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Five people died Saturday in New Zealand after the small charter boat they were aboard capsized, authorities say, in what may have been a collision with a whale. Another six people aboard the boat were rescued.
Police said the 8.5-meter (28-foot) boat overturned near the South Island town of Kaikōura. Police said they were continuing to investigate the cause of the accident.
Kaikōura Police Sergeant Matt Boyce described it as a devastating and unprecedented event.
“Our thoughts are with everyone involved, including the victims and their families, their local communities, and emergency services personnel,” Boyce said.
He said police divers had recovered the bodies of all those who had died. He said all six survivors were assessed to be in stable condition at a local health center, with one transferred to a hospital in the city of Christchurch as a precaution.
Kaikōura Mayor Craig Mackle told The Associated Press that the water was dead calm at the time of the accident and the assumption was that a whale had surfaced from beneath the boat.
He said there were some sperm whales in the area and also some humpback whales traveling through.
He said locals had helped with the rescue efforts throughout the day but the mood in the town was “somber” because the water was so cold and they feared for the outcome of anybody who had fallen overboard.
Mackle said he’d thought in the past about the possibility of a boat and whale colliding, given the number of whales that frequent the region.
“It always plays on your mind that it could happen,” he said, adding that he hadn’t heard about any previous such accidents.
Mackle said the boat was a charter vessel typically used for fishing excursions. News agency Stuff reported the passengers belonged to a bird enthusiasts’ group.
Police said they were still notifying the relatives of those who died, and couldn’t yet publicly name the victims.
Vanessa Chapman told Stuff she and a group of friends had watched the rescue efforts unfold from Goose Bay, near Kaikōura. She said that when she arrived at a lookout spot, she could see a person sitting atop an overturned boat waving their arms.
She said two rescue helicopters and a third local helicopter were circling before two divers jumped out. She told Stuff that the person atop the boat was rescued and a second person appeared to have been pulled from the water.
Kaikōura is a popular whale-watching destination. The seafloor drops away precipitously from the coast, making for deep waters close to the shore. A number of businesses offer boat trips or helicopter rides so tourists can see whales, dolphins and other sea creatures up close.
Compliance agency Maritime New Zealand said it sent two investigators to the scene and would be conducting a thorough investigation once recovery operations had concluded.
Principal Investigator Tracy Phillips said the agency “offers its heartfelt condolences to the family and loved ones of the people who have died.”
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| 2022-09-21T10:03:58Z
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PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Rail advocates are dusting off a proposal for passenger train service between Montreal and Boston, riding a renewed interest in train travel to bolster a concept that has been around for more than a decade.
“It’s not a hard sell at all. A lot of people want this,” said Francois Rebello, a former national assembly member in Quebec and a consultant on the project.
Hundreds of travelers would ride a privately operated, overnight train each day if obstacles can be overcome to make the service a reality in coming years, according to a ridership study.
It wouldn’t be a high-speed affair. Promoters envision a different experience — a relaxed ride with a meal and sleep before arriving bright-eyed at the destination. The 14-hour ride would travel through Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont and Quebec.
The proposal comes against a backdrop of a rail revival, and more than $100 billion in railway infrastructure funding approved by Congress.
Maine State Sen. Richard Bennett, a Republican who lives in a district where the train would pass, said there’s much work to be done.
“I’m both excited and skeptical,” he said. “I certainly support the concept and I think it has a lot of promise. I think this can be done.”
A market study suggests about 4,000 people travel daily between Montreal and Boston, and about 1,000 of them would opt for rail service if it’s available, Rebello said. The service would be profitable with only 200 riders, he said.
But the proposal is in the early stages and the obstacles are many.
The track on the Canadian side of the border requires more than $100 million in upgrades and repairs. The track is in good shape through northern New England but the speed is limited to about 35 mph (56 kph) for a long stretch, and there’s little hope of securing additional funding to boost the speed.
Operators would have to negotiate agreements with several private owners of the rail — the Saint Lawrence and Atlantic, CSX and others — and there could be multiple crews required for the train. Then there’s the question of clearing customs with people coming and going at multiple train stops, and finding scarce equipment.
The idea for restoring Montreal-to-Boston passenger rail service for the first time since the 1960s has been bounced around for more than a decade, and several different rail routes have been floated over the years.
This time, the proposed route would follow Canadian Pacific Railway track from Montreal to Sherbrooke, Quebec, and then the St. Lawrence and Atlantic across Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, where a CSX-owned rail passes through Old Orchard Beach, a popular Maine tourist destination for Canadians. The final stretch is operated by the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority.
Carl Fowler, a member of the Vermont Rail Advisory Council, is a rail advocate who likes the idea of expanded passenger rail service. But he said people have to be realistic about the proposal’s challenges.
“There are a lot of loose ends to be resolved,” he said.
Proponents have engaged with the Canadian Pacific Railway and the corporate parent of St. Lawrence and Atlantic, and the Canadian government already has considered investing in railway upgrades, Rebello said. Montreal real estate entrepreneur Nikolai Ray has signed on an investor.
About 60 rail advocates, legislators, tourism officials and others gathered recently in Coaticook, Quebec, to discuss the vision promoted by Montreal-based Fondation Trains De Nuit, or Night Train Foundation, and view a proposed map. Notably absent were state transportation officials from Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont.
But the project won’t start anytime soon. The most optimistic view is that the project would need at least two years to become a reality, he said. However, it could take longer to secure funding and rail agreements.
A motorist could get from Boston to Montreal twice as fast but rail advocates say riders would get there in style. People could have dinner, be entertained and sleep in a comfortable bed, proponents say. They’d also be spared the cost of a hotel fee, since they’d be sleeping and showering on the train, supporters said.
The project holds appeal both for older riders who are nostalgic about trains and a younger generation that’s less enthralled with cars, Rebello said.
Rail enthusiast Sarah LeBaron von Baeyer, who lives outside Boston and doesn’t drive, said she “wholeheartedly” embraces mass transit that would allow her to visit family and friends in Canada several times a year.
“I love train travel. I lived in Japan for many years. It was absolutely the best way to get around,” she said.
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Associated Press writers Wilson Ring in Montpelier, Vermont, and Holly Ramer in Concord, New Hampshire, contributed to this story.
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Follow David Sharp on Twitter @David_Sharp_AP
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| 2022-09-21T10:04:06Z
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TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Albania’s Interior Ministry said Saturday that one of its border systems was hit by a cyberattack that came from the same Iranian source as an earlier attack that led the country to break diplomatic relations with Iran.
It said in a statement that the previous evening an Albanian police transmitting system was found to be “under a cyberattack similar to the one that (government portal) e-Albania suffered in July.”
“Preliminary results show the attack was committed by the same hand,” the statement said, adding that authorities temporarily closed down all the systems, including the Total Information Management System (TIMS), which records entries and exits at the border crossing. Local media reported long queues in at least two border crossings in the south.
Albania, a NATO member, cut diplomatic ties with Iran and expelled its embassy staff this week. It was the first known case of a country cutting diplomatic relations over a cyberattack.
“Another cyberattack from the same aggressors already exposed and denounced by Albania’s allies and friendly countries, was seen last evening on the TIMS system,” Prime Minister Edi Rama tweeted on Saturday, adding that officials are coordinating defensive work with allies.
The Albanian government has accused Iran of carrying out the July 15 attack, which temporarily shut down numerous Albanian government digital services and websites.
Microsoft, the FBI and other cyber experts helped Albania following the July attack. Microsoft said in a blog post Thursday that it was moderately confident the hackers belong to a group that has been publicly linked to Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security.
The U.S. government on Friday imposed sanctions on Iran’s intelligence agency and its leadership in response to the attack on Albania. NATO and the European Union also denounced the attack and supported Albania’s move.
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Follow Llazar Semini at https://twitter.com/lsemini
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| 2022-09-21T10:04:13Z
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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — A Black pastor who was arrested by white police officers while watering the flowers of a neighbor who was out of town filed a federal lawsuit alleging the ordeal violated his constitutional rights and caused lingering problems including emotional distress and anxiety.
Michael Jennings filed the lawsuit Friday night against three officers and the central Alabama town of Childersburg requesting a jury trial and seeking an unspecified amount of money.
Jennings’ lawyers held a news conference outside the Birmingham federal courthouse on Saturday to discuss the lawsuit, and the NAACP, the nation’s oldest civil rights organization, and other groups planned a rally afterward at a downtown park.
“I’m here for accountability, and I’m here for justice,” Jennings told the news conference.
The suit alleged the actions of Officers Christopher Smith and Justin Gable, Sgt. Jeremy Brooks and the city violated rights protecting against unlawful arrest and guaranteeing free speech. He cited multiple continuing problems including post traumatic stress disorder and humiliation.
Childersburg city attorney Reagan Rumsey didn’t return an email seeking comment.
Jennings, 56, was arrested in May after a white neighbor called 911 and said a “younger Black male” and gold SUV were at a house while the owners — who are friends of Jennings and had asked him to watch their home — were away.
Jennings identified himself as “Pastor Jennings” but refused to provide identification to the officers, who arrested him on a charge of obstructing government operations after a 20-minute confrontation that included raised voices on both sides.
Filed in municipal court, the charge was dismissed within days at the request of the then-police chief. Jennings’ attorneys last month released police body camera video that was obtained following a records request to the city, located 55 miles (88 kilometers) southeast of Birmingham.
Benard Simelton, president of the Alabama branch of the NAACP, said the officers who arrested Jennings did “so many things” that weren’t in line with good community policing tactics.
“These poor judgment decisions reflect poorly on the type of training the Childersburg police officers receive … if they were acting in accordance within police guidelines,” Simelton said in a statement.
While Jennings could have filed a claim against the city seeking damages, attorney Harry Daniels said that wasn’t done because the arrest was well within the time frame allowed by law for a lawsuit.
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| 2022-09-21T10:04:20Z
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CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who had started laying the groundwork for an Australian republic after elections in May, said Sunday that now was the time not for a change but for paying tribute to the life of Queen Elizabeth II.
Many regarded Australians’ respect and affection for the late monarch as the biggest obstacle to the country becoming a republic with its own head of state.
Albanese, who describes himself as the first candidate with a “non-Anglo Celtic name” to run for prime minister in the 121 years that the office has existed, had created a new position of Assistant Minister for the Republic and appointed Matt Thistlethwaite to the role in June. Thistlethwaite had said there would be no change in the queen’s lifetime.
“Now is not a time to talk about our system of government,” Albanese told Australian Broadcasting Corp. on Sunday. “Now is the time for us to pay tribute to the life of Queen Elizabeth, a life well lived, a life of dedication and loyalty including to the Australian people and for us to honor and grieve.”
Albanese has said previously that a republic referendum is not a priority of his first three-year term in government.
During her long reign, the queen connected to Australia in ways that no monarch before her had done.
In 1954, she became the only reigning British monarch to visit Australia. Such was her star power, an estimated 70% of Australia’s population turned out to see her during a punishing two-month itinerary that took her and her husband Prince Philip to 57 towns and cities spread across vast distances. She visited 16 times, the final time in 2011 when she was 85.
Her face is the only monarch to appear on Australian money since decimal currency was introduced in 1966, when Australian dollars and cents replaced British-style pounds, shillings and pence.
Her eldest son, King Charles III, was officially proclaimed Australia’s head of state Sunday by the monarch’s Australian representative, Governor-General David Hurley, at a protocol-heavy ceremony at Parliament House that ended with a 21-gun salute.
Albanese is already planning a referendum in the current term that would enshrine an Indigenous Voice to Parliament in Australia’s Constitution. While details have yet to be finalized, the voice would provide a mechanism that would allow Indigenous representatives to address Parliament about laws that effect their lives.
Opposition leader Peter Dutton, a monarchist, has similarly avoided questions about why Australia needs a king.
The Australian Republic Movement, an organization that campaigns for Australia to become a republic and is unaffiliated with any political party, was widely criticized over a political statement issued soon after news of the queen’s death.
The statement referred to the queen’s comments surrounding a 1999 referendum that voted to maintain the British monarch as Australia’s head of state.
“The queen backed the right of Australians to become a fully independent nation during the referendum … saying that she has ‘always made it clear that the future of the monarchy in Australia is an issue for the Australian people and them alone to decide, by democratic and constitutional means,’” the statement said.
That referendum largely failed because Australians were divided about what kind of president they wanted. The monarch is represented in Australia by a governor-general who in recent decades has always been an Australian citizen. The governor-general is appointed by the monarch on the prime minister’s advice.
The referendum recommended that the monarch and the monarch’s representative be replaced by a president chosen by at least two-thirds of lawmakers in Parliament. But many republicans wanted voters to elect the president as they do in the United States, so joined with monarchists in opposing the republic model then on offer.
The minor Greens party, which is influential in the Senate where no party holds a majority of seats, was also criticized for raising the republic within hours of the queen’s death.
“Now Australia must move forward. We need Treaty with First Nations people, and we need to become a Republic,” Greens leader Adam Bandt tweeted on Friday. Australia is rare among former British Empire countries in having no treaty with its Indigenous peoples.
Support for the republic movement surged in 1975, when Governor-General John Kerr used Queen Elizabeth II’s authority to dismiss Labor Prime Minister Gough Whitlam to end a constitutional crisis. There were suspicions that the British royal family had instructed Kerr to bring down a democratically elected Australian government.
Historian and Whitlam biographer Jenny Hocking fought a four-year legal battle to have correspondence between Kerr and Buckingham Palace released by the National Archive of Australia in 2020. Lower courts accepted that letters between the monarch and governor-general, two central figures in Australia’s Constitution, were personal and might never be made public.
But the High Court found in Hocking’s favor in a 6-1 majority ruling that allowed the letters to be released.
Kerr fired Whitlam to end a month-old Senate deadlock. Kerr appointed Opposition leader Malcolm Fraser caretaker prime minister on condition Fraser immediately called elections, which Labor lost.
While the queen was the monarch at the time, King Charles, then Prince Charles, had also influenced Kerr’s decision to fire Whitlam, Hocking said.
Charles had been discussing with Kerr the possibility of sacking Whitlam three months before Kerr became the only governor-general to bring down an Australian government.
“It’s clearly an influence on Kerr’s decision to dismiss the government — no doubt about that,” Hocking said. “It’s an appalling involvement. It doesn’t do anyone service to pretend that’s not the case. We need to acknowledge that.”
Albanese has said the 1975 crisis reinforced the need for an Australian head of state instead of a British monarch.
John Howard, a monarchist who was prime minister when Australians voted against severing their constitutional ties to their former colonial master, said those ties can survive the queen’s death.
“The strength of the monarchy in Australia was immeasurably increased by the personal popularity of the queen,” Howard said. “That’s not to say it won’t continue. It will continue in a different form.”
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| 2022-09-21T10:04:28Z
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LONDON (AP) — King Charles III was formally proclaimed sovereign of the United Kingdom on Saturday, as officials unveiled details of the meticulously choreographed ceremonies that will culminate in the state funeral of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, on Sept. 19.
In this time of sorrow for the House of Windsor, there were hints of a possible family reconciliation. Prince William and his brother Harry, together with Catherine, now Princess of Wales and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, delighted mourners near Windsor Castle with a surprise joint appearance to thank the public for their floral tributes and condolences.
It was the first time that quarrelling younger royal generation had worked together publicly since the Sussexes stepped aside from royal duties in 2020 and moved to California. The thousands who flocked to Windsor on a sunny day were in their thrall, as the couples gratefully accepted flowers, talked to parents and children at length, shook hands and accepted heartfelt condolences.
Meghan approached a teenager in the crowd, who put her hand over her mouth in shock. The pair spoke briefly then the girl said: “Can I have a hug?” Meghan leaned in to give her a big hug.
Catherine, for her part, focused on young children in the crowd, bending down low to speak to them warmly face-to-face.
The late sovereign’s coffin now rests at Balmoral Castle, the summer retreat in the Scottish Highlands where Elizabeth died on Thursday. Palace officials promised Saturday that the public will have opportunities to see the late monarch’s oak coffin as it journeys from Balmoral Castle to Edinburgh and then to London, where her body will lie in state for four days starting Wednesday.
Edward William Fitzalan-Howard, the official in charge of arrangements, said the ceremonies would be “a fitting farewell to one of the defining figures of our times.”
The queen’s eldest son and successor Charles was officially proclaimed Britain’s monarch Saturday in a pomp-filled ceremony steeped in ancient tradition and political symbolism — and, for the first time, broadcast live on television and online.
The 73-year-old Charles, who spent seven decades as heir apparent, automatically became king when his mother died and vowed to follow her example. But the accession ceremony was a key constitutional and ceremonial step that introduced the new monarch to the country, a relic of a time before mass communications.
“I am deeply aware of this great inheritance and of the duties and heavy responsibilities of sovereignty which have now passed to me,” Charles said as he took on the duties of monarch.
New British Prime Minister Liz Truss and five of her predecessors were among scores of current and former British politicians who gathered at St. James’s Palace for the meeting of the Accession Council.
Saturday’s accession ceremony ended with a royal official publicly proclaiming King Charles III to be the country’s new monarch from a balcony at the palace. In centuries past, this would have been the first official confirmation the public had of their new sovereign.
David White, the Garter King of Arms, made the proclamation, flanked by trumpeters in gold-trimmed robes before leading cheers — “hip, hip, hooray!” — for the new king. Gun salutes rang out in Hyde Park, at the Tower of London and at military sites around the U.K. as he announced the news, and scarlet-robed soldiers in the palace courtyard doffed their bearskin hats in a royal salute.
The proclamation was read at other locations across the U.K., including in the medieval City of London.
The new king formally approved a series of orders, including one declaring the day of his mother’s funeral as a public holiday.
Charles was accompanied at the ceremony by wife Camilla, the Queen Consort, and eldest son Prince William, who is now heir to the throne and known by the title that Charles long held, the Prince of Wales. In his first statement since his grandmother’s death, William said the queen “was by my side at my happiest moments. And she was by my side during the saddest days of my life” — a clear reference to the death of his mother, Princess Diana, in 1997.
“I knew this day would come, but it will be some time before the reality of life without Grannie will truly feel real,” William said.
People came by the thousands to pay their respects outside Buckingham Palace in London. The scene was repeated at other royal residences across the U.K. and at British embassies around the world.
For many Britons, the queen’s passing, though long expected, is a destabilizing experience. Queen Elizabeth II is the only monarch most have ever known, and her death comes as many Britons are facing an energy crisis, the soaring cost of living, the uncertainties of the war in Ukraine and the fallout from Brexit.
The country has also just seen a change of leader. Truss was appointed prime minister by the queen on Tuesday, just two days before the monarch died. On Saturday, Truss and other senior U.K. lawmakers lined up in the House of Commons to take an oath of loyalty to the new king.
Normal parliamentary business has been suspended during a period of mourning for the queen. The House of Commons held a rare Saturday session so lawmakers could pay tribute to the late monarch.
Charles has struck a note of continuity, vowing in a televised address Friday to carry on the queen’s “lifelong service,” with his own modernizing stamp.
The new monarch looked both to the past — noting his mother’s unwavering “dedication and devotion as sovereign” — and the future, seeking to strike a reassuring note of constancy while signaling that his will be a 21st-century monarchy.
He reflected on how the country had changed dramatically during the queen’s reign into a society “of many cultures and many faiths,” and pledged to serve people in Britain and the 14 other countries where he is king “whatever may be your background or beliefs.”
For a second day on Saturday, Charles waded into the crowds to meet his subjects and shake hands. Trying to overcome a reputation for aloofness, he is signaling a more relaxed approach to the monarchy than that of his mother.
“It just felt like a really special moment in history,” said Beverly Nash from Kent. “And it was lovely actually seeing him. I didn’t think I would feel as emotional as I did.”
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Follow AP stories on Queen Elizabeth II’s death and other stories about the British monarchy at https://apnews.com/hub/queen-elizabeth-ii
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| 2022-09-21T10:04:36Z
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BEIJING (AP) — Almost 500 students at China’s premier college for broadcast journalists have been sent to a quarantine center after a handful of COVID-19 cases were detected in their dormitory.
The 488 students at Communication University of China, along with 19 teachers and five assistants, were transferred by bus beginning Friday night.
Quarantining anyone considered to have been in contact with someone who tested positive for the virus has been a pillar of China’s strict “zero-COVID” policy. The quarantine centers include field hospitals as well as converted stadiums and exhibition centers that have been criticized for overcrowding, poor sanitation and spoiled food.
As of last week, approximately 65 million Chinese residents were under lockdown despite just 1,248 new cases of domestic transmission being reported on Sunday. Most of those were asymptomatic.
The lockdowns have sparked protests online and confrontations with health workers and police, and have exacted a major toll on the economy, affecting global supply chains for electronics and other products. The weekslong lockdown in China’s biggest city of Shanghai over the summer prompted an exodus of migrant workers and foreign business people.
With the release of economic data this week, analysts will be looking for insights into how China’s handling of the pandemic is impacting economic activity in the world’s second-largest economy. Lockdowns have been accompanied by nearly daily testing, travel restrictions and the suspension of classes at all levels.
China has pursued the relentless enforcement of the policy, even as virtually every other country has sought to return to normal life with the help of vaccines and drugs to fight the virus.
“Zero COVID” is closely associated with President and Communist Party leader Xi Jinping, leading to accusations that the government has politicized a public health crisis. His administration has rejected statements from the World Health Organization that the policy is unsustainable, and has refused to approve foreign vaccines that are widely considered more effective than those produced by Chinese companies.
Xi, who has not traveled abroad since the start of the pandemic in early 2020, has taken control of all levers of power and struck a confrontational tone in foreign policy, while sidelining or imprisoning rivals. He has eliminated term limits on the presidency and is expected to receive a third five-year term as Communist leader at next month’s party congress.
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| 2022-09-21T10:04:43Z
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MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — A day of terror that left four dead and three wounded in a Tennessee city this week tore a hole in the hearts of those left behind: the grandmother of three children left without parents, the man who lay down beside his fallen best friend and refused to leave, the daughter whose wounded father is her “whole world.”
Police have so far released few details of the rampage that sent Memphis into lockdown as a shooter drove around town for hours, opening fire on people and streaming some of the attacks on social media.
Police arrested 19-year-old Ezekiel Kelly on Wednesday night when he surrendered after a car chase and charged him with first-degree murder in the shootings.
Although several of the victims have been publicly identified by friends and relatives, police had released the name of only the first victim, Dewayne Tunstall, on Friday.
Marcus Cash was in his house just before 1 a.m. Wednesday when he heard gunfire and ran outside to where Tunstall and some friends had gathered. Cash and Tunstall were so close that they were like brothers, he said. When Cash saw Tunstall’s body, he just lay down beside him.
“I had his blood all over me,” Cash said. “They couldn’t get me off the ground.”
After police arrived, they held Cash for hours as a precautionary measure, because he was so distraught, he said.
“They said I wasn’t in the right state of mind to be out,” Cash said. “I was emotionally torn.”
When asked what he told police, he said: “You all better catch him before I do.”
Tunstall was featured in a news story on Memphis television station WREG-TV last year after he bought gas for a stranger at a local station. Olivia Jennings told a reporter she was standing in line behind Tunstall when she started joking with him about all the orange juice he was buying. Then he offered to buy her gas.
The small act of kindness touched Jennings so much that she asked to take a photo with Tunstall to post online. She told the station she wanted others to know that while Memphis gets a bad rap, there are good people all over the city.
“The young man is about the same age as my son,” Jennings said. “I would just like to know if he did something kind, people would at least say something. You know, ‘You’re a good kid.’”
Also killed on Wednesday was Allison Parker, a mother of three who worked as a medical assistant at a clinic in nearby West Memphis, Arkansas.
Parker’s mother-in-law, Debbie Holland, said Parker’s children lost their father — her son — a couple of years ago. Speaking by phone on the way to be with her grandchildren Thursday, she said the killer “didn’t just take one life” but also left the children without parents.
“She was beautiful, intelligent, kind-hearted, giving — she would help anybody who asked,” Holland said. “She didn’t deserve to die at the hands of this monster.”
A Facebook post from Dr. Trent Pierce at the Family Practice Center of West Memphis, where Parker worked, said the office was grieving her death.
“Please pray for her family and our entire office staff as we try to process this senseless loss,” it read.
Rodolfo Berger was shopping in an AutoZone when he was shot just before 6 p.m. Wednesday, according to his daughter.
Police said Kelly streamed the shooting on Facebook live, casually speaking to the camera before opening the store door and firing what appeared to be a pistol. Police said the man who was injured was taken to the hospital in critical condition.
Jenny Berger identified the victim as her father in a long post on Facebook.
“Today my dad was a victim of a senseless act of violence. Memphis shooting rampage. He was at the wrong place at the wrong time,” she wrote.
Berger said she was in agony for hours, not knowing what had happened to the man she considers her best friend.
“I love this man so much,” she wrote. “If you know me, you know he’s my world.”
A person who answered the phone at Jenny Berger’s office said she was not granting interviews. She wrote on Facebook that her father is recovering. A family friend has organized a GoFundMe campaign to help with expenses.
“I can feel in my heart he is so STRONG and ready for a journey of healing ahead,” Berger wrote.
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Loller reported from Nashville, Tennessee.
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| 2022-09-21T10:04:50Z
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Thiruvananthapuram: KSRTC employees who are not willing to correct themselves will be dismissed as per protocol, stated Biju Prabhakar, the Chairman and Managing Director of the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation, on Wednesday.
He was responding to Tuesday's incident where a man was rounded up and assaulted for demanding student's concession card for his daughter.
The behaviour of a few employees affects the reputation of the whole establishment, he noted.
"The incident is deplorable and extremely unfortunate. It is upsetting that such incidents tarnish the corporation's name when it is trying to tide over the crisis with corrective measures," Biju Prabhakar said.
"I apologise to the public for the treatment meted out to the girl and her father. We will never protect such employees. The government has been asked to weed out such individuals. The Transport Minister is also of the similar view," he added.
Four employees of the KSRTC were suspended over the incident in which a 55-year-old man, named Preman, was assaulted for demanding a student's concession card for his daughter on Tuesday. His college-going daughter was shoved by a few employees of the public transport carrier after a brief war of words erupted between them at the bus depot in the morning.
"Four employees, including the station master of the Kattakkada KSRTC depot, have been suspended with immediate effect," said Transport Minister Antony Raju.
The High Court too registered a suo motu case on the shocking incident.
The incident caught wide public and media attention after a purported visual captured on a mobile phone went viral. In the video, the employees could be seen dragging the man into a room and then thrashing him. It also shows the girl being pushed away as she tried to stop the assailants.
The daughter could also be seen questioning the assault by the employees and another man could be heard telling the employees to spare the duo.
Preman later sought treatment at the taluk hospital.
The minister had sought an urgent report from the KSRTC CMD on the incident.
Later in the evening, an order was issued suspending four employees based on the preliminary inquiry report.
Kattakkada police said five KSRTC employees have been booked in connection with the incident and various sections of the IPC including 143, 149, 323 have been slapped against them.
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| 2022-09-21T10:04:54Z
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DALLAS (AP) — After Itza Pantoja’s severely disabled son died at age 16, she made it her mission to ensure that the wheelchairs, beds and other equipment and supplies that had helped him would get to others in need.
Pantoja’s lengthy struggle to find an organization that would take the large donation ended when she got word that a group in Chicago was interested. So she and her family packed up a U-Haul and drove the 1,240 miles (1,995 kilometers) from San Antonio to drop it off.
“It kind of soothes us because other families that are going through what we went through kind of have a helping hand,” Pantoja said.
The mother’s effort highlighted not only how hard it can be to get such equipment — even with insurance — but also the difficulty that can be encountered when trying to donate it. The journey also shows the community built around not only need, but a desire to help.
The head of the at-home care company that took the donation, ASI/NE Healthcare Services, said that just seeing the number of items that Dylan Yadriel Cruz-Pantoja needed made her emotional.
“It was deeply moving to see that this one child needed so much just to be able to live,” said Marta Cerda, ASI’s chief executive officer.
At 15 months old, Dylan was left with brain damage after emergency room staff didn’t realize that a shunt placed in his head at birth to remove fluid was malfunctioning.
Pantoja said they sought out therapies and equipment to make his life better, scrambling to raise money when insurance wouldn’t pay.
“I used to make cookies and cupcakes,” Pantoja said. “I used to babysit kids while my husband was working two to three jobs in a week.”
Many of the items, including a car seat, standing chair and bed, went to Felipe Aguilar, a 12-year-old Chicago boy with cerebral palsy.
Felipe’s mother, Karina Aguilar, said it has often been difficult to get the equipment her son needs. “There’s always some excuses for insurance not to pay, not to consider that equipment as a … medical necessity,” she said.
Among items from the Pantoja family that have been especially helpful are a car seat that’s big enough for Felipe, a chair that helps him stand up and a bed designed so he doesn’t fall off. Before the new bed, Aguilar said they were making “a barrier with pillows and things around the bed.”
The path that led the Pantojas to Chicago was a winding one. In the months after Dylan’s death in November 2019, the pandemic began changing daily life and Pantoja had trouble finding a local organization that would take the donation so big it filled a garage.
Her first idea was to try to get the items to Puerto Rico, where the family lived before moving to Texas when Dylan was 10.
She turned to Pedro Soler, the attorney in Puerto Rico who’d handled a medical malpractice case the family filed over Dylan’s condition. But Soler found that the cost would be too high, and there were no guarantees when it would arrive.
So Soler got in touch with a law firm he works with in Chicago, Clifford Law Offices, which reached out to a judge who got in touch with ASI. A Chicago-area group that helps children with physical disabilities helped bring everyone together, while another that redistributes medical equipment moved the donation from ASI’s storage unit and conference room to the Aguilar family.
Pantoja said it was like reliving her own life when she met the Aguilars at a news conference centering on the donation held a year ago last month. Erin Clifford, a partner at Clifford Law Offices, said that knowing how much the donation meant to each family, she “started tearing up a little bit” as she watched the mothers that day.
Over a decade ago, Dr. Will Rosenblatt, a professor at Yale School of Medicine, recognized a need to help connect people who had medical supplies and equipment to donate with not-for-profits.
“It’s a heartache to take this stuff to the landfill,” he said.
Rosenblatt founded Med-Eq, an online site that matches those looking to donate items with a group that needs them. He said that even though they work with 300 to 400 organizations, about two-thirds of the items offered up aren’t ever placed.
Finding a match, he said, has a lot to do with geography and funds. For instance, many groups will only take items they can pick up because shipping items can be difficult and costly.
Jason Chernock, director of programs and partnerships at MedShare, which distributes surplus medical supplies and equipment from the U.S. around the world, said his group gets daily inquiries from people looking to donate large medical equipment previously used at home. And while his organization generally doesn’t take such donations, they work to find groups in the donor’s community that will.
“That makes sense just because of the logistics involved,” Chernock said. “These are big, bulky items.”
ASI’s operations manager, Ana Alvarez, said helping facilitate donations isn’t something ASI usually does. But in this case, they made an exception.
“We couldn’t walk away from it,” she said.
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| 2022-09-21T10:04:58Z
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LONDON (AP) — Charles became king immediately upon the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, on Thursday. He was officially proclaimed King Charles III on Saturday during a ceremony at St. James’s Palace in London, and many more formal steps will follow until his coronation, which may not come for months.
A look at the centuries-old traditions and rules surrounding the accession of a new British monarch:
WHO FORMALLY DECLARES NEW MONARCHS?
In Britain the death of a sovereign and their successor is officially proclaimed by the Accession Council, formed of a large group of senior politicians and officials.
Traditionally the council is summoned within 24 hours of a monarch’s death for a ceremonial meeting at St. James’s Palace. But the accession ceremony for King Charles III was delayed because the queen’s death wasn’t announced until early evening on Thursday, and there was not enough time to set the plans in motion for Friday.
The Accession Council is formed of members of the Privy Council — mostly past and present politicians, including all living prime ministers, as well as Church of England leaders and senior royals — and other ceremonial leaders, such as the Lord Mayor of London.
The Privy Council advises the monarch and is one of the oldest parts of government. It can be traced back to the time of the Norman kings when the monarch met with a group of advisers in private, predating the modern functions of a government cabinet.
Historically the entire Privy Council is called to the Accession Council to oversee the new monarch’s proclamation. But just 200 were summoned Saturday because the number of Privy Council members now stands at 700.
The ceremony was broadcast live on television for the first time Saturday.
WHAT HAPPENS AFTER CHARLES IS PROCLAIMED?
Shortly after a new monarch is formally confirmed, the sovereign holds his first Privy Council meeting, makes a personal declaration and then signs an oath to maintain the Church of Scotland, according to the Act of Union of 1707.
Afterward, a heraldic official known as the Garter King of Arms publicly reads out the proclamation of the new sovereign from a balcony at St. James’s Palace and gun salutes are fired around London.
The proclamation is also read aloud in locations across the U.K., including in Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast — the capital cities of the other three nations that make up the United Kingdom.
Union flags will be flown at full-staff for about 24 hours, before returning to half-staff in mourning for the queen.
Parliament is then recalled as soon as possible for senior lawmakers to take their oaths of allegiance to the new monarch.
The new monarch must make another oath to declare that he is a faithful Protestant and will maintain the Protestant succession later at the state opening of Parliament. The oath is mandated by the Accession Declaration Act of 1910.
WHAT ABOUT THE CORONATION?
After the initial flurry of formalities, there will be months before the next big event — the king’s coronation. This is to allow for a period of mourning and to leave time for officials to organize the ceremony.
Queen Elizabeth II was crowned on June 2, 1953 — some 16 months after her accession on Feb. 6, 1952, when her father, King George VI, died.
The date for Charles’ coronation is not yet known. It will most likely be held at London’s Westminster Abbey, where coronation ceremonies have taken place for the past 900 years.
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STOCKHOLM, Sweden (AP) — Sweden is holding an election Sunday to elect lawmakers to the 349-seat Riksdag as well as to local offices across the nation of 10 million. Early voting began on Aug. 24. Here are some key things to know about the vote.
WHAT IS AT STAKE?
Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson is fighting to keep her center-left Social Democrats at the helm of a left-wing coalition but is facing a strong challenge from the right.
Sweden is known for being a cradle-to-grave welfare society and Andersson would like to preserve the social protections that have long defined Sweden, and reverse some of the market-oriented changes by an earlier government. Her party feels that some of the changes, like state subsidies going to private schools, are creating greater inequalities.
The once-mighty Social Democrats have been in power since 2014. But as the party’s popularity has sunk, it has presided over a weak government that relies more on other parties to pass laws, creating political instability for the past eight years.
WHO IS LIKELY TO WIN?
There are two major blocs: one with four parties on the left and another with four on the right. The polls leading up to the election say it is impossible to predict.
“It’s basically a coin toss. It’s 50-50 between the two different sides,” Zeth Isaksson, a sociologist in electoral behavior at Stockholm University, said Saturday.
Under Swedish law, the party that wins the most seats forms the next government. Polls show this is likely to be Andersson’s party, which will need to create a coalition with other parties.
But if the left as a whole has a poor showing, she might not be able to form a coalition. In that case, the baton would be passed to the second-largest party to try to form a government.
WHICH PARTY IS IN THE NO. 2 SPOT?
In the last election in 2018, the Moderates led by Ulf Kristersson, a center-right party, won the second-highest number of seats. The conservative party promotes a market economy, lower taxes and a smaller role for government in a country with a generous welfare state supported by high taxes.
But like the Social Democrats and other mainstream parties across Europe, the Moderates have also seen their popularity decline amid a populist challenge coming from further right.
WHO ARE THE POPULISTS?
The Sweden Democrats, a populist right-wing party that takes a hard line on immigration and crime, first entered parliament in 2010 and has been growing steadily ever since.
The party won 13% of the vote in 2018, becoming the third-largest force in parliament. Polls show it is likely to improve on that showing Sunday.
Some Swedes compare the party to Trump-style populism and note it was founded by far-right extremists decades ago. They do not trust it in its reported transformation to a more traditional conservative party.
The party is led by Jimmie Akesson, a 43-year-old former web designer who has been the driving force in trying to moderate the party’s image.
The party has clearly tapped into the social mood, however, and other parties have been moving closer to its positions, as many Swedes believe that they can no longer bear the costs of the country’s generous refugee policies and are seeking a crackdown on crime.
Once a pariah, other conservative parties have grown increasingly willing to deal with the Sweden Democrats.
Andersson told reporters Saturday that “the rise of the far right” was partly the fault of the right-wing opposition, which she said “spent so much time and effort to try to convince people that the Sweden Democrats aren’t the party that they actually are.”
HOW SERIOUS IS CRIME IN SWEDEN?
Some immigrants have had difficulties assimilating into Swedish society, leading to segregated neighborhoods with high crime rates.
Gang violence mostly takes place among criminal networks dealing drugs or involved in other illicit activity. But there have been recent cases of innocent bystanders being hurt. So far this year, 48 people have been killed by firearms in Sweden, three more than in all of 2021.
The fears triggered by shootings and explosions in disadvantaged neighborhoods have made crime one of the most pressing issues for Swedish voters.
“Shootings and explosions of bombs have increased in the last few years and (this violence) is now considered a great social problem,” said Anders Sannerstedt, a political scientist at Lund University in southern Sweden.
THE GENDER FACTOR
Andersson became Sweden’s first female prime minister less than a year ago — a milestone late in coming for a country that in many ways is an example of gender equality.
“I was really proud,” said Ulrika Hoonk, a 39-year-old who voted early in Stockholm on Friday, saying it took “far too long” for that to happen.
Polls show that Andersson’s party is especially popular with women, with men tending to vote more conservative.
Even though Andersson is the first prime minister, there are still many women represented in positions of authority. Four party leaders are women and one party has a woman and a man sharing the leadership. In parliament, the gender balance has long been split roughly 50-50.
Several women voters interviewed this week said that finally having a woman in the top leadership job was very important for them, and one factor they considered when choosing which party to support.
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Jan M. Olsen in Copenhagen, Denmark, contributed.
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MEXICO CITY (AP) — A fiery crash between a tanker truck carrying fuel and a passenger bus Saturday killed at least 18 people in northern Mexico, authorities reported.
Prosecutors in the northern border state of Tamaulipas said the crash might have been caused by one of the truck’s two tank trailers coming lose.
The collision left both vehicles completely burned. Police photos showed the bus was reduced to a tangle of smoking, charred metal.
Tamaulipas state police initially found nine sets of remains, but by early afternoon prosecutors said nine more had been recovered. The death toll could rise, they said.
The crash occurred before dawn on a highway that leads to the northern city of Monterrey.
The driver of the fuel truck apparently survived and is under investigation. The bus had apparently set out from the central state of Hidalgo and was headed to Monterrey.
The semi-truck was towing two tank trailers in tandem. Such double-container freight trucks have been involved in numerous deadly crashes in the past.
Because weight restrictions and safety inspections in Mexico are lax, there have been calls in the past to ban the extremely heavy and unwieldy trucks.
State prosecutors said in a statement that “the crash may have occurred because one of the fuel tanks came loose.”
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HONG KONG (AP) — A Hong Kong court sentenced five speech therapists to nearly two years in prison Saturday for their role in the publication of children’s books deemed seditious.
The penalties are the latest sign of China’s hard line against free speech and any sign of political opposition in the city following the 2019 antigovernment protests.
Beijing responded to the monthslong demonstrations by imposing a sweeping National Security Law and disqualifying, imprisoning or silencing political opponents, many of whom have sought asylum abroad.
The five defendants have already been jailed for more than a year and may be eligible for early release under the terms of the 19-month sentence handed down Saturday. They had pleaded not guilty but were convicted of sedition Wednesday after they printed a series of children’s books about sheep and wolves that a court said was aimed at inciting hatred against authorities.
The clampdown has led to criticism that China’s ruling Communist Party has reneged on a 1997 pledge when Hong Kong was handed over from Britain to China to retain the city’s Western-style freedoms — including free speech.
Hong Kong authorities have purged and imprisoned politicians and teachers associated with the pro-democracy camp, shut down newspapers and pulled publications and artworks seen as critical of the Communist Party, which brooks no opposition.
Recent days have also seen the arrest of Ronson Chan, chairman of the Hong Kong Journalists Association, for allegedly refusing to provide identification while reporting a news story about housing.
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