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TOKYO (AP) — A man set himself on fire near the Japanese prime minister’s office in Tokyo early Wednesday in apparent protest against the state funeral planned next week for former leader Shinzo Abe, officials and media reports said.
The man, believed to be in his 70s, sustained burns on large parts of his body but was conscious and told police that he set himself on fire after pouring oil over himself, Kyodo News agency reported.
A note apparently written by the man was found with him that said, “Personally, I am absolutely against” Abe’s funeral, Kyodo reported.
A Tokyo Fire Department official confirmed a man set himself afire on the street in Tokyo’s Kasumigaseki government district and that he was alive when he was taken to a hospital by ambulance, but declined to give further details, including the man’s identity, motive or condition, citing the sensitivity of what was a police matter.
Tokyo police refused to comment, including on a report that a police officer was caught in the fire.
The suspected immolation underscores a growing wave of protests against the funeral for Abe, who was one of the most divisive leaders in postwar Japanese politics because of his revisionist view of wartime history, security policies and his high-handed approach and cronyism, which were often criticized as autocratic. More protests are expected in coming days, including the day of the funeral next week.
The incident also is an embarrassment for Japanese police, who have stepped up security for an event expected to be attended by about 6,000 people, including U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and other dignitaries.
Japanese police were also partly blamed for insufficient protection of Abe, who was shot to death by a gunman who approached him from behind as he was giving a campaign speech outdoors in July.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is in New York for the annual U.N. General Assembly meeting of world leaders. He gave a speech Tuesday expressing disappointment over the Security Council’s failure to respond to the Russian invasion of Ukraine because of Russia’s permanent veto and called for reforms that would allow the U.N. to better defend global peace and order.
The planned state funeral for Abe has become increasingly unpopular among Japanese as more details emerge about the ruling party’s and Abe’s links to the Unification Church, which built close ties with Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers over their shared interests in conservative causes.
The suspect in Abe’s assassination reportedly believed his mother’s donations to the church ruined his family. The LDP has said nearly half its lawmakers have ties to the church, but party officials have denied ties between the party as an organization and the church.
Kishida has said Abe deserves the honor of a state funeral as Japan’s longest-serving post-World War II leader and for his diplomatic and economic achievements.
Critics have said it was decided undemocratically and is an inappropriate and costly use of taxpayers’ money. They say Kishida in deciding to hold a state funeral aimed to please Abe’s party faction and buttress his own power. Support ratings for Kishida’s government have weakened amid public dissatisfaction over his handling of the party’s church ties and the funeral plans.
A family funeral for Abe was held at a Buddhist temple in July. The state funeral is scheduled for next Tuesday at the Budokan martial arts arena in Tokyo.
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| 2022-09-21T07:18:33Z
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UNITED NATIONS (AP) — It was 31 years ago when the Marshall Islands’ first president, Amata Kabua, appeared before the U.N. General Assembly to sound the alarm over global warming. Today, his son — current president David Kabua — is still sounding the alarm, which has only gotten more dire.
Speaking to world leaders gathered at the high-level leaders’ meeting Tuesday, the younger Kabua described the longstanding fight to keep his low-lying island nation above water.
“Today, we renew our call to the world to declare total war on this century’s greatest challenge — the climate change monster,” he said.
Kabua bemoaned the fact that after so many years, “the world has failed to break our addiction to fossil fuels.”
“We are not investing enough in life-saving adaptation, particularly for small island states,” he said.
He urged world leaders to drastically increase renewable energy while also taking on sectors that rely on fossil fuels, including aviation and shipping. He pointed to the Marshall Islands’ carbon levy proposal for international shipping that he says “will drive the transition to zero emission shipping, channeling resources from polluters to the most vulnerable.”
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has likewise encouraged going after the world’s largest polluters. During his opening remarks to the assembly on Tuesday, he pushed for richer countries to tax the profits of energy companies and redirect the funds to both “countries suffering loss and damage caused by the climate crisis” and those struggling with the rising cost of living.
Kabua, along with the leaders of Tuvalu and Kiribati, plan to launch the Rising Nations Initiative on Wednesday to press for innovative efforts among Pacific atoll island countries to combat climate change.
Also on Tuesday, Kabua described his growing concerns over nuclear weapons testing and detonation, calling the Marshall Islands “ground zero for the testing of the 67 nuclear and thermonuclear weapons for 12 years during the U.N.-U.S.-administered trusteeship era.”
“The exposure of our people and land has created impacts that have lasted – and will last – for generations,” Kabua said. “These impacts to our human rights, land, culture, health and lives, are burdens that no other nation or country should ever have to bear.”
___
Pia Sarkar, a Philadelphia-based journalist for The Associated Press, is on assignment covering the U.N. General Assembly. Follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/PiaSarkar_TK and for more AP coverage of the U.N. General Assembly, visit https://apnews.com/hub/united-nations-general-assembly
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| 2022-09-21T07:18:39Z
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ON LEECH LAKE, Minnesota (AP) — Seated low in her canoe sliding through a rice bed on this vast lake, Kendra Haugen used one wooden stick to bend the stalks and another to knock the rice off, so gently the stalks sprung right back up.
On a mid-September morning, no breeze ruffled the eagle feather gifted by her grandmother that Haugen wore on a baseball cap as she tried her hand at wild rice harvesting — a sacred process for her Ojibwe people.
“A lot of reservations are struggling to keep rice beds, so it’s really important to keep these as pristine as we can. … It renews our rice beds for the future,” the 23-year-old college student said.
Wild rice, or manoomin (good seed) in Ojibwe, is sacred to Indigenous peoples in the Great Lakes region, because it’s part of their creation story — and because for centuries it staved off starvation during harsh winters.
“In our origin story, we were told to go where food grew on water,” said Elaine Fleming, a Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe elder whose manoomin class at Leech Lake Tribal College went harvesting last week. “It’s our sacred food.”
But changing climate, invasive species and pollution are threatening the plant even as its cultivated sibling rises in popularity nationwide as an exceptionally nutritious food, though often priced out of reach of urban Indigenous communities.
Those threats make it crucial to teach young band members to harvest wild rice respecting both rituals and the environment. That will help wild rice remain available as an essential element for ceremonies, but also as a much-needed income generator for the Leech Lake reservation, where nearly 40% of Native residents live in poverty.
The basic instructions for newbies reflect that dual reality — respect the rice by not breaking the stems, and if you lose balance, jump out to avoid tipping the canoe with its precious cargo.
Fleming gave everyone tobacco from a zip-close bag. Before scattering it on the calm water and setting out, the youths gathered around another elder praying in Ojibwe — to introduce the group to the natural elements around them, explain why it needed their help, ask for safe passage on the water and give thanks.
“Any time you take something from the earth, you want to thank the earth for what she’s given us,” said Kelsey Burns, a student and first-time ricer.
That reciprocity between humans and nature is essential to Ojibwe spirituality. In their stories, the Creator, before bringing to the earth Anishinaabe, the first Indigenous person, gathered all animals to ask how they could help.
“Plants were listening and chimed in and said, ‘We have gifts too, so Anishinaabe can have a good life,’” Fleming explained. “Rice said, ‘We’ll feed Anishinaabe.’”
In two hours on the water, the pairs of polers, who stood steering with 20-foot poles, and knockers, who rained rice into the canoe until it formed a thick, green-brown carpet, gathered about 35 pounds. Experienced ricers can harvest a quarter ton a day.
This year, they can get $6 per pound of rice, a high price because the two-week harvest is particularly meager, said Ryan White. A 44-year-old single dad, he takes his two boys and a nephew ricing to help cover the bills and for the kids to buy video games.
“You learn the essence of hard work out here,” he said while knocking rice on a recent afternoon, with duct tape over his trousers’ hem and shoes so not a grain would be wasted.
“Cleaning the boat real good,” White explained later as he swiped the rice into a sack. “Because of stories we heard of old times, when … even a handful like this meant a meal or two for the kids, and at the end of winter it actually might save your family.”
“That manoomin is our brother, that saved us as a people many different ways,” said Dave Bismarck, who was loading about 200 pounds of just-harvested rice at a nearby landing. “Ricing to me is real spiritual. There’s a lot who have gone home already, and when I’m ricing, the harder I work … the closer I am to them.”
But the beds are “continually shrinking,” said White, who’s been ricing for three decades. And that endangers wild rice’s spiritual and economic gifts.
While some natural cycling is normal, bad years for wild rice are becoming more frequent, said Ann Geisen, a wildlife lake specialist with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
“It seems to be tied to climate change,” she added. “Bigger storm events when it’s uprooted and wiped out, we seem to have more of these. A big bounce (in water levels) in the spring can wipe out an entire lake.”
A warming climate can also damage the plant, whose seeds need to be close to freezing on shallow lake bottoms for months to germinate well, and brings destructive invasive species and fungi to Minnesota, Wisconsin and parts of Canada, wild rice’s only natural habitats.
“It’s going to completely ravish natural stands,” said Jenny Kimball, a professor of agronomy and plant genetics at the University of Minnesota. She works on both conservation and developing more resistant breeds for cultivated wild rice growers, an industry she estimates adds about $58 million to the state economy and has far outpaced natural production for decades.
Most Ojibwe bands want to save natural stands, however, and several recently filed lawsuits fighting water contamination — including one dismissed this year in White Earth tribal court that named manoomin as the lead plaintiff in a novel “rights of nature” approach.
The suit accused the state of failing to protect water where wild rice grows by allowing the pumping of billions of gallons of groundwater from an oil pipeline project.
In July, two other northern Minnesota tribes sued the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency over its approval of state changes to water quality standards that the tribes allege would increase pollution and damage wild rice.
Leech Lake students and faculty discussed industrial pollution and controversial pipelines as they gathered outside the college for a feast celebrating their first day harvesting.
Before cooking the rice, they had to parch it, stirring it in a giant iron kettle for more than an hour; jiggle the husks loose by dancing over it as it lay in a hide-covered hole in the ground; and finally winnow it in birchbark baskets.
“We understand our responsibility, as nation, to this land. We’re supposed to think seven generations to the future,” Fleming said.
Burns, the student, was thinking of her son, who’s 5.
“I like learning everything that I can about our culture,” she said. “I didn’t learn much when I was younger, so I felt a part of me was missing. I want to keep teaching everything I learn.”
___
Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
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| 2022-09-21T07:18:52Z
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NEW YORK (AP) — New York City will lift its COVID-19 vaccine mandate for private-sector employers on Nov. 1, Mayor Eric Adams said Tuesday in another sign of the city’s gradual return to pre-pandemic norms.
The city began requiring almost all private businesses to ban unvaccinated employees from the workplace in December 2021, just as the Omicron wave began claiming hundreds of lives in the city. It remains the largest place in the U.S. to have made vaccines mandatory as a workplace safety measure.
Some workers who refused the shots were fired. The mandate also grabbed attention for its potential impact on professional sports, though just before the Yankees and Mets began their seasons, Adams gave a special exemption to athletes and entertainers. Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving had famously been barred from playing in home games because of the city’s vaccine rules.
Adams, a Democrat, announced the relaxation of the rules at a City Hall news conference where he got his own updated COVID-19 booster shot. Employers will be free to continue requiring workers to get vaccinated as a condition of employment.
“This puts the choice in the hands of New York businesses,” Adams said.
Proof of vaccination will for the time being still be required for municipal workers, including police officers, firefighters and teachers, the mayor said. The city is still in the process of firing hundreds of workers who refused the shots.
“We’re in a steady phase of pivot and shift. We do things, we roll things out slowly. Right now, that is not on the radar for us,” he said.
Most Broadway theaters stopped requiring proof of vaccination over the summer, and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced this month that masks were no longer required on public transportation, including subway trains and stations.
Asked about the differing rules for public and private employees, city Health Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan said, “We’re looking at all of our policies and thinking about a glide path towards normal.”
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| 2022-09-21T07:19:04Z
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LAS VEGAS (AP) — A local elected official got court-appointed attorneys during his arraignment on Tuesday in the stabbing death of a Las Vegas investigative journalist who wrote articles critical of him and his managerial conduct.
Robert Richard Telles, the Clark County public administrator, stood in court with shackles on his wrists, waist and ankles — but no longer with bandages on his forearms — while a Las Vegas judge told him he was charged with the “unlawful, senseless and heinous murder” on Sept. 2 of veteran Las Vegas Review-Journal staff writer Jeff German.
Telles spoke only to acknowledge that he understood the charge. He was not asked to enter a plea. Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Pro Tem William Jansen scheduled an Oct. 26 preliminary hearing of evidence to determine if Telles should stand trial in state court. A plea would be entered at that time.
Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson has said he will determine in coming weeks whether Telles, 45, will face the death penalty. German was 69, and prosecutors added an age enhancement to the charge against Telles.
Edward Kane, a veteran deputy Clark County public defender, told Jansen that Telles would not immediately seek bail and that his office would determine whether Telles can afford his own attorney. The judge let Telles’ previous attorney, Travis Shetler, withdraw from the case.
Kane and colleague David Lopez-Negrete declined to comment outside of court.
Wolfson said after the hearing that he’s seeking a court order to remove Telles from his elected position heading the county office that handles the assets of people who die without a will or family contacts. Such court action could take several weeks.
Wolfson said Telles, who has been jailed since Sept. 7, is “unable to perform his duties.” Police said Telles was hospitalized briefly after his arrest for treatment of “self-inflicted” injuries to his arms.
Telles’ term in office expires Dec. 31, but Clark County officials said he was been banned from county offices or property pending a review of his position as an elected official.
Telles is accused in a criminal complaint of “lying in wait” for German, who authorities say was stabbed seven times. German lived alone, and his body was found the following day. The Clark County coroner ruled his death a homicide.
Telles was arrested several days later, after police asked for help during the Labor Day weekend to identify a person seen wearing an orange work shirt and a wide-brim straw hat toting a shoulder bag and walking toward German’s home on the morning of Sept. 2. Police also released images of a distinctive SUV seen near German’s home that was driven by a person wearing an orange shirt.
A Review-Journal photographer snapped photos Sept. 6 of Telles washing the same type of vehicle in his driveway.
Police allege that Telles shut off his cellphone and waited in a vehicle outside German’s home until the attack. It was characterized as a planned response to articles that German wrote about “turmoil and internal dissension” in Telles’ office.
Telles lost his primary bid for reelection in June after articles in May aired claims of administrative bullying, favoritism and Telles’ relationship with a subordinate staffer. County lawmakers appointed a consultant to address complaints about leadership in his office.
German was widely respected for his tenacity, and his colleagues said he was working on follow-up reports about Telles and the public administrator’s office when he was killed.
“The published articles … ruined (Telles’) political career, likely his marriage, and this was him lashing out at the cause,” Chief Deputy Clark County District Attorney Richard Scow told a judge on Sept. 8.
That judge, Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Elana Lee Graham, called the police report detailing the attack “chilling” and said it described German “fighting for his life.” She spoke of apparent defense wounds on German’s arms and said DNA believed to be from Telles was found under German’s fingernails.
Police said a search warrant turned up items at Telles’ home including blood-stained shoes and a straw hat that had been cut into pieces. Police said they did not immediately find the weapon used to kill German.
Although police said security video showed Telles near German’s home, Wolfson said authorities do not have video showing the attack.
The Nevada Press Association announced that German will be inducted this Saturday into the Nevada Newspaper Hall of Fame.
German joined the Review-Journal in 2010 after more than two decades at the rival Las Vegas Sun, where he was a columnist and reporter covering courts, politics, labor, government and organized crime.
Telles grew up in El Paso, Texas, and lived in Colorado before moving to Las Vegas. He worked as a heating and air conditioning technician and graduated in 2014 from law school at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He practiced probate and estate law before he was elected public administrator in 2018, replacing a three-term predecessor.
Court and police records show that Robert Telles was arrested at home in Las Vegas in February 2020. He was accused of grabbing his wife in a “‘bear-hug’ position” and of resisting efforts by two police officers to handcuff him. During his arrest, Telles was recorded on police body-worn cameras acknowledging that he had been drinking alcohol and repeatedly identifying himself as a public official.
The case was dismissed and closed in March 2021 after Telles paid a $418 fine, attended counseling and stayed out of trouble.
In a jailhouse interview on Friday with the Review-Journal, Telles acknowledged “mistakes” including alcohol abuse and his arrest, but denied hurting his wife or children. He refused to answer questions about German’s killing.
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| 2022-09-21T07:19:10Z
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CHICAGO (AP) — Eight people were rushed to hospitals after being injured when an explosion Tuesday tore through the top floor of a Chicago apartment building, officials said.
The explosion at the 36-unit, four-story apartment building in the South Austin neighborhood occurred at about 9 a.m., officials said. Chicago Fire Department Deputy Chief Marc Ferman told reporters a few hours later that the department had finished searching for potential victims and was “confident” that nobody remained trapped inside the building, of which much of the top floor had collapsed.
He said technical crews had shored up the upper floors to allow firefighters to search “to make sure we didn’t leave any victims underneath any of the debris.”
A cause of the blast had not yet been determined.
Seven of the injured were in the building on the city’s West Side when the explosion occurred and one apparently was in a building across the street, Ferman said. Three of the people who were hurt had serious to critical injuries, the department said.
Photographs and video posted on the Chicago Fire Department’s Twitter page showed that much of the top floor was destroyed. Scores of bricks and other debris had fallen onto the street, crushing at least one car and seriously damaging two others.
Several residents said they were home when the explosion rocked the building.
“I was asleep, and all of a sudden there was a loud booming,” Lawrence Lewis, who was asleep at the time, told WGN television. “I woke up to my windows gone, my front door blown open. I just saw smoke, and I ran out of the house. I was asleep. I’m shook up right now.”
Otis Maning, who lives across the street, told the Chicago Sun-Times that he was on his couch watching television when “all of a sudden I hear, `Boom!’”
“My heart almost shot out of my body. … I saw windows busted open, I saw debris,” he added.
Yumika Bady, 25, was also at her home across the street and saw that the blast blew out the back window of her car that was parked nearby.
“It just made my apartment shake,” Bady told The Associated Press.
Chicago police bomb squad and agents from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives also responded to the explosion.
___
Associated Press reporter Teresa Crawford contributed to this report.
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| 2022-09-21T07:19:16Z
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NABLUS, West Bank (AP) — Palestinian security forces on Tuesday exchanged fire with militants in the center of the West Bank’s second-largest city, as angry residents pelted an armored jeep with objects and chased it away. One man was reported dead.
The incident, sparked by an arrest raid against local militants, marked a rare case of deadly internal Palestinian fighting in the occupied West Bank. It also reflected the deep unpopularity of the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority, which is widely seen as collaborating with an entrenched and unbearable system of Israeli military domination.
Amateur videos posted to social media showed local youths pelting a Palestinian military-style jeep with bricks, stones and metal bars before chasing the vehicle from the central Martyrs Square. The sound of gunfire echoed through the city, known as the West Bank’s business capital, for several hours. The violence was reminiscent of how Palestinians typically protest against Israeli troops.
The northern West Bank is known as a stronghold of Palestinian militants, and the Palestinian Authority has frequently had difficulties maintaining control in the area over the years.
The authority maintains close security ties with Israel in a shared struggle against Islamic militants. This has helped fuel the perception that the PA is merely a subcontractor for Israel — interested more in its own survival than improving the lives of its people.
Israel’s military occupation of the West Bank is now in its 55th year, with no signs of ending anytime soon. The last substantial round of peace talks ended in 2009. The Palestinians seek all of the West Bank, home to some 500,000 Israeli settlers, as the heartland of a future independent state.
In recent months, the PA’s standing has been further weakened as Israel carries out nightly arrest raids. Israel launched the crackdown last spring after a series of deadly attacks inside Israel, some of which were launched by militants from the area. Some 90 Palestinians have died in the arrest raids, many said by Israel to have been militants, or local youths who came out to protest the raids.
Israel says it is forced to act because the Palestinian security forces have failed to do so. The Palestinians say it is difficult and humiliating to cooperate with the Israelis at a time when there is no political horizon.
The United States has pushed both sides to restore quiet. But the Biden administration has failed to present a diplomatic plan, focusing instead on small measures to improve the Palestinian economy.
Palestinian officials refused to comment on Tuesday’s operation. But two Hamas militants were arrested in the raid, according to the men’s families. One of them was close to another militant who was recently killed in an Israeli raid.
Residents accused the Palestinian security forces of making the arrests on behalf of Israel and began shooting into the air and burning tires. Palestinian security responded with tear gas, and exchanges of fire took place.
Hisham Yaish, a local resident, wrote on Facebook that his 53-year-old brother Firas was killed in a gunfight. He did not accuse either side of firing the deadly bullet, saying only his brother “was killed in the tragic incidents.”
But Hamas, which is locked in a bitter rivalry with the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority, said the Palestinian security forces had killed him.
Hamas condemned the raid and accused the Palestinian Authority of collaborating with Israel.
“While the enemy continues to carry out killings, arrests, Judaization and settlements, the authority identifies with it by continuing security coordination, suppressing our people, and pursuing and arresting resistance fighters in behavior outside all our national norms,” Hamas said in a statement.
In a statement to the official Palestinian news agency Wafa, Palestinian security spokesman, Maj. Gen. Talal Dwaikat, confirmed Yaish’s death.
He said the cause of the death was unknown, but claimed an initial report found that security forces were not in the area where he was killed.
“Testimonies of eyewitnesses who were present in the area of the unfortunate accident confirm the authenticity of this account,” he said.
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| 2022-09-21T07:19:22Z
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UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The world’s richest people have put its poorest at risk, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. charged Tuesday at the United Nations, pushing for action on inequality, nuclear weapons and climate change.
Addressing the U.N. General Assembly for the first time since taking office in June, Marcos said “the time for talk about ‘if’ and ‘when’ has long since passed” on climate change, and he called on industrialized countries to fulfill obligations to cut greenhouse gases and aid developing countries.
“The effects of climate change are uneven and reflect a historical injustice: Those who are least responsible suffer the most,” Marcos said. “This injustice must be corrected and those who need to do more must act now.”
Marcos returned to the theme of the rich-poor divide at multiple points throughout his speech, noting ballooning debt burdens, lack of Internet access and lopsided impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Richer nations immediately received vaccines at the expense of the have-nots,” he said. “Filipino health workers were at the front lines in many countries … risking and oftentimes sacrificing their own lives to save those of others.”
Marcos hinted at inequality in the very complex he stood in, pressing for a seat on the Security Council. He said very foundations of the U.N. were being ignored, but offered no elaboration.
“Our very charter is being violated around the world as we speak,” he said.
Among other issues, Marcos called for a reduction in nuclear arms and the creation of regulations governing cyberspace and the weaponization of artificial intelligence.
Marcos was swept into office in a stunning election victory, 36 years after an army-backed “People Power” revolt booted his father, Ferdinand Marcos Sr., from office and into global infamy. The elder Marcos was known for tyrannical rule, though his son has rejected labeling him a dictator.
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AP National Writer Matt Sedensky can be reached at msedensky@ap.org and https://twitter.com/sedensky. For more AP coverage of the U.N. General Assembly, visit https://apnews.com/hub/united-nations-general-assembly
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| 2022-09-21T07:19:28Z
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BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Bosnian Serb separatist leader Milorad Dodik met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Tuesday days after he endorsed Moscow’s aggression against Ukraine, Russian and Serbian media reported.
During a rare visit to Moscow by a politician from Europe, the Russian president praised his country’s “strategic partnership” with Serbia.
The visit came amid repeated warnings from the European Union that Serbia must align its foreign policies with the bloc if it really wants to become a member. Serbia is the only nation seeking EU membership that has refused to join Western sanctions against Russia over its war in Ukraine.
Dodik, a Serb member of Bosnia’s tripartite presidency, has frequently met with Putin, especially ahead of elections when he wants to show to the highly pro-Russian Bosnian Serb electorate that he has Putin’s support. Dodik last met Putin in June, months after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February.
Bosnia has a general election on Oct. 2 in which Dodik is running for the Bosnian Serb presidency.
“The elections are coming up and I wish you success,” Putin said according to a transcript of the conversation published by Bosnian media. “I hope that it will be so, after the results of the vote, that the position of the patriotic forces will be strengthened, which will enable us to further develop fruitful and mutually beneficial cooperation.”
Moscow has often been accused by the West of seeking to destabilize Bosnia and the rest of the Balkans through its proxies in Serbia and Bosnia. Dodik has openly advocated tearing away the Serb-controlled half of Bosnia from a Bosniak-Croat federation and joining it up with neighboring Serbia.
A U.S.-brokered peace deal in 1995 ended a war in Bosnia that left at least 100,000 people dead and millions homeless, but left the country deeply divided between its three main ethnic groups. Moscow has been exploiting the divisions by tacitly supporting Dodik’s separatist policies.
On the eve of his visit to Moscow, Dodik gave an interview to Russia’s state TASS news agency where he repeated his separatist views but also added his endorsement of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“For many years the West did not react to the extermination of the Russian population in Ukraine, there were daily murders and bombings in Donbas,” Dodik claimed in the interview, referring to the separatist pro-Russian region in eastern Ukraine. “All this was clear, and Russia was forced to retaliate.”
Putin also sent a separate message to Serbia and its populist President Aleksandar Vucic on Tuesday.
“Russia and Serbia are linked by a strategic partnership,” Putin said, according to the Serbian media. “I regularly talk to President Vucic during personal meetings and telephone conversations about key issues for the further development of the cooperation.”
Although officially seeking EU membership, Serbia has during Vucic’s 10-year autocratic rule slid ever closer to Russia under Putin.
Vucic is in New York for the U.N. General Assembly session, where he says he intends to send a message that Serbia has, under international law, the same rights to fight against the independence of its separatist former province of Kosovo as Ukraine has for those regions occupied by pro-Moscow separatists.
Kosovo, where ethnic Albanians represent more than 90% of the population, declared independence from Serbia in 2008, nearly 10 years after NATO intervened to stop a bloody Serb carnage against independence-seeking Kosovo Albanians. Serbia has refused to acknowledge their independence.
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| 2022-09-21T07:19:34Z
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MOSCOW (AP) — Russia’s Kremlin-controlled lower house of parliament on Tuesday approved legislation that toughens punishment for soldiers breaching their duties, in an apparent effort to boost discipline in the ranks amid the fighting in Ukraine.
The set of amendments to Russia’s Criminal Code that was quickly endorsed by the State Duma introduces severe punishments for failure to follow orders, desertion or surrendering to the enemy. The bill now needs to receive the upper house’s approval and then be signed by President Vladimir Putin to become law — steps that are considered to be formalities.
Under the new legislation, deserting a military unit during a period of mobilization or martial law would be punishable by up to 10 years in prison, compared with five years under the current law.
Those who voluntarily surrender to the enemy will also face a prison term of up to 10 years, and those convicted of looting could be handed a 15-year term.
Another amendment introduces a prison sentence of up to 10 years for those who refuse to go to combat or follow an officer’s order.
The passage of the new legislation follows media reports alleging that some Russian soldiers in Ukraine have refused to go into combat and tried to resign from service.
Unlike Ukraine, which conducted a broad mobilization with the goal of reaching an active military of 1 million fighters, Russia has continued to rely on a limited contingent of volunteers.
Some nationalist politicians have called for a mobilization to beef up the ranks, but the Kremlin so far has ruled it out.
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| 2022-09-21T07:19:40Z
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The Southern Baptist Conventions’ top administrative body voted to cut ties with two congregations on Tuesday — an LGBTQ-friendly church in North Carolina that had itself quit the denomination decades ago and a New Jersey congregation it cited for “alleged discriminatory behavior.”
The votes of the Executive Committee came at the end of a two-day meeting in Nashville, Tennessee, even as the committee copes with a Department of Justice investigation. The federal-level scrutiny follows a blistering report by a consultant earlier this year into sexual abuse in Southern Baptist settings and mistreatment of survivors by past Executive Committee officials.
The committee on Tuesday approved a statement that College Park Baptist Church of Greensboro, North Carolina, was not in “friendly cooperation” due to its “open affirmation, approval and endorsement of homosexual behavior,” which conflicts with the denomination’s theological conservative positions.
In fact, College Park had voted in 1999 to leave the denomination, and its website makes a point of stating it’s not a member of the Southern Baptist Convention but rather of more progressive Baptist bodies.
It wasn’t immediately clear why the Executive Committee decided now to put the matter to a vote. But Executive Committee Chairman Jared Wellman said afterward that the convention still had the congregation on its rolls until now.
On its website, the church describes itself as an “LGBTQIA Affirming Baptist Church” and says it “fully welcomes and affirms all persons without distinction regarding race, ethnicity, national origin, class, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other human category.”
The committee, in a separate vote, declared that Amazing Grace Community Church of Franklinville, New Jersey, was no longer in friendly cooperation. It cited its “lack of cooperation … to resolve concerns regarding alleged discriminatory behavior.”
Requests for comment from both congregations via phone and email were not immediately returned.
Since Baptist congregations are self-governing, the denomination can’t force them to follow their policies, but it can effectively expel them by declaring them not in “friendly cooperation” if they don’t conform to denominational stances in particular areas, such as for pro-LGBTQ polices, alleged support for racism or alleged failure in responding adequately to child sexual abuse, such as employing offenders as pastors.
There could be more congregations in the last category in the pipeline.
The committee learned that more than 200 referrals had been made to a newly established hotline about alleged mishandling of abuse cases by SBC churches or organizations.
That news came from the Abuse Reform Implementation Task Force — created after the release of consultant Guidepost Solutions’ scathing report earlier this year into the sexual abuse of children in SBC settings and the mistreatment of survivors by the Executive Committee.
Mike Keahbone, vice chair of the task force, said it is working to hire personnel to receive and investigate reports of abuse and of mishandling abuse in Southern Baptist circles.
The convention said in August that the U.S. Department of Justice is investigating the convention. The DOJ didn’t confirm the report, but the convention suggested in a statement that it related to sexual abuse. On Tuesday, the committee voted to transfer $500,000 from investments to its operating budget, in part to respond to that investigation.
The Executive Committee on Tuesday also added a “Caring Well Sunday” to the official Southern Baptist calendar of activities, which would aim to spread awareness and education about abuse. Churches have the option whether to observe such dates. But Wellman urged them to do so: “We want to be building a culture that addresses and prevents abuse, and this is a really great educational opportunity.”
“Our dream … is that our churches would be safe for the vulnerable and unsafe for abusers,” Wellman said, citing numerous reforms underway. “There is no place, there is no tolerance for abuse in a Southern Baptist church.”
Some abuse survivors, following the meeting on social media, found the committee’s actions lacking. Long-time advocate and survivor Christa Brown criticized it for “self-congratulatory” talk on Twitter and said it’s failed to take concrete steps toward making amends to survivors or to take disciplinary steps toward former officials faulted in the Guidepost report.
Keahbone said he understands the criticism and that compared to what survivors endured, “there’s nothing we could say or do that would be worthy of any praise at all.” He said the task force is doing what it can to implement reforms correctly.
“We’re not celebrating anything,” he said. “We’re just trying to have markers of improvement.”
Wellman echoed the thought. “I’ve just grieved and been broken-hearted for what they’ve experienced,” he said. “We recognize we have a really long way to go.”
___
Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
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| 2022-09-21T07:19:46Z
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MADRID (AP) — Spain has arrested 32 members of an organized crime group linked to the Italian ’ndrangheta mafia for alleged ties to large-scale drug trafficking and money laundering, Europol said Tuesday.
The criminal gang, whose members are described as very violent, is believed to be linked to cocaine and cannabis trafficking between Spain and Italy, transporting the drugs hidden in speedboats and reinvesting the criminal profits in Spanish real estate, the police agency said.
Those arrested included Italians, Albanians and Hungarians.
The authorities seized 18 kilos (40 pounds) of amphetamine, 4.5 kilos (10 pounds) of cocaine, firearms, 300,000 euros in cash (about $300,000) and 600 cannabis plants.
The operation took place on two different days last week on the Mediterranean island of Ibiza and involved 500 law enforcement officers from the Spanish Civil Guard, Italy’s Carabinieri and Guardia de Finanza, supported by the European bodies for police and justice, Europol and Eurojust.
Some 40 properties were also searched in the coastal Spanish cities of Barcelona, Málaga and Tenerife.
The Calabrian ‘ndrangheta mafia is considered by Italian prosecutors to be the most important criminal organization in the Western world. Some of those arrested are linked to a number of murders in Italy, prosecutors say.
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| 2022-09-21T07:19:52Z
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BRATISLAVA, Slovakia (AP) — Several thousand people rallied in the Slovak capital on Tuesday to protest the government amid soaring energy prices and to demand an early election.
The protest was organized by the opposition leftist Smer-Social Democracy party of former populist Prime Minister Robert Fico and included supporters of other groups, including the far right.
Fico blamed the coalition government led by Prime Minister Eduard Heger and President Zuzana Caputova for being partially responsible for the high inflation now hitting the EU nation, claiming that was due to their firm support of Ukraine amid the Russian invasion.
Most speakers attacked the European Union’s sanctions against Russia and praised Hungary for how it is dealing with the energy crisis.
Hungary is heavily dependent on fossil fuels from Russia, and last year signed a 15-year agreement with Russian energy company Gazprom for the purchase of natural gas. Hungarian leader Viktor Orbán has fought vigorously against EU sanctions imposed on Russia for invading Ukraine.
The Slovak government has been weakened after a junior coalition partner withdrew from the governing four-party coalition earlier this month, leaving Heger without a parliamentary majority.
The parliament is debating possible changes to the constitution to allow an early election either called by a decision by lawmakers or by a nationwide referendum.
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| 2022-09-21T07:19:58Z
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KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian-controlled regions of eastern and southern Ukraine announced plans Tuesday to start voting this week to become integral parts of Russia. The Kremlin-backed efforts to swallow up four regions could set the stage for Moscow to escalate the war following Ukrainian successes on the battlefield.
The scheduling of referendums starting Friday in the Luhansk, Kherson and partly Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk regions came after a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin said the votes are needed and as Moscow is losing ground in the invasion it began nearly seven months ago.
Former President Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy head of Russia’s Security Council chaired by Putin, said referendums that fold regions into Russia itself would make redrawn frontiers “irreversible” and enable Moscow to use “any means” to defend them.
In 2014, Russia sent troops into Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula and then held a referendum there that paved the way for its annexation by Moscow.
The upcoming votes, in territory Russia already controls, are all but certain to go Moscow’s way. But they were quickly dismissed as illegitimate by Western leaders who are backing Kyiv with military and other support that has helped its forces seize momentum on battlefields in the east and south.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba denounced the planned votes as a sham.
“The referendums will change nothing,” he told reporters at U.N. headquarters where he is attending the General Assembly’s annual gathering of world leaders. “It’s an act of desperation for Russia, but it is not going to help them.”
U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan said the United States would “never recognize this territory as anything other than part of Ukraine,” he said, adding that the Kremlin effort reflects Russia’s setbacks on the battlefield.
“These are not the actions of a confident country. These are not acts of strength,” he said.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who is also attending the U.N. General Assembly in New York, said: “It is very, very clear that these sham referendums cannot be accepted.”
French President Emmanuel Macron said referendum plans amounted to “cynicism.”
“Russia declared war … and now it explains that in this same region it is going to organize a referendum. If this were not tragic, it might be funny,” he said, adding that the votes would have “no legal consequences.”
Authorities installed by Russia in occupied areas of four Ukrainian regions had outlined plans to hold referendums on membership to the Russian Federation later this month. They have been condemned by Ukraine.
Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics called for more sanctions against Russia and more weapons for Ukraine, tweeting: “We must say no to Russian blackmail.”
In Donetsk, part of Ukraine’s wider Donbas region that Putin has set as a primary objective of the invasion, separatist leader Denis Pushilin said the vote will “restore historic justice” to the territory’s “long-suffering people.”
They “have earned the right to be part of the great country that they always considered their motherland,” he said.
In partly Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia, pro-Russia activist Vladimir Rogov said: “The faster we become part of Russia, the sooner peace will come.”
Pressure inside Russia for votes and from Moscow-backed leaders in Ukrainian regions that Moscow controls increased after a Ukrainian counteroffensive that has recaptured large areas.
Former Kremlin speechwriter and Russian political analyst Abbas Gallyamov said on Facebook that Moscow-backed separatists appeared “scared that the Russians will abandon them” amid the Ukrainian offensive and forged ahead with referendum plans to force the Kremlin’s hand.
In another signal that Russia is digging in for a protracted and possibly ramped-up conflict, the Kremlin-controlled lower of house of parliament voted Tuesday to toughen laws against desertion, surrender and looting by Russian troops. Lawmakers also voted to introduce possible 10-year prison terms for soldiers refusing to fight.
If approved, as expected, by the upper house and then signed by Putin, the legislation would strengthen commanders’ hands against failing morale reported among soldiers.
In an interview in New York with the “PBS News Hour,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that if peace is to prevail in Ukraine, “the returning of the land that was invaded will become really important.”
He also repeated his long-held position that the Crimean Peninsula should be returned to Ukraine. Turkey has strong ethnic ties to Crimean Tatars. “Since 2014, we have been talking to my dear friend Putin about this, and this is what we have requested from him,” he said.
In the Russian-occupied city of Enerhodar, shelling Tuesday around Europe’s largest nuclear power plant damaged a cooling system, a dining hall for staff and an unspecified “special building,” the city administration said in a statement. There were no further details about the damage.
The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant has been a focus for concern for months because of fears that shelling could lead to a radiation leak. Russia and Ukraine blame each other for the shelling.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said there are no prospects for a diplomatic settlement of the conflict. Medvedev, who served as Russia’s president from 2008 to 2012, said on his messaging app channel that the referendums are important to protect their residents and would “completely change” Russia’s future trajectory.
“After they are held and the new territories are taken into Russia’s fold, a geopolitical transformation of the world will become irreversible,” Medvedev said.
“An encroachment on the territory of Russia is a crime that would warrant any means of self-defense,” he said, adding that Russia would enshrine the new territories in its constitution so no future Russian leader could hand them back.
“That is why they fear those referendums so much in Kyiv and in the West,” Medvedev said. “That is why they must be held.”
Ukrainian analyst Volodymyr Fesenko, head of the independent Penta Center think tank in Kyiv, said the Kremlin hopes the votes and the possibility of military escalation will raise the pressure from Western governments for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to start talks with Moscow.
The move “reflects the weakness, not the strength of the Kremlin, which is struggling to find levers to influence the situation that has increasingly spun out of its control,” he said.
The recapturing of territory, most notably in the northeastern Kharkiv region, has strengthened Ukraine’s arguments that its troops could deliver more stinging defeats to Russia with additional armament deliveries.
More heavy weaponry is on its way, with Slovenia promising 28 tanks and Germany pledging four additional self-propelled howitzers. More aid also is expected from Britain, already one of Ukraine’s biggest military backers after the U.S. British Prime Minister Liz Truss is expected to promise that in 2023, her government will “match or exceed” the 2.3 billion pounds ($2.7 billion) in military aid given to Ukraine this year.
The swiftness of the Ukrainian counteroffensive also saw Russian forces abandon armored vehicles and other weapons as they beat hasty retreats. Ukrainian forces are recycling the captured weaponry back into battle. A Washington-based think tank, The Institute for the Study of War, said abandoned Russian T-72 tanks are being used by Ukrainian forces seeking to push into Russian-occupied Luhansk.
In the counteroffensive’s wake, Ukrainian officials found hundreds of graves near the once-occupied city of Izium. Yevhenii Yenin, a deputy minister in Ukraine’s Internal Affairs Ministry, told a national telecast that officials found many bodies “with signs of violent death.”
“These are broken ribs and broken heads, men with bound hands, broken jaws and severed genitalia,” he said.
Prosecutor-General Andriy Kostin, during a trip to Washington, said Tuesday that another mass grave with possibly 100 bodies was discovered in another village in the counteroffensive area.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s southern military command said its troops sank a Russian barge carrying troops and weapons across the Dnieper River near the Russian-occupied city of Nova Kakhovka. It offered no other details on the attack in the Russian-occupied Kherson region, which has been a major target in the Ukrainian counteroffensive.
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Follow AP war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
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| 2022-09-21T07:20:10Z
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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran faced international criticism on Tuesday over the death of a woman held by its morality police, which ignited three days of protests, including clashes with security forces in the capital and other unrest that claimed at least three lives.
The U.N. human rights office called for an investigation. The United States, which is trying to revive the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, called on the Islamic Republic to end its “systemic persecution” of women. Italy also condemned her death.
Iranian officials dismissed the criticism as politically motivated and accused unnamed foreign countries of fomenting the unrest.
Separately, an Iranian official said three people had been killed by unnamed armed groups in the Kurdish region of the country where the protests began, the first official confirmation of deaths linked to the unrest.
Later on Monday, the semiofficial Fars news agency reported that small groups of protesters had again gathered in downtown Tehran, chanting “Death to the dictator.” It said the crowd numbered around 300 and that the protesters damaged street signs.
The governor of Tehran province, Mohsen Mansouri, accused foreign embassies of fanning the protests and said three foreign nationals had been arrested. He did not specify the nationality of the embassies or the detainees.
The U.N. body said Iran’s morality police have expanded their patrols in recent months, targeting women for not properly wearing the Islamic headscarf, known as hijab. It said verified videos show women being slapped in the face, struck with batons and thrown into police vans for wearing the hijab too loosely.
A similar patrol detained 22-year-old Mahsa Amini last Tuesday, taking her to a police station where she collapsed. She died three days later. Iranian police have denied mistreating Amini and say she died of a heart attack. Authorities say they are investigating the incident.
“Mahsa Amini’s tragic death and allegations of torture and ill-treatment must be promptly, impartially and effectively investigated by an independent competent authority,” said Nada Al-Nashif, the acting U.N. high commissioner for human rights.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Amini “should be alive today.”
“Instead, the United States and the Iranian people mourn her. We call on the Iranian government to end its systemic persecution of women and to allow peaceful protest,” he tweeted.
Italy’s Foreign Ministry called for “the perpetrators of this cowardly act” to be held to account, saying “violence against innocent people, especially women and girls, can never be tolerated.”
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian rejected the criticism, accusing the U.S. of “shedding crocodile tears.”
“An investigation was ordered into (the) tragic death of Mahsa, who, as (the) President said, was just like our own daughters,” he tweeted. “To Iran, human rights are of inherent value — unlike those who see it (as) a tool against adversaries.”
Iranian police released closed-circuit video footage last week purportedly showing the moment Amini collapsed. But her family says she had no history of heart trouble.
Amjad Amini, her father, told an Iranian news website that witnesses saw her being shoved into a police car.
“I asked for access to (videos) from cameras inside the car as well as courtyard of the police station, but they gave no answer,” he said. He also accused the police of not transferring her to the hospital promptly enough, saying she could have been resuscitated.
He said that when he arrived at the hospital he was not allowed to view the body, but managed to get a glimpse of bruising on her foot.
Authorities then pressured him to bury her at night, apparently to reduce the likelihood of protests, but Amini said the family convinced them to let them bury her at 8 a.m. instead.
Amini, who was Kurdish, was buried Saturday in her home city of Saqez in western Iran. Protests erupted there after her funeral and police fired tear gas to disperse demonstrators on Saturday and Sunday. Several protesters were arrested.
The governor of Iran’s Kurdistan province, Esmail Zarei Kousha, told Fars that three people were killed by unnamed armed groups, linking the violence to the unrest.
He did not identify the victims, but said one was killed in the town of Divandarreh by a weapon not used by Iranian security forces. He said the second body was found in a car near Saqez and that the third killing was “completely” suspicious.
The province has seen past violence between Iranian security forces and Kurdish separatists.
The protests spread to Tehran and other cities on Monday. A news website affiliated with state TV said 22 people were arrested at a protest in the northern city of Rasht.
State TV showed footage of protests on Monday, including images of two police cars with their windows smashed. It said the protesters torched two motorbikes as well, and that they burned Iranian flags in Kurdish areas and Tehran.
The state-run broadcaster blamed the unrest on foreign countries and exiled opposition groups, accusing them of using Amini’s death as a pretext for more economic sanctions.
Iran has seen waves of protests in recent years, mainly over a long-running economic crisis exacerbated by Western sanctions linked to the country’s nuclear program. Authorities have managed to quash the protests by force.
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| 2022-09-21T07:20:16Z
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CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Independent experts working with the U.N.’s top human rights body say Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro personally ordered the detention of government opponents and critics who ended up suffering electric shocks, beatings, asphyxiation and other cruel acts while in custody.
The third report from the fact-finding mission on Venezuela, commissioned by the U.N.‘s Human Rights Council, was released Tuesday and adds new detail on a string of rights violations — including possible crimes against humanity — under Maduro’s government that the experts first documented two years ago.
The report and the mission’s leader said torture was ordered by Maduro in some cases but provided no details of specific instances. The three-person mission reached that conclusion primarily through interviews with former members of the South American country’s intelligence agencies.
“We base it on different but consistent testimonies that we receive from our sources of information, and so, we try to corroborate and verify this type of information,” Marta Valiñas, a Portuguese legal expert who chairs the mission, told The Associated Press. “But that’s what we received with regards to the involvement of higher political levels, including the president, in determining who should be monitored and detained and in some cases also receiving treatment that would then amount to acts of torture or other forms of ill treatment.”
The mission does not have judicial powers, but the evidence it has gathered could one day be used by the International Criminal Court or by any country that might apply “universal jurisdiction” to prosecute alleged crimes against humanity.
The government did not respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press. It has also failed to respond to more than 20 letters from the mission, which has not received permission to enter the country.
The report states Maduro and ruling party leader Diosdado Cabello have given orders “identifying targets for investigation,” including civilians and government critics. Those orders were followed by members of the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service, who arrested individuals after “a period of surveillance and investigation” and tortured or subjected them “to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.” Some were tortured for days or weeks.
The intelligence service “relied on a range of torture methods, including beatings, electric shocks, asphyxiation with plastic bags and stress positions, as well as threats to kill and rape detainees, or other forms of psychological torture,” according to the report. The document says the agency’s main targets included opposition, student and protest leaders; journalists; and people working for non-governmental organizations.
“Venezuela is still facing a profound human rights crisis,” Valiñas said. She urged Venezuelan authorities to take the mission’s “findings seriously and act upon them” as they have the primary responsibility to investigate and prosecute the abuses, but she also acknowledged that as the group has previously documented, various issues “do not guarantee that the justice system acts independently and impartially.”
The mission said authorities have not done enough to compensate victims and cautioned that violations continue “to this day” under the military counterintelligence service, known as DGCIM, and the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service.
“The Venezuelan authorities have failed to hold perpetrators to account and provide reparations to victims in a context where judicial reforms announced from 2021 have failed to address the justice system’s lack of independence and impartiality,” a statement from the mission said.
The brazenness of the intelligence officers, according to the report, have even affected Maduro himself. In an instance described in the report, Maduro’s private vehicle was stopped by Cabello’s command with the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service.
“Maduro reportedly got out of the car and told them to surrender their weapons, to which they replied ‘you are not our boss,’” according to the report. “Maduro allegedly called DGCIM to arrest the men and subsequently replaced” the head of the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service for some time.
The team, which drew its findings in part from nearly 250 interviews, documented a total of 122 cases of victims who were subjected by DGCIM agents to torture, sexual violence and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment at its headquarters in Caracas and covert centers around the country.
The report also documents human rights abuses in a remote region where illegal gold mining is prevalent. The area, known as the Arco Minero del Orinoco, was established last decade as the country’s oil industry, whose proceeds kept the country moving, came undone.
The region has become heavily militarized and armed groups are allowed to operate. The mission’s findings include attacks on Indigenous populations in the area that generate opportunities for individuals close to power to generate personal wealth.
“The Mission has reviewed publicly available information indicating that members of the Venezuelan military and political elite have benefited and continue to benefit financially from gold mining-related activities in the Arco Minero,” according to the report.
The experts are expected to present their findings to the council, which last week began its latest autumn session, on Monday.
___
Keaten reported from Geneva.
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UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Leaders of two of the world’s most-watched nations — U.S. President Joe Biden and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi — will be among those who have their say on the second day of the U.N. General Assembly’s first fully in-person meeting since the coronavirus pandemic began.
But the biggest draw Wednesday will likely be the only leader to be seen and heard but not actually there in the flesh: Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskky, whose nation is at war with Russia.
The 193-member assembly voted last week to allow Zelenskyy to deliver a pre-recorded address because of his continuing need to deal with Russia’s invasion, making an exception to its requirement that all leaders speak in person. Russian President Vladimir Putin will not be attending the annual gathering of world leaders.
Unsurprisingly, Ukraine has been the center of attention at the assembly, with leader after world leader condemning Russia for attacking a sovereign nation. The war, which has already killed thousands, is driving up food prices around the globe while also causing energy costs to soar — a particularly worrisome issue heading into the winter. It has also raised fears of a nuclear catastrophe at Europe’s largest nuclear plant in Ukraine’s now Russia-occupied southeast.
Leaders from many countries are trying to prevent a wider conflict and restore peace in Europe. Diplomats, though, aren’t expecting any breakthroughs this week at the United Nations, where nearly 150 leaders are addressing each other and the world.
Biden’s address on Wednesday is expected to have a heavy focus on the war in Ukraine, where the country’s troops in recent weeks have retaken control of large stretches of territory near Kharkiv that were seized by Russian forces earlier in the nearly seven-month-old war.
But even as Ukrainian forces have racked up battlefield wins, much of Europe is feeling painful blowback from economic sanctions levied against Russia to punish Moscow for its invasion.
At the White House, there’s also growing concern that Putin might further escalate the conflict after recent setbacks. Biden, in a CBS-TV “60 Minutes” interview that aired on Sunday, warned Putin that deploying nuclear or chemical weapons in Ukraine would result in a “consequential” response from the United States.
Biden’s visit to the U.N. also comes as his administration’s efforts to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal appear stalled. The deal brokered by the Obama administration — and scrapped by Trump in 2018 — provided billions of dollars in sanctions relief in exchange for Iran’s agreement to dismantle much of its nuclear program and open its facilities to international inspection.
Iran’s president has said he has no plans to meet with Biden on the sidelines of the U.N. event. Raisi called his first-ever appearance at the United Nations as Iran’s leader an opportunity to explain to the world about alleged “malice” that unspecified nations and world powers have toward Iran but he did not elaborate.
Iran has been facing international criticism over the death of a woman held by its morality police, which ignited days of protests, including clashes with security forces in the capital and other unrest that claimed at least three lives.
The U.N. human rights office called for an investigation. The United States called on Iran to end its “systemic persecution” of women. Italy also condemned her death.
Iranian officials dismissed the criticism as politically motivated and accused unnamed foreign countries of fomenting the unrest.
___
Pia Sarkar, a Philadelphia-based journalist for The Associated Press, is on assignment covering the U.N. General Assembly. Follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/PiaSarkar_TK and for more AP coverage of the U.N. General Assembly, visit https://apnews.com/hub/united-nations-general-assembly
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| 2022-09-21T07:20:28Z
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CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — Walmart and CVS Pharmacy have settled with the state of West Virginia for a combined total of $147 million in a lawsuit over the companies’ roles in contributing to the oversupply of prescription drugs that fueled the opioid epidemic in the country’s most impacted state, Attorney General Patrick Morrisey announced Tuesday.
Walmart and CVS were two lawsuits that were part of a larger trial that was pushed back to June of next year along with Kroger and Walgreens. Morrisey recently announced a settlement with Rite Aid for up to $30 million to resolve similar litigation.
The lawsuits allege the pharmacies’ contributions to the oversupply of prescription opioids in the state have caused “significant losses through their past and ongoing medical treatment costs, including for minors born addicted to opioids, rehabilitation costs, naloxone costs, medical examiner expenses, self-funded state insurance costs and other forms of losses to address opioid-related afflictions and loss of lives.”
It brings the total settlements by the state in opioid lawsuits to $875 million, including $296 million with manufacturers, $400 million with wholesalers and $177.5 million involving pharmacies.
“These settlements won’t bring back the lives lost from the opioid epidemic, but these and other settlements will hopefully provide significant help to those affected the most by this crisis in our state,” Morrisey said during a news conference. “This development also avoided a costly and lengthy trial and at the end of the day, West Virginia will have the highest per capita settlement results in the nation fighting for our people.”
Walmart agreed to a settlement of just over $65 million and CVS for $82.5 million. Morrisey said the deal with CVS includes a provision that means West Virginia can still receive money from any future national settlements that arise.
The money from all opioid settlements will be distributed throughout the state to abate the opioid crisis.
In August, West Virginia cities and counties reached a $400 million tentative settlement with three major U.S. drug distributors: AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health and McKesson. In April, Morrisey announced the state would receive $99 million in a settlement finalized with Johnson & Johnson’s subsidiary Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc.
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| 2022-09-21T07:20:35Z
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IZIUM, Ukraine (AP) — The school was a shattered mess. Its six-month life as a Russian base and mechanic shop ended in August with a Ukrainian missile strike.
Its years educating Izium’s youth were over, but it had one last gift for the residents who needed so much: the wood that made up its lattice work, its chalkboards, its furniture and beams.
A handful of elderly residents — some prepared with gloves, sturdy woven bags, and hand tools — came by Monday to salvage firewood from the rubble. It will be months, if not longer, before meaningful electricity, gas and running water are restored, and a chill is already settling in.
This city in far eastern Ukraine was among the first taken by Russian forces after the war started on Feb. 24, and it became a command center for them. By early March, Izium was isolated — no cell phones, no heat, no power. Residents didn’t know what was going on in the war, whether their relatives were alive, whether there was still a Ukraine.
They were liberated in a swift counteroffensive on Sept. 10 that swept through the Kharkiv region, and that continues in the south, near Kherson. But residents are still emerging from the confusion and trauma of their occupation, the brutality of which gained worldwide attention last week after the discovery of one of the war’s largest mass grave sites.
“We have nothing. We are taking wood to heat water for tea and to make porridge. Look at my hands! I’m 75 years old and this woman is even older than me. We are afraid of winter,” said Oleksandra Lysenko, standing in a pile of bricks. “My grandchildren went to this school and I am looting it.”
A man nearby loaded the battered hood of a car onto his bicycle. He planned to use the part, which was spray-painted with the letter Z that has come to symbolize the Russian army, to cover an open window frame.
When the war began nearly seven months ago, about half of Izium’s roughly 40,000 residents fled, some of them into Russia itself. The rest hunkered down in basements or behind the thickest walls they could find. Russian soldiers handed out some food but rarely enough.
Those with battery-powered radios discovered that the only signal was a Russian propaganda station, feeding them lies about which Ukraininan cities had fallen, how their government had abandoned them, and how they would be put on trial as collaborators if ever the Ukrainian army returned.
So swift was the counteroffensive that the Russians abandoned their munitions and their armored vehicles, sometimes resorting to stealing clothes and cars from residents to escape undetected. It was Russia’s biggest military defeat since the withdrawal of its troops from areas near Kyiv more than five months ago.
Ukrainian soldiers have begun to collect brass buttons yanked in haste from an officer’s uniform, or patches emblazoned with the Russian flag. They are also collecting Russian munitions, which fit nicely into Ukrainian weapons, and are repurposing the abandoned vehicles that haven’t rusted into uselessness.
The Russian occupiers scattered countless mines, which Ukrainian soldiers are painstakingly detonating one at a time. Every few minutes on Monday, until sundown, their enormous controlled explosions shook Izium, which is about a two-hour drive from Ukraine’s second-largest city of Kharkiv down straight rural highways.
It may as well have been another world.
“Is Kharkiv still Ukraine?” one woman hesitantly asked a visitor in the first few days after Izium was freed.
There is now a tenuous cell signal — just enough to send texts or make a phone call, for those who have a way to charge their phones.
But on Monday morning expectations were running high for a more basic form of communication. By the time the mail truck pulled into the parking lot of a closed market, more than a hundred people were milling around, waiting for the first postal delivery since February.
“I am happy that the mail is working. It means that life is getting better. We will live and hope for the best,” said 69-year-old Volodymyr Olyzarenko. He already knew what the box sent by his adult children contained: warm clothes for his brother.
But there will be hard days to come.
A site that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said contains more than 440 graves was discovered last week in a forest on the northern outskirts of town, and investigators are exhuming the bodies to start the grim job of identification. Russian officials have distanced themselves from responsibility for the site.
On the southern outskirts, where the fiercest battles raged, the entire village of Kamyanka is a hazard of explosives. Only 10 people remain of the 1,200 who lived there.
Almost every yard is scattered with bombs and bullets. A Russian rocket launcher is rusting away in someone’s driveway, the weather just beginning to take its toll on the white Z. And as the sun sets, the only sound is the barking of dogs abandoned by their owners.
Natalya Zdorovets, the matriarch of a family of five that accounts for half the village population, said they stayed because it was home. They lost their connection to the outside world on March 5.
“We were in a vacuum. We were cut off from all the world. We didn’t know what happened. We didn’t even know what was happening in the neighboring street because we lived only here,” she said, gesturing to a yard filled with ducks, chickens, cats and dogs.
Around 2,000 Russian soldiers settled in the homes vacated by terrified residents. Then suddenly, a little over a week ago, the village fell silent. The family had no idea why until the Ukrainian soldiers arrived.
“We cried and laughed at the same time,” Zdorovets said. “We weren’t prepared to see them. We hadn’t heard the news.”
___
Follow AP war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
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| 2022-09-21T07:20:41Z
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LONDON (AP) — The cannons have sounded, the bells have rung and the mourners have paid their respects.
Now King Charles III faces the task of preserving a 1,000-year-old monarchy that his mother nurtured for seven decades but that faces an uncertain future. The challenge is immense.
Personal affection for the queen meant that the monarchy’s role in British society was rarely debated in recent years. But now that she’s gone, the royal family faces questions about whether it is still relevant in a modern, multicultural nation that looks very different than it did when Elizabeth ascended the throne in 1952.
Amid a global re-examination of the history of colonialism and slavery that has seen protesters tear down or deface statues in British cities and universities like Oxford and Cambridge change their course offerings, an institution that was once the symbol of the British Empire is likely to face renewed scrutiny.
Charles will try to “maintain continuity” while also signaling that the royals are prepared to change, said Anna Whitelock, a professor of history of modern monarchy at City University London. But he faces a raft of questions.
“What place does a monarchy have in a multi-faith, multi-ethnic society?” Whitelock asked. “And is it the right rallying point for the nation? And should it be the monarch representing the U.K. abroad? What does it say about us? Is it a bastion of tradition that people should applaud? Or is it actually a check on progress that actually doesn’t represent the inclusive, diverse society that people would hope that Britain would now become?”
And there is another, more personal, question lurking in the background: Is a 73-year-old white man the best person to confront those issues?
Charles waited longer than any other heir to take the throne and in many ways embodies the modernization of the monarchy. He was the first monarch not educated at home, the first to earn a university degree and the first to grow up in the ever-intensifying glare of the media as deference to royalty faded.
He has been lauded as an early advocate of the environmental movement and won praise for working to improve the lives of young people in underprivileged communities.
But he also has a reputation, perhaps undeserved, as a somewhat stuffy older man who is more at home on the polo field or one of his country estates than the soccer-mad cities of modern Britain.
Charles also alienated many people with his messy divorce from the much-loved Princess Diana, and by straining the rules that bar royals from intervening in public affairs, wading into debates on issues such as environmental protection and architectural preservation.
As the U.K. mourned his mother, it quickly became clear that Charles was ready to be a more personal monarch. He has made a point of wading into the crowds of well wishers, stopping to shake hands and exchange a few words, more like a U.S. presidential candidate appealing for votes than a king who inherited the crown from a line of ancestors stretching back to 1066.
One woman even kissed him — a level of familiarity no one would have dared with Elizabeth.
At Monday’s state funeral for the late queen, Bertram Leon embodied the challenges facing Charles.
A proud Briton whose roots stretch back to the Windrush generation of immigrants who came to the U.K. from the Caribbean after World War II, Leon was at Westminster Abbey to represent the St. Lucian community in honoring the queen. Now he expects Charles to take the monarchy in a new direction.
“The king is actually going to change, perhaps modernize the monarchy in the image that he thinks in the current day,” Leon said, his British Empire Medal pinned to his chest. “We can’t live back in the 1920s, ’30s or ‘50s, when Elizabeth took over. We are now in the 21st century, and I think things are going to be regarded and looked at a bit different.”
In addition to being king of the United Kingdom, Charles is head of state for 14 “realms” that retained the monarch as their sovereign after gaining independence from the former British Empire. It is in these far-flung nations, which stretch from Australia and New Zealand to the Caribbean that Charles may face his first challenges.
The pressures were clear earlier this year when Prince William and his wife, Kate, faced calls for a royal apology and reparations for slavery during a trip to Belize, Jamaica and the Bahamas to celebrate the queen’s 70 years on the throne.
During that visit, Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness told the royals that his country was “moving on,” a few months after Barbados severed its ties with the monarchy.
The royals have also faced criticism from within after Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, gave up royal duties and moved to California. In a widely publicized interview with U.S. television host Oprah Winfrey earlier this year, the couple alleged that palace had been insensitive toward Meghan, who is bi-racial, and that a member of the royal family had asked about the color of their first child’s skin before he was born.
Charles sought to address the tensions at home and abroad in his first address as king.
“Wherever you may live in the United Kingdom, or in the realms and territories across the world, and whatever may be your background or beliefs, I shall endeavor to serve you with loyalty, respect and love, as I have throughout my life,” he said.
Charles also confronted concerns about how he would conduct himself as king.
The laws and traditions that govern Britain’s constitutional monarchy dictate that the sovereign must stay out of partisan politics, but Charles has spent much of his adult life speaking out on issues that are important to him, particularly the environment.
His words have caused friction with politicians and business leaders who accused the then-Prince of Wales of meddling in issues on which he should have remained silent.
The question is whether Charles will follow his mother’s example and muffle his personal opinions now that he is king, or use his new platform to reach a broader audience.
“My life will, of course, change as I take up my new responsibilities,” Charles said. “It will no longer be possible for me to give so much of my time and energies to the charities and issues for which I care so deeply. But I know this important work will go on in the trusted hands of others.”
The king has been clear that he intends to slim down the monarchy, limiting the number of working royals and reducing the expense of supporting them.
But for 10 days, Britain spared no expense as it honored Elizabeth, who became a comforting symbol of stability over the tumultuous years of her long reign.
All the spectacle that has become synonymous with the royals was on display as uniformed members of the royal family walked solemnly behind a gun carriage carrying the queen’s coffin away from Buckingham Palace, cannons and church bells sounded in lament and world leaders filled Westminster Abbey for her funeral.
But it was pageantry with a purpose, celebrating the queen’s life while also reminding the public of the monarchy’s role in public life and linking the people to the royal family in their time of shared grief.
“People often criticize the British monarchy or even laugh at it as pomp and circumstance and emptiness,” said historian Robert Lacey, author of “Majesty: Elizabeth II and the House of Windsor.”
“Well, an occasion like this shows it’s not emptiness, that the pomp and circumstance stands for something.”
___
Follow all AP stories on the death of Queen Elizabeth II at https://apnews.com/hub/queen-elizabeth-ii
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| 2022-09-21T07:20:47Z
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WASHINGTON (AP) — The nominee to lead the National Archives and Records Administration will face unusual scrutiny during a confirmation process that has been complicated by the agency’s role in an ongoing investigation into a former president.
President Joe Biden’s pick to be the next archivist of the United States, Colleen Shogan, will appear Wednesday before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.
The 46-year-old historian and political scientist’s path to confirmation could turn rocky while Republicans continue to demand more information about the FBI search last month of Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort.
The nation’s record-keeping agency set the probe in motion earlier this year with a referral to the FBI after Trump returned 15 boxes of documents that contained dozens of records with classified markings.
Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., a member of the committee vetting Shogan’s nomination, “absolutely will demand answers” about the FBI search as part of her hearing, a Scott spokesperson told Bloomberg News last month. Other committee members, including Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., have chastised Attorney General Merrick Garland over the investigation and questioned the administration’s motives.
It’s a contentious backdrop for the archivist nomination, a position often filled by academics and historians that typically moves through the Senate with little scrutiny or coverage. Shogan, a Pittsburgh native, has a bachelor’s degree in political science from Boston College and a doctorate in American politics from Yale University.
“It’s my understanding that it’s never been a political issue before and it’s not a partisan job,” said Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio, one of the Republicans who will question Shogan. Sen. Gary Peters, the Democratic chairman of the committee, said he’s supportive of Shogan’s nomination but concerned for how his Republican colleagues might respond.
“Hopefully, she’ll be received warmly by folks, but you never know until the actual day of the hearing,” Peters said.
Shogan will be introduced at her hearing Wednesday morning by a friend, Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va. The senator said she has great respect for Shogan but cautioned that she doesn’t know how her nomination will shake out.
The nominee is no stranger to the marbled halls of Congress. Shogan began her career as a congressional aide for Sen. Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., then worked her way up to a position with the Congressional Research Service, a scholarly operation that churns out nonpartisan analysis for lawmakers and their staff. Shogan also worked for a decade at the Library of Congress.
She is currently an executive at the White House Historical Association, where she has worked under both the Trump and Biden administrations.
As the archivist, Shogan would take the helm of an agency that goes to great lengths to preserve the nation’s records, including treasured documents like the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. Its sprawling collection spans 13 billion pages of text and 10 million maps, charts and drawings, as well as tens of millions of photographs, films and other records.
The White House said in a statement Tuesday that officials are looking forward to her hearing.
“She is well qualified to be the next Archivist of the United States and we hope that the Senate will quickly confirm her so she can begin the important work in front of her,” a spokesperson said.
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| 2022-09-21T07:20:53Z
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UNITED NATIONS (AP) — British Prime Minister Liz Truss, a politician often compared to “Iron Lady” Margaret Thatcher, is presenting herself to the world as a steely leader for tough times.
The new prime minister has come to the United Nations to argue that in an increasingly unstable world, like-minded allies need to band together against “those who seek to weaponize the global economy.”
In her speech to the U.N. General Assembly in New York on Wednesday, Truss will call on bodies like the Group of Seven industrialized nations to act as an economic equivalent of NATO, helping one another endure the economic shocks unleashed by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“This is a decisive moment in British history, in the history of this organization, and in the history of freedom,” Truss will say, according to excerpts released in advance by her office.
“The story of 2022 could have been that of an authoritarian state rolling its tanks over the border of a peaceful neighbor and subjugating its people. Instead, it is the story of freedom fighting back. … But this must not be a one-off.”
Two years after Britain dismayed many of its allies by leaving the European Union, Truss wants to reassure the world that her country will be “a reliable, trustworthy and dynamic partner” to fellow democracies – most urgently, to Ukraine. She’ll pledge Britain’s “total” commitment to Ukraine’s fight against invasion, including a further 2.3 billion pounds ($2.6 billion) in U.K. military aid.
Truss plans to overhaul Britain’s security and foreign policy blueprint, which was updated just last year, before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine upended global security. She also has pledged to increase defense spending to 3% of gross domestic product, from its current level of just over 2%.
Truss also said en route to New York that Russia will only be freed from international sanctions if it pays “recompense” over its invasion. She did not elaborate, but American officials are looking at whether assets seized from wealthy Russians could be used to fund Ukraine’s reconstruction.
It all adds up to a bold start for a leader in office for just two weeks. Truss won a Conservative Party leadership contest early this month and was appointed prime minister by Queen Elizabeth II on Sept. 6, just two days before the monarch died. The first days of Truss’s term have been shrouded by a period of national mourning, so the trip to the U.N. represents the debut of both her international aims and her domestic agenda.
Truss is a stolid orator, so her speech is unlikely to contain the fireworks of her voluble predecessor Boris Johnson, who left his UNGA audience bemused in 2019 with a speech about technology that mentioned “terrifying limbless chickens” and “pink-eyed Terminators from the future.”
She is aiming to catch the mood of a pivotal global moment, as Thatcher did in 1989, when she hailed the thawing of the Cold War but issued a prescient warning about climate change. Thatcher said humans were not “the lords of all we survey,” but “the Lord’s creatures, the trustees of this planet, charged today with preserving life itself.”
Or like Prime Minister Gordon Brown in 2009 warning it would be “a failure of global responsibility” if the world’s poorest countries did not share in the global recovery from the Great Recession – an entreaty that went largely unheeded.
Before Truss gives her speech, she’ll hold her first meeting as prime minister with President Joe Biden. The two leaders have different economic views, with Truss advocating a brand of low-tax free-market policies derided by Democrats like Biden as “trickle-down economics.”
The two countries’ common approach to Ukraine has gone some way to healing a trans-Atlantic rift caused by Brexit. Truss’s hawkish statements about “China’s increasing assertiveness” and calls for Western allies to cut their reliance on Russian oil and gas also vibe with the views of the American leader.
But Brexit, and its impact Northern Ireland’s peace process, has driven a wedge into what both sides sentimentally call the U.K.-EU “Special Relationship.”
Britain’s departure from the EU has brought new customs checks and paperwork for Northern Ireland trade, part of the U.K. that shares a border with EU member Ireland. The issue has spiraled into a political crisis for the power-sharing government in Belfast, for which the U.K. and the EU blame each other.
Britain has introduced legislation to rip up part of its Brexit treaty with the EU — a move that angered the bloc and alarmed Washington. The proudly Irish- American Biden has warned that no side should do anything to undermine the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, the cornerstone of Northern Ireland’s peace process.
Concern about Northern Ireland in the U.S. administration and Congress is one reason talks on a U.K.-U.S. free trade deal – long held up by British Conservative politicians as one of the prizes of Brexit – have stalled. Truss acknowledged Monday that there is no prospect of such a deal “in the short to medium term.”
Truss told reporters aboard her plane that “my preference is for a negotiated settlement. … But what I will not allow is for this situation to drift.”
Truss has avoided stirring up the issue during meetings with French President Emmanuel Macron and others in New York. But Biden security adviser Jake Sullivan said it was on the agenda for the meeting of the two leaders on Wednesday.
Kim Darroch, a former British ambassador to Washington, said Truss and Biden “see things in Ukraine the same way.”
“But that can only be part of the conversation when they meet in New York,” Darroch told British broadcaster LBC. “And the Northern Ireland Protocol will be part of it as well. And I suspect (it will be) quite difficult.”
___
London-based AP correspondent Jill Lawless is on assignment traveling with the British prime minister to cover the U.N. General Assembly. Follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/JillLawless
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| 2022-09-21T07:21:00Z
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NEW YORK (AP) — President Joe Biden is ready to make the case to world leaders at the U.N. General Assembly that Russia’s “naked aggression” in Ukraine is an affront to the heart of what the international body stands for as he looks to rally allies to stand firm in backing the Ukrainian resistance.
Biden, during his time at the U.N. General Assembly, also planned to meet Wednesday with new British Prime Minister Liz Truss, announce a global food security initiative and press allies to meet an $18 billion target to replenish the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.
But White House officials say the crux of the president’s visit to the U.N. this year would be a full-throated condemnation of Russia as its brutal war nears the seven-month mark.
“He’ll offer a firm rebuke of Russia’s unjust war in Ukraine and make a call to the world to continue to stand against the naked aggression that we’ve seen these past several months,” White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said in previewing the president’s address. “He will underscore the importance of strengthening the United Nations and reaffirm core tenets of its charter at a time when a permanent member of the Security Council has struck at the very heart of the charter by challenging the principle of territorial integrity and sovereignty.”
The address comes as Russian-controlled regions of eastern and southern Ukraine have announced plans to hold Kremllin-backed referendums in days ahead on becoming part of Russia and as Moscow is losing ground in the invasion.
Biden is confronting no shortage of difficult issues as leaders gather this year.
In addition to the Russian war in Ukraine, European fears that a recession could be just around the corner are heightened. Administration concerns grow by the day that time is running short to revive the Iran nuclear deal and over China’s saber-rattling on Taiwan.
When he addressed last year’s General Assembly, Biden focused on broad themes of global partnership, urging world leaders to act with haste against the coronavirus, climate change and human rights abuses. And he offered assurances that his presidency marked a return of American leadership to international institutions following Donald Trump’s “America First” foreign policy.
But one year later, global dynamics have dramatically changed.
Stewart Patrick, senior fellow and director of the Global Order and Institutions Program at the Washington think tank Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, wrote in an analysis that Biden’s task this year is “immense” compared to his first address to the U.N. as president.
“Last year, the U.S. leader won easy plaudits as the ‘anti-Trump,’ pledging that ‘America was back,’” Patrick said. “This year demands more. The liberal, rules-based international system is reeling, battered by Russian aggression, Chinese ambitions, authoritarian assaults, a halting pandemic recovery, quickening climate change, skepticism of the U.N.’s relevance, and gnawing doubts about American staying power.”
Beyond diplomacy, the president is also doing some politicking. This year’s gathering comes less than seven weeks before pivotal midterm elections in the United States. Shortly after arriving in Manhattan on Tuesday night, Biden spoke at a Democratic National Committee fundraiser for about 100 participants that raised nearly $2 million, and he’s set to hold another fundraiser on Thursday before heading back to Washington.
His Wednesday address comes on the heels of Ukrainian forces retaking control of large stretches of territory near Kharkiv. But even as Ukrainian forces have racked up battlefield wins, much of Europe is feeling painful blowback from economic sanctions levied against Russia. A vast reduction in Russian oil and gas has led to a sharp jump in energy prices, skyrocketing inflation and growing risk of Europe slipping into a recession.
Biden’s visit to the U.N. also comes as his administration’s efforts to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal appears stalled.
The deal brokered by the Obama administration — and scrapped by Trump in 2018 — provided billions of dollars in sanctions relief in exchange for Iran’s agreement to dismantle much of its nuclear program and open its facilities to extensive international inspection.
Sullivan said no breakthrough with Iran is expected during the General Assembly but Biden would make clear in his speech that a deal can still be done “if Iran is prepared to be serious about its obligations.” He added that administration officials would be consulting with fellow signatories of the 2015 deal on the sidelines of this week’s meetings.
This year’s U.N. gathering is back to being a full-scale, in-person event after two years of curtailed activity due to the pandemic. In 2020, the in-person gathering was canceled and leaders instead delivered prerecorded speeches; last year was a mix of in-person and prerecorded speeches. Biden and first lady Jill Biden were set to host a leaders’ reception on Wednesday evening.
China’s President Xi Jinping opted not to attend this year’s U.N. gathering, but his country’s conduct and intentions will loom large during the leaders’ talks.
Last month, the U.N. human rights office raised concerns about possible “crimes against humanity” in China’s western region against Uyghurs and other largely Muslim ethnic groups. Beijing has vowed to suspend cooperation with the office and blasted what it described as a Western plot to undermine China’s rise.
Meanwhile, China’s government on Monday said Biden’s statement in a CBS “60 Minutes” interview that American forces would defend Taiwan if Beijing tried to invade the self-ruled island was a violation of U.S. commitments on the matter, but it gave no indication of possible retaliation.
The White House said after the interview that there has been no change in U.S. policy on Taiwan, which China claims as its own. That policy says Washington wants to see Taiwan’s status resolved peacefully but doesn’t say whether U.S. forces might be sent in response to a Chinese attack.
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Follow AP coverage of the U.N. General Assembly at https://apnews.com/hub/united-nations-general-assembly
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| 2022-09-21T07:21:09Z
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WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Tuesday formally nominated a veteran foreign service officer with years of experience in Russian affairs to be the next U.S. ambassador to Russia.
The White House announced the nomination of Lynne Tracy, the current U.S. ambassador to Armenia, to the post after the Russian government signed off on the choice. Tracy’s selection had been known for some time but had not been announced pending Russia’s approval. Ambassadorial nominations must be approved by the host government under the rules of diplomatic protocol.
Such approval is generally routine but couldn’t be taken for granted at a time of particularly fraught U.S.-Russian relations over Ukraine, the detention of Americans in Russia, allegations of Russian meddling in U.S. and other elections, and an escalating spat over the staffing of embassies in Washington and Moscow.
Tracy, who speaks Russian, previously served as a senior adviser for Russian affairs in the State Department’s Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, and as the deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow. She also held several posts in Central and South Asia.
The previous U.S. ambassador to Moscow, John Sullivan, left earlier this month, in an departure that had been expected this fall but was accelerated by the failing health of his wife, who died a day after his return.
Tracy is well-regarded within diplomatic circles. She received a State Department heroism award from then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in 2009.
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| 2022-09-21T07:21:17Z
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NEW YORK (AP) — Prime Minister Liz Truss has kicked off her first visit to the United States as Britain’s leader with an admission that a U.K-U.S. free trade deal is not going to happen for years.
Truss said a trans-Atlantic deal is not one of her priorities — a sharp contrast with the stance of her immediate predecessors as Conservative prime minister, Boris Johnson and Theresa May. Both dangled the promise of a deal with the world’s biggest economy as one of the main prizes of Britain’s exit from the European Union.
“There (aren’t) currently any negotiations taking place with the U.S., and I don’t have an expectation that those are going to start in the short to medium term,” Truss told reporters aboard her plane to New York, where she landed Tuesday to attend the United Nations General Assembly.
Truss said she was more focused on obtaining accession to the Trans-Pacific trade partnership and striking trade deals with India and the Gulf Cooperation Council of states including Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
“Those are our trade priorities,” she said.
Truss’s downbeat assessment about trans-Atlantic trade came ahead of her first one-on-one meeting with President Joe Biden since she took office two weeks ago. The two leaders are due to meet Wednesday on the sidelines of the U.N. gathering in New York. Both were among scores of world leaders who attended the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II in London on Monday.
Truss said her priorities for the meeting with Biden were “making sure that we are able to collectively deal (with) Russian aggression,” and ensuring “we are not strategically dependent on authoritarian regimes.”
“I want to work with our allies like the United States, like France, the EU, the Baltic States, Poland to take on the challenge we face from Russian aggression,” she said. “That should be our priority.”
That puts the U.K. broadly in line with Biden’s tough stance toward Russia and China, but the trade impasse leaves the often-touted “special relationship” between Britain and the U.S. on the back burner.
Supporters of Brexit say one of the chief benefits of leaving the bloc, and its vast free market of almost half a billion people, is the chance for the United Kingdom to make new trade deals around the world.
U.K.-U.S. trade talks were launched with fanfare soon after Britain left the EU in 2020, but negotiations faltered amid rising concern in the U.S. administration about the impact of Brexit, especially on Northern Ireland.
Northern Ireland is the only part of the United Kingdom that shares a border with an EU member, and Brexit has brought new customs checks and paperwork for Northern Ireland trade, an issue that has spiraled into a political crisis for the power-sharing government in Belfast.
In response, Britain has announced plans to suspend the checks and rip up part of its Brexit treaty with the EU — a move that angered the bloc and alarmed Washington. Biden has warned that no side should do anything to undermine the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, the cornerstone of Northern Ireland’s peace process.
Truss says she wants to reach agreement with the EU, but will push ahead with rewriting the treaty if that fails. She has said the situation can’t be allowed to “drift.”
With hopes of a U.K.-U.S. agreement fading, Britain has resorted to signing trade deals with individual American states. So far it has inked agreements with Indiana and North Carolina.
Truss campaigned for Conservative leader on a promise to shake up Britain’s economy by cutting taxes, slashing regulation and attracting more investment to the U.K. But the start of her term has been dominated by the death and commemorations of Queen Elizabeth II, which put Truss’s political plans on hold during a 10-day period of national mourning.
The war in Ukraine will be topmost in Truss’s message when she makes her debut speech to the United Nations as British leader on Wednesday, urging more support for Kyiv and calling on nations to stop buying Russian oil and gas.
After the United States, the United Kingdom has been one of the biggest contributors of military and civilian aid to Ukraine. Truss wants to reassure allies that she’ll maintain the staunch support shown by Johnson. She will promise that in 2023 Britain will “match or exceed” the 2.3 billion pounds ($2.7 billion) in military aid given to Ukraine this year.
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| 2022-09-21T07:21:24Z
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RENO, Nev. (AP) — In a midterm campaign season dominated by inflation, abortion and crime, there’s another issue that is becoming more urgent in Western states: drought.
The topic of water historically has played little to no role in campaign ads in much of the region, but funding to fight drought is coming up now in door-knocking campaigns and is on the long list of talking points that advocacy groups are using to rally voters in two states with vulnerable Democratic incumbents and looming water cuts: Nevada and Arizona.
“This issue appeals to the economic anxiety of our voters and our people,” said Angel Lazcano, a Las Vegas-based organizer for Somos Votantes, which seeks to mobilize Latino voters across swing states.
Federal officials recently announced that Nevada and Arizona would get far less water in 2023 as the stranglehold on the Colorado River worsens because of drought, climate change and demand. The federal government threatened to impose deeper, broader cuts if the seven states that depend on the waterway can’t agree on how to use less.
The two vulnerable incumbents whose states are hit hardest by the cuts — Catherine Cortez Masto, of Nevada, and Mark Kelly, of Arizona — seized on the opportunity to seek funding through the federal legislation. They were joined by U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, who is seeking reelection in Colorado, and Arizona’s Sen. Kyrsten Sinema. The four Western senators negotiated $4 billion in last-minute funding to help address the region’s growing water crisis in the Inflation Reduction Act.
In tight races in Nevada and Arizona, the Colorado River basin cuts and last-minute $4 billion in drought-relief funding will serve as a test of how influential access to water will be in deciding two of the most consequential Senate races this cycle.
Though still not allocated, the drought relief funding will generally pay farmers to leave fields unplanted and will pay for water conservation and habitat restoration projects.
Cortez Masto said in a brief interview that she doesn’t see it as a campaign issue, but rather an issue for the entire West.
Somos Votantes released ads in English and Spanish, thanking Cortez Masto for the funding. In Arizona, the Environmental Defense Fund did the same for Sinema and Kelly, who has touted the funding on social media.
Kathleen Ferris, a senior water policy researcher at Arizona State University, said drought is a politically murky subject. She doubts the relief funding will have any sway on the election, and even the Colorado River cuts have not risen to the level of other hot-button issues.
Campaigns historically have trouble communicating complex water policies because there are so many interest groups that have a stake, she said.
“It’s not necessarily easy to say, ‘Well, I will do this,’ which would hurt this group, or ‘I will do that,’ which would hurt another group,” said Ferris, a senior research fellow at ASU’s Morrison Institute for Public Policy. “So mostly, what they say is ’I will convene stakeholders’ and ‘We will have robust discussions’ and ‘We will figure out a path.’ Well, that’s not very sexy for the electorate.”
The funding is small in the wider context of a historic megadrought. Farmers in Yuma, Arizona, are already requesting over a quarter of the funding, and projects elsewhere to convert ocean water to drinking water often cost billions.
Though projects in Nevada and Arizona may get priority, 17 states are eligible for the funding, which will be doled out through 2026.
Questions also remain about whether the one-time allocation will turn into an annual stipend. If so, experts say, other funding requests could come under scrutiny from states not reliant on the river.
Though the basin cuts will not result in immediate new restrictions, they signal that unpopular decisions about how to reduce consumption could come soon.
Nowhere have the effects of drought been as visible as in Lake Mead, the Colorado River’s largest reservoir, which supplies water to nearby Las Vegas. Residents have watched human remains and old artifacts reveal themselves as levels drop.
Lazcano, the community organizer at Somos Votantes, which endorsed Cortez Masto, brings up Las Vegas’ robust water recycling infrastructure and the $4 billion in drought relief funding while door-knocking or hosting events in Las Vegas’ Latino neighborhoods.
He pitches drought relief as an environmental and economic issue — affecting jobs and opportunities next to rising gas prices, labor shortages and inflation.
“I feel like people have that surface-level understanding of these things that are happening,” he said. “Like they hear about the cuts and the money coming in, but they’re not too sure with how to take that in, and that’s where we come in. To tell them about how it is, or what these investments mean.”
The funding has earned mixed reactions from Republican candidates in Nevada.
While the inflation measure was universally vilified by the party, GOP lawmakers and candidates did not deny that drought needs urgent attention.
Adam Laxalt, who is running against Cortez Masto, has mostly stayed away from talking about drought. In an email, he said he supports efforts to address water problems in Nevada, noting that the crunch “didn’t just happen overnight.”
The Inflation Reduction Act will contribute to more inflation, and Cortez Masto should have secured funding without having to support a larger bill, he said.
Sam Peters, a Republican candidate for Nevada’s 4th Congressional District — which covers much of rural central Nevada down to the northern edge of the Las Vegas area — criticized paying farmers not to use water, saying that Democrats “throw money at it without a real solution.” He suggested desalination as a longer-term solution.
U.S. Rep Mark Amodei, Nevada’s lone Republican congressman, supported the general idea of the funding and also pointed to desalination, the technology that removes salt from ocean water and turns it into drinking water.
A $1.4 billion desalination project was proposed in California with support from Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom but was rejected by a California coastal panel in May because of its cost and threat to marine organisms at the base of the food chain.
Days after the Inflation Reduction Act passed, Amodei sent out a blog post that didn’t mention drought but outlined the provisions he said would deepen the country’s economic woes.
Asked about the drought funding later, he said it was “maybe some of the least egregious stuff” in the act.
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Stern is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow Stern on Twitter: @gabestern326
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| 2022-09-21T07:21:32Z
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WASHINGTON (AP) — Celebrities are back at the White House following a pop-culture backlash during the Trump years, when just about anyone considered high-wattage refused to show up.
Rocker Elton John is bringing his farewell tour to the South Lawn on Friday, the White House announced Tuesday, one week after singer James Taylor and hosts Jonathan and Drew Scott, of HGTV’s “Property Brothers,” helped celebrate a new health care and climate change law.
John is among a slew of entertainers who refused to perform for then-President Donald Trump.
Taylor sang and strummed his guitar to open last week’s event while the Scotts were among hundreds of people in the audience. They also joined second gentleman Doug Emhoff, Vice President Kamala Harris’ husband, to film a snazzy video promoting the law’s climate change provisions.
Since taking office during a pandemic, which put a pause on too much togetherness, the 79-year-old Biden has also opened the White House to teen singer Olivia Rodrigo, to talk about young people and COVID-19 vaccinations, and the South Korean boy band BTS, to discuss Asian inclusion and representation.
Last year, the Democratic president resumed the tradition of hosting an in-person White House reception for the artists receiving honors from the Kennedy Center.
Actor Jennifer Garner accompanied first lady Jill Biden to West Virginia last year to visit a school-based COVID-19 vaccination site in Charleston. Garner also hosted a PBS “In Performance” special celebrating the holidays at the White House.
John’s concert is called “A Night When Hope and History Rhyme,” a reference to a poem by Irishman Seamus Heaney that Biden often quotes. The performance is part of a collaboration with A+E Networks and the History Channel that “will celebrate the unifying and healing power of music, commend the life and work of Sir Elton John and honor the everyday history-makers in the audience,” the White House said. Guests will include teachers, medical professionals, students, LGBTQ+ advocates and others.
John also has a gig scheduled for Saturday night at Nationals Park in Washington as part of a tour wrapping up his 50-plus-year career. He opened the final leg of his North American farewell series in Philadelphia in July.
The 75-year-old British singer is among celebrities who avoided the Trump White House, starting with the Republican’s 2017 inauguration. John had declined an invitation to play at Trump’s inaugural festivities, saying he didn’t think it was appropriate for someone with British heritage to play at the swearing-in of an American president.
Trump had included high praise for John in a few of his books and played John’s songs at his presidential campaign rallies, including “Rocket Man” and “Tiny Dancer.” Trump had also nicknamed North Korean leader Kim Jong Un “rocket man” because of Kim’s habit of test-firing missiles.
Country music singers Toby Keith and Lee Greenwood were among the more notable entertainers who performed to help usher Trump into office. Bigger names from other genres refused or weren’t considered.
Hollywood has always leaned heavily Democratic.
For the inauguration of Democrat Biden, singers Lady Gaga, Jennifer Lopez and Garth Brooks were among those who performed.
Aretha Franklin and Beyonce were among celebrities who turned out in a huge show of force for Democrat Barack Obama, from fundraising to his two inaugurations to performances inside the White House or on the grounds.
They disappeared under Trump, but are returning for Biden.
Biden relied on celebrities during his 2020 presidential campaign, when in-person schmoozing was largely suspended because of the coronavirus. A parade of movie and TV stars, pop icons and sports standouts stepped up to help Biden raise money and energize supporters.
Sir Elton — he was knighted in 1998 by Queen Elizabeth II — has sold over 300 million records worldwide, played over 4,000 shows in 80 countries and recorded one of the best-selling singles of all-time, his 1997 reworking of “Candle In The Wind” to eulogize Princess Diana, which sold 33 million copies.
He has scored over 70 top 40 hits, including nine No. 1s, and released seven No. 1 albums in the 3 1/2-year period from 1972 to 1975, a pace second only to that of the Beatles. John has five Grammy awards, a Tony award for “Aida,” and Academy Awards for songs from “The Lion King” and “Rocketman.”
He has played at the White House in the past.
John and Stevie Wonder performed together at a 1998 state dinner hosted by Democratic President Bill Clinton honoring British Prime Minister Tony Blair. They performed under a tent on the West Colonnade roof.
John was critical of Republican President George W. Bush, telling a British magazine in November 2004 that Bush and his administration “are the worst thing that has ever happened to America.”
But he was more diplomatic at a reception at the White House in December 2004 for a group of Kennedy Center honorees that included himself.
The rock legend said receiving the honor “is about the icing on the cake. … It’s incredible for someone who’s British to be given such an accolade from America, which has given me so much already in my career.”
___
Associated Press writer Chris Megerian in Washington and AP News Researcher Jennifer Farrar in New York contributed to this report.
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| 2022-09-21T07:21:40Z
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WASHINGTON (AP) — The Food and Drug Administration acknowledged Tuesday that its response to the U.S. infant formula shortage was slowed by delays in processing a whistleblower complaint and test samples from the nation’s largest formula factory.
A 10-page report from the agency offers its first formal account of the factors that led to the ongoing shortage, which has forced the U.S. to airlift millions of pounds of powdered formula from overseas.
The review zeroed in on several key problems at the agency, including outdated data-sharing systems, inadequate staffing and training among its food inspectors, and poor visibility into formula supply chains and manufacturing procedures.
“For things that are critical to the public health, if you don’t have some understanding of how all the pieces fit together, then when you get into a crisis or a shortage you have a real problem,” FDA Commissioner Robert Califf told The Associated Press in an interview. “To a large extent that’s what happened here.”
Califf said the FDA will seek new authority to compel companies to turn over key information.
One consumer advocate said the evaluation doesn’t go far enough to fix the problems.
“This internal evaluation treats the symptoms of the disease rather than offering a cure,” Scott Faber of the Environmental Working Group said in a statement. “Nothing in this evaluation addresses the fragmented leadership structure that led to critical communication failures.”
The FDA report was overseen by a senior official who interviewed dozens of agency staffers. It comes nearly eight months after the FDA shuttered Abbott’s Michigan plant due to safety concerns, quickly slashing domestic production within the highly concentrated formula industry.
A company whistleblower had tried to warn the FDA of problems at the plant in September 2021, but government inspectors didn’t investigate the complaints until February after four infants became sick, resulting in two deaths. The FDA is still investigating links between those illnesses and the formula.
The FDA previously told Congress that top agency officials didn’t learn about the complaint until February because of mail delays and a failure to escalate the Abbott employee’s allegations. The new report stated that FDA’s “inadequate processes and lack of clarity related to whistleblower complaints,” may have delayed getting inspectors to the plant.
“Whistleblower complaints come into the agency in many different ways, from many different sources,” said Dr. Steven Solomon, an FDA veterinary medicine official who oversaw the review. “One of the actions we’ve already taken is to make sure that however they come into the agency, they get triaged and escalated to the right leadership levels.”
FDA inspectors collected bacterial samples from the plant for testing, but shipping issues by “third party delivery companies” delayed the results, according to the report. The FDA also faced challenges ramping up its testing capacity for cronobacter, a rare but potentially deadly bacteria repeatedly linked to outbreaks in baby formula.
The FDA also noted that it had to reschedule its initial inspection of the Abbott plant due to cases of COVID-19 among company staff. That delay came on top of earlier missed inspections because the agency pulled its inspectors from the field during the pandemic.
The report concluded by listing new resources that Congress would need to authorize to improve infant formula inspections and standards, including:
— Increased funding and hiring authority to recruit experts to FDA’s food division;
— Improved information technology to share data on FDA inspections, consumer complaints and testing results;
— New authority to compel manufacturers to turn over samples and records on manufacturing supply chains, manufacturing quality and safety.
U.S. inventories of baby formula have been improving, hitting in-stock rates above 80% last week, according to IRI, a market research firm. That’s up from a low of 69% in mid-July. The U.S. has imported the equivalent of more than 80 million bottles of formula since May, according to White House figures, and the Biden administration is working to help foreign manufacturers stay on the market long term to diversify supply.
Califf has commissioned a separate external review of FDA’s food division citing “fundamental questions about the structure, function, funding and leadership” of the program. That review is being led by former FDA commissioner Dr. Jane Henney, who led the agency during the final years of the Clinton administration.
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Follow Matthew Perrone on Twitter: @AP_FDAwriter.
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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
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| 2022-09-21T07:21:48Z
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MIAMI (AP) — They’ve delivered migrants on planes and buses to Washington, D.C., New York City — even Martha’s Vineyard. And the Republican governors of Florida and Texas may be just getting started.
Govs. Ron DeSantis of Florida and Greg Abbott of Texas insist such dramatic steps are need to highlight a genuine crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border, where thousands of migrants stream into the country illegally each day. But weeks away from their own competitive reelections, friends and foes alike acknowledged that such hard-line tactics have effectively refocused November’s midterm elections — at least, temporarily — away from abortion rights and toward an issue more favorable to Republicans.
A defiant DeSantis on Tuesday blasted the Biden administration’s inaction on the Southern border and celebrated his own policies for making illegal immigration “a front-burner issue” ahead of the midterms.
“It will be a big issue in the elections, I can tell you that,” DeSantis said. “It’s already made more of an impact than anyone thought it could possibly make. But we’re going to continue to make more of an impact.”
Indeed, DeSantis and Abbott are pressing forward with — and even expanding on — controversial campaigns to ship thousands of immigrants from Texas to Democratic-led states and cities. Beyond shifting the national debate, their divisive moves could also serve to strengthen their national brands — and help legitimize their controversial policies — as they consider 2024 presidential bids.
“I personally thought it was a good idea,” Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday.
The governors’ rhetoric is reminiscent of former President Donald Trump’s dire warnings ahead of the 2018 midterms that a migrant caravan threatened the Southern border. Trump’s GOP lost 40 seats in the House and gained two Senate seats that year.
Democrats from Connecticut to California have generated momentum in recent weeks by campaigning on the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade — and the GOP’s subsequent push to outlaw abortion in dozens of states. Republicans, meanwhile, want to make the midterms a referendum on President Joe Biden and concerns about the economy, crime and immigration.
This week, at least, immigration is leading the national debate.
“What they’re doing is raising the salience and relevance of the immigration issue, which is important to Republican voters and can help drive turnout,” said veteran Republican pollster Neil Newhouse. “For the voters we’re appealing to, for the most part, the benefits outweigh the risks by a considerable margin.”
There are real risks, however, particularly for DeSantis, who has taken credit for two weekend charter planes that carried about 50 migrants from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard, a small, wealthy island off Massachusetts’ coast. The immigrants were told they were going to Boston.
A Texas sheriff on Monday opened an investigation into DeSantis’ flights, though the law enforcement official, an elected Democrat, did not say what laws may have been broken in putting 48 Venezuelans on private planes from San Antonio, the first stop for many migrants who cross the border.
A lawsuit was filed Tuesday against DeSantis and his transportation secretary on behalf of several of the migrants flown to Martha’s Vineyard, alleging the two politicians engaged in a “fraudulent and discriminatory scheme” to relocate them. DeSantis’ office didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Rep. Joaquin Castro, a Democrat who represents San Antonio, has called on the Justice Department to investigate the flights as well.
“These guys are immature, sadistic Trump imitators. That’s what they are,” Castro said of Abbott and DeSantis. “This is sadistic behavior. Whatever political point they were trying to make has been made a long time ago.”
DeSantis, who has stepped up travel on behalf of GOP candidates in the midterm elections, vowed to spend “every penny” of $12 million set aside by the state legislature for such “relocation programs.” On Tuesday, local officials in a Delaware community close to Biden’s vacation home were preparing to receive another one of DeSantis’ planes full of migrants from Texas, although the Florida governor refused to confirm the development.
Despite fierce criticism and potential legal liabilities, there has been little evidence of widespread political backlash in either state.
Democratic sympathizers in Florida staged news conferences in recent days condemning the governors while others compared DeSantis to late Cuban leader Fidel Castro on Spanish radio. But the number of Venezuelan voters in the state remains relatively small. Much of the community that exists has formed a coalition with Cubans, a crucial bloc in Florida that has increasingly voted Republican.
“Governors Abbott and DeSantis have had enough of it and decided to do something for people to pay attention,” said Ernesto Ackerman, a Republican who heads the Independent Venezuelan American Citizens. “This is a country of laws, not of scoundrels and tramps.”
In Texas, Abbott has spent the past two years pushing a series of provocative immigration measures that have elevated his national profile and kept critics on his right at bay. The two-term governor converted a former prison near Texas’ southern border into a jail for migrants, gave the National Guard extraordinary arrest powers and gridlocked some of America’s busiest ports for a week by mandating additional inspections for 18-wheelers crossing into the U.S.
The Abbott administration has been busing migrants to Washington, Chicago and New York City for months. The busing campaign includes two busloads of people who were dropped off outside Vice President Kamala Harris’ residence last weekend.
Longtime Abbott adviser Dave Carney said Texas would expand its operation this week to include new drop-off locations in other states.
“We’ve been focused on this for two years. It’s got nothing to do with politics. The communities are screaming bloody murder,” Carney said, referring to border towns flooded with immigrants apprehended at the border and subsequently released.
Republicans cast the border crisis as a failure of the Biden administration.
The federal government this week reported that authorities stopped migrants 2.15 million times from October through August, the first time that measure has ever topped 2 million and a 39% increase from the same period a year earlier.
Border crossings have been fueled partly by repeat crossers because there are no legal consequences for getting caught under a pandemic-era rule that denies a right to seek asylum. Even so, the numbers are extraordinarily high.
While Abbott and DeSantis have also highlighted their accomplishments on issues related to the economy, neither has taken steps to moderate their immigration policies as the November election nears.
Abbott is running against former Democratic Rep. Beto O’Rourke, who has outraised Abbott in a contest that represents the toughest challenge of the governor’s political career.
Immigration remains a crucial issue for Democrats who have long believed Texas’ booming cities and shifting demographics would eventually turn America’s biggest red state blue. But in overwhelmingly Hispanic counties on the border, Republicans are making an aggressive play for three congressional seats this fall after Trump made major gains in the region in 2020.
It was much the same in South Florida, where Trump’s GOP performed better than expected in the last election.
DeSantis is running against former Rep. Charlie Crist, whose campaign has charged in recent days that the governor “shot himself in the foot” by shipping immigrants from Texas to Massachusetts. The move sparked a fundraising surge for Crist that exceeded $1 million over a 48-hour period, according to spokesperson Samantha Ramirez.
Republican candidates on the November ballot don’t seem worried.
“I think it is a valid maneuver to use in order to try to wake up or at least expose the hypocrisy of progressive Democrats that say the border is secure and there’s no problem down here whatsoever,” said Joseph Swiger, one of dozens of Republicans running for local office in Texas border counties where the GOP seldom bothered to recruit candidates in the past.
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Peoples reported from New York; Weber reported from Austin, Texas. Associated Press writer Farnoush Amiri in Washington contributed to this report.
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WASHINGTON (AP) — The House will vote on an overhaul of a centuries-old election law, an effort to prevent future presidential candidates from trying to subvert the popular will.
The legislation under consideration Wednesday is a direct response to the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection and former President Donald Trump’s efforts to find a way around the Electoral Count Act, an arcane 1800s-era law that governs, along with the U.S. Constitution, how states and Congress certify electors and declare presidential election winners.
While that process has long been routine and ceremonial, Trump and a group of his aides and lawyers tried to exploit loopholes in the law in an attempt to overturn his defeat.
The bill would set new parameters around the Jan. 6 joint session of Congress that happens every four years after a presidential election. The day turned violent last year after hundreds of Trump’s supporters interrupted the proceedings, broke into the building and threatened the lives of then-Vice President Mike Pence and members of Congress. The rioters echoed Trump’s false claims of widespread fraud and wanted Pence to block Democrat Joe Biden’s victory as he presided over the joint session.
The legislation intends to ensure that future Jan. 6 sessions are “as the constitution envisioned, a ministerial day,” said Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, a Republican who co-sponsored the legislation with House Administration Committee Chairwoman Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif. Both Cheney and Lofgren are also members of the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack.
“The American people are supposed to decide an election, not Congress,” Lofgren said.
The bill, which is similar to legislation moving through the Senate, would clarify in the law that the vice president’s role presiding over the count is only ceremonial and also sets out that each state can only send one certified set of electors. Trump’s allies had unsuccessfully tried to put together alternate slates of illegitimate pro-Trump electors in swing states where Biden won.
The legislation would increase the threshold for individual lawmakers’ objections to any state’s electoral votes, requiring a third of the House and a third of the Senate to object to trigger votes on the results in both chambers. Currently, only one lawmaker in the House and one lawmaker in the Senate has to object. The House bill would set out very narrow grounds for those objections, an attempt to thwart baseless or politically motivated challenges. The legislation also would require courts to get involved if state or local officials want to delay a presidential vote or refuse to certify the results.
The House vote comes as the Senate is moving on a similar track with enough Republican support to virtually ensure passage before the end of the year. After months of talks, House Democrats introduced the legislation on Monday and are holding a quick vote two days later in order to send the bill across the Capitol and start to resolve differences. A bipartisan group of senators introduced legislation this summer and a Senate committee is expected to vote on it next week.
While the House bill is more expansive than the Senate version, the two bills cover similar ground and members in both chambers are optimistic that they can work out the differences. While few House Republicans are expected to vote for the legislation — most are still allied with Trump — supporters are encouraged by the bipartisan effort in the Senate.
“Both sides have an incentive to want a set of clear rules, and this is an antiquated law that no one understands,” said Benjamin Ginsburg, a longtime GOP lawyer who consulted with lawmakers as they wrote the bill. “All parties benefit from clarity.”
House GOP leaders disagree, and are encouraging their members to vote against the legislation. They say the involvement of courts could drag out elections and that the bill would take rights away from states.
Illinois Rep. Rodney Davis, Lofgren’s GOP counterpart on the House Administration Committee, said Tuesday that the bill would trample on state sovereignty and is “opening the door to mass litigation.”
Democrats are “desperately trying to talk about their favorite topic, and that is former president Donald Trump,” Davis said.
Cheney, a frequent Trump critic who was defeated in Wyoming’s GOP primary last month, says she hopes it receives votes from some of her Republican colleagues.
The bill would “ensure that in the future our election process reflects the will of the people,” she said.
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AP Congressional Correspondent Lisa Mascaro contributed to this report.
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ATLANTA (AP) — A Republican Party official in Georgia told a computer forensics team to copy components of the voting system at a rural elections office two months after the 2020 election and spent nearly all day there, contradicting her sworn deposition testimony about her role in the alleged breach of the equipment, a new court filing says.
The filing late Monday is part of a broader lawsuit challenging the security of the state’s voting machines that has been drawn into a separate investigation of former President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn his loss in Georgia. The apparent breach happened on Jan. 7, 2021, the day after a violent attack on the U.S. Capitol by Trump supporters seeking to stop the certification of the election.
Interior security camera video from the Coffee County elections office shows Cathy Latham, the county Republican Party chair at the time, welcomed the computer forensics team when it arrived, introduced the team to local election officials and spent nearly all day there. She also instructed the team what to copy, which turned out to be “virtually every component of the voting system,” the filing says. The video directly refutes Latham’s testimony in a sworn deposition and her representations in filings with the court, the document states.
The filing comes in response to Latham’s attorneys’ attempt to quash subpoenas for her personal electronic devices, including any cellphones, computers and storage devices.
Robert Cheeley, an attorney for Latham, did not respond to an email seeking comment. He previously said his client doesn’t remember all the details of that day. But he said she “would not and has not knowingly been involved in any impropriety in any election” and “has not acted improperly or illegally.”
Latham said in a deposition last month that she moved to Texas over the summer. In January 2021, she was chair of the Coffee County Republican Party and was the state party caucus chair for more than 125 of Georgia’s smaller counties. Latham also was one of 16 Georgia Republicans who signed a certificate in December 2020 falsely stating that Trump had won the state and declaring that they were the state’s “duly elected and qualified” electors.
Trump in fact lost Georgia by nearly 12,000 votes to Democrat Joe Biden. The investigation into Trump’s efforts to change the results includes a phone call he made to the Georgia secretary of state, a fellow Republican, suggesting he could “find” just enough votes to make Trump the winner.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, a Democrat who’s leading that investigation, has notified Latham and the other fake electors that they could face criminal charges.
The Georgia secretary of state’s office has described the copying of data from Coffee County’s election system as an “alleged unauthorized access” and last month asked the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to get involved. It’s the latest of several suspected breaches of voting system data around the country tied to Trump allies since his election loss.
Attorney Sidney Powell and other Trump allies were involved in arranging for the copying of the election equipment in Coffee County — which is home to 43,000 people and voted overwhelmingly for Trump — as part of a wider effort to access voting equipment in several states, according to documents produced in response to subpoenas in the long-running lawsuit over Georgia’s voting machines.
Latham’s “data likely will reveal additional details about the work performed and information obtained in the breach, what was done with the compromised software and data, and the people involved in planning and orchestrating the breach, which puts voters and future elections at enormous risk,” the filing says.
An exhibit attached to the Monday filing juxtaposes quotes from Latham’s deposition with images pulled from security camera footage that appear to directly contradict her statements.
Latham said that she went to her job as a high school teacher and stopped by the election office briefly that afternoon. But the video image shows her arriving at 11:37 a.m., and time stamps on other images show her there throughout much of the day. She also said she didn’t see specific people and saw others only briefly, but the video images show otherwise.
The lawsuit that includes the fight over Latham’s personal electronic devices was originally filed several years before the 2020 election by individual voters and the Coalition for Good Governance, an election security advocacy group. It alleges that Georgia’s touchscreen voting machines are not secure and seeks to have them replaced by hand-marked paper ballots.
The Monday filing said the plaintiffs have identified multiple documents that Latham failed to produce in response to a previous subpoena. It seeks to have a third party make a temporary forensic copy of her devices and search for responsive documents.
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WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. Joe Manchin on Tuesday railed against what he called “revenge politics,” as liberals in the House and Senate team up with Republicans to oppose his plan to speed permits for natural gas pipelines and other energy projects.
Manchin, a West Virginia Democrat who chairs the Senate Energy Committee, secured a commitment from President Joe Biden and Democratic leaders to include the permitting package in a stopgap government-funding bill in return for his support of a landmark law to curb climate change.
But in the weeks since Biden signed so-called Inflation Reduction Act last month, Democrats and environmental groups have lined up to oppose the permitting plan, calling it bad for the country and the climate. Climate hawks such as Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey, along with dozens of House members, say the permitting plan should be excluded from the must-pass spending bill.
Many Republicans agree. Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso, the top Republican on the Senate energy panel, called the permitting deal a “political payoff” to Manchin, whose vote on the climate bill was crucial to the law’s passage.
Manchin’s actions on the climate — including secret negotiations with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. — “engendered a lot of bad blood” among Republicans, Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, told reporters. “There’s not a lot of sympathy on our side to provide Sen. Manchin a reward.”
At a news conference Tuesday, Manchin expressed bewilderment at such sentiment, saying he’s “never seen” such an example of “revenge politics,” with Sanders and the “extreme liberal left siding up with Republican leadership” to oppose his plan.
“It’s revenge towards one person — me,” Manchin said.
“I’m hearing that the Republican leadership is upset,” he added. “They’re not going to give a victory to Joe Manchin. Well, Joe Manchin is not looking for a victory.”
Replying Tuesday on Twitter, Sanders was defiant.
“Defeating the Big Oil side deal is not about revenge,″ he said. “It’s about whether we will stand with 650 environmental and civil rights organizations who understand that the future of the planet is with renewable energy and energy efficiency not approving the Mountain Valley Pipeline,″ a nearly-completed natural gas pipeline from northern West Virginia to southern Virginia. Manchin’s plan would expedite the pipeline and steer legal challenges to a different federal court.
While legislative text of his permitting plan has not been made public, Manchin called the bill “a good piece of legislation that is extremely balanced” and does not “bypass any environmental review.″ Instead it would accelerate a timeframe that can take up to 10 years for a major project to win approval.
Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., has released a similar plan that would speed environmental permitting, but Manchin said his plan should have broader appeal, since it would streamline environmental reviews for renewable energy projects as well as fossil fuels. Manchin’s plan has support from Biden and other Democratic leaders.
But a letter signed by more than 70 House Democrats slams the proposal as a “dirty side deal being negotiated behind closed doors, outside of proper government process and the view of our families and communities who it will deeply impact.”
If passed, “this deal will only make it easier for the fossil-fuel industry to site polluting projects in our communities and perpetuate the industry’s practice of concentrating destructive pollution projects in communities of color and poor communities,” said the letter, led by House Natural Resources Chairman Raul Grijalva of Arizona.
The fissure among Democrats could complicate the party’s efforts to keep the focus on this summer’s major legislative victories — including the climate bill and a separate law to boost the semiconductor industry and create more high-tech jobs in the United States — heading into the midterm elections to determine which party controls the House and Senate.
More immediately, the divide is testing the ability of Schumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to keep enough Democrats in line to avoid a partial government shutdown at the end of the month.
Schumer has said he will attach Manchin’s proposal to the stopgap funding bill, a promise Manchin said Tuesday he expects Schumer to keep.
The permitting plan “is going to be in the” funding bill to avert a government shutdown Sept. 30, Manchin said. If opponents are willing to close down the government “because of a personal attack on me, this is what makes people sick about politics,” he added. “It makes me sick about it.”
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., did not directly answer when asked whether Manchin’s permitting proposal would make it harder to pass the government funding bill, known as a continuing resolution.
“We’re going to pass the CR, and we’re going to be here as long as it takes,” Hoyer said Tuesday.
___
Associated Press writer Kevin Freking contributed to this report.
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NEW YORK (AP) — President Joe Biden is confronting no shortage of difficult issues as he travels to New York for the annual gathering of world leaders at the U.N. General Assembly.
The Russian war in Ukraine is at a critical juncture. European fears that a recession could be just around the corner are heightened. Administration concerns grow by the day that time is running short to revive the Iran nuclear deal and over China’s saber-rattling on Taiwan.
When he addressed last year’s General Assembly, Biden focused on broad themes of global partnership, urging world leaders to act with haste against the coronavirus, climate change and human rights abuses. And he offered assurances that his presidency marked a return of American leadership to international institutions following Donald Trump’s “America First”-driven foreign policy.
But one year later, global dynamics have dramatically changed.
Stewart Patrick, senior fellow and director of the Global Order and Institutions Program at the Washington think tank Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, wrote in an analysis that Biden’s task this year is “immense” compared to his first address to the U.N. as president.
“Last year, the U.S. leader won easy plaudits as the ‘anti-Trump,’ pledging that ‘America was back,’” Patrick said. “This year demands more. The liberal, rules-based international system is reeling, battered by Russian aggression, Chinese ambitions, authoritarian assaults, a halting pandemic recovery, quickening climate change, skepticism of the U.N.’s relevance, and gnawing doubts about American staying power.”
In a tightly packed visit to New York for the 77th General Assembly, Biden is set to address world leaders, meet with the new British Prime Minister Liz Truss and prod allies to do their part to help the U.N. meet an $18 billion target to replenish the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. He’ll also host heads of state at a reception and plans to make a significant announcement on global food security.
Beyond diplomacy, the president is scheduled to squeeze in a pair of political fundraisers. This year’s gathering comes less than eight weeks before pivotal midterm elections in the United States.
His Wednesday address is expected to have a heavy focus on Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine, where Ukrainian troops in recent weeks have retaken control of large stretches of territory near Kharkiv that were seized by Russian forces earlier in the nearly 7-month-old war.
But even as Ukrainian forces have racked up battlefield wins, much of Europe is feeling painful blowback from economic sanctions levied against Russia to punish Moscow for its invasion. A vast reduction in Russian oil and gas has led to a sharp jump in energy prices, skyrocketing inflation and growing risk of Europe slipping into a recession.
“The main thrust of his presentation when it comes to Ukraine will really be about the United Nations Charter, about the foundational principle at the heart of that charter that countries cannot conquer their neighbors by force, cannot seize and acquire territory by force,” White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said of Biden’s plans for his address to world leaders.
Carrie Filipetti, executive director of the Vandenberg Coalition, a conservative foreign policy group, said it’s important for Biden to make a robust case to allies — and U.S. lawmakers who will be watching his speech closely — that the investment they’ve collectively made in arming Ukraine and the pain that Europe’s economy is enduring will ultimately pay off.
“He should be trying to compel and demonstrate how … American support and allied support has been instrumental in helping to bring on this sort of renewed wave of success for the Ukrainians, but that it is very dependent on that continuing not only from the United States, but I think especially from European partners,” said Filipetti, who served as senior policy adviser for the U.S. mission to the United Nations during the Trump administration.
At the White House, there’s also growing concern that Russian President Vladimir Putin might further escalate the conflict after recent setbacks.
Biden, in a CBS “60 Minutes” interview that aired on Sunday, warned Putin that deploying nuclear or chemical weapons in Ukraine would result in a “consequential” response from the United States. The administration first warned in March, just weeks into the war, that Russia might seek to use chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine.
“Don’t. Don’t. Don’t,” Biden warned. “It would change the face of war unlike anything since World War II.”
Biden’s visit to the U.N. also comes as his administration’s efforts to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal appears stalled.
The deal brokered by the Obama administration — and scrapped by Trump in 2018 — provided billions of dollars in sanctions relief in exchange for Iran’s agreement to dismantle much of its nuclear program and open its facilities to extensive international inspection.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, who is also set to address the U.N. assembly this week, told “60 Minutes” that Tehran would offer no concessions to reach a deal.
“The new administration in the U.S., they claim that they are different from the Trump administration,” Raisi said. “They have said it in their messages to us. But we haven’t witnessed any changes.”
Sullivan said no breakthrough with Iran is expected during the General Assembly. At the same time, Republicans, a few Democrats and Israeli officials are pressing the administration to abandon the nuclear deal.
Sullivan said that Biden would make clear in his speech that a deal can still be done “if Iran is prepared to be serious about its obligations.” He added that administration officials would be consulting with fellow signatories of the 2015 deal on the sidelines of this week’s meeting.
“I think our allies will be curious to see, does the president want to change direction?” said Richard Goldberg, a senior adviser at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a policy institute focusing on foreign policy and national security. “Does he want to return to some sort of a pressure path, reconstitute a multilateral campaign of pressure?”
This year’s U.N. gathering is back to being a full-scale, in-person event after two years of curtailed activity due to the pandemic. In 2020, the in-person gathering was canceled and leaders instead delivered prerecorded speeches; last year was a mix of in-person and prerecorded speeches.
While China’s Xi Jinping won’t be present, his country’s conduct and intentions will loom large during the leaders’ talks.
Last month, the U.N. human rights office raised concerns about possible “crimes against humanity” in China’s western region against Uyghurs and other largely Muslim ethnic groups. Beijing has vowed to suspend cooperation with the office and blasted what it described as a Western plot to undermine China’s rise.
Meanwhile, China’s government on Monday said Biden’s statement in the “60 Minutes” interview that American forces would defend Taiwan if Beijing tried to invade the self-ruled island was a violation of U.S. commitments on the matter, but it gave no indication of possible retaliation.
The White House said after the interview that there has been no change in U.S. policy on Taiwan, which China claims as its own. That policy says Washington wants to see Taiwan’s status resolved peacefully but doesn’t say whether U.S. forces might be sent in response to a Chinese attack.
Tensions between the U.S. and China over Taiwan have been heightened since Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taipei last month, becoming the highest-ranking U.S. official to travel to the island since House Speaker Newt Gingrich visited in 1997.
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Follow AP coverage of the U.N. General Assembly at https://apnews.com/hub/united-nations-general-assembly
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NEW YORK (AP) — Potential jurors in the criminal trial of Donald Trump’s inaugural committee chair have been quizzed by the judge on a tricky topic: What do they think of the former president?
The question came up this week during jury selection at the New York City trial of wealthy businessperson Tom Barrack, who is accused of working as an unregistered agent of the United Arab Emirates to influence the president’s foreign policy.
U.S. District Judge Brian Cogan told prospective jurors Trump’s name would come up often at the trial, and even floated the idea that he might testify. Cogan pressed them on whether they could be fair in a case infused with politics and shadowy international business dealings.
Some potential jurors said it was asking too much because of their distaste for the former president.
“To be frank, I don’t think so,” one man said when asked whether could remain impartial. “For the sake of the trial, I could, but it would be challenging.”
Asked the same question, another replied, “That would be tough. That would be difficult.”
Both men were dismissed.
A woman survived the cut in the first round of questioning despite being called out about her answer on a questionnaire asking her to name a public figure that she least admired and why: “Donald Trump. No explanation needed.”
When the judge told her, “I’m going to need a little more explanation than that,” she insisted she could set aside her feelings and be a fair juror.
There were some Trump supporters in the pool of potential jurors, including one man who said he liked the former president because he was “a strong backer of Israel.” Others claimed they had no opinion about Trump at all.
Jury selection continued Tuesday with the judge and lawyers expected settle on a final panel of jurors on Wednesday morning. Open statements would follow.
Barrack, a close personal friend of Trump for decades, raised $107 million for Trump’s inaugural celebration following the 2016 election. The event was scrutinized both for its lavish spending and for attracting foreign officials and businesspeople looking to lobby the new administration.
Barrack was arrested last year and released on $250 million bail.
The Los Angeles-based private equity manager was a key figure in UAE investments in a tech fund and real estate totaling $374 million. Prosecutors say that while he was nurturing those business deals, Barrack helped UAE leaders influence Trump during his campaign for president and after he was elected.
Those efforts included drafting a speech for Trump that praised a member of the country’s royal family, passing information back to the Emiratis about how senior U.S. officials felt about a boycott of Qatar, and promising to advance the interests of the United Arab Emirates if he were appointed as an ambassador or envoy to the Middle East.
Such an appointment “would give ABU DHABI more power!” Barrack wrote in one message obtained by federal prosecutors.
Barrack has said he is innocent. His lawyers said his contacts with the Emirates were not a secret and had been disclosed to Trump’s campaign and administration.
As he arrived at the courthouse Monday for the start of jury selection, Barrack told reporters he had faith jurors would acquit him.
“I believe in the system,” he said.
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MACON, Ga. (AP) — When Tracie Revis climbs the Great Temple Mound, rising nine stories above the Ocmulgee River in the center of present-day Georgia, she walks in the steps of her Muscogean ancestors who were forcibly removed to Oklahoma 200 years ago.
“This is lush, gorgeous land. The rivers are gorgeous here,” Revis said recently as she gazed over the forest canopy to a distant green horizon, broken only by Macon’s skyline, just across the water. “We believe that those ancestors are still here, their songs are still here, their words are still here, their tears are still here. And so we speak to them. You know, we still honor those that have passed on.”
If approved by Congress after a three-year federal review wraps up this fall, the mounds in Macon would serve as the gateway to a new Ocmulgee National Park and Preserve, protecting 54 river-miles of floodplain where nearly 900 more sites of cultural or historic significance have been identified.
Efforts to expand an existing historical park at the mounds site are in keeping with Interior Secretary Deb Haaland’s “Tribal Homelands Initiative,” which supports fundraising to buy land and requires federal managers to seek out indigenous knowledge about resources.
“This kind of land acquisition represents the best of what our conservation efforts should look like: collaborative, inclusive, locally led, and in support of the priorities of our country’s tribal nations,” Haaland said at last weekend’s 30th Annual Ocmulgee Indigenous Celebration.
In an era when some culture warriors see government as the enemy, years of coalition-building have eliminated any significant opposition to federal management in the reliably Republican center of a long-red state. Hunting will still be allowed, even encouraged to keep feral hogs from destroying the ecosystem. Georgia’s congressional delegation is on board, and the Muscogee (Creek) Nation has been welcomed as an essential partner.
“Our voice, our say has been all over this whole process for a while now,” said Revis, a Muscogee and Yuchi lawyer who moved to Georgia this year to join Seth Clark, mayor pro-tem of Macon, in advocating to give the National Park Service primary authority over the heart of her people’s ancestral land, which once stretched across Georgia, South Carolina, Florida and Alabama.
Unifying a patchwork of state and federally managed lands could help draw a million more visitors each year, spending a collective $187 million while hiking, canoeing, hunting, fishing and learning about Native American history, and generating $30 million in taxes while sustaining 3,000 more jobs, an economic impact study found.
“It’s a game changer for this region,” Clark said. “Reimagining our economic vitality through a sense of ecotourism is something that I just think is huge for this community.”
Gliding over the surface of the Ocmulgee, kayakers can see nothing but woodlands and wildlife, interrupted very occasionally by a bridge. Few know that 14 more ceremonial mounds, unexplored and vulnerable, rise from the swamps nearby.
Plans call for leaving the wilderness as untouched as possible while also building trails and access ramps. No land would be taken through eminent domain. Instead, park service oversight would facilitate raising money to expand the boundaries and increase public hunting areas by purchasing private wetlands from willing sellers.
The tribal government in Okmulgee, Oklahoma, also bought 130 acres (52.6 hectares) of bottomland to be surrounded by the park. Principal Chief David Hill said there are no plans to develop it — they want it preserved so that their 97,000 citizens always have a place of their own in the cradle of their culture.
“Our history is here. Our ancestors are here. Our stories started here. And we are committed to ensuring that this cherished site is protected,” Hill said.
Muscogean people say that history is fraught with trauma, but also pride at how they’re thriving now after surviving the Road to Misery, their phrase for the Trail of Tears. The forced march ordered by Congress removed 80,000 Native Americans from the eastern United States. Many died of illness, starvation or abuse as the federal government broke its promises to care for them in exchange for their lands.
White settlers had made their lives unbearable through relentless campaigns of “expulsion or extermination” in the 1820s and 1830s. And as soon as the Muscogee, Seminole, Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw and other natives were gone from the Deep South, they were replaced by hundreds of thousands of slaves, sold down rivers by their northern owners to clear the land for cotton.
Settlers kept the place names, not knowing what they meant in Native languages.
Desecrations swiftly followed at the Ocmulgee Mounds, the spiritual, legislative and economic heart of the Creek Confederacy. Old growth trees were cleared for a slave labor camp. A massive funeral mound was blasted open for a railroad to ship cotton. Civil War battlements later carved up its fields.
About 700 acres (283 hectares) surrounding seven mounds were declared a national monument in 1936. But that did not stop archeologists from removing 2.5 million artifacts reflecting 17,000 years of continuous human habitation. Most remain unexamined in Smithsonian, park service and university archives.
For decades, the park was promoted with postcards featuring an exposed skeleton. It turned out to be the skull of one person and the bones of another, said Raelynn Butler, the tribal nation’s manager of historic and cultural preservation. “They didn’t treat us like people,” she said.
The facts about genocide and survival began to resurface in the 1970s when Revis’ aunt Addie and other tribal elders traveled back to Georgia to lead cultural discussions. “That was really where the first idea of the celebration came from — that we have got to change the narrative,” Revis said.
Twenty years of painstaking collaboration enabled the tribal nation to reunite and rebury the remains of 114 people at the mounds in 2017. And this February, an adjoining 1,000 acres (404 hectares) of sacred land were protected, purchased by the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund at no cost to the taxpayers, Haaland said. Expanding this to a park and preserve could protect another 85,000 acres (34,400 hectares) downriver.
“We get questioned all the time, ‘this is such a beautiful place, why’d you all leave?’ We weren’t asked to – we were forced to,” Hill said. “And that’s what we want to prevent in the future — the things we do now, it’s for our future generations. I don’t want them to go through that. So Oklahoma is home, but this is still our original home.”
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Michael Warren is a member of the AP’s Race and Ethnicity Team.
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WASHINGTON (AP) — An Iowa man who was part of the mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol believed a conspiracy theory that law enforcement officers would be arresting “all the corrupt politicians,” starting that day with then-Vice President Mike Pence, a defense attorney told jurors Tuesday.
Doug Jensen wore a shirt bearing the letter “Q” to express his adherence to the QAnon conspiracy theory when he joined the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. A viral video recorded by a reporter’s cellphone showed Jensen running after a Capitol Police officer who was retreating from a crowd of rioters up a flight of stairs.
A federal prosecutor showed jurors the video at the start of Jensen’s trial. They also saw a photograph of Jensen with his arms extended as he confronted a line of police officers near the Senate chambers, one of the most memorable images from the riot.
“This is not a whodunit case,” defense attorney Christopher Davis said during the trial’s opening statements. “Literally, the whole case is on video.”
But he stressed that none of the video shows Jensen engaging in any violence or property damage.
“You will not see this man lay a hand on anyone,” Davis said.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Allen told jurors they will hear testimony by Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman. Jensen was at the front of a group of rioters who followed Goodman as the officer ran up the stairs.
Goodman “approached them with his hand on his gun because he had no way of knowing what they were capable of doing,” Allen said. “And he knew that he was desperately outnumbered and alone.”
Davis said Jensen, a construction worker, was motivated by his “100%” belief in QAnon, a conspiracy theory that spread beyond the dark fringes of the internet to penetrate mainstream Republican politics.
QAnon has centered on the baseless notion that former President Donald Trump was secretly fighting a Satan-worshipping cabal of “deep state” enemies, prominent Democrats and Hollywood elites during his time in the White House. Another core tenet of QAnon is the apocalyptic prophesy that “The Storm” was coming and would usher in mass arrests and executions of Trump’s foes.
Before the riot, Trump and his allies spread the false narrative that Pence somehow could have overturned the results of the 2020 election. Davis told jurors they will hear Jensen implore police officers to “do their job” and arrest Pence, who was presiding over the Senate on Jan. 6.
“He believed they were obligated to do it,” Davis said. “He believed that martial law was going to be instituted.”
After scaling the outer walls of the Capitol, Jensen climbed through a broken window to enter the building. He was one of the first 10 rioters to enter the building, according to prosecutors.
Allen said Jensen learned from a friend’s text message that Pence was about to certify the election results.
“That’s all about to change,” Jensen replied.
Jensen is charged with seven counts, including charges that he obstructed the joint session of Congress to certify President Joe Biden’s 2020 electoral victory, that he interfered with police and that he engaged in disorderly conduct inside the Capitol while carrying a knife in his pocket.
Allen said Jensen “got what he came for” in Washington on Jan. 6.
“The proceedings in Congress stopped,” she said. “That’s why he was there.”
Jenson drove back home to Des Moines, Iowa, a day after the riot. The following day, he walked six miles to a police station and showed up unannounced, saying he was probably a wanted man. But there weren’t any warrants for his arrest when two FBI agents questioned him at the station.
Jensen told the agents he considered himself a “digital soldier” who was “religiously” following QAnon. He said he worked his way to the front of the crowd because he “wanted Q to get the attention.”
“I basically intended on being the poster boy, and it really worked out,” he said, according to a transcript of the interview on Jan. 8, 2021.
Jensen told the FBI agents his belief in QAnon cost him friends and family members who think he is “insane.” One of the agents asked him if he had any regrets about his actions on Jan. 6.
“I don’t know. It depends on if the outcome I wanted happens, then it would have been worth it. But if nothing happens except for negativity from this, and I’m a rioter, then, yeah, I completely regret it,” he said.
Jensen asked U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly to suppress statements he made to the FBI and the evidence seized from his cellphone. The judge denied his request earlier this month.
The first government witness for Jensen’s trial is scheduled to testify Wednesday. Kelly said the trial could conclude later this week.
More than 870 people have been charged with federal crimes for their conduct on Jan. 6. Approximately 400 of them have pleaded guilty. Juries have convicted eight Capitol riot defendants after trials. None of the defendants who had jury trials was acquitted of any charges.
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WASHINGTON (AP) — As a novelist, Colleen Shogan has imagined the most vivid of Washington dramas.
Larceny at the Library of Congress. A homicide in the House of Representatives. A stabbing in the U.S. Senate.
But Shogan is about to become a protagonist in a storyline too fantastical for fiction — the criminal investigation of a former president — as she prepares to appear before a Senate panel that is considering her nomination to lead the National Archives.
The traditionally staid and low-profile National Archives has been thrust into the public arena by the FBI search of Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort, intertwined with a criminal investigation that is testing the nation’s system of justice and raising unprecedented questions about accountability for a former president.
Shogan’s path to confirmation could be rocky as Republicans demand more information from the Justice Department. It was the National Archives that set the probe in motion earlier this year with a referral to the FBI after Trump returned 15 boxes of documents that contained dozens of records with classified markings.
GOP Sen. Rick Scott, a member of the panel vetting Shogan’s nomination, told Bloomberg he “absolutely will demand answers” about the FBI search as part of her confirmation hearing Wednesday. Other panelists, like Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri, have chastised Attorney General Merrick Garland over the investigation and questioned the administration’s motives.
It’s a contentious backdrop for an archivist nomination, a position often filled by academics and historians that typically moves through the Senate with little fanfare.
“It’s my understanding that it’s never been a political issue before and it’s not a partisan job,” said Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio, one of the Republicans on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs panel that is handling the nomination. Sen. Gary Peters, the Democratic chairman of the committee, said he’s supportive of Shogan’s nomination, but concerned for how his colleagues across the aisle may respond.
“Hopefully, she’ll be received warmly by folks but you never know until the actual day of the hearing,” Peters added.
Shogan declined to be interviewed for this story. But interviews with half a dozen current and former colleagues paint a picture of a respected historian and serious-minded political scientist who is not easily fazed and has long been careful to avoid partisan politics.
“You’re looking for someone who can sail through the Congress, and not become a lightning rod of controversy. That’s Colleen,” said Anita McBride, a former assistant to President George W. Bush, who works with Shogan at the White House Historical Association.
“I think she’s an ideal leader for really such a time as this is,” said Stewart McLaurin, president of the White House Historical Association and Shogan’s boss. “I am not aware of a partisan bone in her body.”
“I still to this day do not know her politics,” said Susan Combs, who served at the Department of the Interior during the Trump administration and chaired the Women’s Suffrage Centennial Commission with Shogan.
Shogan will be introduced at her confirmation hearing by a friend and senator, Republican Shelley Moore Capito. The West Virginia lawmaker said she has great respect for Shogan but cautioned that she doesn’t know how her nomination will shake out.
“In these tough times, I don’t think anything’s predictable,” Capito said.
Biden nominated Shogan to lead the National Archives in August, just days before the FBI search of Trump’s Florida club. The last archivist, David Ferriero, announced his retirement in April, citing fears about the nation’s political trajectory after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Shogan’s roots in official Washington run deep. She began her career as a congressional aide for former Sen. Joe Lieberman, then worked her way up to a position with the Congressional Research Service, a scholarly operation that churns out nonpartisan analysis for lawmakers and their staff. Shogan also worked for a time at the Library of Congress.
Now Shogan is an executive at the White House Historical Association, where she has worked under both the Trump and Biden administrations.
As the archivist, Shogan would take the helm of an agency that goes to great lengths to preserve the nation’s records, including treasured documents like the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. Their sprawling collection spans 13 billion pages of text and 10 million maps, charts and drawings, as well as tens of millions of photographs, films and other records.
Beyond its work in Washington, the Archives oversees 13 presidential libraries and 14 regional archives across the country. But despite the ever-growing volume of government documents since the Archives’ founding in 1934, the agency’s budget has remained stagnant over the years.
“The Archives do not have enough money to do their work. And I have to assume that is because Congress does not fully understand what its job is,” Grossman said. “Perhaps the visibility of these confirmation hearings and the recent attention will help more Americans appreciate the role.”
Shogan has written a series of Washington-based whodunits, with titles like “Homicide in the House” and “Stabbing in the Senate.” Beyond her work as an author, scholar and historian, she serves as the chair of the board of directors at the Women’s Suffrage National Monument Foundation.
Congress has given that foundation a weighty task: building the first memorial in the nation’s capital for the pioneering suffragists who fought for women’s right to vote.
Shogan has a chance to do a little trailblazing of her own. If confirmed, she’ll be the first woman to serve as the archivist.
“She’s been a champion for the story of women and their record in our national story, and to be a part of that history too is really special,” McBride said.
___
Associated Press writers Lisa Mascaro and Kevin Freking contributed to this report.
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WASHINGTON (AP) — The independent arbiter tasked with inspecting documents seized in an FBI search of former President Donald Trump’s Florida home said Tuesday he intends to push briskly through the review process and appeared skeptical of the Trump team’s reluctance to say whether it believed the records had been declassified.
“We’re going to proceed with what I call responsible dispatch,” Raymond Dearie, a veteran Brooklyn judge, told lawyers for Trump and the Justice Department in their first meeting since his appointment last week as a so-called special master.
The purpose of the meeting was to sort out next steps in a review process expected to slow by weeks, if not months, the criminal investigation into the retention of top-secret information at Mar-a-Lago after Trump left the White House. As special master, Dearie will be responsible for sifting through the thousands of documents recovered during the Aug. 8 FBI search and segregating any that might be protected by claims of executive privilege or attorney-client privilege.
Though Trump’s lawyers had requested the appointment of a special master to ensure an independent review of the documents, they have resisted Dearie’s request for more information about whether the seized records had been previously declassified — as Trump has maintained. His lawyers have consistently stopped short of that claim even as they asserted in a separate filing Tuesday that the Justice Department had not proven that the documents were classified. In any event, they say, a president has absolute authority to declassify information.
“In the case of someone who has been president of the United States, they have unfettered access along with unfettered declassification authority,” one of Trump’s lawyers, James Trusty, said in court Tuesday.
But Dearie said that if Trump’s lawyers will not actually assert that the records have been declassified, and the Justice Department instead makes an acceptable case that they remain classified, then he would be inclined to regard them as classified.
“As far as I’m concerned,” he said, “that’s the end of it.”
In a letter to Dearie on Monday night, the lawyers said the declassification issue might be part of Trump’s defense in the event of an indictment. And Trusty said in court Tuesday that the Trump team should not be forced at this point in the investigation to disclose details of a possible defense based on the idea the records had been declassified.
He denied that the lawyers were trying to engage in “gamesman-like” behavior but instead said it was a process that required “baby steps.” He said the right time for the discussion is whenever Trump presses forward with a claim to get any seized property back.
Dearie said he understood the position but observed, “I guess my view of it is, you can’t have your cake and eat it” too.
The resistance to the judge’s request was notable because it was Trump’s lawyers, not the Justice Department, who had requested the appointment of a special master and because the recalcitrance included an acknowledgment that the probe could be building toward an indictment.
Despite the focus on whether the seized documents are classified or not, the three statutes the Justice Department listed on a warrant as part of its investigation do not require that the mishandled information be classified in order for prosecutors to initiate a criminal case.
The Trump team has also questioned the feasibility of some of the deadlines for the special master’s review. That work includes inspecting the roughly 11,000 documents, including about 100 marked as classified, that were taken during the FBI’s search.
U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump appointee who granted the Trump team’s request for a special master, had set a Nov. 30 deadline for Dearie’s review and instructed him to prioritize the tranche of classified records.
Dearie, a Ronald Reagan appointee whose name is on the atrium of his Brooklyn courthouse, made clear during Tuesday’s meeting that he intended to meet the deadlines, saying there was “little time” to complete the assigned tasks.
Julie Edelstein, a Justice Department lawyer, said she was hopeful that the department could get the documents digitized and provided to Trump’s lawyers by early next week. She noted that the department had given the legal team a list of five vendors approved by the government for the purposes of scanning, hosting and otherwise processing the seized records.
After some haggling, Dearie instructed Trusty’s lawyers to choose a vendor by Friday.
Earlier Tuesday, the Trump legal team urged the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit to leave in place Cannon’s order temporarily barring the Justice Department’s use of the classified records for its criminal investigation while Dearie completes his review. The department is also contesting Cannon’s requirement that it provide Dearie with classified materials for his review, saying such records are not subject to any possible claims of attorney-client privilege or executive privilege.
The department has also said that Cannon’s order has impeded its investigation.
Trump’s lawyers called those concerns overblown in a response Tuesday, saying investigators could still do other work on the probe even without scrutinizing the seized records.
“Ultimately, any brief delay to the criminal investigation will not irreparably harm the Government,” Trump’s lawyers wrote. “The injunction does not preclude the Government from conducting a criminal investigation, it merely delays the investigation for a short period while a neutral third party reviews the documents in question.”
_____
Sisak reported from New York.
Follow AP’s coverage of the search at Mar-a-Lago at https://apnews.com/hub/mar-a-lago
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WASHINGTON (AP) — A new Senate study warns that U.S. spy agencies’ efforts to stop China and other adversaries from stealing secrets are hampered by miscommunication and a lack of money and staff at the office intended to coordinate those efforts.
The report comes amid warnings that Chinese and Russian attempts to obtain sensitive data and meddle in elections are on the rise.
The Senate Intelligence Committee report released Tuesday says the National Counterintelligence and Security Center, which is supposed to coordinate efforts by the U.S. government, doesn’t have a clear mission and is limited in its authority. NCSC cannot fund or mandate programs for many government agencies or private companies that hold secrets prized by foreign spy services.
There’s also disagreement among intelligence officials about who should lead responses to cyberattacks and campaigns trying to influence Americans — and whether those efforts should be categorized as counterintelligence, the report says.
Washington has long accused Beijing in particular of sanctioning wide-ranging campaigns to steal secrets through spying, cyberattacks, and corporate espionage, as well as spreading disinformation about the COVID-19 pandemic and considering efforts to influence American democracy. The FBI has said it opens a new counterintelligence investigation involving China every 10 hours on average.
“The Chinese government is set on stealing your technology — whatever it is that makes your industry tick — and using it to undercut your business and dominate your market,” FBI Director Christopher Wray told business leaders in a recent speech in London. “And they’re set on using every tool at their disposal to do it.”
The Senate report primarily focuses on NCSC, an element of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. ODNI was created in the 2004 reforms following the Sept. 11 attacks and revelations that agencies did not share information about some of the hijackers involved.
ODNI was intended to coordinate priorities across the rest of the 18-member U.S. intelligence community and ensure better information sharing through centers like NCSC, which would coordinate the counterintelligence work done by the FBI, CIA, and other spy agencies.
But the counterintelligence center is itself hamstrung by bureaucracy, the report argues. Among its hurdles is an inability to hire new employees quickly; not having the authority to implement national strategies; and not being able to fund counterintelligence programs outside of the spy agencies, either elsewhere in the U.S. government or in the private sector.
President Joe Biden also still hasn’t nominated a director for NCSC, which is currently led by acting director Michael Orlando. The White House did not respond to a request for comment on the lack of a nomination.
“The United States faces a dramatically different threat landscape today than it did just a couple of decades ago,” said Sen. Mark Warner, the Virginia Democrat who chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee, in a statement. “New threats and new technology mean that we have to make substantial adjustments to our counterintelligence posture if we are going to protect our country’s national and economic security.”
Sen. Marco Rubio, the Florida Republican who is the committee’s vice chairman, noted that China and other adversaries are “targeting all sectors of society.” The committee wants to make sure intelligence agencies have “the authorities and resources necessary to effectively confront these new counterintelligence threats,” he said.
A spokesperson for NCSC said the center appreciates the committee “identifying multiple recommendations to improve NCSC’s ability to lead the counterintelligence mission.”
The report notes experts don’t agree on a solution. Some want the U.S. to have its own counterintelligence agency that would take some of the responsibilities held by the FBI, CIA, and other spy agencies.
Others think a new agency would simply impose a new layer of bureaucracy and undermine the original goals of creating it. A new agency would also likely face opposition across the intelligence community and supporters of those agencies in Congress.
Frank Montoya, a retired former chief counterintelligence executive and FBI agent, said he was most successful through establishing personal relationships with other officials and persuading businesses to be proactive in their security programs. Creating new requirements would end up being counterproductive, he said, because “people will do everything they can to do the minimum required and not the maximum.”
“It’s the simple, on the ground reality that you can’t mandate everything,” he said. “And even if you did, people would find their way around it.”
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WASHINGTON (AP) — The central idea behind House and Senate bills to reform an arcane federal election law is simple: Congress should not decide presidential elections.
The bills are a direct response to the Jan. 6 insurrectio n and former President Trump’s efforts to find a way around the Electoral Count Act, a 19th century law that governs, along with the U.S. Constitution, how states and Congress certify electors and declare presidential election winners. The House is voting on its version of the legislation on Wednesday and a Senate committee will consider its bipartisan bill next week.
While the House bill is more expansive, the two bills would make similar changes, all aimed at ensuring that the popular vote from each state is protected from manipulation by bad actors or partisans who want to overturn the will of the voters.
House Administration Committee Chairwoman Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., a lead sponsor of the House bill, says people who wanted to overturn the 2020 election took advantage of ambiguous language “to have Congress play a role that they really aren’t supposed to play.”
Supporters in both chambers — Democrats and some Republicans — want to pass an overhaul before the start of the next Congress and ahead of the 2024 presidential campaign cycle, as Trump has signaled that he might run again. Ten GOP senators have backed the legislation, likely giving Democrats the votes they need to break a filibuster and pass their electoral bill in the 50-50 Senate.
A look at what the two bills would do:
CLARIFY THE VICE PRESIDENT’S ROLE
Lawmakers and legal experts have long said the 1887 law is vague and vulnerable to abuse, and Democrats saw Trump’s efforts to overturn his defeat ahead of Jan. 6, 2021, as a final straw. Supporters of the former president attacked the Capitol that day, echoing his false claims of widespread election fraud, interrupting the congressional certification of President Joe Biden’s victory and calling for Vice President Mike Pence’s death because he wouldn’t try to block Biden from becoming president.
Both the House and Senate bills would clarify that the vice president’s role presiding over the congressional certification every Jan. 6 after a presidential election is “ministerial” and that he or she has no power to determine the results of the election — an effort to make that point emphatically in the law after Trump and some of his allies put massive pressure on Pence. He resisted those entreaties, but many lawmakers were concerned that the law wasn’t clear enough on that point.
The Senate bill states that the vice president “shall have no power to solely determine, accept, reject, or otherwise adjudicate or resolve disputes over the proper list of electors, the validity of electors, or the votes of electors.” The House bill has similar language and adds that the vice president “shall not order any delay in counting or preside over any period of delay in counting electoral votes.”
MORE DIFFICULT TO OBJECT
The two bills would also make it more difficult for lawmakers to object to a particular state’s electoral votes. Under current law, just one member of the Senate and one member of the House need to lodge an objection to automatically trigger votes in both chambers on whether to overturn or discard a state’s presidential election results. Both bills would significantly raise that threshold, with the House bill requiring a third of each chamber to object and the Senate bill requiring a fifth of each chamber to object.
The House bill goes even further, specifying very narrow grounds for the objections, such as if certain electors are ineligible under the law or if a state submitted too many votes.
Brookings Institution Fellow Norm Eisen, a legal expert who consulted with lawmakers writing the legislation, said the House bill puts tighter parameters around “opportunities for mischief” by lawmakers who may be taking sides.
NO FAKE ELECTORS
Both bills would ensure that there is one “single, conclusive slate of electors,” as senators put it, a response to Trump allies’ unsuccessful efforts to create alternate, illegitimate slates of Trump electors in states that Biden narrowly won in 2020.
Each state’s governor would be required to submit the electors, which are sent under a formal process to Congress and opened at the rostrum during the congressional session on Jan. 6 after every presidential election. The House and the Senate bills would also establish legal processes if any of those electors are challenged by a presidential candidate.
‘CATASTROPHIC EVENTS’
The House and Senate legislation would also revise language in current law that wasn’t challenged during the 2020 election, but that lawmakers think could be vulnerable to abuse. The law now allows state legislatures to override the popular vote in their states by calling a “failed election,” but the term is not defined under the law.
The Senate bill says a state could only move its presidential election day if there are “extraordinary and catastrophic” events that necessitate that to happen. House lawmakers and legal experts like Eisen have argued that the Senate language is still too vague, and the House bill would only allow such a delay if a federal judge agrees that there has been a genuine catastrophic event affecting enough ballots.
The House bill would also limit such a move to the affected geographic area and would require the extension to last no longer than five days after Election Day.
CERTIFYING ELECTIONS
The House bill would add language to try to prohibit state or local officials from refusing to count valid votes in a presidential election or refusing to certify a legitimate election — an attempt to assuage some lawmakers’ fears that the next presidential candidate will follow Trump’s lead and try to pressure lower-level officials to overturn the results. Presidential candidates could go to court to force such a count.
The Senate bill has no such language.
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Bosch vs. Frigidaire: Which dishwasher is better?
Bosch and Frigidaire offer high-quality dishwashers with state-of-the-art technology and modern designs. The appliances from both brands make cleaning dishes easy and convenient, no matter your household size. They also streamline the process, which is ideal for busy households. When it comes to choosing between them, the main things to look out for are build quality, cost, cleaning power and extra features.
Bosch dishwasher
Back in 1886, Robert Bosch founded a workshop that focused on electrical and mechanical engineering work. At first, the workshop primarily installed telephone and related systems. Over time, the brand pivoted to vehicular systems, such as ignition coils, drills and other tools. Bosch then switched to more consumer-focused technology, which eventually led to the development of their dishwashers.
Today, Bosch has an impressive collection of dishwashers. These appliances have different standout features, such as adjustable racks and larger capacities than standard models. Most of these appliances are also quiet, reliable and modern-looking.
Bosch has budget-friendly dishwashers ranging from $500-$1,000. It also has higher-end models that cost up to $2,000.
Bosch dishwasher pros
- Stainless steel appliances that are constructed with high-quality materials, which last for years.
- Many models are Energy Star-certified and energy-efficient.
- There are front-control and top-control options.
- They’re sleek and come with different handle designs.
- Most have an adjustable middle rack, as well as other rack systems to suit your dishwashing needs.
- They have a 24/7 Aquastop, which keeps the machine from overfilling with water and leaking.
- Many models have CrystalDry technology, which can dry dishes quickly.
- Cycle options include a glass cycle, eco cycle, ExtraWash and SpeedPerfect.
- These dishwashers are generally quiet, making them perfect for nighttime use.
- Some models are ADA-accessible.
Bosch dishwasher cons
- Not all models dry the dishes well.
- Those with advanced technology and features are pricey.
- Older models can get stuck on a cycle, requiring a reset.
- When overfilled, food particles can be transferred from one dish to another while running.
Best Bosch dishwashers
Bosch 800 Series 24-inch Stainless Steel Top Control Tall Tub Dishwasher
This Energy Star-certified dishwasher is quiet enough to be run at night. It also has built-in intelligent sensors that check the cleaning progress of the dishes throughout a cycle. Plus, it comes with options to sanitize and dry dishes. It also comes with an adjustable third rack for households with lots of dishes.
Sold by Home Depot
Bosch 500 Series 24-inch Stainless Steel Top Control Tall Tub Pocket Handle Dishwasher
Available in stainless steel and white, this powerful appliance has a PrecisionWash feature that can clean even the toughest dishes. It also has AutoAir, which automatically opens the door to help dry the dishes more quickly once the cycle ends.
Sold by Home Depot
Bosch 300 Series 24-Inch Stainless Steel Front Control Tall Tub Dishwasher
This dishwasher comes with different handle designs, as well as the option for either front or top controls. Inside, there’s a middle rack that can be placed in nine different positions for optimal loading capacity. This appliance has five wash cycles and four settings, including delay start, half load and sanitize.
Sold by Home Depot
Frigidaire dishwasher
Frigidaire, a subsidiary of the multinational company Electrolux, was founded in Fort Wayne, Indiana. In 1923, the company announced its first self-contained refrigerator unit, which was co-created by Nathaniel B. Wales and Alfred Mellowes.
By 1990, Frigidaire was known for its high-quality appliances, ranging from stoves and microwaves to refrigerators and dishwashers. These modern appliances are reliable, budget-friendly and offer great performance. The dishwashers start at around $350, but can go up to $750 or so.
Frigidaire dishwasher pros
- These dishwashers offer excellent performance and all the same features as other leading brands at a lower price point.
- There are top and front control options.
- Some dishwashers, such as the Frigidaire Gallery series, have a stainless steel tub that’s easy to keep clean.
- Many come with multiple spray arms to cover more dishes.
- Cycle options include Normal, 30-Minute Wash and Fast Wash.
- Most are Energy Star-certified, meaning they’re energy-efficient and can cut energy costs.
- Newer models offer maximum sterilization, as certified by the National Sanitation Foundation.
- Select models have adaptable technology, such as DishSense, which automatically changes the cycle settings for an effective clean.
- These appliances often come with a SpaceWise organization system, which lets you adjust the upper rack to fit more dishes.
Frigidaire dishwasher cons
- Some dishwashers only come with a plastic tub.
- The racks aren’t always easy to adjust.
- These models are louder than others and could be disruptive when running at night.
- The capacity in some models is more limited.
Best Frigidaire dishwashers
Frigidaire Gallery 24-inch Smudge-Proof Stainless Steel Top Control Built-In Tall Tub Dishwasher
This sleek model is energy-efficient and offers excellent performance for the price point. It has a stainless steel tub and can hold quite a few dishes. It has a five-level wash system that can clean nearly any grime, food or grease. It’s also relatively quiet.
Sold by Home Depot
Frigidaire 24-inch Stainless Steel Top Control Built-In Tall Tub Dishwasher 49 dBA
Certified for being energy-efficient and its sanitization properties, this reliable dishwasher offers a deep, thorough clean. It has DishSense technology that automatically changes the cycle to ensure the dishes are completely clean. It also has EvenDry technology, which helps dry the dishes at the end of the cycle. The third-level rack is perfect for fitting smaller items, such as utensils or silverware.
Sold by Home Depot
Frigidaire 24-inch Stainless Steel Top Control Built-in Tall Tub Dishwasher 54 dBA
This dishwasher comes with a BladeSpray Arm that effectively sprays dishes wherever they are positioned on the rack. It also has a built-in heating element that can dry the dishes with ease. Besides this, it has DishSense and a delayed start setting. As a tall-tub dishwasher, it has a large capacity than most.
Sold by Home Depot
Should you get a Bosch dishwasher or a Frigidaire dishwasher?
Bosch and Frigidaire dishwashers both offer a thorough clean and work well in small to medium-sized households. Some models have adjustable racks for increased capacity.
If you’re looking for a reliable dishwasher that’s also budget-friendly but doesn’t come with quite as many grills, consider Frigidaire. However, if you’re ready to splurge on something that lasts a long time and has more advanced features, go with Bosch.
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Angela Watson writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
Copyright 2022 BestReviews, a Nexstar company. All rights reserved.
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Flu season is supposed to be tough this year
For many, life is getting back to normal. Masks have been dropped, social distancing is nonexistent and going to events with large numbers of people, such as concerts and festivals, has returned. We’ve become emboldened by the fact that while each new COVID-19 variant seems to be more transmissible, it also seems to be less severe. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of the flu. With two years spent dodging germs, we’re lacking in immunity. Therefore, this year’s flu season is predicted to be bad.
Not everything is the flu
With flu season kicking into high gear in the coming months, it’s easy to think every sniffle you get is the flu, but that’s not true. The flu and COVID-19 are both spread the same way, they have many of the same symptoms and they both can lead to serious complications. However, COVID-19 and the flu are caused by different viruses. We know much more about the flu and are better equipped to handle it.
COVID-19 symptoms can take two to 14 days to appear, while the flu only takes one to four days for symptoms to show. Additionally, the flu can be treated with several antiviral drugs, while treatment options for COVID-19 are severely limited.
The best way to tell the difference is to take an at-home COVID test. This will determine if it’s the flu or COVID in about 15 minutes, so you can seek the best treatment. Also, allergies are very bad right now and probably will be until the first frost. If you have allergies but you’re taking measures to reduce flu symptoms, they won’t be very effective.
7 bestselling products that can ease your flu symptoms
Navage Nasal Care Starter Bundle
If you’ve never tried one, a neti pot is a way to give your nasal passages a quick rinse. This model has a little more kick and can flush out undesirable elements in your nose. The one caution to remember is this unit should not be used if you’re congested.
Sold by Amazon
Pure Enrichment MistAire Ultrasonic Cool Mist Humidifier
A humidifier puts moisture into the air to help soothe nasal membranes and promote a more restful sleep. It also makes coughing more productive, and this model is easy to fill with an automatic shut-off for safety.
Amazon Basic Care Ibuprofen Tablets
If your doctor gives you the OK to take ibuprofen, it can help diminish a lot of symptoms, such as aches and pains and fever. This bottle contains 500 200-milligram coated tablets for easy swallowing.
Sold by Amazon
Pure Enrichment PureRelief XL Heating Pad
A heating pad dilates blood vessels to increase blood flow so oxygen and nutrients can get to the area being treated. This extra-large model has plush fabric for comfort and six heat settings so you can customize the unit to your comfort level.
Airborne 1,000-Milligram Vitamin C with Zinc
Airborne is an immune support supplement that’s packed with vitamins, minerals and herbs. It’s formulated to help keep your body strong during cold and flu season.
Sold by Amazon
Vicks VapoShower Plus Shower Tablets
This non-medicated tablet dissolves in the shower to give you a soothing shower experience with eucalyptus and menthol that can help you feel more like yourself again. Simply place the tablet on the floor of your shower under the stream and breathe the vapors to feel better.
Sold by Amazon
One of the worst parts about a cold or flu is coughing. This expectorant loosens phlegm and helps relieve coughing and break up chest congestion. The non-drowsy formula is alcohol-free and non-narcotic.
Sold by Amazon
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Allen Foster writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
Copyright 2022 BestReviews, a Nexstar company. All rights reserved.
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What you need to get a good night’s sleep
Getting seven to eight hours of uninterrupted sleep each night is one of the best things you can do for your body. Unfortunately, because of work, stress or other factors, a lot of us don’t get that, and our overall health is affected.
While it is possible to scour the internet for sleeping tips, we thought it would be best to talk directly to an expert. We asked Dr. Michael Huynh, M.D., what tools were available to help the average person get the proper amount of sleep needed to live a healthy life.
What is sleep?
We are diurnal animals. That means we are active during the day. According to Dr. Huynh, low-light conditions trigger the production of a hormone called melatonin. This is what makes us sleepy at night. Before electricity and light bulbs, people naturally fell asleep when it got dark. When the sun came out, it would trigger the body to decrease melatonin levels, so we could naturally wake up.
While you are sleeping, Dr. Huynh explained that it’s not a constant state. You go through four to six cycles of non-rapid eye movement sleep and rapid eye movement sleep. During NREM, the body is not in a deep sleep. You tend to move around to prevent bedsores. Staying in one position for too long puts pressure on one area of the skin, which can break and become infected. In REM sleep, the body is paralyzed, in a sense, and you are dreaming. REM sleep is the deepest sleep. It is when you get the most rest and your brain recovers from the previous day.
While doctors still aren’t 100% sure why we need sleep, one prevailing theory is that we sleep to help clear the brain of debris and plaque that build up while awake. It is currently believed that poor sleep contributes to high levels of beta-amyloid protein in the brain, which can cause the formation of amyloid plaques associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
What causes poor sleep?
Lack of sleep can be brought about by anxiety, depression and other medical issues. However, Dr. Huynh said that prescription medicines are used to help people get better sleep in those situations, so they are beyond the scope of this article. The focus is on factors that the individual can control with behavior or other types of sleep aids.
For example, anything that disrupts the natural sleep cycle can contribute to poor sleep. This includes being on a computer, looking at your phone or watching the TV at night. Poor sleep can also result from the type of work you do, taking long naps during the day, the type of lifestyle you lead or the environment in which you live.
What can help you get a good night’s sleep?
Blue-light-blocking glasses
“There are not too many well-studied devices when it comes to what can improve sleep or sleep hygiene,” Dr. Huynh stated. “But one of the big topics is a blue-light filter, either one that is built into your device or a pair of glasses that filter out blue light.” When you use a device, such as a phone, a computer or a TV, at night, the blue light that comes from this device can keep you awake. “There is no harm in activating a blue light filter on your phone or on your screen or wearing glasses because some studies show it can help with reducing being awake for a long time.”
Earplugs and white noise machines
If a noisy environment keeps you from sleeping, the doctor suggested using a white noise machine to help filter out sounds that disrupt your sleep. He also recommended trying earplugs, but only if they cause no discomfort.
A mouthguard
If you or your partner snores, that can wake you up abruptly and disrupt your sleep, so you never reach that deep state of rest. Dr. Huynh said one of the best devices to reduce or eliminate snoring is an over-the-counter mouthguard that molds to the shape of your jaw and teeth.
“Usually, you put the mouthguard in warm water and bite into it,” he explained. “Let it cool down and harden so it can conform to the shape of your jaw and your mouth. If you are not comfortable doing that, there is a mandibular advancement device, which is a little bit more extreme than a plastic mouthguard. The mandibular advancement device pulls your lower jaw a little bit forward to open up your airway. This helps reduce snoring at night.”
Blackout curtains and sleep masks
If you are in an area with prolonged sunlight, Dr. Huynh recommended using blackout curtains or a sleep mask. “Both of these block light to help with better sleep hygiene,” he said.
Better pillow and mattress
If your pillow holds your head up too high or lets it sink too low, it can create discomfort that decreases your ability to have a restful night’s sleep because you toss and turn. The same with your mattress. Unfortunately, not one option is best for everyone, so the doctor admitted that finding the right option might take a little trial and error.
Sunrise alarm clocks
While a sunrise alarm clock isn’t an obvious answer to getting a more restful night’s sleep, Dr. Huynh pointed out that you could use it in the morning to wake you up gently. The trick is to use it consistently to reset when you wake up. He believes this could eventually readjust your sleeping pattern and your circadian rhythm, allowing you to train yourself to sleep for seven to eight hours each night.
Supplements
For his experience of working in a hospital where sleep is constantly disrupted, Dr. Huynh would only recommend one supplement: melatonin. While he said that 3 milligrams is usually enough, in some cases, Dr. Huynh may prescribe up to 6 mg.
“Melatonin is a very safe over-the-counter supplement to take,” he said. “It just increases the melatonin amount in your body and tells your body, ‘Hey, it’s time to go to sleep.’”
He cautioned about taking other supplements, mostly because the Federal Drug Administration does not regulate supplements. “That’s how they get around selling them to people without a prescription. They’re not really tested.” And some, such as kava and valerian, can cause liver failure in some cases.
OTC medications
While Dr. Huynh said two other effective over-the-counter sleep aids were NyQuil and Benadryl, he cautioned not to take either in excess or for a prolonged amount of time. “These medicines have an anticholinergic effect — you can get delirious or have difficulty with urination and severe dryness,” he noted.
Products that can help you get a better night’s sleep
Blue Cut Blue-Light-Blocking Glasses
If you just want a pair of anti-fatigue, nonprescription blue-light-filtering glasses, this pair from Blue Cut is a solid option. Available with or without magnification power. A viable choice if you work on the computer or enjoy gaming. Sold by Amazon
For people with trouble sleeping, these comfortable-fit earplugs can be a godsend. They are latex-free, have a 33-decibel noise reduction rate, and come in a large container that holds 50 pairs. Sold by Amazon
HoMedics White Noise Sound Machine
If you need a little background noise to sleep, this model offers six options: white noise, thunder, ocean, rain, summer night and brook. The autotimer will play sounds for 15, 30 or 60 minutes. Sold by Amazon
ZQuiet Anti-Snoring Mouthpiece
If you or your partner snores, it can be impossible to get a restful night’s sleep. There are two models, one that moves your jaw forward 2 millimeters and one that moves your jaw forward 6 mm to keep your airway open while you sleep. Sold by Amazon
Eclipse Fresno Modern Blackout Curtains
These premium-quality blackout curtains block out between 98% to 99.9% of sunlight. They can also help reduce unwanted noise and cut down on your energy bills. Sold by Amazon
Asutra Silk Eye Pillow for Sleep
This soothing eye pillow is made of 100% silk for comfort. It is filled with lavender and flax seeds and comes with a gel mask for additional comfort. Sold by Amazon
The original Casper pillow is breathable, so it helps keep you cool while sleeping. It provides both support and comfort to help ensure better neck alignment. The pillow is resistant to clumping. Sold by Casper and Amazon
This luxurious mattress is supportive and breathable. It is designed to deliver proper spine alignment, no matter how you sleep and comes with a 365-night home trial. Sold by Saatva
Melatonin helps you fall asleep naturally by increasing the level of melatonin in your system. This 240-count jar contains 3 mg tablets. Sold by Amazon and iHerb
Philips SmartSleep Wake-Up Light
By using the Philips SmartSleep Wake-Up light, you can help put your body on a better sleep cycle. It has 10 brightness settings, five different natural wake-up sounds and a dimmable display. Sold by Amazon
Benadryl Ultratabs Antihistamine Allergy Medicine
While the primary purpose of Benadryl is to reduce allergy symptoms, it also functions well as a sleep aid. Talk to your doctor before using this OTC medicine for the first time. Sold by Amazon
ZzzQuil is the non-habit-forming sleep aid that can help you fall asleep in less than 20 minutes. It keeps you sleeping throughout the night, giving you seven to eight hours of uninterrupted rest. Sold by Amazon
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Allen Foster writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
Copyright 2022 BestReviews, a Nexstar company. All rights reserved.
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Comparing Mr. Coffee to Bonavita coffee makers
Many people get through their days with the help of coffee, hoping for a kick in the pants from the caffeine and a rich, earthy flavor from the beans. Whether they drink it first thing in the morning or last thing at night, coffee drinkers crave a quality cup to get them through the day.
Mr. Coffee and Bonavita both offer automatic drip coffee makers that let you brew multiple cups at once in programmable and non-programmable models. Programmable models offer time-delayed brewing and warming settings for added convenience.
The main difference between the two brands is that Bonavita offers a more polished design in a select line of prosumer products, while Mr. Coffee creates high-value products with a wide appeal.
About Mr. Coffee coffee makers
Mr. Coffee is a long-standing brand of coffee products, established in the US in 1970 and still popular today. Mr. Coffee offers a wide array of automatic brewers, single-serve brewers, espresso machines and accessories.
Mr. Coffee programmable coffee makers claim to make brewers that can serve anywhere from a large crowd to a single cup. Their equipment is built to be easy for anyone to use, durable for regular coffee drinkers and affordable for families.
Prices range from $50-$300, depending on the machine’s capacity, the number of settings and whether it’s a combination machine that can also brew espresso and froth milk.
Mr. Coffee coffee maker pros
Overall, Mr. Coffee products are sold at approachable prices for most households, making them a high-value offering for budget-conscious shoppers.
With wide distribution and a long history, it’s easy to find Mr. Coffee coffee machines, either online or in a store.
The brand has a slightly larger range of coffee makers, including multi-functional machines that brew coffee and espresso. The added choices may be helpful for households who like options.
The brand appeals to everyday coffee drinkers looking for a reliable and easy-to-use appliance. Its products are intuitive, even for beginners.
Mr. Coffee coffee makers include a water filtration disc, which sits between the dripper and paper filter. Coffee brewers agree that improving the quality of water you use improves the taste of the final coffee.
Mr. Coffee coffee maker cons
With more options to choose from, it can be less straightforward to narrow down the selection. The best method is to consider what features are deal-breakers for you and choose the coffee machine with only the settings you need.
As these coffee makers are made for everyone, they are not comparable with high-end espresso or coffee machines available at higher price points. Mr. Coffee coffee makers may not be the right choice for coffee connoisseurs who seek out the best in the market.
Some consumers noticed the viewing windows for the water reservoirs are not as helpful since you cannot clearly see the water level in the tank. This makes it more difficult to brew smaller amounts of coffee accurately.
Best Mr. Coffee coffee makers
Mr. Coffee 14-Cup Programmable Coffee Maker
This comprehensive coffee maker with a 14-cup capacity and reusable filter is ideal for larger households and regular coffee drinkers. It’s programmable with a warming timer, auto cleaning cycle, an auto-pause function and time delay brewing.
Sold by Amazon
Mr. Coffee 12-Cup Dishwashable Design
For a great value coffee maker, this dishwasher-safe option features a larger filter basket than other 12-cup models. A water filtration system helps produce better-tasting coffee, and programmable features help you brew exactly when you want.
Sold by Amazon
Mr. Coffee Optimal Brew 10-Cup Coffee Maker
The metal carafe in this model ensures the coffee stays evenly heated, nestling perfectly into the sophisticated design. A self-cleaning feature and temperature-specific brewing make this coffee maker an attractive option for coffee lovers looking to brew a consistent, quality cup.
Sold by Amazon
About Bonavita coffee makers
Bonavita was established in 2011 and offers a smaller line of specialty coffee hardware, such as automatic drip brewers, pots and kettles. Its products quickly became staples with baristas and enthusiastic home brewers.
The brand excels at crafting drip coffee machines that are minimal and user-friendly for a discerning prosumer audience.
Prices range from $149-$189, depending on the capacity and features.
Bonavita coffee maker pros
Though these are consumer-grade coffee makers, the design adds a professional look that stands out in any kitchen. They come in variations of stainless steel and black, with the Metropolitan 8-Cup One-Touch Coffee Brewer veering from the pack as the only option with a glass carafe. They cater to an audience looking for a modern and sleek appliance.
Its coffee makers brew a well-rounded cup of coffee. It won’t brew as light as more high-end models but won’t over-extract the grounds for a dark, bitter cup like cheaper options.
Bonavita products come with a one-year warranty, which covers full replacement when an item breaks and replacement parts when available.
The brand prides itself on making user-friendly products. All of their brewers are one-touch automatic drip machines. Using a specialty machine can be as simple as hitting a button.
Bonavita coffee maker cons
Some customers have noticed a few imperfections. These include a drippy shower head in some of their products, meaning coffee continues to drip from beneath the filter, pooling below when you remove the pot. Though, as long as you can wait a few minutes for the coffee to finish brewing before pouring it, this won’t be an issue.
Others have noted an awkward design/layout of the filter basket in the 8-Cup Connoisseur. However, the design elements also set Bonavita apart from its competitors and attract life-long customers, so it certainly doesn’t stop those who want quality coffee at home.
Bonavita only offers coffee makers in 5-cup and 8-cup capacities. Competitors offer options as small as single-serve machines all the way up to 12-cup coffee makers.
Price points for Bonavita coffee machines are higher than other simple drip coffee makers available on the market and may not suit every household’s budget.
Best Bonavita coffee makers
Bonavita Connoisseur 8-Cup One-Touch Coffee Brewer
This model is a cult favorite for many reasons. Coffee enthusiasts appreciate the well-designed showerhead to achieve an even extraction. The water heater is quick and precise, brewing coffee in just six minutes. The one-touch system and ready indicator make it easy for both beginners and experts to use.
Sold by Amazon
Bonavita Metropolitan 8-Cup One-Touch Coffee Brewer
For a sleeker look, the Metropolitan adds a classic glass carafe to a clean design. It lets you monitor the brewing process and easily know when it’s time to brew another batch. The nonstick, lower-watt warming plate makes for less mess to clean up.
Sold by Amazon
Bonavita 5-Cup One-Touch Thermal Carafe Coffee Brewer
This 5-cup model is the perfect option for coffee lovers who prefer to brew their coffee in smaller batches. Their classic one-touch automatic drip system can brew as quickly as six minutes and keep the pot warm with a thermal carafe.
Sold by Amazon
Should you get a Mr. Coffee or Bonavita coffee maker?
If the quality of your coffee and aesthetics are most important to you, a Bonavita coffee maker is what will work best for you. Bonavita focuses on creating a quality prosumer coffee maker that looks and feels professional while still being easy to operate.
However, for the value, your best option is to go for one of Mr. Coffee’s programmable coffee makers. They offer all the same features of mid-range coffee machines and brew reliable coffee quickly and quietly.
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Katy Palmer writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
Copyright 2022 BestReviews, a Nexstar company. All rights reserved.
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Which earbuds are better?
When it comes to choosing the right earbuds, it’s hard to go wrong with either Skullcandy or Raycon. Both produce high-quality devices that excel in sound quality, comfort, aesthetic design and function.
Whether you’re using them to listen to music from your smart device or need a hands-free way to talk on the phone, there are plenty of earbuds to choose from. You’ll want to find the right fit for you by considering factors such as the design, fit, noise-canceling and audio features, price point and intended use.
Raycon earbuds
Often endorsed by content creators on YouTube, Raycon is a newer electronics company that launched in 2017. It was established to undercut the prices of gadgets, such as earbuds and headphones, and make them more affordable to the public.
Raycon has a small selection of earbuds, including its Everyday, Gaming and Performance devices. Many of these devices are a cheaper alternative to major brands, such as Apple, but still offer the same performance. Depending on the earbuds, expect to spend between $80-$130 on a pair.
Raycon earbuds pros
- They’re designed to reduce ambient noise for crisp, clear audio.
- They’re water-resistant, so you don’t have to worry about rain or sweat while wearing them.
- It’s compatible with voice assistants such as Google, Siri and Alexa.
- They connect easily to Bluetooth-enabled phones, tablets, laptops and desktop computers.
- Raycon Work Earbuds have a noise-canceling feature that keeps out loud sounds to keep you focused.
- The long battery life provides around 8 hours of constant playtime at full charge.
- Most of them are lightweight and comfortable with an ergonomic design that lets them fit inside the ear without falling out.
- Many of the Fitness and Performance lines have gel tips and stabilizers to keep them in place while you’re working out.
- The built-in microphone offers superior sound quality while blocking out excess noise.
- There are different models for working, gaming, exercise and casual use.
Raycon earbuds cons
- The battery life in the Gaming earbuds can decrease drastically when in low-latency mode.
- Some earbuds fall out when you’re working out, though the in-ear models have a better fit.
- Raycon Work earbuds are pricier than the other devices.
- There are connectivity issues at times.
Best Raycon earbuds
With up to 32 hours of battery life, these in-ear wireless earbuds have active noise-canceling technology that cuts out background noise and ensures crisp audio. They also have six microphones for clear calls. The memory foam gel tips ensure a comfortable fit wherever you are.
Sold by Amazon
Designed for athletes and those who like to keep moving, these water-resistant earbuds come with stabilizers and gel tips that keep them in place all day long. They’re compatible with Bluetooth and can be used up to 33 feet away from your smartphone or other devices. They also have three sound profiles — balance, bass and pure — making them perfect for any activity.
These sleek in-ear earbuds are lightweight, ergonomic and highly water-resistant. They’re designed to let the wearer hear sounds around them while out and about, but they also provide top-notch sound quality. At full charge, they last around eight hours with constant use.
Complete with a charging case, these wireless earbuds have a built-in microphone that offers low latency specifically for gaming. They have three sound profiles to provide an immersive gaming experience. Plus, they have a tailored fit with five gel tip sizes, meaning they stay in place for hours on end.
Sold by Amazon
Skullcandy earbuds
Launched in 2003, Skullcandy is an established electronics brand that designs and manufactures in-ear headphones and earbuds. Similar to Raycon, Skullcandy focuses on affordability and accessibility in its gadgets, making this a great choice for anyone on a budget who wants something simple and functional.
Skullcandy earbuds cost about $20-$50 per pair, though some models come at a higher price point. If you’re looking for headphones with more features, these are a good fit, but at a higher cost of about $80-$320.
Skullcandy earbuds pros
- They offer both true wireless and wired designs.
- The audio quality is top-notch in many models.
- The in-ear models can cancel some environmental noise for a clearer sound.
- Many of the designs are low-profile, lightweight and comfortable for all-day use.
- They have decent battery life at around five to eight hours with constant use.
- Some devices have discreet buttons that can control the audio or even answer phone calls.
- Many models are compatible with Bluetooth-enabled devices.
- There are quite a few color schemes available, making them perfect for showing off your style.
Skullcandy earbuds cons
- The battery life isn’t as long as other brands.
- Ambient noise can still come through while you’re using them.
- It’s hard to find the perfect fit.
- The sound tends to be bass-heavy.
- Although they can last a while, they’re not as durable as higher-end brands.
Best Skullcandy earbuds
Skullcandy Indy Evo True Wireless In-Ear Headphones
Available in seven colors, including black, green and red, these wireless earbuds offer up to 30 hours of battery life. Each bud has a full set of media controls, meaning you can use them together or separately. Due to their design, they stay in the ear during most activities.
Skullcandy Sesh True Wireless In-Ear Earbuds
These secure-fit earbuds come with a compact charging case that can quickly recharge them. They’re durable and resistant to sweat and water. They’re also compatible with Bluetooth version 5.0. They have a low profile and are comfortable for everyday use.
Sold by Amazon
Skullcandy Dime True Wireless In-Ear Earbuds
These affordable earbuds have up to 12 hours of battery life. They’re convenient for casual use, such as when taking calls or listening to music in the car or at work. They’re water-resistant and fairly durable.
Sold by Amazon
Should you get Raycon or Skullcandy earbuds?
When it comes to earbuds, Skullcandy and Raycon are good brands for different reasons. If you’re looking for something with effective noise-cancelation, an ergonomic fit and specific features for working, gaming, exercising or everyday use, go with Raycon. However, if you want an inexpensive pair of earbuds suitable for casual use, Skullcandy has a larger lineup at a lower price point.
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Angela Watson writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
Copyright 2022 BestReviews, a Nexstar company. All rights reserved.
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NEW YORK (AP) — Aaron Judge hit his 60th home run Tuesday night, matching Babe Ruth and moving within one of Roger Maris’ American League season record.
The New York Yankees slugger drove a 3-1 sinker from Pittsburgh’s Wil Crowe 430 feet to the left field seats leading off the ninth inning. Judge’s third home run in two games and ninth in September thrilled a screaming crowd at Yankee Stadium. He answered pleas for a curtain call despite New York’s 8-5 deficit.
He equaled Ruth’s total for the 1927 Yankees and has 15 games remaining to match and surpass Maris’ total for New York in 1961.
Judge leads the major leagues with 128 RBIs and is among the AL batting leaders with a .316 average as he tries for the first Triple Crown since Detroit’s Miguel Cabrera in 2012.
Ruth became the first major leaguer to hit 60 homers when he connected off Washington’s Tom Zachary for a two-run drive to right in the eighth inning on Sept. 30, 1927, the next-to-last game of the season.
Roger Maris Jr. and Kevin Maris, sons of the former player, were both on hand.
Fans in the outfield seats stood when Judge came to the plate.
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More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
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DENVER (AP) — The Colorado Avalanche are making Nathan MacKinnon the highest-paid player in the NHL’s salary cap era.
MacKinnon, who just turned 27 earlier this month, signed an eight-year contract worth $100.8 million, according to a person with knowledge of the situation. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Tuesday because the team did not announce terms of the contract.
His new $12.6 million salary cap hit that goes into effect at the start of the 2023-24 season surpasses Connor McDavid’s $12.5 million as the highest in the league. McDavid’s $100 million, eight-year deal with the Edmonton Oilers signed in 2017 was the previous record for the highest annual cap hit since the system went into place in 2005.
“Obviously it’s really cool, for sure,” MacKinnon said of being the highest-paid player in hockey. “Hoping there’s no more pandemics and the cap goes up even more, but, yeah, I think the term was the most important thing. I just wanted to be here for the rest of my career and hopefully I get another deal after this, too.”
The only richer deals than MacKinnon’s in NHL history are Alex Ovechkin’s $124 million, 13-year contract with Washington, Shea Weber’s $110 million, 14-year contract with Nashville and Sidney Crosby’s $104.4 million, 12-year contract with Pittsburgh. The collective bargaining agreement has since limited contract lengths to eight years for a players re-signing with his own team and seven for free agents.
MacKinnon agreed to the deal with training camp about to start. It’s been a short offseason for MacKinnon and the Avalanche after they captured their first Stanley Cup title since 2001.
“We’re just thrilled that it’s done before the start of training camp, and Nate can focus on hockey,” general manager Chris MacFarland said. “What he does for us is really important, and to have him locked up for nine years is really crucial to the short- and long-term planning for us. It’s a big day.”
The hard-shooting, fast-skating center tied for the league lead with 13 postseason goals. It was second-highest in a single playoff run in franchise history, trailing only Hall of Famer Joe Sakic’s 18 goals in 1996 (when Colorado won its first Cup).
“It shows a lot of loyalty,” said Sakic, now Colorado’s president of hockey operations. “Nathan wanted to get this done, we wanted to get it done and he’s a franchise player and we’re really excited that he’ll remain here in Colorado for the rest of his career.”
MacKinnon, the top overall pick in the 2013 draft, has been a finalist for the Hart Trophy in three of the last five seasons (’17-18, ‘18-19, ’20-21). He has 242 career goals and 406 assists — the most of anyone from his draft class.
The native of Halifax, Nova Scotia, was the youngest player in franchise history to make his NHL debut (18 years, 31 days) and went on to win the Calder Trophy that season as the league’s top rookie. He also won the Lady Byng Award for sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct in 2020. In addition, he’s been named a captain for the Central Division in the last three All-Star Games.
MacKinnon’s last contract, which expires after the upcoming season, was worth $44.1 million over seven years at a cap hit of $6.3 million. Only four players topped the 495 points he put up in the regular season since that deal went into effect, and his 83 in the playoffs are second-most in the NHL since then.
That’s why for years, MacKinnon was known as the most underpaid player in hockey — a title he really didn’t care for.
These days, he has another one: Stanley Cup champion.
He’s part of a core Avalanche group that also includes defenseman Cale Makar, forward Mikko Rantanen and captain Gabriel Landeskog.
MacKinnon is now signed through 2031. Colorado also has versatile forward Valeri Nichushkin signed through 2030, Landeskog through 2029 and Makar, the playoff MVP, through 2027. MacFarland’s task next summer is an extension with Rantanen.
“Denver’s the only place I want to be, for sure,” MacKinnon recently said in Henderson, Nevada, during a preseason player media tour.
McDavid considers being surpassed as the highest-paid player, “good for hockey, I guess, to keep raising the bar.”
“But ultimately the salary cap system’s a weird system where the more money you make, the less money someone else can make,” McDavid added. “It’s kind of a weird system that way. There’s always going to be give and take.”
___
More AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/NHL and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
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| 2022-09-21T07:24:20Z
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ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — A photo of cornerback Dane Jackson smiling alongside safety Micah Hyde as both players left the hospital was all it took to ease the mind of Buffalo Bills coach Sean McDermott on Tuesday morning.
“Nate sent me a picture as I was heading home,” McDermott said, referring to Bills head athletic trainer Nate Breske. “So it was good to see, and it just kind of helped me get a little bit of rest there, too, knowing that they were in a good spot.”
The Bills players were sent to the hospital after both sustained neck injuries in a 41-7 win over the Tennessee Titans.
While Jackson was driven off the field in an ambulance and hospitalized Monday night, the team didn’t disclose Hyde’s trip to the hospital until Tuesday. Hyde was carted off the field in the third quarter, and McDermott said the team elected to send him for tests as a precaution.
Jackson’s was considered the more serious injury. His head and neck snapped backward after he was struck by a teammate late in the second quarter.
The Bills announced tests revealed Jackson sustained no major injury to his neck or spinal cord. Jackson was healthy enough to travel to the Bills’ facility for treatment later Tuesday.
“We had a good conversation downstairs in the training room and he seems to be in good spirits,” McDermott said, before noting it’s too early to determine whether Jackson can play Sunday, when the Bills (2-0) travel to face the Miami Dolphins (2-0).
Jackson was hurt when he tackled Titans receiver Treylon Burks from behind following a 12-yard catch. As Jackson lay on Burks’ back, linebacker Tremaine Edmunds dived in late and struck his teammate directly in the helmet.
Jackson had full movement in his limbs as he was being evaluated by medical officials on the field before he was loaded into the ambulance.
He’s a third-year player who began the season starting in place of Tre’Davious White, who continues to recover from a left knee injury he suffered last year.
McDermott said it was also too early to determine the playing status of Buffalo’s other injured players, including Hyde. Linebacker Matt Milano (stinger) and defensive tackle Jordan Phillips (hamstring) did not finish the game.
The Bills were also without No. 2 receiver Gabe Davis (ankle), starting defensive tackle Ed Oliver (ankle) and his backup Tim Settle (calf).
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More AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL
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| 2022-09-21T07:24:27Z
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BEREA, Ohio (AP) — Nick Chubb pointed the finger at himself, taking the blame for a touchdown run that should have put away the Jets.
Instead, it gave them hope.
“I probably shouldn’t have scored right there, honestly, looking back at it,” Chubb said. “It cost us the game.”
Two days after the Browns collapsed and blew a 13-point lead in the final two minutes to lose 31-30 to New York, Chubb said he made a mistake by going into the end zone for his third TD with 1:55 left.
With the Browns leading 24-17, Chubb took a handoff from the 12-yard line and ran left. He made a cutback, stepped through a tackler and scored to put Cleveland up by 13 and send a raucous home crowd into a frenzy.
Looking back, Chubb wishes he had done things differently.
If he had run out of bounds or been tackled after picking up a first down, the Browns could have simply taken three knees, run out the clock and improved to 2-0 for the first time in 29 years.
Instead, after Chubb’s TD, the Browns committed a dizzying array of errors in less than two minutes.
First, rookie Cade York missed an extra point, the Browns’ secondary miscommunicated and gave up a 66-yard TD pass, wide receiver Amari Cooper failed to recover New York’s onside kick and the Browns let Jets quarterback Joe Flacco, operating with no timeouts, throw a go-ahead TD pass with 22 seconds left.
It wasn’t until after the game that Chubb realized it could have all been avoided.
“A lot of things went wrong, not just one thing,” he said. “But collectively as a unit, as a team we could have all done things different, but it’s only a problem because we didn’t win. So I probably should have went down.”
Of course, Chubb isn’t to blame and no one is pointing a finger at the three-time Pro Bowler.
Same for Cooper, who said Tuesday he should have either fielded the squib kick or batted it out of bounds.
“It was my play to make, and I didn’t make it,” he said.
The Browns’ failure to recognize the situation lies with coach Kevin Stefanski, who made it clear it was his responsibility to close out the win. He appreciated his players’ accountability, but isn’t passing the buck.
“Put it on me,” he said. “The players do not hide from it. I do not hide from it.”
Chubb’s willingness to shoulder the loss is hardly surprising. He’s one of the team’s most-respected players, revered by his teammates for his work ethic and willingness to put the Browns first.
A born leader.
The reserved 26-year-old Chubb said the more he replayed the game in his mind, the more he recognized he could have altered its outcome.
However, he acknowledged that once he got near the goal line, there weren’t many options.
“It would have been tough (to stop),” he said. “I think the first down marker was at the 1 or 2 and the goal line is right there, too. I probably could have got down. It would have been third-and-short, third-and-inches, but it probably could have happened.
“I could have went out of bounds, but people were behind and they would have pushed me in or something like that. I probably should have just dropped down after I made the cut.”
What’s interesting is that Chubb — and the Browns — were in a similar spot two years ago in a game against Houston. With Cleveland protecting a 10-7 lead, Chubb got loose on a 59-yard run, but instead of scoring, he stepped out of bounds at the 1-yard line and the Browns burned out the clock.
Two years ago, Stefanski had sent in a play called “no mas” to ensure the clock management.
Chubb said he shouldn’t have had to be told again.
“We all work together,” Chubb said. “We all communicate. But at the end of the day, I’ve been in that situation before and so I really can’t put it on anyone but myself at this point. I think the biggest thing is I was aware of what was going on and I thought the game was over if I’m being honest.”
NOTES: Rookie DT Perrion Winfrey returned to practice and expects to play after being disciplined last week and benched against the Jets. Winfrey didn’t give any details for his punishment and felt no need to apologize. “I just feel like it was something that I needed to mature,” he said. “I feel like I wouldn’t be the player that I’m going to be now if it had not happened, so I’m glad that it happened.”
___
More AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL
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| 2022-09-21T07:24:35Z
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PITTSBURGH (AP) — Mitch Trubisky won the starting quarterback job in Pittsburgh during training camp by basically not losing it.
He didn’t turn the ball over during the preseason and won raves from the coaching staff for his decision-making.
That same pragmatic approach however, isn’t playing so well now that the games count. And Trubisky knows it.
The Steelers (1-1) have put together two touchdown drives in two games heading into Thursday’s visit to Cleveland (1-1), a ratio that needs to change if Pittsburgh wants to be a factor in what looks like a wide-open AFC North.
“We’ve just got to score more points,” Trubisky said Tuesday. “So however we do that, that’s got to be our mindset.”
Therein lies the issue. Pittsburgh’s biggest moves during the offseason were aimed at trying to jumpstart an offense that finished in the bottom third of the league in most major offensive categories.
The Steelers signed Trubisky and drafted eventual franchise quarterback Kenny Pickett, revamped the offensive line and added field-stretching 6-foot-3 wide receiver George Pickens to a wide receivers room that already featured Pro Bowler Diontae Johnson and 6-4 enigma Chase Claypool.
Yet through nine quarters, the deep passing game is non-existent. Trubisky is 32nd in the league in yards per attempt. His two longest completions have been to tight ends Pat Freiermuth and Zach Gentry on plays where Freiermuth’s and Gentry’s legs did most of the work while turning short tosses into 30-plus yard gains and Pickens — a standout during camp — has been basically invisible while catching two passes for 23 yards.
Coach Mike Tomlin declined to place blame on any one specific person, but added both the quarterback and the game plan could be more aggressive. Trubisky insists he doesn’t need to be told twice.
“I think every quarterback in their heart likes to throw the ball as far as they can on the football field and watch their playmakers go up and get it,” he said.
Trubisky’s playmakers are waiting. Johnson became demonstrably upset at one point during last Sunday’s 17-14 loss to New England after Trubisky went elsewhere with the ball on a play Johnson felt he had a matchup advantage.
Pickens estimates he was open “90%” of the time against the Patriots, a percentage more symbolic of Pickens’ confidence than reality, a perception that’s fine by his head coach.
“We’ve got playmakers, young playmakers, guys with a lot of talent, guys that want to be the reasons why we’re successful,” Tomlin sad. “I’d much rather say ‘whoa’ than ‘sic’em.’ I think that’s just a general attitude that we as competitors in a competitive football team in a competitive organization have.”
It’s an attitude Trubisky insists he shares, though he’s also quick to point out that he doesn’t need to start channeling Kansas City star Patrick Mahomes and chuck the ball all over the field. A little bit of daring might go a long way with a defense that looks significantly improved over last year’s group that finished last in the league against the run.
“There’s a fine line between protecting the football and (wanting) to be aggressive,” Trubisky said. “So you want to be aggressive as a quarterback. But when you have a great defense (like we do), you also want to protect the football because they’re always going to keep us in games.”
Maybe, but the Steelers are currently missing All-Pro outside linebacker T.J. Watt, who is out indefinitely with a left pectoral injury. Pittsburgh didn’t have a sack against the Patriots and produced just one turnover after racking up five in Week 1 in Cincinnati.
If Pittsburgh wants to do more than tread water in Watt’s absence, the offense needs to pick things up. The Steelers got off to a similar sluggish start last season and recovered to make the playoffs.
It’s far too early to panic, especially in a season that now stretches well past New Year’s and the offense is incredibly young. Pittsburgh’s longest-tenured offensive starter is right tackle Chuks Okorafor, who is in his fifth season. Trubisky has been in offensive coordinator Matt Canada’s system for a handful of months. Every starting skill position player has been in the NFL four years or less.
Canada used the words “grow” or “growth” multiple times on Tuesday, essentially saying the Steelers need to trust the process. It’s a sentiment echoed by the 21-year-old Pickens, who’s only been a pro since May but understands how quickly perceptions and production can change.
“Somebody might catch a 90-yard bomb (on Thursday),” Pickens said. “And now everybody is excited again. So it can happen at any time.”
The sooner the better in Pittsburgh.
NOTES: LB Devin Bush (foot) practiced on Tuesday and is expected to play in Cleveland. … The Steelers signed WR Jaquarii Roberson to the practice squad and released CB Mark Gilbert.
___
More AP NFL coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL
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| 2022-09-21T07:24:43Z
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PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A Utah boy who suffered a serious head injury after falling from a bunk bed during last month’s Little League World Series in Pennsylvania has returned home from the hospital and his family is suing the league and the company that made the bed.
Easton Oliverson, 12, of Saint George, Utah, suffered a skull fracture and bleeding on the brain in the Aug. 15 fall at a players dormitory in Williamsport. He has since had three operations and battled a staph infection, the family’s lawyer, Ken Fulginiti, said Tuesday.
“He’s not doing well. The more recent development, after a third craniotomy, is seizures. It’s been a long road,” Fulginiti said. Easton had been hospitalized in Pennsylvania and Utah before his discharge last week, he said.
The negligence lawsuit, filed by Jace and Nancy Oliverson on Friday in Philadelphia, said there was no railing on the top bunk. Kevin Fountain, a spokesperson for Little League International, said the league would not comment on the pending suit. Savoy Contract Furniture of Williamsport did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment.
Easton, a pitcher and outfielder with the Snow Canyon team from Santa Clara in southwestern Utah, fell in his sleep, Fulginiti said. The lawsuit seeks more than $50,000 for the boy’s care, along with punitive damages.
“They really appreciate all the support they’ve gotten throughout the nation,” Fulginiti said. ”But they’re struggling to focus on the family. They have two other kids and it’s a lot.”
Jace Oliverson was an assistant coach on the baseball team, while Easton’s younger brother Brogan was an alternate who was tapped to take his place after the fall. Snow Canyon was eliminated after two losses.
___ Follow Maryclaire Dale on Twitter: twitter.com/Maryclairedale
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| 2022-09-21T07:24:50Z
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BEREA, Ohio (AP) — A fan was arrested for allegedly throwing a plastic water bottle and hitting Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam during the closing moments of Sunday’s 31-30 home loss to the New York Jets.
Cleveland police said Tuesday that Jeffrey Miller, 51, of Rocky River, was charged with assault, disorderly conduct and failure to comply. Miller was spotted by stadium video surveillance throwing the bottle and was followed with cameras.
After the Jets scored their go-ahead touchdown on a pass from Joe Flacco to rookie Garrett Wilson with 22 seconds left, Haslam was seen on a video walking toward an end zone tunnel in FirstEnergy Stadium when he was struck by the projectile.
Haslam stopped and pointed in the direction that the bottle came from.
According to the police report, Miller initially failed to stop when ordered by officers. Once he was detained, Miller told police “it never hit the field” as he was being taken to a holding room inside the stadium. He was later booked and held in the Cuyahoga County jail.
In the report, police said Miller appeared to be intoxicated.
The Browns intend to ban Miller from the stadium, a person familiar with the team’s decision told The Associated Press. The person to the AP spoke on condition of anonymity while the legal process plays out.
Earlier, the team released a statement condemning fan unruliness.
“Fan, player and staff safety is the top priority in our building and behavior that puts others in danger will not be tolerated,” spokesman Peter Jean-Baptiste said. “Luckily no one was harmed in this incident and as a standard practice, we’ve cooperated with law enforcement authorities and security video footage of the object being thrown is in the appropriate hands.
“We will have no further comment on this matter.”
The Browns were winning 30-17 with 1:55 left before giving up 14 points in a minute and suffering one of the worst losses in team history.
Afterward, star Myles Garrett criticized fans who stuck around until the end for booing the Browns.
In 2001, a game in Cleveland was stopped in the final moments after angered Browns fans pelted the field — and officials — with plastic bottles following a controversial call in a loss to Jacksonville.
The Browns host the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday night.
___
More AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL
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| 2022-09-21T07:24:58Z
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TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — There’s a fine line between a Tom Brady and a Gale Sayers.
Whether a player is a seven-time Super Bowl champion who plays well into his 40s like Brady or all-time great running back knocked out of football during his prime like Sayers there’s an element of luck to longevity in the NFL.
It’s inescapable, regardless of the era.
For all the evolving technology, increased awareness of the value of year-round fitness regimens and rule changes designed to make the game safer, players concede good fortune is a common denominator to staying on the field.
“People don’t like to use the word luck, but there’s no doubt there’s something to that,” Hall of Fame linebacker Derrick Brooks said. “You do have to take care of your body and do everything you can to give yourself a chance to play every week, but you’ve got to be fortunate, too.
“I can’t tell you how many times my ankle got twisted in the bottom of a pile or somebody hit me and I’m thinking, man, I’m lucky I didn’t get hurt,” Brooks added. “Then you look at somebody else and think that’s not that bad a hit, and it turns out to be a serious injury. You just never know.”
Trey Lance can relate. The San Francisco quarterback suffered a season-ending injury Sunday, just two games into the season. But the 22-year-old needs to look no further than Brady for inspiration.
In a league where the average career spans three to five years, Brady is in his 23rd season and is the oldest starting quarterback in NFL history at age 45. The league’s career passing leader returned from a knee injury that sidelined him for all but one game in 2008 to shatter numerous records and raise the NFL standard for winning.
Sayers, an electrifying runner whose career with the Chicago Bears was cut short by injuries 50 years ago, wasn’t as fortunate.
The first player to score six touchdowns in a NFL game retired in 1971, having appeared in just 68 games over seven seasons. Sayers played in two games each of his last two seasons, but had such an impact on the Bears and the league that at age 34, he became the youngest player ever inducted into the Hall of Fame.
“We don’t know when our career is going to be over. We just got to prepare for each day and attack each day with our best effort,” said New Orleans Saints quarterback Jameis Winston, who’s back this season after missing much of 2021 while recovering from surgery to repair the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.
“I’m fortunate I get to play quarterback. I don’t have to play running back, linebacker, defensive line or offensive line. So, I can’t complain,” Winston added. “Those guys in the trenches, they’re really hitting. They’re really putting their life at risk every play. But they enjoy that, and they do whatever it takes to protect themselves.”
Brett Favre made 297 consecutive regular-season starts from 1992 to 2010 for the Green Bay Packers, New York Jets and Minnesota Vikings — the longest such streak for an offensive player in league history. Jim Marshall had the longest iron-man streak for a defensive player, starting 270 straight with the Vikings from 1961 to 1979.
Brooks’ stretch of 208 consecutive starts for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1996 to 2008 is tied for 12th on the all-time list with Peyton Manning.
“Every player knows the risk, what’s at stake on every play,” Brooks said. “You don’t think about it. You go out and play. You can’t play in fear.”
Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan, who’s father Steve played in the NFL, was drafted by New Orleans in 2011 and has only missed one game his entire career.
And that was because of COVID-19, not a football injury.
“Everybody plays with nicks and bruises,” Jordan said. “The ongoing funny story my dad would tell me, or I’ll probably tell my kids, is that the first day you play football is the last day you’ll be truly 100 percent healthy.”
One reason for that is a hurt player will take the field while an injury will sideline them.
Brady has the longest streak of consecutive starts among active quarterbacks (94). He’s closing in on becoming the only player with three streaks of at least 100.
The Bucs entered this season with two new young starters on the offensive line. Second-year pro Robert Hainsey and rookie Luke Goedeke had earned Brady’s trust in practice, in part by “showing up every day” and learning from their mistakes.
“Football is a dangerous sport. If they don’t do a great job, they put other people at risk. If you don’t know what you’re doing, it could be dangerous for the (running) backs and for the quarterback, and vice versa,” Brady said.
“No one wants to be hung out to dry,” Brady added. “We’re all out there together, we’re all trying to protect each other. The more you feel like guys know what to do and care about what they’re doing, I think you gain more trust in them.”
Aaron Rodgers is 38 and in his 18th season. He said shoddy playing surfaces can contribute to injuries, and noted it also can be difficult avoiding fluky things from occurring off the field.
The Green Bay quarterback said he fractured his left pinky toe while working out at home during his quarantine after a positive COVID-19 test in 2021.
While the injury didn’t cause him to miss any games and didn’t limit his effectiveness, Rodgers recalled playing without practicing because of his ailing toe.
Jordan knows all about doing whatever is necessary to be available for the Saints.
“In terms of not missing a game, I feel like that’s just major blessings from above,” the defensive end said. “I feel like God has blessed me with not only talent but opportunity and I’ve been able to take advantage of each and every opportunity presented.
“I mean, long before the NFL, there’s college, and I missed a game there, too,” Jordan added. “So I’ve missed one at that level, one at this level. Apparently, I’m allowed to miss one.”
Not many NFL players can say that.
___
AP Sports Writers Brett Martel in New Orleans and Steve Megargee in Green Bay, Wisconsin contributed to this report.
___
More AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL
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| 2022-09-21T07:25:05Z
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NEW YORK (AP) — Aaron Judge sent a sinker soaring into the left-field bleachers, another of his no-doubt drives, and circled the bases for the 60th time.
Modest throughout a march into history that now has him level with Babe Ruth, Judge then took a moment far more rare than one of his long balls — a curtain call.
“I really didn’t want to do it, especially, we’re losing, it’s a solo shot,” he said, recalling how his leadoff homer in the ninth inning only cut the Yankees’ deficit to three runs.
Eleven minutes later, Judge and the Yankees felt free to let loose.
Giancarlo Stanton followed Judge’s drive with a game-ending grand slam, completing New York’s stunning five-run, ninth-inning rally to beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 9-8 on Tuesday night.
“I kind of lost my mind,” said Judge, one homer shy of matching Roger Maris’ American League season record. “That’s a signature Giancarlo Stanton 10-foot(-high) laser to the outfield. I had a good front-row seat for that one. I think the whole team lost its mind and the stadium erupted.”
Judge homered on a 3-1 pitch from Wil Crowe (5-10) to match Ruth’s total from 1927, which stood as the big league record until Maris broke it 34 years later.
Judge got to 60 in Game 147 — no debate on the length of the season, like what surrounded Maris’ pursuit to the point his hair fell out. Judge is on pace for the AL’s first Triple Crown in a decade, leading in home runs, RBIs (128) and batting average (.316).
No one else in the majors has more than 40 homers.
“To be that far ahead of the field,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone marveled, “it’s hard for me to grip.”
Judge dropped his bat near the plate — he never flips — and when he finished his trot after his 430-foot drive, he exchanged a high-five with Anthony Rizzo, a hug with Gleyber Torres and slaps with Josh Donaldson. Judge walked up and down the dugout to receive congratulations and then emerged from the dugout steps and ever so briefly tipped his helmet to fans.
“I kind of joked around with Matt Carpenter earlier in the year, I think he had two homers in a game or something like that and he got a curtain call,” Judge said. “Man, I’ve been here six years and I’ve only got one curtain call. So I guess it takes hitting 60 to get another one.”
Rizzo doubled, Torres walked and Donaldson singled to load the bases. Stanton, mired in a 9-for-72 slump, sent a changeup half a dozen rows into the left-field seats, capping a 19-pitch sequence that will long be replayed and set off a raucous celebration among what remained of the crowd of 40,157. The drive, Stanton’s record-tying third game-ending slam, was calculated by MLB at 118 mph.
“I think they need to recalculate the 118. That felt more like 130,” Boone said.
Roger Maris Jr. and Kevin Maris, sons of the former player, were both on hand. Stanton noted Judge’s understated manner.
“He hit 60 tonight, and it’s like nothing happened. He’s got more work to do,” said Stanton, who hit 59 for Miami five years ago.
Crowe’s great-great uncle, Hall of Famer Red Ruffing, was Ruth’s teammate on the Yankees in the 1930s. Crowe visited Ruffing’s plaque in Yankee Stadium’s Monument Park before the game.
“He did what he was supposed to do with it,” Crowe said of Judge, “3-1 count, I’m not going to put him on. I felt like I wanted to go after him. Started away, came back in. He put a good swing on a bad pitch.”
Aroldis Chapman (3-3) pitched a 1-2-3 ninth as the Yankees maintained a 5 1/2-game AL East lead over Toronto.
Bryan Reynolds had tied it 4-4 with a solo seventh-inning homer off Lou Trivino, then hit a go-ahead single off Jonathan Loáisiga in the eighth for his fourth hit.
Rodolfo Castro — the player suspended for a game by Major League Baseball last month after a smartphone flew out of his pocket during a headfirst slide — followed with a three-run homer against Clay Holmes.
Harrison Bader had a pair of go-ahead singles and drove in three runs in his debut for the Yankees.
Once Judge hits No. 61, the only ones with more in a season will have been Barry Bonds (73), Mark McGwire (70 and 65) and Sammy Sosa (66, 64, 63), accomplishments all from 1998-2001 stained by the Steroids Era.
Judge’s accomplishment is without taint.
“I think it puts it a notch above,” Boone said. “I got to believe it’s right there with some of the best very short list of all-time seasons.”
SLAMMING
Donaldson hit a game-ending slam that beat Tampa Bay 8-7 in 10 innings on Aug. 17. The Yankees joined the 1956 Pittsburgh Pirates (Danny Kravitz and Roberto Clemente) as the only teams to hit multiple walk-off slams when trailing by three runs. Clemente’s was inside the park.
WHOOPS
Pittsburgh made two errors and leads the major leagues with 108.
FAMILY MATTERS
Former Yankees 3B Charlie Hayes, who caught the final out of the 1996 World Series, threw a ceremonial first pitch to his son, Pirates 3B Ke’Bryan Hayes.
MOVING UP
Pittsburgh promoted six players to Triple-A Indianapolis following the end of the season at Double-A Altoona: RHPs Quinn Priester and Colin Selby, 2B-C-OF Endy Rodriguez, INF Aaron Shackelford, 3B Malcom Nunez and OF Matt Gorski. “Now we have another 10 days of at-bats we can get them,” manager Derek Shelton said. “Losing 2020 was so vital for organizations like ours. The more reps we can get them, the better it is.”
TRAINER’S ROOM
Yankees: RHP Frankie Montas received a second cortisone injection in his ailing right shoulder and went on the 15-day IL, retroactive to Saturday. … LHP Zack Britton (Tommy John surgery) pitched a one-hit inning for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in his eighth rehab outing. RHP Miguel Castro (strained shoulder) pitched a hitless inning for the RailRiders.
UP NEXT
New York RHP Luis Severino (5-3, 3.45 ERA) starts Wednesday after recovering from a lat strain that has sidelined him since July 13. RHP Roansy Contreras (5-4, 3.24) pitches for the Pirates.
___
More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
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| 2022-09-21T07:25:13Z
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CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — LIV Golf is turning up the heat on the Official World Golf Ranking, asking in a letter to Chairman Peter Dawson that its results be included retroactively in the world ranking.
LIV Golf, which has 48-man fields that play 54 holes with a shotgun start each day, applied to be included in the world ranking on July 6.
Among the requirements to receive world ranking points is for a new tour to comply with the guidelines for at least one year before it gets admitted. The Saudi-funded league did not play its first tournament until June 9.
Dawson, the former R&A chief executive, spoke last month on Golf Channel about the new formula for the OWGR, though he declined to speak specifically to the LIV Golf application.
The letter sent Friday to Dawson was signed by all 48 players in the LIV Golf Invitational-Chicago tournament, along with two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson, who has signed with LIV but is not expected to start playing until next year.
“An OWGR without LIV would be incomplete and inaccurate, the equivalent of leaving the Big 10 or the SEC out of the U.S. college football rankings, or leaving Belgium, Argentina, and England out of the FIFA rankings,” the letter said.
Players who signed with the lucrative LIV Golf series have not received ranking points except in the majors or in the European tour events they were allowed to play.
Dustin Johnson was No. 13 in the world when he signed with LIV. He tied for 24th in the U.S. Open and tied for sixth in the British Open. He has finished in the top 10 at all five LIV Golf events (including a win and a runner-up finish in the last two). He has fallen to No. 23.
Talor Gooch was at No. 35 and was slowly slipping in the world ranking until he played the BMW PGA Championship on the European tour, finished fourth and moved up back to No. 35. He dropped one spot a week later.
European tour events and other circuits if they choose to play, such as the Asian Tour or Japan Golf Tour, are currently the only places for LIV players to earn ranking points.
The Masters since 1999 has invited the top 50 at the end of the year, while the U.S. Open and British Open also use the world ranking as key criteria. The PGA Championship has a history of inviting the top 100, though it falls under “special invitations.”
The letter cites the OWGR’s mission to administer and publish each week “a transparent, credible, and accurate Ranking based on the relative performances of players.”
“How can such a system possibly exclude players competing at such high levels against some of the strongest fields of the year for large purses, at such high-profile events?” the letter said.
LIV Golf has 13 of the top 50 players in the world ranking, led by Cameron Smith at No. 3.
TIGER AND THE PIP
Tiger Woods was a tournament host for four days in the Bahamas and played a 36-hole tournament with his son in the PNC Championship late last year. That was enough for him to win the Player Impact Program and its $8 million.
He’s Tiger Woods.
The PIP program is expanding in 2023 and the winner gets $15 million. However, players cannot collect on the PIP bonus until they have played 16 tournaments. Woods played only three times this year, all majors, and it’s unlikely he will add many more.
There’s an exception, of course. And no, it’s not for anyone with at least 80 wins and 15 majors. According to the PGA Tour, the commissioner has discretion to award PIP money to players who don’t meet the tournament limit if they have a serious injury or other emergency that keeps them from playing.
STARTING FIVE
The Presidents Cup is in college basketball country, so it only seemed natural for both captains to be asked for their starting five.
International captain Trevor Immelman went with 6-foot-4 Cameron Davis of Australia and 6-foot-1 Taylor Pendrith of Canada, two of his tallest players.
“I kind of like little Tom Kim as a point guard. He’s got a fast mouth on him, too, so he’s perfect for a point guard,” Immelman said.
Davis Love III, who played golf at North Carolina, had an easier time once he gave it some thought. Tony Finau and Scottie Scheffler both give him size and athleticism (and have a history playing hoops).
“I’m putting Tony out there all the time,” he said. “We’d tape his ankles, though.”
That was a reference to Finau badly spraining his ankle while running backward to celebrate a hole-in-one during the Par 3 Tournament at the 2018 Masters.
Love also liked Jordan Spieth and Kevin Kisner as his shooting guards. He didn’t even get to Sam Burns or Xander Schauffele.
“I still think we’re probably underdogs if we play in basketball, too,” Immelman said.
CHALLENGE SEASON
The end of next week is the deadline to fill the 20-man field for the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas, and host Tiger Woods will be leaning on the world ranking.
The field is for the defending champion (Viktor Hovland) and the winners of the four players and The Players Championship. Cameron Smith won the British Open and The Players but won’t be eligible because he plays for LIV Golf now.
There are three exemptions, one for the tournament host if he needs it (he does). The rest come off the world ranking that was published after the Tour Championship.
Even though the Hero World Challenge is an unofficial event, it’s sanctioned by the PGA Tour and players who have violated its regulations by signing with the Saudi-backed league are not eligible.
Except for Smith, the next 13 players in the world ranking are not part of LIV Golf and would be eligible if they choose to play. LIV Golf would be quick to seize on the fact that world ranking points are offered to a 20-man field.
As for the QBE Shootout hosted by LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman, that’s still on the schedule and under the same set of guidelines. That means Jason Kokrak and Kevin Na, both LIV players, will not be defending their team title.
DIVOTS
The Justin Thomas Foundation has donated enough money to provide weekend meals for 500 students at Camp Taylor Elementary in his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky, for the school year through the “Blessings in a Backpack” program that provides for needy children on the weekend. … Baltimore Country Club will host the 2026 U.S. Senior Amateur and the 2013 U.S. Women’s Amateur. Both will be played on the East course. Baltimore Country Club most recently hosted the 1988 U.S. Women’s Open. … Max Homa has come from behind in four of his five PGA Tour victories. … Michael Castillo, the head pro at the Kapalua Plantation course on Maui, will have a busy start to the new year. Castillo won the 2022 Aloha Section PGA at Poipu Bay. One week after helping to host at the Sentry Tournament of Champions on his home course, he’ll be in the field for the Sony Open in Honolulu.
STAT OF THE WEEK
Patrick Reed will have traveled nearly 18,000 air miles from his home in Houston to four straight tournaments in Boston (LIV Golf), London (BMW PGA Championship), Chicago (LIV Golf) and Paris (French Open) and then back home.
FINAL WORD
“We’re used to being called the favorite, even when we lose three Ryder Cups in a row.” — Davis Love III, U.S. captain at the Presidents Cup.
___
More AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
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| 2022-09-21T07:25:21Z
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BOSTON (AP) — The player the NHL knew as “Big Zee” is calling it a career.
Zdeno Chara signed a one-day contract with the Boston Bruins and announced his retirement Tuesday after 24 seasons in the NHL and captaining Boston to the Stanley Cup in 2011.
The 6-foot-9 defenseman from Slovakia hangs up his skates at age 45, surrendering the title of the NHL’s oldest active player.
He returned to TD Garden to end his professional playing career two years after leaving the Bruins following 14 seasons with the team.
The proclamation printed on his ceremonial final contract spoke to this longevity in the sport.
“You guys want to know what it says?” he asked the assembled crowd after signing. “Zdeno must agree to keep himself in the good shape and physical condition at all times post-retirement.”
Chara called returning to the city of his biggest NHL triumphs to mark the end of his time on the ice “surreal.”
But he said he’s at peace with a decision made mostly to devote more time and energy to the family that has supported him throughout his career.
“I have no regrets. I would not change a thing,” Chara said. “We are in a business where we are ultimately judged by winning and we experienced our highs and lows with that. But I walk away knowing I gave it everything I had all the time.”
Chara won the Norris Trophy as the league’s top defenseman in 2009 and also spent time with the New York Islanders, Ottawa Senators and Washington Capitals. Known more for his ability to keep the puck out of the net than putting it in, Chara still scored 237 goals and added 523 assists for 760 points in 1,880 regular-season and playoff games.
His 1,680 regular-season games played is a record for a defenseman. Chara also leaves ranked sixth in Bruins history in games played (1,023), and third in points by a defenseman (481), behind Hall of Famers Ray Bourque (1,506) and Bobby Orr (888).
Chara is a candidate for the Hockey Hall of Fame based not only on his consistency but also his stature in the game from Slovakia to North America. He captured two World Championship silver medal-winning teams for his native country, in 2000 and 2010.
The affinity Chara’s past Boston teammates and coaches have for him was evident Tuesday with several of them, including Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, Tuukka Rask, Brandon Carlo, Jake DeBrusk, Matt Grzelcyk, Charlie Coyle, Charlie McAvoy and others on hand for his news conference.
Chara was the second European captain to win the Cup, following Swede Nicklas Lidstrom with Detroit. He was one of the faces of a winning era for the Bruins, which also included trips to the Stanley Cup Final in 2013 and 2019, the latter he finished while playing with a broken jaw.
Drafted by the Islanders in the third round in 1996, Chara played his first four seasons on Long Island before getting traded to the Senators. Boston signed him in 2006, and that remains one of the most impactful free-agency signings in the 17 years of the NHL’s salary cap era.
Chara made five of his seven All-Star Game appearances while with the Bruins and was one of the city’s most popular athletes during that time. He left in 2020 when the team would not guarantee him a full-time job for the entire season and signed a one-year deal with Washington before finishing his playing career with the Islanders.
But he said building a championship culture in Boston, which until 2011 hadn’t won a Stanley Cup Final since the 1971-72 season in Orr’s heyday, was one of the things he treasures most.
“Because without that you cannot win. You need to have a culture. You need to have players that want to follow,” Chara said. “And it wasn’t just me. It was a team effort. I would have never done it without Patrice. I would have never done it without Brad coming in and following Patrice’s lead. We had guys stepping in that were willing to come from different teams and adjust to that culture. We pushed each other. … We set goals and slowly but surely we were climbing and making the steps.
“It was hard at the beginning. It was not probably easy and not everybody wanted to kind of change. But it was necessary.”
___
AP Hockey Writer Stephen Whyno contributed.
More AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/NHL and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
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| 2022-09-21T07:25:30Z
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LOS ANGELES (AP) — Maury Wills, who intimidated pitchers with his base-stealing prowess as a shortstop for the Los Angeles Dodgers on three World Series championship teams, has died. He was 89.
Wills died Monday night at home in Sedona, Arizona, the team said Tuesday after being informed by family members. No cause of death was given.
Wills played on World Series title teams in 1959, ’63 and ’65 during his first eight seasons with the Dodgers. He also played for Pittsburgh and Montreal before returning to the Dodgers from 1969-72, when he retired.
During his 14-year career, Wills batted .281 with 2,134 hits and 586 stolen bases in 1,942 games.
Wills broke Ty Cobb’s single-season record for stolen bases with his 97th swipe on Sept. 23, 1962. That season he became the first player to steal more than 100 bases.
The Dodgers honored Wills with a moment of silence before the opener of their doubleheader against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday and showed his career highlights on the stadium video boards. The team will wear a patch in memory of Wills for the rest of this season.
Manager Dave Roberts, an outfielder during his 10-year MLB career, was moved to tears as he recalled Wills’ impact on him.
“He was a friend, a father, a mentor — all of the above for me, so this is a tough one for me,” he said. “He just kind of showed me to appreciate my craft, showed me how to be a big leaguer. He just loved to teach. I think a lot of where I get my excitement, my passion, my love for players is from Maury.”
Wills took an active role in Roberts’ playing tenure with the Dodgers. Roberts stole 42 bases in 2003.
“I remember during games when I played here he would come down from the suite and tell me I need to bunt or I need to do this,” Roberts said. “It just showed that he was in it with me. Even to this day, he would be there cheering for me, rooting for me.”
Wills had his own stint as a manager, guiding the Seattle Mariners from 1980-81, going 26-56 with a winning percentage of .317.
He was the National League Most Valuable Player in 1962, the same year he was MVP of the All-Star Game played in his hometown of Washington, D.C.
Wills stayed at home with his family instead of at the team hotel for the All-Star Game. He arrived at the ballpark carrying a Dodgers bag and wearing a Dodgers shirt. However, the security guard wouldn’t let him in, saying he was too small to be a ballplayer.
Wills suggested the guard escort him to the NL clubhouse door, where he would wait while the guard asked the players to confirm his identity.
“So we walk down there and baseball players have a sick sense of humor, because when I stood in front of the door, with my Dodger shirt and duffel bag, and the man opened the door and said, ‘Anybody in here know this boy?’ and they all looked at me and said, ‘Never saw him before,” Wills told The Washington Post in 2015.
After the game, Wills left with his MVP trophy and showed it to the guard.
“He still didn’t believe me, he thought maybe I was carrying it for somebody,” Wills told the Post.
Wills led the NL in stolen bases from 1960-65, was a seven-time All-Star selection and won Gold Glove Awards in 1961 and ’62.
He was credited with reviving the stolen base as a strategy. His speed made him a constant threat on the basepaths and he distracted pitchers even if he didn’t try to steal. He carefully studied pitchers and their pickoff moves when he wasn’t on base. When a pitcher’s throw drove him back to the bag, he became even more determined to steal.
Once, in a game against the New York Mets, Wills was on first base when pitcher Roger Craig threw 12 straight times to the bag. On Craig’s next throw, Wills stole second.
By age 32, Wills was bandaging his legs before games because of the punishment of sliding.
After retiring with the Dodgers in 1972, Wills worked an analyst at NBC for five years. He also managed winter ball in the Mexican Pacific League, winning a league championship in 1970-71.
Wills’ tenure managing the Mariners was largely regarded as a disaster and he was criticized for his lack of managerial experience. It was evident in the numerous gaffes he committed, including calling for a relief pitcher when nobody was warming up in the bullpen and holding up a game for several minutes while looking for a pinch hitter.
Wills’ biggest mistake came on April 25, 1981, when he ordered the Mariners’ ground crew to extend the batter’s box a foot longer toward the mound than regulation allowed. Oakland manager Billy Martin noticed and asked home plate umpire Bill Kunkel to investigate.
Kunkel questioned the head groundskeeper, who admitted Wills had ordered the change. Wills said it was to help his players stay in the box. However, Martin suspected it was to give the Mariners an advantage against Oakland’s breaking-ball pitchers. Wills was suspended for two games by the American League and fined $500.
Wills led the Mariners to a 20-38 record to end the 1980 season, and he was fired on May 6, 1981, when the team was mired in last place at 6-18. Years later, Wills admitted he probably should have gotten more experience as a minor league manager before being hired in the big leagues.
Wills struggled with addictions to alcohol and cocaine until getting sober in 1989. He credited Dodgers pitching great Don Newcombe, who overcame his own alcohol problems, with helping him. Newcombe died in 2019.
“I’m standing here with the man who saved my life,” Wills said of Newcombe. “He was a channel for God’s love for me because he chased me all over Los Angeles trying to help me and I just couldn’t understand that. But he persevered, he wouldn’t give in and my life is wonderful today because of Don Newcombe.”
Born Maurice Morning Wills in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 2, 1932, he was a three-sport standout at Cardozo Senior High. He earned All-City honors as a quarterback in football, in basketball and as a pitcher in baseball when he was nicknamed Sonny.
In 1948, he played on the school’s undefeated football team, which never gave up any points. On the mound, Wills threw a one-hitter and struck out 17 in a game in 1950. The school’s baseball field is named in his honor.
Wills has his own museum in Fargo, North Dakota, where he was a coach and instructor for the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks from 1996-97.
He is survived by wife Carla, and children Barry, Micki, Bump, Anita, Susan Quam and Wendi Jo Wills. Bump was a former major league second baseman who played for Texas and the Chicago Cubs.
___
More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
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| 2022-09-21T07:25:36Z
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TORONTO (AP) — Canada will likely drop the vaccine requirement for people who enter Canada by the end of September, an official familiar with the matter told The Associated Press on Tuesday.
Canada, like the United States, requires foreign nationals to be vaccinated when entering the country. It is not immediately known whether the U.S. will make a similar move by Sept. 30.
Unvaccinated travelers who are allowed to enter Canada are currently subject to mandatory arrival tests and a 14-day quarantine.
The official said that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau needs to give final sign off on it but that the government will likely be dropping the requirement as well as ending random COVID-19 testing at airports. Filling out information in the unpopular ArriveCan app will also no longer be required.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.
Unvaccinated professional athletes like major league baseball players would be allowed to play in Toronto in the playoffs should the Blue Jays make the postseason. They currently are not allowed to cross the border into Canada.
When new populist Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre was announced as the party’s leader in Ottawa this month the loudest cheer he got from supporters was when he said he would get rid of the ArriveCan app.
Dr. Andrew Morris, an infectious disease specialist at the University Health Network and Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto, as well as a professor in the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Medicine, said removing the vaccine requirement should have been done a long time ago.
“Zero benefit to ensure people vaccinated. It doesn’t keep cases nor variants out,” he said.
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| 2022-09-21T07:25:43Z
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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Tampa Bay Rays ace Shane McClanahan was pulled in the fifth inning with neck tightness during a 5-0 loss to the Houston Astros on Tuesday night.
“He did not want to come out, was not happy about that, but we’re trying to make the best decision,” manager Kevin Cash said.
The AL All-Star Game starter and Cy Young Award contender allowed five runs for only the second time this season, pushing his ERA to 2.36. McClanahan (12-6) was making his second start after returning from the 15-day injured list due to a left shoulder impingement.
“It was like full extension and I just felt a little tweak or something like that, but it went away immediately,” McClanahan said. “I guess they saw it as I was stretching it out or whatever, but I feel fine. I cannot stress that enough.
“Middle of September, I respect the precautionary move. I am just getting off the IL, so I can see, I guess, the err of caution.”
McClanahan walked Jose Altuve leading off the fifth, then threw three straight balls to Jeremy Peña. Cash and a trainer then came out of the dugout and pulled McClanahan, even after the 25-year-old appeared to tell Cash, “I’m good.”
“I think we all understand how important he is to our club, and if I see something that’s uncharacteristic, I think the best decision is to pull him out of the ball game,” Cash said. “It’s OK for him to be mad at me.”
McClanahan walked four and allowed five hits while throwing 80 pitches.
Peña hit a three-run homer, Altuve scored three runs and the Astros won for the ninth time in 10 games a day after clinching the AL West championship. It was Houston’s 17th shutout of the season and they improved their AL-leading ERA to 2.90.
“Our pitchers have been dominating all year. It’s impressive to watch,” Peña said. “I’m the biggest fan from shortstop.”
Altuve reached base and scored on each of his first three plate appearances, all against McClanahan. Peña’s 19th homer came in the third inning after Altuve’s second hit, putting the Astros up 4-0 before the Rays had a hit.
“That’s the mentality in the clubhouse,” Peña said. “Clinching was the first step, but we know we have a long way to go and the job’s not finished.”
Kyle Tucker drove in Houston’s first run with a double in the first for his 100th RBI of the season.
The Rays went into the day one game behind the Toronto Blue Jays and a half-game ahead of the Seattle Mariners in the chase for the AL’s top wild card.
Houston starter Cristian Javier (10-9) gave up only one hit, a two-out single in the fifth by Christian Bethancourt. Javier won his fourth straight start, striking out six in five innings.
Ryan Pressly got the final two outs with the bases loaded for his 29th save in 33 attempts.
A double and a single by Wander Franco were the only other hits for Tampa Bay.
Yandy Diaz doubled in the eighth as a pinch hitter for the Astros, his first major league hit.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Astros: DH Yordan Alvarez, who left Monday’s game early with an apparent ankle injury after a slide into second base, was out of the lineup. Manager Dusty Baker said Alvarez’s planned day off was moved up from Wednesday.
Rays: 2B Brandon Lowe took an injection for his lower back discomfort. He will re-evaluated Thursday, when he is eligible to come off the injured list.
NO CHAMPAGNE FOR BAKER
Baker wasn’t much of a participant in the Astros’ champagne celebration after they clinched the AL West on Monday night.
“I’m not a real champagne man. I had some people get on me because I don’t like champagne. Now it’s back to work,” he said. “It was fun. It was really fun for the first-time guys. If you haven’t been through it, there’s nothing like it.”
UP NEXT
RHP Lance McCullers Jr. (3-1, 2.34) will make his seventh start of the season for the Astros in Wednesday night’s series finale against RHP Corey Kluber (10-9, 4.44).
___
More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
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| 2022-09-21T07:25:50Z
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LONDON (AP) — In Roger Federer’s case, the farewell news conference will come before the beginning of what he’s said will be the last competitive tennis event of his career.
Federer is in London and has been practicing ahead of the Laver Cup, an event founded by his management team that begins Friday with the fifth edition of its Team Europe vs. Team World format.
The main rivals whose careers overlapped with Federer’s — Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray — also are participating.
Before the Laver Cup starts, Federer will meet with the media Wednesday morning to discuss walking away from tournament tennis at age 41 after a career that began in the 1990s, lasted until the 2020s and included 20 Grand Slam championships, 83 titles at other tournaments and hundreds of weeks at No. 1 in the rankings.
He is bidding adieu shortly after Serena Williams played what is expected to be the last match of her career at the U.S. Open, signaling a significant shift for a sport they both transcended for decades.
Williams told the world of her plans to stop playing via a magazine article, then did not hold a news conference until after her first match at Flushing Meadows; the 23-time Grand Slam champion made it to the third round there before losing to Ajla Tomljanovic.
Federer last played a match at Wimbledon in 2021, when he lost in the quarterfinals to Hubert Hurkacz. Shortly after that, Federer had surgery on his right knee for the third time in a span of about 1 1/2 years.
The Swiss star had hoped to play at Basel in his home country next month and had suggested he might be able to enter Wimbledon one last time next year. But recovery and rehabilitation of his knee became too much.
He called his retirement a “bittersweet decision” when he announced it last week via social media. Wednesday offers a chance to hear more about what went into that choice and what Federer might have in mind for the future.
His tweet concluded: “Finally, to the game of tennis: I love you and will never leave you.” That would bode well for those fans of Federer’s who hope to see him continue to hold a role in the sport — and would bode well for the sport, too.
Djokovic wrote on Instagram after Federer revealed he’d be retiring that it was “hard to see this day and put into words all that we’ve shared in this sport together.”
It’s unclear just how much Federer actually will participate in the Laver Cup. There are singles and doubles matches across the three days, and his agent said Federer definitely will play.
Back in February, when word emerged that Federer would be in London, he said Nadal messaged him last year suggesting they play doubles together again. They teamed up to win a doubles match during the first Laver Cup in 2017.
“If we’re able to possibly share the court one more time as a doubles pairing,” Nadal said at the time, “then this would be a truly special experience for us both at this stage in our careers.”
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More AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
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| 2022-09-21T07:26:05Z
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NEW YORK (AP) — Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards was fined $40,000 by the NBA on Tuesday for homophobic comments he made on social media.
The league announced the punishment for Edwards’ use of “offensive and derogatory language” in a since-deleted Instagram video he later apologized for.
Edwards recorded a group of men on a sidewalk from a vehicle he was inside and could be heard in making a disparaging, profane comment about what he assumed to be their sexual orientation. He posted an apology on Twitter soon after, and the Timberwolves issued a statement reprimanding their young star
“What I said was immature, hurtful, and disrespectful, and I’m incredibly sorry. It’s unacceptable for me or anyone to use that language in such a hurtful way,” Edwards tweeted last week. “There’s no excuse for it, at all. I was raised better than that!”
Nikola Jokic, Kevin Durant, Rajon Rondo and Kobe Bryant are among the NBA players who’ve been disciplined by the league in the past for anti-gay language.
The first overall pick in the 2020 draft, Edwards was Minnesota’s second-leading scorer last season with an average of 21.3 points per game that ranked 19th in the league. His average of 1.5 steals per game was 13th in the NBA.
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More AP NBA coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
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| 2022-09-21T07:26:11Z
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Six-time All-Pro offensive lineman Joe Thomas, shutdown cornerback Darrelle Revis and speedy pass rusher Dwight Freeney headline the list of nine first-year eligible players picked among the 129 nominees for the 2023 class of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
The other first-year eligibles are running back Chris Johnson, offensive lineman Jahri Evans, linebackers NaVorro Bowman and James Harrison; defensive back Kam Chancellor and punter Shane Lechler.
The nine new candidates combined for 52 Pro Bowl berths, 30 first-team All-Pro selections, with five of the nine winning Super Bowls and five making an all-decade team. Johnson also won an Offensive Player of the Year award in 2009 and Harrison was picked as top defensive player in 2008.
Thomas was one of the top tackles in the league over a durable 11-year career that saw him selected first-team All-Pro six times and second team two other times. He had a streak of 10,363 consecutive plays while playing for the Browns his entire career.
Revis, who also came out in the 2007 draft, moved around much more, spending time with the Jets, Tampa Bay, New England and Kansas City.
His best play came in New York where he was a first-team All-Pro from 2009-11 and finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting in 2009 when he repeatedly shut down top receivers by sending them to “Revis Island.”
Revis spent one year in New England, helping the Patriots win the Super Bowl in the 2014 season.
Freeney spent most of his 16-year career in Indianapolis where his speed off the edge and dominant spin move led to 125 1/2 career sacks. He anchored a defense that complemented a high-powered offense led by Peyton Manning and helped the Colts win the Super Bowl following the 2006 season.
The list will be reduced to 25 semifinalists in November and to 15 finalists in January before the selection committee discusses and chooses the class of 2023 that will be enshrined in August.
The 15 finalists will be trimmed to 10 and then five during the selection meeting early next year. The final five candidates will need to get 80% of the votes from the panel to get into the Hall.
The roster of nominees consists of 67 offensive players, 50 defensive players and 12 special teamers.
Finalists from 2022 re-nominated for next year are defensive end Jared Allen, tackle Willie Anderson, defensive back Ronde Barber, returner Devin Hester, receivers Torry Holt, Andre Johnson and Reggie Wayne; linebackers Zach Thomas and Patrick Willis; and edge rusher DeMarcus Ware.
The committee will also consider former Chargers and Cardinals coach Don Coryell in the coaching category and three senior candidates: Super Bowl V MVP Chuck Howley and All-Pro defenders Joe Klecko and Ken Riley.
They also will get in if they get support from at least 80% of voters in January.
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More AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL
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| 2022-09-21T07:26:19Z
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The state will soon be watching out for Oahu drivers breaking the law: as a pilot project, to catch red light runners, gets going.
Max Jr. Infiel rides his bike around Kalihi, back and forth between his two jobs, so has seen drivers run red lights.
"A couple, especially night time and in the morning, when they rush to work. Or else when they drive reckless, especially during the night time," said Infiel.
But along Vineyard Boulevard work is underway to change that.
At Palama Street, a camera will be installed to take pictures of drivers who run red lights.
"Here drivers are coming off the H-1 Freeway, and when we did our baseline study, we saw 10 vehicles run red lights just in this area," said Ed Sniffen with the State Department of Transportation.
Two weeks from now, when drivers do that, they will be caught on camera.
"If you pass the stop line while the light is red, the cameras will capture an image of your license plate and your vehicle," stated Maj. Ben Moszkowicz, with the Honolulu Police Department.
Palama Street intersection is the just the first of ten different locations around Honolulu that will get cameras to catch red light runners. All part of a 2 year pilot project.
Nearby, the Lililha Street intersection will be next, where the problem is even worse.
"There were 20 major crashes in the past 5 years and 5 of them were due to red light running," said Sniffen.
Along with the cameras going up, so will signage. So drivers will know they are being watched as they drive through Kalihi.
"We all know our driving behavior changes when there is a police officer at the corner. We want people to understand there will be one here 24 hours a day, 7 days a week," added Sniffen.
Infiel hopes the new cameras will make the area's old safety problem better, by forcing drivers to pay more attention on Honolulu's busy streets.
"Drivers don't care but now, but they will care...because of the money," said Infiel.
After drivers run a red light, a citation will be issued to the car's registered owner for a $97 ticket.
While it is a substantial sum, that fine won't count as a moving violation or go against your driving record.
All 10 red light camera locations will up and running at the beginning of next year.
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| 2022-09-21T07:32:48Z
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| 2022-09-21T07:33:00Z
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(iSeeCars) – Be prepared. There’s a reason why the Boy Scouts adopted this simple motto, which can apply to all areas of life. And one area where it’s crucial to be prepared is in your car, because regardless of how reliable your vehicle is, it will inevitably break down and you’ll likely be far from the comforts of home when it does. To help drivers prepare for all unexpected scenarios, we’ve developed a helpful guide of things to keep in your car. These essential items could make all the difference when ensuring your breakdown is benign versus catastrophic. Some of these items will help you travel more comfortably during your day-to-day driving as well.
We hope your vehicle doesn’t leave you stranded on the side of the road, but we recommend these 24 things to keep in your car just in case.
1. Up-to-Date Registration
We’ll start with the obvious one here. You’ll need your car registration if your vehicle doesn’t break down. There’s always the chance that you’ll be going a tad over the speed limit or unknowingly take a turn at a red light when you weren’t supposed to, and a police officer will happen to be watching. More importantly, however, is the off-chance that you’re in an accident. Your registration will be a necessity in this instance as well. In either instance, you will need proof of your registration. If you don’t have that proof, you can receive a citation or a fine. If your registration isn’t current, you can be pulled over for having an expired registration. This will result in a harsher penalty than simply not having proof of a current registration, and your penalty will depend on how long your registration has been expired. In the most extreme case, your vehicle could be impounded. Always be aware of when your registration is set to expire, and make sure you renew it before that happens.
2. Insurance Card
Car insurance is mandatory in 49 of 50 states. The exception is New Hampshire, where it is not required as long as you can show financial responsibility. To show that you are compliant with your state’s law you should always have your proof of insurance with you. Not only is it the law, it is also a necessity should you ever get in an accident. Proof of insurance varies with your insurance company and can be in the form of an ID card or in a document. It must contain your policy number, effective dates, your vehicle description and VIN, and name of the policyholder. Online versions of these documents are also available, so you can save them on your phone for easy retrieval instead of keeping the physical version in your glove compartment. However, we recommend having a physical version handy along with the electronic version.
3. Owner’s Manual
Another item that should be a mainstay in your glove box is your car’s owner’s manual. This will include helpful information like what your tire pressure should be and what certain warning lights mean. You never know when you’ll need it, so you should always have it accessible. Modern cars often include a ditigal version of the owner’s manual, but just like registration, we recommend a paper copy as backup, and you can often request these from the manufacturer or a site like Helminc.com.
4. Spare Tire/Tire Jack
Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of the roads, waiting to take a nice big chunk out of one of your tires, or poke something really sharp into one. Unless your vehicle is equipped with run-flat tires, these occurrences can quickly put an end to your travel plans. So, unless you want to pay a tow truck to come and haul your vehicle to the nearest service station, you’ll want to make sure your spare tire is always properly inflated (something you can ask any shop to do whenever your vehicle is in for service), and your tire jack is in proper working order. You should also have the correct tools to change a tire, including a lug wrench. AAA members can call to have their tire replaced with their spare, though you will likely have to wait a long time.
5. Tire Pressure Gauge
Keeping with the tire theme is a tire safety gauge. While modern vehicles have warning indicators to let you know if your pressure is low, it’s important to have a tire pressure gauge to ensure you fill your tire up to the correct PSI.
6. Tire Pump and Sealant
Keeping wth the tire theme, you can also go a step further and have a portable tire inflator so you never have to rely on air from a gas station. If you have a minor puncture, filling the tire with air and sealing it will allow you to safety drive to your destination.
7. Jumper Cables/Emergency Road Kit
Did you know some car batteries only last for two years? While three to four years is the norm for battery life, a dead battery can come without warning, especially during the winter months. While jumper cables are a necessity, the full emergency road kit is a strong recommendation. Most emergency kits, which can be purchased on Amazon or at any big-box retail store, will come with a small array of tools, such as wrenches, screwdrivers, and pliers, as well as road flares, fluorescent reflective triangles, hose tape, and those jumper cables. The jumper cables will come in extremely handy if you have a habit of leaving your headlights or dome lights on. Either thing can drain the life from your battery in as little as a few hours depending on the age and strength of your vehicle’s battery.
8. Blankets
This may seem like a silly thing to have in your car if you live in a warm place like Florida, Texas, or Southern California; but blankets come in handy for more than just keeping you warm. Say you break down on a road that’s covered in dirt, gravel, mud, grime, or some sticky substance you dare not guess about. Laying a blanket down to get on the ground and see what’s wrong, or simply to change a tire, can save your clothes, knees, and back a whole lot of trouble. Of course, there’s always the keeping warm thing, too, if you live in an area where it gets cold.
9. Washer Fluid
We suggest always keeping a gallon of washer fluid in the trunk. Chances are you’ll never need it, until that one time when a semi throws three inches of mud and muck on your windshield and you hit the windshield wiper button only to hear that familiar buzz…and get nothing. Pulling over and grabbing the washer fluid from the trunk is much easier than dumping whatever drink you have in the cup holder on your windshield and trying to scrub it clean with your shirt.
10. Flashlight
Some of those emergency road kits we talked about earlier do come with a flashlight; however, most don’t. A flashlight will not only come in handy if you happen to break down at night and need to see under your hood or around your car, but it’s also very handy for keeping oncoming traffic away from your vehicle if you don’t happen to have road flares or markers. A flashlight can also come in extremely handy if a passenger needs to find something in the vehicle at night while you’re driving. Driving with the dome light on is still illegal in most states. Just make sure you check the batteries in it often.
11. First Aid Kit
In times of crisis, a first aid kit can literally be a lifesaver. This one should need no explanation whatsoever. If you’re bleeding, a spare tire isn’t going to do much for you, but band aids will.
12. Cell Phone Charger
Having a dedicated phone charger that remains in your car is a lot more convenient than bringing one with you on long road trips or when you think you’ll be out of the house for a while. Sometimes we neglect to charge our phone the night before or accidentally run an app in the background that drains your battery. Regardless of the circumstance, you don’t want to be without your only lifeline should you break down and need to call for help. You may also rely on your phone as a GPS system, and you don’t want to be at the mercy of your phone battery to get you safely to your destination.
13. Duct Tape
Duct tape is one of the most versatile items out there. Just like it can come in handy for temporary (or even permanent) household repairs, it can be very helpful should something break on your vehicle. Say you sideswipe a pole, or if you were the victim of a hit-and-run and your mirror comes loose. Duct tape can keep it in place until it can properly be repaired. You can also use it to temporarily halt leaks in your roof or sunroof to mitigate or prevent costly water damage.
14. Ice Scraper
If you live somewhere with inclement winter weather or even somewhere where it snows infrequently, you should always have an ice scraper in your car. You can get one that is attached to a snow brush so you have everything you need to remove snow and scrape ice off your vehicle. Driving with compromised sight lines can present a hazard to you and other drivers on the road. And in areas with extreme snowfall, keeping a shovel in your trunk to remove snow around your vehicle can also be helpful.
15. Paper Towels and Tissues
Paper products may not save you from danger, but they can certainly make any ride more comfortable in the event of a spill, an unexpected runny nose, or an extra messy drive-through order. If you travel with children, these are even more essential. Baby wipes, even if you don’t have a baby, also prove effective to help clean up spills and messes.
16. Spare Change
You should keep spare change or an emergency stash of cash somewhere in your car. While most parking meters now allow you to pay with a credit card, there are still some holdouts that require change. You may also come across an unexpected toll.
17. Fire Extinguisher
This item is one that you will hopefully never have to use, but it’s important nonetheless. Because vehicles can catch fire during an accident, a fire extinguisher can help put the fire out before help arrives. Modern fire extinguishers are available in extremely small sizes without sacrificing effectiveness, so there’s no excuse to forego this item, even in smaller vehicles or sports cars.
18. Multi-tool
A multi-tool is a small toolkit that includes common tools in a compact package that can fit right in your glove box. It includes scissors, a screwdriver, wrench, knife, and can/bottle opener to cover your bases should you need a tool.
19. Water Bottles
Water bottles can save your life if you are stranded and in need of hydration. In less extreme circumstances, like unforseen traffic, having water handy can make the ride more comfortable. Just make sure your water bottle can withstand extreme temperatures.
20. Non-Perishable Snacks
It’s a good idea to have an easy-to-eat snack handy in the event that hunger strikes. Suggestions include energy bars, nuts, or crackers.
21. Escape Tool
An escape tool is another item you will hopefully never need, but it can provide peace of mind knowing it’s there. An escape tool can cut through a seatbelt and can break window glass from the inside. These can also be lifesavers if you encounter a car accident with someone trapped in their vehicle.
22. Umbrella
Even if there is no rain in the forecast, you never know when you’re going to be caught in an unexpected shower.
23. Hand Sanitizer
Hand sanitizer is top-of-mind during the global pandemic, and it should remain a mainstay in your vehicle even after the pandemic ends to help prevent the spread of infectious germs.
24. Kitty litter
If you live in an area where icy conditions occur, having kitty litter in your trunk during the winter can be very helpful. It can provide the necessary traction to get out of an icy parking spot or driveway. You don’t need a whole bag though, as it can weigh down your vehicle. A smaller container filled with kitty litter should be sufficient in most cases.
25. Reusable Grocery Bags
Not only are plastic grocery bags banned in some states, but they are also bad for the environment. Having a stash of reusable grocery bags in your trunk will come in handy for trips to the store and can also hold more items than the typical single-use grocery bag.
While there’s something satisfying about an empty trunk and a minimally-filled glove compartment, these empty spaces will leave you unprepared during an emergency or inevitable on-the-road inconvenience. Hopefully you will never need to use these emergency items, but you can rest assured knowing that you have them accessible.
If you’re in the market for a car, you can search over 4 million new and used cars with iSeeCars’ award-winning car search engine that helps shoppers find the best car deals by providing key insights and valuable resources, like the iSeeCars VIN check report.
This article, 25 Things to Keep in Your Car, originally appeared on iSeeCars.com.
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| 2022-09-21T07:41:08Z
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The 2023 Kia Sorento Hybrid enters the new model with what Kia calls an “optimized” trim-level lineup that gives the crossover SUV a roughly $2,500 price bump.
That “optimization” included the discontinuation of the base Sorento Hybrid S trim level, which started at $35,345 (with destination) for 2022. That leaves the front-wheel-drive EX as the base model for 2023, and it costs $37,886 including destination.
That price represents a $2,541 premium over the 2022 Sorento Hybrid S, as well as a $1,141 increase over the 2022 EX front-wheel-drive model. Adding all-wheel drive to the EX adds $1,800 to the price for 2023.
Kia is also adding a new range-topping SX-P trim level for 2023, which starts at $43,685 with destination. It adds 17-inch alloy wheels, a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, perforated leather seats, a Bose audio system, and more driver aids, among other equipment.
The Sorento Hybrid is mechanically unchanged, still using a 1.6-liter turbo-4 engine and 6-speed automatic transmission with a single electric motor. Output is 227 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque, with EPA-rated fuel economy of 37 mpg combined (39 mpg city, 35 mpg highway) with front-wheel drive and 36 mpg combined (33 mpg city, 34 mpg highway) with AWD.
This is effectively the third model year of the Sorento Hybrid. Initially for 2021 it was front-wheel-drive only, and we found it to be a pleasant-driving model that outdoes the Toyota Highlander Hybrid in many respects—although we were surprised it didn’t attempt to catch onto the magic of the wildly successful Kia Telluride.
The 2022 model year brought all-wheel drive plus a plug-in hybrid version with an EPA-rated 32 miles of electric range.
The pricing and model changes might help provide a little more differentiation from the Sportage Hybrid introduced for 2023. Kia is also introducing a Sportage plug-in hybrid.
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- Review: 2023 Lexus RX 450h+ plug-in hybrid falls short of prime mover
- Kia EV9 electric SUV: Production version due in 2023 will be three-row 4WD off-roader
- 2023 Kia EV6 GT: US details revealed—but not price or range quite yet
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| 2022-09-21T07:41:16Z
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The Porsche 911 Carrera RS 2.7 set the template for modern 911 track cars, so to celebrate its 50th anniversary this year, Porsche gathered World Rally champion Walter Röhrl, 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Timo Bernhard, and a selection of classic 911s to recount the history of the Carrera RS 2.7 and its successors.
Unveiled in 1972 as a homologation special, the Carrera RS 2.7 is instantly recognizable thanks to its ducktail rear spoiler. It was the first production sports car with spoilers, including the ducktail and a smaller front lip spoiler. The ducktail cancelled out aerodynamic lift, reduced drag, and even improved engine cooling. It also became an iconic styling feature that’s now making a comeback on the 2023 Porsche 911 Sport Classic.
That familiar shape started out as a simple panel held in place by a piece of wood. Protruding out from the 911’s sloping rear, wind tunnel testing showed it cancelled out lift and produced downforce.
This was also the first time Porsche used the Carrera name for a 911 (it had previously been used for a 356 variant in 1955). Porsche brought the name, which means “race” in Spanish, back to signify the RS 2.7 was something special. That’s a bit ironic considering the Carrera name is now used for base 911 models.
Thinner sheetmetal and glass, and a lack of insulation, also made the Carrera RS 2.7 lighter than other 911 models of the time. It was faster as well, capable of 0-60 mph in 5.5 seconds and a top speed of 149 mph.
Propelling it to that speed was a 2.7-liter flat-6. It generated 210 hp which was sent to the rear wheels through a 5-speed manual transmission. The RS 2.7 was also the first production 911 with rear tires wider than its front tires, which helped improve traction.
Porsche hoped to enter the RS 2.7 in the FIA Group 4 category, which required building 500 units for homologation. They sold out in just three months, so Porsche ended building 1,580 copies (including 200 lightweight versions) in a production run that stretched into 1973. The Carrera RS 2.7 had a successful career in sports car racing and rallying as well, but was soon replaced by the 2.8 RS and RSR 3.0 racers, which also make brief appearances in the video.
The RS 2.7 was followed by other hardcore 911 road cars, including the 911 GT3 RS 4.0, which are also featured in the video. Launched in 2011 as a send-off for the 997-generation 911 GT3, it featured a 4.0-liter flat-6 producing 493 hp. While the RS 4.0 does have a small ducktail, it’s surrounded by a much larger rear wing—showing how spoilers have evolved over the decades.
The 2023 Porsche 911 GT3 RS continues the RS tradition of low weight and advanced aerodynamics. But its elaborate system of ducts and vents, along with an adjustable wing featuring a Formula 1-style drag reduction system (DRS), makes even the GT3 RS 4.0 look old fashioned. Yet Porsche considers the GT3 RS to be the Carrera RS’s descendent, even showing a one-off version in the original car’s green-and-white livery.
Related Articles
- 2023 Porsche 963 LMDh completes successful test at Daytona
- Rare 1970 Porsche 914 rolls through Jay Leno’s Garage
- Michigan company offers EV conversion for original Jeep Grand Wagoneer
- Track-focused 2024 Ford Mustang Dark Horse targets a 500-hp Coyote V-8
- Preview: 2024 Ford Mustang injects modern tech into the traditional pony car
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| 2022-09-21T07:41:23Z
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Ford has submitted a patent application for power outlets integrated into vehicle roof rails, which the automaker believes could home in handy while tailgating or camping.
Filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) on January 12, 2021, and published July 14, 2022, the application describes a pretty straightforward setup. Power outlets are added to roof rails, protected by removable covers, and connected to a power source in the vehicle.
Ford seems to view this as a good feature for tailgating or camping, as both are mentioned multiple times throughout the application. The automaker suggests everything from smartphones and laptops to portable heaters and lights could be plugged into roof rails to make outdoor gatherings more hospitable.
Use of vehicles to power electronic devices will likely increase with the continued rise of hybrids and EVs. Ford already offers built-in outlets for the beds of the PowerBoost hybrid and all-electric Lightning versions of the F-150 pickup truck, with the Lightning even able to charge other EVs or provide emergency backup power for homes, the automaker claims.
Other automakers also offer ways to power your devices. Mitsubishi has offered this capability on the Outlander Plug-In Hybrid for some time, and Hyundai included it as part of its E-GMP dedicated EV platform. But no automaker has put outlets in the roof rails of a production vehicle so far.
It’s worth emphasizing a patent application does not constitute firm plans for production; automakers often file applications to protect intellectual property before any production plans are fleshed out. But one recent Ford patent application—for remote engine revving—did translate into a production feature on the 2024 Mustang.
Related Articles
- Ferrari Purosangue first with Multimatic’s new True Active spool valve dampers
- 6th-gen Mustang will have shortened 2023 model year, lose Shelby GT500
- Track-focused 2024 Ford Mustang Dark Horse targets a 500-hp Coyote V-8
- 1,972-hp Ford Pro Electric Supervan hits the ‘Ring
- Preview: 2024 Ford Mustang injects modern tech into the traditional pony car
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| 2022-09-21T07:41:30Z
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(iSeeCars) – Getting your engine oil changed regularly is one of the most important things you can do for your vehicle. Not only does this routine maintenance extend the life of your engine, but it also prevents most powertrain warranties from becoming null and void. There are lots of auto care locations that offer this service, but not all oil changes are created equal. What are the best places to get an oil change? We break down the options to help you make this important decision.
What Does An Oil Change Include?
When you get your oil changed, the engine oil and the filter should both be replaced. While it isn’t a requirement, if you don’t change the filter, the new oil will go in clean and come out dirty, negating much of the point of an oil change. A standard oil change typically includes a chassis lube, new oil, and a filter, along with draining the old oil and replacing it with new oil, replacing the filter, and lubricating the chassis.
Finding the Best Oil Change: Things to Consider
Quality of Work:
When deciding on the best place to get your oil changed, you should choose a place that does high-quality work. Even though an oil change is a fairly simple process, not all service providers uphold the same standard of quality. For instance, some big box retailers offer oil changes at a low price. But they certainly don’t specialize in automotive work. Wouldn’t you rather go to a car care location that employs automotive service professionals?
Price:
Price is another consideration. Unfortunately, this is the factor that influences the decision most of the time. Many people see a coupon or a flyer for a quick, cheap oil change and take advantage of the offer. While it’s true that price should play a role in your decision, paying extra to have the work performed by a qualified professional is a sound investment. Like many services, the cheapest option is likely not the best option.
Oil and Filter Brands:
The next factor is oil and filter brands, which can be a matter of personal preference or specified by the manufacturer. If the manufacturer specifies and oil type and you want to ensure warranty coverage it’s best to follow the manufacturer’s guidelines. There are people who swear by certain brands, like Mobile, Pennzoil, or Valvoline. If you’re more comfortable with a particular brand of oil or filter, either choose a shop that uses these particular brands or buy your own oil and bring it to the shop when you drop off your vehicle. Some shops might order whatever brand you’d like from the local auto parts store if you call in advance. There could be an added cost for this level of service.
All the Extras:
The last factor is what we’ll call the x-factor. This is all the additional services you receive that can be found at a full-service center. Do they wash your car afterwards? Can they have you in and out in a reasonable amount of time? Can you get a free tire rotation and brake inspection if you need it? Do they check your tire pressure, air filter, and top-off fluid levels like washer, brake fluid, power steering oil,and coolant? Will they replace your wiper blades or flush your radiator? These are all questions that can factor into this decision if you want something beyond a basic oil change.
Type of Oil: Conventional Oil Vs. Synthetic Oil
Regardless of where you get your oil changed you’ll be asked if you want conventional oil or synthetic oil. Synthetic oil is more expensive, but is it a necessary upsell? A synthetic oil change is better for your engine than a conventional oil change. While conventional oil is suitable and provides adequate performance, the higher-quality synthetic oil offers better long-term engine protection.
While conventional oil (i.e., mineral oil) can provide adequate lubrication performance, it can’t compete with the overall engine performance and protection provided by synthetics. There’s also the option of full synthetic or a synthetic blend. Full synthetic oils provide the best protection.
Another benefit of synthetic motor oil is that it generally lasts longer than conventional oil. However, the recommended intervals between oil changes varies by brand and if you have a new vehicle warranty you’ll want to follow the manufacturer’s interval levels regardless of what type of oil you’re using.
High-Mileage Oil
High-mileage engine oils are designed for vehicles that have at least 75,000 miles on the odometer and have ingredients to help preserve older engines. They have special seal conditioners that can help prevent leaks. While high-mileage oils won’t repair existing leaks or engine problems, it will help keep a well-maintained engine running longer.
Best Places to Get an Oil Change
1. A Reliable Independent Local Service Center
We all know a place that’s been recommended by a friend or family member for our automotive needs. A small, or sometimes not-so-small, privately-owned service center that is known for high quality service. If you haven’t found one in your town, you can ask around and look on community forums. This is a shop that basically does all required car maintenance services. These auto repair shops are great because they typically only hire ASE Certified technicians and can still come in lower in price than most dealerships. And since they are privately owned, their tire-and-lube technicians are trained in-house. Owners of these shops know how important word of mouth is for their business, so they are often trustworthy businesses to deal with. But never take a single person or written review as your only indicator. Dig into the shop’s online ratings and comments before you decide to use it. Being a service center, it usually isn’t hard to find one that will include a free tire rotation and brake inspection either, since they do make their money fixing cars and all.
2. Your Vehicle Dealership
In terms of quality, this is usually the top-of-the-line. Not only will your dealership have factory-trained technicians, but there’s no technician more familiar with your particular make of vehicle than someone who works on them all day every day. There’s also the safety of knowing that he/she may be able to tell if there are any other problems with your vehicle through a computer diagnostics check and a short drive around the block that usually comes with a dealership oil change. This can nip unknown problems early before they get to be truly expensive to fix. This doesn’t mean that other service providers can’t use these methods, it’s simply that dealership technicians typically work on the same make of vehicle every day; they will know more about what to look for on certain models than general technicians would. Many dealerships also offer little perks like a free car wash after service, but dealers are going to be the priciest choice on this list.
3. Big Name Service Station
By this one we mean a place like Sears Auto Service Center or Wal-Mart’s Tire and Lube Express, or any national chain auto shop that isn’t just a quick lube but, instead, offers additional mechanical services. In terms of quality, this one can be hit or miss. Many of these shops have a high turnover rate for technicians and employ young and inexperienced technicians. As for price, this is the middle of the road. The biggest drawback is that many of these chains only use certain types of oil and filters, so if you’re picky about your parts it may cost you extra.
4. Lube Stop, Jiffy Lube, Pep Boys, Valvoline Instant Oil Change, Any Other 10-Minute Oil Change Service
Remember when your mother told you that it’s better to take your time and do something right than to have to do it twice? That still seems like a pretty good rule. Quick-stop oil change stations are convenient, but they also suffer the highest turnover rate and least experienced technicians. Because they specialize in providing quick service, sometimes quality can suffer. Oil filters can get stuck, grease fittings can go bad, and drain plugs strip out. When you’re rushing to get a job done, little problems like these can turn into big problems if they’re dealt with hastily. Unless you’re in a pinch or know someone personally who works at one of these stations whom you can trust to work on your vehicle, the quick-stop oil change stations are not the best choice.
5. Do It Yourself
In terms of cost and quality, this one is all up to you. The big question is, do you have the necessary time and knowledge to DIY? As we said before, an oil change is a simple thing, but problems can occur. Most of these problems can be avoided altogether by doing your own work, but you should know what you’re doing for safety’s sake if none other. If you’re a technician or car junkie, and you can safely perform the oil change on your own, this is the cheapest option, and the quality of work is totally in your hands – as long as you’ve got the time and expertise.
Bottom Line:
When choosing an oil change place, you should always do your research and go with your gut. Whether you’ve had a good experience at an instant oil change service, or have a trusted mechanic to do the job for you, what’s most important is that you change your oil according to your car’s owner’s manual using the correct oil at the right time intervals. Remember that low oil or compromised oil from not changing your car’s oil on a timely schedule could damage your engine and shorten the life expectancy of your vehicle.
More from iSeeCars:
- Why is My Check Engine Light On?
- What is a Powertrain Warranty?
- What’s the Cost of Brake Pads and Rotors?
This article, Best Places to Get an Oil Change, originally appeared on iSeeCars.com.
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| 2022-09-21T07:41:38Z
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(The Conversation) – It’s rare to attend an outdoor party in warm weather without hearing people complain about mosquitoes. They swat away, sit in campfire smoke, cover up with blankets and eventually just give up and go indoors. On the other end of the spectrum, there are plenty of people who don’t seem bothered by mosquitoes in the slightest.
As a medical entomologist who’s worked with mosquitoes for more than 40 years, I’m often asked why some people seem to be mosquito magnets while others are oblivious to these blood-feeding pests buzzing all around them.
Most mosquito species, along with a host of other arthropods – including ticks, fleas, bedbugs, blackflies, horseflies and biting midges – require the protein in blood to develop a batch of eggs. Only the female mosquito feeds on blood. Males feed on plant nectar, which they convert to energy for flight.
Blood-feeding is an incredibly important part of the mosquito’s reproductive cycle. Because of this, a tremendous amount of evolutionary pressure has been placed on female mosquitoes to identify potential sources of blood, quickly and efficiently get a full blood meal, and then stealthily depart the unlucky victim. If you check some, or all, of the mosquito’s search boxes, then you may find that you are a mosquito magnet.
Sensing CO2 and scent signals
Depending on when during the day they are active, mosquitoes use sight, sound and olfactory cues to identify a potential source of blood. Most night-active species rely on olfactory or receptor cues. The most important chemical cue is the carbon dioxide that all vertebrates, including humans, release with each breath and through their skin.
Mosquitoes are very sensitive to CO2 and can sense a CO2 source from many meters away. Receptor cells on the mosquito’s antennae and legs bind CO2 molecules and send an electrical signal to the brain. When more molecules hit their receptors, the higher the CO2 concentration and the closer they are to the host.
However, there are many nonliving carbon dioxide sources such as cars, boats, planes and trains. To separate living from nonliving sources of CO2, mosquitoes rely on the secondary olfactory cues that living animals produce. Metabolic processes like breathing and moving generate these scent cues, including lactic acid, ammonia and fatty acids that act as additional olfactory clues that help female mosquitoes zero in on their next blood meal.
So, carbon dioxide production is the first mark of a mosquito magnet. Because the production of CO2 and secondary attractants is linked to metabolic rate, the higher the metabolic rate, the more attractants are produced. Metabolic rate can be genetically determined, but it also increases as the result of physical activity.
The human mosquito magnets you can spot at summer parties may have a genetically high metabolic rate or may be more physically active than other attendees. They may also be undertaking other activities that increase their metabolic rate, such as the consumption of alcohol. Increased metabolic rate is why runners attract more mosquitoes during their cooldown stretching exercises. Pregnant women, perhaps due to their increased metabolic rate, attract a disproportionately large number of mosquitoes as well. This video by Business Insider explains some of the factors that can make a mosquito magnet, including soaps and other fragrances, and even blood type.
Natural body odors are also important cues used by mosquitoes to select a host. For example, some species of Anopheles mosquitoes are attracted to specific components of foot odor. These mosquitoes transmit human malaria and feed indoors in the middle of the night. By feeding on a sleeping person’s feet, the mosquitoes avoid the head, where most of the CO2 is produced, and reduce the chance of waking the victim.
Visual cues
Mosquitoes active during the day and at dawn and dusk also use visual signals to identify a host. Mosquitoes usually fly close to the ground. From this vantage point, they view their potential hosts against the horizon. Dark colors stand out and light colors blend in, so the way a person is dressed will determine the number of mosquitoes they attract. Wearing lighter colors may not just help keep you cool but will help you evade a mosquito’s notice.
Mosquitoes can visually detect motion, again by contrasting a silhouette against the horizon. This is why people who walk near a saltmarsh in the middle of the day after a large emergence of saltmarsh mosquitoes are inundated by mosquitoes that visually detect their presence.
Psychological factors
There is also a psychological component to mosquito activity. Some people simply do not notice the mosquitoes around them. A single mosquito flying around some people will elicit a strong response – you’ve probably seen someone go nuts trying to track down the droning sound of one mosquito in order to finish off the tiny bloodsucker.
Other individuals are not bothered and do not notice the mosquitoes that are attracted to them, even when the insects are feasting on their blood. Some mosquitoes specialize on feeding on parts of the body that are difficult to see and difficult to swat. For example, Aedes aegypti is a mosquito species that prefers to feed on humans, mostly around the ankles.
Whether or not you’re a mosquito magnet, their bites feel just as itchy!
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| 2022-09-21T07:41:45Z
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ATLANTA (AP) — The manager for the rapper Ludacris faces a murder charge in Atlanta in connection with a June shooting.
The Atlanta Police Department said Chaka Zulu, whose legal name is Ahmed Obafemi, turned himself in to face charges Tuesday. Atlanta news outlets report that he was released on bail the same day. Police said they also secured warrants charging him with aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime and simple battery.
Gabe Banks, a lawyer for the longtime music executive, issued a statement expressing disappointment in the decision to bring charges. Banks said evidence clearly shows Zulu — who was injured in the incident — defended himself while being attacked by at least four other people in the June incident.
Zulu was among three people shot in the June 26 gunfire at a parking lot in the Buckhead area. One person died.
Banks’ statement said Zulu defended himself with a firearm he is licensed to carry.
“It is not lost on Mr. Zulu that someone lost his life, but had Mr. Zulu not lawfully defended himself, Mr. Zulu would have been killed that night,” the statement said.
Killed in the June shooting was 23-year-old Artez Benton, whose family described him as ambitious, hard-working and dedicated to his family. “He did everything right,” his father, Artis Benton, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution after the shooting. ” I never thought that this would be the end for him.”
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| 2022-09-21T07:41:53Z
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LONDON — Prince William and his wife Catherine’s 9-year-old son Prince George and 7-year-old daughter Princess Charlotte will attend Queen Elizabeth II’s state funeral.
George, who is now second in line to the throne, and his sister will walk through Westminster Abbey with the royal family in procession behind the queen’s coffin as it is carried by pallbearers Monday.
The funeral’s order of service showed that George and Charlotte will walk together behind their parents. They will be followed by Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, and other royal family members.
The royal children’s 4-year-old brother, Prince Louis, is not expected to be present at the funeral, which will be attended by some 2,000 people.
___
KEY DEVELOPMENTS:
— Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II is huge security challenge
— World leaders head to London for Queen Elizabeth II funeral
— Royal lying in state rituals endure despite changing times
— Queen paved the way for transition to Charles in final years
— Find more AP coverage here
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OTHER DEVELOPMENTS:
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LONDON — British officials say the line for people to view Queen Elizabeth II lying in state had reached “final capacity” and had to be closed to new entrants.
“Please do not attempt to join the queue,” the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport said in a tweet late Sunday.
Hundreds of thousands of people have waited for up to 12 hours in a miles-long line through central London in the past four days for a chance to file past the queen’s coffin at Westminster Hall in the Houses of Parliament.
The lying in state ends Monday morning, when the queen’s coffin will be taken to nearby Westminster Abbey for her state funeral service.
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LONDON — King Charles III has issued a message of thanks to people in the U.K. and around the world, saying he and his wife Camilla, the queen consort, have been “moved beyond measure” by the large numbers of people who have turned out to pay their respects to Queen Elizabeth II.
“In London, Edinburgh, Hillsborough and Cardiff we were moved beyond measure by everyone who took the trouble to come and pay their respects to the lifelong service of my dear mother, the late queen,” Charles said in a message issued Sunday by Buckingham Palace.
“As we all prepare to say our last farewell, I wanted simply to take this opportunity to say thank you to all those countless people who have been such a support and comfort to my family and myself in this time of grief,” he added.
On Monday, Charles and other royals will join some 2,000 people including hundreds of world leaders and dignitaries at Westminster Abbey for the queen’s state funeral service.
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LONDON — People across Britain have paused for minute of silence in memory of Queen Elizabeth II on the eve of her funeral.
The government had encouraged people to spend a minute in reflection, either at home, with neighbors or in locally organized ceremonies.
In Westminster Hall, where the queen is lying in state, the line of mourners halted for 60 seconds.
The queen is due to be laid to rest at Windsor Castle on Monday after a state funeral at Westminster Abbey in London attended by royalty, heads of state and dignitaries from around the world.
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LONDON — U.S. President Joe Biden has joined world leaders and dignitaries at Buckingham Palace for a reception hosted by King Charles III.
Biden and first lady Jill Biden arrived in their presidential car Sunday among a convoy of vehicles, while dozens of world leaders arrived in groups by bus.
Among them were New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Irish President Michael D. Higgins and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro also joined dozens of other guests at the reception.
World leaders have flown into London to attend Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral service on Monday.
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LONDON — Ukraine’s first lady, Olena Zelenska, has appeared at London’s Westminster Hall to pay her respects to Queen Elizabeth II.
British royal officials said Zelenska also met with Catherine, the Princess of Wales, at Buckingham Palace on Sunday afternoon. They did not release further details.
World leaders including U.S. President Joe Biden have flown into London to attend the queen’s funeral service on Monday.
Zelenska is expected to join some 2,000 dignitaries and guests in Westminster Abbey for the service. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is not expected to attend as the war in Ukraine continues.
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LONDON — U.S. President Joe Biden called Queen Elizabeth II “decent” and “honorable” as he signed a condolence book Sunday, saying his heart went out to the royal family.
The president and first lady are in London to pay their respects to the queen, who is lying in state at Westminster Hall.
Biden sat down at a simple table draped in blue with a framed photo of the queen and bouquet of white flowers and wrote a note in the book before speaking briefly.
He said the queen treated people with dignity.
Jill Biden signed the book specific for spouses and ambassadors at a similar table in a different room of Lancaster House.
“Queen Elizabeth lived her life for the people,” Jill Biden wrote. “She served with wisdom and grace. We will never forget her warmth, kindness and the conversations we shared.”
The president and first lady are among hundreds of world leaders in London for the queen’s funeral Monday. Elizabeth died Sept. 8 at age 96, and hundreds of thousands of people have waited in long lines to pay respects to the UK’s longest-reigning monarch.
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LONDON — U.S. President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden are paying their respects to Queen Elizabeth II.
Biden traveled to Westminster Hall in London where the queen is lying in state. He made the sign of the cross Sunday and put his hand to his heart as he stood quietly near the casket. The Bidens were joined by U.S. Ambassador Jane Hartley.
Biden was also expected to sign the official condolence book and attend a reception Sunday at Buckingham Palace hosted by King Charles III before attending the state funeral at Westminster Abbey on Monday. He is one of hundreds of world leaders in town to pay their respects to the queen, who died Sept. 8 at 96 after 70 years on the throne.
Hundreds of thousands of other mourners have waited for hours in a queue to walk past the queen’s casket.
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WINDSOR, England — Thousands of people made their way to Windsor Castle on Sunday, a day before the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, to lay flowers at the gates of what will be her final resting place.
Many feared the crowds on Monday would prohibit them from paying their last respects at the palace gates, where bouquets had piled up.
Police officers were dotted along the route along the Long Walk, a 3-mile (5-kilometer) avenue where a walking funeral procession will be held before the queen is laid to rest in St. George’s Chapel.
Mourners went through an security check before entering the premises. More are expected to come after the national silence is observed at 8 p.m. on Sunday. Mourners have been told not to bring tents or gazebos, only chairs and blankets. Stalls have opened along the road, selling food and refreshments.
Steve Beeson had come with his family of three and was unwrapping the plastic off his bouquet of flowers for the queen, following a strict rule by organizers.
The queen “was the only head of state we have ever known, all our lives,” he said. “She has been a constant steadying of the reigns for the country through all of these really rough times, the least we can do is come and say ‘Thank you.’”
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LONDON — Prince Andrew has paid tribute to his mother Queen Elizabeth II, saying he will forever treasure “your love for a son, your compassion, your care, your confidence.”
Addressing the late monarch as “Mummy, Mother, Your Majesty,” Andrew said “it has been an honor and privilege to serve you.”
Andrew, 62, said “I have found your knowledge and wisdom infinite,” adding: “I will miss your insights, advice and humor.”
Andrew, the third of the queen’s four children, has been relieved of official royal duties and stripped of his honorary military titles over his friendship with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Last year he reached a multimillion-dollar settlement with a woman who says she was trafficked by Epstein and filed a U.S. lawsuit accusing the prince of sexual assault when she was 17. Andrew denies the allegations.
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LONDON — London’s transport authority says it is preparing for around 1 million people to visit the British capital Monday for Queen Elizabeth II’s state funeral.
Transport for London chief Andy Byford said Sunday the capital has seen “huge numbers of additional passengers” since the queen died on Sept. 8. But he said demand will “reach a climax” on Monday.
Across the country some 250 extra train services will run, including some overnight trains. Peter Hendy, chairman of Network Rail, said Monday will see the “biggest public transport operation since the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.”
More than 100 Heathrow Airport flights will be canceled to prevent aircraft noise disturbing the funeral at Westminster Abbey Monday morning and the queen’s committal service at Windsor Castle afterward.
The west London airport said 15% of its 1,200 flights due to take off or land on Monday will be disrupted.
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LONDON — The wife of King Charles III is paying homage to the late Queen Elizabeth II and her strength as a woman in a world dominated by male leaders for much of her 70-year reign.
In a video message being broadcast Sunday night, Queen Consort Camilla says: “It must have been so difficult for her being a solitary woman.”
She adds: “There weren’t women prime ministers or presidents. She was the only one, so I think she carved her own role.”
The late queen, who died Sept. 8 aged 96, ended years of debate about Camilla’s title when she said on the eve of her Platinum Jubilee earlier this year that it was her “sincere wish” that Camilla, then the Duchess of Cornwall, be known as queen consort when her eldest son became king.
In a personal reflection on her time with the queen, Camilla says: “She’s got those wonderful blue eyes, that when she smiles they light up her whole face.”
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LONDON — London Police say they have charged a man who is accused of lunging at Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin as it lay in state at the Houses of Parliament with a public order offense.
The Metropolitan Police say in a statement that Muhammad Khan, a 28-year-old from east London, is charged with behavior intended to “cause alarm, harassment or distress.”
Tracey Holland told Sky News that her 7-year-old niece was pushed out of the way by a man who tried to “run up to the coffin, lift up the standard and try to do I don’t know what.” She said police detained the man in “two seconds.”
Khan is set to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Monday – the day of the queen’s state funeral.
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| 2022-09-21T07:42:05Z
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Post Malone apologized to his St. Louis fans Sunday for an on-stage accident that sent him to the hospital and shortened his set the night before at the Enterprise Center.
In the middle of a song Saturday, Malone fell into a hole on stage that moments before was opened to lower an instrument into.
In a video message posted on Twitter on Sunday, he said the fall, “Got me pretty good.” He said he’d just gotten back from the hospital, where he was prescribed pain medication.
“I just want to apologize to everyone in St. Louis,” Malone said. “Next time I’m around this way we’re going to do a two-hour show for you, so we can make up for the couple missed songs.”
There should be no implications for the rest of the tour, which continues Sunday night in Columbus, Ohio.
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| 2022-09-21T07:42:11Z
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LONDON (AP) — In retrospect, it seems as if she was preparing us all along.
Whether it was due to age, ill health or a sense that the end was near, Queen Elizabeth II spent much of the last two years tying up loose ends, trying to make sure the family firm would keep ticking along after her death.
The transition began slowly, with the queen turning over more public duties to her son and heir, now King Charles III, as she entered her twilight years. But it moved into overdrive in 2022 as Elizabeth celebrated 70 years on the throne. First she expressed her wish that Charles’ wife, Camilla, be known as queen consort after her death, and then the future king took center stage during four days of Platinum Jubilee festivities.
“Elizabeth II was preparing the ground for the succession,’’ historian Ed Owens said. “We saw a lot more of Charles in the last 10 years stepping in for his mother in a number of key situations at key public events. And that, I think, was partly intentional in that the monarch … wanted her son to sort of gravitate naturally into the limelight, to make this seem as best as possible as though it was a seamless transition.’’
Charles’ increased role began gradually when the queen began cutting back on long-haul flights, resulting in the then Prince of Wales taking her place at a 2013 Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Sri Lanka.
The queen became head of the Commonwealth, a grouping of 54 independent countries with links to the former British Empire, when she ascended the throne and championed its role in world affairs throughout her reign.
In 2018, Elizabeth expressed her “sincere wish” that Charles would follow her as head of the Commonwealth and its leaders agreed.
The previous year, Charles represented the queen at the annual Remembrance Day ceremony honoring the nation’s war dead, laying the monarch’s wreath at the foot of the Cenotaph in London. It was the first time the queen hadn’t performed the solemn ritual, marked by columns of aging veterans marching past the monument, other than when she was pregnant or out of the country.
But what had been a subtle shift became more obvious after the coronavirus pandemic led Elizabeth to take refuge at Windsor Castle outside London and the death of her husband, Prince Philip, reminded the nation of the queen’s mortality.
That was underscored by the image of Elizabeth, her face hidden behind a black mask, sitting alone in St. George’s Chapel as she mourned the loss of the man who had been her “strength and stay” for over 73 years.
On the anniversary of her accession to the throne in February, the queen moved to end the long-running controversy over the status of Charles’ wife.
Camilla has been a divisive figure in Britain because her long-term relationship with Charles was blamed for the breakdown of his first marriage to the widely beloved Princess Diana. The mother of Princes William and Harry died in a Paris car crash in 1997, five years after her messy split with Charles.
When Charles married Camilla in 2005, he made it known that he wanted his wife to become queen when he ascended the throne. Diana’s fans objected, saying it would dishonor the princess.
But the public attitude toward Camilla, 75, has warmed in recent years as she took on roles at more than 100 charities, focusing on issues ranging from literacy to domestic violence. Her down-to-earth style and sense of humor have softened Charles’ stuffy image and made him appear more relaxed.
When the queen weighed in on Feb. 6., she obliquely recognized that her reign would come to an end.
“When, in the fullness of time, my son Charles becomes king, I know you will give him and his wife Camilla the same support that you have given me,” she said. “And it is my sincere wish that, when that time comes, Camilla will be known as queen consort as she continues her own loyal service.”
Late last year, Elizabeth was seen using a walking stick for the first time, and in April she revealed that a bout with COVID-19 had left her feeling “very tired and exhausted.”
In May, the queen delegated one of her most important public duties to Charles, asking him to preside over the state opening of Parliament and deliver the annual Queen’s Speech laying out the government’s legislative program.
The event is a symbol of the monarch’s constitutional role as head of state and is accompanied by centuries of tradition designed to demonstrate the strength of Britain’s political institutions.
When it came time for the Platinum Jubilee, the palace let it be known that the queen’s ongoing “mobility issues” would limit her role.
Instead, Charles took center stage.
He donned full military uniform to review the troops during the queen’s ceremonial birthday parade, sat in the position of honor at the front of St. Paul’s Cathedral for a service celebrating her reign and led salutes to his mother at a gala concert, appearing with Camilla by his side.
After her death, Charles and Camilla were greeted warmly by crowds of mourners outside Buckingham Palace, with the new monarch shaking hands and chatting with well-wishers who broke into a chorus of “God Save the King.”
The reaction, and Charles’ first days in his new role, suggest that the public is, at least for now, on board, former BBC royal correspondent Michael Cole said this week outside the palace.
“Look at the thousands of people who have come here of their own accord,’’ he said, waving a hand at the crowds. “They’re not being bused in. They’re not being ordered to be here. They’re not being given little flags to wave. This is not North Korea. This is not a parade for Putin in Red Square. These people have come to express their respect for the dead queen and show, a very big word, affection.”
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Follow AP’s coverage of Queen Elizabeth II and other stories on the British monarch at https://apnews.com/hub/queen-elizabeth-ii
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| 2022-09-21T07:42:17Z
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LONDON (AP) — When Queen Elizabeth II’s grandfather, King George V, died 86 years ago, many homes in Britain had little or no electricity and large parts of the population still lived in slums.
Life in 1936 is unrecognizable to Britons today. But despite almost a century of change, the images from the queen’s lying in state this week are almost exact copies of those from when George V lay in state.
Both used the same vast, medieval Westminster Hall with the coffin resting on a royal purple platform in the middle. A brass cross is at one end of the coffin, the royal standard is draped on top, and tall candlesticks and scarlet and gold-clad ceremonial guards are carefully placed around it.
Historians say maintaining such traditions consistently through time is crucial to preserving reverence for the monarchy.
“When you look at the photographs, it’s like spot the difference isn’t it?” said historian Tracy Borman, author of “Crown and Sceptre: 1000 years of Kings and Queens.”
“People want to see a crown and scepter, they like to see these ceremonies played out the same way,” she added. “People derive some sort of comfort and security from that unchanging nature. It seems to be what people value about the monarchy: nothing changing.”
The queen, Britain’s longest-reigning monarch who ruled for 70 years, was the constant rock of stability in British life before she died on Sept. 8 in Scotland. Even in death, the pomp and pageantry to mark her passing evokes elaborate mourning rituals that seem to be frozen in time.
Before the queen, five British kings and queens have lain in state at Westminster Hall, a 900-year-old building at the center of British politics and power for centuries. The hall hosted numerous medieval coronation banquets, as well as the trials of Guy Fawkes and Charles I in the 17th century.
The tradition of lying in state stretches back to the time of the Stuarts — who reigned from 1603 to 1714 — when sovereigns lay in state for a number of days. But Edward VII was the monarch who set the modern tradition of lying in state in Westminster Hall in 1910. Archival footage showed that just like today, crowds formed huge lines snaking through central London for a chance to file past their sovereign’s coffin.
Historian Ed Owens believes it was a canny move by Edward VII to strengthen the bond between the crown and its subjects.
“He saw the lying in state as a key moment that would bring him as monarch into close contact with his subjects, a final opportunity for them to bid farewell,” said Owens, author of “The Family Firm: Monarchy, Mass Media and the British Public, 1932-1953.”
“This was a moment that would be captured by the new technologies of photography and film,” Owens added. “And it was a way of saying to the wider country and the wider world, that monarch and people were in a kind of spiritual communion.”
Other royals who lay in state at Westminster Hall were King George VI, Elizabeth’s father, in 1952, and Queen Mary, Elizabeth’s grandmother, in 1953. George VI’s wife Queen Elizabeth, known in later years as the Queen Mother after her daughter became monarch, was the last person to lie in state in Britain. Each time, the occasions drew tens of thousands of people.
Two former prime ministers — William Gladstone in 1898 and Winston Churchill in 1965 — also lay in state at Westminster Hall. Churchill also had a state funeral — the last one staged in Britain until Monday, when the state funeral for the queen takes place.
Such pageantry continues to fascinate because it seems to play into an enduring craving for ritual, Borman said.
The monarchy holds “a kind of magnetism” because “you’re staring history in the face, they represent that ancient line stretching back,” she said.
That appeal suits the royals just fine — and indeed, she pointed out that the royal household has been “absolutely dedicated” to upholding the unchanging nature of such ceremonies.
“That is very deliberate, I think,” Borman said. “I guess the heart of that is to stop people getting rid of the monarchy.”
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Follow AP’s coverage of Queen Elizabeth II at https://apnews.com/hub/queen-elizabeth-ii
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Steven Spielberg’s autobiographical coming-of-age drama “The Fabelmans” won the Toronto International Film Festival’s top prize, the People’s Choice Award, solidifying its early status as Academy Awards frontrunner.
Toronto’s audience award was announced Sunday as the largest North American film festival wrapped up its 47th edition and first full-scale gathering in three years. The return of crowds at TIFF brought the world premieres of a number of anticipated crowd pleasers, including the Viola Davis-led “The Woman King,” Rian Johnson’s “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” and Billy Eichner’s “Bros.”
Toronto’s audience award, voted on by festival moviegoers, is a much-watched harbinger of the coming awards season. Each of the last ten years, the TIFF winner has gone on to be nominated for best picture at the Oscars — and often won it. Last year, Kenneth Branagh’s “Belfast” triumphed at a much-diminished hybrid Toronto International Film Festival. The year before that, Chloé Zhao’s “Nomadland” took TIFF’s award before winning at the Academy Awards. Other past winners include “12 Years a Slave,” “La La Land” and “Green Book.”
This year, no film came into the festival more anticipated than “The Fabelmans,” Spielberg’s memory-infused film about his childhood. In the movie, which Universal Pictures will release Nov. 11, Michelle Williams and Paul Dano play the parents, with newcomer Gabriel LaBelle as teenage Spielberg, Sammy Fabelman. The film scored rave reviews after its premiere.
“This is the most personal film I’ve made and the warm reception from everyone in Toronto made my first visit to TIFF so intimate and personal for me and my entire ‘Fabelman’ family,'” Spielberg said in a statement read by Cameron Bailey, festival director.
The first runner-up to the prize was Sarah Polley’s “Woman Talking,” about the female members of a Mennonite colony gathered to discuss years of sexual abuse. The second runner-up went to Johnson’s “Glass Onion,” the director’s whodunit sequel for Netflix.
Audience in other sections of the festival also vote for People’s Choice awards. The festival’s audience prize for documentary went to “Black Ice,” Hubert Davis’ film about the history of Black hockey players executive produced by LeBron James. The midnight section winner was “Weird: The Al Yankovic Story,” Eric Appel’s music biopic parody co-written with Yankovic and starring Daniel Radcliffe.
“Wow,” said Appel in a statement. “I never in a million years thought that our satire of traditional awards films would actually win an award, itself.”
___
Follow AP Film Writer Jake Coyle on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/jakecoyleAP
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| 2022-09-21T07:42:29Z
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The Viola Davis-led action epic “ The Woman King ” easily conquered the North American box office in its first weekend in theaters, against a crowded market of new releases. The film, directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, surpassed expectations and earned $19 million in ticket sales, according to estimates from Sony on Sunday.
“The Woman King” was released by Sony and TriStar in 3,765 locations and carries a reported production budget of $50 million, which was co-financed by eOne. The film, about the Agojie, the all-female army of the Kingdom of Dahomey in West Africa in the 1800s, got glowing reviews after its debut at the Toronto Film Festival. It currently boasts a 94% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. And theatrical audiences seem just as enthusiastic, giving it a rare A+ CinemaScore suggesting that word of mouth will be strong in the coming weeks.
“This one has great reviews, an epic story and a great star in the lead role,” said Paul Dergarabedian, Comscore’s senior media analyst. “People want to go to the movie theater and audiences are back in the habit of expecting new movies in theaters.”
The horror movie “Barbarian,” a 20th Century Studios release, took second place in its second weekend with $6.3 million.
It was a jam-packed week for new releases at the domestic box office that included the A24 horror prequel “ Pearl,” Searchlight’s starry mystery pic “ See How They Run,” NEON’s David Bowie documentary “ Moonage Daydream,” Paramount and Miramax’s “Confess, Fletch,” with Jon Hamm, and Focus Features’ “The Silent Twins.” But even though most boasted good reviews, it was still a slower week for the business overall.
“See How They Run,” a 1950s-set murder mystery with Saoirse Ronan and Sam Rockwell, is estimating a $3.1 million domestic debut from 2,404 locations.
Ti West’s “Pearl” also took in estimated $3.1 million. A24 released the film starring Mia Goth as a farmgirl who dreams of movie stardom on 2,935 screens. The first film “X” opened $4.3 million in March and the studio has already greenlit a third film, “MaXXXine.”
Brett Morgen’s Bowie documentary “Moonage Daydream,” meanwhile, debuted exclusively on IMAX screens this weekend, where it made $1.2 million in North America and landed in 10th place.
“This may not be a blockbuster-filled corridor, but this is a great weekend,” said Dergarabedian. “There’s all this talk of the post summer doldrums or slowdown, but there’s a lot of new movies out there. You just have to look for the gems.”
Next week will see the release of Olivia Wilde’s much-discussed “Don’t Worry Darling,” which could give a boost to the box office. But blockbuster numbers likely won’t return until October and even November when the superhero movies return with “Black Adam” and “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.”
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.
1. “The Woman King,” $19 million.
2. “Barbarian,” $6.3 million.
3. “Pearl,” $3.1 million.
4. “See How They Run,” $3.1 million.
5. “Bullet Train,” $2.5 million.
6. “Top Gun: Maverick,”$2.2 million.
7. “DC League of Super Pets,” $2.2 million.
8. “The Invitation,” $1.7 million.
9. “Minions: The Rise of Gru,” $1.3 million.
10. “Moonage Daydream,” $1.2 million.
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Follow AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ldbahr
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LONDON (AP) — U.S. President Joe Biden paid his respects at Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin on Sunday as thousands of police, hundreds of British troops and an army of officials made final preparations for the queen’s state funeral — a spectacular display of national mourning that will also be the biggest gathering of world leaders for years.
People across Britain paused for a minute of silence at 8 p.m. in memory of the only monarch most have ever known. At Westminster Hall, where the queen is lying in state, the constant stream of mourners paused for 60 seconds as people observed the minute of reflection in deep silence.
In Windsor, where the queen will be laid to rest on Monday evening after her funeral at Westminster Abbey, rain began to fall as the crowd fell silent for the moment of reflection. Some have set up small camps and chairs outside Windsor Castle, with plans to spend the night there to reserve the best spots to view the queen’s coffin when it arrives.
“Well, it’s just one night and day of our lives. Elizabeth gave us – you know – 70 years. So the rest of it is not a lot to ask, is it?” said Fred Sweeney, 52, who kitted out his spot with two Union flags on large flag poles.
Biden and first lady Jill Biden were among thousands of mourners — from locals and tourists to royals and world leaders — to pay their respects. The president made the sign of the cross and put his hand to his heart as he stood quietly near the casket in the ornate 900-year-old hall with his wife and U.S. Ambassador Jane Hartley.
Biden then signed the official condolence book and attended a reception Sunday at Buckingham Palace hosted by King Charles III. He is one of 500 world leaders and royals invited to the queen’s state funeral Monday, along with hundreds of dignitaries, politicians, military veterans and British charity workers.
Biden called Queen Elizabeth II “decent” and “honorable” and “all about service” as he signed the condolence book, saying his heart went out to the royal family.
“Queen Elizabeth lived her life for the people,” Jill Biden wrote in a book for spouses and ambassadors. “She served with wisdom and grace. We will never forget her warmth, kindness and the conversations we shared.”
One no-show will be Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, whose invitation drew criticism from human rights groups because of the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018. Saudi Arabia is expected to be represented by another royal, Prince Turki bin Mohammed.
As the dignitaries poured in, hundreds hoping to view the queen’s coffin prepared to spend the night outside in the longest queue many have ever seen. Authorities closed the miles-long queue late Sunday so that everyone in the line can file past the coffin before Monday morning, when it will be taken to Westminster Abbey for the queen’s funeral.
Family by family, thousands of people kept joining the line around the clock, braving chilly overnight temperatures and waits of up to 17 hours in a queue that stretched for over 5 miles (8 kilometers.)
Lauren Wilson, 36, was in the much-shorter queue for people with mobility issues. She said she wanted to experience in person the coffin lying in state.
“The world is in such a weird place and then this happened. It feels more momentous,” she said.
She worried that the pageantry surrounding Elizabeth’s death deprives the queen’s relatives of the ability to come to terms with their loss.
“The family are not allowed to grieve. I find it quite heartbreaking,” she said.
The queen’s eight grandchildren, led by heir to the throne Prince William, circled the coffin and stood with their heads bowed during a silent vigil on Saturday evening.
Among the foreign leaders in London was New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who told the BBC she was humbled to represent her nation at the funeral and to witness the national outpouring of grief and respect for the late queen.
“The thing that I will take away from this period is just the beauty of the public’s response, the kindness that you see from members of the public, the patience, the camaraderie. That has been, for me, the most moving tribute of all, has been the public response of the British people,” she said.
Monday has been declared a public holiday in honor of Elizabeth, who died Sept. 8 at 96 after 70 years on the throne. Her funeral will be broadcast live to over 200 countries and territories worldwide and screened to crowds in parks and public spaces across the country.
Police officers from around the country will be on duty as part of the biggest one-day policing operation in London’s history.
Camilla, the queen consort, paid tribute to her mother-in-law in a video message, saying the monarch “carved her own role” as a “solitary woman” on a world stage dominated by men.
“I will always remember her smile. That smile is unforgettable,” said Camilla, who is married to Charles.
Ukraine’s first lady, Olena Zelenska, was also among mourners paying respects to the queen’s coffin. British royal officials said Zelenska met with Catherine, the Princess of Wales, at Buckingham Palace on Sunday afternoon. They did not release further details. The British government has been among the strongest supporters of Ukraine since it was invaded by Russia in February.
On Saturday night, it was the grandchildren’s time to mourn. William and Prince Harry, Charles’ sons, were joined by Princess Anne’s children, Zara Tindall and Peter Philips; Prince Andrew’s daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie; and Prince Edward’s two children — Lady Louise Windsor and James, Viscount Severn.
William stood with his head bowed at the head of the coffin and Harry at the foot. Both princes, who are military veterans, were in uniform. The crowd kept slowly, silently filing past.
“You could see that they were thinking hard about their grandmother, the queen,” said Ian Mockett, a civil engineer from Oxford in southern England. “It was good to see them all together as a set of grandchildren, given the things that have happened over the last few years.”
The lying-in-state continues until early Monday morning, when the queen’s coffin will be moved on a gun carriage pulled by 142 Royal Navy sailors to nearby Westminster Abbey for the funeral, the finale of 10 days of national mourning for Britain’s longest-reigning monarch.
After the service Monday at the abbey, the late queen’s coffin will be transported through the historic heart of London on the state gun carriage. It will then be taken in a hearse to Windsor, where the queen will be interred alongside her late husband, Prince Philip, who died last year at 99.
Sumita Tanda put down bright red roses as a huge floral tribute bloomed near Windsor Castle.
“I feel so privileged to be a local resident of Windsor,” she said. “I just wanted to pay my respects.”
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Associated Press journalists Danica Kirka and David Keyton contributed.
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Follow AP coverage of Queen Elizabeth II at https://apnews.com/hub/queen-elizabeth-ii
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(AP) – Post Malone apologized to his St. Louis fans Sunday for an on-stage accident that sent him to the hospital and shortened his set the night before at the Enterprise Center.
In the middle of a song Saturday, Malone fell into a hole on stage that moments before was opened to lower an instrument into.
In a video message posted on Twitter on Sunday, he said the fall, “Got me pretty good.” He said he’d just gotten back from the hospital, where he was prescribed pain medication.
“I just want to apologize to everyone in St. Louis,” Malone said. “Next time I’m around this way we’re going to do a two-hour show for you, so we can make up for the couple missed songs.”
Manager Dre London took to Instagram Sunday to say Malone bruised his ribs in the fall.
There should be no implications for the rest of the tour, which continues Sunday night in Columbus, Ohio.
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AMARILLO, Texas (KAMR/KCIT) — There are times in a performer’s career when the roles that come along may lack substance or intrigue. That’s when the fascinating stories they’ve lived or seen may just be a ticket to success.
Check out this list of actors who decided to take matters into their own hands and create and star in their own shows:
Quinta Brunson – “Abbott Elementary”
Comedian, actress and writer Quinta Brunson had her freshman comedy series “Abbott Elementary” premiere in 2021, resulting in multiple Emmy nominations for Brunson and the show. “Abbott Elementary” follows a group of teachers at a public elementary school in Philadelphia while a documentary crew films them. A comedic approach is taken on hard issues such as the lack of funding for teachers and supplies in the public school system. Brunson detailed that she took inspiration from her own life when creating characters and stories.
Tina Fey – “30 Rock”
Multi-talented comedian, actress, writer, and producer Tina Fey created and starred in the hit NBC comedy “30 Rock” from 2006-2013. The show, which also starred Alec Baldwin, told the story of a head writer of an NBC sketch show and the comedic hijinks that the cast of the show often displayed. With guest stars that included Matt Damon, Tom Hanks, Jennifer Aniston, Salma Hayek, and Oprah, this show had a satirical feel that everyone welcomed and embodied.
Lena Dunham – “Girls”
Actress Lena Dunham created an impressionable piece of art with her HBO show “Girls.” The show follows a 24-year-old aspiring writer in New York, along with her circle of friends, as they navigate the major mistakes they make in their young adult lives. With a cast that included Allison Williams, Jemima Kirke, Zosia Mamet, and Adam Driver, “Girls” proved that Dunham is not afraid to jump off the deep end with characters that can be seen as neurotic and unlikeable.
Jerry Seinfeld – “Seinfeld”
Comedian Jerry Seinfeld, with Larry David, co-created the NBC comedy “Seinfeld,” which aired from 1989-1998. The show followed a fictionalized version of himself, along with his three friends, and centers around Seinfeld’s apartment. Often described as “a show about nothing,” Seinfeld presents a unique format that features bookend cuts of Jerry performing stand-up at a comedy club. “Seinfeld” has been featured in multiple entertainment lists as one of the greatest sitcoms of all time and continues to run in syndication.
Larry David – “Curb Your Enthusiasm”
The co-creator of “Seinfeld,” comedian Larry David, truly puts his tonal stamp on every project he creates, including his HBO show “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” In the show, David plays himself as he deals with everyday annoyances that push his buttons to the point of awkward, cringe-worthy exchanges. David is famous for providing an episode guideline while allowing actors to improvise full episodes. The series, which co-stars Cheryl Hines, Jeff Garlin, and Susie Essman, has received a whopping 51 Emmy nominations.
Phoebe Waller-Bridge – “Fleabag”
The British comedy-drama series “Fleabag” was created and written by actress Phoebe Waller-Bridge and is adapted from her 2013 one-woman play. The show follows Fleabag, a woman who navigates her life and relationships in London. Waller-Bridge took home the Emmy for writing and acting in the series, which also starred Olivia Coleman and guest-starred Fiona Shaw and Kristin Scott Thomas.
Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson – “Broad City”
Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson came together to create the hilarious Comedy Central show “Broad City.” The show is adapted from a web series that Glazer and Jacobson created at the Upright Citizens Brigade about two Jewish independent young women and their misadventures in New York City. The dynamic duo produced five seasons of the show, which has received critical acclaim, with Karen Valby from Entertainment Weekly calling the show “weird, weirdly sweet, and completely hilarious…”
Martin Lawrence – “Martin”
Comedian and actor Martin Lawrence co-created “Martin” from 1992-1997. The show centered on a disc jockey (Lawrence), and his girlfriend (Tisha Campbell), as they worked at a radio station. “Martin” also featured appearances from Snoop Dogg, the Notorious B.I.G, and OutKast, with Snoop stating on the 30th anniversary of the show in 2022, “We would watch the show more than we would make music.” Lawrence’s physical comedy, along with an array of catchphrases, made this show a ’90s hit.
Mindy Kaling – “The Mindy Project”
Actress Mindy Kaling created the romantic comedy series “The Mindy Project,” which starred Kaling as an obstetrician/gynecologist as she developed relationships in her personal and professional life. The show featured a gang of quirky characters who worked at a small medical practice in New York and found themselves in extreme comedic situations. Kaling told the Daily Beast, “It’s always exactly the same to be the boss of my own show, which is a mix of incredibly rewarding with its frustrations, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
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Each week, publications from the Southern California News Group’s 11 properties (Orange County Register, L.A. Daily News, Press-Enterprise, San Gabriel Valley Tribune, Long Beach Press-Telegram, The Daily Breeze, San Bernardino Sun, Daily Bulletin, Redlands Daily Facts, Whittier Daily News and Pasadena-Star News) select the Athletes of the Week for their respective region.
Each athlete is then entered into the overall Southern California Athlete of the Week vote.
Click on the newspaper links below the athlete’s name to read about their performance from last week, and then vote for who you think deserves the top honor.
Readers are allowed to vote multiple times. Voting ends at midnight, but final totals aren’t always immediately reflected due to processing.
GIRLS ATHLETE OF THE WEEK VOTING
The overall winner will be announced on Friday, September 23.
Voting poll at bottom of the page.
Nick Fernandez, San Pedro: Fernandez’s versatility was on display in San Pedro’s 34-18 win over Dorsey Friday night. The senior caught two touchdown passes, kicked a 37-yard field goal, converted two extra points and recorded a sack on defense.
Jason Robinson Jr., Long Beach Poly: The wide receiver had a team-high eight receptions for 177 yards and one touchdown in Long Beach Poly’s 42-6 win against Lakewood. Robinson’s standout performance was highlighted by a 52-yard touchdown catch in the first quarter. The 5-foot-11 receiver is committed to USC as part of the school’s 2024 recruiting class.
William Parra, St. Genevieve: Parra had a big night Friday, tallying six catches for 101 yards with a touchdown. He also had two runs for 92 yards, a 90-yard kick return for a touchdown, and two interceptions in the team’s 27-21 win over Burbank.
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| 2022-09-21T07:42:56Z
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AUSTIN (Nexstar) — The state’s cancer research institute just issued $49 million in new research grants.
Michelle Le Beau, the scientific chief officer for the Cancer Prevention & Research Institution of Texas (CPRIT), said it sets out to fund the most innovative cancer research to date.
“I think anybody you ask has been personally touched by cancer,” Le Beau said. “So, I am inspired every day, both by personal stories that people have about cancer, but also seeing the discoveries and the new technologies that will bring to bear now.”
Here’s a breakdown of where exactly the money will go provided by CPRIT:
GRANT AWARD LIST
ARLINGTON
RP220645 The University of Texas at Arlington $250,000
Ultrasensitive Nanosensor-Based Detection of Tumor Immunogenic Peptides to Enable Personalized Cancer Immunotherapy
AUSTIN
RP220558 The University of Texas at Austin $249,999
Novel Covalent Drugs for BCL6
RP220587 The University of Texas at Austin $3,995,180
Advanced Protein Therapeutics core
RP220653 The University of Texas at Austin $249,932
Novel Modulators of Genomic Instability in Human Cells
DALLAS
RP220542 The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center $3,000,000
Establish the Accelerating Clinical Oncology Research Network – Texas (ACORN-TX) to enhance clinical trial access in North and Central Texas
RP220582 The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center $4,000,000
Establish New Cryo-EM Core Services to Drive Cancer Research and Drug Discovery at UT Southwestern Medical Center
RP220606 The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center $250,000
Developing a novel optogenetic recombinase system to study and target metastatic cancer
RP220614 The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center $237,501
Understanding the impact of immunity on pre-malignant somatic mosaicism and cancer prevention
RP220626 Texas A&M University System Health Science Center $237,500
A glia-to-neuron conversion for treating oral cancer pain
Product Development
DP220030 ImmuneSensor Therapeutics Inc. $16,154,562
Phase 2 Clinical Trial to Evaluate the Safety and Efficacy of IMSA101 in Combination with Radiotherapy and Checkpoint Inhibitors in Solid Tumor Malignancies
GALVESTON
RP220581 The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston $1,494,784
Hyperspectral, Quantitative Intraoperative Fluorescence Image Guided Brain Surgery
HOUSTON
RP220544 The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center $1,500,000
CPRIT Early Clinical Investigator Award- Christopher Alvarez-Breckenridge
RP220553 The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center $249,976
Reversing Aging Associated Resistance to Cancer Immunotherapy
RP220567 The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center $249,999
Fasting-induced microbiome changes and radioprotection
RP220592 The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center $250,000
Restoration of phagocytosis function of glioma-associated microglia/macrophage by activating QKI-PPARb-RXRa
RP220610 The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center $250,000
Identification of enhancers of T-cell anti-tumor activity in PDAC using CRISPR activation screening
RP220639 The Methodist Hospital Research Institute $250,000
Targeting NHE6 to improve clinical efficacy of daratumumab in myeloma
RP220646 Baylor College of Medicine $3,999,996
Patient-derived Xenograft and Advanced In Vivo Models (PDX-AIM) Core Facility of Texas
RP220650 The Methodist Hospital Research Institute $250,000
Targeting Nitric Oxide Synthase (NOS) pathway to remodel obesity-induced tumor inflammation in patients with TNBC
RP220666 Baylor College of Medicine $250,000
Targeting Tumors and the Tumor Microenvironment with Banana Lectin Expressing T cells
LUBBOCK
RP220600 Texas Tech University $249,999
In vivo Akt Analysis via Chemical Genetics and Nanoparticle-mediated Probe Delivery
RP220631 Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center $3,369,480
West Texas Pharmacology Core
SAN ANTONIO
RP220599 The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio $3,935,480
Texas Pediatric Cancer Testing (TPCT) Core
RP220662 The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio $3,998,688
It’ll help core facilities, provide more access to clinical trials, discover more drugs that fight cancer and help with childhood cancer research among other things.
“I think one of the most exciting types of projects is an award that we call high impact, high risk,” Le Beau said. “And these are very innovative ideas that can be game changers in cancer… CPRIT is investing in these very creative ideas…the impact will be quite extensive in leading to new treatments, or new diagnostics, or prevention for cancer.”
CPRIT is Texas’ largest institution for cancer research. According to the group, it’s also the second largest source of cancer funding research in the entire world.
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| 2022-09-21T07:42:59Z
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(The Hill) – Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, said in a new interview that the “anti-vaxxer attitude” of some Americans risks causing non-COVID virus outbreaks in the U.S.
“I’m concerned the acceleration of an anti-vaxxer attitude in certain segments of the population…might spill over into that kind of a negative attitude towards childhood vaccinations,” Fauci told The Financial Times in an interview published Sunday.
“If you fall back on vaccines against common vaccine-preventable childhood diseases, that’s where you wind up getting avoidable and unnecessary outbreaks.,” Fauci added.
Fauci, who announced last month that he will step down from his positions in the Biden administration in December, said the political division is one factor driving anti-vaxxer sentiment, noting how some states have not promoted COVID-19 vaccination and Congress has failed to advance billions of dollars in funding.
The World Health Organization (WHO) released a report in July showing that vaccination among children declined more during the COVID-19 pandemic than at any time in the past 30 years.
Fauci’s remark comes after New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) declared a state of emergency last week due to the spread of polio through wastewater, spurring the state to ramp up vaccinations against the virus.
The U.S.’s COVID-19 vaccination rate amongst adults is still at 67 percent, according to CDC data, but is well below other countries.
Fauci also said in an interview with Bloomberg Law earlier this month that the U.S. should prepare for a bad flu season.
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| 2022-09-21T07:43:06Z
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SHREVEPORT, La. (KTAL/KMSS) – Fall has arrived and everyone around ArkLaTex has plenty of options for seasonal events and activities. Whether you’re looking for a pumpkin patch, corn maze, haunted house, or a ghost tour near you, here are some of the best-known seasonal fun and frights in the ArkLaTex for all ages!
These events are confirmed, but as more cities and events release their plans for 2022 we will add them to the list below.
Jump to: Haunted Houses / Pumpkin Patches, Corn Mazes, & Fall Fun / City Trick or Treat Times / Neighborhood Trick or Treat Maps
Ghost Tours
Famous haunted locations around the ArkLaTex offer ghost tours, where you can learn local history and possibly spot something spooky.
Historic Jefferson Ghost Walk
123 W. Austin St. Jefferson, TX 75657
Meet in front of the Kahn Hotel
Fridays & Saturdays 8:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Adult prices $20 Children 6 – 11 $10 Children under 5 Free
Can purchase tickets online or at 7:30 before the tour in person.
Haunted Texarkana Ghost Walk
116 W. Broad St. Texarkana, AR 75501
Meet at the Kress Gap across from the Bi-State Building
Sep 23-24, 30-Oct 1, Oct 21-22, 28-29, 31 starting at 8:00 p.m.
$15 admission
Small private tours only, must arrange in advance. No children under 10 or strollers are allowed on the tour.
Jump to: Ghost Tours / Pumpkin Patches, Corn Mazes, & Fall Fun / City Trick or Treat Times / Neighborhood Trick or Treat Maps
Haunted Houses
Monsters and more wait to meet you in the dark, these are not for the faint of heart.
Necro Manor Haunted House: Nightmares
505 Boardwalk Blvd., Bossier City LA 71111 beneath the Texas St. Bridge
Sept 30 – Oct 31
Fridays 7:00 p.m. – 12 a.m.
Saturdays 6:00 p.m. – 12 a.m.
Sundays 6:00 p.m. – 10 p.m.
Halloween 6:00 p.m. – 12:00 a.m.
$10.00 admission
The Devil’s Knot Psycho Circus Wreck
2663 Mayflower Rd. Haughton, LA 71037
Fridays & Saturdays 7:30 p.m. – 12:00 a.m.
No Scare Night Sundays 5:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.
$25 admission $60 fast pass
No scare night: Adults $20 Children 10 and under $10
Waiver must be signed for minors to participate.
Tickets can be purchased online or at the gate. Cash needed for merchandise and food trucks.
Dark Woods Haunted Attraction
4343 University Parkway, Natchitoches, LA 71457
Sep 30-Oct 31
Fridays & Saturdays 6:30 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.
Halloween 6:30 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.
$30 general admission $45 fast pass $100 VIP
One year and younger are not permitted. Older children are at the discretion of the parents.
Monroe, LA
Evil Visions Haunted House
501 Desiard St. Monroe, LA 71201
Sep 30-Oct 31
Fridays & Saturdays 7:00 p.m. – 12:00 a.m.
Sundays 7:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.
Halloween 7:00 p.m. – 12:00 a.m.
$20.00 general admission $30 fast pass $100 VIP
El Dorado Haunt
2974-2984 Haynesville Highway El Dorado, AR 71730
at the ballfields in Parkers Chapel off of Highway 15 if the weather permits.
Oct 15-16. 21-23. 29-31 7:00 p.m. – no closing time listed
$15 general admission
The Asylum Haunted House
205 N Broad St, Talco, TX 75487
Oct 1-31
Fridays & Saturdays 7:30 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.
Halloween 7:30 – 10:00 p.m.
$20 general admission $30 general admission with fast pass
Jump to: Ghost Tours / Haunted Houses / City Trick or Treat Times / Neighborhood Trick or Treat Maps
Corn Mazes, Pumpkin Patches, & Fall Fun
With pumpkins, hayrides, corn mazes, barnyard animals and more these places are great places for family fun. Many have special activities for children, take reservations for groups or classes, and nighttime spooky events. Offerings and events vary so be sure to check the websites of the location you plan to visit!
DixieMaze Farms
9596 Sentell Rd, Shreveport, LA 71107
Sept 24 – Oct 31
Wednesdays & Thursdays 2:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Fridays & Saturdays 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 a.m.
Sundays 10:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Hours differ the week of Caddo/Bossier Fall Break Oct 9 – 15
$14.17 farm adventure pass
$26.88 farm season pass
$28.49 fright nights
$42.28 fright nights speed pass
$41.36 fright nights season pass
$55.15 fright nights season pass with speed pass
Pumpkin Shine On-Line
Betty Virginia Park
3901 Fairfield Ave, Shreveport, LA 71106
Oct 18
4:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
iShuttle provided at Sear’s 4:00 – 8:00 p.m.
(Mall St. Vincent)
Admission is free
*Rain date is Oct 19
JLSB Pumpkin Patch at Provenance
1968 Bridgewater Ave. Shreveport, LA 71106
Sept 26 – Oct 29
Mondays – Thursdays 4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Fridays 4:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Saturdays 10:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Sunday 12:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
$1 to $35 depending on size and variety of pumpkin. All ages are welcome to walk around the patch. Various activities on Saturdays and Sundays.
St. Luke’s Pumpkin Patch
6012 Youree Dr in Shreveport, LA 71105
Sept 26 – Oct 31
Mondays – Saturdays 10:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Sundays 12:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
No pets or professional photography allowed.
Contact St. Luke’s for field trip info for teachers and daycares.
SBC Zombie Walk 2022
600 block of Barksdale Blvd. Bossier City, LA
Oct 15 4:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Costume contest, door prizes, live music, dance competition, games, vendors, and food trucks.
Blithe Spirit
630 Barksdale Blvd. Bossier City, LA 71111
East Bank Theatre
Oct 22-31
Fridays & Saturdays starting at 7:00 p.m.
Sundays starting at 3:30 p.m.
Admission starts at $17.00
Minden Fall Festival
1001 Recreation Dr. Minden, LA 71055
Oct 29 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Trunk or treat, games, food, haunted house, jump house and more.
Minden FUMC Pumpkin Patch
1001 Recreation Dr. Minden, LA 71055
Oct 9 – Oct 31
Mondays – Saturdays 11:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Fall Fest in Main
Main St. Many, LA 71449
Oct 29 3:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Fall Festival
101 Columbia 13, Magnolia, AR
Columbia County Fair and Livestock Show
Oct 8 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Games, prizes, food, live performances, hay maze, petting zoo, pumpkin patch, and more.
Fall Festival 2022
2501 E. End Blvd. Marshall, TX 75670
Marshall Convention Center
Oct 29 – 30 5:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Booths will pass out candy and set up games, and there will be a haunted house.
Día de los Muertos Celebration
216 North Blvd. Marshall, TX 75670
Michelson Museum of Art
Oct 29 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Learn The customs surrounding this celebration and pay tribute to loved ones lost. The Michelson Museum of Art will also have sugar skull decorating stations, traditional Día de los Muertos bread, music, and much more.
Williams Memorial Pumpkin Patch
4000 Moores Ln Texarkana, TX 75503
Oct 3 – Oct 31
Sundays – Fridays 12:00 p.m. – dark
Saturdays 9:00 a.m. – dark
Jump to: Ghost Tours / Haunted Houses / Pumpkin Patches, Corn Mazes, & Fall Fun / Neighborhood Trick or Treat Maps
City Trick or Treat Times
Louisiana / Arkansas / Texas / Oklahoma
Louisiana
This information will be updated as cities release it.
Arcadia
Blanchard
Bossier
Greenwood
Homer
Logansport
Many
Minden
Shreveport
Vivian
Zwolle
Arkansas
This information will be updated as cities release it.
De Queen
Hope
Prescott
Texarkana
Texas
This information will be updated as cities release it.
Carthage
Daingerfield
Linden
Mt. Pleasant
New Boston
Texarkana
Oklahoma
This information will be updated as cities release it.
Broken Bow
Neighborhood Trick or Treat Maps
Nextdoor’s Treat Map is an interactive local guide for neighbors to share if they will be handing out treats, decorating or both.
Jump to: Haunted Houses / Pumpkin Patches, Corn Mazes, & Fall Fun / City Trick or Treat Times / Neighborhood Trick or Treat Maps
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| 2022-09-21T07:43:13Z
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CASS COUNTY, Texas (KTAL-KMSS) – The Cass County Sheriff’s Office and Texas Parks and Wildlife Game Wardens are searching for a missing 64-year-old female who walked away from home Sunday morning in the Atlanta area.
The woman, whose name was not disclosed, is 5-feet 6-inches tall, weighs 130 pounds, and has grey and white hair and blue eyes.
She was last seen wearing a purple shirt, blue jeans and tennis shoes. She is thought to possibly be walking toward Texas State Highway 77.
The Sheriff says the lady has hallucinations but is nonviolent.
Anyone who sees her is asked to call 911 or the Cass County Sheriff’s Office at (903) 756-7511.
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| 2022-09-21T07:43:19Z
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A first-of-its-kind database for tracking the world’s fossil fuel production, reserves and emissions launched on Monday to coincide with climate talks taking place at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
The Global Registry of Fossil Fuels includes data from over 50,000 oil, gas and coal fields in 89 countries, covering 75% of global reserves, production and emissions. The tool is available for public use, a first for a collection this size.
There was already private data available for purchase, and analysis of the world’s fossil fuel usage and reserves. The International Energy Agency also maintains public data on oil, gas and coal, but it focuses on the demand for those fossil fuels, whereas the new database includes fuels still underground.
The registry was developed by Carbon Tracker, a nonprofit think tank that researches the energy transition’s effect on financial markets, and Global Energy Monitor, an organization that tracks a variety of energy projects around the globe.
It allows anyone with a computer and internet access to look at coal, oil and gas reserves with a resolution that hasn’t been possible before. Users can see the carbon dioxide emissions they would generate if burned — at a global, country or field level.
They can get a sense of the role fossil fuel production has played in different economies. They can simulate transitioning away from fossil fuels under four scenarios: continuing current trends, governments keeping pledges they’ve made, governments following sustainable development goals set by the United Nations, and the world achieving net zero by 2050.
“It is a first-ever full transparency, open source, available-to-all kind of tool,” said Inger Andersen, executive director of the United Nations Environment Program, in a press briefing about the registry on Monday. “And as you build it out, we from UNEP will be mining it for every bit we can find, so that we, too, can use it.”
Mark Campanale, founder of Carbon Tracker, said he hopes the registry will empower groups to hold governments accountable, for example, when they issue licenses for fossil fuel extraction.
“Civil society groups have got to get more of a focus on what governments are planning to do in terms of license issuance, both for coal and oil and gas, and actually begin to challenge this permitting process,” Campanale told The Associated Press.
The release of the database and an accompanying analysis of the collected data coincide with two sets of climate talks at the international level — the U.N. General Assembly in New York that opened Monday, and COP27 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, in November. The Data like what’s being released in the registry could arm environmental and climate groups to pressure national leaders to agree to stronger policies that result in less carbon emissions.
And we’re in dire need of carbon reductions, Campanale said.
In their analysis, the developers found that the United States and Russia have enough fossil fuel underground to exhaust the world’s remaining carbon budget. That’s the carbon the world can afford to emit before a certain amount of warming occurs, in this case 1.5 degrees Celsius. It also shows these reserves would generate 3.5 trillion tons of greenhouse gas emissions, which is more than all of the emissions produced since the Industrial Revolution.
“We already have enough extractable fossil fuels to cook the planet. We can’t afford to use them all — or almost any of them at this point,” said Rob Jackson, a Stanford University climate scientist who was not involved with the database.
“I like the emphasis on transparency in fossil fuel production and reserves, down to specific projects. That’s a unique aspect to the work.”
Jackson compared the global carbon budget to a bathtub.
“You can run water only so long before the tub overflows,” he said. When the tub is close to overflowing, he said, governments can turn down the faucet (mitigating greenhouse gas emissions) or open the tub’s drain more (removing carbon from the atmosphere).
Campanale said the hope is the investment community, “who ultimately own these corporations,” will use the data to begin to challenge the investment plans of companies still planning to expand oil, gas and coal projects.
“Companies like Shell and Exxon, Chevron and their shareholders can use the analysis to to really begin to try and push the companies to move in a completely different direction.”
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Follow Drew Costley on Twitter: @drewcostley.
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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
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| 2022-09-21T07:43:25Z
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A choppy day of trading on Wall Street ended with stocks closing higher Monday as investors brace for another big interest rate increase this week from the Federal Reserve.
The indexes swayed between modest gains and losses for much of the day before a burst of buying in the final hour of trading. The S&P 500 rose 0.7%, climbing back from a 0.9% slide. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.6% and the Nasdaq composite climbed 0.8%.
Technology stocks, retailers, banks and industrial companies helped lift the market. Apple rose 2.5%, Home Depot gained 1.6%, Bank of America rose 1.7% and United Airlines closed 3.3% higher.
Health care and real estate stocks fell, tempering gains elsewhere in the market. Pfizer fell 1.3% and Welltower slid 2.2%.
The yield on the 2-year Treasury, which tends to follow expectations for Fed action, rose to 3.94% from 3.87% late Friday. The 10-year yield, which influences mortgage rates, rose to 3.49% from 3.45%.
Smaller company stocks also gained ground. The Russell 2000 closed 0.8% higher.
Trading volume was lower than usual, a sign most traders were not eager to make big changes ahead of the Federal Reserve’s interest rate policy announcement Wednesday afternoon, said Scott Ladner, chief investment officer at Horizon Investments.
“No one really wants to position ahead of it,” he said. “It’s been such a slippery market on both the upside and the downside.”
The S&P 500 rose 26.56 points to 3,899.89, while the Dow added 197.26 points to 31,019.68. The Nasdaq rose 86.62 points to 11,535.02 and the Russell 2000 added 14.65 points to 1,812.84.
Wall Street remains focused on inflation and the Federal Reserve’s attempt to lower prices by aggressively raising interest rates. On Wednesday, the central bank will announce its latest decision on rates. It is expected to raise its benchmark rate, which influences interest rates throughout the economy, another three-quarters of a percentage point.
The broader market is coming off of its worst week in three months following a surprisingly hot report on inflation and big companies, including FedEx, warning about worsening trends in the economy.
Wall Street has been worried that the Fed’s plan to cool the hottest inflation in four decades could be too aggressive and throw the economy into a recession by pumping the brakes on growth too hard. The higher rates also tend to weigh on stocks, especially the pricier technology sector.
Investors will get another update on the housing sector on Wednesday when the National Association of Realtors releases August figures for sales of previously occupied homes.
Average long-term U.S. mortgage rates climbed above 6% last week for the first time since the housing crash of 2008. The higher rates could make an already tight housing market even more expensive for American homebuyers.
Britain was observing a day of mourning for Queen Elizabeth II. Germany’s DAX rose 0.5% while the CAC 40 in Paris fell 0.3%. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng lost 1% while the Shanghai Composite index shed 0.3%. Japan’s markets were closed for a holiday.
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AP Business Writer Elaine Kurtenbach contributed to this report from Bangkok.
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| 2022-09-21T07:43:33Z
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BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union’s executive branch recommended Sunday that the bloc suspend around 7.5 billion euros (dollars) in funding to Hungary over concerns about democratic backsliding and the possible mismanagement of EU money.
The European Commission, which proposes the bloc’s laws and ensures that they are respected, said it was acting “to ensure the protection of the EU budget and the financial interests of the EU against breaches of the principles of the rule of law in Hungary.”
EU Budget Commissioner Johannes Hahn said that despite measures Hungary has proposed to address the deficiencies, the commission is recommending the suspension of funds “amounting to an estimated amount of 7.5 billion euros.”
The money would come from “cohesion funds” granted to Hungary. This envelope of money, one of the biggest slices of the bloc’s budget, helps countries to bring their economies and infrastructure up to EU standards.
EU countries pay around 1% of their gross national income into the budget. Hungary is slated to receive at least 50 billion euros in all from the 2021-27 budget, according to commission estimates.
Any action to suspend the funds must be approved by the EU member countries, and this requires a “qualified majority,” which amounts to 55% of the 27 members representing at least 65% of the total EU population.
They have one month to decide whether to freeze Hungary’s funds, but can in exceptional circumstances extend that period to two months. The commission is recommending that the member countries take until Nov. 19 to allow Hungary more time to address the concerns.
The commission has for nearly a decade accused Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban of dismantling democratic institutions, taking control of the media and infringing on minority rights. Orban, who has been in office since 2010, denies the accusations.
Speaking after a meeting of EU commissioners in Brussels, which unanimously endorsed the move, Hahn welcomed Hungary’s offer to fix the problem, saying that its proposed remedial action goes “in the right direction.”
He said the measures could address some of the commission’s concerns if they are followed up, and properly acted upon. But he said that “a risk for the budget at this stage remains, therefore we cannot conclude that the EU budget is sufficiently protected.”
The commission’s fears focus on public procurement — purchases by the state of goods and services or for the execution of projects using EU funds. Critics say the awarding of such contracts have allowed Orban’s government to channel large sums of EU money into the businesses of politically connected insiders.
A senior EU official pointed to “systematic and systemic irregularities, deficiencies and weaknesses in public procurement related to very high rates of single bidding.” Officials estimate that around half of Hungary’s public tenders are granted after single bidder processes.
The commission also has “serious concerns regarding the detection, prevention and correction of conflicts of interest,” as well as about a number of public interest trusts which manage significant funds, and notably in the area of education.
Hungarian media has reported that Orban’s nationalist government is set to announce new legislation as soon as Monday. EU lawmakers expressed concern last week that this may just be a ploy to gain time.
In a resolution on Thursday, the lawmakers said that Hungary’s nationalist government is deliberately trying to undermine the bloc’s democratic values.
They said that the government in Budapest — which Orban characterizes as an “illiberal democracy” — has become “a hybrid regime of electoral autocracy.” In part, they blame EU member countries for this, for turning a blind eye to possible abuses.
The French Greens parliamentarian who chaperoned the resolution through the assembly, Gwendoline Delbos-Corfield, said that “for the first time, an EU institution is stating the sad truth, that Hungary is no longer a democracy.”
The case, launched by the commission against Hungary in April, is a fresh step in the use of a new mechanism allowing the EU to take action to protect its budget. It does not target member countries for general breaches of EU law.
The mechanism is seen as the EU’s most potent weapon to prevent a worsening anti-democratic drift in some countries. Commission officials have said that Hungary has consistently failed to implement EU recommendations for more than 10 years.
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| 2022-09-21T07:43:40Z
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NEW YORK (AP) — The buck isn’t stopping.
The value of the U.S. dollar has been on a tear for more than a year against everything from the British pound across the Atlantic to the South Korean won across the Pacific.
After rising again Friday, the dollar is near its highest level in more than two decades against a key index measuring six major currencies, including the euro and Japanese yen. Many professional investors don’t expect it to ease off anytime soon.
The dollar’s rise affects nearly everyone, even those who will never leave the U.S. borders. Here’s a look at what’s driving the U.S. dollar higher and what it can mean for investors and households:
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO SAY THE DOLLAR IS STRONGER?
Essentially that one dollar can buy more of another currency than it could before.
Consider the Japanese yen. A year ago, $1 could get a little less than 110 yen. Now, it can buy 143. That’s about 30% more and one of the biggest moves the U.S. dollar has made against another currency.
Foreign currency values are constantly shifting against each other as banks, businesses and traders buy and sell them in time zones around the world.
The U.S. Dollar index, which measures the dollar against the euro, yen and other major currencies, has climbed more than 14% this year. The gain looks even more impressive compared against other investments, most of which have had a dismal year. U.S. stocks are down more than 19%, bitcoin has more than halved and gold has lost more than 7%.
WHY IS THE DOLLAR STRENGTHENING?
Because the U.S. economy is doing better than others.
Even though inflation is high, the U.S. job market has remained remarkably solid. And other areas of the economy, such as the services sector, have been resilient.
That’s helped offset worries about a slowing housing industry and other parts of the economy that do best when interest rates are low. That in turn has traders expecting the Federal Reserve to follow through on its promise to keep hiking interest rates sharply, and to hold them there a while, in hopes of knocking down the worst inflation in 40 years.
Such expectations have helped the yield of a 10-year Treasury more than double to 3.44% from roughly 1.33% a year ago.
WHO CARES ABOUT BOND YIELDS?
Investors who want to make more income off their money. And those juicier U.S. yields are drawing investors from all over the world.
Other central banks have been less aggressive than the Fed because their economies seem to be more fragile. The European Central Bank just raised its key rate by the largest amount ever, three-quarters of a percentage point. But the Fed has already raised its key rate by that amount twice this year, with a third expected this upcoming week. Some traders even say a gargantuan hike of a full percentage point could be possible, following a hotter-than-expected report on U.S. inflation Tuesday.
Partly because of that less aggressive bent, 10-year bonds across Europe and other areas of the world offer much lower yields than U.S. Treasurys, such as Germany’s 1.75% and Japan’s 0.25%. When investors from Asia and Europe buy Treasurys, they have to trade their own currencies for U.S. dollars. That pushes up the dollar’s value.
A STRONG DOLLAR HELPS U.S. TOURISTS, RIGHT?
Yes. U.S. travelers in Tokyo spending 10,000 yen on dinner will be using 23% fewer dollars than a year ago for the same-priced meal.
With the dollar up sharply so far this year against everything from the Argentine peso to the Egyptian pound to the South Korean won, the dollar is going further in many countries than before.
DOES IT HELP ONLY RICH PEOPLE WHO CAN AFFORD TO TRAVEL ABROAD?
No. A stronger dollar also helps U.S. shoppers by keeping a lid on prices for imports and pushing downward on inflation.
When the dollar is rising against the euro, for example, European companies make more euros on each $1 of sales. With that cushion, they could cut the dollar price for their products and still make the same amount of euros. They could also leave the price in dollars alone and pocket the extra euros, or they could find some balance of the two.
Prices for imports fell 1% in August from a month earlier, following July’s 1.5% drop, offering some relief amid the nation’s high inflation. Prices for imported fruits, nuts and some peels dropped 8.7%, for example. They’re down 3% from a year earlier.
A stronger dollar can keep prices in check for commodities generally. That’s because oil, gold and others are bought and sold in U.S. dollars around the world. When the dollar rises against the yen, a Japanese buyer can get fewer barrels of crude for the same number of yen as before. That can mean less upward pressure on oil prices.
SO THERE ARE ONLY WINNERS FROM A STRONG DOLLAR?
No. U.S. companies that sell abroad are seeing their profits get squeezed.
At McDonald’s, revenue fell 3% during the summer from a year earlier. But if the dollar’s value had simply stayed put against other currencies, the company’s revenue would have been 3% higher. Microsoft, meanwhile, said changes in foreign-currency values sliced $595 million off its revenue in the latest quarter.
A string of other companies have given similar warnings recently, and further gains for the dollar could add more pressure on profits. Companies in the S&P 500 index get roughly 40% of their revenue from outside the United States, according to FactSet.
ANY OTHER COLLATERAL DAMAGE?
A strong dollar can put a financial squeeze across the developing world. Many companies and governments in such emerging markets borrow money in U.S.-dollar terms, instead of in their own currencies. When they must repay their debts in U.S. dollars, while their own currencies buy fewer dollars by the day, it can create lots of stress.
WHERE’S THE DOLLAR HEADING FROM HERE?
The dollar’s biggest moves may be behind it, but many professionals expect the dollar to at least stay this high a while.
Tuesday’s report on U.S. inflation shocked the market and showed it remains more stubborn than expected. That has traders upping bets for Fed rate hikes going into next year. Fed officials have been busy recently reaffirming their commitment to keeping rates high “until the job is done” in breaking the nation’s high inflation, even if it damages economic growth.
That bias toward still-higher rates by the Fed should continue to offer support for the value of the U.S. dollar.
For the dollar to weaken meaningfully, strategists wrote in a BofA Global Research report, “the Fed has to get more concerned about growth than inflation — and we are not there yet.”
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| 2022-09-21T07:43:48Z
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ROME (AP) — If Italy elects the nation’s first female premier, will its women be delighted or dismayed?
Should opinion polls prove on the mark, Giorgia Meloni and the far-right Brothers of Italy party she co-founded less than a decade ago will triumph in the Sept. 25 election. Meloni might then be asked by Italy’s president to try to form a viable coalition government with right-wing allies.
For many female voters, it’s a question of gender versus agenda.
Some worry that Meloni, who exalts motherhood, might seek to erode women’s rights, including abortion access.
For her supporters, what matters is her conservative, “God, homeland and family” platform, not her sex.
Brothers of Italy has roots in a neo-fascist movement that hailed the legacy of Benito Mussolini, who bestowed prizes on women who had many children. The party took around 4% of votes in the last election, in 2018, but according to some pollsters it could win nearly 25% in this one.
Licia Donati, as a young Communist activist in the 1960s, fought for the legalization of divorce, which came in 1970. She also mobilized so Italian courts would recognize that wives have the same right to justice as husbands in a country where, until 1981, laws sanctioned leniency for men who murdered women to preserve “family honor.”
If Meloni does become Italy’s first female premier, it would be “a rupture (with the past) in the sense she is a woman, but it would be going backward in terms of the conservative women’s culture,” said Donati, 84, a Tuscan native who lives in Rome.
Donati said that if she could speak to the politician, she would say: “What battle did you wage for women, what did you do? Nothing.”
Meloni, 45, is the only main party leader who didn’t join Premier Mario Draghi’s pandemic national unity government in 2021. After populist forces, including two of Meloni’s campaign allies, yanked support for Draghi in July, the former European Central Bank chief’s coalition collapsed, prompting an early election.
Oria Gargano, whose BeFree organization in Rome helps women who have suffered domestic violence, noted with dismay that a Brothers of Italy politician has pushed for cemeteries where aborted fetuses can be buried, and to post the names of women who aborted even without their permission.
Recently, Meloni angered women by retweeting a video of a woman being raped in a street — “for the simple fact that it was an immigrant who raped her,” Gargano said.
Meloni has derided most of the migrants — overwhelmingly men — who sail toward Italy’s shores on smugglers’ boats as freeloaders who don’t deserve refugee status.
Meloni has generally refrained from pitching for women’s votes simply because she is a woman. But she has snapped back at contentions that it wouldn’t be a victory for women if she becomes premier.
“I challenge anyone to say that that would not mean breaking the glass ceiling,” the Italian news agency ANSA quoted her as saying when she came to the Monza track for a Formula 1 race.
“I am a woman, so saying that you’re not a woman if you say the things I say, frankly, makes me laugh.”
According to pollsters, Meloni attracts slightly more male than female voters.
As a young woman, Sen. Emma Bonino, leader of the tiny +Europe party, which is allied in the campaign with Meloni’s rival, Democratic Party chief Enrico Letta, pushed to make divorce and abortion legal.
During this election campaign, Meloni has been pressed to say whether she will uphold Italy’s law legalizing abortion through the first 12 weeks of pregnancy or later if a woman’s health or life is endangered. She insists she’ll respect the law, but wants it implemented in a way to provide help for women who decide to give birth.
“She’ll be shrewd — no big debate, simply ‘we won’t apply’” the law, Bonino said.
Several political rivals have cited a shortage of physicians willing to perform abortions in some parts of Italy, including the Marche region, governed by Meloni’s party. Under the 1978 law, personnel in Italy’s public health system can declare themselves “conscientious objectors” to avoid performing the procedure.
At Meloni’s first campaign rally last month in Ancona, a city in Marche, about 1,000 wildly cheering supporters far outnumbered the couple of dozen protesters, most of them women, on a side street.
“You ooze hate and you don’t represent me,” read one protesting woman’s placard.
Meloni, who has a young child with her male companion, decries what she calls LGBTQ “lobbies,” scoffs at the concept of gender fluidity and supports Italy’s ban on adoption by single people.
“Traditional” families for her are the bedrock of society.
Her conservative views are off-putting to some women, including Alice Riboli, who at 18 can vote for the first time.
“It would be better to see a woman in politics hold a role of that kind (like premier), but perhaps not her. Maybe someone with ideas a little more open, more current,” said Riboli, from Aosta, northern Italy.
But other women back Meloni’s agenda.
Lavinia Mercante, 25, from Rome, said she backs her “as a politician, not as a woman.” Mercante wants to see the political right come to power.
Still others are indifferent to female empowerment as a campaign theme — they just want a government with staying power. Since 2018, Italy has had three different ruling, oft-squabbling coalitions, from across the political spectrum.
“I think I don’t care if the right or the left wins,” said Caterina Bazzani, 52, a financial consultant from Agrate Brianza in northern Italy. “I want a government, voted for by Italians, that will last five years and accomplish its program.”
As for Meloni, “some people say she should get into office because she’s a woman, but I’m not thinking that way. It’s enough for me that she is capable. Man or woman, it’s the same to me.”
___
Sabrina Sergi contributed to this report.
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| 2022-09-21T07:43:56Z
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KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy promised his country there would be no letup in the counteroffensive that has reclaimed towns and cities from Russian troops, as shelling continued Sunday across a wide stretch of Ukraine.
Zelenskyy ran through a list of towns that Ukraine has taken back in its lightning push across the northeast.
“Maybe now it seems to some of you that after a series of victories we have a certain lull,” he said in his nightly video address. “But this is not a lull. This is preparation for the next series… Because Ukraine must be free — all of it.”
Ukraine’s military command said its forces secured the eastern bank of the Oskil River on Saturday. The river, which flows south from Russia into Ukraine, had been a natural break in the newly emerged front lines since Kyiv’s counteroffensive began.
As Russian shells hit towns and cities over the weekend, the British defense ministry warned that Moscow is likely to increase attacks on civilian targets as it suffers battlefield defeats.
“In the last seven days, Russia has increased its targeting of civilian infrastructure even where it probably perceives no immediate military effect,” the ministry said in an online briefing. “As it faces setbacks on the front lines, Russia has likely extended the locations it is prepared to strike in an attempt to directly undermine the morale of the Ukrainian people and government.”
Russian fire killed four medics attempting to evacuate a psychiatric hospital in the Kharkiv region on Saturday, said governor Oleh Syniehubov. Two patients were wounded in the attack in Strelecha, he said.
Overnight shelling also hit a hospital in Mykolaiv, a significant Black Sea port, regional governor Vitaliy Kim said. And five people had died over the past day in Russian attacks in the Donetsk region, one of two Ukrainian regions that Russia recognizes as sovereign states, governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said.
The separatist forces that control much of Donetsk said Ukrainian shelling of a prisoner-of-war colony in Olenivka killed one prisoner and injured four. More than 50 POWs were reported killed in a July attack on the Olenivka prison; Russian and Ukrainian authorities blame each other.
A Washington-based think tank, the Institute for the Study of War, said Russian forces in Donetsk continue to conduct “meaningless operations” on villages as opposed to reinforcing the front line.
A top Vatican envoy and his entourage came under fire as they were distributing humanitarian supplies in Ukraine, the Vatican news service said on Sunday. It reported no injuries.
The incident took place near the city of Zaporizhzhia on Saturday, and forced Vatican Almoner Cardinal Konrad Krajewski and others to take cover.
“For the first time in my life, I didn’t know where to run. Because it is not enough to run, you have to know where to go,” said the Polish-born cardinal, whose office makes charitable contributions in the pope’s name.
Three people were wounded in nighttime shelling of Nikopol, across the river from Europe’s largest nuclear power station, said regional governor Valentyn Reznichenko. The six-reactor Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant was captured by Russian forces in March, but is operated by Ukrainian engineers. Its last reactor was switched off a week ago after repeated power failures because shelling put crucial safety systems at risk.
Meanwhile, prosecutors in Kharkiv are accusing Russia of torturing civilians in one village that was recently freed. In an online statement, they said they found a basement where Russian forces allegedly tortured prisoners in Kozacha Lopan, near the border with Russia.
In images they released, they showed a Russian military TA-57 telephone with additional wires and alligator clips attached to it. Ukrainian officials have accused Russian forces of using the Soviet-era radio telephones as a power source to shock prisoners during interrogation. It was not immediately possible to verify the Ukrainians’ claims.
___
Follow AP’s coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
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| 2022-09-21T07:44:03Z
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(NEXSTAR) – When someone hands you a Double-Double, Animal Style fries and a milkshake at In-N-Out, your eyes probably don’t go straight to the paper packaging.
Distracted by the cheesy fries or juicy burger, you may have missed that there’s a Bible verse printed on just about everything you touch. Not just one verse is referenced, either. There’s a different one on your cup, burger wrapper and fry tray.
Lynsi Snyder, owner and president of In-N-Out Burger, told the Christian Post in a 2019 interview the practice of printing Bible verses on the company’s packaging started with the generation of ownership above her.
“It was my uncle Rich who put the Bible verses on the cups and wrappers in the early ‘90s, just before he passed away,” Snyder said. “He had just accepted the Lord and wanted to put that little touch of his faith on our brand.”
Since taking over, she’s added references to Bible verses to more items, including the fry boat, coffee cups and hot cocoa cups, she said.
On the soda cups you’ll find John 3:16 – the same verse you’ll see printed on the bottom of every Forever 21 bag – which reads, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
But there’s a different one on In-N-Out’s milkshake cups, Proverbs 3:5, which says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.”
If you order a burger or cheeseburger, you’ll get one verse (Revelation 3:20), but if you get a Double-Double you’ll get another (Nahum 1:7).
The first reads, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.”
The second reads, “The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him.”
Snyder says she added Proverbs 24:16 to the fry tray (“For though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again, but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes”) and John 13:34 to the cocoa cups (“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another”).
No word on if Snyder hopes to add more Bible references to her company’s products. It seems like the napkins are still unclaimed.
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| 2022-09-21T07:44:11Z
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NEW BOSTON, Texas (KTAL/KMSS) – The trial of the Simms, Texas woman accused of killing a New Boston mother and cutting her unborn baby from her womb will resume Monday in Bowie County, as the judge has ordered it to take place over four-day weeks with Fridays off.
Taylor Parker, now 29, is charged with kidnapping and capital murder of 21-year-old Reagan Simmons Hancock and her unborn baby, Braxlynn. Parker could face the death penalty if convicted. She has pleaded not guilty.
With well over 300 potential witnesses that could be called to the stand for the State alone and reams of evidence and exhibits, the trial is expected to last through the end of September. Judge John Tidwell has said he wants to give each side in the case time to prepare each week. Some of the jurors are also older, so the judge has taken steps to ensure a comfortable pace.
So far, 17 witnesses have taken the stand, including Parker’s ex-husbands and her former mother-in-law, formerly close friends and co-workers, and investigators who gathered and analyzed digital forensic evidence that shows Parker’s online activities.
On Thursday, jurors heard from Texas DPS Lt. Andrew Venable, who followed leads and evidence uncovered by search warrants on Parker’s devices and financial records. Venable testified that the seemingly incredible fabrications detailed in previous testimony that include a bogus $20 million real estate deal and a supposed murder-for-hire plot arranged by Parker’s mother do not even begin to scratch the surface.
“I would say it was continuous from the start of Taylor Parker and Wade Griffin’s relationship through the end,” said Venable, who says his team spent weeks untangling Parker’s web of lies.
“As one story, one lie, one scheme was presented, additional lies had to be created to support that as each started to unravel to corroborate each lie.”
Venable said the layers of fraud they found indicate Parker is no amateur and that anyone capable of handling “all these spinning plates at one time” is not someone who is having any difficulty with mental function.
“Layers of fraud”
Prosecutors used Venable’s testimony to walk the jury through those layers, lining up Parker’s online activities with key events in the timeline leading up to the murders. They showed apps and services investigators say Parker purchased to spoof phone numbers that allowed her to pose as other people, real and fabricated, to prop up her claims and manipulate the real people she was deceiving.
These faked people included an entire hit squad, with names like Marquavan, “The Reaper,” Lex, and Douis Louix. Some of them came complete with backstories and motivations, and Parker’s exchanges with them created for Wade Griffin’s benefit were extensive, detailed, and at times, particularly melodramatic.
Posing as “Cobern,” Parker texted herself to fabricate a conversation with her made-up law enforcement contact who was giving her updates on the hit Parker was telling Griffin her mother had ordered on her.
Coburn told her that “Jace,” the fake middleman in the murder-for-hire plot, had been booked on $800,000 bond and that police had pinpointed the location of her mother, Shona, “using phone records, small transactions here and there.”
“I am happy to inform you that Shona will be picked up sometime today, we’re getting ready to work with local police to arrest him on a warrant,” “Cobern” texted Parker, who went on to warn her that she was being followed.
The fake contact told Parker that banking information had linked her mother to the hit money and that police were monitoring her home. He asked that Griffin stay with her that night, because “today is hit day. This is severe, this is for your own safety, your daughter and Wade.”
After warning Parker that her social media accounts were being monitored and not to tag locations, Parker thanked “Cobern” and responded with what Veneble says was an example of how Parker used these faked conversations to manipulate Griffin and provide explanations for everything.
“Goodnight you be safe. But one question: How did you get stuff set up without being seen? Wade’s neighbors are nosey af!”
“Cobern” told her they set up while it was still dark outside, but he didn’t stop there.
“Neighbor across street is tricky, up at 4am in his recliner,” “Cobern” told Parker, explaining they used night vision cameras to watch neighbors in their homes to ensure no one saw the setup process. “It’s very tedious work. your neighborhood was extremely difficult with the overall setup. It’s a long process but it saves lives. In the end it’s worth the pain in the ass work.”
Later, “Cobern” sent Parker a photo of her front door appearing to be damaged from a break-in, assured her they got the perpetrators on surveillance camera and told her they were working to identify them. Parker responded with surprise.
“WTF they came to my home?? Wade wants to know when the hit was ordered on us all?”
“Sweetie this was why I said to listen to me. We had everyone watching y’all both last night these guys slipped right past us to the house now we have them on camera.”
He went on to tell her the hit was ordered when she refused to talk to her mother about the money Parker had been claiming was given to her by her grandparents, which she was telling Griffin her mother had pulled from her account and used to finance the hit.
The next text from “Cobern” to Parker said, “We have picked up your mom and it was ugly, I’m sorry.”
“Is she okay? anything on the guy yet?”
“She has some facial lacerations. She’s in custody and can now get the help she may need. Are you with wade?”
“Glad she’s in custody where she belongs,” Parker responded. “I want to see her Cobern. I told you that I have my last words to say to her before she rots in jail.”
In reality, Venable said on the stand, Parker had just been fired from her job and needed a new place to live and a reason to give to Griffin why she could not access the family money. He said Parker created a crisis to bring Griffin deeper into the relationship. And it worked. She ended up moving in with him.
Parker allegedly masterminded this alternate universe in order to make Wade Griffin believe she was a millionaire heiress who just could not get hold of her money to pay for a $5M pecan farm because her mother was plotting against her and there were issues with the banks and wire transfers. The prosecution says the schemes often did “double and triple duty,” uniting Parker and Griffin in their battle against Shona well before the faked pregnancy began.
Evidence shown to the jury includes a series of emails from the person prosecutors are calling “Fake Shona” to identify communications fabricated by Taylor in her mother’s name. The emails are filled with threats and foul language, warning Griffin to “stop trying to get the money” and claiming to be “behind all of it.”
Prosecutors say “Fake Shona” made sure Griffin knew no one would believe Parker, telling him, “I did all this to fall on Taylor” and claiming all of the evidence would point to her. The barrage of messages included threats to Taylor’s life, and “Fake Shona” claimed to have video surveillance and access to all of their devices.
When some of those elaborate stories began to fall apart, prosecutors say she pretended to be pregnant in increasingly desperate hopes of keeping Griffin from leaving her.
Venable testified about digital forensic evidence showing faked texts and emails sent to Griffin to make him believe funds totaling $7.7 million had been deposited into his credit union account for the purchase of Pecan Point.
“So Wade will think there’s money in his account, but there will be some problem that Taylor Parker will create another fake person to explain, and the cycle continues,” Venable explained on the stand.
Sure enough, Venable said, the bank had problems transferring the money because they did not want to lose the family fortune funds. That’s when Venable says Parker brought in the fake manager of the supposedly incompetent fake director of accounts, who told Griffin they bought a new software system to manage direct deposits and that their systems had been wiped clean.
In the course of these communications, the fake director of accounts suggested Parker and Griffin get a joint bank account.
Google search data from Parker’s device showed she was searching how to fake USPS tracking numbers and financial documents around this time and ordering business checks online printed with the name and address of the oil and gas company Parker was telling him paid her royalties. She paid extra to expedite the delivery of those checks. The next day, she texted a photo to him of one made out to her and Griffin in the amount of $8.7 million.
Two days later, Parker announced her fake pregnancy.
“This is something that happens in the movies”
Testimony wrapped up Thursday with the administrator of the Northeast Texas Women’s Health clinic in Mount Pleasant, where Parker was a patient and worked at one time. Melissa Mason testified that Parker had her last check-in at the clinic in 2016. She was a patient there when she had her partial hysterectomy in 2015. So when she posted a sonogram from the clinic on social media claiming it was her current pregnancy, it raised alarms.
Mason says she reached out to Parker via text in March 2020 about the Instagram post after someone sent it to her.
“I know for a fact you are not seeing us for this ‘pregnancy,'” Mason said in texts shown to the jury. “idk what’s going on but we don’t feel comfortable with our clinic name being put on this ‘ultrasound.'”
“We will take it off we have had an major issue with my mom starting issues, we don’t want her causing issues with our current doctor’s office, so we haven’t put our main stuff out. I have an appointment with y’all Thursday to finalize to use y’all. We will delete it until we have ours from y’all,” Parker responded, adding, “I’d like for my stuff to be kept HIPAA from my family because they have been snooping when they have been removed.”
Mason assured Parker that they don’t talk to anyone about patients.
“We are trying to see who keeps causing issues and contacting people is why we posted that info, to see who keeps contacting our doctors offices,” Taylor texted.
On the stand, Mason confirmed at least two people had called the clinic trying to get information about Parker’s pregnancy. One was an acquaintance, Stephanie Ott, who asked about Parker’s ultrasound. Ott was trying to find out if Parker was really pregnant, but since they cannot violate patient privacy laws, Mason says she told Ott to “go with her gut.”
The other person who called the clinic was Wade Griffin.
While the clinic could not violate patient privacy laws by confirming publicly that Parker was faking her pregnancy, Mason said the clinic did warn the hospital and specifically identified Parker. She testified that she believes that did not violate HIPAA laws because it was communication between one provider and another.
Mason also testified that the clinic terminated Parker as a patient the following month due to repeated no-shows.
Before Mason left the stand, defense co-counsel Mac Cobb asked whether she or anyone else in the clinic was ever concerned about how the false pregnancy story was going to end.
“Never in our wildest dreams would we have thought it would end this way,” Mason said. “This is something that happens in the movies and not in Mount Pleasant.”
Testimony resumes Monday. Hancock’s mother, Jessica Brookes, is among those expected to testify this week. Brookes found her daughter’s body lying face down on the floor of the living room of her blood-spattered Austin Street home on the morning of October 9, 2020, just a few hours after authorities believe she was stabbed, beaten, and strangled to death.
Parker’s parents and Wade Griffin are also expected to testify during the trial.
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| 2022-09-21T07:44:25Z
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SHREVEPORT, La. (KTAL/KMSS) – Two women are fighting for their lives, while one is expected to recover after a Saturday night shooting.
Just after 10:30 p.m. Saturday, Shreveport Police responded to reports of a shooting at a party in the 600 block of West 72nd Street in the Cedar Grove neighborhood.
When they arrived, they found three women who were suffering gunshot wounds. The women, two of whom were in life-threatening condition, were rushed to Ochsner LSU Health Hospital for treatment.
The preliminary investigation revealed that earlier, two of the women were engaged in an argument. Following the argument, a Honda of unknown color, appeared at the scene and opened fire.
So far, police have not identified a suspect or person of interest and the investigation continues.
Anyone who has information about this shooting is asked to call Caddo-Shreveport Crime Stoppers at (318) 673-7373.
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| 2022-09-21T07:44:31Z
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SHREVEPORT, La. (KTAL/KMSS) – Shreveport police are investigating a shooting that took place late Saturday in the Mooretown neighborhood.
The Caddo Parish Coroner has identified the victim as 30-year-old Latoya Kellum.
SPD officers were called to the 4300 block of Illinois Avenue around 11 p.m. Saturday in response to a shooting.
When they arrived at the scene, officers found Kellum suffering from a gunshot wound to the head.
She was rushed to Ochsner LSU Health Hospital where she died just before midnight.
According to the Caddo Parish Coroner’s Office, Kellum’s death was the 39th homicide of the year in Shreveport. An autopsy has been ordered.
Anyone with information about this shooting is asked to call Caddo-Shreveport Crime Stoppers at (318) 673-7373.
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| 2022-09-21T07:44:37Z
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LOÍZA, Puerto Rico (AP) — Jetsabel Osorio Chévere looked up with a sad smile as she leaned against her battered home.
Nearly five years have gone by since Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico, and no one has offered her family a plastic tarp or zinc panels to replace the roof that the Category 4 storm ripped off the two-story home in an impoverished corner in the north coast town of Loiza.
“No one comes here to help,” the 19-year-old said.
It’s a familiar lament in a U.S. territory of 3.2 million people where thousands of homes, roads and recreational areas have yet to be fixed or rebuilt since Maria struck in September 2017. The government has completed only 21% of more than 5,500 official post-hurricane projects, and seven of the island’s 78 municipalities report that not a single project has begun. Only five municipalities report that half of the projects slated for their region have been completed, according to an Associated Press review of government data.
And with Hurricane Fiona forecast to hit Puerto Rico on Sunday with torrential rains, more than 3,600 homes still have a tattered blue tarp serving as a makeshift roof.
“That is unacceptable,” said Cristina Miranda, executive director of local nonprofit League of Cities. “Five years later, uncertainty still prevails.”
Puerto Rico’s governor and Deanne Criswell, head of the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency who recently visited the island, stressed that post-hurricane work is underway, but many wonder how much longer it will take and worry another devastating storm will hit in the meantime.
Criswell said officials focused on recovery and emergency repairs for the first three years after Maria. Reconstruction has now started, she noted, but will take time because authorities want to ensure the structures being built are robust enough to withstand stronger hurricanes projected as a result of climate change.
“We recognize the concern that recovery may seem like it’s not moving fast enough five years later,” she said. “Hurricane Maria was a catastrophic event that caused damages that are really complex.”
The hurricane damaged or destroyed hundreds of thousands of homes and caused an estimated 2,975 deaths after razing the island’s power grid. Crews only recently started to rebuild the grid with more than $9 billion of federal funds. Island-wide blackouts and daily power outages persist, damaging appliances and forcing those with chronic health conditions to find temporary solutions to keep their medications cold.
The slow pace has frustrated many on an island emerging from the biggest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history.
Some Puerto Ricans have opted to rebuild themselves instead of waiting for government help they feel will never come.
Osorio, the 19-year-old from Loiza, said her family bought a tarp and zinc panels out of their own pockets and set up a new roof over their second floor. But it leaks, so now she lives with her father and grandfather on the first floor.
Meanwhile, in the island’s central region, community leaders who accused the government of ignoring rural areas formed a nonprofit, vowing to never go through what they experienced after Maria. They’ve built their own well, opened a community center in an abandoned school and used their own equipment to repair a key road. They also opened a medical clinic in April and certified nearly 150 people in emergency response courses.
“That’s what we’re seeking, to not depend on anyone,” said Francisco Valentín with the Primary Health Services and Socioeconomic Development Corporation. “We’ve had to organize ourselves because there’s no other option.”
Municipal officials also have grown tired of waiting for help.
In the southern coastal town of Peñuelas, Mayor Gregory Gonsález said he sought permission to hire special brigades to repair roads, ditches and other infrastructure, with work starting in mid-September.
It is one of five municipalities that has not seen a single post-hurricane project completed, with a pier, medical center, government office and a road still awaiting reconstruction. Gonsález said that few companies make bids because they lack employees, or they quote a price higher than that authorized by federal officials as inflation drives up the cost of materials.
It’s a frustration shared by Josian Santiago, mayor of the central mountain town of Comerío. He said it’s urgent that crews repair the main road that connects his town to the capital of San Juan because landslides are closing it down with increasing frequency. Tropical Storm Earl was blamed for causing eight landslides on Sept. 6, just hours before it became a hurricane.
“It’s a terrible risk,” Santiago said, adding that engineers recently told him it could take another two years to repair. “Two years?! How much longer do we have to wait?!”
Reminders of how much time has passed since Hurricane Maria hit are scattered across Puerto Rico.
Faded red plastic tassels tied around wooden electrical posts that still lean as much as 60 degrees flapped in the wind as Tropical Storm Earl dumped heavy rain across the island in early September.
Norma López, a 56-year-old homemaker, has a post leaning just feet away from her balcony in Loiza, and it exasperates her every time she sees it.
“It’s still there. About to fall,” said López, who lost her roof to Hurricane Hugo in 1989 and again to Maria. “I’m here trying to survive.”
Sixty-five-year-old Virmisa Rivera, who lives nearby, said her roof leaks every time it rains, and the laminated walls near her bedroom are permanently soaked.
She said FEMA gave her $1,600 to rent a house while it repaired her roof, but no crews came by. Her boyfriend, who recently died, attempted to install zinc panels, but they don’t protect from heavy rain.
“My house is falling apart,” she said, adding that the government said it would move her to a new home in another neighborhood since it can’t repair hers because it’s in a flood zone.
But Rivera worries she will die if she moves: She takes 19 pills a day and uses an oxygen tank daily. Her family lives next door, which gives her security since she now lives alone.
Family also is the reason Osorio, the 19-year-old, would like to see a roof for the second floor. It’s where her mother raised her and her sister before dying. Osorio was 12, so her younger sister was sent to live with an aunt.
Plywood panels now cover the windows of the second floor that her mother built by hand with cinderblocks. It’s where she taught Osorio how to make candles and cloth wipes for babies that they used to sell, sitting side-by-side while Osorio talked about her school day.
“This is my mother’s,” Osorio said as she motioned to the second floor, “and that’s where I plan to live.”
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| 2022-09-21T07:44:49Z
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ISTANBUL (AP) — An anti-LGBTQ group marched Sunday in Istanbul, demanding that LGBTQ associations be shuttered and their activities banned, in the largest demonstration of its kind in Turkey.
Several thousand people joined the demonstration dubbed “The Big Family Gathering.” Kursat Mican, a speaker for the organizers, said they had gathered more than 150,000 signatures to demand a new law from Turkey’s parliament that would ban what they called LGBTQ propaganda, which they say pervades Netflix, social media, arts and sports.
Hatice Muge, who works as a nanny, came to the gathering from Bursa province.
“People are here despite the rain for their children, for future generations,” she said, urging the Turkish government to take action. “They should save the family, they should save the children from this filth.”
The group held banners that read: “Protecting the family is a national security issue.”
LGBTQ parades have not been allowed in Turkey since 2015.
Ahead of Sunday’s demonstration, the organizers circulated a video using images from past LGBTQ Pride marches in Turkey. The video was included in the public service announcement list of Turkey’s media watchdog.
The video and the demonstration prompted an outcry from LGBTQ associations and other rights groups. The organizers of Istanbul Pride called on the governor’s office to ban the event and authorities to take down the video, arguing both were hateful.
ILGA Europe, which works for LGBTQ equality, tweeted it was extremely concerned about the risks of violence.
“The Turkish state needs to uphold its constitutional obligation to protect all its citizens against hate and violence,” it said.
Amnesty International’s Turkey office said public service announcements listing the event violated Turkey’s equality and non-discrimination principles.
Top Turkish officials have called LGBTQ people “perverts” who aim to hurt traditional family values.
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| 2022-09-21T07:44:57Z
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BEIJING (AP) — A bus reportedly taking 47 people to COVID-19 quarantine in southwest China crashed before dawn Sunday morning, killing 27 and injuring 20 others, media said.
The bus overturned on an expressway in Guizhou province, a brief statement from the Sandu county police said, without mentioning any connection to quarantine. The injured were being treated, it said.
Chinese business news outlet Caixin said Sandu officials confirmed the passengers were “epidemic-related people” being taken from Guiyang, the provincial capital, to Lido county, which is about 200 kilometers (125 miles) southeast.
Guiyang reported about 180 new cases on Friday. China has maintained a strict “zero-COVID” policy that isolates infected people and close contacts to try to contain the spread of the disease.
The bus overturned about 2:40 a.m., according to an online report by an arm of the Guizhou Daily media group. Following the accident, it said that provincial leaders called for an examination into the pandemic transfer and isolation procedures.
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| 2022-09-21T07:45:05Z
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SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A Northern California mother of two was sentenced Monday to 18 months in prison for faking her own kidnapping so she could go back to a former boyfriend, which led to a three-week, multi-state search before she resurfaced on Thanksgiving Day in 2016.
Sherri Papini, 40, pleaded guilty last spring to staging the abduction and lying to the FBI about it. As part of a plea bargain, she is required to pay more than $300,000 in restitution.
Probation officers and Papini’s attorney had recommended that she spend a month in custody and seven months in supervised home detention, while prosecutors wanted her to serve the eight months behind bars. But Senior U.S. District Judge William Shubb said he opted for an 18-month sentence in order to deter others.
The judge said he considered the seriousness of the offense and “the sheer number of people who were impacted.” They included law enforcement officers who searched for her, the community that believed her for four years, those who lived in fear because of her fake story of being abducted by two Hispanic women, and the Latino community that was falsely viewed with suspicion.
“The nation is watching,” Shubb said, paraphrasing prosecutors’ argument in a court filing. “They need to be sent the right message. …We have to make sure crime doesn’t pay.”
Papini quietly answered, “Yes, sir,” when the judge asked if she understood the sentence. Previously, she choked back tears as she gave a statement to the court accepting responsibility and admitting her guilt.
She didn’t speak to reporters as she was surrounded by more than a dozen supporters outside the courtroom, some of whom hugged her tightly. They included her husband’s sister, with whom she has been living she split with her husband, who filed for divorce and sought custody of their children after she pleaded guilty.
Speaking briefly outside of the courthouse after the hearing, defense attorney William Portanova called it “a fair sentence, even though it’s longer than we wished.”
His client was ordered to report to federal prison on Nov. 8. Shubb ordered her to serve 36 months of supervision after her release, a year longer than probation officers had sought. The twin charges carried a maximum possible sentence of 25 years in prison.
“Obviously the court did what it thought was right, and frankly it’s difficult to argue with the justice of the sentence,” Portanova said. “I’m not really surprised because I understand the court’s analysis. … To the extent the judge wanted to underline the wrongness of her actions and tattoo it further on her soul, he accomplished that for sure.”
Papini has never given a rational explanation for her behavior, which included months of careful planning before she disappeared and temporarily abandoned her children, who are most precious to her, Portanova said. Her actions stumped even independent mental health experts who said they didn’t conform with any typical diagnosis.
Portanova blamed it on “what sounds like a fierce storm that was going on for a long time inside her head” but said she is now a changed woman.
Papini offered no explanation during her brief, tearful comments to the judge before she was sentenced.
“I’m so sorry to the many people who have suffered because of me,” she said.
“I am guilty, your honor. I am guilty of lying. I am guilty of dishonor,” she said. “What is done cannot be undone. It cannot be erased.”
But both the judge and Assistant U.S. Attorney Veronica Alegria said her comments were simply more manipulation.
“At this point she would say and do anything to mitigate her punishment,” Alegria told Shubb. “This case is serious and there have been very real harms to society.”
“There was a community that lived in fear. … Miss Papini took money from real victims,” Alegria said. “Victims of crimes may not believe they will be believed by law enforcement because of this hoax.”
Shubb said Papini’s case “is unique, to say the least,” with little precedent to guide him on sentencing.
“Miss Papini is a manipulator,” Shubb said. “It’s not as if Miss Papini has seen the error of her ways….If she had not been caught, she’d still be living the lie.”
Portanova said in a pre-sentence court filing that Papini was “in pursuit of a non-sensical fantasy” when she fled to a former boyfriend in Southern California, nearly 600 miles (966 kilometers) south of her home in Redding. He dropped her off along Interstate 5 about 150 miles (240 kilometers) from her home after she said she wanted to go home.
Passersby found her with bindings on her body, a swollen nose, a blurred “brand” on her right shoulder, bruises and rashes across her body, ligature marks on her wrists and ankles, and burns on her left forearm. All of the injuries were self-inflicted and were designed to substantiate her story.
The wounds were a manifestation of her “unsettled masochism” and “self-inflicted penance,” Portanova wrote. And once she began, “each lie demanded another lie.”
After her arrest in March, Papini received more than $30,000 worth of psychiatric care for anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. She billed the state’s victim compensation fund for the treatment and was ordered to pay it back as part of her restitution.
As part of the plea agreement, she has agreed to reimburse law enforcement agencies more than $150,000 for the costs of the search for her and her nonexistent kidnappers, and repay the $128,000 she received in disability payments since her return.
But Shubb said she is unlikely to ever be able to repay the money “unless she wins the lottery.”
___
This story was corrected to reflect that the quoted court filing that begins “Papini’s painful early years…” was written by her lawyer, Portanova, not someone named Portantini.
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NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Eritrea is mobilizing its armed forces and appears to be sending them to Ethiopia to aid its neighbor’s war in the Tigray region, according to activists and international authorities.
Britain and Canada issued travel advisories asking their citizens in Eritrea to be vigilant.
Eritrean rights activist Meron Estefanos told The Associated Press that her cousin was called up “and is somewhere in Ethiopia fighting and we don’t know if he is alive or not.”
“It’s just a sad war, like our region has not seen enough blood for generations,” said Meron, director of the Eritrean Initiative on Refugee Rights.
Eyewitnesses in Eritrea said that people including students and public servants are being rounded up across the nation.
Eritrea, one of the most isolated countries in the world, mandates military service for all its citizens between the ages of 18 and 40. Rights groups say the practice, which lasts indefinitely in most cases, is driving thousands of Eritrean youths into exile. Eritreans make up a large number of the migrants attempting to cross to Europe, often dangerously by sea.
It was not possible to get comment from Eritrean authorities.
Eritrean forces fought on the side of Ethiopian federal troops in the war in Ethiopia’s Tigray region, which shares a border with Eritrea, when that conflict broke out in November 2020. Eritrean forces were implicated in some of the worst atrocities committed in the war — charges they deny.
Tigray authorities now assert that Eritreans are again entering the war that reignited in August after a lull in fighting earlier this year.
The conflict is estimated to have killed tens of thousands of people and left millions without basic services for well over a year.
Inside Tigray, millions of residents are still largely cut off from the world. Communications and banking services are severed, and their restoration has been a key demand in mediation efforts.
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| 2022-09-21T07:45:26Z
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