Wild Isles: TV producers feared avian flu would kill David ...

Producers of David Attenborough’s latest TV series have told how an outbreak of avian flu triggered fears for the veteran presenter’s safety.

Wild Isles is the “96-year-old broadcaster’s first foray into exploring the wildlife of the UK” during his 69-year television career, said The Independent. The new show, which debuts on BBC One and iPlayer on Sunday, was due to include a segment in which he got close to shearwater chicks on Skomer Island, off the Pembrokeshire coast of Wales, as they took flight on a 6,000-mile migratory journey.

“The shearwaters are not great at taking off, so what the warden on the island said is, ‘If you sit David close to the burrows, they will almost certainly climb up his arm on to his head and take off from his head’,” producer Alastair Fothergill told Radio Times. “We thought, ‘Wow, that could be TV gold.’ That was the plan.”

But the plan had to be ditched two weeks before filming was to start, following reports that bird flu had hit the neighbouring island of Grassholm.

“I have an old friend who’s an expert on infectious diseases and I rang him up for his opinion,” Fothergill continued. “He said, ‘Well, bird flu is actually extremely hard to catch, but if he [Attenborough] gets it he will die.”

After deciding the risk was too great, the TV team instead “used two infrared cameras to capture the moment – one facing David and the other a boulder a few feet away from where they hoped the chicks would take flight”, the London Evening Standard reported.

Fothergill told Radio Times that the final footage was one of Attenborough’s “classic” moments.The new five-part series, which was three years in the making, features wildlife ranging from killer whales and white-tailed eagles to dormice, according to the BBC.

As Attenborough fans gear up for his latest TV outing, The Observer reported that it is “likely to be viewers’ final time seeing him in a series filmed on location”.

Announcing the series, Attenborough said: “I’ve been lucky enough to travel to almost every part the globe and gaze upon some of its most beautiful and dramatic sights. But I can assure you that nature in these islands, if you know where to look, can be just as dramatic and spectacular as anything I’ve seen elsewhere.”

Fact check: 20 false and misleading claims Trump made in his ...

Washington CNN —

Former President Donald Trump began his 2024 presidential campaign just as he ended his presidency in 2021: with a whole lot of inaccuracy.

Like many of Trump’s speeches as president, his announcement speech at his Mar-a-Lago resort on Tuesday was filled with false claims about a variety of topics – from his record in office to his Democratic opponents to the economy, the environment and foreign policy.

Here is a fact check of 20 false or misleading things he said. This is not a comprehensive list.

Afghanistan withdrawal

Trump claimed Tuesday evening that the US left $85 billion worth of military equipment in Afghanistan upon its military withdrawal in 2021.

“Perhaps the most embarrassing moment in the history of our country, where we lost lives, left Americans behind and surrendered $85 billion worth of the finest military equipment anywhere in the world,” Trump said.

Facts First: Trump’s figure is false. While a significant quantity of military equipment that had been provided by the US to Afghan government forces was indeed abandoned to the Taliban upon the US withdrawal, the Defense Department has estimated that this equipment had been worth about $7.1 billion — a chunk of about $18.6 billion worth of equipment provided to Afghan forces between 2005 and 2021. And some of the equipment left behind was rendered inoperable before US forces withdrew.

There is not any basis for Trump’s claim that $85 billion worth of equipment was left behind. As other fact-checkers have previously explained, that was a rounded-up figure (it’s closer to $83 billion) for the total amount of money Congress has appropriated during the war to a fund supporting the Afghan security forces. Only part of this funding was for equipment.

Strategic Petroleum Reserve

Trump claimed his administration “filled up” the Strategic Petroleum Reserve but it has now been “virtually drained” by the Biden administration.

Facts First: Both parts of Trump’s claim are false. He didn’t fill up the reserve, and the reserve is not “virtually drained.”

Though Trump has repeatedly boasted of supposedly having filled up the reserve, it actually contained fewer barrels of crude when he left office in early 2021 than when he took office in 2017. That’s not all because of him – the law requires some mandatory sales from the reserve for budget reasons, and Democrats in Congress blocked the funding needed to execute Trump’s 2020 directive to buy tens of millions more barrels and fill the reserve to its maximum capacity – but nonetheless, it didn’t get filled.

As CNN’s Matt Egan and Phil Mattingly reported in mid-October, the US reserve remains the largest in the world even though it was at a 38-year low after President Joe Biden released a major chunk of it to help keep oil prices down in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine (and, coincidentally or not, prior to the midterm elections). The reserve had more than 396 million barrels of crude oil as of the week ending November 4.

Tariffs on China

Trump also boasted about his tariffs on China, claiming that “no president had ever sought or received $1 for our country from China until I came along.”

Facts First: As we have written repeatedly, it’s not true that no president before Trump had generated any revenue through tariffs on goods from China. In reality, the US has had tariffs on China for more than two centuries, and FactCheck.org reported in 2019 that the US generated an “average of $12.3 billion in custom duties a year from 2007 to 2016, according to the U.S. International Trade Commission DataWeb.”

Also, American importers, not Chinese exporters, make the actual tariff payments – and study after study during Trump’s presidency found that Americans were bearing the cost of the tariffs.

Sea level rise

Trump claimed that unnamed people aren’t talking about the threat of nuclear weapons because they are obsessed with environmental issues, which he said, “they say may affect us in 300 years.” He added, “They say the ocean will rise 1/8 of an inch over the next 200 to 300 years. But don’t worry about nuclear weapons that can take out entire countries with one shot.”

Facts First: Trump’s claims are false – even if you ignore the absurd contention that people aren’t paying attention to nuclear threats because they’re focused on the environment. Sea levels are expected to rise much faster than Trump said. The US government’s National Ocean Service said on its website that “sea level along the U.S. coastline is projected to rise, on average, 10 - 12 inches (0.25 - 0.30 meters) in the next 30 years (2020 - 2050), which will be as much as the rise measured over the last 100 years (1920 - 2020).”

And though Trump didn’t use the words “climate change” in this claim, he strongly suggested that people say climate change may only affect us in 300 years. That is grossly inaccurate; it is affecting the US today. The Department of Defense said in a 2021 report: “Increasing temperatures; changing precipitation patterns; and more frequent, intense, and unpredictable extreme weather conditions caused by climate change are exacerbating existing risks and creating new security challenges for U.S. interests.”

Drug use and punishment in China

Trump claimed that Chinese leader Xi Jinping had told him that China has no “drug problem” at all because of its harsh treatment of drug traffickers. Trump then repeated the claim himself, saying, “if you get caught dealing drugs in China you have an immediate and quick trial, and by the end of the day, you are executed. That’s a terrible thing, but they have no drug problem.”

Facts First: Trump’s claim is not true, just as it was when he made similar claims as president. Joe Amon, director of global health at Drexel University’s Dornsife School of Public Health, said that “yes, China has a drug problem” and that “China, like the US, has a large number of people who use (a wide range of) drugs.” The Chinese government has itself reported that “there were 1.49 million registered drug users nationwide” as of the end of 2021; in the past, officials in China have acknowledged that the number of registered drug users are a significant undercount of actual drug use there.

And while Trump solely credits harsh punishments for what he claims is China’s success in handling drugs, the Chinese government also touts its rehabilitation, education and anti-poverty efforts.

Presidential records

Complaining about how he is under criminal investigation for taking presidential documents to his Florida home and resort, Trump repeated a debunked claim about former President Barack Obama’s handling of presidential documents.

“Obama took a lot of things with him,” Trump said.

Facts First: This is false – as the National Archives and Records Administration pointed out in August when Trump previously made this claim. Though Trump claimed that Obama had taken millions of records to Chicago, NARA explained in a public statement that it had itself taken these records to a NARA-managed facility in the Chicago area – which is near where Obama’s presidential library will be located. It said that, as per federal law, “former President Obama has no control over where and how NARA stores the Presidential records of his Administration.”

NARA has also debunked Trump’s recent claims about various other presidents having supposedly taken documents to their own home states; in those cases, too, it was NARA that moved the documents, not the former presidents. It is standard for NARA to set up temporary facilities near where former presidents’ permanent libraries will eventually be located.

Gas prices

As he has on other occasions during Biden’s tenure, Trump used misleading figures when discussing the price of gas. He said: “We were $1.87 a gallon for gasoline, and now it’s sitting five, six, seven and even eight dollars, and it’s gonna go really bad.”

Facts First: This is so misleading that we’re classifying it as inaccurate. While the price of a gallon of regular gas did briefly fall to $1.87 (and lower) during the depths of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, the national average for regular gas on Trump’s last day in office, January 20, 2021, was much higher than that – $2.393 per gallon, according to data provided to CNN by the American Automobile Association. And while there are some remote gas stations where prices are always much higher than the national average, the national average Tuesday is $3.759, per AAA data, not $5, $6, $7 or $8. California, the state with the highest prices as usual, has an average of $5.423.

Deportations under Obama

Trump claimed Tuesday evening that his administration, unlike Obama’s administration, had convinced countries like Guatemala and Honduras to take back their gang members that had come to America.

“The worst gangs are MS-13. And under the Barack Hussein Obama administration, they were unable to take them out. Because their countries where they came from wouldn’t take them,” Trump said from Mar-a-Lago.

Facts First: It’s not true that, as a rule, Guatemala and Honduras wouldn’t take back their citizens during Obama’s administration, though there were some individual exceptions.

In 2016, just prior to Trump’s presidency, neither Guatemala nor Honduras was on the list of countries that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) considered “recalcitrant,” or uncooperative, in accepting the return of their nationals.

For the 2016 fiscal year, Obama’s last full fiscal year in office, ICE reported Guatemala and Honduras ranked second and third, behind only Mexico, in terms of the country of citizenship of people being removed from the US. You can read a longer fact check, from 2019, here.

Missile landing in Poland

Trump claimed Tuesday that a missile that was “sent in probably by Russia” landed 50 miles into Poland. “People are going absolutely wild and crazy and they’re not happy,” Trump said from Mar-a-Lago.

Facts First: This claim is false. While Poland said a Russian-made missile did land in their territory Tuesday, killing two Polish citizens, the explosion happened about four miles west from the Ukrainian border.

Additionally, it remains unclear where the missile was fired from, and why it fell in Poland.

Finishing the border wall

Trump made a false claim about one of his signature policies, a wall at the border with Mexico.

“We built the wall, and now we will add to it. Now, we built the wall – we completed the wall – and then we said let’s do more, and we did a lot more. And we did a lot more. And as we were doing it, we had an election that came up. And when they came in, they had three more weeks to complete the additions to the wall, which would’ve been great, and they said no, no, we’re not going to do that,” he said.

Facts First: It’s not even close to true that Trump “completed” the border wall.

According to an official “Border Wall Status” report written by US Customs and Border Protection two days after Trump left office, about 458 miles of wall had been completed under Trump – but about 280 more miles that had been identified for wall construction had not completed. The report, provided to CNN’s Priscilla Alvarez, said that, of those 280, about 74 miles of barriers were “in the pre-construction phase and have not yet been awarded, in locations where no barriers currently exist,” and that 206 miles were “currently under contract, in place of dilapidated and outdated designs and in locations where no barriers previously existed.”

Democratic leaders and the National Guard

Trump claimed that Democratic governors and mayors refused to ask for “help” even during “a total breakdown of law and order,” and “don’t want to ever ask to do anything,” so “we sent in the National Guard in Minneapolis and in other places.”

Facts First: This is a false claim Trump liked to make during his presidency. It’s not true that Trump sent in the National Guard to Minneapolis and that Democratic leaders there refused to ask; it was actually Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, not Trump, was the one who deployed the Minnesota National Guard amid unrest in 2020 following the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police. Walz, who served in the Army National Guard for more than two decades, first activated the Guard more than seven hours before Trump publicly threatened to deploy the Guard himself.

When Trump made this false claim in 2020, Walz’s office told CNN that the governor activated the Guard in response to requests from officials in Minneapolis and St. Paul – cities also run by Democrats.

Biden’s acuity

Mocking Biden’s mental acuity, Trump said, “There are a lot of bad things, like going to Idaho and saying ‘Welcome to the state of Florida, I really love it.’”

Facts First: This never happened. Biden, like Trump, has made occasional gaffes in referring to places, but this one is fiction. At a rally earlier this month, Trump claimed that Biden had gone to Iowa and wrongly claimed to be in Idaho; that false claim was published by a satirical website in 2020.

Illegal immigration

Lamenting illegal immigration, Trump said, “I believe it’s 10 million people coming in, not three or four million people. They’re pouring into our country.”

Facts First: False. “There is no empirical basis at all for the idea that 10 million undocumented people have entered under President Biden,” Emily Ryo, a professor of law and sociology at the University of Southern California’s law school, who studies immigration, said in a Monday email when CNN asked her about Trump making this claim earlier in November. Julia Gelatt, an expert at the Migration Policy Institute think tank, concurred: “Based on the data available, it is not possible that 10 million unauthorized immigrants have come across the border to the U.S. under President Biden. In fact, the reality is a fraction of that.”

Mark Morgan, who served as acting commissioner of Customs and Border Protection under Trump (and head of the Border Patrol under Obama), told The Arizona Republic in an early-November article that the “worst case scenario” for the number of illegal border crossings under Biden through October “could be 6.2 million.” Trump’s estimate was not close even to that estimate.

And there are a bunch of important nuances here. Customs and Border Protection has recorded more than 4.3 million total nationwide border “encounters” under Biden, but that number includes people who presented themselves to the authorities to begin the process of seeking humanitarian protection. And while Trump used the word “people,” Ryo emphasized that the number of “encounters” is not the same as the number of separate individuals who have crossed the border. Because many people encountered at the border are rapidly expelled under the Title 42 policy – including more than half of those encountered in the 2021 fiscal year – lots of the same people quickly come back to the border and try again. In the 2021 fiscal year, the recidivism rate was 27%, according to official data.

Inflation in turkey prices

Trump claimed, “Good luck getting a turkey for Thanksgiving. Number one, you won’t get it and if you do, you’re gonna pay three to four times more than you paid last year.”

Facts First: This isn’t even close to true. Turkey prices have increased since last Thanksgiving season, but they haven’t come close to tripling or quadrupling. The weighted average advertised supermarket price of a whole frozen hen is 97 cents per pound as of the most recent US Department of Agriculture report – up about 10% from the same time last year. The price of a whole frozen tom was up by about 7%.

And though Trump made these comments while criticizing the Biden administration over inflation, it’s worth noting that the turkey market in particular has been significantly impacted by avian flu.

Trump and wars

Trump said that his critics claimed during the 2016 presidential campaign that there would be a war within weeks if Trump was elected – “and yet I’ve gone decades, decades without a war. The first president to do it for that long a period.”

Facts First: This is nonsense. Trump was president for four years, so he could not possibly have gone “decades, decades” without a war. Also, Trump presided over the US involvement in wars in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria, though he obviously didn’t start any of these wars and withdrew some troops from all three countries. And he was commander-in-chief for dozens of US airstrikes, including drone strikes, in Somalia, Yemen, Libya and Pakistan, plus a drone strike in Iraq that killed Qasem Soleimani, head of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps Quds Force, that prompted Iranian retaliation against US service members.

Trump and ISIS

Trump gave himself credit for the liberation of ISIS’s “caliphate” in Syria, saying “the vicious ISIS caliphate, which no president was able to conquer, was decimated by me and our great warriors in less than three weeks.”

Facts First: This is a major exaggeration. The ISIS “caliphate” was declared fully liberated more than two years into Trump’s presidency, in 2019, not “less than three weeks” into his presidency in 2017; it’s not entirely clear what Trump meant by “decimated,” but the fight continued long after Trump’s first weeks in office. And Trump gave himself far too much credit for the defeat of the caliphate, as he has in the past. There was major progress against the caliphate under Obama in 2015 and 2016 – and Kurdish forces did much of the ground fighting.

IHS Markit, an information company that studied the changing the size of the caliphate, reported two days before Trump’s 2017 inauguration that the caliphate shrunk by 23% in 2016 after shrinking by 14% in 2015. “The Islamic State suffered unprecedented territorial losses in 2016, including key areas vital for the group’s governance project,” an analyst there said in a statement at the time.

Terrorism under Trump

Trump claimed: “We had practically, just about, not that I can think of, no Islamic attacks, terrorist attacks, during the Trump administration.”

Facts First: Trump did qualify the claim by saying “practically, just about, not that I can think of,” but it’s not true that there were no terrorist attacks carried out by Islamic extremists during his presidency. Trump’s own Justice Department alleged that a terror attack in New York City in 2017, which killed eight people and injured others, was an act of Islamic extremism carried out in support of ISIS. In fact, Trump repeatedly lamented this attack during his presidency. And Trump’s Justice Department alleged that a 2019 attack by an extremist member of Saudi Arabia’s military, which killed three US servicemembers and injured others at a military base in Florida, “was motivated by jihadist ideology” and was carried out by a longtime “associate” of al Qaeda.

The military’s use of old bombers

Boasting of how he supposedly rebuilt the military, Trump said, “When I got there, we had jet fighters that were 48 years old. We had bombers that were 60 years old, we had bombers where their grandfathers flew them when they were new. And now the grandchild is flying the bomber – but not anymore.”

Facts First: It’s not true that Trump ended the use of 60-year-old bombers. The military continues to use B-52 bombers that old; they are now being outfitted with new Rolls-Royce engines to prolong their life even further. (And the B-52 isn’t the only decades-old plane still in use.)

Trump’s popularity along the border

After boasting of how he is viewed by Latinos, Trump claimed that “along the border in Texas, won every single community – I won – every single community.” He said Texas Gov. Greg Abbott told him that he had “won every single area along the border, the longest since Reconstruction.”

Facts First: We don’t know what Abbott told Trump, but it’s not true that Trump won every single area along the border with Mexico. Trump lost border states in both of his previous races – California and New Mexico in both 2016 and 2020, Arizona in 2020 – and also lost numerous border communities in Texas and elsewhere both times, as you can see in these New York Times maps here and here.

Trump did make major gains with some Texas border counties between 2016 and 2020, becoming the first Republican in decades to win some of them, but his claim was about how he supposedly won them all. That’s inaccurate.

Inflation

Trump claimed about inflation: “As we speak, inflation is the highest in over 50 years.”

Facts First: This is not true; Trump exaggerated a statistic that would have worked in his favor even if he had recited it accurately. October’s year-over-year inflation rate of 7.7% is the highest since 1982, if you don’t count previous months this year when it was higher. So, ignoring those other Biden-era months, it is the highest in 40 years, not the highest in “over 50 years.”

We might let this go if Trump did not have a years-long pattern of exaggerating numbers to suit his purposes.

Daniel Dale Paul Leblanc
Daniel Dale
Paul Leblanc

For the first time, monkeypox has been reported in a minor in New ...

CNN —

A minor in New York state has reportedly contracted monkeypox – a first among children in the state and at least the third reported case of the disease among children in the US.

The child lives in New York but not in New York City, according to state health department data released last week. The data does not list the child’s gender, city of residence nor how the minor became infected.

New York Department of Health spokesperson Monica Pomeroy said she was not able to disclose the minor’s age.

“In instances where the number of cases is small, patient confidentiality prohibits the Department from disclosing this information,” Pomeroy said.

Previously, at least two other children in the US have had cases of monkeypox, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

One case involved a California toddler, and the other involved an infant who is not a US resident.

The two cases are unrelated and probably the result of household transmission, the CDC said. Public health officials are investigating how the children got infected.

Since the monkeypox outbreak began in May, most cases have occurred among men who have sex with men. But anyone can catch the virus through close skin-to-skin contact.

In the case of children, the CDC said, this could include “holding, cuddling, feeding, as well as through shared items such as towels, bedding, cups, and utensils.”

The CDC said the Jynneos vaccine is being made available for children through special expanded use protocols.

The agency has also developed new guidance for health care providers about identifying, treating and preventing monkeypox in children and teens.

Samantha Beech Isa Kaufman Geballe
Samantha Beech
Isa Kaufman Geballe

5 things to know for August 31: Mar-a-Lago, Flooding, Heat waves ...

CNN —

Get '5 Things' in your inbox If your day doesn’t start until you’re up to speed on the latest headlines, then let us introduce you to your new favorite morning fix. Sign up here for the ‘5 Things’ newsletter.

Two of California’s many wildfires are threatening Sequoia National Park and the massive, iconic trees that grow there. And in Louisiana, Tropical Depression Nicholas could slow down recovery from Hurricane Ida, which just blew through two weeks ago.

Here’s what you need to know to Get Up to Speed and On with Your Day.

(You can also get “5 Things You Need to Know Today” delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up here.)

1. California recall

A flood watch is currently in place for millions of people across the southwestern US after a weekend of rain and thunderstorms drenched the region. In Las Vegas, at least two people have died in flooding since last week in what has become the wettest monsoon season in a decade. In Texas, the National Hurricane Center is monitoring a disturbance that will bring thunderstorms and up to 6 inches of rain over the next few days, leading to potential flash flooding. While the rain has brought relief to some drought-stricken areas, experts say climate change is increasing the likelihood of extreme flooding and catastrophic disasters. Separately, a new study indicates a disastrous megaflood is coming to California in the next four decades – and experts say it would be unlike anything anyone alive today has ever experienced.

2. Coronavirus

CNN meteorologist explains cause of water crisis in Jackson, Mississippi 02:27 - Source: CNN

3. Gen. Mark Milley

5. Haiti

NASA scrubs Artemis I rocket launch due to engine issues. CNN reporter explains why 02:39 - Source: CNN

5. UK deportations

BREAKFAST BROWSE

Man vs. Emu

A woman used her smartwatch to call 911 after getting stuck in an interesting position at the gym. Watch the video here.

NASA releases stunning new image of the Phantom Galaxy

In a galaxy far, far away – 32 million light-years from Earth – there is a remarkable spiral of solar systems. Take a look at the new image here.

How Princess Diana’s style legacy remains relevant

Today marks 25 years since the death of Princess Diana, but her legacy and wardrobe continue to inspire new generations.

DC Comics featured stereotypical Latino foods on Hispanic Heritage Month covers

The publisher attempted to commemorate Hispanic Heritage Month by adding Latino foods to its comic covers… but fans found it offensive and cliché.

Kohl’s and Gap have a surprising plan for this season’s unsold clothing

Some retailers are holding onto their unsold inventory in the hope of selling it next summer. And yes, they’re confident these items will stay in style.

IN MEMORIAM

Mikhail Gorbachev, the last leader of the former Soviet Union from 1985 until 1991, has died at the age of 91 after a long illness, Russian state news agencies reported on Tuesday. Gorbachev is credited with introducing key political and economic reforms to the USSR and helping to end the Cold War. Several world leaders paid tribute to Gorbachev Tuesday, with President Joe Biden calling him “a man of remarkable vision” in a statement.

TODAY’S NUMBER

17

That’s how many people in Pakistan have been recently impacted by devastating floods. Some areas have seen five times their normal levels of rain, largely due to the climate crisis, experts say. Torrential rainfall and extreme flooding have killed more than 1,100 people and injured more than 3,500 others in the country since mid-June.

TODAY’S QUOTE

“This is merely an attempt to stop a man that is leading in every poll, against both Republicans and Democrats by wide margins, from running again for the Presidency.”

– Alberto Flores, a port director for the US Customs and Border Protection, after a large shipment of baby wipes at the US-Mexico border turned out to be $11.8 million worth of cocaine. Officers seized the narcotics Friday at the Colombia-Solidarity Bridge just north of Laredo, Texas, according to a news release. An inspection revealed 1,935 baby wipe packages were stuffed with around 1,533 pounds of alleged cocaine.

TODAY’S WEATHER

Heat builds for the west as tropical systems in the Atlantic intensify 02:21 - Source: CNN

Check your local forecast here>>>

AND FINALLY

My Dog Gets Annoyed by New Puppy From Day One

Hear the Otherworldly Sounds of Skating on Thin Ice

Watch this dog’s reaction when an energetic puppy becomes the newest addition to the family. (Click here to view)

Ron DeSantis is getting *exactly* what he wanted | CNN Politics

CNN —

In the 24 hours or so since Ron DeSantis sent two planes carrying migrants to Martha’s Vineyard, the move has dominated the political world. Every newspaper and cable channel is filled with thoughts about the move, with much of that opinion tilting toward outrage over the Florida Republican governor treating people like political pawns.

“It’s outrageous,” New Jersey Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez said of the move. “They lure people, like human traffickers lure people, onto buses and unknowing where they’re going to. They have no concern for – they supposedly are the advocates for human life. They have no concern for the lives of these people.”

DeSantis couldn’t have scripted it any better politically.

The simple fact is that DeSantis made this Martha’s Vineyard gambit solely to draw attention to himself and his opposition to the border policies of the Biden administration. It was, to be frank, a stunt. And it’s not the first time he’s done something like this.

Consider:

* In the spring of 2022, DeSantis’ administration rejected 41% of proposed math textbooks because they were allegedly “indoctrinating” kids. “Some publishers attempted to slap a coat of paint on an old house built on the foundation of Common Core, and indoctrinating concepts like race essentialism, especially, bizarrely, for elementary school students,” DeSantis said in a statement explaining the move.

* At a press conference at the University of South Florida earlier this year, DeSantis scolded students for wearing masks while indoors. “You do not have to wear those masks,” he said. “I mean, please take them off. Honestly, it’s not doing anything. We’ve got to stop with this Covid theater. So if you want to wear it, fine, but this is ridiculous.”

* DeSantis revoked Disney’s special self-governance status in Florida following the company’s criticism of the state’s passage of legislation that bans the discussion of gender and sexuality among young people in public schools. “You’re a corporation based in Burbank, California, and you’re going to marshal your economic might to attack the parents of my state,” said DeSantis. “We view that as a provocation, and we’re going to fight back against that.”

Each of these incidents drew national headlines. Each of them drew intense criticism from the left. And each of them drew equal amounts of praise from the conservative right.

Which is exactly how the Martha Vineyard’s stunt has played out. While DeSantis was blasted by Democrats, the right ran to defend him. “DeSantis was right to send migrants to Martha’s Vineyard. We need to bring border crisis to Democrats,” read an op-ed on Fox News’ website.

For DeSantis, the outrage – on both sides – is the point. He has built a political brand on the idea of standing up to what he views as political correctness and wokeness. (DeSantis signed a bill into law earlier this year designed to “protect Floridians from discrimination and woke indoctrination.”) In order to maintain and burnish that image, he has to do even more outrageous things – like the Martha’s Vineyard move.

The fact of the matter – whether you like DeSantis or not – is that his outrage machine is humming along. Largely riding his knack for stirring controversy, he has emerged by many measures as the second-most popular Republican in the country – behind only Donald Trump. He is regarded as a heavy favorite to win a second term over his Democratic opponent, former Gov. Charlie Crist, in November. And he is widely regarded as the only candidate who could credibly challenge Trump in a 2024 Republican primary.

Which is somewhat ironic. Because, as Trump likes to remind anyone who asks, he helped make DeSantis by endorsing him in a primary fight in 2018. And DeSantis has quite clearly modeled his approach to politics off of the ripped-from-the-headlines strategy employed by Trump.

In fact, what DeSantis is offering Republican voters amounts to Trumpism without Trump. In DeSantis, you get all the anti-wokeness that Trump built a presidential campaign and presidency on, but just without some of the more embarrassing personal foibles and tics that the former President brings with him.

And, just like Trump, covering DeSantis provides a significant challenge for the media as well. DeSantis wants – and even courts – the scorn of the mainstream media for gambits like the one in Martha’s Vineyard. He knows that the more negative attention he gets, the better liked he is among the Republican base and the more money he can raise for his future political endeavors.

Not covering someone like DeSantis – the governor of a major state and someone with national ambitions – is out of the question. But how DeSantis – and his stunts – are covered is something that the media needs to think seriously on as we move closer to 2024.

Liz Cheney is already looking beyond 2022 | CNN Politics

CNN —

Liz Cheney didn’t come right out and say she expects to lose her primary next month. But in an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper on “State of the Union” on Sunday, it was pretty easy to read between the lines of the Wyoming Republican’s answers.

“I am working hard here in Wyoming to earn every vote,” Cheney said at one point. “But I will also say this. I’m not going to lie. I’m not going to say things that aren’t true about the election. My opponents are doing that, certainly simply for the purpose of getting elected.

“If I have to choose between maintaining a seat in the House of Representatives or protecting the constitutional republic and ensuring the American people know the truth about Donald Trump, I’m going to choose the Constitution and the truth every single day,” she said at another.

Asked by Tapper whether her service as vice chair of the House select committee investigating January 6 will have been worth it even if she loses next month, Cheney responded that it was “the single most important thing I have ever done professionally.”

If it sounds to you like Cheney is framing her August 16 primary for Wyoming’s at-large House seat as a sort of fait accompli, and as not the end of the story but as a part of a broader narrative, well, then, you are right.

The simple fact is that Cheney is very unlikely to beat Harriet Hageman in next month’s primary. Hageman has the support of former President Donald Trump, as well as a number of top Republicans including, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy.

While Cheney has tried to recruit Democrats to cross party lines and support her – and some undoubtedly will – it’s hard to see that making a real difference in the outcome of the race in such an overwhelmingly Republican state.

Simply put: Cheney looks likely to lose – and she knows it.

What she also knows is that, at least in her mind, this isn’t the end of her political career.

Here’s how Cheney answered a question from Tapper on whether she is interested in running for president in 2024:

“I haven’t really – at this point, I have not made a decision about 2024. …

“… But I do think, as we look towards the next presidential election, as I said, I believe that our nation stands on the edge of an abyss. And I do believe that we all have to really think very seriously about the dangers we face and the threats we face. And we have to elect serious candidates.”

Which tells you everything you need to know about Cheney and 2024. She isn’t an announced candidate. But when you hear a politician talking about the country “standing on the edge of an abyss” and the need to elect “serious candidates,” well, it doesn’t take an astrophysicist to figure out what’s going on there.

The real question seems to be then not whether Cheney runs – she sounded to all the world like that decision is mostly made – but rather whether she would have any sort of impact on the 2024 race.

If Cheney runs as a Republican, it will, undoubtedly, be a very tough road for her.

Trump is the clear frontrunner in all polling conducted on the Republican presidential primary and seems very likely to run. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is widely seen as the only serious alternative to Trump at the moment – and he has positioned himself as a representative of Trumpism without Trump.

There is no potential candidate garnering any serious support in hypothetical 2024 primary polls who is running expressly against Trump and his four years in office. The Republicans, aside from Cheney, who are signaling an interest in running that sort of campaign – Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan being perhaps the most prominent – barely register in polls.

Could Cheney somehow coalesce the anti-Trump vote within the Republican Party? Sure. But even if she was to do so, there’s scant evidence that bloc of voters comprise anything close to a majority of likely Republican primary voters.

The other – and perhaps more plausible – path for Cheney is to run as an independent in 2024. Assuming Trump is the Republican nominee, such a candidacy could skim off enough votes to potentially hamstring the former President’s chances of winning. (Presumably Cheney, who is conservative on most issues, would appeal more to Republicans than Democrats.)

Even under that scenario, however, Cheney would function as a spoiler – trying to keep Trump from the White House – rather than as a viable candidate to be president. Which, given what she told Tapper Sunday, might be enough for her.

“I’m fighting hard, no matter what happens on August 16, I’m going to wake up on August 17 and continue to fight hard to ensure Donald Trump is never anywhere close to the Oval Office ever again,” said Cheney.

Liz Cheney was a Fox hero 10 years ago. Today she is the network's ...

New York CNN Business —

Vice President Dick Cheney was a hero on Fox News twenty years ago, but his daughter Rep. Liz Cheney is a villain on Fox today.

“The voters are saying they’ve had enough – and that it’s time to bury the tragic Bush-Cheney era once and for all,” Fox’s 10 p.m. host Laura Ingraham said Tuesday night, around the same time Cheney conceded to Harriet Hageman in the GOP primary in Wyoming.

Cheney was a punching bag and punchline all across GOP-aligned media as the primary results came in. Many right-wing commentators repeated the same points they had made for months: That Cheney’s condemnation of former president Donald Trump and her collaboration with Democrats on the House select committee investigating January 6 made her an enemy.

On Fox, the tone was quite personal and bitter, and an extraordinary turn for a network that once celebrated the Cheney family dynasty. Back in 2012, Liz Cheney was even a paid Fox commentator. And when she left the network in 2013 to run for Senate in Wyoming, Sean Hannity endorsed her.

But she crossed Trump, and thus Fox’s biggest stars. On Tuesday night Tucker Carlson mocked her public stance in defense of democracy, which stemmed from Trump’s 2020 plot to overturn the election result, and derided media outlets that have taken her seriously. He predicted that she will soon “be writing a column for National Review and will be releasing a book from Simon and Schuster called ‘Democracy.’”

One hour later, Hannity opened his show by calling Cheney “the most obsessive Trump hater in the country.” He pooh-poohed talk of a potential Cheney presidential run, saying that “if she can’t win Wyoming, she’s not going to win any other red state that I can think of.”

In the 10 p.m. hour, Ingraham’s program showed about five minutes of Cheney’s concession speech, then cut away to guests who ridiculed Cheney. CNN and MSNBC aired the speech in full.

Fox’s coverage did include Cheney telling supporters that she could have easily won the primary – “the path was clear” – but “it would’ve required that I go along with President Trump’s lie about the 2020 election. It would’ve required that I enable his ongoing efforts to unravel our democratic system and attack the foundations of our republic. That was a path I could not and would not take.”

Newsmax did not show any of Cheney’s speech. Instead, 10 p.m. host celebrated the fact that “Liz Cheney is gone.”

Numerous right-wing commentators portrayed Hageman’s win and Cheney’s loss as a perfect example of democracy in action, implying that it undermines Cheney’s warnings about threats to democracy.

But unlike Trump, Cheney didn’t deny that she lost the race, or encourage people to believe she won, or incite supporters to block Hageman’s victory from being certified.

A version of this article first appeared in the “Reliable Sources” newsletter. You can sign up for free right here.

Opinion: In Cheney's loss, Biden has an opportunity | CNN

Editor’s Note: Arick Wierson is an Emmy Award-winning television producer and former senior media adviser to New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg. He advises corporate and political clients on communications strategies in the US, Africa and Latin America. He tweets at @ArickWierson. Bradley Honan, CEO of Honan Strategy Group, a Democratic polling and analytics firm, has advised the campaigns of Bill and Hillary Clinton, Michael Bloomberg, Tony Blair and leading global companies. He tweets at @BradleyHonan. The views expressed in this commentary are their own. View more opinion at CNN.

CNN —

With Tuesday’s defeat of Republican Congresswoman Liz Cheney of Wyoming, some might argue that former President Donald Trump’s hostile takeover of the GOP is now nearly complete. And they might be right. But Liz Cheney made it clear in her barn burner of a concession speech that she is not planning to ride off quietly into the sunset; rather, she plans to “do whatever it takes to ensure that Donald Trump is never again near the Oval Office, and I mean it.”

Arick Wierson Tunheim

No longer chained to a party whose leaders have abandoned its core values and principles, Cheney is now poised to become the Obi-Wan Kenobi of American politics. Like Kenobi’s famous line in “Star Wars,” “If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine,” uttered moments before he’s killed by Darth Vader, the same can now also be said about Cheney.

Bradley Honan c/o Bradley Honan

But with her rejection from Republican voters in Wyoming comes an unparalleled opportunity for President Joe Biden and the Democrats, and one they should not squander.

As a conservative with a dynastic last name who, in this hyper-partisan climate, wields uncommon and genuine respect on both sides of the aisle, Cheney would be a valuable addition to the Biden administration. The President should appoint her as a cabinet-level czar on election integrity and the preservation of democracy once her term is up in January. Creating this post would allow her to continue the work she so adroitly began as the co-chair of the January 6th Committee and empower her to fight against the violent and pseudo-autocratic undercurrents that have seeped into conservative politics and pose a real existential threat to our democracy.

We don’t agree with much, if any, of Cheney’s politics, but at this point, when our democracy is hanging on by a bare thread, principles trump policy, and we commend Cheney for sticking to her guns amid a hail of incoming fire.

Sadly, Cheney was one of the last Republicans standing among those who voted to impeach Trump. Regardless what anyone thinks of her political stances, Cheney has displayed courageous leadership in the face of staunch opposition and even threats to her physical safety. She has proven her mettle as an unapologetic defender of democracy and the rule of law.

In her concession speech on Tuesday, Cheney made no formal commitments about what the future may hold for her beyond her work as co-chair of the January 6th Committee, but her speech left the door wide open for any number of moves down the road.

She invoked the name of President Abraham Lincoln, a Republican who lost a US Senate bid only a few years before winning the presidency – a move that surely added to already rampant speculation that she too might seek the nation’s highest office.

But should Trump declare himself a presidential candidate for 2024, a Cheney run in a Republican primary would likely be nothing more than a constant irritant. She would likely use the megaphone that comes with a national profile to blanket the media with strong anti-Trump messaging and truth telling in the hopes of chipping away at the former President’s support among those who might be on the fence about backing him a third time.

But primarying Trump is not Cheney’s best play. Nor is running as an independent, a move that might actually serve Trump’s interests by splitting the conservative anti-Trump vote. And certainly, what the country does not need is another ex-pol turned TV pundit.

Cheney’s smartest move would be to join the Biden administration in a bespoke senior-level role where her mandate is clear: coordinate the fight for free and fair elections and wage all-out war against the anti-American and undemocratic forces that Trumpism has unleashed. Cheney is the ideal crusader in this fight.

Stay up to date on the latest opinion, analysis and conversations through social media. Join us at Facebook/CNNOpinion and follow us @CNNOpinion on Twitter. We welcome your ideas and comments.

Such a move by Biden certainly has ample precedent. Both Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama appointed notable Republicans to serve in their Cabinets. The symbolism of bringing members from an opposing party into an administration is a strong signal of bipartisanship, putting the country ahead of party. Placing a high-profile conservative like Cheney in a senior-level position would be a powerful signal to our nation’s shared, bipartisan commitment to the rule of law and the right to free and fair elections.

This is a perilous time for our democracy, and Biden should recognize that Cheney can be a national force for good by taking the helm of our nation’s fight to push back the dark, homegrown forces and ideologies that threaten our future. It’s clear that, despite her Tuesday night primary defeat, her star continues to shine brightly.

Biden would be well-served to act decisively and harness her star power.

Arick Wierson Bradley Honan
Arick Wierson
Bradley Honan

How can Donald Trump win again with numbers like these? | CNN ...

CNN —

Looking through the new CNN poll on the January 6, 2021, insurrection and the role Donald Trump played in it, I was struck by a simple, nagging question: How can anyone with these sort of numbers be elected president again in 2024?

Let’s go through some of the numbers:

* 45% of Americans think Trump acted illegally on January 6.

* 34% think Trump acted unethically but not illegally.

* 61% believe that Trump’s public statements encouraged the political violence that day.

* Just 23% think Trump did everything in his power to stop the riot once it was underway.

* Only 32% think Trump did more than then-Vice President Mike Pence to act in the best interests of the country that day. (67% say Pence did more.)

Almost half the country thinks Trump acted illegally! Roughly 1 in 4 think he did everything he could to stop the riot once it started! About 6 in 10 think he encouraged the violence that day!

These are terrible numbers. Like, really bad.

It appears that the American public, broadly speaking, has made up its mind about Trump and January 6. They believe he instigated it, made it worse and may have even broke the law.

'Bunch of bull****': Reporter talks to Trump supporters in wake of hearings 05:54 - Source: CNN

So, how then are we talking about him as a serious presidential candidate in 2024?

Buried in the numbers in the CNN poll is our answer.

Respondents were asked whether they believed what happened on January 6 was a crisis, a major problem, a minor problem or not a problem.

Overall, almost 7 in 10 described it as either a crisis (27%) or a major problem (42%).

But when you look at what Republicans say about that day, the numbers were very different. Just roughly 1 in 3 said it was either a crisis (10%) or a major problem (26%). The majority of Republicans said January 6 was either a minor problem (36%) or not a problem at all (27%).

What does that tell us? That Republicans put far less weight on what happened on January 6 – and what it means for the country – compared to the public at large.

Which means, in turn, that January 6 matters less to Republicans when they are considering who to nominate for president. To that point, almost 3 in 4 Republicans and Republican-leaning independents say that the party should be very or somewhat accepting of candidates who believe the 2020 election was stolen.

The Point: The views of Republicans on January 6 (and the 2020 election) mean that Trump can win a primary. But the numbers I cited above should worry every Republican about whether he can win a(nother) general election.

Sinkhole swallows van, Navajo code talkers, female Blue Angel ...

From USA TODAY Network and wire reports

Alabama

Montgomery: Alan Eugene Miller, 57, a truck driver convicted of killing three men in a workplace shooting rampage more than two decades ago is set to be put to death on Sept. 22, the Alabama Supreme Court said. The clerk’s office announced the scheduled execution date of Miller, who was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to death in the slayings, which occurred in Shelby County in 1999. Testimony indicated Miller was delusional and believed the two men he killed were spreading rumors about him, including one that he was gay. Although a defense psychiatrist testified Miller was mentally ill, he also said Miller’s condition wasn’t bad enough to use as a basis for an insanity defense under state law. Another Alabama inmate already is set for execution later this month. A federal judge last week ruled the execution of Joe Nathan James Jr. could go ahead as scheduled on July 28, refusing the condemned man’s request for a postponement. James was convicted of killing his former girlfriend, Faith Hall, in Birmingham, almost three decades ago.

Alaska

Anchorage: Officials ended their search for a woman whose 2-year-old grandchild was found alone last week in a locked car stuck in mud on a rural road, authorities said. No clues to the whereabouts of Mary Dawn Wilson, 69, have emerged since her Ford Focus was found last Thursday with the child and personal items believed to belong to Wilson, the Alaska Department of Public Safety said in a statement Saturday. Authorities believe the child was alone in the car for two days. The search was changed from “active” to “reactive,” meaning that a search could be launched again if officials receive new information or evidence, the statement said. The statement added that at “this time, there is no evidence of foul play associated with Wilson’s disappearance.”

Arizona

Mesa: Thunderstorms packing wind gusts of up to 80 mph knocked down some power lines in the Mesa area and destroyed a mobile home, sending a woman to a hospital by ambulance. Maryjane Garcia Stanley told Phoenix radio station KTAR that her 61-year-old mother was trapped under debris after the monsoon hit Sunday night, with her legs pinned under a stove. Stanley said her mother was being treated for a broken vertebrae. Video from the scene showed the mobile home reduced to piles of rubble with debris scattered across the property and roadway. Thousands of homes reported electrical outages and State Route 87 was closed in both directions near Mesa because of fallen power lines that authorities say might take several days to repair. National Weather Service meteorologists said north Mesa received almost 1 ½ inches of rain from the thunderstorms as the Phoenix metro area continues to have an active monsoon season.

Arkansas

Little Rock: A former Little Rock police chief who fired his gun at an armed suspect on New Year’s Eve won’t face charges in the shooting. Prosecutor Larry Jegley said in a letter to Arkansas State Police dated Friday that Keith Humphrey was justified in the use of force in the shooting outside a convenience store. A state police spokesman said the letter formally closes the agency’s investigation into the shooting. Humphrey had stopped after seeing a fight among a crowd in the parking lot and was approaching the group when a 29-year-old woman shot and critically wounded a 22-year-old woman, state police said. Humphrey then opened fire, but did not strike the 29-year-old, who was later arrested, state police said. The woman has pleaded not guilty to first-degree battery. Humphrey had been briefly placed on administrative leave after the shooting.Humphrey, who was hired as chief in April 2019, retired in May.

California

San Francisco: An Oakland man was arrested for allegedly reporting a false bomb threat over the weekend, prompting the evacuation of hundreds of people from the San Francisco International Airport’s international terminal, police said. Terry Addison, 53, was charged with reporting a false bomb threat and malicious report of a false bomb threat, the San Francisco Police Department said in a statement. Addison was booked into jail in San Mateo County, where the airport is located. It was not immediately known if Addison has an attorney who can speak on his behalf. San Mateo County prosecutors did not immediately return an email seeking comment. The bomb threat was reported Friday night, and authorities said they discovered a suspicious package. Investigators at the airport “deemed the item possibly incendiary.” Police said Friday that a man had been taken into custody, but released no other information. Police said they removed “several suspicious packages” from the international terminal and that it was safe and clear to enter just after midnight Saturday.

Colorado

Fort Collins:The Larimer County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the cause of a fire in Red Feather Lakes that damaged multiple structures Sunday. Initial reports indicated the fire started about 5 p.m. in a shed on Lone Pine Court and spread to a cabin on the same property, spokesperson David Moore said. From there, the fire spread to a cabin on the next property over and caught the grass on fire. The fire burned the surrounding grass about 100 feet out from the cabins, but moisture on the grass from recent rain helped prevent the fire from spreading more quickly, Moore said. No one was injured in the fire, according to the sheriff’s office. Moore said the sheriff’s office sent an investigator to the scene Monday to investigate the cause of the fire.

Connecticut

Waterbury: Waterbury police have largely stopped using vans to transport prisoners in response to a man becoming paralyzed in a New Haven police van last month. Waterbury Police Chief Fernando Spagnolo and Mayor Neil O’Leary directed the city’s two police vans be used only for bringing prisoners to and from court until seat belts are installed and officers are trained how to use them, the Republican-American newspaper reported Sunday. The directive took effect July 1, and the seat belt installation and training are expected to be completed by the end of the summer. In New Haven, Richard “Randy” Cox was seriously injured in the back of a police van with no seat belts June 19 when, police said, the officer driving the vehicle braked suddenly to avoid an accident. Cox, who was handcuffed, flew headfirst into the metal divider between the driver’s cab and the back and became paralyzed. Cox’s family and the state NAACP are calling for federal civil rights charges against New Haven police.

Delaware

Dover: A man was arrested Monday and charged with arson and other offenses in a Target store fire that police said he started “as a diversion to steal a cart full of merchandise.” The 26-year-old man started the fire in the linen section of the store on July 10 and the store was quickly evacuated, Dover police said in a news release. No injuries were reported, but $3 million to $4 million in merchandise was damaged by smoke or fire, police said. Target spokesperson Brian Harper-Tibaldo said the store will remain closed for several weeks for repairs and restocking, The News Journal reported. The Dover man was arrested at home and charged with first-degree arson, 19 counts of first-degree reckless endangering, criminal mischief of $5,000 or greater, shoplifting under $1,500 and wearing a disguise during the commission of a felony, police said. He was committed to Sussex Correctional Institution on $137,000 cash bond.

District of Columbia

Washington:Residents along the 1900 block of C Street NE and D Street NE said they are concerned about flooding and are hoping the DC Department of Transportation will do something to fix the problem, WUSA-TV reported. WUSA-TV reached out to DDOT for a statement but has not received a reply yet. Dorothy Wright who said she has lived along the 1900 Block of C Street NE for 20 years and she believes the problem is a result of this construction project steps away from her front door. “I just saw water streaming down the street like I’ve never seen before,” Wright said about the rain Saturday afternoon.

Florida

Pensacola: The U.S. Navy’s Blue Angels have named Lt. Amanda Lee, of Mounds View, Minnesota, the first woman as a demonstration pilot for the 2023 air show season. Women have served with the Blue Angels in other capacities for more than 55 years, but Lee is the first to join the iconic flight squadron as a pilot, the Navy said. Lee, a member of the “Gladiators” of Strike Fighter Squadron 106, graduated from Old Dominion University in 2013, the Blue Angels said Monday in a Facebook post announcing the new team. The Blue Angels also named five other new members of the team based at the Naval Air Station in Pensacola, including pilots Navy Lt. Cmdr. Thomas Zimmerman, of Baltimore and Marine Corps Capt. Samuel Petko of Osceola, Indiana. Lt. Cmdr. Brian Vaught, of Englewood, Colorado, was named events coordinator. Lt. Cmdr. Greg Jones, of Cary, North Carolina, will be an aviation maintenance officer and Lt. Philippe Warren, of Williamsburg, Virginia, is the new flight surgeon. The new team members will report to the squadron in September for a two-month turnover period. Once the 2022 show season concludes in November, they will embark on a rigorous five-month training program at NAS Pensacola and Naval Air Facility El Centro, Calif.

Georgia

Atlanta: Michael Boggs was sworn in Monday as chief justice of the Georgia Supreme Court. He replaces David Nahmias, who announced in February he was stepping down from the court. Georgia chief justices are chosen by their colleagues to serve a single four-year term leading the state’s judicial branch. The chief justice speaks for the high court and the rest of the state’s judiciary and presides over oral arguments and deliberation meetings. The chief justice also chairs the Georgia Judicial Council, which makes policy for the judicial branch. Georgia Supreme Court justices run for six-year terms and can be reelected. Justice Nels Peterson was sworn in Monday as the court’s presiding justice. Typically, the presiding justice is next in line to be chief justice.

Hawaii

Honolulu: Towering waves on Hawaii’s south shores crashed into homes and businesses, spilled across highways and upended weddings over the weekend. The large waves – some more than 20 feet high – came from a combination of a strong south swell that peaked Saturday night, particularly high tides and rising sea levels associated with climate change, the National Weather Service said Monday. A wedding Saturday night in Kailua-Kona was interrupted when a set of large waves swamped the event, sending tables and chairs crashing toward guests.

Idaho

Twin Falls: The Idaho Republican Party has rejected adding language to their platform to allow an abortion to save the life of the mother. KMVT-TV reported a majority of the roughly 700 delegates from across the state rejected the change to the party’s existing platform during its three-day convention that ended Saturday. The platform does not have the force of law but states the party’s position it wants Republicans in elected office to follow. Delegates also chose U.S. Rep. Dorothy Moon to replace more moderate Tom Luna as the party’s chair. Moon ran unsuccessfully in the Republican primary in May for secretary of state, contending the 2020 presidential election was fraudulent and Joe Biden wasn’t president.

Illinois

Springfield:Gov. JB Pritzker has tested positive for the coronavirus. The governor’s press team sent out a release Tuesday morning which said the governor tested positive after being notified of several close contacts. “I’ve tested positive for COVID-19 and am experiencing mild symptoms,” the governor said on Twitter. Pritzker will work from home until he is feeling better. The governor is fully vaccinated and double-boosted, according to his press office. Last week, the governor signed an updated executive order that amends testing requirements for some unvaccinated health care employees and removes mandates for some other industries, including schools.

Indiana

Indianapolis: The state sales tax on gasoline will rise slightly starting Aug. 1 even though pump prices have dropped more than 11% from a month ago. A total of 62.4 cents per gallon in state taxes will be charged during August, the Indiana Department of Revenue announced Monday. That will be up three-tenths of a cent from July’s record-high rate based on the agency’s calculations of statewide average gasoline prices over the past month – despite AAA reporting Indiana’s average price dropping to $4.58 a gallon as of Monday from $5.15 a month earlier. Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb and GOP legislative leaders have rejected calls from Democrats since March to temporarily suspend state gas taxes to aid residents amid the high national inflation rate. Holcomb, instead, has asked legislators to approve $225 payments from the growing state budget surplus to all taxpayers during a special legislative session that starts next week.

Iowa

Des Moines: A former lottery computer technician convicted in a scheme to rig computers to win jackpots for himself, friends and family has been paroled after serving more than five years in prison. Eddie Tipton, 59, was released from prison Friday, according to online prisoner records. Tipton pleaded guilty to ongoing criminal conduct in 2017 and was ordered to pay restitution of $2.2 million to Colorado, Wisconsin, Kansas and Oklahoma. He shared some of the restitution obligation with his brother in Texas, who collected some of the winnings and served a 75-day jail sentence. It’s not known what happened to the money Tipton and his associates won between 2005 and 2011. Out of the seven known winning tickets that netted more than $2.2 million, Eddie Tipton claimed to have ended up with only $351,000.

Kansas

South Hutchinson: A small fire in a vacant store under remodel in a strip mall led to the evacuation Monday of several other businesses in the center. The fire was discovered on the back of the building at 507 N. Main St. just after 10:30 a.m., said South Hutchinson Fire Chief Shae Barajas-Brooks. South Hutchinson dispatched two trucks and called for assistance from Hutchinson for one truck as backup because of the size of the building, which contains six storefronts, including a Dollar General, local pharmacy and liquor store. The local fire units knocked the fire down while Hutchinson firefighters helped open the roof to vent smoke. Also assisting were the South Hutchinson Police and Hutchinson Police departments and the Reno County Sheriff’s Office, who blocked streets so lines could be laid and evacuated the other buildings. The Fire Marshal was investigating the cause, but preliminary investigation indicated it was an accidental electrical fire.

Kentucky

Louisville: The Kentucky State Fair is hiring workers for next month’s festival in Louisville. News outlets reported the fair is hiring workers for dozens of roles including admission, traffic control, guest services, operations, maintenance, outdoor cleanup and housekeeping. Morning, day, evening and overnight shifts that include indoor and outdoor work are available, the fair said in a news release. The fair runs from Aug. 18 through Aug. 28 at the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville. Hiring will take place through Aug. 28. Pay ranges from $11 to $13.50 an hour, and can be $16 to $20.25 during overtime. Those who apply must be at least 18 years old and have a photo identification and social security card. Those interested can apply on the fair’s website and by calling the fair’s human resources department. Applicants can also visit the exposition center for hiring from Wednesday through Friday.

Louisiana

Bridge City: Another group of six youths has escaped from a suburban New Orleans juvenile detention center that was rocked by a June riot. The Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office said the six broke out of the Bridge City Center for Youth about 2:30 a.m. Sunday. Five were recaptured after stealing a vehicle. A sixth youth, a 17-year-old from Orleans Parish, is still on the loose. It’s the fourth escape this year from the facility. Jefferson Parish officials are pushing to close it after a June riot in which 20 juveniles took over parts of the complex. No one escaped during the uprising, but nearby residents said they feel unsafe.

Maine

Augusta: A judge has granted class-action status for an American Civil Liberties Union of Maine lawsuit over the system that provides attorneys to those who can’t afford them. The lawsuit contended there’s a failure to train, supervise and adequately fund a system to ensure the constitutional right to effective counsel. It originally named five defendants. The ruling by Kennebec County Superior Justice Michaela Murphy late last week means it’ll become a class-action suit with plaintiffs numbering in the thousands in the state. Maine is the only state in the nation without a public defender’s office for people who cannot afford to hire an attorney. Instead, the state relies on private attorneys who are reimbursed by the state and the number of lawyers willing to take court-appointed cases has declined in recent years.

Maryland

Piney Point: Searchers found the body of a 10-year-old girl who disappeared while swimming in southern Maryland over the weekend, authorities said Monday. Genesi Elizabeth Sosa-Bonilla was found dead near where she was last seen in the water on Sunday, the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release. The sheriff’s office, Maryland Department of Natural Resources and members of volunteer fire and rescue companies responded to Camp Merryelande in Piney Point about 1 p.m. Sunday for a report of swimmers in distress, the sheriff’s office said. Two 10-year-olds and a man were swimming when the current pulled them farther out into the Potomac River. The man was able to swim to shore and people nearby were able to rescue one of the two children from the water, the sheriff’s office said. The U.S. Coast Coast and agencies from Maryland and Virginia were involved in the search that continued overnight into Monday.

Massachusetts

Boston: Lawmakers approved a $52.7 billion state budget Monday, more than two weeks into the state’s new fiscal year. The unanimous votes in both chambers came after a six-member House and Senate conference committee finished hammering out the details of the final compromise budget plan over the weekend. The agreement was crafted after each chamber approved their own versions of the spending plan earlier in the year. The budget – which now heads to Republican Gov. Charlie Baker for his signature – does not include any new broad-based taxes.

Michigan

Greenville: The FBI on Monday raided a western Michigan company that manufactures aluminum alloy wheels for automotive giants Ford, General Motors, Stellantis, Honda, Toyota and Nissan. According to FBI spokesperson Mara Schneider, the FBI executed a search warrant at Dicastal North America in Greenville on Monday morning. She provided no other details, beyond saying the investigation is ongoing, though the Detroit Free Press has learned from a source familiar with the raid that computers were seized and employees were sent home.

Minnesota

Morris: Local leaders in this western Minnesota city have voted to disband the police department, which has dwindled to just two officers, including the chief. The city of Morris, like other communities across the country, is dealing with changing attitudes about policing and challenges in recruiting and retaining officers. Morris, with a population of about 5,200 residents, has budgeted for eight full-time officers and an administrative specialist. The Morris City Council plans to sign a contract for law enforcement services with the Stevens County Sheriff’s Office and shut down a police department that has been around for more than 140 years.

Mississippi

Pass Christian: A lawsuit alleges that a Mississippi high school soccer player with a rare skin disease was bullied and physically assaulted for months, with school officials failing to respond. The parents of the 15-year-old boy have sued the Pass Christian school district, a principal and Jones College in Ellisville, seeking unspecified damages, saying all three failed to protect their son. The Sun Herald reported the lawsuit said the student has Darier disease, which can cause wart-like blemishes to flare up on skin that is contaminated or irritated. The parents said soccer teammates would rub muscle pain ointment or bleach on their son’s socks, or drag his clothes through the dirt, mostly during practice or before games in the 2020-21 school year. The assaults intensified when the team attended soccer camp in June 2021 at Jones College, a community college in Ellisville, the suit alleged. There, it claimed players stripped off the boy’s clothes, poured hot liquids on the boy’s face, or shoved a canned sausage in his throat, and that the players showed videos of the assaults on social media.

Missouri

St. Charles: Police said a convenience store customer shot and killed an armed robber in a St. Louis suburb early Saturday. The QuikTrip customer, who St. Charles police identified only as a 26-year-old man from St. Louis, grabbed a gun from his vehicle and confronted the robber after he saw the man grab the clerk and hold a knife to her throat, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Police said investigators believed the suspect was also responsible for a burglary and second robbery at two other gas stations that happened shortly before he went to the QuikTrip about 3:20 a.m. Saturday. He was also driving a black Toyota Highlander that had been reported stolen on Friday. St. Charles police said the suspect who died was 26-year-old Lance Bush of St. Louis who was homeless. But they wouldn’t identify the customer who shot him until prosecutors review the incident to determine if the killing was justified.

Montana

Helena: A California woman who was fatally mauled by a grizzly bear in western Montana last summer was the victim of a rare predatory attack by a food-conditioned bear that was likely attracted to food in and near her tent and scents left behind from recent Independence Day picnics, wildlife officials said. Leah Davis Lokan, 65, of Chico was pulled out of her tent and mauled in the predawn hours of July 6, 2021, in the small town of Ovando, along the banks of the Blackfoot River, made famous by the movie “A River Runs Through It.” The town borders a huge expanse of forested land that is home to an estimated 1,000 grizzlies. About an hour before the mauling, the bear had approached the tents of Lokan and a Texas couple who were camping behind a museum. They were able to scare the bear away. Lokan, a retired nurse, told the couple that the bear “huffed at my head,” according to the incident report by the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee’s Board of Review. Lokan declined an offer to go sleep at a hotel where her sister and their friend were staying, investigators reported. The women were participating in a long-anticipated bike ride along the Great Divide Mountain route. The bear that mauled Lokan was shot thee days later while raiding a chicken coop near Ovando. DNA tests confirmed it was the same grizzly that also raided a different chicken coop in the hours after the mauling. The bear was 4 to 7 years old, investigators said.

Nebraska

Torrington: The body of a missing kayaker was recovered early Monday from the North Platte River, authorities said, the Lincoln Journal Star reported. The victim’s identity has not been released, except a report that it is a 48-year-old woman.

Nevada

Reno: Incumbent Democrats have raised more than their Republican opponents in every statewide race, according to the latest expense reports. The reports, filed Friday, document fundraising and spending from April 1 to June 30. In the governor’s race, incumbent Steve Sisolak raised almost $3.3 million, and Republican opponent Joe Lombardo raised $1.65 million. Yet, Lombardo outspent Sisolak during the quarter by just over $2 million.

New Hampshire

Carroll: New Hampshire’s latest historical marker commemorates clergyman Henry Ward Beecher’s open-air sermon site from the 1870s near a glacial boulder in the White Mountains area. Beecher, an abolitionist, proponent of women’s suffrage, and brother to author Harriet Beecher Stowe, came to the area to escape seasonal allergies, according to the marker installed near the intersection of Routes 3 and 302 in a part of Carroll known as Twin Mountain. “While a guest at the Twin Mountain House, located near this site, Beecher conducted sermons that sometimes drew crowds over 1,000,” the marker said. The marker was unveiled earlier this month as part of Carroll’s 250th anniversary celebration. It is the 274th marker in New Hampshire’s Historical Highway Marker program.

New Jersey

Clifton: A former silk mill and textile manufacturing building that dates to the Industrial Revolution will be demolished to make room for a residential building if city zoning officials approve the proposal. The owners of International Veiling Corp. are seeking zoning board approval to raze the three-story red brick building with large metal multipaned windows and replace it with modern apartments. The Wiley family has led International Veiling for three generations, guiding the textile company since 1904. The company, a mill for the spinning of broadcloth and ribbons, was set up in the Hazel Street building that dates to the early 1880s.

New Mexico

Breadsprings: Efforts continue on building a museum in Tsé Bonito that honors the Diné men who used the Navajo language to transmit secret military messages during World War II. Although there have been some studies done on the land that will hold the museum, the project needs money, presenters told New Mexico lawmakers on the Indian Affairs Committee during a July 11 meeting at the Bááháálí Chapter house. With four code talkers still alive, it is urgent to have the museum built and operating, said Regan Hawthorne, chief executive officer of the Navajo Code Talkers Museum Inc. His father, Roy, was part of the elite group that numbered about 400. The elder Hawthorne died in April 2018. Approximately 300 acres has been designated for the structure near the Navajo Division of Transportation complex and its cost is estimated at $46.6 million.

New York

New York City: Street repairs were underway Tuesday after a van fell into a giant sinkhole in the Bronx. A sinkhole the length of three cars opened on Radcliff Avenue in the Morris Park neighborhood after heavy rain Monday. Videos that aired on local news stations showed a white van tip over on its left side and then plunge into the hole. The van’s owner told reporters at the scene that he wasn’t worried. “I’m all right,” he said. “Lose the van … it’s life.” The sinkhole was being filled on Tuesday and the New York City Department of Environmental Protection was investigating the cause of the roadway collapse, department spokesperson Edward Timbers said. Meanwhile, the van was hoisted out of the hole and set upright; the owner got in and drove it off, Timbers said.

North Carolina

Holden Beach: A shore-based shark fishing tournament has been rescheduled after coastal officials expressed concerns about the event’s impact on tourism. Event organizer Marty Wright said fishermen could fish for sharks from Ocean Isle Beach to Oak Island, and that participants would only be using baitfish dropped from kayaks about 300 to 600 feet offshore, WWAY reported. The event was scheduled for last weekend, but it was moved to October after Wright said he received a call from Oak Island’s mayor asking him to move the event to after Labor Day, when there are fewer swimmers at the beach.

North Dakota

Bismarck: Animal health officials are ending a ban on poultry events that was instituted when cases of bird flu were on the rise. However, the decision by the State Board of Animal Health came too late for State Fair poultry exhibits this year. The board in March canceled all shows, public sales and exhibitions of poultry within the state at the request of the North Dakota Turkey Federation to help stem the spread of the bird flu. Private sales, catalog sales and retail sales were still allowed. Early last month, the board extended the ban indefinitely. But, now that summer weather and bird migration has decreased the risk of avian influenza, the board has lifted the ban. But State Fair organizers said they don’t have enough time to arrange for poultry shows this year. The fair begins Friday in Minot.

Ohio

Columbus: A conservative podcaster who has embraced former President Donald Trump’s claims the 2020 election was stolen will be on the November ballot for Ohio secretary of state. Terpsehore Tore Maras gathered more than the required 5,000 signatures to get on the ballot as an independent, Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose said. Maras will face LaRose and Democratic nominee Chelsea Clark in November for the job of overseeing Ohio’s elections. She initially sought to challenge LaRose in the May Republican primary, but could not make that ballot.

Oklahoma

Oklahoma City: The City Council established a human rights commission Tuesday for the first time since 1996. The nine-member commission will be charged with investigating and addressing complaints about employment, housing and public accommodations discrimination. The City Council approved forming the commission by 5-4 vote, with councilmembers Bradley Carter, Barbara Young, David Greenwell and Mark Stonecipher voting against. The previous human rights commission was disbanded by the City Council in 1996 after commissioners sought to extend protection to the city’s LGBTQ+ residents.

Oregon

Eugene: A judge has sentenced a 27-year-old man to at least 50 years in prison for the murder of his grandparents. Nicholas Borden-Cortez was sentenced last week in Lane County for two counts of first-degree murder, The Register-Guard reported. Borden-Cortez pleaded guilty in June to the May 6, 2021, murder of 85-year-old Nancy Loucks-Morris and 87-year-old Gerald Morris. As part of his guilty plea, prosecutors dropped two charges of second-degree abuse of a corpse and a charge of attempting to elude a police officer, as well as a separate but related case with two charges of unlawful firearm use. Investigators found his grandparents dead inside a home in the Falconwood Mobile Home Park, police said. Later that day, police named Borden-Cortez as a suspect. Borden-Cortez was arrested on May 7, 2021, in Springfield after a vehicle chase. Police said he initially challenged officers to shoot him before he was taken into custody. Borden-Cortez will be eligible for parole after serving a minimum 50 years of his sentence.

Pennsylvania

Philadelphia: The first of six people charged with setting fire to police vehicles in Philadelphia during the 2020 protests after the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police has been sentenced. Ayoub Tabri, 25, was sentenced Monday to 364 days behind bars – less time than he has already served in custody, and short enough to avoid triggering deportation proceedings for the Moroccan immigrant. Attorneys for Tabri, of Arlington, Va., said the green card holder has been in the U.S. since he was 6. A longer sentence, which he and the others faced under the original arson charges that carried a minimum sentence of seven years in prison, could have sent him to a country where he knew no one and didn’t speak the language, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported. Former U.S. Attorney Bill McSwain had vowed to pursue the harsher arson charges against the six people arrested. After he left office last year, federal prosecutors worked out plea deals with a handful of those defendants, including Tabri and Lore-Elizabeth Blumenthal. Still, prosecutors argued for a longer sentence in court Monday. Tabri pleaded guilty in March to one count of obstructing law enforcement during civil disorder, according to court records. Once released, Tabri will serve three years probation and have to pay about $87,000 in restitution for the Pennsylvania State Police car destroyed after he and others threw lit road flares into the vehicle.

Rhode Island

East Providence: Two on-ramps in East Providence that connect to westbound Route 195, just before the Washington Bridge, will be closed for four days starting July 28, as the state moves the ramps to free up land. The ramps onto Route 195 west, from Veterans Memorial Parkway and Warren Avenue, will be closed starting at 8 p.m. July 28, through 6 a.m. Aug. 1, Department of Transportation Spokesman Charles St. Martin wrote in a news release. Traffic from the two ramps merge before being directed onto Route 195. The ramps need to be moved slightly to the south so work can begin on a new off-ramp onto Waterfront Drive, part of the larger $78 million Washington Bridge project, which lasts until 2026. That exit is expected to open in two years and allow for easier access to the East Providence waterfront and the east side of Providence, St. Martin wrote.

South Carolina

Spartanburg: City Councilwoman Meghan Smith has been named to a short list of prospective candidates for lieutenant governor by Democratic gubernatorial nominee Joe Cunningham. Smith is among nine people on Cunningham’s short list. Reached Monday, Smith said she is “very humbled and honored.” The others on the short list include: Tally Parham Casey, CEO of Wyche Law Firm, and first female fighter pilot in the South Carolina Air National Guard; Rosalyn Glenn, financial planner and former Democratic nominee for state treasurer; state Rep. Jermaine Johnson, a small business owner and former professional basketball player; state Rep. Kimberly O. Johnson, assistant director of the F. E. DuBose Career Center; Ed Sutton, and Air Force pilot and commercial realtor; state Rep. Spencer Wetmore, a former prosecutor and former city administrator for Folly Beach; Kathryn Whitaker, chief marketing officer of Burr & Forman, LLP; and Teresa Wilson, city manager for the city of Columbia.

South Dakota

Aberdeen: The National Weather Service said it has issued 561 severe thunderstorm warnings in the state as of July 5. That’s 131 more than in 2007, when the previous record for that time frame was set. “But you know, this is just the first half of the season, so you got to kind of take that into account comparing that to the previous seasons,” said Ryan Vipond, NWS meteorologist in Aberdeen. Although there does appear to be an increasing trend in the number of severe thunderstorms, the National Weather Service said it’s important to note the way storms are predicted has become more precise and the standards have changed over time, South Dakota Public Broadcasting reported. State climatologist Laura Edwards said it’s too early to say what’s causing the increase in storms this year.

Tennessee

Knoxville: Officials are conducting a census to learn more about the economic impact and demographics of the equine industry in the state. The University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture and the state Department of Agriculture are handling the project. Data will be used to assist with future state programs, support and resources for the equine industry, the institute said in a news release. Anyone who owns or leases a horse or other member of the horse family or who is involved with the industry can participate. Local barns, farriers, veterinarians, trainers, coaches, feed and forage producers, equine service providers and others involved in the industry are included, the release said. To complete the survey, go online to UTHorse.com and look for the Tennessee Equine Census logo. The census will continue through Aug. 15. Participants must be over the age of 18 and live in the U.S.

Texas

Graford: A wildfire has burned at least five homes and resulted in about 300 homes being evacuated around a lake in north Texas amid sweltering temperatures and dry conditions, authorities said. The residents returned home Tuesday, according to Texas A&M Forest Service spokesperson Adam Turner. The fire at Possum Kingdom Lake about 95 miles west of Dallas began Monday afternoon, has burned about 500 acres and was 10% contained Tuesday, Turner said. No injuries have been reported and the cause was under investigation, but it isn’t believed to have been intentionally set, Turner said. Turner has said drought conditions in the region have left the area ripe for fire. The National Weather Service has issued a Red Flag fire warning for the area for Tuesday, in addition to an excessive heat warning with high temperatures near 110 degrees Fahrenheit.

Utah

Salt Lake City: A man pleaded guilty Tuesday to fatally shooting his mother and three siblings when he was a teenager in 2020. Colin “CJ” Haynie, 19, killed his his mother and one of his sisters as they returned from her school pickup, then waited for two more siblings to arrive home and killed them, prosecutors said. His father came back to the home later that night and was shot in the leg but survived after wrestling the gun away from his son. After the father subdued him, the then 16-year-old said he had planned to kill everyone in his family at their home in the small town of Grantsville, near Salt Lake City, authorities said. Authorities have said they don’t know his motive. CJ Haynie pleaded guilty to four counts of aggravated murder and one count of attempted murder on Tuesday. Several other weapons charges were dismissed in the plea agreement, court documents showed. He had been charged as an adult by prosecutors because of the seriousness of the crime. The family’s oldest child, Danny, was not home at the time of the shootings. At a funeral for the family members in 2020 at their local Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ congregation, Danny said CJ was still loved and part of the family. Sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 7. Aggravated murder in Utah typically carries the possibility of the death penalty, but state prosecutors cannot seek it for people convicted of crimes that happened when they were under 18, even if their their cases are moved to adult court. So Haynie faces a prison sentence of 25 years to life for each aggravated murder conviction under state law.

Vermont

Newbury: Fire has gutted an historic schoolhouse in Wells River. Firefighters from Vermont and New Hampshire said the flames were in the roof when they responded within minutes of the call on Monday, WCAX-TV reported. Three hours later, flames were visible in the steeple of the old grade school. The 1870s building is on the the National Register of Historic Places but hasn’t been used as a school since the 1970s. It has had various commercial and residential uses since then.

Virginia

Williamsburg: Archaeologists began excavating three suspected graves at the original site of one of the nation’s oldest Black churches on Monday, commencing a monthslong effort to learn who was buried there and how they lived. The First Baptist Church was formed in 1776 by free and enslaved Black people in Williamsburg, the colonial capital of Virginia. Members initially met secretly in fields and under trees in defiance of laws that prevented African Americans from congregating. A total of 41 apparent burial plots have been identified. Most are 4 to 6 feet long and up to 2 feet wide. The soil is discolored in places where holes were likely dug and filled back in. Only one grave appears to be marked, with an upside-down empty wine bottle. Before excavations began Monday, a private blessing was held. First Baptist’s original church was destroyed by a tornado in 1834. The second structure, built in 1856, stood there for a century. That building was bought in 1956 and razed to build a parking lot for Colonial Williamsburg, a living history museum that was expanding at the time and that now has more than 400 structures.

Washington

Seattle: As midterm voting kicks into high gear, Republican activists in Washington are organizing surveillance of ballot drop boxes, generating complaints and concern from some elections officials. Signs were posted near ballot boxes in several Seattle-area locations over the weekend. They had red letters warning the boxes are “Under Surveillance” and stating that accepting money “for harvesting or depositing ballots” might violate federal law, the Seattle Times reported. A scannable code on the signs pointed to a section of the King County Republican Party website with a form encouraging people to submit “election incident” reports, including photos and video. Although it is legal for people to observe the county’s 76 ballot boxes, which are located on public property, the signs raised concerns about possible intimidation. King County Elections has notified the County Prosecutor’s Office “to check on the legality” of the effort.

West Virginia

Clendenin: Three shop students and their teacher from Herbert Hoover High School in Clendenin are working this summer to build furniture for the new Intermediate Court of Appeals courtrooms. The school won the bid to produce benches, podiums and tabletops for the main courtroom in Charleston and five satellite courtrooms. The satellite courtrooms in Grant, Lewis, Morgan, Raleigh and Wetzel counties will allow parties to virtually argue cases.

Wisconsin

Madison: Wildlife officials said they don’t know when they will release their new wolf management plan after initially saying the document would come out this spring. The Department of Natural Resources’ wolf management plan dates to 1999 and calls for capping the statewide population at 350 animals. Wolf hunt supporters have repeated cited that number as justification for higher quotas. The DNR’s latest population estimates, compiled over the winter of 2020-21, put the number of wolves roaming the state at 1,126. DNR officials began working a stakeholder committee last year to draft a new plan. The department’s timeline called for releasing the draft for public review in the spring of 2022. The department has yet to put out anything and DNR spokeswoman Sarah Hoye said she didn’t have a release date. A federal judge placed most wolves in the continental United States back on the endangered species list in February, outlawing wolf hunting in those states, including Wisconsin.

Wyoming

Casper: The state Bureau of Land Management began fire restrictions for its land in Campbell County on Monday because of especially hot and dry weather, the Casper Star Tribune reported. On Friday, the same rules go into effect on BLM lands in Weston and Cook counties.