Election Day is Nov. 8, but legal challenges already begin
WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� Election Day is 12 days away. But in courtrooms across the country, efforts to sow doubt over the outcome have already begun.
More than 100 lawsuits have been filed this year around the Nov. 8 elections. The legal challenges, largely by Republicans, target rules for mail-in voting, early voting, voter access, voting machines, voting registration, the counting of mismarked absentee ballots and access for partisan poll watchers.
The cases likely preview a potentially contentious post-election period and the strategy stems partly from the failure of Donald Trump and his allies to prevail in overturning the free and fair results of the 2020 presidential election that he lost to Joe Biden.
That was an ad hoc response fronted by a collection of increasingly ill-prepared lawyers that included Rudy Giuliani. The current effort, however, is more formalized, well-funded and well-organized and is run by the Republican National Committee and other legal allies with strong credentials. Party officials say they are preparing for recounts, contested elections and more litigation. Thousands of volunteers are ready to challenge ballots and search for evidence of malfeasance.
鈥淲e鈥檙e now at the point where charges of fraud and suppression are baked into the turnout models for each party," said Benjamin Ginsberg, co-chair of the Election Official Legal Defense Network and former counsel to the George W. Bush campaign and other Republican candidates. 鈥淩epublicans charge fraud. Democrats charge suppression. Each side amplifies its position with massive and costly amounts of litigation and messaging.鈥�
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Russia's Putin says he won't use nuclear weapons in Ukraine
MOSCOW (AP) 鈥� Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday denied having any intentions of using nuclear weapons in Ukraine but described the conflict there as part of alleged efforts by the West to secure its global domination, which he insisted are doomed to fail.
Speaking at a conference of international foreign policy experts, Putin said it's pointless for Russia to strike Ukraine with nuclear weapons.
鈥淲e see no need for that,鈥� Putin said. 鈥淭here is no point in that, neither political, nor military.鈥�
Putin said an earlier warning of his readiness to use 鈥渁ll means available to protect Russia鈥� didn鈥檛 amount to nuclear saber-rattling but was merely a response to Western statements about their possible use of nuclear weapons.
He particularly mentioned Liz Truss saying in August that she would be ready to use nuclear weapons if she became Britain's prime minister, a remark which he said worried the Kremlin.
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US economy returned to growth last quarter, expanding 2.6%
WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� The U.S. economy grew at a 2.6% annual rate from July through September, snapping two straight quarters of contraction and overcoming high inflation and interest rates just as voting begins in midterm elections in which the economy's health has emerged as a paramount issue.
Thursday鈥檚 better-than-expected estimate from the Commerce Department showed that the nation鈥檚 gross domestic product 鈥� the broadest gauge of economic output 鈥� grew in the third quarter after having shrunk in the first half of 2022. Stronger exports and consumer spending, backed by a healthy job market, helped restore growth to the world鈥檚 biggest economy at a time when worries about a possible recession are rising.
Consumer spending, which accounts for about 70% of U.S. economic activity, expanded at a 1.4% annual pace in the July-September quarter, down from a 2% rate from April through June. Last quarter's growth got a major boost from exports, which shot up at an annual pace of 14.4%. Government spending also helped: It rose at a 2.4% annual pace, the first such increase since early last year, with sharply higher defense spending leading the way.
Housing investment, though, plunged at a 26% annual pace, hammered by surging mortgage rates as the Federal Reserve aggressively raises borrowing costs to combat chronic inflation. It was the sixth straight quarterly drop in residential investment.
Overall, the outlook for the overall economy has darkened. The Fed has raised interest rates five times this year and is set to do so again next week and in December. Chair Jerome Powell has warned that the Fed鈥檚 hikes will bring 鈥減ain鈥� in the form of higher unemployment and possibly a recession.
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Musk doesn't seek a 鈥渇ree-for-all hellscape鈥� for Twitter
Elon Musk is telling Twitter advertisers he is buying the platform to 鈥渉elp humanity鈥� and doesn鈥檛 want it to become a 鈥渇ree-for-all hellscape鈥� where anything can be said with no consequences.
The message to advertisers posted Thursday on Twitter came a day before Musk鈥檚 deadline for closing his $44 billion deal to buy the social-media company and take it private.
鈥淭he reason I acquired Twitter is because it is important to the future of civilization to have a common digital town square, where a wide range of beliefs can be debated in a healthy manner, without resorting to violence,鈥� Musk wrote, in an unusually-long message for the billionaire Tesla CEO who typically projects his thoughts in one-line tweets.
He continued: 鈥淭here is currently great danger that social media will splinter into far right wing and far left wing echo chambers that generate more hate and divide our society.鈥�
The message reflects concerns among advertisers -- Twitter鈥檚 chief source of revenue -- that Musk鈥檚 plans to promote free speech by cutting back on moderating content will open the floodgates to more online toxicity and drive away users.
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Ukraine attacks Russia's hold on southern city of Kherson
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) 鈥� Ukrainian forces attacked Russia's hold on the southern city of Kherson on Thursday while fighting intensified in the country's east. The battles came amid reports that Moscow-appointed authorities have abandoned the city, joining tens of thousands of residents who fled to other Russia-held areas.
Ukrainian forces were surrounding Kherson from the west and attacking Russia鈥檚 foothold on the west bank of the Dnieper River, which divides the region and the country.
As the battles unfolded, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Moscow has no intention to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine, despite issuing repeated warnings in the past that he was prepared to use all available means to defend Russia, including its nuclear arsenal.
鈥淲e see no need for that,鈥� Putin said at a conference of international foreign policy experts outside Moscow. 鈥淭here is no point in that, neither political nor military.鈥�
The Russian leader, who insisted for weeks before the invasion that he did not intend to attack Ukraine, also sought to cast the conflict as part of efforts by the West to secure global domination. He accused the U.S. and its allies of trying to dictate their terms to other nations in a 鈥渄angerous and bloody鈥� domination game.
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Divers find bone believed to be human at receding Lake Mead
LAS VEGAS (AP) 鈥� Divers have found more human remains at drought-stricken Lake Mead near Las Vegas, authorities said Thursday.
A National Park Service dive team confirmed Oct. 18 that a bone found a day earlier at Callville Bay was part of 鈥渉uman skeletal remains鈥� on the Nevada side of the Colorado River reservoir behind Hoover Dam, according to a statement from the Lake Mead National Recreation Area.
"At this time, no foul play is suspected," the statement said, and the Clark County coroner鈥檚 office in Las Vegas was working to confirm the identity of the dead person.
The discovery marked at least the sixth time since early May that remains identified as human have been discovered in shallow water or on the dramatically receding shore of the lake. The water level has dropped more than 180 feet (55 meters) since the lake was full in 1983, putting it at less than 27% full today.
A man鈥檚 body found stuffed in a barrel near Hemenway Harbor on May 1 has not been identified, but Las Vegas police said he had been shot, probably between the mid-1970s and the early 1980s, and his death is being investigated as a homicide.
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FBI probing ex-CIA officer's spying for World Cup host Qatar
A former CIA officer who spied on Qatar鈥檚 rivals to help the tiny Arab country land this year鈥檚 World Cup is now under FBI scrutiny and newly obtained documents show he offered clandestine services that went beyond soccer to try to influence U.S. policy, an Associated Press investigation found.
The monthslong FBI probe focuses on whether Kevin Chalker鈥檚 work for Qatar broke laws related to foreign lobbying, surveillance and exporting sensitive technologies and tradecraft, said two people with knowledge of the investigation who requested anonymity because they weren鈥檛 authorized to discuss it.
Chalker鈥檚 goal, AP found, was to burnish Qatar鈥檚 image among American decision makers while undermining critics who have accused the Persian Gulf monarchy of financing terrorists and other wrongdoing. Federal investigators have focused increasing scrutiny in recent years on Qatar鈥檚 influence efforts, including those alleged to involve former U.S. national security officials.
AP鈥檚 reporting in the past year has detailed how Chalker and his company, Global Risk Advisors, sought to help Qatar host the 2022 World Cup by spying on soccer officials in rival countries. That included deploying a Facebook 鈥渉oneypot鈥� in which an attractive woman is used to lure a target, having someone pose as a photojournalist to keep tabs on one nation鈥檚 bid and, after the decision was announced in 2010, waging a failed two-year campaign to get a top German soccer official to soften his criticism of Qatar.
New AP reporting based on internal Global Risk Advisors records and interviews with Chalker鈥檚 associates shows much of his work in the years since has focused on seeking to strengthen Qatar鈥檚 influence in the U.S. That included attempting to set up high-level meetings between Qatari officials and top CIA leaders and pitching a sprawling covert influence operation to damage the reputations of U.S. officials perceived as Qatar鈥檚 enemies. The company even boasted in internal records of using spycraft to try and gather information on a congressman who sponsored legislation Qatar opposed.
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Knife attack in Italy kills 1, wounds soccer player, others
MILAN (AP) 鈥� A man grabbed a knife from a supermarket shelf Thursday and stabbed five people, killing one and wounding four others, including Spanish soccer player Pablo Mari, Italian authorities said.
Police arrested a 46-year-old Italian man suspected in the attack at a shopping center in Assago, a suburb of Milan, carabinieri said.
A supermarket employee died en route to the hospital, according to the news agency ANSA, which said three other victims were in serious condition. Another person was treated for shock but not hospitalized, police said.
The motive for the attacks was unknown, but police said the man showed signs of being psychologically unstable. There were no elements to suggest terrorism.
Mari, who is on loan to the Serie A club Monza from Arsenal, was among the wounded. Arsenal said in a statement that Mari was at the hospital but was not seriously hurt.
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Hawaii's Big Island gets warning as huge volcano rumbles
HONOLULU (AP) 鈥� Hawaii officials are warning residents of the Big Island that the world鈥檚 largest active volcano, Mauna Loa, is sending signals that it may erupt.
Scientists say an eruption isn鈥檛 imminent, but they are on alert because of a recent spike in earthquakes at the volcano鈥檚 summit. Experts say it would take just a few hours for lava to reach homes closest to vents on the volcano, which last erupted in 1984.
Hawaii鈥檚 civil defense agency is holding meetings across the island to educate residents about how to prepare for a possible emergency. They recommend having a 鈥砱o鈥� bag with food, identifying a place to stay once they leave home and making a plan for reuniting with family members.
鈥淣ot to panic everybody, but they have to be aware of that you live on the slopes of Mauna Loa. There鈥檚 a potential for some kind of lava disaster,鈥� said Talmadge Magno, the administrator for Hawaii County Civil Defense.
The volcano makes up 51% of the Hawaii Island landmass, so a large portion of the island has the potential to be affected by an eruption, Magno said.
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Auto prices finally begin to creep down from inflated highs
DETROIT (AP) 鈥� All summer long, Aleen Hudson kept looking for a new minivan or SUV for her growing passenger shuttle service.
She had a good credit rating and enough cash for a down payment. Yet dealerships in the Detroit area didn't have any suitable vehicles. Or they'd demand she pay $3,000 to $6,000 above the sticker price. Months of frustration left her despondent.
鈥淚 was depressed,鈥� Hudson said. "I was angry, too.鈥�
A breakthrough arrived in late September, when a dealer called about a 2022 Chrysler 91原创a. At $41,000, it was hardly a bargain. And it wasn鈥檛 quite what Hudson wanted. Yet the dealer was asking only slightly above sticker price, and Hudson felt in no position to walk away. She's back in business with her own van.
It could have been worse. Hudson made her purchase just as the prices of both new and used vehicles have been inching down from their eye-watering record highs and more vehicles are gradually becoming available at dealerships. Hudson's van likely would have cost even more a few months ago.
The Associated Press
