washingtontimes--2020-10-20--Jared Polis, Colorado governor, has church coronavirus mask, capacity rules blocked by judge

A federal judge has blocked Gov .
Jared Polis from enforcing capacity and mask rules at two Colorado churches , ruling that the novel coronavirus restrictions were more onerous for houses of worship than for secular institutions .
U.S. District Court Judge Daniel D. Domenico issued a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction on behalf of Denver Bible Church pastor Bob Enyart and pastor Joey Rhoads of the Community Baptist Church in Brighton , which had challenged in August the state ’ s Safer at Home public-health order .
“ [ T ] he Constitution does not allow the State @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can be when comparable secular gatherings are not so limited , or to tell a congregation that its reason for wishing to remove facial coverings is less important than a restaurant ’ s or spa ’ s , ” said Judge Domenico in his 44-page order .
As a result , “ Plaintiffs have thus made a strong showing that they are likely to succeed on the merits of their as-applied free exercise claim , ” he said .
Attorney Rebecca Messall , who represented the churches and their pastors on behalf of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ judge ’ s Oct. 15 order .
“ The lawsuit calls both the federal government and Colorado leaders into account for their violations of the right to free exercise of religion , among other abuses of power , primarily resulting from Governor Jared Polis ’ COVID-19 related Executive Orders , ” she said in a statement .
The governor ’ s Public Health Order 20-35 designated churches as “ critical , ” but in practice “ treats them differently from other ‘ critical ’ businesses and activities , ” said the judge ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a three-level system for the pandemic , allowing churches to operate at 50 % of posted occupancy capacity not to exceed 175 people at Level 1 , and 25 % capacity not to exceed 50 people at Level 3 .
At the same time , the order allowed exemptions for many secular institutions , including meat-packing plants , K-12 schools , grocery stories and marijuana dispensaries , but not houses of worship .
“ In other words , the JBS meat-packing plant in Greeley , the Amazon warehouses in Colorado Springs and Thornton @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Walmart , King Soopers , and marijuana shop are not under any additional occupancy limitation other than the six-foot distancing requirement , ” said the ruling .
However , “ Denver Bible Church and Community Baptist Church , by contrast , must comply with numerical occupancy caps , no matter how many people their sanctuaries might accommodate while maintaining six feet of distance between non-household members , ” the judge said .
Judge Domenico rejected the argument that it was easier for churches to comply with the capacity restrictions than for other institutions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ many religious individuals and institutions , but it is not for Plaintiffs , ” he said .
“ And with due respect for both the State and the Seventh Circuit , this court does not believe government officials in any branch have the power to tell churches and congregants what is necessary to feed their spiritual needs.
” Mr. Polis issued a statewide mask order on July 16 for those age 11 and older when in public indoor spaces .
He extended it on Oct. 12 for 30 days .
The Washington Times @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s office for comment .

A federal judge has blocked Gov. Jared Polis from enforcing capacity and mask rules at two Colorado churches, ruling that the novel coronavirus restrictions were more onerous for houses of worship than for secular institutions.
U.S. District Court Judge Daniel D. Domenico issued a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction on behalf of Denver Bible Church pastor Bob Enyart and pastor Joey Rhoads of the Community Baptist Church in Brighton, which had challenged in August the state’s Safer at Home public-health order.
“[T]he Constitution does not allow the State to tell a congregation how large it can be when comparable secular gatherings are not so limited, or to tell a congregation that its reason for wishing to remove facial coverings is less important than a restaurant’s or spa’s,” said Judge Domenico in his 44-page order.
As a result, “Plaintiffs have thus made a strong showing that they are likely to succeed on the merits of their as-applied free exercise claim,” he said.
Attorney Rebecca Messall, who represented the churches and their pastors on behalf of the Thomas More Society, praised the judge’s Oct. 15 order.
“The lawsuit calls both the federal government and Colorado leaders into account for their violations of the right to free exercise of religion, among other abuses of power, primarily resulting from Governor Jared Polis’ COVID-19 related Executive Orders,” she said in a statement.
Two Colorado churches are now protected from the state’s enforcement of capacity limits and #facemasks during #worship services after a federal judge’s order in a #lawsuit against federal and state officials for #religiousfreedom violations. https://t.co/E2ps882xTF pic.twitter.com/DzV4pQMrcW — @ThomasMoreSoc (@ThomasMoreSoc) October 20, 2020
The governor’s Public Health Order 20-35 designated churches as “critical,” but in practice “treats them differently from other ‘critical’ businesses and activities,” said the judge’s decision.
The COVID-19 order created a three-level system for the pandemic, allowing churches to operate at 50% of posted occupancy capacity not to exceed 175 people at Level 1, and 25% capacity not to exceed 50 people at Level 3.
At the same time, the order allowed exemptions for many secular institutions, including meat-packing plants, K-12 schools, grocery stories and marijuana dispensaries, but not houses of worship.
“In other words, the JBS meat-packing plant in Greeley, the Amazon warehouses in Colorado Springs and Thornton, and your local Home Depot, Walmart, King Soopers, and marijuana shop are not under any additional occupancy limitation other than the six-foot distancing requirement,” said the ruling.
However, “Denver Bible Church and Community Baptist Church, by contrast, must comply with numerical occupancy caps, no matter how many people their sanctuaries might accommodate while maintaining six feet of distance between non-household members,” the judge said.
Judge Domenico rejected the argument that it was easier for churches to comply with the capacity restrictions than for other institutions.
“That may be true for many religious individuals and institutions, but it is not for Plaintiffs,” he said. “And with due respect for both the State and the Seventh Circuit, this court does not believe government officials in any branch have the power to tell churches and congregants what is necessary to feed their spiritual needs.”
Mr. Polis issued a statewide mask order on July 16 for those age 11 and older when in public indoor spaces. He extended it on Oct. 12 for 30 days.
The Washington Times has reached out to the attorney general’s office for comment.
• Valerie Richardson can be reached at vrichardson@washingtontimes.com.


washingtontimes--2020-10-20--Photographer suing over Texas mascot's pre-Sugar Bowl charge

AUSTIN , Texas ( AP ) - A photographer is suing the owners and handlers of the Texas football program ’ s mascot for “ permanent ” neck and back injuries he allegedly sustained at the 2019 Sugar Bowl when the longhorn steer knocked down its barricade and briefly charged in the direction of Georgia ’ s bulldog mascot .
Nick Wagner , who was then a photographer for the Austin American-Statesman , filed a petition Friday in Travis Country district court , the newspaper reported .
He said the incident occurred on Jan. 1 , 2019 while he was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s live mascot , before the Texas-Georgia game at the New Orleans Superdome .
Uga X , an English bulldog wearing a bright red Georgia sweater , was quickly pulled out of harm ’ s way , but the head and horns of Bevo XV , the University of Texas ’ live mascot , appeared to make contact with several people , including two photographers , who scampered out of the way or were knocked down .
Wagner “ was on one knee in front of the portable railing which Bevo was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Bevo XV rammed his longhorns twice into Plaintiff ’ s back causing permanent injury to Plaintiff ’ s neck and back.
” Wagner , who left the newspaper in May , is seeking a jury trial with damages between $ 200,000 and $ 1 million .
John and Betty Baker , Bevo ’ s owners , are named as defendants along with the Silver Spurs Alumni Association .
The group is in charge of handling the 1,700-pound steer , the mascot for the University of Texas since the start of the 2016 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Powell said he has more than $ 24,000 in medical bills from therapy sessions .
Medical documents show that Wagner had “ loss of motion ” and “ impairment ” in two areas of his spine , according to the newspaper ’ s review of the documents .
The Silver Spurs Alumni Association carries a liability policy with Cincinnati Insurance .
But Wagner ’ s claims for medical bills have been met with “ radio silence , ” Powell said .
Edward Osuna , the San Antonio-based attorney of record for Cincinnati Insurance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ message left by the newspaper .
Bevo continued attending road games since the 2019 season began , with his pen receiving substantial renovations .
The overhauls included a 16-foot wide , 16-foot long cattle pen in addition to sturdier 4 1/2-foot tall panels .

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - A photographer is suing the owners and handlers of the University of Texas’ live mascot for negligence, saying he suffered permanent neck and back injuries when the longhorn steer charged out of its pen and plowed into several people at the 2019 Sugar Bowl.
Nick Wagner, who was then a photographer for the Austin American-Statesman, filed a petition Friday in Travis Country district court, the newspaper reported.
According to the petition, Wagner was on one knee shooting photos of Georgia’s English bulldog mascot, Uga X, before the Texas-Georgia game at the New Orleans Superdome on Jan. 1, 2019, when the steer, Bevo XV, charged at the dog.
Uga X was quickly pulled out of harm’s way, but the steer’s head and horns appeared to make contact with several people, including two photographers.
“Bevo XV rammed his longhorns twice into Plaintiff’s back causing permanent injury to Plaintiff’s neck and back,” the petition says.
Wagner, who left the newspaper in May, wants a jury trial and is seeking damages of $200,000 to $1 million.
John and Betty Baker, Bevo’s owners, are named as defendants along with the Silver Spurs Alumni Association. The group is in charge of handling the 1,700-pound (770-kilogram) steer, which has been the mascot for the University of Texas since the start of the 2016 season.
Wagner’s attorney Jon Powell said he has wracked up more than $24,000 in medical bills. Medical documents show Wagner suffered “loss of motion” and “impairment” in two areas of his spine.
The Silver Spurs Alumni Association carries a liability policy with Cincinnati Insurance. But Wagner’s claims for repayment of his medical bills have been met with “radio silence,” Powell said.
Edward Osuna, the San Antonio-based attorney of record for Cincinnati Insurance, did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.
Bevo continues to attend games but his pen has been substantially renovated to keep him contained.


washingtontimes--2020-10-20--Donald Trump touts economy 'super recovery' in Pennsylvania

President Trump promised voters in Pennsylvania he will have the best economic year next year if he ’ s reelected in November , saying there will be a rebound under his watch following the economic crisis caused by the coronavirus .
“ Normal life will finally resume and next year will be the greatest economic year in the history of our country , ” Mr. Trump told a crowd of thousands in Erie , Pennsylvania .
It ’ s one of several swing states the president is aiming to hold on to after turning them red in 2016 .
He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1 % but recent polls show him trailing Democratic presidential nominee Joseph R. Biden .
The Real Clear Politics average has him down by 3.7 points .
“ This is an election between the Trump super recovery — which is happening right now — and a Biden depression , ” the president told voters .
He played a clip of his opponent opposing fracking , saying there would be no room for it in a Biden administration .
But Mr. Biden — since winning his party ’ s nomination — has reversed course @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fracking .
“ Right now , he ’ s got bigger problems than fracking , ” the president said .
“ It ’ s called the laptop from hell.
” Mr. Trump took swings at Mr. Biden and his son Hunter Biden , whose laptop has surfaced with allegedly controversial emails that suggest he conducted overseas deals while his father was vice president .
Mr. Biden has called the revelations a “ smear campaign.
” “ The Bidens got rich while Pennsylvania got robbed like the rest of our country , ” the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump also alleged Mr. Biden will double taxes , and the typical American income will decrease by more than $ 6,000 , according to the Wall Street Journal .
Mr. Trump said he ’ s increased the average income for American families by that amount in his first four years .
The president also predicted he will win in November , saying there is more energy now than in 2016 for him .
“ This is going to be bigger than four years ago , ” he said .
The president also said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a COVID-19 vaccine “ before the end of the year ” but if Mr. Biden was elected , he would lock the country back down from the pandemic .

President Trump promised voters in Pennsylvania he will have the best economic year next year if he’s reelected in November, saying there will be a rebound under his watch following the economic crisis caused by the coronavirus.
“Normal life will finally resume and next year will be the greatest economic year in the history of our country,” Mr. Trump told a crowd of thousands in Erie, Pennsylvania.
It’s one of several swing states the president is aiming to hold on to after turning them red in 2016.
He beat Hillary Clinton there by less than 1% but recent polls show him trailing Democratic presidential nominee Joseph R. Biden. The Real Clear Politics average has him down by 3.7 points.
“This is an election between the Trump super recovery — which is happening right now — and a Biden depression,” the president told voters.
He played a clip of his opponent opposing fracking, saying there would be no room for it in a Biden administration. But Mr. Biden — since winning his party’s nomination — has reversed course, now saying he would not ban fracking.
“Right now, he’s got bigger problems than fracking,” the president said. “It’s called the laptop from hell.”
Mr. Trump took swings at Mr. Biden and his son Hunter Biden, whose laptop has surfaced with allegedly controversial emails that suggest he conducted overseas deals while his father was vice president. Mr. Biden has called the revelations a “smear campaign.”
“The Bidens got rich while Pennsylvania got robbed like the rest of our country,” the president said at his rally.
Mr. Trump also alleged Mr. Biden will double taxes, and the typical American income will decrease by more than $6,000, according to the Wall Street Journal. Mr. Trump said he’s increased the average income for American families by that amount in his first four years.
The president also predicted he will win in November, saying there is more energy now than in 2016 for him.
“This is going to be bigger than four years ago,” he said.
The president also said he will have 100 million doses of a COVID-19 vaccine “before the end of the year” but if Mr. Biden was elected, he would lock the country back down from the pandemic.
“The Biden lockdown will crush America,” Mr. Trump said.
• Alex Swoyer can be reached at aswoyer@washingtontimes.com.


washingtontimes--2020-10-20--Joe Biden downplays, dismisses reports on Hunter Biden's business dealings

Democratic presidential nominee Joseph R. Biden keeps deflecting or downplaying reports about his son Hunter Biden ’ s high-flying business dealings and alleged influence-peddling — the type of questionable financial arrangements they have explained away since at least the 2008 presidential campaign .
An attorney for Hunter Biden also dismissed out of hand as “ conspiracy theories ” questions about his eyebrow-raising business deals .
The elder Mr. Biden has refused to address questions about a New York Post report on his son ’ s emails purportedly found on an abandoned laptop .
Those emails suggests that the elder Mr. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with a Ukrainian businessman with financial ties to his son — a possibility he ’ d repeatedly denied before .
“ I have no response , ” Mr. Biden said before turning his fire on the CBS News reporter who asked the question .
“ It ’ s another smear campaign .
Right up your alley.
” A day earlier , Mr. Biden told donors that President Trump would employ “ lies and distortion ” against him , though he didn ’ t refer directly to the paper ’ s reporting .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” the former vice president said .
“ He ’ s going to throw everything but the kitchen sink at me.
” The Post reported last week on an email purporting to show that Hunter Biden introduced his father to Vadym Pozharskyi , an adviser to the Ukrainian energy company where the younger Mr. Biden had held a lucrative gig on the board of directors , despite having no experience in the energy industry .
Mr. Biden has repeatedly claimed that he and Hunter never discussed his son ’ s business dealings .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ that previous investigations , including Mr. Trump ’ s impeachment trial and a recent Senate Republican report , have concluded that the former vice president “ carried out official U.S. policy toward Ukraine and engaged in no wrongdoing.
” “ Trump Administration officials have attested to these facts under oath , ” campaign spokesman Andrew Bates said .
“ Moreover , we have reviewed Joe Biden ’ s official schedules from the time and no meeting , as alleged by the New York Post , ever took place.
” However , according to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Biden and Mr. Pozharskyi might have had some “ cursory ” interaction that wouldn ’ t have shown up on his official schedule .
The New York Post also reported last week that Hunter Biden was pursuing a deal with a Chinese energy company that would have paid him $ 10 million annually “ for introductions alone.
” In the story , an attorney for Hunter Biden criticized Rudolph W. Giuliani , a lawyer for Mr. Trump who has helped facilitate the recent reporting .
Mr. Giuliani has said he got Mr. Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to try to dig up dirt on the Bidens and has teased that additional damaging information will come out before Nov. 3 .
“ He has been pushing widely discredited conspiracy theories about the Biden family , openly relying on actors tied to Russian intelligence .
His record of dishonesty in these matters speaks for itself , ” lawyer George Mesires told the Post .
The Washington Times has not independently verified the authenticity of the supposed emails .
Neither the elder Mr. Biden , the Biden campaign nor Hunter Biden have directly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other content on the laptop .
During the 2008 presidential campaign , then-Sen. Barack Obama ’ s team denied that one of Hunter Biden ’ s other corporate gigs influenced his father ’ s push to pass a law tied to consumer bankruptcy protection — changes supported by the company for which Hunter consulted .
“ He took plenty of knocks from the largest employer in his state because he demanded changes in the bankruptcy bill , ” Obama campaign spokesman David Wade said of the elder Mr. Biden at the time .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Ethics & Public Policy Center , said Tuesday that he doubts the Hunter Biden laptop issue will have a major impact on the election unless new information or something that more clearly implicates his father ends up surfacing .
“ It ’ s the sort of thing that Republicans who were already going to support Trump are seizing on , ” Mr. Olsen said at an event hosted by the American Enterprise Institute .
“ I think most people are partisans and are viewing these stories through their own lenses.
” Rep. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ GOP committee staffers have independently authenticated through “ numerous conversations ” the emails discovered on the laptop were sent to or from Hunter Biden .
“ These emails are real , they ’ re authentic , ” Mr. Jordan told reporters on a conference call organized by the president ’ s reelection campaign .
The laptop on which they were discovered found its way into the hands of both the FBI and Mr. Giuliani before the former Trump campaign hand Steve Bannon ultimately relayed its contents to the Post , according to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ putting restrictions on the extent to which the Post reporting could be shared on their platforms , saying it ran afoul of misinformation rules .
The Biden used that fact — despite Twitter later saying it was concerned about personal information being released — to call the articles untrue .
“ Twitter ’ s response to the actual article itself makes clear that these purported allegations are false and they ’ re not true , ” Jamal Brown , a Biden campaign spokesman , said in a recent interview on Cheddar .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Twitter taking responsibility to limit misinformation.
” But Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe said Hunter Biden ’ s laptop issue is not part of a “ Russian disinformation campaign ” despite claims to the contrary from congressional Democrats and former U.S. intelligence officials .
Mr. Giuliani , who is reportedly under investigation himself for being part of an overseas operation to influence the 2020 election , has said that there wasn ’ t a hack — which is also the account the Post gives — and that even if there was it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ how the story came to be , much of the mainstream press has appeared uninterested in asking the former vice president about specifics .
Mr. Biden is laying low this week ahead of Thursday ’ s debate with Mr. Trump .
Neither ABC ’ s George Stephanopoulos nor Pennsylvania voters asked Mr. Biden about the New York Post ’ s reporting at a 90-minute town hall on Thursday , the day after the first story broke .
“ He ’ s committed crimes and they ask him about a milkshake , what flavor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ never had a question like that , ” the president said Tuesday on “ Fox and Friends , ” referring to a question Mr. Biden got , and happily answered , over the weekend .
At a campaign stop Sunday in North Carolina , someone also started to ask Mr. Biden about the FBI , but the candidate walked away .
Mr. Trump suggested that he could raise the issue at the debate Thursday if the moderator , NBC ’ s Kristen Welker , does not .
“ I do my own debating @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and his GOP allies also have questioned whether Mr. Biden , as vice president , tried to oust a prosecutor because he was looking into corruption involving the Ukrainian energy company Burisma , where Hunter Biden landed a lucrative gig on the board of directors .
Mr. Biden bragged afterward about threatening to withhold $ 1 billion in U.S. loan guarantees unless the prosecutor , Viktor Shokin , was fired — a move that had broad , bipartisan support from U.S. lawmakers and other countries .
The Democrat-led House voted to impeach Mr. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to try to dig up dirt on the Bidens .
The GOP-led Senate voted to acquit Mr. Trump earlier this year .

Democratic presidential nominee Joseph R. Biden keeps deflecting or downplaying reports about his son Hunter Biden’s high-flying business dealings and alleged influence-peddling — the type of questionable financial arrangements they have explained away since at least the 2008 presidential campaign.
An attorney for Hunter Biden also dismissed out of hand as “conspiracy theories” questions about his eyebrow-raising business deals.
The elder Mr. Biden has refused to address questions about a New York Post report on his son’s emails purportedly found on an abandoned laptop. Those emails suggests that the elder Mr. Biden, as vice president, met with a Ukrainian businessman with financial ties to his son — a possibility he’d repeatedly denied before.
“I have no response,” Mr. Biden said before turning his fire on the CBS News reporter who asked the question. “It’s another smear campaign. Right up your alley.”
A day earlier, Mr. Biden told donors that President Trump would employ “lies and distortion” against him, though he didn’t refer directly to the paper’s reporting.
“I know these are anxious times,” the former vice president said. “He’s going to throw everything but the kitchen sink at me.”
The Post reported last week on an email purporting to show that Hunter Biden introduced his father to Vadym Pozharskyi, an adviser to the Ukrainian energy company where the younger Mr. Biden had held a lucrative gig on the board of directors, despite having no experience in the energy industry.
Mr. Biden has repeatedly claimed that he and Hunter never discussed his son’s business dealings.
Mr. Biden’s campaign now says that previous investigations, including Mr. Trump’s impeachment trial and a recent Senate Republican report, have concluded that the former vice president “carried out official U.S. policy toward Ukraine and engaged in no wrongdoing.”
“Trump Administration officials have attested to these facts under oath,” campaign spokesman Andrew Bates said. “Moreover, we have reviewed Joe Biden’s official schedules from the time and no meeting, as alleged by the New York Post, ever took place.”
However, according to Politico, the campaign allowed that Mr. Biden and Mr. Pozharskyi might have had some “cursory” interaction that wouldn’t have shown up on his official schedule.
The New York Post also reported last week that Hunter Biden was pursuing a deal with a Chinese energy company that would have paid him $10 million annually “for introductions alone.”
In the story, an attorney for Hunter Biden criticized Rudolph W. Giuliani, a lawyer for Mr. Trump who has helped facilitate the recent reporting.
Mr. Giuliani has said he got Mr. Trump’s blessing to travel to Ukraine to try to dig up dirt on the Bidens and has teased that additional damaging information will come out before Nov. 3.
“He has been pushing widely discredited conspiracy theories about the Biden family, openly relying on actors tied to Russian intelligence. His record of dishonesty in these matters speaks for itself,” lawyer George Mesires told the Post.
The Washington Times has not independently verified the authenticity of the supposed emails.
Neither the elder Mr. Biden, the Biden campaign nor Hunter Biden have directly denied the authenticity of the emails or other content on the laptop.
During the 2008 presidential campaign, then-Sen. Barack Obama’s team denied that one of Hunter Biden’s other corporate gigs influenced his father’s push to pass a law tied to consumer bankruptcy protection — changes supported by the company for which Hunter consulted.
“He took plenty of knocks from the largest employer in his state because he demanded changes in the bankruptcy bill,” Obama campaign spokesman David Wade said of the elder Mr. Biden at the time.
Henry Olsen, a senior fellow at the Ethics & Public Policy Center, said Tuesday that he doubts the Hunter Biden laptop issue will have a major impact on the election unless new information or something that more clearly implicates his father ends up surfacing.
“It’s the sort of thing that Republicans who were already going to support Trump are seizing on,” Mr. Olsen said at an event hosted by the American Enterprise Institute. “I think most people are partisans and are viewing these stories through their own lenses.”
Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio said Tuesday that GOP committee staffers have independently authenticated through “numerous conversations” the emails discovered on the laptop were sent to or from Hunter Biden.
“These emails are real, they’re authentic,” Mr. Jordan told reporters on a conference call organized by the president’s reelection campaign.
The laptop on which they were discovered found its way into the hands of both the FBI and Mr. Giuliani before the former Trump campaign hand Steve Bannon ultimately relayed its contents to the Post, according to the paper.
Twitter and Facebook ended up putting restrictions on the extent to which the Post reporting could be shared on their platforms, saying it ran afoul of misinformation rules.
The Biden used that fact — despite Twitter later saying it was concerned about personal information being released — to call the articles untrue.
“Twitter’s response to the actual article itself makes clear that these purported allegations are false and they’re not true,” Jamal Brown, a Biden campaign spokesman, said in a recent interview on Cheddar. “Glad to see social media companies like Twitter taking responsibility to limit misinformation.”
But Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe said Hunter Biden’s laptop issue is not part of a “Russian disinformation campaign” despite claims to the contrary from congressional Democrats and former U.S. intelligence officials.
Mr. Giuliani, who is reportedly under investigation himself for being part of an overseas operation to influence the 2020 election, has said that there wasn’t a hack — which is also the account the Post gives — and that even if there was it wouldn’t matter.
Regardless of how the story came to be, much of the mainstream press has appeared uninterested in asking the former vice president about specifics.
Mr. Biden is laying low this week ahead of Thursday’s debate with Mr. Trump.
Neither ABC’s George Stephanopoulos nor Pennsylvania voters asked Mr. Biden about the New York Post’s reporting at a 90-minute town hall on Thursday, the day after the first story broke.
Mr. Trump lampooned the kid-gloves treatment.
“He’s committed crimes and they ask him about a milkshake, what flavor ice cream do you like? I never had a question like that,” the president said Tuesday on “Fox and Friends,” referring to a question Mr. Biden got, and happily answered, over the weekend.
At a campaign stop Sunday in North Carolina, someone also started to ask Mr. Biden about the FBI, but the candidate walked away.
Mr. Trump suggested that he could raise the issue at the debate Thursday if the moderator, NBC’s Kristen Welker, does not.
“I do my own debating,” he said.
The president and his GOP allies also have questioned whether Mr. Biden, as vice president, tried to oust a prosecutor because he was looking into corruption involving the Ukrainian energy company Burisma, where Hunter Biden landed a lucrative gig on the board of directors.
Mr. Biden bragged afterward about threatening to withhold $1 billion in U.S. loan guarantees unless the prosecutor, Viktor Shokin, was fired — a move that had broad, bipartisan support from U.S. lawmakers and other countries.
The Democrat-led House voted to impeach Mr. Trump in December for allegedly pressuring Ukraine to try to dig up dirt on the Bidens. The GOP-led Senate voted to acquit Mr. Trump earlier this year.
• Dave Boyer contributed to this report.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.


washingtontimes--2020-10-20--More than 17% of Washington voters have returned ballots

OLYMPIA , Wash. ( AP ) - Voters in Washington state are returning their ballots much earlier than in previous years , with 17.6 % of the state ’ s more than 4.8 million voters already having cast their votes two weeks before Election Day .
The secretary of state ’ s office reported that as of Tuesday 848,365 ballots have been returned .
In 2016 , just 6.2 % of ballots had been returned in the same timeframe .
Ballots in some areas , including Thurston County , were sent out two weeks ago , and ballots in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ - the state ’ s most populous- were sent out last week .
The early turnout comes after the vote-by-mail state saw its highest primary turnout in more than five decades , with 55 % of registered voters participating in the August election , leading election officials to prepare for record turnout that could surpass the previous record of 84.6 % in 2008 .
Republican Secretary of State Kim Wyman has said counties should be prepared for a potential turnout of up to 90 % .
In addition to voting for president and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voters will also decide on several statewide races including governor and lieutenant governor , scores of legislative races and a ballot measure on sex education .
Voters have until 8 p.m. Nov. 3 to drop their ballot at a dropbox or , if they mail it , it must be postmarked by Election Day .

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) - Voters in Washington state are returning their ballots much earlier than in previous years, with 17.6% of the state’s more than 4.8 million voters already having cast their votes two weeks before Election Day.
The secretary of state’s office reported that as of Tuesday 848,365 ballots have been returned. In 2016, just 6.2% of ballots had been returned in the same timeframe.
Ballots in some areas, including Thurston County, were sent out two weeks ago, and ballots in the rest of the state including King County - the state’s most populous- were sent out last week.
The early turnout comes after the vote-by-mail state saw its highest primary turnout in more than five decades, with 55% of registered voters participating in the August election, leading election officials to prepare for record turnout that could surpass the previous record of 84.6% in 2008.
Republican Secretary of State Kim Wyman has said counties should be prepared for a potential turnout of up to 90%.
In addition to voting for president and weighing in on 10 congressional races, voters will also decide on several statewide races including governor and lieutenant governor, scores of legislative races and a ballot measure on sex education.
Voters have until 8 p.m. Nov. 3 to drop their ballot at a dropbox or, if they mail it, it must be postmarked by Election Day.


washingtontimes--2020-10-20--Frat suspended, probe launched into possible LSU hazing

BATON ROUGE , lA .
( AP ) - A fraternity chapter at Louisiana State University has been suspended and a Baton Rouge prosecutor said Tuesday that police are investigating a possible case of illegal hazing .
The developments surrounding the suspension of the Phi Kappa Psi chapter were announced a day after an LSU student was hospitalized .
Details have not been released though Baton Rouge news outlets report District Attorney Hillar Moore said police are looking into a possible hazing incident that led to the hospitalization .
Moore said the case appears similar to that of Max Gruver @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2017 after a night of coerced drinking at a fraternity house .
Phi Delta Theta is banned from the LSU campus until at least 2033 because of the events leading to Gruver ’ s death .
“ This case looks unbelievably similar to the Gruver case .
There are a lot of parallels , with one exception : Everyone who has been questioned so far is cooperating with the investigation , ” Moore told the news outlets .
Gruver , from the Atlanta suburb of Roswell , Georgia , had been at LSU @ @ @ @ @ @ @ alcohol poisoning in 2017 .
Matthew Naquin of Fair Oaks Ranch , Texas , was convicted of negligent homicide and sentenced in November 2019 to five years in prison in connection with the Gruver case , but a judge suspended all but 2½ years .
In the latest incident , Moore said officials are interviewing witnesses and collecting evidence to determine whether the circumstances meet the criminal definition of hazing that was enacted by the Legislature following Gruver ’ s death .
That law makes hazing that kills someone a felony , requires @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and calls for fines on organizations that knowingly allow hazing .

BATON ROUGE, lA. (AP) - A fraternity chapter at Louisiana State University has been suspended and a Baton Rouge prosecutor said Tuesday that police are investigating a possible case of illegal hazing.
The developments surrounding the suspension of the Phi Kappa Psi chapter were announced a day after an LSU student was hospitalized.
Details have not been released though Baton Rouge news outlets report District Attorney Hillar Moore said police are looking into a possible hazing incident that led to the hospitalization.
Moore said the case appears similar to that of Max Gruver, an LSU freshman who died in 2017 after a night of coerced drinking at a fraternity house. Phi Delta Theta is banned from the LSU campus until at least 2033 because of the events leading to Gruver’s death.
“This case looks unbelievably similar to the Gruver case. There are a lot of parallels, with one exception: Everyone who has been questioned so far is cooperating with the investigation,” Moore told the news outlets.
Gruver, from the Atlanta suburb of Roswell, Georgia, had been at LSU for a month when he died of alcohol poisoning in 2017.
Matthew Naquin of Fair Oaks Ranch, Texas, was convicted of negligent homicide and sentenced in November 2019 to five years in prison in connection with the Gruver case, but a judge suspended all but 2½ years.
In the latest incident, Moore said officials are interviewing witnesses and collecting evidence to determine whether the circumstances meet the criminal definition of hazing that was enacted by the Legislature following Gruver’s death.
That law makes hazing that kills someone a felony, requires schools to teach students about hazing, and calls for fines on organizations that knowingly allow hazing.


washingtontimes--2020-10-20--Police: Officers fatally shoot armed robbery suspect

Tampa Police Chief Brian Dugan said during a news conference that two officers confronted Dominique Mulkey , 26 , minutes after he left a Dollar General store .
Employees at the store had attempted to stop Mulkey from stuffing items into a trash bag until he pulled out a gun , police said .
Mulkey then continued to place merchandise into the bag and left .
The workers called 911 , and the responding officers spotted Mulkey about five blocks from the store .
Body camera video showed the officers draw their weapons and order Mulkey to get on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ times .
The vide shows Mulkey turning instead toward the officers , who open fire .
Officers immediately began first aid , officials said .
Mulkey was taken to a nearby hospital , where he died .
Investigators didn ’ t believe Mulkey had fired his weapon , according to authorities .
Police didn ’ t immediately say whether both officers or just one struck Mulkey .
Officials didn ’ t immediately identify the officers or their races .
Both officers involved in the shooting have been placed on paid administrative leave .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ shooting .

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) - Florida police officers fatally shot a Black armed robbery suspect Tuesday morning, authorities said.
Tampa Police Chief Brian Dugan said during a news conference that two officers confronted Dominique Mulkey, 26, minutes after he left a Dollar General store.
Employees at the store had attempted to stop Mulkey from stuffing items into a trash bag until he pulled out a gun, police said. Mulkey then continued to place merchandise into the bag and left. The workers called 911, and the responding officers spotted Mulkey about five blocks from the store.
Body camera video showed the officers draw their weapons and order Mulkey to get on the ground and to drop his gun multiples times. The vide shows Mulkey turning instead toward the officers, who open fire.
Officers immediately began first aid, officials said. Mulkey was taken to a nearby hospital, where he died.
Investigators didn’t believe Mulkey had fired his weapon, according to authorities.
Police didn’t immediately say whether both officers or just one struck Mulkey. Officials didn’t immediately identify the officers or their races.
Both officers involved in the shooting have been placed on paid administrative leave. State law enforcement officers will investigate the shooting.


washingtontimes--2020-10-20--California school fined for violating court COVID-19 order

SAN FRANCISCO ( AP ) - A California private school has been ordered to pay $ 15,000 for defying a judge ’ s order to close classrooms and stop in-person teaching , in what may be the first judgment of its kind against a California school for violating health orders aimed at slowing the spread of coronavirus .
Tuesday ’ s decision in the Fresno County Superior Court ends a nearly three-month legal battle between Immanuel Schools , a private K-12 Christian school in California ’ s Central Valley , and county and state officials .
Judge D. Tyler Tharpe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ overwhelming ” evidence that Immanuel schools had violated his Sept. 15 order .
He fined the school $ 50,000 but suspended $ 35,000 of the fine because of the school ’ s commitment to hold in-person instruction under stricter rules that adhere to state and local health requirements .
However , Tharpe said , he will lift the suspension and require the school to pay the full fine if it fails to comply with the stricter measures .
“ Immanuel schools fought to keep their kids on campus , learning , where @ @ @ @ @ @ @ decided that their choice to do that means they need to pay a sanction , ” the school ’ s attorney , Jennifer Bursch , said in a statement .
“ Although the judge ’ s order was unconstitutional , Immanuel is willing to pay the fine imposed by the court and move forward.
” Immanuel Schools , in Reedley , California , near Fresno , serves about 600 students .
It opened its campus for the fall term on Aug. 13 , in defiance of a public health order .
At the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ state monitoring list because of rising COVID-19 infection rates .
Schools on that list were not allowed to reopen for classes until statistics showed infection rates slowing .
The school argued that prohibiting students from in-person teaching was a violation of the state ’ s constitution and said parents , not the state , should get to decide if their children attend school .
News coverage about the school ’ s reopening said students were gathering without masks and not practicing social distancing .
Fresno County health officials promptly ordered Immanuel to close @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on to challenge the public health order in several court hearings , including Tharpe ’ s preliminary injunction that ordered the school to “ immediately cease and desist ” holding in-person instruction .
Attorney General Xavier Becerra stepped into the legal battle in late September , asking the court to hold Immanuel Schools in contempt for violating the injunction and posing a “ public health risk.
” Last week , in an effort to settle the dispute , the school and state and local officials reached a tentative settlement agreement and agreed to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ part of the settlement , Immanuel Schools agreed to follow county and state health safety measures for in-person instruction that include a stricter masking policy and social distancing .
The school also agreed to inspections by the county to ensure it is following the rules .
The county and state agreed to withdraw requests that the school be fined for violating the September court order .
But the agreement also stipulated that the decision of whether to find Immanuel Schools in contempt was up to the court , and Tharpe said Tuesday he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ orders lightly .
“ The evidence is overwhelming that defendants failed to obey this court ’ s Sept. 15 , 2020 , injunction forbidding in-person class instruction at Immanuel Schools .
There was no good cause or substantial justification for the disobedience , ” he said .
The fine was based on the number of days the school allowed in-person teaching after the injunction was issued .
Fresno County spokesman Jordan Scott said he was not aware of any other judgments against California schools for defying coronavirus public health orders .
“ The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ litigation was to secure compliance with reasonable safety guidelines by Immanuel Schools , ” Scott said in a statement .
“ It is our hope that Immanuel Schools will stay in compliance with the guidelines as agreed upon .
”

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - A California private school has been ordered to pay $15,000 for defying a judge’s order to close classrooms and stop in-person teaching, in what may be the first judgment of its kind against a California school for violating health orders aimed at slowing the spread of coronavirus.
Tuesday’s decision in the Fresno County Superior Court ends a nearly three-month legal battle between Immanuel Schools, a private K-12 Christian school in California’s Central Valley, and county and state officials.
Judge D. Tyler Tharpe said in his 11-page decision there was “overwhelming” evidence that Immanuel schools had violated his Sept. 15 order. He fined the school $50,000 but suspended $35,000 of the fine because of the school’s commitment to hold in-person instruction under stricter rules that adhere to state and local health requirements.
However, Tharpe said, he will lift the suspension and require the school to pay the full fine if it fails to comply with the stricter measures.
“Immanuel schools fought to keep their kids on campus, learning, where they belong, and today the judge decided that their choice to do that means they need to pay a sanction,” the school’s attorney, Jennifer Bursch, said in a statement. “Although the judge’s order was unconstitutional, Immanuel is willing to pay the fine imposed by the court and move forward.”
Immanuel Schools, in Reedley, California, near Fresno, serves about 600 students. It opened its campus for the fall term on Aug. 13, in defiance of a public health order. At the time, Fresno County was on a state monitoring list because of rising COVID-19 infection rates. Schools on that list were not allowed to reopen for classes until statistics showed infection rates slowing.
The school argued that prohibiting students from in-person teaching was a violation of the state’s constitution and said parents, not the state, should get to decide if their children attend school. News coverage about the school’s reopening said students were gathering without masks and not practicing social distancing.
Fresno County health officials promptly ordered Immanuel to close, which the school ignored and went on to challenge the public health order in several court hearings, including Tharpe’s preliminary injunction that ordered the school to “immediately cease and desist” holding in-person instruction.
Attorney General Xavier Becerra stepped into the legal battle in late September, asking the court to hold Immanuel Schools in contempt for violating the injunction and posing a “public health risk.”
Last week, in an effort to settle the dispute, the school and state and local officials reached a tentative settlement agreement and agreed to drop all pending legal matters.
As part of the settlement, Immanuel Schools agreed to follow county and state health safety measures for in-person instruction that include a stricter masking policy and social distancing. The school also agreed to inspections by the county to ensure it is following the rules.
The county and state agreed to withdraw requests that the school be fined for violating the September court order.
But the agreement also stipulated that the decision of whether to find Immanuel Schools in contempt was up to the court, and Tharpe said Tuesday he did not take violations of his court orders lightly.
“The evidence is overwhelming that defendants failed to obey this court’s Sept. 15, 2020, injunction forbidding in-person class instruction at Immanuel Schools. There was no good cause or substantial justification for the disobedience,” he said. The fine was based on the number of days the school allowed in-person teaching after the injunction was issued.
Fresno County spokesman Jordan Scott said he was not aware of any other judgments against California schools for defying coronavirus public health orders.
“The county’s only purpose in this litigation was to secure compliance with reasonable safety guidelines by Immanuel Schools,” Scott said in a statement. “It is our hope that Immanuel Schools will stay in compliance with the guidelines as agreed upon.”


washingtontimes--2020-10-20--Osiris-Rex, NASA spacecraft, takes sample of rubble from asteroid 200 million miles from Earth

NASA scientists on Tuesday appeared to make a successful historic collection of its first samples from an asteroid 200 million miles from Earth .
A van-sized spacecraft dubbed Osiris-Rex is trying to collect at least 2 ounces of rocks and dust from the asteroid Bennu , which contains substances from the early solar system , to return to Earth for further study .
“ I can ’ t believe that we actually pulled this off , ” said Dante Lauretta , mission lead investigator at the University of Arizona , after the spacecraft scooped up rubble from the asteroid ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It ’ s amazing.
” The mission team had Osiris-Rex touch down at a site called Nightingale , a crater the width of a few parking spaces that is surrounded by building-sized boulders and contains the most fine-grained material .
However , the asteroid ’ s gravity was too low for the spacecraft to land Tuesday .
So Osiris-Rex had to extend an 11-foot robotic arm to try to grab rubble without hitting the boulders .
Scientists planned to use the arm to fire pressurized nitrogen to stir up and catch the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ asteroid ’ s orbit .
Over the next couple of days , scientists will capture images of the asteroid material and use the spacecraft to determine the amount of collected rubble with a spin maneuver to make sure they got enough samples .
If the spacecraft didn ’ t collect at least 2 ounces — the largest sample collected from space since the Apollo program — then scientists will have two other attempts to collect rubble .
Osiris-Rex launched from Cape Canaveral , Florida , on Sept. 8 , 2016 , and arrived @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The spacecraft is scheduled to depart Bennu in 2021 and deliver its samples on Sept. 24 , 2023 .
Bennu , which is about as tall as the Empire State Building , could possibly hit the Earth between 2175 and 2199 , scientists say , although they predict a 1-in-2,700 chance of that happening .
“ Our ability to make a detailed study of the asteroid now helps us prepare should Bennu still be considered hazardous in the next century , ” NASA said .
Scientists from the University of Arizona partnered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Center in Greenbelt , Maryland , to carry out the mission .
Lockheed Martin Space Systems in Denver built the spacecraft .
Scientists chose to collect from Bennu out of nearly 1 million asteroids because of its composition , size and distance from Earth .
Bennu is a rare carbon-rich asteroid and expected to contain many organic compounds and water-bearing minerals like clays , according to NASA .
When the mission team chose Bennu , it guessed the asteroid ’ s surface would be like a sandy beach .
Instead , the team @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with large boulders .
The number and size of the boulders presented a challenge : The spacecraft could hit a rock , making it automatically back away without collecting a sample .
Yet NASA estimates the chance of that happening to be less than 6 % .
Another complication could be that the spacecraft touches the surface but doesn ’ t collect enough asteroid rubble .
If enough rubble isn ’ t collected , the scientists plan to try to collect from a secondary site on Bennu called Osprey .
Although NASA has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , it hasn ’ t before attempted to collect a sample from an asteroid .
“ The Osiris-Rex sample , like the Apollo samples before it , will be studied by scientists for generations — by people not yet born , using techniques not yet invented , answering questions we don ’ t even yet know to ask , ” NASA said .
Ten years ago , the Japanese Hayabusa spacecraft returned a small amount of dust from asteroid Itokawa .
Come December , Japan ’ s Hayabusa II is anticipated to return @ @ @ @ @ @ @ asteroid Ryugu .
NASA hopes to gather more asteroid material than Japan has collected .
In the 1990s , NASA ’ s Galileo became the first spacecraft to fly past an asteroid .
In 2007 , NASA ’ s Dawn spacecraft orbited and explored asteroid Vesta for more than a year before heading toward dwarf planet Ceres in 2012 .

NASA scientists on Tuesday appeared to make a successful historic collection of its first samples from an asteroid 200 million miles from Earth.
A van-sized spacecraft dubbed Osiris-Rex is trying to collect at least 2 ounces of rocks and dust from the asteroid Bennu, which contains substances from the early solar system, to return to Earth for further study.
“I can’t believe that we actually pulled this off,” said Dante Lauretta, mission lead investigator at the University of Arizona, after the spacecraft scooped up rubble from the asteroid’s surface. “This is history. It’s amazing.”
The mission team had Osiris-Rex touch down at a site called Nightingale, a crater the width of a few parking spaces that is surrounded by building-sized boulders and contains the most fine-grained material.
However, the asteroid’s gravity was too low for the spacecraft to land Tuesday. So Osiris-Rex touched down for about 10 seconds and extended an 11-foot robotic arm to try to grab rubble without hitting the boulders. Scientists planned to use the arm to fire pressurized nitrogen to stir up and catch the surface rubble before the spacecraft departed the asteroid’s orbit.
Over the next couple of days, scientists will capture images of the asteroid material and use the spacecraft to determine the amount of collected rubble with a spin maneuver to make sure they got enough samples. If the spacecraft didn’t collect at least 2 ounces — the largest sample collected from space since the Apollo program — then scientists will have two other attempts to collect rubble.
Osiris-Rex launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Sept. 8, 2016, and arrived at Bennu on Dec. 3, 2018. The spacecraft is scheduled to depart Bennu in 2021 and deliver its samples on Sept. 24, 2023.
Bennu, which is about as tall as the Empire State Building, could possibly hit the Earth between 2175 and 2199, scientists say, although they predict a 1-in-2,700 chance of that happening.
“Our ability to make a detailed study of the asteroid now helps us prepare should Bennu still be considered hazardous in the next century,” NASA said.
Scientists from the University of Arizona partnered with NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, to carry out the mission. Lockheed Martin Space Systems in Denver built the spacecraft.
Scientists chose to collect from Bennu out of nearly 1 million asteroids because of its composition, size and distance from Earth. Bennu is a rare carbon-rich asteroid and expected to contain many organic compounds and water-bearing minerals like clays, according to NASA.
When the mission team chose Bennu, it guessed the asteroid’s surface would be like a sandy beach. Instead, the team discovered an uneven, rough terrain filled with large boulders.
The number and size of the boulders presented a challenge: The spacecraft could hit a rock, making it automatically back away without collecting a sample. Yet NASA estimates the chance of that happening to be less than 6%. Another complication could be that the spacecraft touches the surface but doesn’t collect enough asteroid rubble.
If enough rubble isn’t collected, the scientists plan to try to collect from a secondary site on Bennu called Osprey.
Although NASA has collected comet dust and solar wind particles, it hasn’t before attempted to collect a sample from an asteroid.
“The Osiris-Rex sample, like the Apollo samples before it, will be studied by scientists for generations — by people not yet born, using techniques not yet invented, answering questions we don’t even yet know to ask,” NASA said.
Ten years ago, the Japanese Hayabusa spacecraft returned a small amount of dust from asteroid Itokawa. Come December, Japan’s Hayabusa II is anticipated to return to Earth with a sample from the asteroid Ryugu. NASA hopes to gather more asteroid material than Japan has collected.
In the 1990s, NASA’s Galileo became the first spacecraft to fly past an asteroid. In 2007, NASA’s Dawn spacecraft orbited and explored asteroid Vesta for more than a year before heading toward dwarf planet Ceres in 2012.
• Shen Wu Tan can be reached at stan@washingtontimes.com.


washingtontimes--2020-10-20--An electric Hummer? Battery-powered trucks head to showrooms

DETROIT ( AP ) - Seven auto companies have plans to roll out new battery-powered pickup trucks over the next two years , aiming to cash in on a popular and lucrative market for expensive vehicles .
General Motors is among them , and on Tuesday its GMC brand introduced a new electric Hummer pickup , with a high-end version due in showrooms sometime in the fall of next year .
The Hummer will be joined by crosstown rival Ford ’ s electric F-150 , Tesla ’ s Cybertruck and pickups from four startup companies .
All intend to start @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the end of 2022 .
Prices announced thus far show they range from roughly $ 40,000 for a base Cybertruck to a loaded off-road Hummer “ Edition 1 ” that will start at more than $ 112,000 .
GM , Ford , Tesla , Bollinger Motors , Nikola , Rivian and Lordstown Motors all want a piece of what is now a petroleum-powered market dominated by Ford ’ s F-Series trucks , as well as GM ’ s Chevrolet Silverado and Fiat Chrysler ’ s Ram pickup .
Last year , U.S. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of all sizes .
Ford ’ s F-Series for decades has been the nation ’ s top-selling vehicle , and the company sold close to 900,000 in 2019 .
This year , with sales depressed by the coronavirus , pickup sales have been a beacon of strength for automakers , which are trying to make up for production lost when factories were forced to close earlier in the year .
Big pickups now start around $ 30,000 , but can run over $ 90,000 when loaded with options .
The average light-duty full-size @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , while heavy-duty trucks averaged over $ 62,000 , according to Edmunds.com , which provides content to The Associated Press .
Experts say that since buyers are willing to pay more for trucks , it ’ s likely they ’ ll also be willing to shell out the cost of electric batteries and motors , which now are more expensive than gas or diesel trucks .
But the automakers are taking a risk , and it remains to be seen what the actual selling prices will be , says Eric Ibara , director @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ What is the underlying demand for electric trucks ?
We don ’ t know .
It ’ s somewhat of a risky venture for the established truck manufacturers like Ford and GM and Ram , ” he said .
It ’ s likely the Detroit automakers are defending their turf from Tesla ’ s Cybertruck , fearing that Tesla might take sales from pickups much like it did in the luxury car market , Ibara said .
“ They don ’ t want to see their grip on full-size trucks end @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he said .
Even with the large number of electric trucks coming , Ibara sees SUVs as the big market for consumers .
But the electric trucks also could appeal to businesses , which could unload gasoline costs in favor of cheaper electricity in many places .
They also could take advantage of the big batteries by using the trucks to power tools on job sites instead of a generator .
Most of the trucks will be able to travel more than 250 miles ( 400 kilometers ) on a single charge , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ miles ( 560 kilometers ) in early testing .
Luis Venegas , owner of LG Landscaping in Richfield , Minnesota , said he may consider an electric truck in the future , but for now he loves his Ford heavy-duty diesel to carry equipment for his small business .
He worries that if he goes electric , there won ’ t be a charging station nearby if he needs it .
“ A diesel you can fill up anywhere , ” he said .
The Hummer will be a bit pricey at first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ three motors that generate 1,000 horsepower for towing and hauling .
The truck can go from zero to 60 mph ( 97 kilometers per hour ) in about three seconds .
It also has a “ crab walk ” feature that lets the front and rear wheels steer at the same angle at low speeds so it can move diagonally around obstacles .
Less-expensive versions will be rolled out until 2024 , when the EV2 arrives starting at just under $ 80,000 .
Ed Williamson , owner of a GMC dealership in Miami @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the new truck .
Before the Hummer brand went out of business about a decade ago , Williamson had one of the top-selling dealerships in the nation .
“ It ’ s because this ZIP code has mucho machismo , ” he said .
The new electric Hummer should appeal to those seeking to stand apart from others , Williamson said .
It also could appeal to businesses wanting to get noticed .
“ I think it ’ s wonderful that they ’ ve taken this vehicle that was the icon of anti-green @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it the opposite , ” he said .

DETROIT (AP) - Seven auto companies have plans to roll out new battery-powered pickup trucks over the next two years, aiming to cash in on a popular and lucrative market for expensive vehicles.
General Motors is among them, and on Tuesday its GMC brand introduced a new electric Hummer pickup, with a high-end version due in showrooms sometime in the fall of next year.
The Hummer will be joined by crosstown rival Ford’s electric F-150, Tesla’s Cybertruck and pickups from four startup companies. All intend to start producing them between June of next year and the end of 2022.
Prices announced thus far show they range from roughly $40,000 for a base Cybertruck to a loaded off-road Hummer “Edition 1” that will start at more than $112,000.
GM, Ford, Tesla, Bollinger Motors, Nikola, Rivian and Lordstown Motors all want a piece of what is now a petroleum-powered market dominated by Ford’s F-Series trucks, as well as GM’s Chevrolet Silverado and Fiat Chrysler’s Ram pickup.
Last year, U.S. consumers bought more than 3 million pickups of all sizes. Ford’s F-Series for decades has been the nation’s top-selling vehicle, and the company sold close to 900,000 in 2019. This year, with sales depressed by the coronavirus, pickup sales have been a beacon of strength for automakers, which are trying to make up for production lost when factories were forced to close earlier in the year.
Big pickups now start around $30,000, but can run over $90,000 when loaded with options. The average light-duty full-size pickup cost nearly $50,000 in September, while heavy-duty trucks averaged over $62,000, according to Edmunds.com, which provides content to The Associated Press.
Experts say that since buyers are willing to pay more for trucks, it’s likely they’ll also be willing to shell out the cost of electric batteries and motors, which now are more expensive than gas or diesel trucks. But the automakers are taking a risk, and it remains to be seen what the actual selling prices will be, says Eric Ibara, director of residual vehicle values for Cox Automotive.
“What is the underlying demand for electric trucks? We don’t know. It’s somewhat of a risky venture for the established truck manufacturers like Ford and GM and Ram,” he said.
It’s likely the Detroit automakers are defending their turf from Tesla’s Cybertruck, fearing that Tesla might take sales from pickups much like it did in the luxury car market, Ibara said.
“They don’t want to see their grip on full-size trucks end up in the same way,” he said.
Even with the large number of electric trucks coming, Ibara sees SUVs as the big market for consumers.
But the electric trucks also could appeal to businesses, which could unload gasoline costs in favor of cheaper electricity in many places. They also could take advantage of the big batteries by using the trucks to power tools on job sites instead of a generator. Most of the trucks will be able to travel more than 250 miles (400 kilometers) on a single charge, with the Hummer going at least 350 miles (560 kilometers) in early testing.
Luis Venegas, owner of LG Landscaping in Richfield, Minnesota, said he may consider an electric truck in the future, but for now he loves his Ford heavy-duty diesel to carry equipment for his small business. He worries that if he goes electric, there won’t be a charging station nearby if he needs it.
“A diesel you can fill up anywhere,” he said.
The Hummer will be a bit pricey at first with lots of standard goodies like a three motors that generate 1,000 horsepower for towing and hauling. The truck can go from zero to 60 mph (97 kilometers per hour) in about three seconds. It also has a “crab walk” feature that lets the front and rear wheels steer at the same angle at low speeds so it can move diagonally around obstacles.
Less-expensive versions will be rolled out until 2024, when the EV2 arrives starting at just under $80,000.
Ed Williamson, owner of a GMC dealership in Miami, said he looks forward to getting the new truck. Before the Hummer brand went out of business about a decade ago, Williamson had one of the top-selling dealerships in the nation.
“It’s because this ZIP code has mucho machismo,” he said.
The new electric Hummer should appeal to those seeking to stand apart from others, Williamson said. It also could appeal to businesses wanting to get noticed.
“I think it’s wonderful that they’ve taken this vehicle that was the icon of anti-green, if you will, and made it the opposite,” he said.


washingtontimes--2020-10-20--Political cop: Gianforte violated campaign finance laws

HELENA , Mont .
( AP ) - Montana gubernatorial candidate and Republican U.S. Rep. Greg Gianforte violated campaign finance laws by moving money from his primary election account to his general election account before paying all of the debts owed by his primary campaign , the commissioner of political practices found Tuesday .
Gianforte then continued to raise money to repay primary debts , including loans he made to his campaign , another violation , commissioner Jeff Mangan found in a complaint filed two weeks ago by the Montana Democratic Party .
The investigation found Gianforte ’ s campaign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to his general election campaign on May 15 while his primary campaign still had $ 1.58 million in debts , including $ 1.55 million in personal loans made by Gianforte to his campaign .
A campaign must show that all primary debts are paid before any leftover primary funds can be used for general election expenses , the Montana Democratic Party noted in its complaint .
Under Montana campaign finance rules , candidates may continue to accept primary election contributions only if the campaign still has outstanding primary debts and only uses the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Gianforte ’ s campaign said it moved the remaining candidate loan proceeds from the primary to the general account , so it had no further primary expenses to pay .
However , the campaign continued to raise primary election contributions and didn ’ t report the loans as being forgiven , Mangan said .
“ The campaign ’ s response seems to indicate they do not view the candidate loans as a primary ( election ) obligation , ” Mangan wrote .
“ Without that obligation , however , the Gianforte campaign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ primary election contributions.
” Mangan said the campaign must either apply the $ 181,000 to his primary campaign or refund all primary campaign election contributions received after the primary , for a minimum total of $ 137,000 .
The campaign has 14 days to decide , Mangan said .
“ We ’ ll respond to the commissioner by the deadline and amend any reports as needed , ” said Travis Hall , Gianforte ’ s campaign spokesman , who confirmed Gianforte was raising money to pay back loans to the campaign .
A @ @ @ @ @ @ @ campaign on Tuesday revealed the candidate loaned $ 4 million to his campaign in the last month .
That brings the total sum Gainforte has loaned to his campaign to $ 7.5 million .
Gianforte is running against Democratic Lt. Gov .
Mike Cooney in the Montana gubernatorial race .
“ After dumping more than $ 7.5 million of his personal fortune into his campaign , Greg Gianforte intentionally tried to skirt Montana ’ s campaign finance limits - and he just got caught breaking the law , again , ” Cooney for @ @ @ @ @ @ @

HELENA, Mont. (AP) - Montana gubernatorial candidate and Republican U.S. Rep. Greg Gianforte violated campaign finance laws by moving money from his primary election account to his general election account before paying all of the debts owed by his primary campaign, the commissioner of political practices found Tuesday.
Gianforte then continued to raise money to repay primary debts, including loans he made to his campaign, another violation, commissioner Jeff Mangan found in a complaint filed two weeks ago by the Montana Democratic Party.
The investigation found Gianforte’s campaign transferred nearly $181,000 from his primary to his general election campaign on June 15 while his primary campaign still had $1.58 million in debts, including $1.55 million in personal loans made by Gianforte to his campaign.
A campaign must show that all primary debts are paid before any leftover primary funds can be used for general election expenses, the Montana Democratic Party noted in its complaint.
Under Montana campaign finance rules, candidates may continue to accept primary election contributions only if the campaign still has outstanding primary debts and only uses the contributions to pay off primary campaign obligations.
Gianforte’s campaign said it moved the remaining candidate loan proceeds from the primary to the general account, so it had no further primary expenses to pay. However, the campaign continued to raise primary election contributions and didn’t report the loans as being forgiven, Mangan said.
“The campaign’s response seems to indicate they do not view the candidate loans as a primary (election) obligation,” Mangan wrote. “Without that obligation, however, the Gianforte campaign would be unable to solicit and accept primary election contributions.”
Mangan said the campaign must either apply the $181,000 to his primary campaign or refund all primary campaign election contributions received after the primary, for a minimum total of $137,000.
The campaign has 14 days to decide, Mangan said.
“We’ll respond to the commissioner by the deadline and amend any reports as needed,” said Travis Hall, Gianforte’s campaign spokesman, who confirmed Gianforte was raising money to pay back loans to the campaign.
A finance report filed by Gianforte’s campaign on Tuesday revealed the candidate loaned $4 million to his campaign in the last month. That brings the total sum Gainforte has loaned to his campaign to $7.5 million.
Gianforte is running against Democratic Lt. Gov. Mike Cooney in the Montana gubernatorial race.
“After dumping more than $7.5 million of his personal fortune into his campaign, Greg Gianforte intentionally tried to skirt Montana’s campaign finance limits - and he just got caught breaking the law, again,” Cooney for Montana Campaign Manager Brad Elkins said.
Cooney has been found to have violated campaign laws twice, once for participating in a Democratic Governors Association strategy meeting while in his state office and then for accepting website design by the DGA without reporting it as an in-kind donation.
___
This story has been corrected to show the investigation found Gianforte’s campaign transferred nearly $181,000 from his primary to his general election campaign on June 15, not May 15.


washingtontimes--2020-10-20--Trump administration adds criminal disqualifiers to asylum

SAN DIEGO ( AP ) - The Trump administration announced Tuesday that asylum-seekers will lose their bids if they are convicted of driving under the influence or committing crimes to support gangs .
The rule , which takes effect Nov. 20 , is the latest in a slew of measures to make asylum more difficult to obtain .
The immediate impact will be muted by a temporary pandemic-related ban on asylum introduced in March that calls for people who enter the country illegally to be immediately expelled on public health grounds .
While asylum has long been denied to people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” the new rule adds a litany of crimes that would be disqualifying .
They include convictions for domestic violence - whether a felony or misdemeanor - assault or battery , re-entering the country illegally , identify theft , public benefits fraud , immigrant smuggling and driving under the influence .
The rules would also deny asylum to people convicted of crimes that an adjudicator “ knows or has reason to believe ” was committed to support a criminal street gang .
The rule to be published Wednesday in the Federal Register and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ much of the criticism since it was first proposed in December , including that the authority to declare crimes gang-related was too broad and prone to error .
The administration deflected criticism that DUI wasn ’ t serious enough to merit automatic denial .
“ The administration is showing needless cruelty by layering these new bars on an asylum system which already has been decimated since Trump entered office , ” said Heidi Altman , the National Immigrant Justice Center ’ s policy director .
Asylum is for people fleeing persecution for their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ beliefs or membership in a social group .
It isn ’ t intended for people who migrate for economic reasons .
President Donald Trump has called asylum “ a scam ” and has introduced a string policies against it since the U.S. became the world ’ s top destination for asylum-seekers in 2017 .
A rule proposed in June gives judges the power to reject claims without a hearing .
Several new factors weigh against asylum , including failure to pay taxes .
A rule in July lets authorities block asylum-seekers from countries @ @ @ @ @

SAN DIEGO (AP) - The Trump administration announced Tuesday that asylum-seekers will lose their bids if they are convicted of driving under the influence or committing crimes to support gangs.
The rule, which takes effect Nov. 20, is the latest in a slew of measures to make asylum more difficult to obtain.
The immediate impact will be muted by a temporary pandemic-related ban on asylum introduced in March that calls for people who enter the country illegally to be immediately expelled on public health grounds.
While asylum has long been denied to people convicted of “particularly serious crimes,” the new rule adds a litany of crimes that would be disqualifying. They include convictions for domestic violence - whether a felony or misdemeanor - assault or battery, re-entering the country illegally, identify theft, public benefits fraud, immigrant smuggling and driving under the influence.
The rules would also deny asylum to people convicted of crimes that an adjudicator “knows or has reason to believe” was committed to support a criminal street gang.
The rule to be published Wednesday in the Federal Register and signed by Attorney General William Barr rejects much of the criticism since it was first proposed in December, including that the authority to declare crimes gang-related was too broad and prone to error. The administration deflected criticism that DUI wasn’t serious enough to merit automatic denial.
Advocacy groups criticized the move.
“The administration is showing needless cruelty by layering these new bars on an asylum system which already has been decimated since Trump entered office,” said Heidi Altman, the National Immigrant Justice Center’s policy director.
Asylum is for people fleeing persecution for their race, religion, nationality, political beliefs or membership in a social group. It isn’t intended for people who migrate for economic reasons.
President Donald Trump has called asylum “a scam” and has introduced a string policies against it since the U.S. became the world’s top destination for asylum-seekers in 2017.
A rule proposed in June gives judges the power to reject claims without a hearing. Several new factors weigh against asylum, including failure to pay taxes.
A rule in July lets authorities block asylum-seekers from countries with widespread communicable disease.


washingtontimes--2020-10-20--Gasparilla Bowl college football game gets new title sponsor

TAMPA , Fla. ( AP ) - The Gasparilla Bowl has a new title sponsor .
The annual college football @ @ @ @ @ this season in Raymond James Stadium , home of the NFL ’ s Tampa Bay @ @ @ @ @ by Union Home Mortgage .
A date has not been announced .
The game , @ @ @ @ @ Petersburg Bowl and played in the home stadium of baseball ’ s Tampa Bay Rays @ @ @ @ @ changes since inception in 2008 .
It has conference ties with the ACC , AAC @ @ @ @ @ USA , MAC , Mountain West , Pac-12 and SEC , in addition to Army @ @ @

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) - The Gasparilla Bowl has a new title sponsor.
The annual college football game scheduled to be played this season in Raymond James Stadium, home of the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers, will be sponsored by Union Home Mortgage.
A date has not been announced.
The game, once known as the St. Petersburg Bowl and played in the home stadium of baseball’s Tampa Bay Rays, has undergone several name changes since inception in 2008. It has conference ties with the ACC, AAC, Big 12, Conference USA, MAC, Mountain West, Pac-12 and SEC, in addition to Army and BYU.
___
More AP college football: https://apnews.com/Collegefootball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25


washingtontimes--2020-10-20--Russia to use Arctic Council chairman role to push back on U.S. interests

The Arctic Council was designed as a forum for its eight member nations to discuss development and environmental protections and find common ground in the icy region .
But the multilateral body instead appears on track to become another venue for Washington and Moscow to battle it out on the world stage .
Top Russian officials say they intend to use the country ’ s turn as chairman of the council , which begins next spring , to promote the Kremlin ’ s national security interests and to push back on what they view as a growing U.S. effort to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Analysts warn that the Arctic Council is the wrong outlet for those kinds of military and security debates and note that the council ’ s charter expressly forbids them .
There is also a fear that Moscow ’ s aggressive approach could leave council members such as Iceland , Canada and Finland on the sidelines , spectators to a heavyweight geopolitical prize fight while pressing issues such as climate change , ocean debris , sustainable fishing and investments in indigenous communities fade into the background .
Adding to the intrigue is the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and military influence at the top of the world .
The race has drawn in not just the countries that border on the Arctic but also ambitious onlookers such as China .
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev , now deputy head of the Russian Security Council , vowed this month to deal with “ direct threats to our national security ” in the Arctic and suggested that he will turn to the Arctic Council to air grievances with Washington .
The Russian Security Council recently established its own “ Arctic Commission , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Moscow ’ s 21st-century defense , energy and economic strategies .
Arctic specialists say the U.S. and Russia desperately need to address growing tensions in the Arctic , which is widely viewed as a key battleground in the broader competition between the nations .
The U.S. national strategic blueprint , overhauled by the Trump administration in 2018 , calls for the Pentagon to shift its focus from fighting terrorism to traditional “ great power ” challengers , notably Russia and China .
But the Arctic Council doesn ’ t have the structures @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said Heather Conley , senior vice president for Europe , Eurasia and the Arctic at the Center for Strategic and International Studies .
“ I have certainly been advocating that we need a mechanism to discuss hard security issues in the Arctic for quite some time , but it has been a struggle to find [ or ] create such a forum , ” she told The Washington Times .
“ Other Arctic states may shy away from such a hard security discussion , fearing that the discussion itself could increase Arctic militarization @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to take Moscow up on its interest in having discussions , but the Arctic Council isn ’ t the right place to do it.
” Indeed , the Arctic Council ’ s 1996 charter , known as the Ottawa Declaration , lays out the specific roles the body will play .
The document talks about the special role of “ Indigenous people and their communities ” and stresses that all eight members will commit to “ economic and social development , improved health conditions and cultural well-being.
” It explicitly states that “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ matters related to military security.
” It ’ s getting much more difficult , however , to separate those issues .
“ Since the Cold War , there has been no formal structure or venue to address security issues in the Arctic , ” researchers with Carnegie Europe wrote in a November 2019 study .
“ Since Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula in 2014 , old-fashioned geopolitics have begun to creep into discussions of the Arctic .
The great powers increasingly see themselves as locked in a competition , not only in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ areas of economics , politics and trade .
As a result , the cooperative logic that has so far dominated in the Arctic risks being undermined.
” It ’ s clear Russia sees military security and development of the Arctic as deeply intertwined .
Moscow is eyeing rich energy reserves in the region and is planning a massive shipping channel to move goods through the frigid waters to customers around the world .
On a parallel track , Russia is dramatically expanding its military presence in the Arctic and sees the U.S. as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the area .
“ This region is of special strategic importance for us .
Here , the state is handling its most important tasks — the protection of economic interests and national security , ” Mr. Medvedev told The Independent Barents Observer this month .
“ Despite attempts from certain countries to destabilize the situation in the Arctic , we will successively protect our positions in the region .
“ Russia must in the most serious manner address its work in the organization , ” he said of Russia ’ s upcoming chairmanship @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s chair rotates every two years and is currently held by Iceland .
Russia last held the post from 2004 to 2006 .
Russia argues that the Trump administration already has shattered the norms of the Arctic Council and dragged military matters onto its agenda .
Officials point to a speech last year in which Secretary of State Mike Pompeo bashed Russia and took shots at China , which considers itself a “ near-Arctic ” state and has increasingly been making its own claims in the region .
“ Moscow already illegally demands @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , requires Russian maritime pilots to be aboard foreign ships and threatens to use military force to sink any that fail to comply , ” Mr. Pompeo said in his May 2019 address to the council .
“ These provocative actions are part of a pattern of aggressive Russian behavior in the Arctic .
Russia is already leaving snow prints in the form of army boots.
” In the months since , the two countries have had multiple close military encounters in the region .
Russian planes routinely come dangerously close to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and U.S. and British ships this year sailed through the strategically vital Barents Sea for the first time since the 1980s .
Russian vessels shadowed the American and British ships during that mission .

The Arctic Council was designed as a forum for its eight member nations to discuss development and environmental protections and find common ground in the icy region.
But the multilateral body instead appears on track to become another venue for Washington and Moscow to battle it out on the world stage.
Top Russian officials say they intend to use the country’s turn as chairman of the council, which begins next spring, to promote the Kremlin’s national security interests and to push back on what they view as a growing U.S. effort to contest the Arctic and elbow out rivals. Analysts warn that the Arctic Council is the wrong outlet for those kinds of military and security debates and note that the council’s charter expressly forbids them.
There is also a fear that Moscow’s aggressive approach could leave council members such as Iceland, Canada and Finland on the sidelines, spectators to a heavyweight geopolitical prize fight while pressing issues such as climate change, ocean debris, sustainable fishing and investments in indigenous communities fade into the background.
Adding to the intrigue is the accelerating rush for riches, sea lanes and military influence at the top of the world. The race has drawn in not just the countries that border on the Arctic but also ambitious onlookers such as China.
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, now deputy head of the Russian Security Council, vowed this month to deal with “direct threats to our national security” in the Arctic and suggested that he will turn to the Arctic Council to air grievances with Washington. The Russian Security Council recently established its own “Arctic Commission,” underscoring just how important the region is to Moscow’s 21st-century defense, energy and economic strategies.
Arctic specialists say the U.S. and Russia desperately need to address growing tensions in the Arctic, which is widely viewed as a key battleground in the broader competition between the nations. The U.S. national strategic blueprint, overhauled by the Trump administration in 2018, calls for the Pentagon to shift its focus from fighting terrorism to traditional “great power” challengers, notably Russia and China.
But the Arctic Council doesn’t have the structures in place to handle such debates, said Heather Conley, senior vice president for Europe, Eurasia and the Arctic at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
“I have certainly been advocating that we need a mechanism to discuss hard security issues in the Arctic for quite some time, but it has been a struggle to find [or] create such a forum,” she told The Washington Times. “Other Arctic states may shy away from such a hard security discussion, fearing that the discussion itself could increase Arctic militarization and tensions. I would encourage Washington to take Moscow up on its interest in having discussions, but the Arctic Council isn’t the right place to do it.”
Indeed, the Arctic Council’s 1996 charter, known as the Ottawa Declaration, lays out the specific roles the body will play. The document talks about the special role of “Indigenous people and their communities” and stresses that all eight members will commit to “economic and social development, improved health conditions and cultural well-being.”
It explicitly states that “the Arctic Council should not deal with matters related to military security.”
Great-power rivalries
It’s getting much more difficult, however, to separate those issues.
“Since the Cold War, there has been no formal structure or venue to address security issues in the Arctic,” researchers with Carnegie Europe wrote in a November 2019 study. “Since Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula in 2014, old-fashioned geopolitics have begun to creep into discussions of the Arctic. The great powers increasingly see themselves as locked in a competition, not only in the security realm, but also in the areas of economics, politics and trade. As a result, the cooperative logic that has so far dominated in the Arctic risks being undermined.”
It’s clear Russia sees military security and development of the Arctic as deeply intertwined.
Moscow is eyeing rich energy reserves in the region and is planning a massive shipping channel to move goods through the frigid waters to customers around the world.
On a parallel track, Russia is dramatically expanding its military presence in the Arctic and sees the U.S. as its chief rival to effective control of the area.
“This region is of special strategic importance for us. Here, the state is handling its most important tasks — the protection of economic interests and national security,” Mr. Medvedev told The Independent Barents Observer this month. “Despite attempts from certain countries to destabilize the situation in the Arctic, we will successively protect our positions in the region.
“Russia must in the most serious manner address its work in the organization,” he said of Russia’s upcoming chairmanship of the council.
The council’s chair rotates every two years and is currently held by Iceland. Russia last held the post from 2004 to 2006.
Russia argues that the Trump administration already has shattered the norms of the Arctic Council and dragged military matters onto its agenda. Officials point to a speech last year in which Secretary of State Mike Pompeo bashed Russia and took shots at China, which considers itself a “near-Arctic” state and has increasingly been making its own claims in the region.
“Moscow already illegally demands that other nations request permission to pass, requires Russian maritime pilots to be aboard foreign ships and threatens to use military force to sink any that fail to comply,” Mr. Pompeo said in his May 2019 address to the council. “These provocative actions are part of a pattern of aggressive Russian behavior in the Arctic. Russia is already leaving snow prints in the form of army boots.”
In the months since, the two countries have had multiple close military encounters in the region. Russian planes routinely come dangerously close to the Alaskan coast, Pentagon officials say, and U.S. and British ships this year sailed through the strategically vital Barents Sea for the first time since the 1980s.
Russian vessels shadowed the American and British ships during that mission.
• Ben Wolfgang can be reached at bwolfgang@washingtontimes.com.


washingtontimes--2020-10-20--Donald Trump threatens to air Lesley Stahl '60 Minutes' interview

President Trump said Tuesday he ’ s considering posting his interview with Lesley Stahl of “ 60 Minutes ” before its scheduled airtime so viewers can see “ what a fake and biased interview is all about.
” “ I am pleased to inform you that , for the sake of accuracy in reporting , I am considering posting my interview with Lesley Stahl of 60 Minutes , PRIOR TO AIRTIME !
” Mr. Trump tweeted .
“ Everyone should compare this terrible Electoral Intrusion with the recent interviews of Sleepy Joe Biden !
” The interview is set to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ White House staff also recorded the interview .
The president also tweeted out a photograph of Ms. Stahl without a mask in the White House after her interview with him .
“ Much more to come , ” he promised .
People familiar with the interview said Mr. Trump didn ’ t like the line of questioning and ended it abruptly , canceling a portion in which he was to appear with Vice President Mike Pence .
Interviews with Democratic nominee Joseph R. Biden and his running mate , Sen. Kamala D. Harris @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the broadcast .
During a campaign rally in Erie , Pennsylvania Tuesday night , the president teased the crowd about the upcoming interview .
“ You have to watch what we do to 60 Minutes .
You ’ ll get such a kick out of it , ” he told the crowd .

President Trump said Tuesday he’s considering posting his interview with Lesley Stahl of “60 Minutes” before its scheduled airtime so viewers can see “what a fake and biased interview is all about.”
“I am pleased to inform you that, for the sake of accuracy in reporting, I am considering posting my interview with Lesley Stahl of 60 Minutes, PRIOR TO AIRTIME!” Mr. Trump tweeted. “Everyone should compare this terrible Electoral Intrusion with the recent interviews of Sleepy Joe Biden!”
The interview is set to air on Sunday night on CBS. White House staff also recorded the interview.
The president also tweeted out a photograph of Ms. Stahl without a mask in the White House after her interview with him.
“Much more to come,” he promised.
People familiar with the interview said Mr. Trump didn’t like the line of questioning and ended it abruptly, canceling a portion in which he was to appear with Vice President Mike Pence.
Interviews with Democratic nominee Joseph R. Biden and his running mate, Sen. Kamala D. Harris, also are scheduled to appear on the broadcast.
During a campaign rally in Erie, Pennsylvania Tuesday night, the president teased the crowd about the upcoming interview.
“You have to watch what we do to 60 Minutes. You’ll get such a kick out of it,” he told the crowd.
• Alex Swoyer contributed to this report.
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.


washingtontimes--2020-10-20--Denver police release images in fatal car-scooter crash

DENVER ( AP ) - Denver police on Tuesday asked the public for help identifying people seen in a car suspected of hitting and killing a man who was riding an electric scooter downtown last month .
The damaged Chevrolet Cobalt suspected of hitting and killing Chris Patton , 26 , of Los Angeles on Sept. 7 , was found by police Thursday , Sgt .
Stephanie Linkus said .
Evidence found inside led investigators to find surveillance images of the car at a convenience store less than 24 hours before the crash .
Four people - a white woman @ @ @ @ @ @ @ males - are seen leaving the car and entering the store .
Another surveillance video shows the car stopped in a nearby alley about 15 minutes before the crash .
Three people approach the car , one of them opens the front passenger door and points before they walk away and the car drives away .
The car appeared to accelerate before hitting him , leading his family to suspect that he may have been targeted , the family ’ s lawyer Qusair Mohamedbhai said .
Patton , a Black man , was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the time of the crash .
The family has urged police to consider that Patton was hit because of his race .
The race of the driver is not known , Mohamedbhai said .
Linkus said the investigation has just started with the discovery of the car and police have not ruled anything out yet .
She said investigators would work with the department ’ s bias-motivated crime team if the evidence warranted it .
Patton was visiting Denver for the first time and riding scooters with his brother and three friends during @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of their lives ” when he was killed , according to Mohamedbhai .
His friend , Sachal Jogi , was also hit and seriously injured .

DENVER (AP) - Denver police on Tuesday asked the public for help identifying people seen in a car suspected of hitting and killing a man who was riding an electric scooter downtown last month.
The damaged Chevrolet Cobalt suspected of hitting and killing Chris Patton, 26, of Los Angeles on Sept. 7, was found by police Thursday, Sgt. Stephanie Linkus said. Evidence found inside led investigators to find surveillance images of the car at a convenience store less than 24 hours before the crash. Four people - a white woman, a white man and two Black males - are seen leaving the car and entering the store. Another surveillance video shows the car stopped in a nearby alley about 15 minutes before the crash. Three people approach the car, one of them opens the front passenger door and points before they walk away and the car drives away.
The car appeared to accelerate before hitting him, leading his family to suspect that he may have been targeted, the family’s lawyer Qusair Mohamedbhai said. Patton, a Black man, was wearing a Black Lives Matter mask at the time of the crash. The family has urged police to consider that Patton was hit because of his race. The race of the driver is not known, Mohamedbhai said.
Linkus said the investigation has just started with the discovery of the car and police have not ruled anything out yet. She said investigators would work with the department’s bias-motivated crime team if the evidence warranted it.
Patton was visiting Denver for the first time and riding scooters with his brother and three friends during what had been the “best night of their lives” when he was killed, according to Mohamedbhai. His friend, Sachal Jogi, was also hit and seriously injured.


washingtontimes--2020-10-20--Former hockey team office manager sentenced for embezzlement

RAPID CITY , S.D .
( AP ) - A former office manager for the Rapid City Rush has been sentenced to more than three years in federal prison for stealing $ 700,000 from the professional hockey team .
Jennifer Durham , 42 , pleaded guilty in July to tax evasion and two counts of wire fraud .
She worked for the team from 2008 through June 2019 , where she was responsible for maintaining accounting records , creating financial reports , and recording and depositing cash receipts .
U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Viken on Monday sentenced Durham to 37 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pay back nearly $ 1 million , including $ 700,000 to the Rush and more than $ 186,000 to the Internal Revenue Service , the Rapid CIty Journal reported .
Prosecutors said she began to steal from the company around February 2010 .
An investigation began in October 2019 when new team owners , Spire Hockey , discovered “ inconsistencies and irregularities ” in some bookkeeping .
Defense attorney John Murphy said Durham is guilty but committed her crimes within the context of the company ’ s “ culture of corruption.
” .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” for all of the Rush ’ s financial woes , Murphy said .
IRS special agent Brian Pickens testified that the team gave under-the-table bonuses to players from 2010-2013 , which broke league rules and put players in criminal jeopardy .

RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) - A former office manager for the Rapid City Rush has been sentenced to more than three years in federal prison for stealing $700,000 from the professional hockey team.
Jennifer Durham, 42, pleaded guilty in July to tax evasion and two counts of wire fraud. She worked for the team from 2008 through June 2019, where she was responsible for maintaining accounting records, creating financial reports, and recording and depositing cash receipts.
U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Viken on Monday sentenced Durham to 37 months in prison and ordered her to pay back nearly $1 million, including $700,000 to the Rush and more than $186,000 to the Internal Revenue Service, the Rapid CIty Journal reported.
Prosecutors said she began to steal from the company around February 2010. An investigation began in October 2019 when new team owners, Spire Hockey, discovered “inconsistencies and irregularities” in some bookkeeping.
Defense attorney John Murphy said Durham is guilty but committed her crimes within the context of the company’s “culture of corruption.”. She’s become a “scapegoat” for all of the Rush’s financial woes, Murphy said.
IRS special agent Brian Pickens testified that the team gave under-the-table bonuses to players from 2010-2013, which broke league rules and put players in criminal jeopardy.