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Burger King plans to invest $400 million in its U.S. restaurants over the next two years to update its stores and boost flagging sales.
The burger chain said Friday the investment includes $250 million to revamp stores and update technology and kitchen equipment and $120 million for heavier advertising. Burger King also plans to spend $30 million upgrading its app to offer smoother ordering and personalized deals.
The moves come after several years of disappointing sales at Burger King’s 7,058 U.S. stores. In 2019, Burger King’s same-store sales — or sales at stores open at least a year — rose less than 2%. By comparison, market leader McDonald’s U.S. same-store sales were up 5%.
Burger King’s U.S. sales plunged during the pandemic, then recovered in 2021, rising 5%. But that was still slower growth than McDonald’s, which saw U.S. same-store sales jump 14% in 2021.
Wendy’s overtook Burger King as the No. 2 U.S. fast food chain by sales in 2020 and retained that spot in 2021, according to Technomic, a consulting company.
Restaurant Brands International, the Toronto-based company that owns Burger King, Tim Hortons and Popeyes, tapped Tom Curtis to lead the turnaround effort last summer.
Curtis, a longtime franchisee and operations executive at Domino’s, joined Restaurant Brands in 2021 and now serves as Burger King’s North America president. Curtis said he spent the last year visiting many of the chain’s 400 franchisees in the U.S. and Canada and asking them what they wanted the revamp to look like.
Curtis said updates will depend on each store’s needs, from upgraded digital ordering or menu boards to better kitchen equipment. Around 800 stores will see more significant remodels; some might be moved to accommodate two lanes of drive-thru, for example, while others might need refreshed interiors.
“Every restaurant is a snowflake,” Curtis said. “We will look at which projects will generate the best return and prioritize them first.”
Widespread restaurant closures aren’t planned as part of the revamp.
Burger King will also renew focus on its Whopper burger, with new flavors building off that platform. Curtis said the company will also continue to add to its chicken menu and is working on developing more breakfast and plant-based items.
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| 2022-09-21T10:21:01Z
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COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — A Dutch coaster sank in the North Sea off western Denmark after colliding with another vessel early Friday. The Danish Navy said that seven crewmembers from the Helge who had jumped into the sea, were rescued by helicopter and there are no reports of injuries.
Details were sketchy about the collision between the 89-meter (292-foot) -long Helge and the larger, Bahamas-flagged Wild Cosmos, which occurred some 37 kilometers (23 miles) off Ringkjoebing on the west coast of the Jutland peninsula, were sketchy. The Danish Navy said it sent several ships and two helicopters to the site and the rescued crew members were flown to a hospital in Esbjerg, western Denmark, for medical examination.
There were no reports of major damage or casualties on the Wild Cosmos.
The Danish Navy received a distress call at 5:40 a.m. (0340 GMT), Danish broadcaster DR said.
The two ships were sailing in the same direction when the collision occurred. The Wild Cosmos was on its way from Durban in South Africa to Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, while Helge was on its way from Antwerp in Belgium to Porsgrunn in Norway.
It was not immediately clear what cargo was on the two ships. Danish police were investigating the sunken ship’s contents and will consider further measures if necessary. No fuel leak was immediately reported.
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| 2022-09-21T10:21:09Z
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BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union nations struggled to find full consensus Friday on ways to shield the population from dramatically increasing energy prices that threaten to plunge millions into cold and poverty over the winter as Russia chokes off natural gas supplies.
As tensions with Moscow mount over the war in Ukraine, the energy ministers of the EU’s 27 nations could not paper over differences on whether and how to impose a price cap on Russian natural gas, with ever-recalcitrant Hungary refusing to agree, saying it would go against its supply interests.
Other countries differed on whether a price cap should apply only to Russia or to other producers, too.
That “shows that this is a difficult issue and that the (European) Commission had a different goal,” said Agata Loskot-Strachota, senior fellow for energy policy at the Center for Eastern Studies in Warsaw. While EU members are most interested in lowering prices and getting enough gas, “the commission aimed at limiting Russia’s revenues and, I think, taking back control of the situation on the European gas market.”
An immediate solution on all proposals to bring natural gas and electricity prices back to affordability had not been anticipated, but energy ministers gave general recommendations to the European Commission, the EU’s executive branch, on options like instituting windfall levies on some energy companies whose profits have risen along with skyrocketing prices.
Moscow’s gas restrictions and threat of a full cutoff has dominated the political agenda of a rich bloc of nations struggling to ensure basic services like heat and light. Russia has cut back supplies of natural gas that power factories, generate electricity and heat homes, driving up prices and fueling inflation that is poised to tip Europe into recession later this year.
“Russia has used its gas supplies as a weapon to foster an energy crisis next winter but also to weaken our economies and divide — politically — the European Union,” EU Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson said. “We have to ensure that their efforts will fail.”
Czech Industry Minister Jozef Sikela, chair of the emergency meeting, exhorted his colleagues: “We cannot be blackmailed.”
Sikela and others said that outside the gas cap, a wide degree of convergence was found other potential measures. Besides windfall levies, they include solidarity contributions from fossil fuel producers and cash increases for businesses to keep operating as they struggle with volatile energy markets.
Irish Minister Eamon Ryan insisted that action must be taken “within weeks, not months.” This coming fall, “when we’re really going to see the high prices having effect, that’s when we need the support, that’s when we need to get some of that money,” he told reporters in Brussels.
“There is no time to wait, and we have to be swift and united,” Sikela said.
Despite the urgency, with several northern nations feeling the first chill in the morning air announcing the onset of autumn, the ministers gave only guidelines to the EU commission, which will present a proposal for the member states next week.
At that point, the EU nations will reassess again, and the hope is that a decision can be made by the end of this month.
German Economy and Energy Minister Robert Habeck said the commission has “a clear mandate to work out a viable proposal — or even better, viable proposals” to bring down prices. Friday’s meeting reflected different situations among EU members, but “everyone was determined to bring about relief for European citizens, so no agreement is not an option,” Habeck said.
While hoping for quick progress, Germany is keeping open the option of imposing a levy on high energy profits whose proceeds would be passed to consumers “if it takes too long,” he said.
“We can’t take this card off the table because the other, better way — namely bringing down prices — could certainly be complicated,” Habeck said. “We’re doing something that affects the heart of European energy supply — we’re intervening in the markets.”
The energy crisis is not only threatening households but also industry, with energy-intensive factories being forced to close. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Russia is “blackmailing” the EU with its threat to turn off the gas to the bloc. Moscow has already cut supplies partially or entirely to 13 EU countries, blaming alleged technical issues and sanctions.
Russian pipeline gas accounted for 40% of all gas Europe imported before President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine in February, but now it only accounts for 9%.
The commission believes the EU is prepared for the winter, with joint gas storage levels at 82% — well ahead of the 80% target that had been set for the end of October.
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Associated Press writers Lorne Cook and Samuel Petrequin in Brussels; David McHugh in Frankfurt, Germany; and Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed.
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| 2022-09-21T10:21:17Z
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BERLIN (AP) — Environmentalists claimed a small legal victory Friday after a court in Germany said it would continue hearing a case brought by a farmer seeking to force automaker Volkswagen to end the sale of combustion engine vehicles.
Ulf Allhoff-Cramer says drier soil and heavier rains due to climate change are harming his fields, cattle and commercial forests. He argues that Volkswagen is partly to blame for this, as the mass production of vehicles running on gasoline contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere.
During a first hearing in May, a regional court in the western German town of Detmold appeared to cast doubt on those claims, with judges asking the plaintiff to provide further details to back up their legal arguments.
On Friday, the court again asked for further details and set a new hearing for Feb. 3.
“To me, this is a first success because we weren’t dismissed here and don’t have to go to appeals,” said Roda Verheyen, the plaintiff’s lawyer.
Environmental group Greenpeace, which supports the case, said it’s the first time that a court will consider whether a car manufacturer can be forced to change its business practices to prevent climate-related harm to a plaintiff’s health and property.
The group accused VW of relying on the arguments of climate change skeptics to avoid bringing forward its current deadline for ending the sale of combustion engine vehicles from 2040.
The automaker has objected to the 62-year-old farmer’s claim that it can be directly linked to any climate-related damages he has suffered. VW also pointed to its massive effort to shift production to electric vehicles in the coming years and said it was confident that judges in Detmold would eventually dismiss the case.
Allhoff-Cramer said the court’s decision to wait five months before holding another hearing was disappointing.
“The climate crisis is escalating and we’re running out of time,” he said.
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Follow all AP stories on climate change at https://apnews.com/hub/climate-and-environment
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| 2022-09-21T10:21:24Z
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BERLIN (AP) — German gas importer VNG is seeking help from the government after cuts to Russian gas supplies forced it to buy gas at far higher prices on the market to fulfill its supply contracts.
Energy company EnBW, which has a majority stake in VNG, said Friday that its subsidiary was submitting an application for “stabilization measures” to the Economy Ministry “to avert further damage and to enable the VNG Group’s business operations as a whole to continue.”
Ministry spokesman Robert Saeverin said the application had been received but declined to comment on what measures might be considered.
VNG supplies gas to about 400 municipal utilities and industrial operators and met about 20% of German gas requirements last year, according to EnBW.
The move comes after the government in July announced that it would take a roughly 30% stake in Uniper, which has been Germany’s biggest importer of Russian gas, as part of a rescue package prompted by surging prices for natural gas and reduced Russian deliveries.
It also decided to introduce a new levy on natural gas that is aimed at rescuing importers slammed by the Russian cutbacks tied to the war in Ukraine. The government later moved to lower the value-added tax on gas from 19% to 7% until the end of March 2024 in an effort to make up for the effect of the surcharge.
Russia’s Gazprom started reducing energy deliveries to Germany through the main Nord Stream 1 pipeline in mid-June, citing alleged technical problems and the effect of Western sanctions. German officials have dismissed that explanation as an excuse for a political decision to create uncertainty and drive up prices.
Russia, which before the reductions accounted for a bit more than a third of Germany’s gas supplies, has since cut off deliveries through Nord Stream 1 altogether.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Wednesday that Germany is well-placed to get through this winter with enough energy thanks to efforts to shore up supplies from elsewhere and ensure that storage facilities are filled.
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| 2022-09-21T10:21:32Z
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PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Oregon utilities shut down power to tens of thousands of customers on Friday as dry easterly winds swept into the region in the hopes that it would lessen the risk of wildfires in extremely dry and hot conditions.
Power shut-offs due to extreme fire weather, common in California, are relatively new to the Pacific Northwest. The plans, which were part of permanent rules approved in May to manage wildfire danger in high-risk areas, mark the new reality in a region better known for its rain and temperate rainforests.
Portland General Electric halted power to about 30,000 customers in 12 service areas — including the posh West Hills neighborhood of Portland — and Pacific Power shut down service to more than 7,000 customers in a small community on the Pacific Coast, where a wildfire burned two years ago, and in pockets southeast of the state capitol of Salem.
Schools in the areas with planned power outages canceled classes and authorities urged residents to charge cellphones and be ready to evacuate at a moment’s notice.
The winds were whipping up a wildfire southeast of Eugene, Oregon, that had been burning in the wilderness for a month but was now making a run toward the small community of Oakridge, where residents were ordered to evacuate. Gov. Kate Brown declared a fire emergency late Friday for the Cedar Creek Fire as it encroached on the 3,200-person town.
Climate change is bringing drier conditions to the Pacific Northwest and that requires strategies that have been common in fire-prone California for the past decade or more, said Erica Fleishman, director of the Oregon Climate Change Research Institute at Oregon State University.
Wind patterns haven’t changed, but those winds are now coinciding more frequently with drier vegetation and hotter temperatures — a toxic mix for fire ignition, rapid spread and extreme fire behavior, she said.
“I don’t know whether this is the solution, but it’s an interim effort to manage wildfire risk,” Fleishman said. “People are going, ‘Oh my gosh!’ The areas we thought were safe, they’re realizing those are not immune to fire anymore. The fire likelihood is changing.”
The proactive power shutoffs were just the second for Portland General Electric ever. The utility shut down power to 5,000 customers in 2020 near Mount Hood during firestorms that ravaged the state. Extreme winds over Labor Day weekend led to wildfires that burned more than 1 million acres (405,000 hectares), destroyed 4,000 homes and killed at least 11 people — and utilities were blamed for some of those fire starts.
Pacific Power, another major utility in Oregon, said the shutoffs Friday were the first the company has ever done. The company put a wildfire mitigation plan in place in Oregon in 2018 that includes studying wind and weather patterns to predict high-risk areas.
The utility was sued last year by residents in two towns that burned to ashes in the 2020 wildfires who blamed the company for not shutting down power in advance of the devastating wind storm.
Pacific Power has since hired a team of meteorologists to make fire weather forecasts and is spending more than $500 million to “harden” its electric grid in high-risk areas by replacing wooden poles with carbonized ones and encasing power lines and conductor boxes to reduce the chances of a spark, said Drew Hanson, a Pacific Power spokesman.
“You can look at the West in general and climate change has impacted areas from Southern California, and then Northern California and now up into this region as well, we’re seeing those same conditions,” he said.
“It’s something we are taking very seriously. We realize the changing landscape. We’ve been changing and evolving along with it.”
A number of blazes are burning in Oregon and Washington state.
Just south of Salem, firefighters using at least two planes and a helicopter tried to douse the flames of a wildfire that spread from grass to stands of trees, blanketing parts of the Willamette Valley in smoke.
The largest in Oregon is the Double Creek Fire burning in northeastern Oregon near the Idaho border. The fire grew by nearly 47 square miles (122 square kilometers) Wednesday because of wind gusts up to 50 mph (80 kph) and as of Friday had burned a total of nearly 214 square miles (554 square kilometers). It’s threatening about 100 homes near the community of Imnaha.
In Central Oregon, the Cedar Creek Fire east of Oakridge has burned nearly 52 square miles (135 square kilometers). On Friday, officials ordered a level 3 “go now” evacuation for residents of greater Oakridge, Westfir and High Prairie areas due to increased fire activity.
The Van Meter Fire, which started Wednesday, is burning on Stukel Mountain about 13 miles (21 kilometers) southeast of Klamath Falls. One home and four structures have been destroyed and about 260 structures are threatened by that blaze, officials said.
The Rum Creek Fire was also burning in southwest Oregon and was almost halfway contained at about 33 square miles (82 square kilometers).
___
Associated Press reporter Andrew Selsky in Salem, Oregon contributed to this report.
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| 2022-09-21T10:21:39Z
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KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine is ready to supply Poland with electricity and help reduce the use of coal for power generation in light of an anticipated energy crisis, the Polish prime minister said Friday.
Poland’s premier Mateusz Morawiecki and Latvia’s President Egils Levits, were in Kyiv for talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy about military and energy security amid the region’s efforts to roll back its dependence on Russian energy sources.
Morawiecki thanked Zelenskyy for his “understanding” and readiness to provide needed assistance in a short time.
“Today, because of the embargo on Russian coal, we are bringing in coal from around the world,” Morawiecki said during a joint news conference.
“If we are not to burn it in Polish power plants, we could use some energy from Ukraine, if possible. I was told by the president that yes, it will be possible, shortly,” Morawiecki said.
Zelenskyy spoke of steps to overcome a “potential, future energy crisis.”
The leaders also discussed ways of urgently easing traffic flow at border crossings amid a backlog of trucks waiting to cross from both sides, but mainly to enter Poland.
Morawiecki referred to gains gains by Ukraine’s army against Russian forces in the region of Kharkiv. But he suggested that the European Commission has yet to provide Ukraine with billions of euro of financial support promised in the summer.
Zelenskyy thanked the two leaders for their efforts for the EU to release 5 billion euros in long-term assistance.
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| 2022-09-21T10:21:47Z
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LONDON (AP) — Queen Elizabeth II has been depicted on British banknotes and coins for decades. Her portrait also has been featured on currencies in dozens of other places around the world, in a reminder of the British empire’s colonial reach.
So what happens next after her death this week? It will take time for the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and other countries to swap out the monarchs on their money.
Here’s a look at what is next for the paper cash featuring the late queen:
SWITCHING MONARCHS
The queen’s portrait on British notes and coins is expected to be replaced by a likeness of the new King Charles III, but it won’t be immediate.
“Current banknotes featuring the image of Her Majesty The Queen will continue to be legal tender,” the Bank of England said. An announcement on existing paper money issued by the U.K.’s central bank will be made after the official 10-day mourning period has ended, it said.
The Royal Mint, which is the official maker of British coins, said all coins with her portrait “remain legal tender and in circulation,” with more information to come later.
“As we respect this period of respectful mourning, we continue to strike coins as usual,” the Royal Mint said on its website.
With 4.7 billion U.K. banknotes worth 82 billion pounds ($95 billion) in circulation and about 29 billion coins, British money bearing the queen’s image will likely be in circulation for years.
“Rather than all of the current coins and notes being handed in, the process will be a gradual one and many of the coins featuring portraits of Queen Elizabeth II will remain in circulation for many years to come,” according to Coin Expert, a British coin research website.
After Charles takes the crown at his coronation, a new portrait will need to be taken to use on redesigned notes and coins, the website said.
Coins featuring him will show him facing to the left, replacing the queen’s rightward gaze in line with tradition dating to the 17th century. It dictates monarchs be shown in profile and in opposite direction to their predecessors.
WHAT ABOUT OTHER COUNTRIES?
Other nations’ currencies that feature the queen — from Australian, Canadian and Belizean dollars — also will be updated with the new monarch, but the process could take longer, because “it is much easier to enforce a new design in the country where it originates, rather than in other countries where different jurisdiction may take place,” the Coin Expert website said.
The Bank of Canada said its current $20 banknote, made of synthetic polymer, is designed “to circulate for years to come.”
“There is no legislative requirement to change the design within a prescribed period when the Monarch changes,” the Bank of Canada said.
In general, when a new portrait subject is chosen for Canadian money, the process begins with drawing up a fresh design, and a new note is ready to be issued “a few years later,” the bank said.
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand said it will issue all of its stock of coins depicting the queen before new ones go out with Charles’ image. The queen also is featured on the $20 bill, which is made “infrequently” and there is no “plan to destroy stock or shorten the life of existing banknotes just because they show the Queen,” the bank said.
“It will be several years before we need to introduce coins featuring King Charles the Third, and longer until stocks of $20 notes are exhausted,” it added.
THE QUEEN’S CURRENCY
She first appeared on money when she was still a princess. That was in 1935, when Canada’s $20 bill featured 8-year-old Princess Elizabeth, whose grandfather King George V was then the monarch, as part of a new series of notes.
Canadian $20 bills were updated with a new portrait of the queen in 1954, a year after her coronation, and her portrait also started appearing on other currencies around the world, mainly British colonies and Commonwealth countries.
British bills didn’t get her image until 1960 — seven years after her coronation. That’s when the Bank of England was granted permission to use her likeness on paper money, starting with the 1-pound note, though the formal and regal image was criticized for being too severe and unrealistic.
She became the first monarch to be depicted on British banknotes. British coins, meanwhile, have featured kings and queens for more than 1,000 years.
CURRENCIES OUTSIDE THE U.K.
At one time, Queen Elizabeth II appeared on at least 33 different currencies, more than any other monarch, an achievement noted by Guinness World Records.
Her image is still featured on money in places where she remains a beloved figure, such as Canada, and continue to incorporate the Union Jack into their flags, like Australia and New Zealand.
She’s also found on notes and coins issued by the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank, the monetary authority for a group of small nations including Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
Other places have long stopped putting her face on their currency. After Jamaica gained independence from Britain in 1962, its central bank replaced the queen on paper notes with portraits of national heroes such as Marcus Garvey.
Notes in the Seychelles now feature local wildlife instead of the queen. Bermuda did a similar revamp, though the queen retains a minor position on bills. Trinidad and Tobago swapped in a coat of arms after it became a republic.
Hong Kong dollars issued after Britain handed its colony back to Beijing in 1997 feature Chinese dragons and skyscrapers on the Asian financial center’s skyline.
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Follow AP coverage of Queen Elizabeth II at https://apnews.com/hub/queen-elizabeth-ii
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| 2022-09-21T10:21:54Z
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LA CHAPELLE-SAINT-MESMIN, France (AP) — For the glassmakers at iconic French tableware brand Duralex, the mornings have become a horror show. Daily updates from energy traders drop into their email inboxes, showing the asphyxiating upward climb of prices for the natural gas and electricity that power their energy-devouring business.
Before Europe’s energy crisis — which took off after the COVID-19 pandemic and became a full-blown economic threat with Russia’s war in Ukraine — the price charts were reassuringly stable. They have since become a terrifying succession of peaks and troughs, with Russia choking off cheap natural gas deliveries in a battle of wills with European leaders over their support for Ukraine.
For Duralex, each price spike represents another bite from the bottom line of the 77-year-old company that counts generations of French families, Mongolian yak herders, Afghan diners and African tea drinkers among worldwide users of its glasses, bowls and plates. Actor Daniel Craig drank from one its “Picardie” tumblers, with a scorpion on his wrist, when playing James Bond in “Skyfall.”
With energy costs burning through the firm’s cash reserves and viability, Duralex President José-Luis Llacuna is taking radical but, he hopes, business-saving action: He’s stopping production. The thunderous machines that turn incandescent blobs of molten glass into hundreds of thousands of tableware items each day will fall silent for a few months on Nov. 1.
Duralex will join a growing array of European firms that have reduced and halted production because they’re hemorrhaging money on the energy needed to keep running.
“The first thing I do when I wake up in the morning is look at the daily change in electricity and gas prices,” Llacuna said in an interview at the plant outside Orléans in central France.
“Needless to say, there’s an incredible amount of volatility,” he added. “It’s truly a rollercoaster, and the outlook for the future is a complete unknown.”
Facing the risks of power shortages, rationing and blackouts when demand surges this winter and of an expected recession as businesses shut down, Europe is scrambling for energy alternatives, stockpiling gas and urging consumers to save. European Union energy ministers struggled to find consensus at emergency talks Friday on the bloc’s latest proposals for alleviating the crisis.
At Duralex, the costs of heating the furnace to above 1,400 degrees Celsius (above 2,500 Fahrenheit) with roaring torrents of flaming gas and of transforming the molten glass into tableware on the production lines manned by sweating workers are set to burn through 40% of the company’s revenue if it keeps producing, “which is untenable,” Llacuna said.
The production shutdown will last at least four months. The glass furnace can’t be switched off entirely because that could destroy it. Instead, it will be maintained in a hot slumber, slashing the firm’s energy use by half. The aim is to then fire it back up by the spring.
In the meantime, the 250 employees will work fewer days, with drops in pay just as inflation is gnawing at household budgets.
“It’s very hard to stomach,” said Michel Carvalho, a production line crew chief who has been with the company for 17 years.
“Around the world, everyone is suffering from this war,” he said. “We’re hostages. Absolutely. We’re being used. Because being asked to stop work is hard. And we’re not responsible for what is happening.”
Duralex will fall back on its stockpiles to keep customers supplied during the stoppage. But competitors are circling, using the production halt as an argument to try to lure away the company’s customers, Llacuna said. He is knocking on government doors for financial help, speaking by phone to the French economy minister last week.
A prolonged energy crisis, Llacuna warned, could be grim.
“It must not last three years,” he said. “Because then European industry will die, and that will be dramatic.”
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Follow the AP’s coverage of the Russia-Ukraine war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
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| 2022-09-21T10:22:02Z
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TEXARKANA, USA (KTAL/KMSS) – You can’t get to Houston anymore, but you can fly to Dallas comfortably. American Airlines, which offers flights to Dallas from Texarkana, will be upgrading the size of its aircraft.
Airport Real Estate Manager Tyler Brown says the new plane will have an additional 15 seats and add a new first-class option. He says the extra 15 seats on American flights will make up for the loss in travelers since United stopped offering direct flights to Houston. The new aircraft will also provide more headroom, legroom, and overhead bin storage.
“Dallas has always been a good market for us. American, throughout the year, has been doing really well. Their flights have been leaving near full,” said Brown.
The upgraded and additional flights will be available in time for the holiday season.
“As we approach the winter schedule, they typically will add additional flights through the winter. But this year, with the pilot shortage, they’re just going to upgrade the size of the aircraft itself and stay around 3-4 flights a day.”
Brown says the flights on the new aircraft will begin on October 6th.
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| 2022-09-21T10:22:10Z
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LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Police have arrested a U.S. Air Force commander who works at Nellis Air Force Base in southern Nevada on felony sex charges.
Kevin DiFalco faces seven counts of lewdness with a child under 18, and one count of child abuse or neglect, according to Las Vegas Justice Court records.
DiFalco was commander of the 57th Operations Support Squadron and an F-16 pilot assigned to Nellis Air Force Base. Due to the allegations of personal misconduct, DiFalco has been removed from his position, according to a base spokesman.
“The 57th Wing Commander, Brig. Gen. Richard Goodman, relieved the 57th Operations Support Squadron Commander Sept. 8 due to allegations of personal misconduct,” the spokesman said. “Lt. Col. Kevin DiFalco was arrested at his off-base residence Sept. 8 and is under investigation by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, in coordination with the Air Force.”
An LVMPD spokesman said details from the case would not be released due to a juvenile being involved.
DiFalco posted bond Friday. According to court records, “probable cause existed for the defendant’s arrest. Therefore, the defendant’s biological specimen shall be submitted to the appropriate forensic laboratory for genetic marker analysis.”
On an Instagram page for Lt. Col Kevin “GATOR” DiFalco, there are more than 50 posts that appear to be on-the-job.
A caption on the most recent post on June 9 includes, “DAY 1 at 40 years old was amazing — just another day following the dream. Yesterday was a great day to celebrate my 40th with family and friends.”
A status check is set for Oct. 11.
DiFalco spoke to Nexstar’s KLAS last year about the Thunderbirds.
“The energy is always high,” he said. “Kids are screaming and yelling and jumping up and down with excitement.”
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The three-day conference is free and open to the public; it will take place at Detroit Marriott Renaissance Center in Detroit, Michigan, from September 30th thru October 2nd, and bring together formerly incarcerated women, directly affected people, activists, advocates, experts, and policymakers.
LOS ANGELES, Sept. 21, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls (The National Council) will host its 5th annual FreeHer Conference at Detroit Marriott Renaissance Center in Detroit, Michigan, from September 30th thru October 2nd. The event will bring together formerly incarcerated women, directly affected people, activists, advocates, experts, and policymakers from across the country to connect, share ideas and resources, work collectively toward ending incarceration of women and girls, and create systems to empower our communities. This year's conference will also focus on clemency, racial, and gender justice and will feature armchair conversations, panel discussions, abolition and social justice organizations, networking opportunities, speakers, breakout rooms, and more.
"Without the voices of formerly incarcerated women, we're not creating the best policies and practices to help women heal and develop their lives outside of prison." – Andrea C. James, Founder and Executive Director of The National Council
The FreeHer Conference is free to attend and open to the public with online registration. All are welcome.
If you are interested in attending FreeHer Conference and would like additional information, please visit www.nationalcouncil.us/freeher-conference-2022.
About The National Council
The National Council was founded in 2010 by a group of women incarcerated in federal prison in Danbury, CT. Many are mothers; the organization works to end the criminal legal system's forced separation of women and girls from their communities and loved ones through hyper-local organizing, public awareness education, movement lawyering, and the national #FreeHer Campaign. The National Council also organizes against the incarceration of women globally through its International Network. Our mission is to end the incarceration of women and girls. For more information, visit www.nationalcouncil.us.
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE The National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls
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CADDO PARISH, La. (KTAL/KMSS) – The mother of one of the four teens charged in connection with a series of car thefts and vehicle burglaries in Blanchard earlier this week is now facing charges of her own.
The Caddo Parish Sheriff’s says they arrested 30-year-old Zenkendra Jenkins is charged her with improper supervision of a minor by a parent.
The teens were arrested after deputies were called around 3 a.m. Tuesday to investigate reports that a group of teens was stealing change and prescription drugs from parked cars in an apartment complex in the 4300 block of Roy Road in Blanchard.
The investigation led detectives to find that a 2020 Dodge Charger the teens were riding in was reported stolen in Texarkana on August 31. They also recovered two handguns and a rifle from the teens.
Caddo deputies arrested a 13-year-old, a 15-year-old, and two 19-year-olds in connection with the incident.
The investigation is ongoing. The sheriff’s office says the suspects and their parents could face more charges.
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Pregnancy and childbirth complications have increased nearly 10% for all women with both commercial and Medicaid insurance
CHICAGO, Sept. 21, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association (BCBSA) released a report that confirms women of color are at higher risk of pregnancy-related complications, regardless of having commercial health insurance or Medicaid. Instead, the data indicates U.S. maternal health disparities are likely the result of broader health system and societal challenges, including underlying chronic conditions, racial inequities, and likely biases within the health care system. Pregnancy-related complications have worsened 9% since 2018, with marked increase during the COVID-19 pandemic, with some women of color at nearly 70% higher risk of pregnancy-related complications than White women.
"When it comes to racial disparities in childbirth complications, the pandemic has only sent us further in the wrong direction—and we were in a bad place to begin with," said Kim Keck, president and CEO of BCBSA. "We have a bold goal of reducing racial disparities in maternal health by 50% in five years, and BCBS companies are taking action through advocacy, partnerships and local programs to support mothers at every stage of their pregnancy. Every mother deserves to have a healthy pregnancy, deliver a healthy baby, and live a healthy postpartum life. We invite everyone to join us in making this a reality."
The study, Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Maternal Health, examined the rate of childbirth complications in nearly 11 million U.S. births to women with either commercial insurance or Medicaid as measured by the CDC's Severe Maternal Morbidity Measure (SMM).
This comprehensive analysis found Black, Latina and Asian women have higher rates of SMM than White women, regardless of age or type of health insurance. Preexisting health conditions, such as hypertension, diabetes or asthma going into delivery, strongly correlate with higher SMM and worse pregnancy complications, increasing the likelihood of a risky delivery or challenges postpartum. While across all populations women ages 35-44 were identified as most likely to have an SMM event, Black women in this age range have a 66% higher rate of SMM and are more likely to suffer pregnancy-related complications than White women.
"One's race or ethnicity should not determine how likely you are to suffer from pregnancy-related complications. We must address deep-rooted issues like implicit bias and systemic racism that cause these disparities in the first place," said Dr. Adam Myers, senior vice president and chief clinical transformation officer for BCBSA. "To achieve better outcomes, we need to make sure care before pregnancy is easily accessible and equitable for all women, in addition to robust prenatal care, and ongoing postpartum care to ensure the safety of future pregnancies."
The findings further emphasize why BCBSA launched its National Health Equity Strategy in 2021 and is first focused on reducing racial disparities in maternal health by 50% in five years. Through the strategy, Blue Cross and Blue Shield (BCBS) companies are committed to:
- Advocating for all mothers by working with policymakers to strengthen and scale policies to make care more equitable nationwide.
- Creating incentives and trainings for providers to offer care that is sensitive and remove unconscious bias within health care delivery.
- Addressing social drivers of health, focusing on root causes to better help pregnant women, mothers and babies get the care they need.
- Collaborating with industry partners to standardize data collection and analysis to better understand care gaps and create interventions that will address them.
Guided by efforts already underway at BCBS companies, BCBSA also developed a list of 10 actions organizations can adopt to improve maternal health and make a measurable difference in health disparities.
Read the full report, "Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Maternal Health," part of the Blue Cross Blue Shield, The Health of America Report® series. For more information about the BCBSA National Health Equity Strategy and maternal health programs, visit BlueHealthEquity.com.
About Blue Cross Blue Shield Association
The Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association is a national federation of 34 independent, community-based and locally operated Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies that collectively provide health care coverage for one in three Americans. Blue Cross, Blue Shield and Blue Cross Blue Shield, The Health of America Report are registered trademarks of Blue Cross Blue Shield Association.
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Blue Cross Blue Shield Association
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TEXARKANA, Texas (KETK) – Texarkana police arrested 48-year-old Craig Smith on Tuesday after reports that he tried to steal a backpack full of ammo from an Academy Sports store.
According to the police, 48-year-old Craig Smith left the store and was walking across a nearby parking lot as a store employee followed from a distance. When officers stopped him, they say they immediately recognized him as the same suspect from another case they were investigating regarding a previous theft at Academy just days earlier.
The suspect, in that case, took several boxes of ammunition by hiding them inside his backpack and walking out the door, according to detectives.
Officials said Smith resisted arrest and had to be taken to the ground and handcuffed. Officers reported having found the stolen ammo inside the backpack with some pre-packaged meals and a Leatherman multi-tool, all with markings indicating they came from Academy.
In addition to the theft and resisting arrest charges, it was discovered Smith also had two felony probation violation warrants for previous theft and credit card abuse convictions.
Smith is currently in the Bi-State Jail, with an $18,000 bond on the three new charges.
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SHREVEPORT, La. (KTAL/KMSS) – In a darkened courtroom Friday afternoon, the jury and the families of Heather and Kelly Jose watched two videos of Shreveport police detectives interviewing the man accused of killing the Joses.
Watkins is accused of first-degree murder in the Nov. 8, 2018, deaths of Heather and Kelly Jose, whose charred bodies were found in a burning car later that night in the driveway of an unoccupied house in the Queensborough neighborhood.
Heather and Kelly’s charred bodies were found with one bullet each in the back of their heads in the front seats of the Kia sedan Heather was driving that night.
The first interview was conducted at the Shreveport Police Department in the early morning hours of Nov. 11, 2018, after a Shreveport Police K-9 Officer had captured Watkins following an almost 6-hour standoff at a house in the 3600 block of Penick Street, about a block and a half from where the Joses’ bodies were found two days earlier.
For the first few hours of the interview, which was conducted by SPD Sgt. Angie Willhite and then SPD detective Kenneth Thompson, Watkins, dressed in a hospital gown after being treated for a K-9 bite, denied knowing anything about the Joses’ murders, saying he lived with his mother in the Linwood Apartments and that he was with her.
It was only after Willhite reminded him that he had been kicked out of those apartments in the 7200 block of Bernstein Avenue that he remembered he had been staying at the home of Shawanna Hughes in the 3600 block of Penick Street, coincidentally the same place where he was captured a few hours earlier after a warrant had been issued for his arrest.
Even after his residency was established, however, Watkins continued to deny he knew anything about the murders, though detectives told him a number of people had seen him at Mall St. Vincent and there also was video. It was only after Willhite left the interview room that Watkins told Thompson that the Joses did, indeed, give him a ride from the mall and dropped him off at Hughes’ home on Penick Street.
He said when the Joses’ dropped him off at the house, there was a man in the front yard who went over to the Joses’ car and jumped in. Watkins then told Thompson the Joses’ car with the man in it drove off, “stopped for a while,” and then made a right on Jewella. He also mentioned a “guy with a bike at Citgo,” though he also claimed he didn’t leave the house for the rest of the evening.
The second interview took place at Caddo Correctional Center, where Watkins asked to speak with Willhite and Thompson. Watkins said he was ready to tell the truth, but when the detectives arrived, he told the same story he had told Thompson in November, so the officers left.
Thompson was on the witness stand during the videos of the interviews. After brief questioning by Assistant Caddo Parish District Attorney Mekisha Creal, defense attorney Sean Collins began his cross-examination.
Collins questioned Thompson regarding some of the methods used by detectives when interviewing Watkins, claiming in the first interview, detectives lied when they told Watkins they had video and asked him why he made a statement regarding “the needle,” a reference to the death penalty.
Thompson replied that using the needle reference was “a reality check – those charges were real.”
The trial will resume on Monday when Willhite is expected to be called to the witness stand.
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CAMP MINDEN, La. (KTAL/KMSS) – The Louisiana National Guard’s Youth Challenge Program responded Wednesday to concerns of violence involving their cadets after the Caddo Parish Sheriff’s office was called there multiple times.
The most recent disturbance at the YCP on Saturday led to two arrests and ten cadets sent home indefinitely. Officials say the youths tried to incite a riot and would not follow commands. Two children reportedly attempted to grab an officer’s weapon.
“One of the military police out there was trying to break up or trying to maintain control of the situation, and the two individuals tried to disarm one of the military police. That’s how this all got started,” says Webster Parish Sheriff Jason Parker.
Now, the Webster Parish Sheriff’s Office and the YCP are determined to make sure an act of violence at the facility doesn’t happen again.
“One of those was to add more military police. We’re going to increase the staffing, provide a surge of staffing when necessary, and the YCP will also enhance their screening process,” says Parker.
The screening process requires potential cadets to disclose their criminal history. Leaving something out can result in expulsion from the program.
While they’ll be cracking down on bad attitudes and behaviors, Parker says it’s also about connecting with the kids.
“We’re also going to try to go out there and get our deputies to interact with these cadets and try to mentor or help develop a personal relationship with these kids.”
In a statement released to KTAL on Thursday, YCP Director LTC. Kenneth D. Paul says they’re committed to serving the community.
“Recently, we had the opportunity to meet with local officials and express our continued commitment to work together in the best interest of the students we serve, within a community we’ve been a proud part of for over 20 years,” the statement reads.
Parker says Saturday’s disturbance will never happen again, and everyone is focused on the future.
“What’s done is done. It’s in the past. We want to work with the national guard in YCP to make sure this program succeeds, and we’re going to do all that we can to help them,” he says.
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Vice President Harris on Friday said she is concerned about the integrity of the Supreme Court in the wake of the decision to strike down Roe v. Wade, which had protected the right to receive an abortion for decades.
“I think this is an activist court,” Harris told NBC’s “Meet the Press” when asked about her confidence in the court.
“It means that we had an established right for almost half a century, which is the right of women to make decisions about their own body, as an extension of what we have decided to be, the privacy rights to which all people are entitled,” Harris continued. “And this court took that constitutional right away. And we are suffering as a nation because of it.”
“That causes me great concern about the integrity of the Court overall,” Harris added, calling it a “very different court” from the one served by Justices Earl Warren, Thurgood Marshall and Sandra Day O’Connor.
Harris has taken a leading role in the Biden administration in pushing back on the Supreme Court’s decision to reverse Roe v. Wade. The vice president, who is the first woman to hold the role, has met with health care providers and activists in recent months to voice support for abortion access and reproductive health.
Democrats have ridden the wave of outrage over the court decision to wins at the ballot box, including in Kansas, where voters rejected a referendum that would have stripped abortion protections from the state constitution.
The Supreme Court has a 6-3 conservative majority, even with the confirmation of Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, who joined the court in July upon the retirement of former Justice Stephen Breyer.
An Associated Press poll released in late July found that 43 percent of Americans don’t have any confidence in the Supreme Court, an increase of 16 percentage points since April.
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Senate negotiators expect to reach a deal on a bill to protect same-sex marriages in time to begin considering it on floor next week, which would put it on a path to pass before the end of the month.
Republican negotiators caution they haven’t yet locked down 10 GOP votes to overcome an expected filibuster against the bill, but they say they are making good progress.
“We’re not there yet,” said one Senate GOP source familiar with the soft whip count. “I think we’ll get there, but we’re not there yet.”
Negotiators believe they will work out a compromise to protect the views of religious groups that don’t recognize same-sex marriage, which would then attract more Republican support for the legislation.
“I’m uncertain what exactly the schedule will be but [we] will start the process, next week, I’m told, but it will really be the following week” that the bill gets done, Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) said while leaving the Capitol Thursday.
Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), the lead Democratic negotiator, confirmed the expectation is to “start the process at the end of next week.”
Negotiators still need to finalize the language of an amendment to modify the original bill crafted by Baldwin and Collins in order to address the concerns of some Republican senators who worry the legislation could create legal problems for religious groups that don’t recognize same-sex marriage.
But those final details are expected to get hammered out next week.
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) told The Hill Thursday that he expected the final legislative language to be worked out by next week, but expressed uncertainty about the timing of the bill.
He and other negotiators, including Sens. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), have kept in close touch with each other since returning to Washington after Labor Day to get the bill ready for the floor.
Senators have a small window to act before Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) moves to a short-term government funding measure, which needs to pass by Sept. 30 to avoid a shutdown.
Schumer on Wednesday said he does not want to add the marriage equality legislation to the funding stopgap, an idea Senate Democratic leadership floated Tuesday to force Republicans to commit to a path for getting the bill passed through the Senate.
GOP lawmakers — and Baldwin — balked at the idea of combining the two pieces of legislation, putting pressure on Republicans to commit to considering a standalone marriage equality bill on the Senate floor in the next few weeks, according to Senate Democratic aides.
The trial balloon about wrapping marriage equality legislation into a two-and-a-half-month government funding measure got lawmakers and media outlets focused on the marriage issue at the start of the week, putting a spotlight on whether GOP senators would block it.
Senators are still uncertain, however, which 10 Republicans will support the bill when it comes to the floor.
One prospect, retiring Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), said Thursday that he was not involved in the negotiations.
“I’m going to look at the bill when they produce it, but I’m not involved in any talks,” he said.
Another possible yes vote, Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.), said he is still deliberating over how to vote.
“I’m consulting with my constituents about it,” he said.
A Senate aide noted that Young was spotted on the floor Thursday afternoon chatting with a couple of the negotiators who are working on the final version.
Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), another Republican who has joined past bipartisan efforts, said he’s a “no” vote.
“It’s not necessary, I don’t think,” he said. “I personally am not planning on voting for it.”
Collins, Baldwin and Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) introduced the Respect for Marriage Act in July to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act and ensconce marriage equality into federal law.
The senators announced the legislation after conservative Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas urged fellow justices to reconsider the court’s landmark 2015 decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, when it ruled that the 14th Amendment’s protection of the right to marry applies to same-sex couples.
The House passed its version of the Respect for Marriage Act in July by a vote of 267 to 157, with 47 Republicans joining all Democrats in passing the measure.
Some Republicans, however, worry the legislation could create unintended legal consequences for religious groups that don’t support same-sex marriage.
“One of the things that has been raised is that an institution that doesn’t support gay marriage, say a Catholic charity helping orphans, that they would somehow face consequences such as funding cuts,” said a source familiar with the negotiations.
Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) said his vote will depend on how the language to protect religious liberty is drafted.
“I have questions and concerns about religious liberty and that being included as part of the legislation, so we’re working on that,” he said, adding he is a possible “yes” vote, “depending on how it turns out.”
Republican lawmakers also want to make sure that the legislation isn’t drafted in a way that might somehow be interpreted as granting federal protection to polygamous marriages.
People familiar with the negotiations say that Republicans who are raising concerns over sections of the bill are, by and large, getting the changes they have requested, building momentum for final passage of the bill in the third full week of September.
Schumer on Wednesday guaranteed a vote on the bill “in the coming weeks.”
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NEW YORK, Sept. 21, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Gross Law Firm issues the following notice to shareholders of Azure Power Global Limited.
Shareholders who purchased shares of AZRE during the class period listed are encouraged to contact the firm regarding possible lead plaintiff appointment. Appointment as lead plaintiff is not required to partake in any recovery.
CONTACT US HERE:
CLASS PERIOD: June 15, 2021 to August 26, 2022
ALLEGATIONS: The complaint alleges that during the class period, Defendants issued materially false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) there were procedural irregularities, including deviations from safety and quality standards, at one of Azure's plants; (2) certain project data was manipulated; (3) as a result of the foregoing, the Company's internal controls and procedures were not effective; (4) Azure had received a credible whistleblower report alleging such misconduct; and (5) as a result of the foregoing, defendants' positive statements about the Company's business, operations, and prospects were materially misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis.
DEADLINE: October 31, 2022 Shareholders should not delay in registering for this class action. Register your information here: https://securitiesclasslaw.com/securities/azure-power-global-limited-loss-submission-form/?id=31964&from=4
NEXT STEPS FOR SHAREHOLDERS: Once you register as a shareholder who purchased shares of AZRE during the timeframe listed above, you will be enrolled in a portfolio monitoring software to provide you with status updates throughout the lifecycle of the case. The deadline to seek to be a lead plaintiff is October 31, 2022. There is no cost or obligation to you to participate in this case.
WHY GROSS LAW FIRM? The Gross Law Firm is nationally recognized class action law firm, and our mission is to protect the rights of all investors who have suffered as a result of deceit, fraud, and illegal business practices. The Gross Law Firm is committed to ensuring that companies adhere to responsible business practices and engage in good corporate citizenship. The firm seeks recovery on behalf of investors who incurred losses when false and/or misleading statements or the omission of material information by a company lead to artificial inflation of the company's stock. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.
CONTACT:
The Gross Law Firm
15 West 38th Street, 12th floor
New York, NY, 10018
Email: dg@securitiesclasslaw.com
Phone: (646) 453-8903
View original content:
SOURCE The Gross Law Firm
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King Charles III has expressed his love for his son, Prince Harry, and his wife, Meghan, in his first speech to the nation since taking the throne.
Charles, who became king upon the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, wishes the couple well “as they build their life overseas.’’
Meghan, 41, and Harry, 37, have been in a tense relationship with Britain’s royal family since they stepped away from royal duties and left the U.K. in early 2020, citing what they said were the unbearable intrusions and racist attitudes of the British media.
The comment came during a recorded speech before a memorial service honoring the late monarch, who died Thursday.
KEY DEVELOPMENTS:
— Prince Charles became king upon his mother’s death
— Will Charles be loved by his subjects, like his mother was?
— Queen Elizabeth II, a monarch bound by duty, dies at 96
— Elizabeth has been the only monarch most people in Britain know
— ‘A constant in my life’: World mourns Queen Elizabeth II
— Biden is 13th and final US president to meet Queen Elizabeth II
— Find more AP coverage here: https://apnews.com/hub/queen-elizabeth-ii
___
OTHER DEVELOPMENTS:
LONDON — King Charles III says he feels “profound sorrow” at the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth II, and has vowed to carry on her “lifelong service” to the nation.
Charles is making his first address to Britain and the Commonwealth as monarch. He became king on Thursday after the queen’s death.
“That promise of lifelong service I renew to all today,” he said.
His speech was broadcast on television and streamed at St. Paul’s Cathedral, where some 2,000 people were attending a service of remembrance for the queen. Mourners at the service included Prime Minister Liz Truss and members of her government.
____
Flags were flying at half-staff on landmarks in Australia on Friday as people expressed sadness at the passing of Queen Elizabeth II.
Australian Governor-General David Hurley and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese signed condolence books in Canberra.
“There is comfort to be found in Her Majesty’s own words: ‘Grief is the price we pay for love.’” said the Australian prime minister.
New Zealanders also mourned the passing of Queen Elizabeth II with tributes around the country on Friday. At the Auckland War Memorial, a group of young people performed the Haka, a ceremonial dance in Māori culture. Flags flew at half-staff around the country.
Under New Zealand’s constitutional arrangements, the queen was also New Zealand’s monarch and head of state.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said New Zealand had moved into a period of official mourning, and would hold a state memorial service after the official funeral in Britain.
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ABUJA, Nigeria — The death of the British monarch Queen Elizabeth II was frontpage news in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, biggest economy and former British colony.
Nigeria’s President Mohammodu Buhari offered his condolences and expressed sadness on hearing of the queen’s passing, according to his spokesman.
That sentiment was echoed by one man, Musa Adamu, at a news stand in the capital Abuja. The civil servant urged the British people to “exercise patience and endure the pain,” noting that “God will bless you all of you now.”
The flag flew at half-staff outside the British High Commission.
On a daily morning TV talk show, presenter Mohammed Jinadu and pundit Linda Claudia discussed the role Queen Elizabeth II played in holding the United Kingdom together.
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GIBRALTAR — Gibraltarians were mourning the death of Queen Elizabeth II with several dozen queueing from the early hours of Friday to sign a book of condolences and lay flowers.
Gibraltar has lowered the flags of official buildings, entered a period of national mourning and cancelled celebrations on Saturday of its National Day.
On Friday morning the governor and Chief Minister also signed the condolences book that the residents had been writing in.
Fabian Picardo, the Chief Minister of Gibraltar, a British overseas territory bordering southern Spain, said “May Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth The Second rest in eternal peace. Long live the King.”
In a statement sent to media and posted online, Picardo also added: “The People of Gibraltar will mourn Her Majesty as a monarch who has reigned wisely and with incomparable dedication throughout the period of our post-war emergence as a part of the British family of nations.”
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BELFAST, EDINBURGH — A series of special gun salutes across the United Kingdom fired 96 shots on Friday, one for each year Queen Elizabeth II lived, a near century-long life.
Bells also tolled across the nation in honor of Queen Elizabeth II as the nation started 10 days of mourning for its longest-serving monarch.
King Charles III, who spent much of his 73 years preparing for the role, planned to meet with the prime minister and address a nation grieving the only British monarch most of the world had known.
He takes the throne in an era of uncertainty for both his country and the monarchy itself.
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ABERDEENSHIRE, Scotland — People paid tribute to Queen Elizabeth II at the gates of her Balmoral residence where she died.
Despite the rain on Friday, mourners from all walks of life came to lay down flowers or simply say goodbye to the British monarch they loved and respected.
“I just wanted to say thank you to the Queen,” said Christy Asalor.
“She has been a symbol of strength and stability, she has been so selfless and she’s given herself, literally sacrificed her whole life serving us until two days before she passed and the least we could do is just say thank you.”
Other people said they were feeling a lot of sadness at the passing of the only queen they ever knew.
Queen Elizabeth II was the longest reigning British monarch, at 70 years of service.
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LONDON — U.S. climate envoy and former U.S. Secretary of State, John Kerry, has paid tribute to Queen Elizabeth, describing her as the “calm in the storm” and a “great stateswoman.”
In brief comments to The Associated Press in London, Kerry said his thoughts were with the royal family and noted the sense of loss that people were feeling around the world.
Kerry also praised what he described as the queen’s “great sense of direction.”
“Never any any vitriol, never any political commentary, always on values, always on the bigger picture,” he said.
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LONDON — “The Crown,” Netflix’s acclaimed series about Queen Elizabeth II and her family, has paused production due to the monarch’s death.
A spokesperson for the series said production was paused on Friday “as a mark of respect” and will also be suspended on the day of the queen’s funeral.
The show is in production on its sixth season. Its first two seasons starred Claire Foy as the young Princess Elizabeth ascending to the throne and gradually growing into her role as monarch, and seasons three and four featured Olivia Colman as a more mature queen.
The show, which has won 22 Emmy Awards so far, has gradually moved closer to current events. Netflix recently revealed casting of the actors who are playing Prince William and his wife Kate in the sixth season.
Its fifth season, with Imelda Staunton playing the queen, will premiere in November.
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NICOSIA, Cyprus – In ethnically divided Cyprus, President Nicos Anastasiades offered condolences for the Queen’s passing, posting on his official Twitter account, “our thoughts are with the Royal Family and the people of the United Kingdom.”
But for many Greek Cypriots, those thoughts hark back to a bloody, four-year guerrilla campaign that was waged in the late 1950s against British colonial rule and a perceived indifference the Queen demonstrated over the plight of nine individuals whom British authorities executed by hanging, despite appeals for their death sentences to be commuted.
Yiannis Spanos, president of Association of National Organization of Cypriot Fighters (EOKA) told the Associated Press that “we respect the dead even if in life they proved to be our enemies.”
Spanos said the Queen was “held by many as bearing responsibility” for the “island’s tragedies,” particularly for not granting pardons, even for some of the condemned for whom there was no definitive evidence to merit a death sentence even under colonial law.
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LONDON — King Charles III has arrived at Buckingham Palace for the first time as Britain’s monarch.
The king flew to London from Scotland on Friday and was driven to the royal residence in an official Bentley. A large crowd cheered as the car arrived at the palace gates.
He got out of the car to greet well-wishers and look at some of the huge pile of floral tributes left to honor his mother Queen Elizabeth II. Some called “Thank you Charles” and “Well done, Charlie!” as he shook hands with the crowd. Several shouted “God save the King!”
A few broke into a rendition of Britain’s national anthem, which is now titled “God Save the King.”
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BUCHAREST, Romania — The office of Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis said he sent a condolence message to King Charles III on Friday following the “painful loss” of Queen Elizabeth II.
“On behalf of the Romanian people and myself, I wish to convey to Your Majesty, the entire Royal Family and the British people my condolences and sympathy for the painful loss suffered,” he said.
Iohannis called the late Queen an “exceptional leader who served her country with utmost devotion and responsibility, representing a symbol of stability and a true moral benchmark for the whole world.”
He added that her decades of service will “remain in the history of humanity as a landmark and inspiration” for future generations.
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LONDON — British prime ministers who served during the reign of Queen Elizabeth II are sharing personal tributes to the late monarch.
There were 15 prime ministers during the queen’s reign, from Winston Churchill to Liz Truss, who was appointed just this week. The leaders held weekly private meetings with the monarch.
Truss’s predecessor, Boris Johnson, said in the House of Commons that when he saw the queen on Tuesday to offer his resignation, “she was as radiant and as knowledgeable and as fascinated by politics as ever I can remember, and as wise in her advice as anyone I know, if not wiser.”
Johnson called the queen “the keystone in the vast arch of the British state” and said “we are coming to understand in her death the full magnitude of what she did for us all.”
Former Prime Minister Theresa May said the queen was “the most remarkable person I have ever met” as well as the most impressive.
“I doubt we will ever see her like again,” May said. “May she rest in peace and rise in glory.”
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ISTANBUL- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he would like to attend the funeral of Queen Elizabeth providing his schedule permits it.
Erdogan told reporters Friday that he knew the queen and had met her at Buckingham Palace twice.
“If we find the opportunity we would like to be present at this ceremony,” he said.
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BRUSSELS — NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, speaking at a joint news conference in Brussels with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, noted that all 30 NATO member flags are flying at half-staff to honor Queen Elizabeth.
“She was a strong supporter of the transatlantic alliance, of our armed forces and our values,” Stoltenberg said, adding that she knew and worked with every one of his predecessors since NATO was founded. “I will always remember her wisdom, her warmth, and her strong personal interest in transatlantic unity.”
Blinken, meanwhile, paid homage to the “truly extraordinary life of Her Majesty Elizabeth II.”
He said she had personified “a sense of stability and continuity during turbulent times” and among “unprecedented challenges” faced by both Britain and the world. “She was a source of comfort and resilience to people from all walks of life.”
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PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron expressed “deep sadness” and a sense of “emptiness” after the passing of the monarch and praised her “great affection for France.”
Macron said in a video message that the queen mastered “our language, loved our culture and touched our hearts.”
Macron described her as a “great head of state,” and said that with her, Britain and France share “a warm, sincere and loyal partnership.”
Speaking in English, the French president said: “To you, she was your Queen. To us, she was THE Queen.”
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KYIV, Ukraine — In Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, people laid flowers outside the British Embassy in honor of Queen Elizabeth.
Anatolii Zakletskyi, a 75-year-old Kyiv resident, said he wanted to express his admiration for the monarch.
“First, as a symbol of devotion to the motherland. Secondly, an absolute sense of duty before, as she herself said, God and the people. And thirdly, to all of Britain for being true friends of Ukraine,” Zakletskyi said. “My deep condolences to the entire British nation.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy started his nightly address to the nation late Thursday with condolences “to the royal family, the entire United Kingdom and the Commonwealth.”___
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LONDON — Prime Minister Liz Truss says the death of Queen Elizabeth II has caused a “heartfelt outpouring of grief” in Britain and around the world.
Truss spoke at the start of a special session of Parliament paying tribute to the queen.
Truss called the monarch “the nation’s greatest diplomat” and said her devotion to duty was an example to everyone.
The prime minister was officially appointed by the queen on Tuesday, just two days before her death. Truss said at the meeting, “she generously shared with me her deep experience of government, even in those last days.”
Normal business in Parliament has been suspended and lawmakers will spend two days offering their memories and reflections on the queen, who died Thursday after seven decades on the throne.
Senior lawmakers will also take an oath to King Charles III, the new monarch.
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LONDON — Bells tolled across Britain on Friday in honor of Queen Elizabeth II as the nation started 10 days of mourning for its longest-serving monarch.
In imposing city cathedrals and small-town chapels, the bells began ringing at noon (1100 GMT) as part of a long-planned, carefully organized series of events to mark the queen’s passing.
At the same time, the British Parliament opened a special session to pay tribute to the queen.
An hour later, a special gun salute is planned with 96 shots, one for each year of Elizabeth’s nearly-century-long life.
Her son, now King Charles III, was en route from Balmoral Castle in Scotland where Elizabeth died Thursday for London, where he will meet the prime minister and give an address to the nation.
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| 2022-09-21T10:23:09Z
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A judge on Friday dismissed former President Trump’s lawsuit against his 2016 Democratic presidential opponent, Hillary Clinton, calling it a “political manifesto.”
“Plaintiff is not attempting to seek redress for any legal harm,” Judge Donald Middlebrooks, who was appointed by Clinton’s husband, former President Bill Clinton, wrote.
He continued: “Instead, he is seeking to flaunt a two-hundred-page political manifesto outlining his grievances against those that have opposed him, and this Court is not the appropriate forum.”
Trump’s lawsuit took issue with Hillary Clinton as well as the Democratic National Committee, various former FBI officials and others, saying that they “orchestrated a malicious conspiracy to disseminate patently false and injurious information” when they made claims that Trump had ties to Russia during his 2016 campaign.
However, Middlebrooks argued that most of Trump’s arguments “are not only unsupported by any legal authority but plainly foreclosed by binding precedent.”
“What [Trump’s lawsuit] lacks in substance and legal support it seeks to substitute with length, hyperbole, and the settling of scores and grievances,” he continued.
Trump’s lawyer Erica Knight responded to the ruling, saying that the former president and his team “vehemently disagree” with the opinion.
“Not only is it rife with erroneous applications of the law, it disregards the numerous independent governmental investigations which substantiate our claim that the defendants conspired to falsely implicate our client and undermine the 2016 Presidential election,” she wrote.
Knight added that Trump would “immediately” move to appeal the decision.
Trump first filed the lawsuit on March 24, more than five years after his election as president.
Other notable defendants include former FBI Director James Comey and former FBI officials Peter Strzok and Lisa Page.
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| 2022-09-21T10:23:16Z
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SHREVEPORT, La. (KTAL/KMSS) — Pride in the Park hosted its first event Saturday in Shreveport after a three-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
People Acting for Equity and Change (PACE) is hosted the first post-pandemic Pride in the Park, a fee-free event for families from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Betty Virginia Park. The event will feature food trucks, music, vendors, and activities for the whole family.
Individuals and families can bring their picnic blankets, lawn chairs, and well-behaved leashed pets to settle in for an afternoon of celebrating the LGBTQ+ lives in NWLA.
“It is geared towards families,” said PACE Vice President Katie Bickham. Families can bring their kids to for face painting, obstacle courses, and a drag queen storytime.
In years past, the event has brought thousands of people from the area to celebrate together. After six months of planning and more serious planning happening in the last days, Bickham is expecting a large turnout for the first post-pandemic event.
Along with vendors, food, and music, the LSU Health Shreveport will be offering monkeypox vaccines at the event. The League of Women Voters is also offering voter registration at the event for those who are interested in registering.
PACE is a nonpartisan non-profit organization in Shreveport seeking to advocate for LGBTQ+ voices both legislatively and through community-building events. “Our goal is to live in a city that doesn’t need PACE anymore,” Bickham said.
While Pride in the Park is one of the largest events hosted by PACE the non-profit also hosts monthly meet-ups for its members, poetry nights, and other free and open events.
You can keep up with PACE on their website or Facebook page.
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| 2022-09-21T10:23:31Z
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NEW YORK (AP) — Hours before dawn on March 1, 2003, the U.S. scored its most thrilling victory yet against the plotters of the Sept. 11 attacks — the capture of a disheveled Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, hauled away by intelligence agents from a hideout in Rawalpindi, Pakistan.
The global manhunt for al-Qaida’s No. 3 leader had taken 18 months. But America’s attempt to bring him to justice, in a legal sense, has taken much, much longer. Critics say it has become one of the war on terror’s greatest failures.
As Sunday’s 21st anniversary of the terror attacks approaches, Mohammed and four other men accused of 9/11-related crimes still sit in a U.S. detention center in Guantanamo Bay, their planned trials before a military tribunal endlessly postponed.
The latest setback came last month when pretrial hearings scheduled for early fall were canceled. The delay was one more in a string of disappointments for relatives of the nearly 3,000 victims of the attack. They’ve long hoped that a trial would bring closure and perhaps resolve unanswered questions.
“Now, I’m not sure what’s going to happen,” said Gordon Haberman, whose 25-year-old daughter Andrea died after a hijacked plane crashed into the the World Trade Center, a floor above her office.
He’s traveled to Guantanamo four times from his home in West Bend, Wisconsin, to watch the legal proceedings in person, only to leave frustrated.
“It’s important to me that America finally gets to the truth about what happened, how it was done,” said Haberman. “I personally want to see this go to trial.”
If convicted at trial, Mohammed could face the death penalty.
When asked about the case, James Connell, an attorney for one of Mohammed’s co-defendants — one accused of transferring money to 9/11 attackers — confirmed reports both sides are still “attempting to reach a pretrial agreement” that could still avoid a trial and result in lesser but still lengthy sentences.
David Kelley, a former U.S. attorney in New York who co-chaired the Justice Department’s nationwide investigation into the attacks, called the delays and failure to prosecute “an awful tragedy for the families of the victims.”
He called the effort to put Mohammed on trial before a military tribunal, rather than in the regular U.S. court system, “a tremendous failure” that was “as offensive to our Constitution as to our rule of law.”
“It’s a tremendous blemish on the country’s history,” he said.
The difficulty in holding a trial for Mohammed and other Guantanamo prisoners is partly rooted in what the U.S. did with him after his 2003 capture.
Mohammed and his co-defendants were initially held in secret prisons abroad. Hungry for information that might lead to the capture of other al-Qaida figures, CIA operatives subjected them to enhanced interrogation techniques that were tantamount to torture, human rights groups say. Mohammed was waterboarded — made to feel that he was drowning — 183 times.
A Senate investigation later concluded the interrogations didn’t lead to any valuable intelligence. But it has sparked endless pretrial litigation over whether FBI reports on their statements can be used against them — a process not subject to speedy trial rules used in civilian courts.
The torture allegations led to concerns that the U.S. might have ruined its chance to put Mohammed on trial in a civilian court.
But in 2009, President Barack Obama’s administration decided to try, announcing that Mohammed would be transferred to New York City and put on trial at a federal court in Manhattan.
“Failure is not an option,” Obama said.
But New York City balked at the cost of security and the move never came. Eventually, it was announced Mohammed would face a military tribunal. And then over a dozen years passed.
Kelley said talk of military tribunals two decades ago surprised many in the legal community who had been successfully prosecuting terrorism cases in the decade before. The concept of a tribunal, he said, “came out of the blue. Nobody knew it was coming.”
Then-Attorney General John Ashcroft was not in favor of tribunals and had been supportive of the Manhattan federal terrorism prosecutions, he said.
Now, Kelley said, with the passage of time it will be much more difficult to prosecute Mohammed in a tribunal, much less a courtroom. “Evidence goes stale, witness memories fail.”
The passage of time hasn’t dulled the memories of the victims’ families or dampened their interest in witnessing justice.
Eddie Bracken’s sister Lucy Fishman was killed at the trade center. The New Yorker opposed Obama’s proposal to move the trial to federal court — Mohammed is charged with “a military act,” and should be tried by the military, he reasoned. And while he is somewhat frustrated by the delays, he understands them.
“The whole world is looking at us and saying, ‘What are they doing after all this time?’” he said. But he realizes the case is “a process that the world is seeing, that needs to be done under a microscope. … It’s up to the United States to do their due diligence, make sure it’s done right.”
“The wheels of justice turn. They turn slowly, but they turn. And when the time comes, and it’s said and done, the world will know what happened,” he adds.
While Mohammed has lingered at Guantanamo, the U.S. killed al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden in a 2011 raid and deputy-turned-successor Ayman al-Zawahri in a drone strike just this August.
Investigators with the military commission at Guantanamo Bay said he plotted the 9/11 attacks for three years. They cited a computer hard drive seized at his arrest which they said contained photographs of the 19 hijackers, three letters from bin Laden and information about some hijackers.
Mohammed, at his tribunal hearing, conceded in a written statement that he swore allegiance to Osama bin Laden, that he was on al-Qaida’s council and that he served as operational director for bin Laden for the organizing, planning, follow-up and execution of the Sept. 11 plot “from A to Z.”
According to the statement, he also took credit for the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center; an attempt to down U.S. jetliners using bombs hidden in shoes; the bombing of a nightclub in Indonesia; and plans for a second wave of attacks after the 2001 attacks targeting landmarks like the Sears Tower in Chicago and Manhattan’s Empire State Building.
He also claimed credit for other planned attacks, including assassination attempts against then-President Bill Clinton in 1994 or 1995 and an assassination plot against Pope John Paul II at about the same time, the statement said.
Mohammed’s nearly two decades in legal limbo differs from the fate of his nephew, Ramzi Yousef, the mastermind of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing that killed six people, injured 1,000 others and left a crater in the parking garage beneath the twin towers.
Yousef is serving life in prison after being convicted at two separate civilian trials. He was also captured in Pakistan, in 1995, but was brought to the United States for trial.
At the time, Yousef said his right to kill people was comparable to the U.S. decision to drop a nuclear bomb in World War II. Mohammed has offered a similar justification, saying through an interpreter at a Guantanamo proceeding that killing people was the “language of any war.”
Bracken traveled to Guantanamo in 2012 to watch one hearing for Mohammed and his co-defendants, and would probably go again if a trial ever happened.
“I don’t know if I want to go there again to bring back all the hurt and pain. But if I’m allowed to go, then I guess I would go. Yeah. My sister would do that for me.”
“She’s that type of a woman,” he added. Then he corrected himself: “She was that type of a woman.”
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| 2022-09-21T10:23:39Z
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ATLANTA (WXIN) – Chick-fil-A has rolled out a few new menu items for the fall season.
The chicken chain is debuting an Autumn Spice Milkshake — its answer to the pumpkin-spice craze, seemingly — and bringing back its Grilled Spicy Deluxe Sandwich, described by Chick-fil-A as a “favorite seasonal sandwich.”
This limited-time shake is made with with fall-inspired flavors, including cinnamon and crunchy bits of brown sugar spice cookies, according to the company’s website.
“Guests love our milkshakes, especially our seasonal flavors, so we are excited to introduce the perfect treat to welcome the fall season,” said Leslie Neslage, director of menu and packaging at Chick-fil-A, in a press release.
The sandwich, meanwhile, is essentially a grilled version of Chick-fil-A’s spicy chicken sandwich, with lettuce, tomato and Colby-Jack cheese.
Chick-fil-A says the Autumn Spice Milkshake is being added to the menu at participating locations after a successful test in Salt Lake City, where it received an “overwhelming amount of positive feedback.”
“We’re eager for our Chick-fil-A milkshake enthusiasts to try the Autumn Spice Milkshake this fall,” said Neslage.
The Autumn Spice Milkshake will only be on the menu at participating restaurants for a limited time. Customers can also order through the Chick-fil-A app or online.
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| 2022-09-21T10:23:46Z
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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (WDAF) — Help has arrived for a youth football player in need of a large-sized helmet.
Without the proper size head protection, 12-year-old Brandon Jackson can’t play football.
Jackson’s mother, Delanda Jackson, said the 7th-grader wants to play in the Kansas City Football and Cheer League, but because he’s bigger than the others, he needs a size 2X helmet, which is adult-sized and hard to find.
“I’m hoping he gets to play football because that’s what I know he’s good at and he should enjoy,” Delanda Jackson said on Monday. “His coaches are loving on him and telling him he’s doing really good.”
Jackson, his family, and coaches have hunted high and low for a helmet. The family originally believed a size 2X helmet would fit him, but after trying one, it was too snug.
Coaches are enthusiastic about helping Jackson because of his size and potential. He’s not yet a teenager, but he’s already 6-foot-2, and 320 pounds — the size coaches at every level seek in linemen on both sides of the ball.
Dustin Cundiff, who coaches Jackson with the Northland Revolution, said an older helmet won’t do since it needs to be certified for safety.
“He’s worked so hard in practice, day in and day out, being able to keep up conditioning. I’d hate to see him not be able to play because of something as simple as a helmet,” Cundiff said. “His God-given size, it’s not something you can teach.”
On Wednesday afternoon, Jackson and his family met Chris Coffing, a national sales manager and professional helmet fitter with Riddell Sports. The company creates helmets for all 32 National Football League teams and numerous Division I college football teams.
A high-tech system Coffing uses made precise measurements of Jackson’s head since a perfect fit ensures football safety.
Coffing learned of Jackson’s needs from Kansas City Chiefs offensive tackle Orlando Brown. Riddell Sports and Brown have agreed to pool their resources and pay for Jackson’s new helmet.
“I appreciate it because I’ll be able to play a game. Last week, I was out of the game because I wasn’t able to get a helmet,” Jackson said.
Custom-made helmets could cost anywhere from $900-$2,000. But Riddell and Brown are happy to pick up the tab.
“We just love that a young man like yourself is wanting to play football,” Coffing told Jackson. “We want to give every person out there the ability to play.”
“Just giving him the ability to go out and play what I consider the greatest game ever is an awesome opportunity for him,” said Dustin Cundiff, Jackson’s coach with the Northland Revolution.
Coffing said it would take three or four weeks to make Jackson’s custom helmet.
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| 2022-09-21T10:23:54Z
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TOA BAJA, Puerto Rico — In this area just west of San Juan, the cleanup from Hurricane Fiona is well underway.
Five years, ago this part of town flooded badly when Hurricane Maria hit and it got swamped again by Fiona. The floodwaters have receded in most neighborhoods. People were dragging water-logged sofas, mattresses and other goods out to the street. City workers were using heavy equipment and dump trucks to collect the sloppy mess.
Yesenio Nazario was part of a crew going house-to-house, assessing the damage. The social worker was also handing out water and offering other services. In this area she says, the first floor of every house was flooded. She points down the street. "The La Plata river is right behind the Catholic Church. As soon as the river rises, it always floods here."
Not far away, Christy Torres Melendez and some friends were sweeping the mud out of her nutrition shop. "After Hurricane Maria, no one really wanted this building, "she says. "It was absolutely destroyed. I got it and I was still fixing it up when Hurricane Fiona arrived. But you see what happened."
In a nearby neighborhood, Toaville, several inches of floodwater were still in the streets two days after Fiona passed through. Electricity and running water are still out here and some residents are discouraged.
Gilbert Hernandez is a Navy veteran who says he fought for months with his insurance company to recover money to fix up his house after Hurricane Maria. He doesn't want to go through that again. He's planning to move and let the mortgage company take his home. "I have to. Who wants to live here now?" And he says many of his neighbors are thinking about leaving as well.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.
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| 2022-09-21T10:23:58Z
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The South Carolina Senate failed to pass a ban on abortions earlier than six weeks into pregnancy on Thursday.
The controversial bill was altered over two days of debate on the floor, moving it closer to the current South Carolina abortion ban that is tied up in court.
“This is not where I wanted to be. I was hoping we’d be more aggressive, but it’s clear to me the votes are not there in the Senate for an abortion ban before six weeks,” said state Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey (R) in response to the two days of debate over the initial proposal.
The altered law, passed by a 27-16 vote, joins the state’s current abortion law in banning abortion after six weeks, at which point fetal cardiac activity can be detected by ultrasound.
The “fetal heartbeat” law was passed last year but only took effect after the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization overturned Roe v. Wade.
The law was suspended by the South Carolina Supreme Court this summer for potentially violating the state constitution.
The new law differs from the old heartbeat law in limiting exceptions, allowing victims of rape and incest three months to get abortions rather than the initially decided five months.
The law will require doctors to collect DNA samples from aborted fetuses to aid law enforcement in prosecuting rapists.
The law also requires two doctors to confirm a diagnosis that a fetus will be unable to survive outside of the womb, meaning that it can be aborted based on the law’s exceptions.
State Sen. Sandy Senn, one of two Republicans who opposed the final measure, criticized the new bill for its lack of progress despite the minor changes between the old and new abortion bans.
“We’ve been here for two days and two nights, and we’re back basically to the same bill we passed a year ago and the Supreme Court has taken off the table at least temporarily,” she said.
Planned Parenthood weighed in on the bill on Friday, criticizing it and other restrictive abortion bills written in the wake of Dobbs.
“Make no mistake: no matter how many narrow exceptions are written into this dangerous bill, it will cause chaos in the health care system and result in people being denied life-saving care,” wrote Vicki Ringer, the director of public affairs for Planned Parenthood South Atlantic.
Updated at 10:30 a.m.
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SCOTT, La. (KLFY) — The Village 337 is putting the spotlight back on the missing Scott woman, Ella Goodie. The 33-year-old was last seen on March 9 of this year.
Her family says that she was driving a passenger to Houston. The next week, Brandon Francisco, 36, was named as a person of interest and believed to be the last person in contact with Goodie.
On March 25, Francisco was arrested on unrelated charges, however, in May, Louisiana State Police (LSP) said they were investigating Goodie’s disappearance as a homicide.
Since then, there has been no new information released.
A spokesperson for The Village 337 said that if Goodie was white, she would have been found by now.
As Ella’s 34th birthday was this week, her family hoped she would be back home celebrating with them. Instead, Friday will mark six months since they last saw her.
“How do you celebrate the birthday of a person you haven’t seen in 6 months without them? You can’t talk to them. You don’t know where they are. You can’t go to a headstone or a grave. You don’t even know if there is one to be prepared,” said President and Director of The Village 337 Devon Norman.
He said that he questions why Ella’s family still has no answers.
“I think that it’s apparent that when somebody who is not a person of color dies in this community or goes missing or vanishes out of nowhere and there is a person of interest, there’s so much work to be done to make sure we find out who it is and that this person is brought to justice. That doesn’t happen for us.”
Norman told News 10 that if Ella wasn’t black, things would be different.
“I think the world would have responded differently if Ella was white,” he said. “If people had not seen her face, I wonder how much quicker they would have been ready to respond.”
In May, LSP announced they were now investigating Ella’s disappearance as a homicide, with Francisco, the person of interest in her disappearance, still in custody.
Her family hoped they would get answers, but they were wrong.
“If there are answers, if he has spoken, how is it that the community does not know? There’s no way, not in 2022, not in this America,” Norman added.
Norman believes Francisco holds the answers to Ella’s whereabouts. While state police tell News 10 that they can’t release any more information on the case, Norman questions why.
“If you’re in the profession of protecting and serving people, I’m not saying anybody is doing their job wrong, but maybe there is more that can be done. I think transparency is key. If there’s nothing, assure the public,” he said.
As for Francisco, Norman has one message for him.
“May God have mercy on your soul,” Norman said.
Francisco is scheduled to go to trial in Rapides Parish on October 10 for an unrelated attempted second-degree murder charge from 2018. This week, the Louisiana Supreme Court also ruled that the prosecuting attorneys could not present evidence from a prior attempted murder charge, in which Francisco pled guilty to stabbing his ex-girlfriend nearly 20 times.
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HOUMA, La. (WGNO) — Rumors are swirling on social media and now the Houma Police Department is on the lookout for a potential tiger.
“I was coming here and my fiancé texted me and said apparently there is a tiger running around downtown,” said Philip Spence, a Houma resident.
The rumor allegedly started on Facebook. That’s where Nakisha Theriot found it. She works in Downtown Houma.
“I saw it going around Facebook last night that there were sightings,” said Theriot. “We weren’t too sure. I mean it’s Houma. Who has a tiger around here? I don’t know!”
According to officials, a person claims to have seen a tiger in Terrebonne Parish, right outside Houma city limits.
Houma Police Department Chief Dana Coleman says they’ve gotten several calls about a sighting of a “big cat” in the area.
The story of what was actually seen has evolved as the day has gone on.
“Supposedly it was down the road by the mall and then worked its way up downtown, then 182 and it’s kind of traveling,” said Theriot.
“It’s a pet, it’s a panther, it’s a tiger… it got loose from the circus in Thibodaux, made its way to Houma, we don’t know,” said Riley Pitre.
It’s a tale that’s spreading like wildfire.
“Everybody is trying to figure out where it came from,” said Pitre.
The rumors have even made their way to the schools.
“We had representatives from our school system calling asking should we put the kids on the school bus – is it true?” said Chief Coleman.
That’s the question – is it true? Or all just a rumor?
One thing is for sure, whether it was a tiger, bobcat, or even a stray cat – social media has made it’s impact on this case.
At this time, Houma Police Department officials say they have not laid eyes on a tiger in the area and have not seen any proof of one either.
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NEW YORK, Sept. 21, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Gross Law Firm issues the following notice to shareholders of MINISO Group Holding Limited.
Shareholders who purchased shares of MNSO during the class period listed are encouraged to contact the firm regarding possible lead plaintiff appointment. Appointment as lead plaintiff is not required to partake in any recovery.
CONTACT US HERE:
CLASS PERIOD: This lawsuit is on behalf of persons or entities who purchased or otherwise acquired publicly traded MINISO securities pursuant and/or traceable to the registration statement and related prospectus issued in connection with MINISO's October 2020 initial public offering.
ALLEGATIONS: The complaint alleges that during the class period, Defendants issued materially false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) defendants and other undisclosed related parties owned and controlled a much larger amount of MINISO stores than previously stated; (2) as a result, MINISO concealed its true costs; (3) the Company did not represent its true business model; (4) defendants, including the Company and its chairman, engaged in planned unusual and unclear transactions; (5) as a result of at least one of these transactions, the Company is at risk of breaching contracts with People's Republic of China authorities; (6) the Company would imminently and drastically drop its franchise fees; and (7) as a result, defendant's statements about the Company's business, operations, and prospects were materially false and misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis at all relevant times.
DEADLINE: October 17, 2022 Shareholders should not delay in registering for this class action. Register your information here: https://securitiesclasslaw.com/securities/miniso-group-holding-limited-loss-submission-form/?id=31954&from=4
NEXT STEPS FOR SHAREHOLDERS: Once you register as a shareholder who purchased shares of MNSO during the timeframe listed above, you will be enrolled in a portfolio monitoring software to provide you with status updates throughout the lifecycle of the case. The deadline to seek to be a lead plaintiff is October 17, 2022. There is no cost or obligation to you to participate in this case.
WHY GROSS LAW FIRM? The Gross Law Firm is nationally recognized class action law firm, and our mission is to protect the rights of all investors who have suffered as a result of deceit, fraud, and illegal business practices. The Gross Law Firm is committed to ensuring that companies adhere to responsible business practices and engage in good corporate citizenship. The firm seeks recovery on behalf of investors who incurred losses when false and/or misleading statements or the omission of material information by a company lead to artificial inflation of the company's stock. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.
CONTACT:
The Gross Law Firm
15 West 38th Street, 12th floor
New York, NY, 10018
Email: dg@securitiesclasslaw.com
Phone: (646) 453-8903
View original content:
SOURCE The Gross Law Firm
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BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) – The Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services says online grocery purchasing is now available for all Louisiana EBT cardholders.
In February of this year, Walmart became the first establishment where EBT cardholders could use their benefits and purchase groceries online in Louisiana.
Along with Walmart, the retailers listed below are now accepting SNAP payments in Louisiana:
- Albertson’s
- Amazon
- Brookshire’s Food and Pharmacy
- Sam’s Club Scan and Go
- Spring Market
- Sprouts Farmers Market
- Super 1 Foods Brookshires
- Whole Foods
In the future, any retailers that are added to the above list will be added to the Louisiana section on this page.
The US Department of Agriculture provided a rundown of what you can and can’t buy with SNAP benefits.
The Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services supplied answers to questions about using EBT cards for online grocery purchases here.
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RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A North Carolina-based semiconductor company announced Friday it will build a $5 billion manufacturing plant in its home state to produce silicon carbide wafers, which is emerging as a favored part for renewable energy products.
Wolfspeed Inc. said it plans to create 1,800 new jobs by the end of 2030 at a location in Chatham County, about 45 miles (72 kilometers) southwest of its Durham headquarters.
Wolfspeed could benefit from $775 million in cash incentives, infrastructure improvements and other sweeteners from North Carolina and local governments and the state legislature to build on the outskirts of Siler City, according to a state document. The lion’s share would be in the form of local property tax rebates.
A state committee voted earlier Friday to award Wolfspeed up to $76 million over 20 years if it met investment and job-creation goals. The company is also likely to benefit financially from legislation signed by President Joe Biden last month that encourages semiconductor research and production.
The company, formerly known as Cree, already employs over 3,000 jobs in the state. The former LED light pioneer has turned to the production of silicon carbine chips, which are known to be more efficient and solid than traditional silicon chips.
“It’s a game-changing technology for electric vehicles, renewable energy, storage, rail systems, appliances … and countless other electric applications,” Wolfspeed CEO Gregg Lowe said at the announcement outside the Executive Mansion in Raleigh.
Lowe said the company already operates the world’s largest silicon carbide materials factory in Durham. Output at the new plant, which Lowe said could begin production in about two years, would be more than 10 times what the Durham plant produces.
The materials produced at the new plant will help supply the company’s new chip fabrication facility in upstate New York, Lowe said.
This “East Coast silicon carbide corridor will dramatically improve the way the world consumes energy,” Lowe said.
Average annual salaries for the new jobs, which would be generated starting in 2026, are projected at $77,753, well above the county average of $41,638, according to state officials.
Gov. Roy Cooper said Wolfspeed’s news was an “historic capital investment” in the state and called Friday “another step in our drive toward a clean energy economy” as well as “an amazing day for high-paying jobs. ”
Lowe likened an electric vehicle with silicon chips to a car with a combustion engine whose gas tank is poked full of holes. Meanwhile, he said, a silicon carbide chip within an inverter that converts electricity to turn the vehicle’s motor results in super-fast recharging, he said — 20 minutes to add another 300 miles to his vehicle’s range, for example.
The jobs announcement marked another big economic win for central North Carolina during the past 17 months.
Apple announced plans in April 2021 to build its first East Coast campus in Research Triangle Park between Raleigh and Durham. Toyota revealed in December it would build a battery plant in Randolph County, followed the next month by Boom Supersonic picking Greensboro for its first full-scale manufacturing facility for next-generation supersonic passenger jets.
Chatham County also got the brass ring in March when Vietnamese automaker VinFast said it would build its first North American plant there to make electric vehicles. The investment, which could generate 7,500 jobs, would follow several near-misses by the state to attract a carmaker.
Wolfspeed had considered the expansion in Marcy, New York, where its new production facility is located and where it had additional space for expansion, according to a state Commerce Department document.
Lowe said after the announcement that the company looked at several states, and New York “put together a really strong package.”
But the winning site’s proximity to Wolfspeed’s current operations in Durham, along with the company’s relationship with North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro, a historically Black college, “gave it a little bit of a tipping edge,” he said. Wolfspeed on Friday also announced expanded initiatives to attract the school’s engineering students to the semiconductor field.
Graduate students at North Carolina State University in Raleigh helped start what is now Wolfspeed in 1987.
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TEXARKANA, Ark. (KTAL/KMSS) – The Texarkana Regional Airport will host its annual 9/11 memorial on Sunday that includes a piece of the Pentagon on display.
After the attacks on September 11, a stone from the Pentagon was donated to the state of Arkansas. It was divided into four pieces, and each of the major airports in the state was given a piece. The Texarkana airport has one of those on permanent display in remembrance of that day.
“It’s not only a day of remembrance of a tragedy but also what came out of that, the unity and compassion that was shown by those first responders who went in and also the fact that we came together as a nation,” said Texarkana Regional Airport Executive Director Paul Mehrlich.
On Sunday at 8 a.m., the airport staff will gather at the memorial in remembrance of that day and share stories of where they were and how it’s impacted them. The service will be at the terminal building.
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TEXARKANA, Texas (KTAL/KMSS) – United Way of Greater Texarkana is heading into another fundraising season, kicking off its 99th campaign year.
Last year’s final numbers fell short, so organizers are hoping this year will be different. To meet those needs, the organization will hold several fundraisers, including Battle on the Border, a golf tournament, and the Live United Bowl.
“Our goal is $900,000 dollars, it’ll take all hands on deck to reach that,” said Campaign chair David Mims. “We are trying to make up for our last two years where COVID has kind of slowed our fundraising down, so it’s important that we reach that goal.”
The money raised in the campaign will go towards supporting more than 30 agencies in the Texarkana area.
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The new exhibit “Cornucopia” at the Boxx Gallery defines not only what the show is about, but is a reflection of the Boxx itself. When we think of a cornucopia, we envision a horn-shaped basket with an abundant harvest of produce overflowing out of the opening.
The Boxx currently has an abundant supply of volunteers — around 50, according to board member Michelle Wyles. Wyles wanted to be able to return the favor of their work and have them show in the gallery.
Says Wyles: “Per our (their) frenetic usual, Boxx Gallery has curated a brand new show by leaning on our intrepid volunteers who not only have the whole “little gallery with the big heart” thing within themselves, but they have artistic talent! Their work reflects their thoughts, longings, and the joy in their lives. They have beauty, braininess and quirkiness in abundance.”
Catching up on the progress of the Boxx Gallery, it became a nonprofit over a year ago that is run by a board of about seven members. Sue Berg is the executive director and Susan Harris is the acting gallery director.
The Boxx is housed in the same building as the Highland Food Bank. When the food bank finishes its new building in October, the Boxx will expand into the area left by the food bank to allow more exhibition and workshop space.
Wyles told me that the Boxx Gallery takes 30% commission from sales that go into the nonprofit. Funds remaining after expenses are donated to the food bank. Donations are also accepted in the gallery for the food bank.
Wyles is thrilled about how the Boxx has been accepted into the community and has expanded so much that it has taken on a life of its own.
Wyles says this exhibit is an opportunity to give back to the volunteers, as many of them are artists.
As part of this exhibit, they will also be displaying the remaining pieces of the Penn Shelton collection, which was donated to the Boxx.
“Cornucopia” will be on exhibit through Sunday, Sept. 25.
• David Lynx is executive director of the Larson Gallery at Yakima Valley College. He writes this weekly column for Explore. Learn more at www.larsongallery.org.
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From drought to floods and sea level rise, the cost of damage caused by climate change will only get higher as the world warms, sparking concerns from both top officials and activists about how to pay for it.
“Loss and damage from the climate crisis is not a future event. It is happening now, all around us,” said United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on a visit to Pakistan, which recently suffered from devastating floods that displaced hundreds of thousands of people and left over a thousand dead.
“Developed countries must step up and provide Pakistan and other countries on the frontlines with the financial and technical resources they need to survive extreme weather events like these deadly floods,” he said.
“I urge governments to address this issue at COP 27 with the seriousness it deserves,” Guterres added, referring to the United Nations climate summit in November which will be held in the Egyptian seaside resort of Sharm el Sheikh.
Pakistan, along with dozens of other developing countries around the world, are scrambling to adapt to the effects of climate change, with many of them calling on richer, high-emitting nations to help foot the bill.
Guterres’ comments come a day after the U.N.’s World Meteorological Organization warned that Africa’s islands and coastal states — and the 116 million people that inhabit them — will be heavily exposed to rising seas and will spend about $50 billion in damages by 2050.
It added that drought over the last 50 years in the Horn and southern Africa, exacerbated by climate change, has claimed the lives of over half a million people, with losses estimated at $70 billion. Over 1,000 floods in the same time period claimed over 20,000 lives, it said.
The report’s findings stirred renewed calls for compensation for the continent by many who believe rich nations that emit far more planet-warming gases into the atmosphere should pay for climate catastrophes, known as “loss and damage” in climate negotiations.
“As a continent we feel that the issue of loss and damage needs to be addressed,” said Harsen Nyambe, the director of sustainable environment at the African Union. “It is a controversial issue and developed countries are afraid because it has serious financial implications.”
Loss and damage negotiations were a sticking point at last year’s U.N. climate conference and are expected to feature prominently again this year at the climate summit in November.
Developing nations in Asia, Africa, the Caribbean, Latin America and the Pacific have banded together under the Climate Vulnerable Forum to tackle the issue of loss and damage and seek compensation.
The bloc, currently chaired by Ghana, was formed in 2009 and brings together 48 of the world’s most climate susceptible developing countries who have a combined population of 1.2 billion but a collective share of global emissions of just 5%.
Speaking to The Associated Press, Kenyan climate activist Elizabeth Wathuti warned about “loss of lives and livelihoods, and damage to our lands and communities” as a result of climate change.
“Vulnerable countries do not have the financial capacity to adapt to these intensifying climate impacts, which makes climate finance a matter of global justice,” she added.
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Follow AP’s climate and environment coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/climate-and-environment
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Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives support from several private foundations. See more about AP’s climate initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
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BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) — A supporter of Brazil’s president used a knife and an axe to kill a backer of the main opposition leader after an argument about politics, weeks ahead of presidential elections, according to police.
The killing occurred on Wednesday, the day of Brazil’s independence bicentennial, near the town of Confresa, Mato Grosso state, in Brazil’s central-west region, a stronghold of President Jair Bolsonaro.
The 24-year-old suspect, who was not identified, killed Benedito Cardoso dos Santos, a 42-year-old farm worker who supports presidential candidate Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, police said. Da Silva, a former president, is the main challenger to Bolsonaro ahead of a first round of voting on Oct. 2.
The two men in Mato Grosso worked together and got into a fight over the candidates they supported, according to the suspect’s account. He alleged that dos Santos attacked him first and tried to stab him.
In July, a Bolsonaro supporter allegedly shot and killed a local official of da Silva’s political party in the city of Foz do Iguaçu.
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To the editor — Paraphrasing Justice Alito’s now infamous opinion, “The Constitution does not mention the right to drive.” So, I am puzzled by the YPD’s doublespeak on traffic enforcement.
Compare Chief Murray’s community letter dated Sept. 6 to Capt. Shawn Boyle’s comments to the City Council a few days later.
Chief Murray reported, “As of August 1, 2022, we had 12 traffic fatalities. That is the highest in Yakima history.” Capt. Boyle then told the City Council that Yakima had recorded six traffic fatalities as of Sept. 8.
Chief Murray claimed 60% of the traffic fatalities in 2021 involved impaired drivers. Capt. Boyle reported “about 35.29% of crashes” in 2020-21 involved impaired drivers.
Statistics can educate, confuse, or obfuscate. YPD’s traffic statistics don’t educate.
Chief Murray claims YPD has stopped over 19,000 drivers in the past 12 months. In 2021, he reported they stopped more than 24,000 drivers.
Fewer stops, no ticketing statistics?
The YH-R’s editorial board applauded Sen. Curtis King for proposing automated ticket cameras in highway work zones, saying protecting workers outweighs concerns about privacy.
If that is true for workers, why not the rest of us?
City Council, please help — no, insist — the YPD protect all citizens.
FRED BRIDGES
Yakima
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LOS ANGELES (AP) — Californians sweated it out amid a record-breaking heat wave entering its 10th day Friday that has helped fuel deadly wildfires and pushed energy supplies to the brink of daily power outages.
Relief is in sight as the remnants of a hurricane approach that will lower temperatures during the weekend but could bring another set of challenges: heavy rains that will be welcomed in the drought-plagued state but might cause flash floods.
Climate change is making the planet warmer, scientists say, and weather-related disasters more extreme. The heat that colored weather maps dark red for more than a week in California is only a preview of coming attractions.
“We’ll see these heat waves continue to get hotter and hotter, longer and longer, more wildfire-plagued,” said Jonathan Overpeck, dean of the University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability.
California is just the latest casualty in a year of sometimes deadly heat waves that began in Pakistan and India this spring and swept across parts of the Northern Hemisphere, including China, Europe and others areas of the U.S.
Climate change also has exacerbated droughts, dried up rivers, made wildfires more intense and — conversely — led to massive flooding around the globe as moisture evaporating from land and water is held in the atmosphere and then redeposited by intense rains.
Scientists are reluctant to attribute any specific weather event to global warming, but say heat waves are exactly the type of changes that will become more common.
The so-called heat dome that cooked California was stuck in place by an exceptional high pressure region over Greenland, of all places, that essentially created a meteorological traffic jam, said Paul Ullrich, a professor of regional climate modeling at the University of California, Davis. That prevented the high-pressure system that was forcing hot air over California from moving along.
Temperatures hit an all-time high in Sacramento of 116 degrees (46.7 C) on Tuesday. Many other locations hit record highs for September and even more set daily high marks.
In the 1970s, Sacramento, the state capital, had five “extreme heat” days per year, Ullrich said. Today, it has about 10 and that will double again by the middle of the century.
“That’s pretty much going to be the story for much of the Central Valley and much of Southern California,” Ullrich said. “This kind of exponential growth in the number of extreme heat days. If you tie those all together, then you end up with heat waves like we’ve experienced.”
For nine days through Thursday, the vast energy network that includes power plants, solar farms and a web of transmission lines strained under record-setting demand driven by air conditioners.
“If we’re going to build a statue to anybody in the West, it will be a Willis Carrier,” said Bill Patzert, retired climatologist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, about the inventor of the air conditioner. “Really large areas of Southern California would essentially be unlivable without air conditioning.”
Air conditioning puts the biggest strain on power sources during a heat wave and operators of the electrical grid called for conservation and warned of the threat of power outages as usage hit an all-time high Tuesday, surpassing a record set in 2006.
The state may have averted a repeat of rolling outages two summers ago by sending a first-ever text alert that blared on 27 million phones urging Californians to “take action” and turn off nonessential power. Enough turned up thermostats, turned off lights or pulled the plug on appliances to avoid power cuts, though thousands of customers did lose power at various times for other reasons.
The West is in the throes of a 23-year megadrought that has nearly drained reservoirs and put water supplies in jeopardy. That, in turn, led to a sharp decrease in hydropower that California relies on when power is in peak demand.
“Part of the country that’s getting hit worst is the Southwest and Western United States,” Overpeck said. “It is a global poster child for the climate crisis. And this year, this summer, it’s really the Northern Hemisphere has been just an unusually hot and wildfire plagued hemisphere.”
The extreme heat helped fuel deadly wildfires at both ends of the state as flames fed on grass, brush and timber already “preconditioned to burn” by drought and then pushed over the edge by the heatwave, Overpeck said.
Firefighters struggled to control major wildfires in Southern California and the Sierra Nevada that exploded in growth, forced thousands to evacuate and produced smoke that could interfere with solar power and further hamper electricity supplies.
Two people were killed in the fire that erupted last Friday in the Northern California community of Weed at the base of Mount Shasta. Two others died trying to flee in their car from a fire in Riverside County that was threatening 18,000 homes.
What remains of Hurricane Kay, now downgraded to a tropical storm, is expected to bring heavy rains and even flash floods to Southern California from Friday night through Saturday. Strong winds could initially make it difficult and dangerous for firefighters trying to corral blazes, Patzert said.
Heavy downpours could also unleash mudslides on mountainsides charred by recent fires. While several inches of rain could fall, much of it will run off the arid landscape and will not make a dent in the drought.
“It comes at you like a firehose and you’re trying to fill your champagne glass,” Patzert said. “Everybody’s sort of excited, but on Saturday night a lot of people will be saying, ‘Yeah, we could have done without that.’”
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| 2022-09-21T10:25:28Z
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Life’s been tough these past few years. That’s not exactly news to anybody.
But recent reports on U.S. life expectancy statistics are news. And frankly, that news is unsettling.
According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the average American lifespan has decreased by nearly three years since 2020. The decline is even more dramatic among American Indians and Alaska Native peoples, whose life expectancy has fallen by nearly seven years, from 71.8 to 65.2.
A lot of that, of course, is because COVID-19 has cut so many American lives short. An Oxford University study found similar declines in 27 of 29 first-world countries.
COVID’s not the only culprit, though.
Writing in the Chicago Tribune last week, Sally Pipes — president, CEO and Thomas W. Smith fellow in Health Care Policy at the Pacific Research Institute — noted that another significant factor has been “unintentional injuries.”
Car wrecks, drug overdoses, gun violence — categories in which Americans routinely outpace all other affluent countries.
In short, some of this is our own fault.
We drive like idiots, thoughtlessly throw back dangerous substances and insist on keeping as many weapons as possible within easy reach.
With so many people scoffing at masks and vaccines, we’ve even made COVID worse for ourselves — and our neighbors.
As alarming and tragic as these new statistics are, maybe we’re asking the wrong questions as we analyze them.
Instead of wondering how this could happen in a country with some of the most sophisticated medical care in the world, we should ask ourselves how wise some our individual choices have been lately.
Why do we fly in the face of common sense? Why do we assume we’re invincible?
Maybe it’s the result of years of neglecting — and lately, even deriding — our educational systems. Maybe it’s too many crackpots on TV and social media constantly feeding us their false or disturbingly distorted takes on history, politics, science, religion. Or maybe it’s deadly decisions driven by the desperation of poverty.
Name your poison. All of those factors share some blame.
Ultimately, though, we’re all responsible for our own behaviors. In the end, we’re the culprits here. We can be our own saviors or our own worst enemies.
A wise man once said that the meaning of life is that it ends. That can be a sobering or an empowering thought.
Yes, our time is limited. But our choices don’t have to be.
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https://www.yakimaherald.com/opinion/opinion-life-expectancy-statistics-should-give-us-pause/article_445551a4-384e-11ed-9a1c-53b18fce68ea.html
| 2022-09-21T10:25:33Z
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GENEVA (AP) — China can’t cooperate with the U.N. human rights office after it released a report criticizing Beijing’s policies against Uyghurs and other ethnic groups in western Xinjiang, a top Chinese diplomat said Friday.
However, Chen Xu, China’s ambassador to U.N. institutions in Geneva distinguished between not working with the human rights office and cooperating with the world body overall.
Chen said the report issued last week – which said some rights violations under China’s anti-terrorism policies could amount to crimes against humanity — offered up “groundless blame” of China’s policies and practices.
“We cannot, on the one hand, conduct cooperation with the office, while at the same time it issued such a kind of assessment,” Chen told U.N. Geneva press association ACANU. China believes the report “constitutes a threat,” and cannot “conduct cooperation as if nothing happened,” he said.
In the waning minutes of her last day in office on Aug. 31, the office of Michelle Bachelet, then U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, issued a report accusing China of serious human rights violations against Uyghurs and other mostly Muslim ethnic groups. It called on the world community to give “urgent attention” to the situation in Xinjiang.
Human rights groups have accused China of sweeping a million or more people from the minority groups into detention camps where many have said they were tortured, sexually assaulted, and forced to abandon their language and religion.
China has repeatedly said the “assessment” was a fabrication cooked up by Western nations.
Chen said China — one of the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council — will continue to work with the United Nations overall, calling the world body the “core” of international relations.
“We will continue the cooperation. But as I said, the office cannot represent the United Nations by delivering such an assessment, in such a nature,” he said.
Chen also said China would take an “active part” in activities of the U.N.-backed Human Rights Council in its upcoming four-week session starting Monday.
The council works closely with the U.N. human rights office, which falls under the office of U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. On Thursday, the U.N. General Assembly chose Austria’s Volker Türk as Bachelet’s successor.
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| 2022-09-21T10:25:35Z
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BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — The presidents of Colombia and Venezuela on Friday announced that the years-long closure of their countries’ shared border to cargo transport will end Sept. 26. Air service between their capitals will also resume.
The announcement comes a month after Gustavo Petro was sworn in as Colombia’s first leftist president, beginning a thaw in relations between his country and the government of Nicolás Maduro. The presidents tweeted the announcement.
“We confirm the government’s commitment to restore brotherly relations,” Petro said.
The border crossing bridges are currently open to pedestrian traffic. Limited cargo transport is allowed only at one bridge in the northern portion of the countries’ shared 1,370-mile (2,200-km) border.
Maduro tweeted that Bogotá and the Venezuelan cities of Caracas — the capital — and Valencia will be connected again via air traffic.
“The exchange and cooperation between our peoples are starting off on the right foot,” he tweeted.
Petro, who took office Aug. 7, abandoned his conservative predecessor’s opposition to Maduro and quickly moved to re-establish relations with his government. Both countries have now accepted each other’s ambassadors.
Petro and Maduro are yet to have a state visit.
Under the presidency of Ivan Duque, Colombia was among the dozens of countries that withdrew recognition of Maduro as Venezuela’s legitimate leader after his 2018 re-election, which they argued was a sham.
Maduro expelled all Colombian diplomats in 2019. By then, sanctioned trade between the South American countries had long been suspended.
Maduro in 2015 ordered the closure of legal crossing points after an incident during anti-smuggling operations at a border community. Foot traffic eventually resumed, and some cargo continued to move through the northern most bridge.
All sorts of goods have continued to enter Venezuela illegally over dirt roads manned by armed groups and others with the blessing of officials on both sides of the border. Similarly, illegal imports also enter Colombia, but on a smaller scale.
Criminals also use the dirt roads for drug and human trafficking.
The commercial exchange that in 2014 reached $2.4 billion was reduced last year to about $406 million, of which $331 million were imports from Colombia, according to the Chamber of Venezuelan-Colombian Economic Integration. The group, based in Caracas, estimates this year’s activity could reach $1.2 billion if the crossings reopen to vehicular traffic.
The Venezuelan government has estimated that the commercial exchange within a year of a fully reopened border could exceed $4 billion.
Business owners in border communities have constantly asked for the reactivation of trade between the countries, particularly after the additional economic challenges created by the coronavirus pandemic.
The two nations are linked by several border crossings. All but two are within a 45-mile (75-kilometer) stretch, which before the shutdown handled 60% of commercial activity between the neighbors.
That area includes a finished bridge that never operated due to political tensions. Venezuela years ago set up shipping containers and cement barricades on the bridge to block it.
Luis Russián, the chamber’s chairman, said the announcement shows that the governments have been able to reach “basic consensuses” in their complex agenda.
“We hope that this will then contribute to the economic and social growth of people both on the border and at the level of the national markets of Venezuela and Colombia, which historically were complementary… and that in recent years, for different reasons, they looked for partners outside of the region,” he said.
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Garcia Cano reported from Caracas, Venezuela.
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| 2022-09-21T10:25:43Z
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ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish police and intelligence have captured a senior member of the Islamic State group, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced.
Erdogan identified the captured operative as Bashar Hattab Ghazal Al Sumaidai and said he was known by his code name Abu Zeyd.
The militant was seized in a joint operation carried out by police and the Turkish intelligence agency who were monitoring his connections in Syria and Istanbul and had received intelligence that he would enter Turkey illegally, Erdogan said.
Erdogan did not say when he was captured.
The Turkish leader made the announcement late on Thursday on his return from a three-day tour of Balkan countries. His comments were reported by the state-run Anadolu Agency.
The militant was handed over to the judicial authorities following his interrogation by police and intelligence officials, Erdogan said.
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| 2022-09-21T10:25:50Z
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PARIS (AP) — A homicide investigation has been launched into the fatal shooting of a driver by a police officer in the French city of Nice after he failed to obey an order to stop, the southern city’s prosecutor said Friday.
A video circulating on social media shows a police officer pointing his gun at the driver’s window as the vehicle is reversing in front of a damaged police cruiser. The officer fires just after the driver appears to stop the car.
The shooting is the latest in a string of similar incidents across France in recent months that have raised questions about the use of deadly force by police.
Nice prosecutor Xavier Bonhomme said in a statement the 23-year-old police officer – now in police custody following Wednesday’s incident – said he shot at the driver because of the “immediate threat” he posed to him and his colleague.
Police and judicial authorities said the 24-year-old driver refused to obey an order to stop after officers noticed that he was driving dangerously. At some point, the car turned back and rammed into the police car.
Bonhomme said the man was driving a stolen car and had previously been convicted on a number of charges, including driving without a license and theft.
In another incident Wednesday in the western city of Rennes, a 22-year-old woman was killed after police opened fire on a car she was a passenger in during an anti-drug operation. The driver of the car was wounded.
Earlier this year, a French police officer was charged with involuntary manslaughter after fatally shooting two men in a car as they sought to evade a police check on the Pont-Neuf bridge in central Paris, on the night of French President Emmanuel Macron’s reelection.
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| 2022-09-21T10:25:57Z
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RAMLE, Israel (AP) — In his just-completed role as head of the Israeli military’s Home Front command, Maj. Gen. Ori Gordin was in charge of bolstering a network of early-warning systems and shelters in case of rocket attacks. It may have been the ideal preparation for his new assignment.
Gordin is set to soon take over the Northern Command — putting him at the forefront of Israel’s efforts to contain Hezbollah. At a time of heightened tensions, the Lebanese militant group is believed to possess tens of thousands of rockets and missiles capable of striking anywhere in Israel, dwarfing any threat posed by the Palestinian militant groups in Gaza that have battled Israel in recent years.
To Gordin, the connection is clear: His new role will be to keep Hezbollah far away from his old one and ensure that any future fighting “not reach the civilian front.”
In an interview with The Associated Press, Gordin said there is “no doubt” that Israel remains the more powerful side. But he said the Hezbollah is nonetheless a potent enemy.
“It can do some significant damage. I have to say that,” he said.
The Northern Command is considered one of the most prestigious — and challenging — assignments in the Israeli military. It includes not only the tense border with Lebanon, but also an array of Iranian and Iranian-backed forces in neighboring Syria. The Iran-backed Hezbollah, which recently marked the 40th year of its establishment, is at the heart of those threats.
Gordin, an ex-commando and Harvard graduate with the build of a football linebacker, takes the post at a challenging time.
For months, Hezbollah has been threatening to strike Israeli natural gas platforms in the Mediterranean Sea as Israel and the Lebanese government conduct U.S.-brokered negotiations over their disputed maritime border. In July, Israel shot down three reconnaissance drones launched by Hezbollah toward the gas field.
In the 2006 war, Hezbollah battled Israel to a stalemate in a month of fighting that ended with a U.N. cease-fire.
Bitter memories of that fighting have made both sides wary of starting a new war. Lebanon’s political and economic crisis could also deter Hezbollah.
Still, the recent tensions have raised concerns in Israel about renewed fighting. The Israeli military has invested great sums in preparing for this scenario.
Gordin described the Hezbollah arsenal, which is now believed to include sophisticated precision-guided missiles, as hard to fathom.
Where Gaza militants can now launch some 400 rockets a day at Israel during heavy fighting, he said Hezbollah is believed to be capable of firing 10 times that amount.
Even with Israel’s air defenses intercepting over 90% of incoming fire, the Israeli military estimates that as many as 7,000 rockets would strike built-up areas in a future war stretching several weeks. The army does not make public its casualty estimates, but those projections indicate hundreds or even thousands of people could potentially be harmed.
That is where the Home Front Command comes into play.
Founded in the wake of Iraqi Scud missile attacks on Israel during the 1991 Gulf War, the Home Front Command serves as Israel’s civil defense force. It helps maintain the country’s network of bomb shelters and air raid sirens and is trained to assist civilians during wars and natural disasters. Under Gordin’s command, it also played a key role during the coronavirus pandemic through a large-scale contact tracing program.
During a three-day flareup in early August, Gaza’s Islamic Jihad militant group fired over 1,000 rockets at Israel. But there were no deaths or serious injuries on the Israeli side. Some 49 Palestinians, including at least 12 militants, were killed.
Gordin said the Iron Dome rocket defense system played a key role in minimizing Israeli casualties. He also noted that the more powerful Hamas militant group stayed on the sidelines. But he said advances in the Home Front Command were key to keeping people safe.
In recent years, Israel has greatly improved its ability to detect rocket launches and predict where they will land with great precision, such as a specific neighborhood of a big city.
It also has developed a popular mobile phone application that alerts users of incoming rocket fire based on their location. Gordin said the app works everywhere, including outlying areas that don’t have sirens.
He also said the coronavirus crisis ironically bolstered his command by increasing the military’s cooperation with local authorities.
Its command center is now a clearinghouse of information gleaned from both the military and local authorities. A bank of large screens tracks rocket launches, interceptions and landings in real time. A click of a button can show the locations of every police car, ambulance or fire engine in the country, along with Waze maps showing traffic patterns nationwide.
Gordin said this integrated system provides a powerful tool for authorities to coordinate their work and communicate with the public.
“You can’t fight a war without the cooperation of the residents who live in the same area,” he said. “All of these things depend on our ability to cooperate with the civilian population.”
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| 2022-09-21T10:26:03Z
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TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Russian opposition politician Ilya Yashin may be in jail, but he refuses to be silenced.
His social media accounts are regularly updated with anecdotes about his life in detention or video commentary criticizing President Vladimir Putin’s rule. He gives interviews to media outlets by providing written answers to questions through his lawyers from behind bars.
He uses court appearances as an opportunity to speak out against the Kremlin’s devastating war in Ukraine — which is exactly what he is being prosecuted for.
“So far the authorities have failed to shut me up,” Yashin told The Associated Press in a lengthy handwritten letter from a pre-trial detention center in Moscow, passed on via his lawyers and associates last week.
“The opposition should speak the truth and stimulate a peaceful anti-war resistance … It is very important to help people overcome their fear. But one can only truly motivate people with their own personal example,” the politician added.
Yashin, 39, is one of the few prominent opposition figures who has refused to leave Russia despite the unprecedented pressure the authorities have mounted on dissent in recent years. He says leaving Russia would have affected his authority and value as a politician.
A sharp critic of the Kremlin, a vocal ally of imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny and an uncompromising member of a Moscow municipal council, Yashin was arrested in June. The authorities charged him with spreading false information about the Russian military — a new criminal offense for which he faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted.
The charges against Yashin reportedly relate to a YouTube livestream video in which he talked about Ukrainians being killed in the Kyiv suburb of Bucha. He rejects the charges as politically motivated.
On Friday, a court in Moscow extended Yashin’s detention for two more months, until Nov. 12. “Don’t worry, everything’s fine. Russia will be free,” the politician said as he was being escorted out of the courtroom by police.
Yashin wrote answers to the AP’s questions in his small cell in Moscow’s notorious Butyrskaya prison that he shares with several other people.
His day there starts at 6 a.m. and ends at 10 p.m., he wrote, and consists of a walk, three meals, a couple of inspections and lots of free time. So he writes and reads a lot to make use of it.
Last week, his parents visited him in detention. His mother, Tatyana, told the AP in a phone interview that he was “holding up well and not regretting anything.”
She said the risk of her son getting arrested has been there for years — since 2012, when arrests followed mass protests in Moscow over reports of widespread rigging at a parliamentary election. “But you know how it is: You always hope for the best,” Tatyana Yashina said. “Nevertheless, we were, of course, prepared.”
Yashin said he, too, was ready for the arrest.
After the authorities adopted a law that criminalized the spread of false information about the military, effectively outlawing all criticism of what the Kremlin calls “a special military operation” in Ukraine, “it became obvious: The security forces will come after all public opponents of Putin who refuse to emigrate,” Yashin said.
“So yes, I tried to prepare for prison as much as it was possible. I got my health in order, completed my dental treatments. Explained the situation, explained the risks to my family and loved ones. Prepared my home for a raid, gathered a team of lawyers in advance. And most importantly — I mentally prepared to take the heat.”
What did surprise him, Yashin said, was how much respect law enforcement officers treated him with — they called his lawyers for him and after the raid allowed him to pack personal belongings to take with him to jail. One expressed respect for his decision to stay in Russia despite the risk of arrest, while another one called him “a worthy enemy.”
In detention, both the inmates and the guards are genuinely puzzled to hear that the politician is facing 10 years in prison “for a few words against the war,” Yashin wrote: “In Russia, courts hand down shorter sentences for theft, assaults, rapes and sometimes even murders.”
With all protests suppressed by a brutal crackdown and most opposition leaders leaving the country, spreading the word has become the main effort for many.
Even though Navalny is in jail, his team continues to post video exposes of corruption and regular livestreams on the politician’s YouTube channels. The three most popular channels combined currently have more than 10 million subscribers.
Yashin’s own YouTube channel, regularly updated even after his arrest with news analysis and political commentary, has nearly 1.4 million subscribers. Most of his videos over the past six months have been dedicated to the war and criticizing the Kremlin for it.
“Demand for an alternative point of view has appeared in society,” Yashin told the AP.
Denis Volkov, director of Russia’s top independent pollster Levada center, told the AP that the influence of independent sources of information in Russia has grown in recent years thanks to popular video blogs on YouTube as an alternative to state television.
“People read little, but watch a lot,” Volkov said.
Yashin urged ordinary Russians to help spread the word.
“Show your grandmother, who is used to watching TV, a couple of interesting channels on YouTube. Teach your relative from a small town to use VPN so that he can read the news on a blocked independent news site. Create a chat with friends and neighbors, share links, anti-corruption investigations and opinions there.”
Yashin said that both before his arrest and in detention, he has seen very little support for the war in Ukraine, despite the authorities’ vast effort to control the narrative and weed out any criticisms or dissenting voices.
The Kremlin has insisted for months that there is overwhelming support for the invasion. Just this week, President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov reiterated once again that “the absolute majority” of Russians were behind the decision to send troops into Ukraine.
Behind bars, the war is widely and actively discussed, Yashin said, but there is either an understanding among those discussing it that Russia has been drawn into a major crisis, or disappointment at Moscow’s modest successes on the battlefield.
“I’m convinced that by getting involved in the war, Putin has started the countdown of his time in power. He went all in, but miscalculated…”
The final lines of his letter from prison offer his hope for the future. “I am convinced that my country, after all, will become part of a free and civilized world,” he says. “But no one will win this battle for us. It is only our responsibility.”
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| 2022-09-21T10:26:10Z
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SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem asked a state ethics board to dismiss a complaint against her without a public hearing and to seal off certain records, documents released Friday by the state’s Government Accountability Board show.
The Republican governor, who is widely seen as eyeing a 2024 White House bid, argued in an April motion that the state’s attorney general, a fellow Republican who filed the complaint, was out for political retribution and should be removed from the complaint. Noem had pushed former Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg to resign and later for his impeachment over his involvement in a fatal car crash.
The attorney general’s complaint was sparked by a report from The Associated Press last year that Noem had taken a hands-on role in a state agency. Shortly after the agency moved to deny her daughter, Kassidy Peters, a real estate appraiser license in July of 2020, Noem held a meeting with Peters and key decision-makers in her licensure. Days after the meeting, Peters signed an agreement that gave her another opportunity to meet the licensing requirements.
The South Dakota Legislature’s audit committee, controlled by Republicans, unanimously approved a report in May that found Noem’s daughter got preferential treatment.
The records released Friday provided some new insight into an inquiry that the Government Accountability Board has conducted mostly in secret for nearly a year. The three retired judges who evaluated the ethics complaint unanimously found last month that there was enough evidence for them to believe that Noem “engaged in misconduct” by committing malfeasance and a conflict of interest.
The board has said “appropriate action” would be taken against Noem, though it didn’t specify the action. It’s also not clear whether Noem will request a contested case hearing before the board to publicly defend herself against the allegations.
Neither her office nor her campaign said Friday whether she will proceed to a public hearing. She has continued to publicly insist that she did nothing wrong.
The records show that Noem, in a 29-page motion to the board, launched a range of arguments for dismissing the complaint. Her attorney, Lisa Prostrollo, mocked Ravnsborg’s allegations as “nonsensical,” a “political attack” and based on “far-fetched conspiracy theories.”
The motion argues Noem’s daughter joined the July 2020 meeting to provide her perspective as an applicant and attempts to defend how that was appropriate while she was facing a denial of her license. Government ethics experts have said the timing and circumstances of the meeting created a clear conflict of interest for the governor.
Noem’s attorney argued that the Government Accountability Board did not have the constitutional power to act against the governor or evaluate the complaint against her. And the lawyer suggested that Ravnsborg, who had been forced from office, be removed from the complaint and replaced with the deputy attorney general who was overseeing the office at the time.
The board in August denied Noem’s motion. However, it did appear to later pay some heed to Noem’s requests. It dismissed two of Ravnsborg’s allegations that she misused public funds, and sealed off certain records from being released.
Ravnbsorg suggested that the board launch a full investigation into the episode by hiring a Minneapolis law firm. However, the board appears ready to settle the matter. It closed the complaint and has so far kept it a secret what “action” it may take against the governor, though it has suggested the complaint could be reopened later.
The secrecy of the board’s potential action against the governor has prompted some criticism from government ethics experts who say the board should be transparent.
“I would hope that they would make public their plan of action as soon as possible,” Karen Soli, a former Democratic state lawmaker who helped create the board, told the AP last month.
Noem also made a motion to strike certain documents from the record, but it is not clear what those records were because the board did not release that motion. The board’s attorney, Mark Haigh, said the motion was not released because it contained the list of redacted records.
The board previously voted to redact records that “contain privileged information” related to a state fund for paying litigation. The agency’s former director, Sherry Bren, received a $200,000 payment from the fund to settle an age discrimination complaint she filed after Labor Secretary Marcia Hultman pressured her to retire in December of 2020.
Meanwhile, the board has sent a separate complaint to Mark Vargo, the attorney general who Noem appointed to replace Ravnsborg, to investigate her use of state airplanes. Ravnsborg alleged that her use of the state-owned plane to fly to political events and escort family members around the state violated a state law that only allows the aircraft to be used for state business.
Vargo’s office said Friday that, “to avoid even the appearance of impropriety,” he has requested Hughes County State’s Attorney Jessica LaMie to oversee the Division of Criminal Investigation’s work and make any charging decisions.
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This story has corrected the spelling of the name of attorney Lisa Prostrollo.
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| 2022-09-21T10:26:33Z
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DEWITT TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — Federal investigators blame pilot error and an overloaded aircraft for a 2019 plane crash near a Michigan airport that killed five Indiana men and seriously injured a sixth person aboard.
The National Transportation Safety Board said in its final report on the Oct. 3, 2019, crash that the pilot failed to maintain airspeed during his final approach to the Capital Region International Airport, near Lansing.
The report, issued Wednesday, said that at the time of the crash the single-engine Socata TBM 700 had slowed to just 74 knots, below the manufacturer’s specified approach speed of 85 knots.
Investigators also said the plane was more than 200 pounds (91 kilograms) overweight and its load was too far back in the aircraft, contributing to it being difficult to control.
“The altitude and airspeed trends during the final moments of the flight were consistent with the airplane entering an aerodynamic stall at a low altitude,” according to the NTSB’s report.
The pilot Joel Stewart Beavins, 48, and Timothy Joe Clark, 67, both of Franklin, Indiana; John Thomas Lowe, 51, of Greenwood, Indiana; Neil Alan Sego, 46, of Trafalgar, Indiana; and Zechariah Eugene Bennett, 27, of Plainfield, Indiana.
A sixth passenger, Aaron Levi Blackford, 42, of Frankton, Indiana, survived the crash but suffered severe injuries.
The plane had departed from Indy South Greenwood Airport near Indianapolis. It crashed in an open grass field about 0.3 miles (0.48 kilometers) from the Lansing-area airport.
Four of the six passengers were headed to work as contractors for the Lansing Board of Water & Light’s Delta Energy Park, a natural gas-fired power plant that began operating in March, the Lansing State Journal reported.
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| 2022-09-21T10:26:41Z
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Drivers urged to delete sensitive information or face data risk from connected cars
Motorists told to ensure personal data including home addresses and bank details aren’t left in car systems when they swap vehicles
Drivers have been urged to ensure they delete all the personal data collected by their cars or risk their details falling into the wrong hands.
Most modern cars feature a huge array of “connected” features, which gather information about the car and driver and cover everything from vehicle performance data to navigation information, where a person lives and works and even music preferences.
Such systems mean drivers and passengers have a host of personalised features to make their experience smoother and more convenient but they also mean that vehicles contain a huge amount of sensitive data that could be exploited.
Now, leasing giant Select Car Leasing has warned motorists to delete all their data before they sell or swap their vehicle.
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Graham Conway, managing director of Select Car Leasing, said: “Modern cars collect and retain a lot of data, especially on infotainment systems. This can include contacts, home addresses and even bank and credit card details linked to software such as Apple Pay or Google Pay.
“Not only could this potentially sensitive information be easily accessed by the new owner of the vehicle, but also total strangers if they decide to sell the infotainment system. So I would urge drivers to carry out a factory reset of anything that can collect data before handing over the vehicle to make sure it’s all wiped clean.”
Data harvesting
“Connected” cars operate much like smartphones – collecting information about the owner and their habits in order to improve the user experience. Many require an app to access all of the features, while further preferences and habits can also be harvested when you visit a manufacturer’s website or interact with them on social media. Phone calls, live chat and correspondence through third parties such as finance companies are also registered.
Vehicle manufacturers go to great lengths to protect this, investing huge sums of money in cyber security while using “hashing” or sophisticated encryption to safeguard the data. But if the information isn’t cleared from a vehicle before it changes hands it could be left accessible to complete strangers.
To highlight the kind of information that is at risk, Select Car Leasing analysed the UK’s top 20 best-selling car manufacturers’ connected vehicle data privacy and protection policies.
German giant Volkswagen topped the list, tracking 18 out of a potential 22 categories of information about its drivers. These include not only basic customer details like name and address but also the vehicle’s location, voice recordings from voice commands and even social media profiles. Volkswagen is also able to track your interests as part of its marketing.
EV groundbreaker Tesla tied with Japanese manufacturer Nissan in second spot, both keeping tabs on 17 different data types. Tesla is renowned for the data its vehicles collect using external sensors and cameras, but it can also record video and photos from inside vehicles via a camera in the rearview mirror. This is done in the event of an accident, while autopilot data can also be logged.
How to manage the data your car stores
Mr Conway said: “This highlights just how much of your personal data can be collected. But as well as doing a factory reset, there are some other steps you can take when selling or returning a vehicle.
“You can opt out of many different types of data collection by not giving your permission when you first get your vehicle. If you already own it, update your marketing and data preferences directly with the car manufacturer and through associated mobile apps.
“If you’re not sure what information is stored on your vehicle or how to erase it, your local dealership should be able to carry out an on-the-spot service. And it’s also well worth reading the terms and conditions when you buy a new car, or download a carmaker’s app, to ensure that you know exactly what you’re agreeing to.
“It’s hard to avoid using an app when buying a new vehicle, so keep track of any updates as these often include security releases that can stop someone from accessing your personal information.”
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| 2022-09-21T10:26:45Z
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BOISE, Idaho (AP) — When Joseph Kibbe attended the first Boise Pride Festival in 1989, he and about two dozen other participants wore paper bags over their heads to hide their faces from potentially violent onlookers.
At the first festival parade two years later, Kibbe and his friends were greeted by protesters with nooses in front of the Statehouse.
“Boise was a very different place back then — it was not a safe time to be LGBTQIA,” he said.
Still, for Kibbe — then a junior high student who faced frequent beatings at school, now the vice principal of the Boise Pride Festival board — the event was the one place where he felt like part of a community.
“I could come and be who I wanted to be here, who I actually was,” Kibbe said on Friday, just a few hours before this year’s festival was set to begin. “That was a huge morale booster, and why I’m so passionate about what we’re doing today.”
But this year, a roughly half-hour program on the three-day-long festival schedule called “Drag Kids” has prompted a wave of political pressure and anonymous threats.
Festival organizers envisioned a short performance where kids could put on sparkly dresses and lip-sync to songs like Kelly Clarkson’s “People Like Us” on stage. But others, including Idaho Republican Party Chairwoman Dorothy Moon, expected a lurid scene where children would “engage in sexual performances with adult entertainers.”
The event garnered national attention from far-right websites and podcasts, and by Tuesday organizers realized this wasn’t the “normal” amount of opposition, said festival president Michael Dale.
“The sexualization of children is wrong, full stop,” the Idaho GOP wrote on Twitter. “Idaho rejects the imposition of adult sexuality & adult sexual appetites on children.”
Moon and the Idaho GOP sent out statements directing constituents to ask the festival’s corporate sponsors to pull support. A few did, at least partly — removing their logos from festival fencing and canceling plans for booths. The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare announced it was pulling $38,000 in funding along with resources focused on tobacco-cessation and HIV/AIDS prevention.
A conservative pastor from California began rallying like-minded congregations, asking members to tell the Ada County Sheriff to arrest any festival organizer who “contributes to the delinquency of minors.” A group known for armed protests told followers to show up Sunday.
Others, though, rallied to support Boise Pride. Four Democratic state lawmakers pledged their own financial support, and released a joint statement criticizing what they called “the false, dangerous claims from Idaho GOP Chair Dorothy Moon that stoke violence.” New business sponsors stepped up to fill vacancies.
But the political maelstrom was growing more intense by the hour, and five kids were stuck in the middle. Riley Burrows, a full-time drag entertainer from Boise who was co-producing the Drag Kids event, began getting death threats on social media.
“It’s: ‘We’re going to show up at this festival,’ ‘We’re coming after you,’ ‘I hope you know you have a target on your back,’ and ‘You’re going to be found in a tree,'” Burrows said. “It’s gotten so repetitive.”
On Thursday afternoon, festival organizers made the decision to postpone the kids’ performance.
“We wanted to ask these kids first and foremost, because it affects them, and their confidence and their lives. And they still wanted to do it,” Dale said, fighting back tears. “But it came to be an issue of their health, their wellbeing, and that of the festival-goers.”
Anti-LGBTQ rhetoric has been increasing in Idaho and around the U.S. in recent months, and earlier this year 31 members of a white supremacist group were arrested outside of a northern Idaho Pride event for allegedly planning to riot. The Boise Pride organizers have been working with Boise Police to boost security since the northern Idaho arrests in June.
None of the five young performers are new to drag shows. The youngest is 10, and was inspired by watching her mom get ready to perform.
“She really wanted to copy me and just do the makeup and have fun with it,” said Harley Innocent, who goes by her stage name. Innocent is one of many cisgender women who participate in drag, sometimes referred to as “AFAB” or “Assigned Female At Birth Queens.”
Her daughter’s first performance was in 2019, in the rural Idaho town of Emmett. She loved it, Innocent said.
“She was really looking forward to being able to do it on the Pride main stage — it was a big opportunity for her to share her talent.”
Innocent says her daughter does a “porcelain doll” makeup look, wears a wig and chooses a song that fits her mood.
It’s similar to a glitzy beauty pageant, Innocent said, but more laid back. “In drag you don’t have to be perfect. We’re just trying to have fun and welcome them to this art form.”
Burrows, the Drag Kids co-producer, said the kids are just having fun on stage in pretty outfits.
“It’s like if you were to send your kid to a school of dance, and the performance theme was rainbows — big tutus, bows and fun hair.”
That’s different from an adult drag show, which can have heavier themes, more revealing costumes and be geared toward more mature audiences, Burrows said: “It’s like the difference between a kid’s TV show and an adult TV show.”
Youth performances can give kids a sense of belonging, he said, adding that “it’s not scary to be gay when you’re surrounded by love and acceptance.”
There’s a lot more support available for LGBTQ kids today, said Kibbe, but it was still heartbreaking to tell them the event was being postponed until organizers could find a safer, more supportive venue.
“The actions of whatever small minority group don’t reflect how the majority of people feel, but we haven’t figured out how to counterbalance that yet,” Kibbe said. “The kids that were going to be performing in that show, they were literally just trying to let others know, ‘Hey, you’re OK, this is what a supportive parent looks like, this is what a friend looks like.’”
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| 2022-09-21T10:26:55Z
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ELKTON, Md. (AP) — Two adults and three children were found shot to death Friday at a Maryland house after a man called 911 from the home to report a shooting, authorities said.
Cecil County Sheriff Scott Adams said a man, a woman and three children — in the 5th, 7th and 8th grade — were found Friday morning in a large two-story home in Elk Mills. Authorities did not immediately release the identities of the victims, but said there is no ongoing threat to the public.
The shooting occurred on a cul-de-sac in an area of residential streets interspersed with wooded areas about 60 miles (97 kilometers) northeast of Baltimore and a few miles west of the Delaware state line.
“It’s a horrific day, and I know everybody’s prayers are appreciated. … My phone hasn’t stopped ringing from people concerned about this and upset about this,” Adams said.
“It’s grief is what it is at this point,” Adams said. “Anytime you have a loss to these levels. Any loss is terrible, but a loss to this level, which is not a common thing — it’s certainly not a common thing here in Cecil County — it’s tragic and terrible and it takes a long time for people to process.”
Deputies were called to the home just after 9 a.m. by a man who said three children and a woman had been shot and killed, Holmes said. Deputies made entry to the home and also found a man dead. A semi-automatic handgun was located near the dead man.
The sheriff declined to say what the motive might have been. He said that his office has no records of deputies responding to calls at the house.
The bodies were in different locations in the house. Video from the scene showed the home with cream siding and red shutters and a detached garage surrounded by police tape. Numerous law enforcement vehicles were at the scene.
A neighbor, Tom Driscoll, who can see the residence where the shooting happened from his home, said that a couple with three children had lived there for at least five years. He said the parents kept to themselves, but the children once brought cookies at Christmas and would sometimes bring his dogs back to him if they wandered.
He said the children were homeschooled, a detail that the sheriff had earlier confirmed. Driscoll said he would see the two girls and a boy playing on a swing set in their yard or on a trampoline.
“I don’t know why anyone would want to hurt those children. I really don’t, Driscoll said. “Things must have been really bad somehow.”
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| 2022-09-21T10:27:02Z
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LAS VEGAS (AP) — In four decades of writing about the Las Vegas underworld and government corruption, investigative reporter Jeff German took on plenty of powerful and dangerous people. The hard-bitten newsman was once punched by an organized crime associate and received veiled threats from mobsters.
Nothing seemed to faze him as he doggedly went about his work.
So German (GEHR’-man) characteristically didn’t express concern when Clark County Public Administrator Robert Telles, a virtually unknown politician in charge of an obscure and small government office, took to Twitter last spring to angrily denounce the reporter.
German, who worked for the Las Vegas Review-Journal, had written about bullying and favoritism in the public administrator’s office and an inappropriate relationship by Telles with a female subordinate.
Authorities say German’s initial investigation and follow-up stories were the motivation for Telles to fatally stab German last week at the reporter’s home. DNA at the scene linked Telles to the killing as did shoes and a distinctive straw hat found at his home that matched those worn by a suspect caught on video, investigators said Thursday.
Police arrested Telles on Wednesday after a brief standoff at his home. Telles was hospitalized for what Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo described as non-life-threatening, self-inflicted wounds.
Glenn Cook, executive editor of the Review-Journal, said there was talk within the newspaper about Telles being “unhinged” but he never made any physical threats against German and the reporter never said he was worried.
The thought this was the story that would put German’s safety at risk seemed implausible, he said, remembering how the reporter recounted once being punched by an organized crime associate.
“He cut his teeth covering the mob,” Cook said. “Jeff spent over 40 years covering the worst of the worst of Las Vegas. This was a guy who ran down mobsters, wise guys and killers.”
Killings of journalists in the U.S. in retaliation for their work are extremely rare. Up until German’s death, eight journalists have been killed in the U.S. since 1992, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. The deadliest attack came in 2018 when a shooting at the Capital Gazette in Maryland left five dead.
“Jeff’s death is a sobering reminder of the inherent risks of investigative journalism,” said Diana Fuentes, executive director of the organization Investigative Reporters & Editors. “Journalists do their jobs every day, digging deep to find information the public needs to know and has a right to see.”
German joined the Review-Journal in 2010 after more than two decades at the Las Vegas Sun, where he was a columnist and reporter who covered courts, politics, labor, government and crime. He was 69, but never talked with his boss about retirement, Cook said.
Former co-workers along with attorneys and government officials German counted on as sources called him a hard-nosed, tenacious journalist who could be gruff at times, especially if someone didn’t know him or was holding back information.
“He was not someone who was easily intimidated,” said Geoff Schumacher, who worked with German at the Sun until the late 1990s. “Getting to the truth, that was more important to him than his own well-being or being popular.”
The pair recently worked together on a podcast called “Mobbed Up.”
German talked about receiving veiled threats from mobsters in the early 1980s at a time when people were disappearing as law enforcement cracked down on organized crime. The warnings definitely got German’s attention, but he never went to police, said Schumacher, who now works at at The Mob Museum in Las Vegas
Alan Feldman, a former executive with MGM Resorts International, said getting a call from German was like hearing from the CBS news show, “60 Minutes.” He didn’t talk tough or threaten anyone, Feldman said, but he never backed down.
And he always followed the story even if it didn’t go in the direction he expected, he said.
“The last thing I would say about Jeff is that anything scared him or that he was afraid,” Feldman said. “He was prepared to go after anyone who was doing something not in the public interest.”
Telles, a Democrat who apparently had never served in public office until he was elected in 2018, oversaw less than 10 people and was paid about $120,000 a year to run an office that deals with estates and the property of people after they die. Before that he was a lawyer practicing probate and estate law.
In the weeks before the June primary, German bylined reports about an office “mired in turmoil and internal dissension” between longtime employees and new hires under Telles’ leadership. Following the stories, county officials hired a consultant to help oversee the office.
Telles blamed “old-timers” for exaggerating the extent of his relationship with a female staffer and falsely claiming that he mistreated them. He posted complaints on Twitter about German, saying he was a bully who was “obsessed” with him.
Telles ended up finishing last in the three-way primary and was serving out the remainder of his term at the time of the killing.
The articles “ruined his political career, likely his marriage, and this was him lashing out at the cause,” Chief Deputy Clark County District Attorney Richard Scow said Thursday.
German’s family called him “a loving and loyal brother, uncle and friend who devoted his life to his work exposing wrongdoing in Las Vegas and beyond.”
“We’re shocked, saddened and angry about his death,” they said in a statement. “Jeff was committed to seeking justice for others and would appreciate the hard work by local police and journalists in pursuing his killer. We look forward to seeing justice done in this case.”
___
Seewer reported from Toledo, Ohio.
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| 2022-09-21T10:27:10Z
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Dogs With Long Lives 2022: These are the 10 breeds of adorable dog that live the longest lives on average - including the loving Sausage Dog 🐶
With puppy ownership continuing to soar post-lockdown, here are the dog breeds that are most likely to live to a very old age.
The last two years have seen many of us welcome a new four-legged friend into our homes, as the Kennel Club saw dog ownership rise soar over the last couple of years.
But with 221 different breeds of pedigree dog to choose from, there’s plenty of thinking to do before you select your perfect pup – whether you want a large dog, family-friendly dog, or crossbreed.
One of the terrible truths of dog ownership is that we are likely to outlive our adored pet, with the average dog living just 10-13 years – but some breeds tend to have longer lives than others.
Here are the 10 record-breaking dogs that live the longest lives.
For all the latest dog news, pictures, advice and information, join our Scotsdog Facebook group here
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| 2022-09-21T10:27:17Z
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MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — A Tennessee man accused of killing four people and wounding three others in a livestreamed shooting rampage that paralyzed Memphis and led to a city-wide manhunt was granted a public defender during Friday morning court appearance and will remain jailed on a first-degree murder charge.
Ezekiel Kelly, 19, told a judge he could not afford a lawyer for accusations in Wednesday’s attack that caused panic and fear across the city.
Additional charges are expected. District Attorney Steve Mulroy said outside court that bond is not warranted due to the violent nature of the alleged crimes.
The hours-long rampage had police warning residents to shelter in place, locking down a baseball stadium and university campuses and suspending public bus services as frightened residents wondered where the man might strike next. Kelly was arrested late Wednesday after crashing a stolen car while fleeing police.
The violence unfolded just a few months after Kelly was released early from a three-year prison sentence for a pair of shootings in 2020.
The bloodshed played out as the city was still reeling from the brutal killing of jogger Eliza Fletcher who was abducted during her early morning run less than a week earlier.
“This has been a horrific week for the city of Memphis,” Police Director Cerelyn “CJ” Davis said.
Authorities offered no explanation Thursday of a possible motive. Nor did they say how Kelly managed to obtain the gun or guns used in the attacks.
The Shelby County public defender’s office did not return a call seeking comment on Kelly’s case.
Memphis has also been shaken by other high-profile killings in recent weeks, including the shooting of a pastor during a daylight carjacking in her driveway and the shooting of an activist during an argument over money.
Mayor Jim Strickland told reporters Thursday he was outraged that Kelly had been released early from prison in March after pleading guilty last year to aggravated assault charges.
“This is no way for us to live, and it is not acceptable,” said Strickland, who later pounded the podium as he demanded accountability. He added: “If Mr. Kelly served his full three-year sentence, he would still be in prison today, and four of our fellow citizens would still be alive.”
In February 2020, Kelly, then 17, was charged as an adult with attempted first-degree murder and other crimes in two shootings committed a few hours apart. Both victims survived but did not cooperate with prosecutors, according to court records, and Kelly pleaded guilty to reduced charges of aggravated assault in April 2021.
Kelly was sentenced to three years in prison, but was released in March after serving just over two years behind bars, including credit he received for time he was jailed prior to his plea.
Juvenile Court records reviewed by The Associated Press showed both shootings took place when it was dark outside and when both victims were helping other people move. Gunshots came from a car with more than one person inside on both occasions, records showed.
The man who was shot in the chest testified he was hit while trying to take cover and the shots lasted five minutes. He positively identified Kelly in court, records showed.
“Given the defendant’s age, previous contacts with the Court and the nature of the delinquent acts, the Court does not believe there is specific time to rehabilitate the child by use of procedures, services and facilities available to the Court in this state,” a court order said.
Months before his release, Kelly was denied parole in September 2021.
Ahead of that decision, he said at a parole board hearing that he had left high school during 11th grade because he had an anger management problem. On an assessment for inmate risks and needs, a parole hearing official said he scored high for “violent,” according to a recording of the hearing.
“I was going to anger management,” Kelly, then 18, said at the hearing. “I didn’t know how to cope with it at the time because I was a teenager.”
He said he had been “affiliated” – meaning, with a gang – but wasn’t anymore, saying, “as I got older, I separated myself from that type of groups.” He said he previously worked at a fast-food restaurant and a poetry club.
At the time, his fiancée wrote a letter to parole officials, saying the couple had talked about Kelly going to trade school and starting a new life.
In recommending against parole, the hearing officer in part cited “the seriousness of your offense, being that someone was shot – I know that you said that you weren’t there – but you do have the conviction.”
___
Associated Press writer Jonathan Mattise in Nashville, Tennessee, contributed to this report.
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| 2022-09-21T10:27:32Z
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BEIRUT (AP) — Syria’s international airport in Aleppo is to resume business on Friday after the facility was put out of commission by an Israeli missile attack, the country’s transport ministry said.
The ministry said in a statement carried by state media that the damage has been fixed and called on airline companies to resume their flights to the city in northern Syria.
Israel launched a missile attack on Tuesday night targeting Aleppo’s airport for the second time in a week and all flights were diverted to the capital Damascus.
The Israeli strike tore large craters in three spots on the facility’s runway, satellite images analyzed Thursday by The Associated Press show.
The satellite images from Planet Labs PBC taken Wednesday show the airport’s single east-west runway bore three new craters. Vehicles and workers surrounded the two of the craters while the one furthest east had no traffic near it.
Israel also launched airstrikes at Aleppo airport last week, damaging its runway and, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, a warehouse that likely stored a shipment of Iranian rockets.
Last week’s strike tore a hole in the runway and also damaged a structure close to the military side of the airfield, satellite photos analyzed by The Associated Press showed.
“The airport will be working at full capacity to serve passengers and airline companies around the clock,” said the Transport Ministry adding that work will resume at noon Friday (0900 GMT).
On June 10, Israeli airstrikes that struck Damascus International Airport caused significant damage to infrastructure and runways and rendered the main runway unserviceable. The airport opened two weeks later following renovation work.
Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes on targets inside government-controlled parts of Syria in recent years, but rarely acknowledges or discusses such operations.
Israel has acknowledged, however, that it targets bases of Iran-allied militant groups, such as Lebanon’s Hezbollah, which has sent thousands of fighters to support Syrian President Bashar Assad’s forces.
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MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Thousands of people in cities across the U.S. finished Eliza’s run Friday morning.
The runs were organized as a tribute to Eliza Fletcher, who was forced into a vehicle after a struggle during her pre-dawn run last Friday in Memphis, Tennessee. A suspect was swiftly identified and has been charged with her kidnapping and murder.
The killing of the 34-year-old kindergarten teacher and mother of two shocked people nationwide, and was particularly upsetting to women runners. An obituary described Fletcher as a “born athlete” who enjoyed spending time outside with husband and children.
Many female athletes fear working out alone, at night or in secluded places, and while crime statistics show such killings are exceedingly rare, many report being harassed or worse, even in well-populated areas.
In response, groups of runners decided to “Finish Eliza’s Run” in the pre-dawn darkness Friday morning, a week after her slaying. Many wore pink tops and purple shorts in her honor. Groups ran in Memphis, Nashville, Chattanooga and many other cities and towns around the country. Hundreds logged their runs on a website dedicated to the event.
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| 2022-09-21T10:27:54Z
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KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian forces on Friday claimed new success in their counteroffensive against Russian forces in the country’s east, taking control of a sizeable village and pushing toward an important transport junction. The United States’ top diplomat and the head of NATO noted the advances, but cautioned that the war is likely to drag on for months.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy commended the military for its gains in the east, saying in a nightly video address that Ukrainian troops have reclaimed more than 30 settlements in the Kharkiv region since the start of the counteroffensive there this week.
“We are gradually taking control over more settlements, returning the Ukrainian flag and protection for our people.” Zelenskyy said.
Ukraine’s military said it also launched new attacks on Russian pontoon bridges used to bring supplies across the Dnieper River to Kherson, one of the largest Russian-occupied cities, and the adjacent region. Ukrainian artillery and rocket strikes have left all regular bridges across the river unusable, the military’s southern command said.
Anxiety increased about Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, which was operating in emergency mode Friday for the fifth straight day due to the war. That prompted the head of the U.N. atomic watchdog to call for the establishment of an immediate safety zone around the plant to prevent a nuclear accident.
The six-reactor Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant came under the control of Russian forces early in the war but is being operated by Ukrainian staff. The plant and surrounding areas have been repeatedly hit by shelling that Russia and Ukraine blame on each other. The last power line connecting the plant to the Ukrainian electricity grid was cut Monday, leaving the plant without an outside source of electricity. It is receiving power for its own safety systems from the only reactor — out of six total — that remains operational.
In other advances, the Ukrainian military said it took control of the village of Volokhiv Yar in the Kharkiv region and aimed to advance toward strategically valuable town of Kupiansk, which would cut off Russian forces from key supply routes.
Pro-Russian authorities in the Kupiansk district announced that civilians were being evacuated toward the Russian-held region of Luhansk.
“The initial signs are positive and we see Ukraine making real, demonstrable progress in a deliberate way,” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in Brussels, a day after visiting Kyiv.
“But this is likely to go on for some significant period of time,” he said. “There are a huge number of Russian forces in Ukraine and unfortunately, tragically, horrifically, President (Vladimir) Putin has demonstrated that he will throw a lot of people into this at huge cost to Russia.”
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, who met with Blinken, said the war is “entering a critical phase.”
The gains “are modest and only the first successes of the counteroffensive of the Ukrainian army, but they are important both in terms of seizing the military initiative and raising the spirit of Ukrainian soldiers,” Mykola Sunhurovskyi, a military analyst at the Razumkov Center in Kyiv, told The Associated Press.
Energoatom, Ukraine’s state nuclear operator, said Friday that repairs to outside electric lines at the Zaporizhzhia plant are impossible because of the shelling and that operating the plant in what is called an “island” status carries “the risk of violating radiation and fire safety standards.”
“Only the withdrawal of the Russians from the plant and the creation of a security zone around it can normalize the situation at the Zaporizhzhia NPP. Only then will the world be able to exhale,” Petro Kotin, the head of Energoatom, told Ukrainian TV.
Earlier, Kotin told The Associated Press the plant’s only operating reactor “can be stopped completely” at any moment and as a consequence, the only power source would be a diesel generator.
There are 20 generators on site and enough diesel fuel for 10 days. After that, about 200 tons of diesel fuel would be needed daily for the generators, which he said is “impossible” to get while the plant is occupied by Russian forces.
Rafael Mariano Grossi, the director of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said Friday that there was little likelihood of reestablishing reliable offsite power lines to the plant.
“This is an unsustainable situation and is becoming increasingly precarious,” Grossi said, calling for an “immediate cessation of all shelling in the entire area” and the establishment of a nuclear safety and security protection zone.
“This is the only way to ensure that we do not face a nuclear accident,” he said.
Fighting continued Friday elsewhere in Ukraine.
Russian planes bombed the hospital in the town of Velika Pysarivka, on the border with Russia, said Dmytro Zhyvytskyi, governor of the Sumy region. He said the building was destroyed and there were an unknown number of casualties.
In the Donetsk region in the east — one of two that Russia declared to be sovereign states at the outset of the war — eight people were killed in the city of Bakhmut over the past day and the city is without water and electricity for the fourth straight day, said governor Pavlo Kyrylenko.
Four people were killed in shelling in the Kharkiv region, two of them in the city of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest, according to governor Oleh Syniehubov. The shelling of the city continued Friday afternoon, Mayor Ihor Terekhov said, wounding 10 people, including three children.
Ukraine this week claimed to have regained control of more than 20 settlements in the Kharkiv region, including the small city of Balakliya. Social media posts showed weeping, smiling Balakliya residents embracing Ukrainian soldiers.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Friday refused to comment on the alleged retaking of Balakliya, redirecting all such questions to the Russian Defense Ministry.
But Vitaly Ganchev, the Russian-installed official in the Kharkiv region, confirmed Friday that “Balakliya, in effect, is not under our control.” Ganchev said “tough battles” were continuing in the city.
Helicopters and fighter jets streaked over the rolling plains of the Donetsk region, with the jets heading toward Izium, near where Ukrainian forces have been carrying out a counteroffensive in the Kharkiv region. The jets fired flares and black smoke billowed in the distance.
—
Associated Press writer Elena Becatoros in the Donetsk region, Ukraine, and Frank Jordans in Berlin contributed to this report.
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Follow all AP stories on the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine.
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| 2022-09-21T10:28:01Z
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BRUSSELS (AP) — Ukraine’s armed forces have made significant early gains in their counter-offensive against Russian troops in southern and eastern Ukraine but fighting appears set to drag on for months, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and the head of NATO said Friday.
Blinken, who was at NATO headquarters to brief the 29 U.S. allies after a trip to Kyiv on Thursday, said the six-month war in Ukraine is entering a critical period. He urged the conflict-torn country’s Western backers to maintain their support through the winter.
“The initial signs are positive, and we see Ukraine making real, demonstrable progress in a deliberate way,” Blinken said, referring to the Ukrainian military’s recent push into Russian-occupied areas in southern Ukraine and the eastern Donbas region.
“But this is likely to go on for some significant period of time,” he said. “There are a huge number of Russian forces that are in Ukraine, and unfortunately, tragically, horrifically, President (Vladimir) Putin has demonstrated that he will throw a lot of people into this at huge cost to Russia.”
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the invasion launched by Putin in February is “entering a critical phase.”
“Ukrainian forces have been able to stall Moscow’s offensive in Donbas, strike back behind Russian lines and retake territory,” he said.
But Stoltenberg warned that allied unity will be tested in coming months, “with pressure on energy supplies and the soaring cost of living caused by Russia’s war.” He renewed calls for allies to supply special uniforms, generators, tents and equipment to help Ukraine’s army weather the winter.
Blinken appeared moved by his visit to Ukraine as he railed against what he said were Russian war crimes and the price of “indiscriminate violence” inflicted on civilians.
“I saw the costs in my visit to a children’s hospital in Kyiv, where I met kids who will spend the rest of their lives without limbs, or with enduring brain injuries, or with other trauma that may be invisible to the eye, because of atrocities committed by Russian forces,” he said.
The one-day visit was Blinken’s second to Ukraine’s capital since the war began, and his fifth into Ukraine since becoming secretary of state. On his last trip, in April, he traveled on the same overnight train with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin but did not have the opportunity to see much of the damage in and around the city caused by Russian shelling.
At the hospital, Blinken met with, among other children wounded in aerial and artillery attacks, a six-year old girl named Maryna who lost a leg after a rocket struck her house in the city of Kherson. He also toured the town of Irpin, much of it devastated by repeated Russian air strikes.
“You see just miles from downtown Kyiv these bombed-out buildings, civilian dwellings,” he said after his return. “The only thing you can say when you see it is, at best – at best, these were indiscriminate attacks on civilian buildings, and at worst, intentional, deliberate, designed to terrorize the population.”
“There has to be accountability for those who committed atrocities,” Blinken said.
At NATO on Friday, Blinken said Putin is using every weapon he has, including energy, to try to “break the will” of the allies, but that there is “a growing recognition around the world that while the costs of standing up to the Kremlin’s aggression are high, the costs of standing down would be even higher.”
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Follow all AP stories on the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine.
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| 2022-09-21T10:28:09Z
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LONDON (AP) — The death of Queen Elizabeth II has triggered a series of carefully structured ceremonial and constitutional steps, as Britain undergoes a period of national mourning and heralds the reign of King Charles III.
The long-established 10-day plan, code-named Operation London Bridge, has been adapted to the specific circumstances of the queen’s death in Scotland, and some details haven’t been publicly confirmed.
Here is a look at what will happen in the coming days.
Friday, Sept. 9
— King Charles III and his wife Camilla, the Queen Consort, traveled from Balmoral Castle in Scotland to London.
— At noon, church bells rang at Westminster Abbey, St. Paul’s Cathedral and across the country in honor of the queen.
— Also at noon, Parliament held a special session so lawmakers can pay tribute to the queen.
— A 1 p.m., gun salutes were fired in London’s Hyde Park and at military sites around the country, one round for reach of the 96 years of the queen’s life.
— Afternoon — The king met with new Prime Minister Liz Truss.
— 6 p.m. — The king made a televised address to the nation in which he spoke of his “profound sorrow” over the death of his mother, the queen, and vowed to continue her “lifelong service” to others.
— 6 p.m. — A service of remembrance was held at St. Paul’s Cathedral for the queen.
Saturday, Sept. 10
— 10 a.m. — Charles meets at St. James’s Palace with senior officials known as the Accession Council and is officially proclaimed king.
— 11 a.m. — An official reads the proclamation aloud from a balcony at St. James’s Palace. It is also read out in other locations across the U.K.
— 1 p.m. — Parliament holds a second day of tributes to the queen.
Subsequent days:
— The queen’s body is moved from Balmoral Castle in the Scottish Highlands to Edinburgh, where the coffin is likely to rest at Holyrood Palace before being moved to St. Giles’ Cathedral so members of the public can pay their respects.
— The coffin will be transported by train or plane to London.
— The queen will then lie in state for several days in Parliament’s Westminster Hall, where the public will again be able to pay their respects.
— A state funeral at Westminster Abbey will be attended by leaders and dignitaries from around the world.
— The period of national mourning will end the day after the queen’s funeral.
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Follow AP stories on the death of Queen Elizabeth II at https://apnews.com/hub/queen-elizabeth-ii
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| 2022-09-21T10:28:16Z
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LONDON (AP) — Prince Charles has been preparing for the crown his entire life. Now, at age 73, that moment has finally arrived.
Charles, the oldest person to ever assume the British throne, became King Charles III on Thursday following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II. No date has been set for his coronation.
After an apprenticeship that began as a child, Charles embodies the modernization of the British monarchy. He was the first heir not educated at home, the first to earn a university degree and the first to grow up in the ever-intensifying glare of the media as deference to royalty faded.
He also alienated many with his messy divorce from the much-loved Princess Diana, and by straining the rules that prohibit royals from intervening in public affairs, wading into debates on issues such as environmental protection and architectural preservation,
“He now finds himself in, if you like, the autumn of his life, having to think carefully about how he projects his image as a public figure,” said historian Ed Owens. “He’s nowhere near as popular as his mother.”
Charles must figure out how to generate the “public support, a sense of endearment” that characterized the relationship Elizabeth had with the British public, Owens said.
In other words, will Charles be as loved by his subjects? It’s a question that has overshadowed his entire life.
A shy boy with a domineering father, Charles grew into a sometimes-awkward, understated man who is nevertheless confident in his own opinions. Unlike his mother, who refused to publicly discuss her views, Charles has delivered speeches and written articles on issues close to his heart, such as climate change, green energy and alternative medicine.
His accession to the throne is likely to fuel debate about the future of Britain’s largely ceremonial monarchy, seen by some as a symbol of national unity and others as an obsolete vestige of feudal history.
“We know the monarch and certainly the monarch’s family – they’re not meant to have political voices. They’re not meant to have political opinions. And the fact that he’s been flexing, if you like, his political muscle is something that he will have to be really careful with … lest he be seen as unconstitutional,” said Owens, who wrote “The Family Firm: Monarchy, Mass Media and the British Public, 1932-53.”
Charles, who will be the head of state for the U.K. and 14 other countries, including Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea, has defended his actions.
“I always wonder what meddling is, I always thought it was motivating,” he said in “Prince, Son and Heir: Charles at 70,” a 2018 documentary. “I’ve always been intrigued if it’s meddling to worry about the inner cities, as I did 40 years ago and what was happening or not happening there, the conditions in which people were living. If that’s meddling, I’m very proud of it.”
In the same interview, however, Charles acknowledged that as king, he wouldn’t be able to speak out or interfere in politics because the role of sovereign is different from being the Prince of Wales.
Charles has said he intends to reduce the number of working royals, cut expenses and better represent modern Britain.
But tradition matters, too, for a man whose office previously described the monarchy as “the focal point for national pride, unity and allegiance.”
That has meant a life of palaces and polo, attracting criticism that Charles was out of touch with everyday life, being lampooned for having a valet who purportedly squeezed toothpaste onto his brush.
But it was the disintegration of his marriage to Diana that made many question his fitness for the throne. Then, as he aged, his handsome young sons stole the limelight from a man who had a reputation for being as gray as his Saville Row suits.
Biographer Sally Bedell Smith, author of “Prince Charles: the Passions and Paradoxes of an Improbable Life,’’ described him as being constantly overshadowed by others in the family, despite his destiny.
“I think the frustrations are not so much that he’s had to wait for the throne,” Smith told PBS. “I think his main frustration is that he has done so much and that … he has been sort of massively misunderstood. He’s sort of been caught between two worlds: the world of his mother, revered, now beloved; and Diana, the ghost of whom still shadows him; and then his incredibly glamorous sons.”
It took years for many in Britain to forgive Charles for his admitted infidelity to Diana before “the people’s princess” died in a Paris car crash in 1997. But the public mood softened after he married Camilla Parker Bowles in 2005 and she became the Duchess of Cornwall.
Although Camilla played a significant role in the breakup of Charles and Diana, her self-deprecating style and salt-of-the-earth sense of humor eventually won over many Britons.
She helped Charles smile more in public by tempering his reserve and making him appear approachable, if not happier, as he cut ribbons, visited houses of worship, unveiled plaques and waited for the crown.
Her service was rewarded last February, when Queen Elizabeth II said publicly that it was her “sincere wish” that Camilla should be known as “Queen Consort” after her son succeeded her, answering questions once and for all about her status in the Royal Family.
Prince Charles Philip Arthur George was born Nov. 14, 1948, in Buckingham Palace. When his mother acceded to the throne in 1952, the 3-year-old prince became the Duke of Cornwall. He became Prince of Wales at 20.
His school years were unhappy, with the future king being bullied by classmates at Gordonstoun, a Scottish boarding school that prides itself on building character through vigorous outdoor activities and educated his father, Philip.
Charles studied history at Cambridge University’s Trinity College, where in 1970 he became the first British royal to earn a university degree.
He then spent seven years in uniform, training as a Royal Air Force pilot before joining the Royal Navy, where he learned to fly helicopters. He ended his military career as commander of the HMS Bronington, a minesweeper, in 1976.
Charles’ relationship with Camilla began before he went to sea, but the romance foundered and she married a cavalry officer.
He met Lady Diana Spencer in 1977 when she was 16 and he was dating her older sister. Diana apparently didn’t see him again until 1980, and rumors of their engagement swirled after she was invited to spend time with Charles and the royal family.
They announced their engagement in February 1981. Some awkwardness in their relationship was immediately apparent when, during a televised interview about their betrothal, a reporter asked if they were in love. “Of course,” Diana answered immediately, while Charles said, “Whatever ‘in love’ means.”
Although Diana giggled at the response, she later said that Charles’ remark “threw me completely.”
“God, it absolutely traumatized me,” she said in a recording made by her voice coach in 1992-93 that was featured in the 2017 documentary “Diana, In Her Own Words.”
The couple married on July 29, 1981, at St. Paul’s Cathedral in a globally televised ceremony. Prince William, now heir to the throne, was born less than a year later, followed by his brother, Prince Harry, in 1984.
The public fairy tale soon crumbled. Charles admitted to adultery to a TV interviewer in 1994. In an interview of her own, Diana drew attention to her husband’s relationship with Camilla, saying: “There were three of us in this marriage.”
The revelations tarnished Charles’ reputation among many who celebrated Diana for her style as well as her charity work with AIDS patients and landmine victims.
William and Harry were caught in the middle. While the princes revered their late mother, they said Charles was a good father and praised him as an early advocate for issues like the environment.
Tensions persist inside the royal family, underscored by the decision of Harry and his wife, Meghan, to step away from their royal duties and move to California in 2020. In a televised interview, they later said a member of the royal family had raised “concerns and conversations” about the color of their baby’s skin before he was born. The explosive revelation forced William to publicly declare the family wasn’t racist.
Charles soldiered on, increasingly standing in for the queen in her twilight years. In 2018, he was named the queen’s designated successor as head of the Commonwealth, an association of 54 nations with links to the British Empire. The process accelerated after the death of her husband, Prince Philip, on April 9, 2021.
As Elizabeth declined, he sometimes stepped in at the last moment.
On the eve of the state opening of Parliament this year, on May 10, the queen asked Charles to preside, delegating one of her most important constitutional duties to him — evidence that a transition was underway.
Camilla said in a 2018 documentary that Charles was comfortable with the prospect of being king.
“I think his destiny will come,’’ she said. “He’s always known it’s going to come, and I don’t think it does weigh heavily on his shoulders at all.”
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| 2022-09-21T10:28:24Z
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WINTER HAVEN, Fla. (WFLA) — The Polk County Sheriff’s Office and other agencies arrested 160 people in a seven-day operation focused on human trafficking in Florida.
Deputies said the arrests from “Fall Haul 2” included school teachers, a state corrections officer, and a Disney employee. Twenty-six of those charged were said to be married men, and 15 of the arrests involved people from outside of Florida.
One of these out-of-state arrests included a deputy police chief from Georgia, Jason DiPrima, who allegedly tried to hire an undercover detective pretending to be a prostitute with $180 and a pack of White Claw. During a Friday press conference, Sheriff Grady Judd said DiPrima has since resigned from his position with the Cartersville Police Department.
DiPrima wasn’t the only government employee to be arrested. A corrections officer with Lake Correctional Institution, 24-year-old Keith Nieves, of Orlando, was also arrested after trying to have sex with a prostitute who turned out to be an undercover detective, according to the sheriff’s office.
“He’s in the jail as a jail bird like the jail birds he watches,” the sheriff said.
Another suspect, 43-year-old Cameron Burke, of Ocoee, was already out on bond after being accused of having sex with a 15-year-old student at Oak Ridge High School in Orange County. He worked at the high school as a computer technician at the time of the alleged crime.
Judd said when deputies took Burke into custody during their sting, he become very emotional and said he was already out on criminal charges.
“Dude, why didn’t you think of that ahead of time?” the sheriff said.
Meanwhile, two currently employed teachers were also allegedly caught by deputies trying to engage in sex acts with a prostitute.
Judd said 34-year-old math teacher Carlos Gonzalez claimed he was just going to give the two prostitutes money and leave without having sex, but he was arrested anyway.
The other teacher, 26-year-old John Layton, works as a physical education instructor at West Orange High School in Orange County. The sheriff’s office said he was caught after trying to pay someone undercover $40 for a sex act.
Judd said during the arrest, Layton asked how long it would take because he had track practice in the morning.
“No, the students have track practice in the morning; you have jail practice in the morning,” the sheriff said.
Judd went on to quip that it wouldn’t be an undercover operation without at least one Disney employee being arrested as well.
Disney bellhop Guillermo Perez, 57, of Winter Garden, was arrested after trying to have sex with an undercover detective for $80, according to the sheriff’s office.
The sheriff’s office also arrested Samy Claude, 26, of Orlando, who works as a photographer and was often contracted by Disney. Deputies said Claude brought a bag of sour Skittles for the undercover detective.
While the sheriff emphasized the clients of prostitution, he also spoke on the suffering that the victims of human trafficking who are used as sex workers.
The sheriff’s office said it encountered two human trafficking victims in its investigation, along with five other possible victims. Judd said there could be more among the people who were arrested for prostitution, but they must come forward.
One of the victims deputies encountered was a woman who they say was 10 weeks pregnant and was given drugs and fentanyl in hopes to abort her unborn child, who she did not want.
While she was in custody, the victim got a text message telling her to leave her rendezvous soon because of Polk County’s reputation, according to Judd.
One More Child, Heartland for Children, My Name My Voice, and the Children’s Home Society of Florida worked with the sheriff’s office to provide support for victims.
“From the moment they come into the operation, we want to immediately hand them off to our social service friends and our counselors so they can begin working with these victims of human trafficking,” Judd said.
Should a person arrested for prostitution come forward as a victim of human trafficking, Florida law allows law enforcement to wipe their arrest from public record, Judd said.
Marianne Thomas, director of My Voice, My Choice, said she was proud of the work the organizations and law enforcement have done to support the victims of human trafficking.
She encouraged those who were arrested for prostitution in “Fall Haul” to come forward if they were victims.
“You don’t have to do this,” Thomas said. “You can do something different.”
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| 2022-09-21T10:28:31Z
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MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WREG) — One of the last people to make eye-to-eye contact with the man allegedly behind a mass shooting in Memphis said he is thankful to have walked away alive.
Demetrick Porter was at a gas station in Southaven when he came face-to-face with Ezekiel Kelly, moments before Kelly was captured by police after a string of shootings that killed four and injured three Wednesday night.
“I am still kinda shaken up and shocked,” Porter said. “I was just glad he didn’t shoot.”
It was the height of hysteria Wednesday as a gunman was on the move, stealing cars, shooting people and raining down terror on the city of Memphis.
Porter was at a Raceway station in Southaven, Mississippi around 8 p.m. that night, filling up his tank. He was aware of what had been going on in Memphis and even watched the suspect on Facebook Live.
“Somebody is just killing people out here. I mean, I was on point. I was focused, like prepared like, I just didn’t feel like he was gonna come to Mississippi,” he said.
And he didn’t know he was about to come face to face with the man police were looking for until a gray car pulled up beside him at the gas pump. He remembered it as a Hyundai, although police say it was a Toyota.
Porter said the driver pulled up very close to his Challenger on the passenger side. He said he could tell the man wasn’t there to get gas.
“He cracked the window and he approached me by saying, ‘Hey do you have percs?’” Porter said. “He was just like, loud. You know in public, asking me do I have percs or anything like that. Which I don’t, I don’t sell drugs.”
Porter says he looked in Kelly’s eyes and knew who he was dealing with.
“I mean, I was so shocked. … My heart just dropped, you know. And I just tried to run around things where he couldn’t hardly see me or get an aim or shoot at me, because I was afraid that he was going to start going back crazy because I recognized him,” he said.
Porter ran in the other direction. When he looked back, he saw Kelly ditch the gray Toyota he had been in, jump in Porter’s Dodge Challenger and speed off.
Porter went inside and told a police officer that the man they were looking for had just stolen his car. A nearby officer heard the alert about Kelly being in a Dodge Challenger on Stateline Road.
The police report says the officer saw the vehicle speed onto I-55 going north toward Tennessee. The officer tried to catch Kelly but lost him near the Tennessee Welcome Center.
But by then more officers were in pursuit and within minutes, Porter’s stolen car crashed and Kelly was caught.
Now, two days after the mayhem and after learning how much terror was inflicted, Porter is counting his blessings.
“I was afraid my life could have been gone. He could have pulled up and not said anything and start to shooting at me just like he did all those other people,” he said.
The thought still haunts him and makes him nervous in some public places, knowing a suspected killer had him in sight.
“I think God had his arms around me at the time. I am one of his angels. I am just thankful,” he said.
Porter’s car was totaled and is now a part of the crime investigation. He also had two loaded weapons in his vehicle when it was stolen. Police located those guns after the car crashed.
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| 2022-09-21T10:28:39Z
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TORONTO (AP) — Elton John paid tribute to Queen Elizabeth II at his final concert in Toronto on Thursday night, saying he was inspired by her and is sad she is gone.
“She led the country through some of our greatest and darkest moments with grace and decency and genuine caring,” John said.
“I’m 75 and she’s been with with me all my life and I feel very sad that that she won’t be with me anymore, but I’m glad she’s at peace,” he said. “I’m glad she’s at rest and she deserves it. She worked bloody hard.”
The singer-songwriter then performed his 1974 track “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me.”
The queen died Thursday at her summer residence in Scotland at age 96.
John was knighted by the queen in 1998, a year after the death of his friend Princess Diana. Prince Charles also anointed the musician and charity patron as a member of the Order of the Companions of Honor last year.
John’s concert was the second of two nights at Toronto’s Rogers Centre and part of his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour, billed as his final tour.
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| 2022-09-21T10:28:46Z
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DES MOINES, Iowa (WHO13) — The Blank Park Zoo in Des Moines, Iowa, announced the arrival of a male giraffe calf Friday afternoon.
The calf arrived on Tuesday at around 4:29 a.m. The offspring of mother Zola, 6, and father Jakobi, 17, the calf is 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighs 107 pounds.
“We are cautiously optimistic the calf is healthy because he passed all the major milestones for a newborn which include quickly learning to stand, walk, and nurse from mom regularly,” said Chief Zoo Veterinarian Jay Tetzloff.
The public will be able to help name the calf on Sept. 14, when voting from a list of names begins.
To celebrate the birth of the giraffe, the public will be able to bid now through Saturday, Sept. 10, auction-style, to be one of the first to see him in a behind-the-scenes tour. Other items can be bid on and the money raised will go towards the Blank Park Zoo.
“We are so excited to welcome this healthy boy to our herd,” Kayla Freeman, supervisor of large mammals said. “It has been refreshing to watch Zola become such a great mom. We can’t wait for our community to meet him.”
Zola and the calf are currently bonding away from public view, but Zoo officials hope visitors will be able to meet him later this fall.
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| 2022-09-21T10:28:54Z
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NEW YORK (WPIX) — New York Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state disaster emergency on Friday due to the spread of polio.
In July, a resident in Rockland County tested positive for polio in what is considered the first case of the disease in the United States in almost a decade, according to health officials. A month after, the virus that causes polio was detected in New York City’s wastewater.
The state disaster emergency will run through Oct. 9, according to Hochul. As part of the declaration, Hochul authorized all necessary state agencies to assist local governments, and she freed up more state resources to allocate towards the containment of the polio situation.
The same day the emergency was declared, Hochul shared a Twitter post relaying New York’s efforts to “ramp up” vaccination efforts by allowing “EMTs, midwives, and pharmacists” to administer the shots.
“We’re making it easier for New Yorkers to get their polio vaccine if they haven’t already received it,” Hochul wrote.
The New York Department of Health has also warned that polio spreads more easily in counties with lower vaccination rates.
“That is why it is so important all New Yorkers 2 months and older to get vaccinated against polio as soon as possible.” the health department writes.
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| 2022-09-21T10:29:00Z
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LONDON (AP) — “The Crown,” Netflix’s acclaimed series about Queen Elizabeth II and her family, has paused production due to the monarch’s death.
A spokesperson for the series said production was paused on Friday “as a mark of respect” and will also be suspended on the day of the queen’s funeral.
The show is in production on its sixth season. Its first two seasons starred Claire Foy as the young princess Elizabeth ascending to the throne and gradually growing into her role as monarch, and seasons three and four featured Olivia Colman as a more mature queen. The show has gradually moved closer to current events. Netflix recently revealed casting of the actors who are playing Prince William and his wife Kate in the sixth season.
Its fifth season, with Imelda Staunton playing the queen, will premiere in November.
The show has won 22 Emmy Awards so far, including one outstanding drama series trophy and best drama actress honors for Foy and Colman. Josh O’Connor, who played Prince Charles in 13 episodes, also won the best drama actor Emmy for his portrayal of the future king as a young man.
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| 2022-09-21T10:29:07Z
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(WXIN) – The world of Thomas the Tank Engine is welcoming its first character with autism to the island of Sodor.
Bruno the brake car will make his debut on the season 26 premiere of “Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go” on September 12 on Cartoon Network’s Cartoonito.
According to a release, Mattel Television crafted the character with the Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN), Easterseals Southern California, and writers and spokespeople with autism, including Daniel Share-Strom and Aaron Likens.
Chuck Smith, the voice actor who plays Bruno, also has autism.
Bruno is described as a “detail-oriented” brake car that enjoys schedules and routines. He rolls in reverse at the rear of the train, said to give him a unique view of the world, much like people with autism.
A lantern on Bruno’s red exterior will indicate his emotional state, moving when he is excited or nervous.
Mattel said Bruno was carefully crafted to “ensure an accurate fictional representation of an autistic child in the real world.”
“The most important aspect of Bruno’s development was getting autistic input throughout the process of creating the character and his interactions with his world,” said Zoe Gross, director of advocacy at ASAN.
Bruno will feature in the broader realm of the Thomas and Friends franchise including on a YouTube series, musical album, “Thomas & Friends Storytime” podcast, an upcoming special, and select merchandise.
The upcoming season of “Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go” will feature new original songs as Thomas and his pals zip around tracks on adventures fueled by friendship.
The original “Thomas & Friends” television show debuted in 1984 and ran until 2021. “Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go” premiered in 2021 on Cartoon Network.
The television series is based on the “The Railway Series” books by Rev W. Awdry, which was first published in 1945.
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| 2022-09-21T10:29:15Z
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LONDON (AP) — The death of Queen Elizabeth II has triggered a series of carefully structured ceremonial and constitutional steps, as Britain undergoes a period of national mourning and heralds the reign of King Charles III.
Here is a look at what will happen in the coming days.
Friday, Sept. 9
— King Charles III and his wife Camilla, the Queen Consort, travel from Balmoral Castle in Scotland to London.
— Noon local time (1100 GMT) — Church bells ring at Westminster Abbey, St. Paul’s Cathedral and cross the country in honor of the queen.
— Noon — Parliament holds a special session so lawmakers can pay tribute to the queen.
— 1 p.m. — Gun salutes are fired in London’s Hyde Park and at military sites around the country, one round for reach of the 96 years of the queen’s life.
— Afternoon — The king meets with Prime Minister Liz Truss.
— 6 p.m. — The king makes a televised address to the nation.
— 6 p.m. — A service of remembrance is held at St. Paul’s Cathedral for the queen.
Saturday, Sept. 10
— 10 a.m. — Charles meets at St. James’s Palace with a group of senior officials known as the Accession Council and is officially proclaimed king.
— 11 a.m. — An official reads the proclamation aloud from a balcony at St. James’s Palace. It is also read out in other locations across the U.K.
— 1 p.m. — Parliament holds a second day of tributes to the queen.
Subsequent days:
— The queen’s body is moved from Balmoral Castle in the Scottish Highlands to Edinburgh, and then to London.
— She will lie in state for several days in Parliament’s Westminster Hall, where the public will be able to pay their respects.
— A state funeral at Westminster Abbey is due to be attended by leaders and dignitaries from around the world.
— The period of national mourning will end the day after the queen’s funeral.
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| 2022-09-21T10:29:23Z
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LOS LUNAS, N.M. (KRQE) – Law enforcement officers have expressed frustrations about “catch and release,” when criminals are let out of jail shortly after they’re booked. But in this case, a suspect in New Mexico was able to slip away from custody on his own, escaping from a police station — and it was captured on video.
Video from New Mexico State Police officers shows an encounter with a man accused of driving a stolen truck last month.
Jesus Jimenez told NMSP officers his wife’s car broke down, so he borrowed the truck from a friend.
“My wife’s vehicle that we drove broke,” Jimenez told officers.
When the officer checked the VIN number on the truck, dispatch informed him the truck was reported stolen. Jimenez had his wife and kids in the truck.
When his wife was asked where the truck came from, she told the officers on the scene it belonged to “one of [Jimenez’s] friends in Albuquerque. I don’t know the friend.”
The officer’s report shows the ignition on the stolen truck was tampered with. Jimenez said he didn’t have text messages with his friend, or any other evidence to support his story that the truck was loaned to him.
The truck was towed. Jimenez was arrested and transported to the New Mexico State Police station in Los Lunas for booking.
An officer placed Jimenez in a holding cell and left the room to start the paperwork. In the officer’s body-cam video, you can hear the door latch and see the officer’s hand closing the door. Then the video clip ends.
KRQE pieced together other surveillance camera angles obtained through a public records request. The videos show Jimenez, at one point, no longer in the holding cell, but standing in a doorway at the police station. He is then seen slowly inching out of the police station.
One angle shows that Jimenez’s left hand is already slipping through the handcuffs as he approaches an exit. He checks to see if anyone is outside through a window on the exit door, then pops it open. Within two minutes, Jimenez had let himself out of the police station.
Outside, he calmly walks toward the street. He’s also seen sliding his left hand completely out of the handcuffs.
Ten minutes after the escape, surveillance video shows the booking officer noticing Jimenez’s disappearance.
“It appears that the lock on the door malfunctioned and Jimenez was able to open it and leave the office undetected,” New Mexico State Police spokesperson Ray Wilson said in a statement to KRQE. “An internal investigation was launched to determine why the lock malfunctioned and if there were any violations of policy and procedures.”
State Police put out an alert following Jimenez’s escape. Four hours later, he was spotted and arrested at a home in Los Chavez, New Mexico. Wilson said he was not wearing handcuffs at the time.
“Where the cuffs at?” an officer asked Jimenez, who replied, “I don’t have them, man.” Wilson said the handcuffs were later recovered.
This time, officers made sure Jimenez was tightly handcuffed before placing him in a patrol car.
Jimenez’s wife said she’d gotten a call from him asking for a ride home. She told police officers, “He didn’t really explain too much with me. He didn’t have handcuffs on him when me and my mom picked him up.”
The officers left her with a warning. “Never get into a vehicle with somebody where the ignition’s all jacked up. He’s going to jail for a while,” an officer said.
Court records show Jimenez was released from jail two weeks later. He has a hearing scheduled at the end of the month.
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| 2022-09-21T10:29:30Z
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PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) – A lottery winner from Virginia recently tried to claim a $600 prize on a scratch-off game, only to find out that he had actually won much, much more.
Jose Velasquez, of Annandale, went to the Virginia Lottery’s customer service center in Woodbridge with his “20X the Money” scratch-off, having no idea the winning ticket was worth far more. Staffers at the center soon pointed out that Velasquez had handed them a $1 million top-prize ticket.
Velasquez bought the ticket after work, at a Safeway in Fairfax County. But with the windfall, he says he’s now considering starting his own company.
The Virginia Lottery presented Velasquez with the choice of either taking the full $1 million prize over 30 years or a one-time cash option of $759,878 before taxes. He chose the latter.
Velasquez is the second person to snap up a million-dollar “20X the Money” ticket since the game’s debut, meaning there’s one unclaimed top prize remaining. The chances of winning the top prize in this particular scratch-off is 1 in 1,754,400, according to the Virginia Lottery.
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| 2022-09-21T10:29:37Z
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(NEXSTAR) – While it’s not clear exactly how many children suffer from long COVID, doctors who work with children are seeing some of them continue to struggle weeks or months after a coronavirus infection.
The warning signs may be harder to spot in children, who aren’t always able to properly name the symptoms plaguing them.
“The most common symptoms that we see for children who have long COVID are fatigue, difficulty concentrating and mood swings,” said Dr. Kimberly Giuliano, a pediatrician for Cleveland Clinic Children’s Hospital.
Those symptoms can be easy to miss. Parents may think their kid caught a cold at school, or is acting out if they are experiencing mood swings. Brain fog and trouble concentrating may go unnoticed until grades at school start to slip.
Yale rheumatologist Dr. Ian Ferguson said he’s also seen young patients dealing with joint and bone pain after having COVID.
“They might say, ‘I just feel achy. I don’t feel right.’ An otherwise healthy child may say, ‘I don’t feel like I should get out of bed in the morning,'” Dr. Ferguson explained in a Yale Medicine article. “Or they say, ‘I used to be on the high school cross country team. And now I can barely make it down the street before I have to take a break.’”
Doctors encourage parents to be mindful of the common long COVID symptoms and monitor their children after an infection.
If the symptoms are impacting your child for longer than a week or two, Dr. Giuliano recommends getting them seen by a doctor.
“The pediatrician or family practice provider would spend some time trying to understand the timeline related to COVID and the onset of symptoms, how common these symptoms were for the child before the infection even started and then put all those pieces together to determine what the best treatment option would be for them,” she said.
Long COVID can affect anyone who catches the virus, but is more likely to occur in cases resulting in severe illness or hospitalization. The best way to prevent serious illness is to stay up-to-date with vaccinations, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends.
Children between 6 months and 4 years old are eligible for a “primary series” of COVID-19 vaccines (either two doses of Moderna or three doses of Pfizer). Children 5 and older should get their primary series, the CDC says, as well as a booster if enough time has elapsed since the last shot.
You can check if you and your child are up-to-date with COVID shots on the CDC’s website.
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| 2022-09-21T10:29:45Z
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NEW YORK (WPIX) — An assailant raped a woman on a New York City subway platform, authorities said Thursday in a public appeal for tips.
The victim, 21, first encountered her attacker inside the 42nd Street – Port Authority Bus Terminal station on the A/C/E lines in Midtown Manhattan around 3 a.m. on Sept. 1, police said.
From there, the man led her to multiple other subway stations, officials said. In one of those stations, he led her to the end of a platform towards the tunnel, then raped her, authorities said. It was not immediately clear in what station the attack ultimately took place.
First responders took the victim to an area hospital for treatment.
Investigators released a sketch of the suspect, who’s described as having facial hair and a scar on his forehead. He was last seen wearing burgundy and gold shorts, with black and white Crocs.
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| 2022-09-21T10:29:59Z
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SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Planned Parenthood leaders from 24 states gathered in California’s capital Friday to begin work on a nationwide strategy to protect and strengthen access to abortion, a counteroffensive aimed at pushing back against restrictions that have emerged in more than half of the country after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
Their goal is to emulate the success liberals have had in California, where state lawmakers passed some of the most robust abortion protections in the country this year, culminating in a statewide election this fall that would make abortion a constitutional right in the nation’s most populous state.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta, speaking to a group of 25 leaders in a hotel conference room in Sacramento, with another 30 watching online, said abortion advocates could channel what he called the “ruthless energy” of anti-abortion advocates — “but not as a way to hurt people.”
“Anti-freedom states have been playing the long game. They have successfully led a ruthless, coordinated siege on reproductive freedom,” Bonta said. “It’s time that we play that game as well.”
But duplicating California’s results in the rest of the country won’t be easy. California’s government is dominated by Democrats who support abortion access and rushed to support new legislation this year after the court overturned the landmark 1973 decision that effectively legalized abortion nationwide.
In Washington, while Democratic President Joe Biden supports abortion, Democrats hold narrow majorities in the House and Senate — advantages that could be wiped out after the midterm elections in November.
Even if Democrats retain control of the U.S. Senate, they likely still would not have enough votes to stop Republicans from blocking abortion legislation. Democrats in the House have already voted to pass a bill that would make abortion legal nationwide, but they have been unable to get the bill past an evenly divided Senate.
“We can only get so far through our inside maneuverings. We also need your outside mobilization to rally support at the grassroots level, as you do so well,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat from San Francisco, said in a video message to the group on Friday.
Jodi Hicks, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California, said in an interview that one goal of Friday’s meeting was for leaders across different states to discuss what strategies have worked to protect abortion access and to create a unified blueprint in the coming months.
“We really want to learn from each other,” Hicks said.
Participants were not specific about their strategies to protect and expand abortion access during the portions of Friday’s meeting attended by a reporter for The Associated Press.
Abortion opponents also are mobilizing nationally. One anti-abortion group, National Right to Life, has proposed model legislation for states that would ban all abortions except to prevent the death of a pregnant woman. New legal frontiers could include prosecuting doctors who defy bans, and skirmishes over access to medication abortions already are underway. Others hope to get more conservatives elected in November to advance an anti-abortion agenda.
Abortion rights groups feel an urgency to act, especially with bans and restrictions in place in a majority of states. Just three months after Roe v. Wade fell, abortion access in more than half of U.S. states is considered “restrictive,” according to the Guttmacher Institute, a research group that supports abortion rights.
That includes abortion bans in 11 states, two states where abortion is prohibited after six weeks of pregnancy and nine states that limit access in other ways.
Abortion-rights leaders felt emboldened by California’s swift success in passing new abortion protections, the result of more than a year of careful planning. In the fall of 2021, Gov. Gavin Newsom formed the “Future of Abortion Council,” bringing together more than 40 state officials and abortion-rights groups to analyze the state’s abortion laws.
They produced a report with more than 45 recommendations, which became the foundation for a package of 15 bills that passed the Legislature this year. The bills make abortions cheaper for women with private insurance, create scholarships for students studying to provide abortions, let some nurse practitioners perform abortions without the supervision of a doctor and shield abortion providers and volunteers from out-of-state penalties for providing abortions.
Newsom is expected to sign most of them into law by the end of this month. In addition to the new protections, lawmakers approved $200 million in new spending that, among other things, will pay for abortions for people who can’t afford them and will cover travel expenses of women from other states who come to California for care.
Jonathan Keller, president of the California Family Council, said in a statement that other states shouldn’t follow California’s lead on expanding abortion protection.
“These policies are neither fiscally responsible nor pro-choice since they only offer to pay for abortion, not prenatal care or adoption,” Keller wrote. “Why would any other state want to prioritize abortion over and above adoption and parenting? It’s offensive to only offer financial incentives to women on the condition they end their pregnancies.”
About six in 10 U.S. adults say abortion should be legal in most cases, and abortion access is becoming increasingly important to voters, according to Pew Research Center. In California, 81% of California voters say abortion is an important issue for 2022 elections, according to a University of California, Berkeley poll.
“Five Americans who happen to sit on the Supreme Court went and told 330 million Americans that we’re going to rip away a right that you had,” U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra told the group Friday.
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| 2022-09-21T10:30:14Z
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LANSING, Mich. (AP) — A question on Michigan’s November ballot asking voters to put the right to an abortion in the state constitution could have a powerful effect: drawing more left-leaning voters to the polls and boosting Democrats’ power in the battleground state.
A record number of people — over 750,000 — signed petitions to put the measure on the Nov. 8 ballot after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the landmark decision guaranteeing the right to an abortion. Supporters said the decision to do away with Roe v. Wade was a powerful motivation, particularly for women, to get involved in politics — some for the first time.
Now, with a Michigan election board agreeing Friday to place the measure on the ballot, Democrats are hoping that translates into increased support for their candidates in an election in which the party is defending all statewide offices, including governor. Democrats also are looking to take control of at least one chamber of the Republican-led Legislature in a battleground state that is expected to be pivotal in the 2024 presidential election.
“When we collected signatures for the ballot initiative, we met women who had never voted or signed a ballot initiative petition before but were getting involved because the stakes for women and families are so high,” said Kelly Dillaha, Michigan program director for Red, Wine and Blue, a group that helped put the initiative on the ballot. Those same women, Dillaha said, are now mobilizing their friends, families and communities to vote in November.
A poll taken shortly after the Supreme Court decision found 53% of U.S. adults saying they disapprove of the court overturning Roe v. Wade, while 30% said they approve. The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll found that 60% think Congress should pass a law guaranteeing access to legal abortion nationwide.
Democrats have seen reason for optimism in other elections held since the Supreme Court’s ruling. In conservative Kansas, for example, voters overwhelmingly defeated an abortion measure that would have allowed the Republican-controlled Legislature to tighten restrictions or ban the procedure outright.
“I think we saw in Kansas that the ballot measure certainly increased turnout and changed the turnout equation significantly to make it more favorable to folks who favor abortion rights,” said Jessica Post, president of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee. “And so these Republican candidates have finally kind of gotten what they wanted and what they’ve been working for forever, and they’re ready to face a giant electoral backlash.”
Opponents of abortion say the Michigan initiative goes too far and may affect other laws, such as requiring parental consent for a minor’s abortion, though proponents dispute that. The amendment would affirm the right to make pregnancy-related decisions without interference, including abortion and other reproductive services such as birth control. It would essentially nullify a dormant 1931 state law that makes it a crime to perform most abortions, a ban that was suspended by a judge last spring. A judge declared the ban unconstitutional this week, but abortion opponents could appeal that decision.
Abortion foes also contend the calculation in Michigan is different than it was in Kansas. In Kansas, abortion opponents needed a “yes” vote — which is harder to get than a “no” when asking to amend the constitution, said Fred Wszolek, a GOP consultant working to oppose the measure. In Michigan, abortion foes will need a “no” vote.
“I just have to create a little bit of doubt in people’s minds and they’ll generally vote no, whereas you have to sell people pretty hard on a yes vote when you’re trying to amend a constitution,” Wszolek said.
Michigan is among four states, along with California, Kentucky and Vermont, that will have votes in November on abortion access. A fifth, Montana, is voting on a measure that would require abortion providers to give lifesaving treatment to a fetus that is born alive after a botched abortion.
But of those states, Michigan stands alone in national importance when it comes to picking a president. It is the only swing state of the four, and the officials elected during the November midterm would be in office during the 2024 contest.
The Michigan abortion initiative made the ballot after a bit of partisan drama over the quality of the petitions. Although supporters easily cleared the minimum threshold for signatures, Republicans and abortion opponents argued the petitions had improper or no spacing between certain words and were confusing to voters.
A state elections board subsequently deadlocked along party lines on whether the abortion initiative should appear on the ballot, with Republicans voting no and Democrats voting yes. The 2-2 tie meant the measure wasn’t certified for the ballot.
On Thursday, however, the Michigan Supreme Court ordered the Board of State Canvassers to put the initiative on the Nov. 8 ballot, and the board did just that on Friday.
To be sure, Democrats face some headwinds this election cycle. Historically, the party in power in the White House fares poorly in the president’s first midterm election, and the GOP has criticized President Joe Biden, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and other Democrats for their handling of crime and the economy.
GOP strategist John Sellek said the Republican Party will find success in November if the election is about issues such as inflation and children doing poorly in school after the pandemic, rather than abortion. He suggested GOP candidates try to separate the abortion ballot initiative from choosing a candidate for office who has sway over far more issues.
“What (Republicans are) counting on is that the issue of abortion has reached its peak,” Sellek said. “They’re going to attack this initiative as a Trojan horse and try to peel off those people who aren’t comfortable with second-term abortions or eliminating parental consent.”
Democrats already are focusing on abortion rights in the race between Whitmer and her Republican rival, Tudor Dixon, who opposes abortion in all circumstances except to protect the life of the mother. The Democratic Governors Association has repeatedly hit Dixon in advertising, calling her position “too radical” for Michigan.
Dixon appears to be trying to swing the debate elsewhere. In a tweet Thursday following the Michigan Supreme Court decision, she said voters “can vote for Gretchen Whitmer’s abortion agenda & still vote against her.” She then turned to other issues, including crime.
“Gretchen, time to stop hiding behind your BS ads,” Dixon said. “I’m here to clean up your mess, turn our schools around, stop your crime wave, fix the roads, & bring back the jobs you cost us.”
Democratic-aligned groups, meanwhile, are buoyant that the measure will be on the ballot and plan to be out out in full force to get out the vote. A group that led the petition effort, Reproductive Freedom for All, said supporters are out organizing statewide. Actions are planned Saturday, including in the Democratic strongholds of Detroit and Ann Arbor.
“We are energized and motivated now more than ever,” RFFA communications director Darci McConnell said.
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Burnett reported from Chicago. Associated Press writer Ed White contributed to this report from Detroit.
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Joey Cappelletti is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
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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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| 2022-09-21T10:30:29Z
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COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Under pressure from his Republican rival, Pennsylvania Democratic Senate candidate John Fetterman said this week he would participate in one debate before the November election.
In Georgia, Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock and Republican challenger Herschel Walker are still working through the details of what a debate might look like, though they appear to be inching closer to a deal. And in Arizona, Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Katie Hobbs has declined a televised debate with Republican Kari Lake.
With the fall campaign rapidly approaching, the time-honored tradition of televised debates as a forum for voters to evaluate candidates may be the latest casualty of constant media coverage and powerful digital platforms, as well as the nation’s polarized political climate. For some Republicans, eschewing debates is a chance to sidestep a media structure some in the party deride as biased and align with Donald Trump, who has blasted presidential debates. Some Democrats, including Hobbs, have pointed to raucous GOP debates from the primary season as a reason to avoid tangling with their opponents.
Despite such skepticism, veteran political consultant Terry Sullivan defended debates as “the one forum where candidates are forced into answering questions that they don’t want to answer.”
“They’re not going to do it in their TV commercials,” added Sullivan, who managed GOP Sen. Jim DeMint’s 2004 bid in South Carolina and handled media for Florida Sen. Marco Rubio’s 2016 presidential effort. “And in stump appearances, press conferences, they can evade, they can dodge.”
And sometimes, Sullivan added, it’s the media coverage of what happens onstage, rather than the back-and-forth itself, that can make a bigger impression.
In what “should have been the most boring debate in the history of mankind,” Sullivan said that a 2004 panelist questioning DeMint and Democrat Inez Tenenbaum asked DeMint if he agreed with a state GOP platform tenet in opposition of openly gay teachers in South Carolina’s public schools.
“That kind of turned the race on its head for the next three months,” Sullivan said, noting headlines he characterized as “DeMint wants to fire gay teachers.”
DeMint went on to win the open seat by nearly 10 percentage points, a margin typical in recent South Carolina statewide elections. But in more competitive states, Sullivan said, a debate can serve as “a good way to find out where candidates are on the issues.”
In addition to winning candidates thousands of impressions in earned media and repackaged video clips, debate footage can also propel candidates’ messages far more broadly — and cheaply — than could television ad buys, said Michael Wukela, a South Carolina Democratic media consultant and veteran of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’ presidential bids.
“You’re getting that in one shot,” Wukela said, of a debate appearance being worth airtime that would otherwise cost millions. “That’s like a Super Bowl ad.”
Refusal to participate can draw ire from rivals. The Republicans whom Walker refused to debate ahead of Georgia’s primary critiqued him as ill-prepared to take on Warnock, a skilled orator.
“If you can’t get on the stage and debate fellow Republicans, how the heck are you going to debate with Raphael Warnock in the general election?” Latham Saddler, a Navy veteran and former Trump administration official who was among five Republicans challenging Walker, asked. “Usually if you’re hiding, you’re hiding for a reason.”
Walker repeatedly proclaimed his eagerness to face off with Warnock in the fall but, instead of agreeing to Warnock’s challenge to three debates, accepted an invitation to a different one altogether. This week, Warnock said he would participate in that debate, if Walker agreed to another forum Warnock wants. That back-and-forth remains unresolved.
Other Senate contests are playing out similarly.
In North Carolina, where U.S. Rep. Ted Budd skipped four Republican primary debates in his U.S. Senate bid, said Friday he wouldn’t accept an invitation from the North Carolina Association of Broadcasters to debate Democrat Cheri Beasley, as the two head for a presumably close general election. Budd said he had accepted a cable debate invite, but there’s no agreement with Beasley on that appearance.
Dr. Mehmet Oz, the Republican Senate candidate in Pennsylvania, mused to reporters this week about what would happen if voters elected a senator who never has ”answered a legitimate question from a voter, from a newscaster in a non-taped setting, in a debate stage?” citing Fetterman’s campaign-trail absence as he recovers from a stroke.
Fetterman’s campaign said he will participate in a televised debate in October but gave no other details, including why he would agree to just one debate. Oz’s campaign immediately dubbed it a “secret debate,” with no details on when or where.
In Pennsylvania’s governor’s race, the Republican nominee Doug Mastriano has rejected a media-moderated debate and instead reserved a hotel ballroom on Oct. 22 and picked a partisan moderator for himself: Mercedes Schlapp, who served as Trump’s White House strategic communications director and is married to the chair of the American Conservative Union.
The campaign of Democrat Josh Shapiro said Mastriano’s refusal to accept an independent moderator blew up about a dozen invitations from news organizations and other groups.
Some incumbents with an edge on their rivals have rebuffed requests for multiple debates, uninterested in taking a risk on stage that might change the course of their campaign.
South Carolina Democrat Joe Cunningham called for four general-election debates with Republican Gov. Henry McMaster, whose campaign dismissed the request as a “stunt” and ultimately agreed to one matchup. In Texas, GOP Gov. Greg Abbott has granted a single debate to Democratic challenger Beto O’Rourke — on a Friday night in the thick of high school football season, which will be broadcast as distracted voters are instead at games kicking off around the state.
Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis initially committed to a statewide televised debate with his Democratic opponent before U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist — who came under fire for not agreeing to primary debates — won his party’s nomination. Now, the two are set to spar in a single debate, shown only on a West Palm Beach TV station.
Michigan Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Republican nominee Tudor Dixon finally agreed to a single October debate after a scheduling flap. Whitmer announced last month she would participate in two statewide, televised debates, a decision her campaign said was “consistent with past precedent.” Dixon, who criticized Whitmer for not debating before voter are able to send in absentee ballots, ultimately agreed to the solo meeting.
Noting that the uncertainty of debates can be “terrifying” for all involved, Wukela acknowledged incumbents’ reticence to allowing their challengers prominent opportunities to equate themselves with the office, or its existing occupant.
“Strom Thurmond refused to debate any of his opponents,” Wukela said of the longtime South Carolina Democrat-turned-Republican governor and senator. “If I’ve got a four-touchdown lead, why would I ever throw the ball?”
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Associated Press writer Sara Burnett in Chicago contributed to this report.
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Meg Kinnard can be reached at http://twitter.com/MegKinnardAP.
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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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| 2022-09-21T10:30:44Z
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WASHINGTON (AP) — Alek Skarlatos, a Republican nominee for Congress in Oregon, was cleared this week of violating campaign finance law, months after a Democratic-aligned group filed a complaint alleging he improperly funded his campaign with money from a nonprofit he also controlled.
“Democrats have created a false controversy to smear Alek Skarlatos,” campaign manager Ross Purgason said in a statement. “The (Federal Election Commission) has dismissed these false allegations.”
Skarlatos, who is running for a second time to represent a coastal Oregon district, established the nonprofit veterans group 15:17 Trust shortly after losing his bid for the seat in 2020, pledging to advocate for veterans “left high and dry” by the country “they put their lives on the line for.” And he used $93,000 left over from his campaign to help seed the nonprofit.
But several months later, after Skarlatos decided in 2021 to run for the seat again, the nonprofit transferred $65,000 back to his campaign. The transfers of money were the subject of an Associated Press story last year, which was followed by a complaint filed with the FEC by End Citizens United, a Democrat-aligned group.
Campaign finance laws prohibit candidates from self-dealing and from accepting illicit money from the often opaque and less regulated world of political nonprofits. That includes a prohibition on candidates donating campaign cash to a nonprofit they control, as well as a broader ban on accepting contributions from such groups, legal experts say.
But in this case, the FEC found that Skarlatos’ nonprofit wasn’t very active and failed to raise much money, taking in about $1,800. The agency also determined that the transfers of cash from Skarlatos’ campaign to his nonprofit and back were done in a short enough time span that it likely amounted to a legitimate refund.
“Without information to indicate the contrary, the $65,000 payment from the 15:17 (Trust) to the Committee was likely a bona fide refund,” the agency states in a filing, which was provided by the Skarlatos campaign and has not yet been released publicly.
The AP’s story last year detailed how Skarlatos’ nonprofit was soliciting money online but otherwise was maintaining a decidedly low profile and had not yet released annual tax paperwork detailing how much it had raised and how the money was spent it.
The story also noted how laws governing transfers of money by candidates to nonprofits they operate are intended to prevent sidestepping the ban on the personal use of campaign funds. And it detailed how Skarlatos had previously collected $43,000 from his 2020 campaign in mileage reimbursements, rent and expenses vaguely listed as contractor campaign staff.
The FEC did not receive a full explanation of how the nonprofit spent the money Skarlatos lent it, including the remaining $28,000 that was not refunded to his campaign. The Skarlatos campaign said about $14,000 was spent on fundraising, but an additional $14,000 was not accounted for in the filing released by the agency.
“Alex Skarlatos admitted to the FEC that his charity is essentially a scam and that it’s ‘inactive,’” said End Citizens United spokesman Adam Bozzi. “The fact that he failed to help veterans saved him from a violation is a warning for voters not to trust him.”
Skarlatos was a member of the Oregon National Guard when he gained a measure of fame in 2015, helping to disrupt an attack on a train bound for Paris by a heavily armed man who was a follower of the Islamic State group. Hailed as a hero, he appeared on “Dancing with the Stars,” visited the White House and was granted dual French citizenship. It also led to a role starring as himself in the Clint Eastwood movie “15:17 to Paris.”
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| 2022-09-21T10:30:51Z
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WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has cleared the way for an LGBTQ group to gain official recognition from a Jewish university in New York, though that may not last.
By a 5-4 vote Wednesday, the justices lifted a temporary hold on a court order that requires Yeshiva University to recognize the group, the YU Pride Alliance, even as a legal fight continues in New York courts.
Two conservatives, Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Brett Kavanaugh, sided with the court’s three liberal justices to form a majority.
The disagreement among the justices appears to be mostly about procedure, with the majority writing in a brief unsigned order that Yeshiva should return to state court to seek quick review and temporary relief while the case continues.
If it gets neither from state courts, the school can return to the Supreme Court, the majority wrote.
Four conservative justices dissented, in an opinion written by Justice Samuel Alito that said recognition should have been kept on hold because Yeshiva has made a strong case that its First Amendment religious rights have been violated.
The Constitution “prohibits a State from enforcing its own preferred interpretation of Holy Scripture. Yet that is exactly what New York has done in this case, and it is disappointing that a majority of this Court refuses to provide relief,” Alito wrote. Justices Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch and Amy Coney Barrett joined his opinion.
The upshot, Alito wrote, is that Yeshiva probably will have to recognize the Pride Alliance “for at least some period of time (and perhaps for a lengthy spell).”
On Friday, Justice Sonia Sotomayor signed the order that put things on hold and indicated the court would have more to say on the topic.
The university, an Orthodox Jewish institution in New York, argued that granting recognition to the Pride Alliance, “would violate its sincere religious beliefs.”
The club argued that Yeshiva’s plea to the Supreme Court was premature, also noting the university already has recognized a gay pride club at its law school.
A New York state court sided with the student group and ordered the university to recognize the club immediately. The matter remains on appeal in the state court system, but judges there refused to put the order on hold in the meantime.
The Supreme Court has been very receptive to religious freedom claims in recent years.
In June, conservatives who hold a 6-3 majority struck down a Maine program prohibiting state funds from being spent at religious schools and ruled a high school football coach in Washington state has the right to pray on the field after games.
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| 2022-09-21T10:30:59Z
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WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge in Florida has dismissed Donald Trump’s lawsuit against 2016 Democratic rival Hillary Clinton and former top FBI officials, rejecting the former president’s claims that they and others acted in concert to concoct the Russia investigation that shadowed much of his administration.
U.S. District Judge Donald Middlebrooks said in a sharply worded ruling on Thursday that Trump’s lawsuit, filed in March, contained “glaring structural deficiencies” and that many of the “characterizations of events are implausible.”
He dismissed the idea that Trump had sued to correct an actual legal harm, saying that “instead, he is seeking to flaunt a two-hundred-page political manifesto outlining his grievances against those that have opposed him, and this Court is not the appropriate forum.”
The lawsuit had named as defendants Clinton and some of her top advisers, as well as former FBI Director James Comey and other FBI officials involved in the investigation into whether Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign had coordinated with Russia to sway the outcome of the election.
Other defendants include the founders of a political research firm that hired a former British spy to investigate ties between Trump and Russia, and a well-connected Democratic lawyer who was recently acquitted on a charge of lying to the FBI during a 2016 meeting in which he presented the bureau with information he wanted it to investigate.
But none of the claims, the judge wrote, supported Trump’s claims of a conspiracy against him.
“What the Amended Complaint lacks in substance and legal support it seeks to substitute with length, hyperbole, and the settling of scores and grievances,” Middlebrooks wrote.
A 2019 Justice Department inspector general report did identify certain flaws by the FBI during the Russia investigation, but did not find evidence that the bureau’s leaders were motivated by political bias in opening the probe and said the inquiry was started for a legitimate purpose.
A separate investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller produced criminal charges against nearly three dozen people and entities and found pervasive Russian interference in the election, but did not establish a criminal conspiracy with the Trump campaign.
Alina Habba, a lawyer for Trump, said Friday that Trump would appeal the dismissal.
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Follow Eric Tucker on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/etuckerAP
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| 2022-09-21T10:31:07Z
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WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats desperately needed the vote of Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia to get their signature legislative priority across the finish. So they did what Washington does best: They cut a deal.
To help land his support for a bill hailed by advocacy groups as the biggest investment ever in curbing climate change, Manchin said he secured a commitment from President Joe Biden and Democratic leaders to move a permitting-streamlining package for energy projects through Congress before Sept. 30, the end of the current fiscal year.
Now the climate bill is law, and Manchin is ready to collect. But key Democratic constituency groups are lining up against the proposal, calling it bad for the country and the climate. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and dozens of House members agree.
The fissure could complicate the party’s efforts to keep the focus on this summer’s major legislative victories going into the November midterm elections, which will determine which party controls the House and the Senate. More immediately, the divide is testing the ability of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., to keep enough Democrats in line to avoid a partial government shutdown at the end of the month.
Schumer is pushing ahead. He said this week that he would attach Manchin’s preferred measure to must-pass legislation that would keep the federal government running into mid-December.
To win over skeptics, some Democrats are stressing that Manchin’s proposal to streamline environmental reviews for energy infrastructure projects would be good for renewable energy, too.
A summary of the proposed legislation has been circulating among Senate Democrats in recent days and was obtained by The Associated Press. It states that the package being developed is key to meeting climate goals by developing interstate transmission lines that will transport electricity from Midwestern wind farms, for example, to major East Coast cities.
“Unfortunately, today these higher voltage, longer lines across multiple jurisdictions are not getting built,” the summary said.
The summary states that about 20 large transmission projects are ready to move forward with some federal support.
“Reforms to address permitting, siting and cost allocation concerns are key to building these projects,” the document says.
In interviews, key Democratic senators stressed a similar message, calling the energy proposal complementary to the massive climate package that passed last month.
“Right now, there’s just too much delay in solar and wind and geothermal, so I want at every possible opportunity to speed up permitting for renewables,” said Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore.
Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, said the permitting effort is about making sure bedrock environmental laws are followed in a more timely manner, such as concurrent reviews by government agencies rather than one agency beginning its work after another has finished.
Schatz said the “old environmental movement” was built around stopping inappropriate projects. But the “new environmental movement” is built around building an unprecedented amount of clean energy.
“In order to do that, we’re going to run into the same regulations that have stopped bad projects for a number of years,” Schatz said. “If we’re going to actually meet our clean energy goals, we’re going to need to build big planet-saving projects, and that means the federal regulations that slow them down have to be looked at very carefully.”
Legislative text incorporating Manchin’s priorities has not yet been released, but among the goals he has set out is establishing a maximum timeline for permitting reviews, including two years for major projects and one year for lower-impact projects. Manchin also wants a statute of limitations for filing court challenges and language that would enhance the federal government’s authority over interstate electric transmission projects determined by the Secretary of Energy to be in the national interest.
Finally, he wants to require all relevant agencies to take the steps necessary to permit the construction and operation of the Mountain Valley Pipeline, a 303-mile (487-kilometer) pipeline, which is mostly finished and would transport natural gas across West Virginia and Virginia.
The proposed route crosses more than 1,100 streams and will disturb 6,951 acres (2,813 hectares) of land, including 4,168 acres (1,687 hectares) that have the potential for severe water erosion. When fully complete, the pipeline will deliver up to 2 billion cubic feet (56 million cubic meters) of natural gas per day to markets in the mid-Atlantic and Southeast.
Legal battles have delayed completion by nearly four years and doubled the pipeline’s cost, now estimated at $6.6 billion. Manchin also wants to give the federal appeals court in Washington jurisdiction over any further litigation regarding the project.
More than 70 House Democrats signed onto a letter Friday calling on Pelosi to keep the permitting provisions out of the spending bill, or any other must-pass legislation this year.
“We remain deeply concerned that these serious and detrimental permitting provisions will significantly and disproportionately impact low-income communities, indigenous communities, and communities of color,” the lawmakers wrote.
Sanders directed his ire mostly at efforts to open the Mountain Valley Pipeline. Speaking on the Senate floor, he cited the litany of climate disasters taking place around the globe — from record-breaking droughts in the West and in China, to massive flooding in Pakistan, to the melting of glaciers that he said could place major U.S. cites underwater in coming decades.
“At a time when climate change is threatening the very existence of the planet, why would anybody be talking about substantially increasing carbon emissions and expanding fossil fuel production in the United Sates?” Sanders said. “What kind of message does this send to the people of our own country and to suffering people all over the world?”
Schatz called the Mountain Valley Pipeline a “different animal” that he normally would not accept, but “we’ve made a deal with Joe Manchin.” He said that deal, which led to the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act last month, has put the U.S. on a path to achieving the most emission reductions in the nation’s history.
That bill uses changes in the tax code to move the U.S. to cleaner sources of energy. It gives tax breaks to consumers who buy electric vehicles, solar panels and more energy-efficient appliances, and it also provides financial incentives for the manufacturers of such products. Plus the bill spends billions of dollars on such things as transitioning the fleet of the U.S. Postal Service to electric vehicles.
Advocates project the bill puts the U.S. on track to cut emissions 40% below 2005 levels by 2030.
“In the net, this is not a close call,” Schatz said. “… I don’t like this pipeline, but it’s not the main environmental problem on the planet. The main environmental problem is that we’re not doing enough wind and solar. And now we’re about to see wind and solar energy take off like a rocket ship.”
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Follow AP’s coverage of climate-related stories at https://apnews.com/hub/climate-and-environment.
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This story has been corrected to show the pipeline will deliver 2 billion cubic feet, not 2 cubic feet, of natural gas per day.
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| 2022-09-21T10:31:15Z
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The founder of the Hawaii Proud Boys chapter and a Texas man who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and posed for a picture in front of a door on which one of them had written “Murder the Media” each pleaded guilty Friday in federal court to a felony charge in connection with the riot.
Nicholas Ochs, founder of the far-right extremist group’s Hawaii chapter and a onetime Republican state House candidate, and Nicholas DeCarlo, of Fort Worth, Texas, admitted to obstructing the congressional certification of President Joe Biden’s Electoral College victory.
They shared a social media channel called “Murder the Media” and initially claimed to be working as journalists on Jan. 6, according to the government.
Federal guidelines for Ochs, 36, and DeCarlo, 32, call for sentences between about 3 1/2 years and four years behind bars, although the judge can decide to go above or below that. In exchange for pleading guilty, prosecutors agreed to dismiss several other charges against them. They are to be sentenced in December.
Edward MacMahon, a lawyer for Ochs, noted after the hearing that his client did not injure anyone at the Capitol and said he hopes Ochs is sentenced consistent with others who did not participate in any violence. A lawyer for DeCarlo did not immediately reply to an email seeking comment.
Ochs and DeCarlo attended the “Stop the Steal” rally near the White House in support of then-President Donald Trump on the morning of Jan. 6 and then marched together to the Capitol. The men admitted to throwing smoke bombs at a line of police trying to keep the mob from the stage set up for Biden’s inauguration.
DeCarlo admitted to writing “Murder The Media” in permanent marker on a door in the Capitol building, prosecutors said. The men then posed in front of the door with a thumbs-up sign. DeCarlo also rummaged through a Capitol police officer’s bag and stole a pair of plastic handcuffs, prosecutors said.
Ochs posted on Twitter a picture of the men smoking cigarettes inside the Capitol, and the caption said: “Hello from the Capital lol,” according to court papers.
After leaving the building, they filmed a video together in which Ochs said they came to “stop the steal” and DeCarlo declared: “We did it,” the government said. “Sorry we couldn’t go live when we stormed the f—-in’ U.S. Capitol and made Congress flee,” Ochs said in a video with the Capitol visible in the background.
Ochs told CNN that he was working as a “professional journalist” and that he did not have to break into the Capitol, but just “walked in and filmed.” Before his arrest, DeCarlo also told The Los Angeles Times that they were journalists.
“What I did was journalism: Follow the events and show people what happened,” DeCarlo told the newspaper.
Ochs was the Republican Party’s candidate to represent Waikiki in the Hawaii House in the November 2020 election. Ochs lost to Democrat Adrian Tam.
Ochs and DeCarlo are among dozens of members and associates of the Proud Boys who have been charged in the Capitol riot. The group’s former chairman, Enrique Tarrio, and other leaders have been charged with seditious conspiracy — the most serious charges brought so far in the insurrection.
The leader and members of another far-right extremist group, the Oath Keepers, are heading to trial later this month on the charge of seditious conspiracy. The Oath Keepers are the first Jan. 6 defendants facing the rare and difficult-to-prove charge to go to trial.
Also on Friday, a lawyer for the Oath Keepers, Kellye SoRelle, pleaded not guilty to a charge of conspiracy to obstruct the certification of the Electoral College vote. SoRelle, a close associate of Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes, was arrested this month in Texas.
More than 870 people have been charged so far in the Capitol riot. Nearly 400 have pleaded guilty to charges ranging from low-level misdemeanors for illegally entering the building to felony seditious conspiracy.
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For full coverage of the Capitol riot, go to https://www.apnews.com/capitol-siege
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| 2022-09-21T10:31:30Z
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WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department and Donald Trump’s legal team each proposed candidates Friday for the role of an independent arbiter in the investigation into top-secret documents found at the former president’s Florida home, but the two sides differed on the scope of duties the person would have.
Lawyers for Trump said they believe the so-called special master should review all documents seized by the FBI during its search last month of Mar-a-Lago, including records with classification markings, and filter out any that may be protected by claims of executive privilege.
The Justice Department, by contrast, said it does not believe the arbiter should be permitted to inspect classified records or resolve potential claims of executive privilege.
U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon had given both sides until Friday to submit potential candidates for the role of a special master, as well as proposals for the scope of the person’s duties and the schedule for his or her work.
The Justice Department submitted the names of two retired judges — Barbara Jones, who served on the federal bench in Manhattan and has performed the same role in prior high-profile investigations, and Thomas Griffith, a former federal appeals court jurist in the District of Columbia.
The Trump team proposed one retired judge, Raymond Dearie — also the former top federal prosecutor in the Eastern District of New York — and a prominent Florida lawyer, Paul Huck, Jr.
The back-and-forth over the special master is playing out amid an FBI investigation into the retention of several hundred classified documents recovered from Mar-a-Lago within the past year. Though the legal wrangling is unlikely to have major long-term effects on the investigation or knock it significantly off course, it will almost certainly delay the probe by potentially months and has already caused the intelligence community to temporarily pause a separate risk assessment.
The Justice Department proposed an Oct. 17 deadline for the special master to complete the review process, while the Trump team said the work could take as long as three months.
Though both sides met Cannon’s deadline to provide potential candidates, their filings made clear that they have core disagreements about the job of special master. That’s not surprising given that the Justice Department had strenuously objected to the Trump team’s desire for such an arbiter, and gave notice Thursday that it would appeal the judge’s decision to grant the ex-president’s request.
Central to the dispute is precisely what documents the yet-to-be-named special master should be tasked with reviewing. Roughly 11,000 documents — including more than 100 with classified markings, some at the top-secret level — were recovered during the FBI’s Aug. 8 search. In granting the request for a special master, Cannon directed the department to temporarily pause its use of the seized records for investigative purposes.
The Justice Department had said a special master was unnecessary in part because it had already completed its own review of the seized documents, locating a limited subset that possibly involve attorney-client privilege. It has maintained that executive privilege does not apply in this investigation because Trump, no longer president, had no right to claim the documents as his.
Though the government does not believe the special master should inspect documents with classification markings, the Trump team maintains the arbiter should have access to the entire tranche of seized records. According to a summary of its position outlined in a filing Friday night, it disputes the idea that the Justice Department’s “separation of these documents is inviolable” or that a document with classification markings should be forever regarded as classified.
And, the lawyers say, if any document is a presidential document then Trump has an “absolute right of access to it.”
“Thus, President Trump (and/or his designee) cannot be denied access to those documents, which in this matter gives legal authorization to the Special Master to engage in first-hand review,” the filing states.
Executive privilege generally refers to a president’s power to shield information from the courts and public so as to ensure the confidentiality of presidential decision-making, though there are limits.
A separate dispute concerns the special master’s fees and expenses. The Trump team has suggested splitting the costs evenly with the Justice Department. The government says the Trump team should bear the cost.
The two sides are also at odds over candidates, though three of the four are retired judges.
Jones, a former Manhattan federal judge and one of the government’s picks, recently served as special master in two other high-profile cases related to Trump. She reviewed materials seized in FBI raids on Trump’s one-time personal lawyers Michael Cohen, in an investigation related to hush-money payments, and Rudy Giuliani, in a probe of his dealings in Ukraine.
Griffith, the other Justice Department selection, was named to the federal appeals court in Washington in 2005 by then-president George W. Bush, and previously represented the institutional interests of the Republican-led Senate during the impeachment case of former President Bill Clinton.
The Trump team recommended Dearie, who was nominated in 1986 by then-President Ronald Reagan to the federal court based in Brooklyn. He has also served on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court.
The other Trump pick, Huck, served as general counsel to Charlie Crist when Crist was the Republican governor of Florida. He is married to Barbara Lagoa, a judge on the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which would hear any appeal in the Trump case from Florida. He is listed on the Federalist Society website as a contributor to the conservative legal group.
The Justice Department on Thursday filed a notice of appeal indicating it would contest the judge’s special master order to the Atlanta-based 11th Circuit. It asked her to lift her hold on their investigative work pending their appeal.
The department has been investigating the unlawful retention of top-secret records at Mar-a-Lago after Trump left the White House, as well as whether anyone sought to obstruct that probe. It is not clear if Trump or anyone else will be charged.
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Associated Press writers Michael R. Sisak in New York and Curt Anderson in Miami contributed to this report.
More on Donald Trump-related investigations: https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump
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| 2022-09-21T10:31:38Z
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WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. government on Friday imposed sanctions on Iran’s intelligence agency and its leadership in response to malicious cyberattacks on Albanian government computer systems in July.
The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control designated Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security and Esmail Khatib, who heads the ministry, for what it said were cyber-related activities against the U.S. and its allies.
Albania, a NATO member, cut diplomatic ties with Iran and expelled its embassy staff this week over the cyberattack. It was the first known case of a country cutting diplomatic relations over a cyberattack.
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, which assisted Albania in investigating the cyberattack, 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.
It said the attackers were observed operating out of Iran, used tools previously used by known Iranian attackers and had previously targeted “other sectors and countries” consistent with Iranian interests. The destructive malware deployed was also previously used by a “known Iranian actor,” it said.
“Iran’s cyber attack against Albania disregards norms of responsible peacetime State behavior in cyberspace,” Brian Nelson, Treasury’s under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, said in a statement.
“We will not tolerate Iran’s increasingly aggressive cyber activities targeting the United States or our allies and partners,” he said.
Since at least 2007, Iran’s intelligence agency and its proxies have been accused of conducting cyber operations targeting public and private entities around the world.
Treasury, which uses an Obama-era executive order that targets people and entities that engage in malicious cyber activities as an authority to impose the sanctions, has been ratcheting up its financial penalties on Iran this year.
This comes as President Joe Biden’s administration has been working to renew the tattered Iran nuclear deal, which placed curbs on Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for billions of dollars in sanctions relief, which Iran insists it has never received.
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Llazar Semini in Tirana contributed to this report. Bajak reports from Boston.
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| 2022-09-21T10:31:45Z
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WASHINGTON (AP) — The federal agency that investigates chemical accidents is hindered by a lack of staffing, leadership disputes and a backlog of investigations that threaten its ability to protect people and the environment, according to a new report by a federal watchdog.
The report by the Environmental Protection Agency’s inspector general says the U.S. Chemical Safety Board is “challenged by vacancies in mission-critical positions and an inability to fully use the resources Congress allocated” to it.
Leadership disputes, shoddy internal reviews and reporting backlogs “are impeding the board’s ability to accomplish its mission,” Inspector General Sean O’Donnell said in a letter to the board’s acting head.
O’Donnell’s report, released this week, comes after the board’s former chairwoman resigned this summer amid criticism about extravagant spending, ongoing disputes with other board members and a backlog of investigations. The board completed one investigation in 2020, three in 2021 and three so far this year, the report said. At least 17 investigations are currently waiting to be closed.
Katherine Lemos, the agency’s former chair, left in July, saying in a resignation letter that disputes with fellow board members “have eroded my confidence in our ability to focus” on the independent agency’s mission. Lemos was appointed by former President Donald Trump and led the agency for two years. Her departure left the five-member panel with two Senate-confirmed members, both nominated by President Joe Biden. A third Biden nominee is pending before the Senate.
With a $13 million annual budget, the board is the only federal agency charged with investigating the causes of chemical accidents, including factory explosions, refinery fires and other industrial disasters. The agency had a dozen investigators as of last month, down from more than 20 investigators in the past decade, the inspector general said.
Overall, the agency has 27 staffers out of 44 approved positions.
Trump proposed eliminating the safety board in each of his annual budgets, arguing that its focus on regulation had “frustrated both regulators and industry.” Congress funded the agency throughout Trump’s term, although staffing levels dwindled and Lemos served as the board’s sole member for nearly two years.
“The Chemical Safety Board barely survived the Trump war of attrition against it,” said Jeff Ruch, a top official at Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, a watchdog group of current and former public employees. The watchdog group had sharply criticized Lemos and repeatedly called for her ouster.
The inspector general’s report “underlines that it is difficult for a federal agency, especially a small agency, to function when it is saddled with leadership that is inimical to its mission,” Ruch said in an email.
The current leadership, including interim executive Steve Owens, appears intent to rebuild the agency, Ruch said, although problems remain. The board is “increasingly important because our industrial infrastructure, like our public infrastructure of roads and bridges, has been aging and is becoming more vulnerable to refinery explosions and other chemical disasters,” he said.
The 17-page report by the inspector general recommends that the board quickly fill investigator and senior staff positions, ensure there are plans to hand off duties when staff members leave and update internal procedures on how reports are written and reviewed.
In a statement, Owens and board member Sylvia Johnson said the board “appreciates the inspector general’s report, and we agree that there is much work to be done to get this agency back on track.”
The agency is taking steps to hire more investigators and other mission-critical staff and has streamlined the review process for investigative reports, Owens and Johnson said.
“We look forward to an ongoing relationship with the inspector general as we tackle the many challenges facing the agency,” they said.
Owens has been nominated to chair the safety board, but the Senate has not yet acted. Senators also have not voted on Catherine Sandoval’s nomination to serve as the third board member.
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| 2022-09-21T10:31:53Z
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AUSTIN (KXAN) — In a statement Friday, Gov. Greg Abbott said Texas has sent more than 10,000 migrants to sanctuary cities through Operation Lone Star.
Abbott said since the start of the operation, there have been more than 302,600 migrant apprehensions and more than 19,700 criminal arrests, with more than 17,200 felony charges reported.
“Texas has also bused over 7,900 migrants to our nation’s capital since April and over 2,200 migrants to New York City since August 5. Since last Wednesday, more than 300 migrants from Texas have arrived in Chicago,” Abbott said in a statement.
The mayor of Washington, D.C., Muriel Bowser, declared a public health emergency in response to the thousands of migrants arriving in the nation’s capital by bus from Arizona and Texas.
The emergency declaration in the district allows the city to establish an office to provide services to the incoming migrants with a $10 million investment.
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| 2022-09-21T10:32:00Z
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WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) — Top House Republicans are demanding answers from the Department of Justice for its decision to investigate former President Donald Trump and say investigating the DOJ will be a top priority if they take control of the House this midterm election.
Republicans like Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., are vowing to get to the bottom of the FBI search of Trump’s estate.
“It is unprecedented,” he said. “I haven’t heard any justification that is even plausible.”
Hawley says he supports House hearings to question top Justice Department officials including the attorney general.
“I think Merrick Garland should resign over this. I think he should be removed from office,” he said.
House Republican Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy, Calif., is promising an investigation that will leave “no stone unturned” if Republicans seize control after the midterm election.
Until then, the former president and the Justice Department remain locked in a legal battle. Both sides have until midnight on Friday to submit their suggestions for which independent third party should review the documents removed from Trump’s home.
U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Holly, who is a former CIA agent, says the investigation is definitely warranted.
“We’re asked to believe that a former president who took some boxes with him that that’s somehow a massive crime…No one believes that,” Slotkin said. “The cover sheets on those classified documents indicate some significant classification//top secret classification//that should be concerning for everybody.”
She says Republican threats to retaliate are dangerous.
“I don’t think that’s good for the country,” she said. “In my republican leaning district, people just want their government to function.”
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| 2022-09-21T10:32:06Z
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WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) – White House officials want Americans to get the new version of the COVID-19 vaccine now in order to be protected through the holiday season.
White House COVID-19 Coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha explained “this is a new vaccine; this is the first major update since the original vaccines were created two years ago.”
Dr. Jha noted this new, once-a-year shot specifically targets the new variants.
“We’re still seeing thousands of people get admitted to the hospital every day, we’re seeing four to five hundred people dying every day of this virus,” Jha said.
Officials urge Americans ages 12-and-older to get this new vaccine before Halloween in order to have maximum protection through the entire holiday season.
This applies even if someone has had COVID or any of the previous shots.
“We’re seeing a lot of people get reinfected, we’re seeing a lot of people get breakthrough infections from that original vaccine,” Jha explained.
Democrats are trying to get more than $22 billion in the upcoming short-term government spending bill to continue fighting the virus and keep free shots available.
But Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville says he’s against more spending.
“We’ve got between $150 and $200 billion still left out there for COVID that we’ve already passed. Now, why do we need more money for it? I mean let’s spend the money that we’ve got,” Tuberville (R-AL) said.
The spending bill must be passed by October 1 to avoid a government shutdown.
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| 2022-09-21T10:32:12Z
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Which Pit Boss pellet grill is best?
When most people think of outdoor grilling, they assume that propane and charcoal are their only two fuel options. However, wood pellet grills are gaining popularity, thanks to their ability to produce savory, smoky foods without the need for gas or lighter fluid.
Pit Boss offers a wide range of pellet grills. Because of its included cover and generous hopper size, the Pit Boss Navigator is the brand’s best option for those looking to get creative with their cookouts.
What to know before you buy a Pit Boss pellet grill
What is a pellet grill?
Sometimes called “pellet smokers,” pellet grills are outdoor appliances that burn small pieces of wood to cook food. While they look like traditional smokers, their cooking process is similar to that of a convection oven.
How pellet grills work
Pellet grills contain a burn pot which is fed wood pellets from an external hopper via a motorized auger. The pellets in the burn pot are ignited by a hot rod and the heat from their combustion is moved to the grill’s cooking chamber by a fan.
A pellet grill can maintain a consistent internal temperature by regulating the speed of its feed auger and convection fan. Pellet grills need to be connected to an electrical outlet to power their components.
Pellet grill pros
- Flavor. Burning wood pellets creates flavorful, natural smoke.
- Ease of use. Gas and charcoal grills require constant attention to keep food cooking at the rate and temperature you want. Thanks to their control panels, pellet grills do the regulating for you.
- Versatility. From quick sausages to slowly smoked ribs, pellet grills can accommodate a wide range of foods.
- No flare-ups. You don’t have to worry about a flare-up burning your burgers with a pellet grill, as there is no fire under your food.
Pellet grill cons
- No searing. Because most pellet grills don’t let you access an open flame, there is no way to sear steaks or burgers.
- Weight. Pellet grills are heavier than other grill types.
- Electricity. While portable pellet grills are available, you still need to plug them into an electrical outlet.
- Light smoke flavor. Those who crave deep, pungent smokiness won’t be satisfied with a pellet grill, as they produce a more subtle flavor
- Cleaning. Because burned pellets produce ash, pellet grills need to be cleaned more often than gas grills
What to look for in a quality Pit Boss pellet grill
Hopper capacity
Purchase a grill with a generous pellet hopper. This is especially important for smoking, as you need to allow your food to cook for a long time. Select a grill with a hopper large enough to not need refilling, but keep in mind that this will increase the size and weight of your appliance.
Hybrid options
Some pellet grills allow you to connect a propane tank for gas grilling. With a hybrid grill, you can bypass the wood pellets for searing and grilling steaks, or dial in a combination of both cooking methods.
Cooking surface
Because their hoppers take up so much space, large pellet grills can crowd a small patio or deck. Consider your preferred cooking methods and how much food you intend to cook regularly so you can make the proper compromise between cooking surface and hopper size.
Meat probe
Some Pit Boss pellet grills include a heat probe you can use to check the internal temperature of your food via an LED readout.
How much you can expect to spend on a Pit Boss pellet grill
Pit Boss pellet grills cost $300-$850, depending on size and features.
Pit Boss pellet grill FAQ
Are pellet grills safer than other grills?
A. Yes. With regulated temperatures, no open flames and no tank of combustible gas, pellet grills are safer than propane or charcoal grills.
How long do pellets burn for?
A. Expect your grill to burn through about one-half of a pound of pellets per hour of cooking at 275 degrees.
Do pellet grills make a lot of smoke?
A. Pellet grills produce more smoke than gas grills, but it is directed up through a chimney to keep it controlled.
What’s the best Pit Boss pellet grill to buy?
Top Pit Boss pellet grill
What you need to know: This grill’s hopper can hold up to 16 pounds of pellets for slow roasting and smoking.
What you’ll love: This grill comes with a meat probe and features porcelain-coated cast iron cooking grates. It comes in three sizes and has a convenient front shelf that can be folded away when it’s not needed.
What you should consider: This grill is more expensive than other comparable options from competitors and Pit Boss alike.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Top Pit Boss pellet grill for the money
What you need to know: This grill has large wheels to make it easier to move and includes a built-in bottle opener.
What you’ll love: With its five-pound hopper and 465 square inches of cooking surface, this grill is great for family dinners and holidays. It comes with a stainless steel thermometer and a shelf on its cart.
What you should consider: Some users are not satisfied with the accuracy of this grill’s built-in thermometer.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Worth checking out
What you need to know: Available in four sizes, this grill can accommodate any cookout or party.
What you’ll love: This grill features a broiler option that lets you cook food directly over a flame, eliminating one of most pellet grills’ biggest drawbacks. With up to 834 square inches of cooking surface, this grill will make you the neighborhood’s cookout superstar.
What you should consider: Strangely, only the midsize option of this grill features large wheels.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
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Derek Walborn 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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| 2022-09-21T10:32:18Z
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How should I dress my baby for fall?
Caring for your child is one of the most significant responsibilities of a parent. After bringing home a newborn, you’re forced to rethink how to manage simple tasks, such as leaving the house with the appropriate equipment or dressing your little one when the air develops a chill.
To figure out how to dress babies best in layers for fall, we asked our baby and child expert, Dr. Aimee Ketchum. Ketchum is a pediatric occupational therapist with 27 years of experience working with babies. Here’s what she recommends.
In this article: Hudson Baby Plush Mink And Sherpa Blanket, Burt’s Bees Baby Lightweight Zip-Up Hooded Sweatshirt and Gerber Baby 8-Pack Short-Sleeve Onesies Bodysuits
Rules for dressing a baby in the fall
As a general rule, Ketchum advised, “If an adult feels slightly chilly, their baby should wear another layer. If it is colder than 70 degrees, babies should wear a jacket. If it is below 45 degrees, babies should wear a snowsuit.”
Babies can’t regulate their body temperature
In addition to being unable to voice whether they’re feeling cold or hot, babies also can’t regulate their body temperature. Ketchum said, “Babies get overheated very quickly and can also lose heat four times faster than adults.” So, it’s essential to constantly be aware of the weather and how your baby is feeling.
What clothes can babies wear in a car seat?
According to Winter Car Seat Safety Tips from the American Academy of Pediatrics, babies should not wear heavy coats and snowsuits in a car seat. Instead, Ketchum suggested, “Babies should wear layers, such as socks, hats and a blanket over the straps of the car seat. I don’t like mittens for babies because I like babies to be able to suck on their hands to self-soothe.”
How to dress your baby in layers for fall
During fall and winter, Ketchum recommended layers as the best way to keep your baby warm. This includes a onesie, long-sleeve shirt, lightweight jacket and a beanie. Since babies heat up quickly, layers allow parents the ability to conveniently remove an item of clothing if their baby is too hot or add another layer if they’re too cold. In addition, Ketchum advises keeping a lightweight jacket, hat and blanket in your diaper bag whenever you leave the house.
Signs that your baby is cold
“Babies cannot tell us if they are too cold,” Ketchum said. “If they get too cold, they use all their energy to try to stay warm and they cannot cry.” A few signs that your baby is too cold include being listless, sleeping, fussy or lethargic. Their hands and feet will also be cold to the touch. However, if they have too many layers, it’s also possible for babies to overheat. A few signs that your baby is too hot include red skin, low energy, clammy skin or heat rash.
Best layers to dress your baby in for fall
Simple Joys by Carter’s Baby Fleece Footed Jumpsuit
On those fall days bordering on winter, opt for a fleece jumpsuit as the top layer that can quickly be removed if babies get too hot. With a zipper running from the foot to the neck, it’s effortless to put on or take off. As a bonus, it’s machine-washable to conveniently clean spit-up or spills.
Sold by Amazon
Hudson Baby Plush Mink and Sherpa Blanket
Blankets are one of the most versatile and useful layering pieces for babies in the fall and winter. Use a blanket over the car seat instead of a big coat, or keep it in the diaper bag for strolls outside. This soft blanket features a plush mink fabric on one side and is machine-washable.
Sold by Amazon
Simple Joys by Carter’s Babies’ Flannel Receiving Blankets
On those early fall days when the weather isn’t sure if it wants to be warm or cold, these thin flannel receiving blankets are ideal. They’re made of soft, breathable cotton that offers warmth on cool days without causing babies to overheat. It comes in a pack of seven with adorable prints.
Sold by Amazon
Columbia Baby Double Trouble Reversible Jacket
Whether it’s raining or just chilly outside, this reversible jacket can accommodate any fall day. One side features a water-resistant coat, while the other is a soft fleece. It has a hood, has full-zipper access, is machine washable and comes in various designs and colors.
Sold by Amazon, Kohl’s and Backcountry
Burt’s Bees Baby Lightweight Zip-Up Hooded Sweatshirt
This baby sweatshirt is perfect for keeping in the car or diaper bag for those chilly fall days. Since it’s made of 100% organic, breathable cotton, it’s ideal for all babies, even those with sensitive skin. It’s combed and ring-spun for added durability and to prevent pilling in the washing machine.
Sold by Amazon
Covering up a baby’s head is one of the best ways to keep them warm. This beanie is the ideal thickness to protect from a chill without causing a baby to get too hot. It fits babies from 0 to 6 months, comes in a pack of four and is machine-washable.
Sold by Buy Buy Baby
Gerber Baby 8-Pack Short-Sleeve Onesies Bodysuits
Onesies are the ultimate layering garment and a must-have on fall days. With an expandable lap shoulder neckline and clasps at the bottom, they’re easy to put on or take off. They’re also easy to clean since they can be put in the washing machine and dryer.
Sold by Amazon
Hudson Baby Cotton Long-Sleeve Bodysuits
These long-sleeve bodysuits are ideal for layering on cold fall days. They’re 100% cotton, have snap closures and are soft on the skin.
Sold by Amazon
Hanes Ultimate Baby Flexy 3-Pack Adjustable Knit Jogger Pants
With four-way stretch, adjustable cuffs and an elastic waistband, these joggers will grow with the baby and allow them to move. They pull on and off for convenient diaper changes and can be thrown in the washing machine if an accident occurs.
Sold by Amazon
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Bre Richey 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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| 2022-09-21T10:32:26Z
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Honoring a life of dignity and grace
When Queen Elizabeth II ascended to the throne, it was the nation’s first televised coronation. Her unwavering service lasted for seven remarkable decades. The queen’s exemplary life exuded a dignity and grace that was arguably unrivaled by any other monarch throughout history. Her passing has left a challenge for the world to carry on, following in her venerable footsteps.
The United Kingdom will honor the queen with a period of national mourning
From now until Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral, the United Kingdom will mourn the loss with solemnity. During this period, the Union Jack will be flown at half-mast, government business will be suspended and King Charles will go on a tour across the United Kingdom to receive condolences. On the day of the funeral, public transport, television, businesses and more are expected to fall silent for a National Day of Mourning.
Other ways to honor the queen
You don’t have to be in the United Kingdom to honor Britain’s longest-reigning monarch. No matter where you live, you can honor the queen’s life in your own way.
- Support a cause: Whatever the queen meant to you, find a cause that expresses that and give of your time.
- Make a donation to a nonprofit: Queen Elizabeth II was a patron of over 600 charities throughout her life. You might not have the means to be so generous, but you can start with just one.
- Do something good: The queen believed the impact of small acts of goodness could be bigger than we imagine.
- Create an event: If you’re part of an organization, you can create a memorial event that honors the queen year after year.
- Make it personal: Purchasing an item that reminds you of the queen, her work or England can be your own personal way to remember and honor Her Majesty.
Unique memorabilia that honors the queen
The Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II CD
Music is the closest thing to a time machine that we have. When you hear a certain song, it instantly transports you to a special time and place. Every time you listen to this recording of the BBC’s broadcast of the coronation service from Westminster Abbey, you can relive that historical moment.
Sold by Amazon
Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Commemorative Tea Tin
It’s hard to think of tea without thinking of England. This commemorative tea tin features a photo of the queen and comes with 72 tea bags of selected English tea blends, including English Breakfast, Afternoon and Earl Grey.
Sold by Amazon
Vivience Lily of the Valley Bottle Diffuser
The queen’s favorite flower was Lily of the Valley. This diffuser can fill the room with a gentle hint of fragrance. Besides soothing you, it can help you meditate on cherished memories.
Sold by Macy’s
Abbott Collection Queen and Corgi Salt and Pepper Shakers
Reportedly, the queen loved her corgis so much that she supervised their daily meal. This adorable ceramic salt and pepper shaker set featuring the queen and a corgi will bring a smile to your lips at every meal.
Sold by Amazon
CraftelleryUK Queen Elizabeth II Ornament
This regal commemorative ornament can help you celebrate the queen’s life. It’s a handmade piece with a gold cord that will fill your home with warm memories every holiday season.
Sold by Etsy
We all have a lot we could learn from Queen Elizabeth II. This book collects many of her best-loved quotes, such as “Grief is the price we pay for love,” to reveal her wit, poise, class and wisdom.
Sold by Amazon
Gemschest Sterling Silver Round Cubic Zirconia Crown
These crown dangle earrings can be a subtle yet empowering symbol of how one woman can change the world so profoundly.
Sold by Amazon
Qurious Shop Queen Elizabeth Sweatshirt
The highly stylized art on this sweatshirt merges tradition with modern art to create a garment you’ll be proud to wear. It’s made of a premium-quality cotton blend and features a soft textile print that’s designed to last.
Sold by Etsy
“Elizabeth the Queen: The Life of a Modern Monarch”
If you’d like a close-up view of a woman the world has only known from a distance, this New York Times bestseller is perfect for you.
Sold by Amazon
Barbie Signature Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Doll
What better way to inspire the next generation to greatness than by combining an iconic brand with an iconic woman? The Queen Elizabeth II Barbie doll comes dressed in an elegant gown and wearing a blue ribbon adorned with decorations of order.
Sold by Amazon
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Allen Foster 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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| 2022-09-21T10:32:34Z
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Which indoor greenhouse is best?
It’s not always easy to grow healthy plants inside since they often require specific conditions to thrive. With an indoor greenhouse, you can regulate the environment to ensure whatever it is you’re growing prospers. Whether you’re a new or avid gardener, if you want to grow several plants indoors, the Sungift Mini Greenhouse is a great choice.
What to know before you buy an indoor greenhouse
How they work
Indoor greenhouses work similarly to outdoor models, except they’re designed to go inside. They’re usually compact and lightweight enough to be moved around. Unlike their counterparts, they’re also free-standing, meaning they don’t require stakes to remain upright.
These greenhouses do the following:
- Regulate temperature, light and humidity levels: Many plants, especially sensitive ones, require specific factors to grow. With a greenhouse, you can control the temperature, light and humidity so your plants can thrive anywhere, anytime.
- Protect plants against external changes: Some indoor models can also go outside. When placed outdoors, they can keep plants safe against harsh weather, such as rainstorms, windstorms or hail.
- Let you grow out-of-season plants: Certain plants, including those that are out of season or nonnative to the area, can grow in a greenhouse inside since the environment is controlled. Plants that produce flowers, vegetables, fruits or herbs can also have a longer harvest than those planted outside.
- Prevent pests and reduce plant disease: Insects, rodents, birds and deer often chew through plant leaves, stems and their yield. By keeping them indoors, you can prevent this issue. You can also reduce the risk of plant disease by monitoring the growing conditions.
- Extend the growing season: When planted outdoors, most plants have a finite growing season. With an indoor setup, you can enjoy a small garden year-round.
Overall, these greenhouses do the same things as outdoor versions, but on a smaller scale. They’re especially useful if you want to grow a few plants all year round or if you want to add to your home decor.
Recommended plants
The great thing about indoor greenhouses is that they’re versatile and can be used to grow nearly anything. The main limitations are:
- Its size since you can only grow whatever fits inside. Certain plants, such as tomatoes, require a lot of vertical space to mature.
- How much space you have for the actual placement of the greenhouse. For example, if you have a coffee table, you can get a tabletop version and grow one or two smaller plants, such as succulents.
Some of the best plants to grow inside one of these greenhouses are:
- Peppers — hot peppers and bell peppers
- Flowers — lilies, orchids, irises
- Ferns
- Succulents and cactuses
- Root vegetables — carrots, radishes, turnips
- Herbs — basil, mint, rosemary
- Leafy greens — spinach, kale, lettuce
- Certain fruits and berries — tomatoes, oranges, lemons, strawberries
Before trying to grow anything, research what each plant needs in terms of space, soil, water, light, nutrients and temperature. If you have a larger greenhouse, make sure you have the right gardening tools and any other equipment you need.
Placement
Plants require some kind of light to grow. If possible, place your greenhouse in an area that regularly receives sunlight. If that’s not doable, use an artificial LED grow light instead. With a grow light, you have more options for where to put the greenhouse, such as:
- On a desk or small table
- Out on the patio, porch or deck
- Beside a sliding-glass door
- Directly on the floor (for larger models)
What to look for in a quality indoor greenhouse
Design
Most indoor greenhouses share the same design features, including:
- Sturdy, self-supporting frame made from plastic, wood or metal — steel or aluminum
- Semitransparent covering or sides made from hard plastic, such as polyvinyl chloride or polycarbonate, or glass
- Roll-up or zippered sheets or doors along the front, sides or top that provide easy access to the plants inside
- Vents along the sides or top that bring in good airflow
Some greenhouses are horizontal and have one or two levels, which is good for smaller plants and flowers. Others are vertical and have adjustable or removable shelves. These are convenient for growing taller plants. Taller models typically have between two and four shelves.
Dimensions
Greenhouses meant for indoor use are usually rectangular or square, but they come in all sizes. Before getting one, consider what types of plants you want to grow, how many there are and how much space you have.
Here are some sizing options:
- Height — 5 to 70 inches
- Length — 5 to 30 inches
- Depth — 5 to 40 inches
Measure the area you intend to put the greenhouse before getting it to make sure it fits. If you go with a vertical structure, determine the height as well.
Wheels
Some models come with wheels that make it easy to move them about without having to remove your plants. This is particularly useful if you want to take the most advantage of the sunlight as it moves through your living space.
How much you can expect to spend on an indoor greenhouse
Most indoor greenhouses cost $30-$180, depending on things such as size, extra racks or shelves, wheels and the materials used in construction.
Indoor greenhouse FAQ
What can I do to keep my indoor greenhouse warm?
A. Greenhouses aren’t usually insulated, which can be problematic if you need a warmer internal environment for your plants. To cut down on heat loss and regulate the temperature better, add a layer of insulation to the walls. One good option is bubble wrap. Alternatively, get a small heat lamp and put it either inside or near the greenhouse.
How can I make sure my indoor plants thrive?
A. Even with an indoor greenhouse, it helps to have the right type of soil with a good pH level for your plants. Make sure there’s no mold or pests in the soil before using it. Also, keep an eye on the amount of water and light your plants receive. If needed, use fertilizer to help them grow lush and healthy.
What’s the best indoor greenhouse to buy?
Top indoor greenhouse
What you need to know: This tall greenhouse is great for beginner and experienced gardeners who want a permanent indoor garden or who want to get a jump-start on the planting season.
What you’ll love: With four tiers and three sizing options, this vertical model is designed for indoor and outdoor use. It creates a suitable growing environment for large and small plants. It also has wheels, making it easy to move around.
What you should consider: It consists of polyethylene and has a metal base, but it’s not sturdy enough to hold up against strong winds.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Top indoor greenhouse for the money
Palm Springs Two-Tier Mini Greenhouse With Cover And Roll-up Zipper Door
What you need to know: This compact greenhouse has two, three or four levels, making it perfect for gardeners who want to grow several types of plants at once.
What you’ll love: It has a clear polyvinyl chloride cover that helps keep moisture in and prevents the plants from overheating or burning in the sunlight.
What you should consider: The shelves can only hold about 11 pounds each.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Worth checking out
Large Tall Plant Glass Terrarium
What you need to know: This small terrarium-style greenhouse adds a great aesthetic to any living space, while providing a safe environment for plants.
What you’ll love: It consists primarily of glass and has a swing lid that provides optimal ventilation and lets in light. It’s ideal for tropical and desert plants.
What you should consider: It can leak when there’s too much moisture inside.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
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Angela Watson 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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| 2022-09-21T10:32:42Z
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Which sod cutter is best?
Your lawn gets tired and worn out for many reasons. Sometimes invasive weeds take over and choke out your grasses. Ugly bare spots are caused by animal urine, fungal diseases, chemical spills, insects and too much shade.
When you decide to repair some areas of your lawn, the first thing you need to do is remove the old turf so the new grass can root properly. The best way to do this is with a sod cutter. If you’re looking for a sod cutter that cuts and installs small plugs, choose the Yard Butler Sod Plugger Turf Cutter and Plugging Tool and cut as many perfect 3-inch squares as you need.
What to know before you buy a sod cutter
How sod cutters work
People use sod cutters to cut grass below the roots so they can remove entire sections of sod at once, exposing the bare ground underneath. This removal of old turf is crucial to giving the new sod a chance to root in loose soil. Special sod cutters cut holes that exactly fit the commercial grass plugs used to fill bare spots.
No matter which sod cutter you buy, you are likely going to need a long-handled shovel to lift the old sod and a sturdy rake to smooth the ground for the new.
Power source
- Motorized sod cutters cost thousands of dollars and are used to remove entire lawns so they can be seeded or have new sod installed. The big ones used on sod farms are overkill for people who only want to fill in spots on their lawn that are scraggly or bare.
- Hand-powered sod cutters are made for repairing bad spots on lawns, not for entirely replacing them.
Knives
The simplest sod cutting tool is a hand-held garden knife with a long blade. After you make vertical cuts around all four sides, slice underneath to sever and remove the roots. This process dulls the blades quickly, so consider buying a multi-pack of knives if you have a full day’s work ahead of you.
What to look for in a quality sod cutter
Design
- Long-handled sod cutters: These are made to be used while standing. They have a handle at the top, a cutter at the bottom and a vertical bar connecting the two. Look for s handle long enough for you to use without having to bend over. Look also for a strong step plate so you can use the large muscles of your legs to cut through tough turf.
- Short-handled sod cutters are made to be used while seated, kneeling or bent over. Look for handles that are easy to grip and sturdy blades that stand up to frequent resharpening.
Blades
It’s tougher to cut through grass and root systems than most people imagine, so blades need to be made of steel that takes a sharp edge.
Because every cut pushes the blade through dirt, the sharp edge gets dull quickly and needs frequent resharpening. If you plan on doing a lot of sod cutting, it’s an excellent idea to get a good sharpening tool.
How much you can expect to spend on a sod cutter
Small sod knives cost $10-$30. Long-handled cutters run $30-$60 and powered sod cutters cost in the thousands.
Sod cutter FAQ
How big a piece of sod should I try to cut?
A. If you’re moving large pieces of sod from your existing lawn to cover your bare spots, the best way is to cut pieces you can easily lift and handle without the sod breaking apart. A good rule of thumb is to cut strips that are as wide as your blade, but only as long as you can easily handle.
If I’m using commercial sod plugs, how many will I need per square foot?
A. The closer you place the plugs, the quicker the bare spaces between will grow in. Plan on anywhere from 300 to 600 plugs per 100 square feet of lawn.
What if I need to replace an entire lawn?
A. Hand tools are no match for a large lawn, so consider renting a commercial sod cutter or hiring a landscaper.
What’s the best sod cutter to buy?
Top sod cutter
Yard Butler Sod Plugger Turf Cutter and Plugging Tool
What you need to know: This 4-pound tool is sized to fit commercially available 3- by 3-inch sod plugs.
What you’ll love: You can use this 33-inch-tall hand tool to cut small squares in the bare spots on your lawn and fill them with plugs you buy or ones you make yourself from the healthy areas of your lawn. The powder-coated steel hand and foot bars are sturdy, and the ejector button releases the plug without you having to bend over.
What you should consider: It’s made for replacing small areas of sod.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Top sod cutter for the money
Linsen Outdoors Stainless Steel Garden Knife
What you need to know: This double-sided knife has one blade for quick trimming and another for cutting fine edges.
What you’ll love: The high-quality stainless steel is treated to prevent rust and corrosion. The thermoplastic handle is ergonomically designed for secure, comfortable handling, and the nylon sheath with a sturdy belt loop keeps the knife handy and protects the blades from accidental damage.
What you should consider: It’s made only for cutting, so you will need to remove the sod by hand or with a flat shovel.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Worth checking out
Bully Tools 92390 12-Gauge Sod Lifter
What you need to know: Its triple-wall fiberglass handle is lightweight and sturdy.
What you’ll love: The D-shaped grip is designed for superior comfort, safety and durability. The 12-gauge steel cutting blade is 5 by 8 inches and easily kept sharp with a file or grinder.
What you should consider: Some reviewers wished the angle of the blade was steeper so they didn’t have to bend over as much.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
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David Allan Van 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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| 2022-09-21T10:32:49Z
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George Karl lost 19 of his first 21 games as an NBA coach. Tim Hardaway spent hours dribbling alone in an unfinished basement when it was too cold to go outside in his native Chicago. Theresa Grentz’s family lost all its belongings in a 1970 house fire, leaving her with only the yellow pajamas she was wearing at the time.
There were no signs that basketball immortality awaited any of them.
Now, they’re members of the most sought-after club in the game. Karl, Hardaway and Grentz are among 13 people who will be officially enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts on Saturday night — a group that largely was tied together by what they overcame on their way to a long list of accomplishments that include NCAA titles, NBA titles and Olympic gold medals.
“You learn from the adversity,” Grentz said Friday. “You don’t have to have everything perfect. You take what you have, make that work, make the most of what you have, not what you think you need. There we were, I had absolutely nothing, but yet tomorrow night — and I’m a nervous wreck about this — I’m going in the Hall of Fame.”
Karl was one of five people selected by the North American Committee, alongside West Virginia coach Bob Huggins, the late referee Hugh Evans and longtime NBA stars Manu Ginobili and Tim Hardaway.
Swin Cash, Marianne Stanley and Lindsay Whalen were selected by the women’s committee. Longtime coaches Del Harris and Larry Costello were picked by the contributor committee, while six-time All-Star Lou Hudson was chosen by the veterans committee. Grentz — who played for the legendary Immaculata program and guided Rutgers to the final AIAW title in 1982 — was chosen by the women’s veteran committee and FIBA Hall of Famer Radivoj Korac by the international committee.
Karl’s career as an NBA coach started in 1984 with the Cleveland Cavaliers, starting 0-9 and 2-19, but rallying that season to face Boston in the opening round of the playoffs. The Celtics won the series 3-1, and Karl remains of the belief that the Celtics got favorable whistles.
“They got all the calls,” Karl lamented.
Maybe so. But half a lifetime later, Karl got the Hall’s call.
Harris’ coaching career included him working with numerous Hall of Fame players — Rick Barry, Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash, Yao Ming and Magic Johnson among them — along with some sure-fire future ones like Dirk Nowitzki.
“To think that still, somehow or another, I contributed to the game and not just played it or coached it, it’s more humbling to me than anything I would have ever thought about,” Harris said.
Hardaway was a finalist four other times for the Hall, never getting in. This year’s call from Hall of Fame President and CEO John Doleva was one he didn’t want to take, for fear that he was about to go 0-for-5.
“Shaking, sweating, lot of emotions going on,” Hardaway said of that moment. “Saw the Hall of Fame number come through my phone. Did not want to answer the phone because I didn’t want to take another rejection.”
He’ll never have to worry about that again.
Whalen, a four-time WNBA champion and now the coach at her alma mater Minnesota, said one of the first great teams she saw in person was the 2002 UConn Huskies — a team that featured Cash. And it wasn’t lost on Whalen that she is entering the Hall alongside Cash, Grentz and Stanley, who also played at Immaculata before embarking on a long coaching career.
“Myself and Theresa, Marianne, Swin, going in together, I think we represent a lot of what’s been great with women’s basketball over the years,” Whalen said. “And I think there’s young girls and women right now that are sitting there that are seeing us and that can become a realistic goal and dream for them if they work hard.”
Among the five presenters that Cash selected to be alongside her for Saturday’s ceremony is her UConn coach, Geno Auriemma.
Cash lauded Auriemma for his constant pursuit of nothing but excellence.
“You were trying to be the best and practices were always harder than a game,” said Cash, a two-time NCAA champion, three-time WNBA champion, two-time Olympic gold medalist and now part of the front office with the NBA’s New Orleans Pelicans. “But that prepared you mentally to understand what you wanted to achieve. And every year, the bar was a national championship. With some people, the bar is a conference championship or ‘Hey, we made the tournament.’ Whereas, at Connecticut, we hang banners.”
Also now members of the Hall are three selections made by the Early African-American Pioneer Committee: Wyatt “Sonny” Boswell, Inman Jackson and Albert “Runt” Pullins — all of them, among other things, having been members of the Harlem Globetrotters.
Huggins — who, like Whalen, is also coaching at his alma mater — deflected credit for his 916 career wins as a college coach, 844 of those coming at the Division I level.
“Good players,” Huggins said. “I’ve been fortunate.”
___
More AP sports: https://apnews.com/hub/sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
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| 2022-09-21T10:32:56Z
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The English Premier League postponed its round of matches as a mark of respect following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, adding to the cancellation of high-profile golf, cricket and horse racing across a mourning Britain on Friday.
The top-flight soccer clubs held a meeting on Friday and said they wanted to “pay tribute to Her Majesty’s long and unwavering service to our country.”
“This is a tremendously sad time for not just the nation but also for the millions of people around the world who admired her,” Premier League chief executive Richard Masters said, “and we join together with all those in mourning her passing.”
The English Football League — the three divisions below the Premier League — also called off their games this weekend. The Women’s Super League was due to start its season this weekend but has canceled its games, too.
The British government said it was at the discretion of individual sporting organizations whether fixtures went ahead following the death of the queen on Thursday at the age of 96.
British sport essentially shut down on Friday, but many events were planning to be up and running again on Saturday.
The BMW PGA Championship, the flagship event on the European tour, was paused near the end of the first round on Thursday following the announcement of the queen’s death — there were still 30 players out on the course — and there was no play on Friday.
Play will resume on Saturday, the tour said, for what will become a 54-hole event “with the intention to finish on Sunday as scheduled.”
“It is not possible to play the full 72 holes and finish on Monday as we cannot guarantee the staff, facilities or security of the venue on Monday due to the ongoing plans for the state funeral,” the tour said in a statement, adding there will be a two-minute silence at 9:50 a.m. local time Saturday.
The third and deciding test between England and South Africa will resume at the Oval in London on Saturday after the England and Wales Cricket Board decided there would be no play on Friday.
It will essentially be a three-day test — day one on Thursday was washed out — and all players and coaches will wear black armbands, observing a minute’s silence followed by the national anthem, “God Save the King.”
It wasn’t possible to add an extra day to the test match because the touring South Africans are flying home on Tuesday before heading to India and Australia.
The women’s world middleweight title fight between Savannah Marshall and Claressa Shields on Saturday was postponed.
Other events called off included cycling’s Tour of Britain, which canceled the final three stages, and the third day of horse racing’s St. Leger festival in Doncaster. The St. Leger, one of British racing’s classics, will take place on Sunday.
Horse racing was the queen’s favorite sport.
While Friday’s matches in England’s top rugby division were canceled, those scheduled for Saturday and Sunday will go ahead as planned.
Soccer matches in the English Football League and in the Scottish lower league scheduled for Friday had already been postponed while matches scheduled to be played in Northern Ireland over the weekend were also canceled.
The Premier League said further updates regarding its fixtures during the period of mourning, which has begun in Britain, will be provided “in due course.”
Organizations are having to weigh up factors such as whether holding matches would use up police resources, the desire of broadcasters and the mood of the public.
There is little room in the schedule of this World Cup-affected season to fit in postponed fixtures.
The government said sporting organizations “might wish to consider canceling or postponing events or closing venues on the day of the State Funeral.”
That date of the funeral has not been set.
___
More AP sports: https://apnews.com/hub/apf-sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
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| 2022-09-21T10:33:12Z
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PROVO, Utah (AP) — An investigation by Brigham Young University into allegations that fans engaged in racial heckling and uttered racial slurs at a Duke volleyball player last month found no evidence to support the claim.
BYU issued the results of its investigation into the Aug. 26 match on Friday, reiterating it will not tolerate conduct threatening any student-athlete.
The school said it reached out to more than 50 people who attended the event, including athletic department personnel and student-athletes from both schools, event security and management and fans who were in the arena. It also reviewed audio and video recordings and raw footage from the match.
As a result of the investigation, the university said it has lifted a ban on a fan who was identified as directing racial slurs toward Duke sophomore Rachel Richardson during the match. It also apologized to the fan for any hardship the ban caused.
Duke athletic director Nina King issued a statement standing by Richardson and the rest of her team.
“The 18 members of the Duke University volleyball team are exceptionally strong women who represent themselves, their families, and Duke University with the utmost integrity,” she said Friday after BYU issued its statement. “We unequivocally stand with and champion them, especially when their character is called into question. Duke Athletics believes in respect, equality and inclusiveness, and we do not tolerate hate and bias.”
Lesa Pamplin, Richardson’s godmother who initially drew attention to the alleged slur by tweeting about it, said in an emailed statement that she does not accept BYU’s findings.
“BYU’s statement today does not change my position. In fact, the statement and the ‘findings’ are in keeping with what I — and many others — anticipated,” Pamplin said. “Daily across America, the burden of proof — in instances like these involving people of color, as well as marginalized people, economically disadvantaged people, and disempowered people — is shifted unfairly and without hesitation.”
In the aftermath of the Aug. 26 match, South Carolina women’s basketball program canceled a home-and-home series with BYU. Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley said she did not want to put her players in the situation that she said Richardson had experienced.
The Gamecocks were scheduled to start the season at home against BYU on Nov. 7, then play at the Utah campus during the 2023-24 season.
Staley released a statement through the school Friday, standing by her earlier decision to cancel the series.
“After my personal research, I made a decision for the well-being of my team,” Staley said. “I regret that my university, my athletics director Ray Tanner and others got drawn into the criticism of a choice that I made.”
BYU said it remains committed to rooting out racism wherever it is found. The school also said it understands some will criticize its investigation as being selective in its review.
“To the contrary, we have tried to be as thorough as possible in our investigation, and we renew our invitation for anyone with evidence contrary to our findings to come forward and share it,” the school said.
BYU is owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, widely known as the Mormon church. Race relations is one of the most sensitive issues for a faith that until 1978 banned Black church members serving in the lay priesthood, going on missions or getting married in temples.
The Salt Lake City-based religion has worked to improve race relations, including calling out white supremacy and launching a formal alliance with the NAACP, but some Black church members and scholars say discriminatory opinions linger from a ban rooted in a belief that black skin was a curse.
The number of Black church members has increased but still only accounts for small portion of the 16 million worldwide members. Not one serves in the highest levels of global leadership.
___
More AP sports: https://apnews.com/hub/sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
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| 2022-09-21T10:33:19Z
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NEW YORK (AP) — Carlos Alcaraz and Frances Tiafoe engaged in a high-level, high-energy spectacle of a back-and-forth semifinal at the U.S. Open — no point over when it seemed to be, no ball out of reach, no angle too audacious.
One sequence was so stuffed with “What?! How?!” moments by both men that Arthur Ashe Stadium spectators were on their feet before it was over and remained there, clapping and carousing, while watching a replay on the video screens.
Ultimately, enough of the winners went Alcaraz’s way, and too many of the mistakes came from Tiafoe’s racket. And so it was Alcaraz who surged into his first Grand Slam final — and, in the process, gave himself a chance to become No. 1 at age 19 — by ending Tiafoe’s run at Flushing Meadows with a 6-7 (6), 6-3, 6-1, 6-7 (5), 6-3 victory on Friday night.
“It was so electric. I mean, the tennis definitely matched the hype of the match. Unbelievable shot-making, gets, extending points, crazy shots … at crazy times,” Tiafoe said. “Yeah, I was getting riled up.”
Alcaraz appeared to seize control by grabbing nine of 10 games in one stretch and could have ended the evening when he held a match point in the fourth set. But Tiafoe, who is ranked 26th, saved it and soon was yelling, with some colorful language mixed in for emphasis, “I’m putting my heart on the line!” Soon after that, Tiafoe was forcing a fifth set by improving to a U.S. Open-record 8-0 in tiebreakers.
Still, Alcaraz showed no signs of fatigue despite playing a third five-setter in a row — including a 5-hour, 15-minute quarterfinal win that ended at 2:50 a.m. on Thursday, the latest finish in tournament history — and was better when he needed to be, taking four of the last five games.
“I feel great right now,” Alcaraz said nearly two hours after beating Tiafoe, then added: “I mean, a little bit tired.”
Now No. 3 Alcaraz will face No. 7 Casper Ruud for the championship Sunday with so much on the line: The winner will become a major champion for the first time and lead the rankings next week.
“It’s amazing to be able to fight for big things,” Alcaraz said.
Alcaraz and Tiafoe were both making their major semifinal debuts and offered an exceptionally entertaining performance for a little more than a set, and a little more than an hour, at the start, then again for the latter portion of the fourth and the beginning of the fifth.
Tiafoe, a 24-year-old from Maryland who eliminated 22-time Grand Slam champ Rafael Nadal in the fourth round, played to a sellout crowd of more than 23,000 that included former first lady Michelle Obama, often asking for — and receiving — more noise. No surprise, given he was the first American man in the semifinals at Flushing Meadows in 16 years.
“I feel I let you goys down,” Tiafoe said during an unusual chance for a match’s loser to address the crowd in an on-court interview. “This one hurts. This one really, really hurts.”
Alcaraz, who’s from Spain, is popular around the world, widely recognized as a future star of the sport, and he is now the youngest U.S. Open men’s finalist from any country since Pete Sampras won the trophy at 19 in 1990.
When Alcaraz went up 2-0 in the fourth, spectators regaled him with a soccer-style song of “Olé, Olé, Olé! Carlos!”
“People love to see that guy play, so they were getting behind him, too,” Tiafoe said. “Obviously I would have loved to win tonight, but I think tennis won tonight. I think the crowd got what they expected. I just wish I was the one who got the ‘W.’”
Afterward, Alcaraz spoke first in English, then in Spanish, telling his supporters that they helped him fight for “every point, every ball.” He tapped his chest as he said this was “for my family, for my team, for me, for all of you.”
During the day’s first semifinal, which featured a 55-shot point to end the first set, folks called out the winner’s last name — “Ruuuuud!” — and it sounded as if they were booing, rather than saluting. Ruud won that lengthy rally and built an early lead and route to beating Karen Khachanov 7-6 (5), 6-2, 5-7, 6-2.
“Towards the end,” Ruud, a 23-year-old from Norway, said about the longest point of this U.S. Open, “the pulse was getting very high and the legs were almost shaking.”
Either Ruud, the runner-up to Nadal at the French Open in June, will make a six-place jump that represents the biggest move ever to No. 1 or Alcaraz will become the youngest man to get to the ATP’s top spot since the computerized rankings began in 1973.
There were so many memorable exchanges and scenes between Tiafoe and Alcaraz. One arrived in the second set’s third game, when Alcaraz saved a break point and went on to hold. A smiling Tiafoe jokingly climbed over the net to Alcaraz’s side, as if to go shake hands at match’s end.
If this semifinal had, indeed, concluded right then and there, no one could have complained about the product. It would proceed for a total of 4 hours, 19 minutes.
They wore matching shirts — red in front, white in back, burgundy on the side — and were every bit each other’s equal for lengthy stretches, including until 6-all in the opening tiebreaker.
Alcaraz, who by then already had saved four set points, offered up a fifth by sending a backhand wide, then made converting that one easy for Tiafoe by double-faulting. As the crowd roared, Alcaraz hung his head, walked to his sideline seat and smacked his equipment bag with his racket.
He regrouped and broke to go up in the second set, and a pivotal juncture arrived with Alcaraz serving at 5-3 but facing a break point. He snapped a cross-court forehand winner to erase that chance for Tiafoe, which began a run in which Alcaraz grabbed 11 consecutive points and 19 of 22 to own that set and a 4-0 lead in the third.
As on that forehand, Alcaraz often rips the ball with abandon — and, somehow, with precision, too, aiming for the lines and finding them. He won no fewer than three first-set points with shots that caught the outer edge of the white paint with no margin to spare.
After one, Tiafoe went over for a little light-hearted exchange with Alcaraz’s coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero, the 2003 French Open champion who briefly was No. 1 himself. Yet make no mistake: Alcaraz is not some hang-back baseliner. He has a varied, all-court game and showed off his skills by winning points via acrobatic volleys, feathered drop shots and perfectly parabolic lobs.
Other than that lull in the second and third sets, and late in the fifth, Tiafoe was exceptional, too, and having the time of his life all the while.
“I’m going to be back,” Tiafoe said, “and I will win this thing one day.”
___
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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| 2022-09-21T10:33:27Z
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MONTEREY, Calif. (AP) — Scott Dixon knows IndyCar’s tightest championship race in nearly 20 years would have probably been long decided if not for a rare gaffe by “The Iceman” in the Indianapolis 500.
Dixon was the dominant car at Indianapolis in May and led 95 laps until a late speeding penalty took the New Zealander out of contention. Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Marcus Ericsson instead won the race and, because the Indy 500 is worth double points, Ericsson was suddenly thrust into the IndyCar championship race.
But if Dixon had not been speeding, he’d have maybe scored the win, or at minimum finished higher than 21st. Ericsson received 109 points for the victory; Dixon earned just 33 in a crushing disappointment that may have ultimate implications on the championship.
Will Power is the points leader headed into Sunday’s season finale, a five-driver battle that is the tightest in IndyCar since 2003 when the series was called “The IRL.” Power leads Dixon and his Team Penske teammate Josef Newgarden by 20 points. Ericsson is 39 points out of the lead, with McLaughlin of Penske in fifth and 41 points out.
Going just a touch slower down pit road way back in May would have likely sent Dixon into Laguna Seca Raceway with a sizeable lead in the standings in pursuit of a record-tying seventh championship.
“Yeah, I think had we finished even in the top-three, this championship would be pretty easy right now,” Dixon told The Associated Press. “But I can’t change that. It’s history. It’s long gone. And you’ve got to move forward.”
Dixon recovered from Indianapolis to win at Toronto, where he tied Mario Andretti for second on IndyCar’s wins list, and win No. 53 moved him past Andretti when he won at Nashville in August. That second win of the season moved him back into title contention, and his drive from 16th to third last week at Portland made him a serious challenger to Power come Sunday.
Should he win that title, it would move Dixon to the mystical number seven, the record mark across the top series in the world. AJ Foyt holds the IndyCar record with seven titles, Richard Petty, the late Dale Earnhardt and Jimmie Johnson won seven in NASCAR, and Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton each have seven F1 titles.
Dixon doesn’t even entertain the idea of joining the exclusive club.
“It’s great to talk about after your accomplishments, but I’ve got six, I don’t have seven,” Dixon told AP. “I think I like seven because it is more than six. If you look at the historical side of it, or if you look at motorsports or other sports in general, seven is definitely at the top of the heap and it would of course be very special. But I have six now and that’s the facts.”
Dixon and the Chip Ganassi Racing fleet used their final test of the season at Laguna Seca, while Team Penske used its last test at Portland and went 1-2 in the race with McLaughlin and Power. It has sent two Ganassi drivers and three Penske drivers into the title decider, and the two teams have combined to win 14 of IndyCar’s last 16 championships.
Ganassi is winner of the last two championships and has come out on top in 10 of the title fights, in part because of the Ganassi philosophy to race for the greater organization. They view Team Penske as a three singular efforts with the only team orders being that the best driver wins.
It’s made for some tension in the Penske camp, particularly during a Pebble Beach media event for the contenders, where Newgarden seemed aloof as his rivals enjoyed their morning on the iconic golf course.
Newgarden, who has won a series-high five races this year and overcame an apparent concussion suffered in August, later revealed he’s had some internal struggles this season. He’s had to apologize to his crew at times, and explained it away as “an issue with trying to be a perfectionist in everything that I do.
“The more years you do this, the more you demand that excellence and perfection,” Newgarden said. “(When) it gets derailed, the easier it is to upset you. That’s been the case for me. Because I’m such a perfectionist, the longer I’ve done this, the harder it gets. If you’re a perfectionist and you do this sport long enough, and that starts to turn into an expectation that can frustrate you when it doesn’t transpire, that can be a negative.
“I felt it was a negative the way I was reacting to it, and it was just a buildup of one too many races not going according to plan was really the issue with it.”
Things seem much calmer in the Ganassi camp, even as the team remains divided over reigning IndyCar champion Alex Palou’s decision to leave at the end of the season. Ganassi says he’s got Palou under contract through 2023, but Palou says he’s signed to drive from McLaren. The dispute is winding through both mediation and the court system.
Dixon, who is in his 20th season with Ganassi and the team’s most tenured driver, does not speak to Palou and is unsure if Palou will do anything to assist him in Sunday’s championship race. Ericsson does speak to Palou (as does Jimmie Johnson) and said there is no confusion over the rules of engagement at Ganassi.
“Always from the first day you enter Ganassi, it’s always about the team. You work with your teammates, you win with your teammates, and you lose with your teammates,” Ericsson said. “It’s pretty clear for Chip that we want to win a championship. For me, I want it to be me, but if I can’t, I want (Dixon) to do it. I would help for sure.”
___
More AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
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| 2022-09-21T10:33:42Z
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The Chairman of Lagos State Park and Garages Management Committee, Alhaji Musiliu Akinsanya, popularly known as MC Oluomo has denied imposing the sale of some political stickers to motorists.
On Tuesday, a viral video showed tricycle drivers in the Ajah area of Lagos objecting to being compelled to pay for stickers with the image of the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, and others.
In his reaction to the video, MC Oluomo denied knowing anything about it and blamed it on his political opponents.
He added that the presidential candidate of APC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu who he is loyal to, has more than enough resources to fund his campaign and he won’t be the one financing the campaign on his behalf.
He, however, implored detractors to leave him out of their political permutation and stop using his name to gain cheap popularity.
He shared a video on his Instagram page which he captioned:
“My attention has yet again been drawn to a video clip circulating online showing an altercation between two people as regards a sticker.
“It came to me as a surprise seeing that people were attaching the video to me and were also quick to state that it was a campaign fee to support the election of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.
“Naturally I would have just ignored knowing that it’s the handiwork of naysayers. Being in an election session, I also know their malicious intentions and the cheap political goal they aim to get with the video. I am however compelled for the sake of clarity to set the record straight.
“I did not know anything about the said sticker, and neither did I sanction the sale. I would appreciate additional information as regards the location where the incident happened so that we can conduct a thorough investigation.
“We are against anything that would hamper the free flow of business activities or bring hardship upon our people. May I also inform the public that the APC Presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has more than enough people willing to finance his campaign and such money would not come from me or my office.
“I want to urge our people to be vigilant and remember that we are in an election period, as such, political parties would be looking for ways, both ethical and unethical, to outsmart themselves. I however implore them to leave me out of their political permutations and stop maligning my name for the sake of cheap popularity.”
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| 2022-09-21T10:33:44Z
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TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (AP) — Indiana State receiver Dante Hendrix sees the slow, steady steps his teammates have taken since a program-changing tragedy nearly two weeks ago.
Mourning and sadness replaced X’s and O’s. Visiting dorms and food runs were more important than studying the playbook. Talking through the emotions of a car crash that left three students dead and two hospitalized with serious injuries, four of them football players, was suddenly a critical part of Indiana State’s routine.
Players and coaches were coping with the most daunting opponent of all — grief.
“I’ve never been through anything like this,” Hendrix said. “I’ve been a captain for about three years now and I never really experienced how to lead in this type of situation. I’ve never had a teammate or two teammates die like this.”
The vocal, sixth-year senior and his teammates quickly adapted.
Hendrix was one of four players who spent nearly 90 minutes inside a freshman dorm after the crash, talking and listening about the two first-year teammates who died: Caleb VanHooser of Liberty Township, Ohio, near Cincinnati and Christian Eubanks of Waukegan, Illinois, in the suburbs north of Chicago. Jayden Musili of Fort Wayne, Indiana, who attended Indiana State but was not an athlete, also was killed.
Two redshirt freshmen players — John Moore of Wheaton, Illinois, and Omarion Dixon of Lafayette, Indiana — survived after another student pulled them from the burning wreckage 11 miles from campus, about an hour’s drive west of Indianapolis. They have been released from a hospital.
The group was returning from home in the early morning hours of Aug. 21. According to the county sheriff’s report, a wet road, excessive speed and alcohol may have played roles in the single-car accident.
Back at Indiana State, players weren’t looking for explanations. They needed support. Coach Curt Mallory canceled practice while the Sycamores’ upperclassmen did everything they could think of to assauge the pain, even taking one teammate to an ice cream shop.
“They were upset because when we went to the dorms it was very, very fresh,” said Hendrix, adding that some players wrote Post-It notes to their late teammates.
“We sat there and just talked,” he said. “You’ve got to talk about what you’re feeling because if you don’t and you’re holding anything back, that’s when it can really creep up on you and you never know what can happen.”
Indiana State honored its two late teammates with a helmet sticker and by playing last week’s season opener in all-white uniforms and all-white helmets. Two crosses have been placed at the scene of the accident, one of which bears a blue-and-white Indiana State pennant and a small teddy bear.
Familiar mottos such as “March On” and “All In” have different meanings now and are reminders of how much has changed.
The 53-year-old Mallory, a former Michigan player who followed his father and brothers into coaching, has spent three decades in the profession. He had never gotten a pre-dawn knock on the door for something like this, not until athletic director Sherrard Clinkscales showed up at 4 a.m.
“It’s been a tough couple weeks,” Mallory said. “When you lose part of the family, you get through it together. To get back on the practice field was the hardest thing to do, but it was the right thing to do and once we did, things started to get a little better.”
Hendrix, Geoffrey Brown and Kris Reid Jr., all team leaders, also sensed the workouts helped.
So did last Thursday’s opener. Following a pregame moment of silence, the defense helped Indiana State hang on for an emotional 17-14 overtime victory over North Alabama.
“It was very difficult to get through but when stuff like this happens you have to lean on each other,” Brown said. “And win or lose, we were happy with the way we played for those guys.”
After one practice this week, players left the field smiling, joking and looking ahead to Saturday’s game at Purdue (0-1). The Boilermakers will hold a moment of silence for the three students who died.
If they beat Purdue for the first time, it would give the Sycamores their first 2-0 start since 1986.
But this season is about much more than a record for a school perhaps better known as the alma mater of basketball star Larry Bird. Everyone wants this football season to be remembered for what Indiana State achieves — not what’s been lost.
”They’ll always be with us, you know,” Hendrix said. “They’re gone, but they’re not forgotten and that (helmet sticker) is a great sign they’ll always be here as Sycamores.”
___
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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| 2022-09-21T10:33:49Z
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Posted: Sep 9, 2022 / 02:53 PM CDT Updated: Sep 9, 2022 / 02:53 PM CDT SHARE NEW YORK (AP) — Major League Baseball says it is prepared to voluntarily accept minor league union.
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| 2022-09-21T10:34:11Z
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