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Previewing the NASCAR playoffs at Texas Motor Speedway: The contenders, their success on remaining tracks and more – The Dallas Morning News

Posted on October 28, 2019 by Danzig

The juggernaut that is Joe Gibbs Racing will begin the Round of 8 of NASCARs multi-layered postseason from a position of strength during a three-race stretch featuring a pivotal stop at Texas Motor Speedway.

Led by victory-starved Kyle Busch, JGR drivers occupy the top three positions among the eight championship contenders set to compete in Sundays First Data 500 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoff race at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. Busch, Martin Truex Jr. and Denny Hamlin winners of a combined 15 races this season theoretically could hold serve heading into the AAA Texas 500 weekend Oct. 31-Nov. 3 in Fort Worth.

The Round of 8 will conclude at ISM Raceway outside Phoenix on Nov. 10, with NASCARs Championship 4 to decide the 2019 title at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Nov. 17.

Busch, the 2015 Cup champ, is mired in an uncharacteristic 18-race winless streak in his No. 18 Toyota Camry dating to Pocono Raceway in June. However, the four-time 2019 race-winner leads the standings by four points (4,046-4,042) over Truex, winner of six races in the No. 19 Camry during his first season at JGR. Hamlin, meanwhile, posted his fifth victory of 2019 in the No. 11 Toyota last Sunday at Kansas Speedway and is just nine points behind Rowdy Busch.

I wouldnt say were leading it as far as a favorite goes, but at least our points tell everybody that we are, said Busch, whose postseason includes three top-10 results basically negated by three finishes of 19th or worse. Certainly we havent had quite the results weve been looking for, but I think this playoff format allows for there to be some ups and downs given however your success was in the beginning of the season and being able to win races and stages.

Arguably, were third in line right now. Truex has won the most races at six and Dennys got five and weve got four. Its just a matter of being able to go out and do a job that will get you to Homestead and winning there.

Busch is the only driver among the eight contenders with multiple Cup wins at all three upcoming venues Martinsvilles half-mile, paperclip-shaped oval (two), TMS high-banked/1.5-mile oval (three) and ISM Raceways reconfigured 1-mile layout (three). Virginia native Hamlin is a five-time Cup winner at Martinsville and took the checkered flag at the OReilly Auto Parts 500 at TMS on March 31.

Truex has yet to win at either Martinsville or TMS, a puzzling fact not lost on the 2017 Cup champion.

Martinsville and Texas everybody looks at those two saying if we can win one of those two, get locked-in early, get to work on Homestead its a big advantage, Truex said. You get a week off, not have to worry about going to Phoenix to get in the Final 4.

For me, Texas has been a tough track from the standpoint weve led tons of laps, finished second, finished third, been right there so many times. It just always seems to slip away. Hopefully this year is different. Itd be a great time to win it.

Rounding out the contenders are reigning Cup champion Joey Logano in his No. 22 Team Penske Ford Mustang, 2014 Cup champion Kevin Harvick in his No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford, Chase Elliott in the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, Kyle Larson in the No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Camaro and Ryan Blaney in the No. 12 Team Penske Mustang.

TMS President Eddie Gossage is convinced that lineup will prevent the next three races from morphing into The JGR Invitational.

If thats the case, lets just give them the trophy, Gossage said. Look, the season has been all about JGR and thats great, but all that does is get you in the tournament. You still have to deliver. Youve got to pick it up, and the next week youve got to do better.

Thats whats so amazing about the Playoffs. Its almost nasty. The driver has got be really good every week plus the team has to be on top of its game and have the right strategy and good luck. That makes it compelling. I just love the NASCAR Playoffs a major league playoff right here in Dallas-Fort Worth.

The NASCAR Xfinity Series will resume its Round of 8 with the OReilly Auto Parts 300 at TMS on Saturday, Nov. 2.

John Sturbin is a senior writer at RacinToday.com, based in Fort Worth. He can be contacted at jtsturbin@racintoday.com.

Previewing the NASCAR playoffs at Texas Motor Speedway: The contenders, their success on remaining tracks and more - The Dallas Morning News

EDAP TMS SA to Announce Third Quarter and Nine Months 2019 Financial Results on Wednesday, November 13, 2019 – Yahoo Finance

Posted on October 28, 2019 by Danzig

Company to host conference call and webcast on Thursday, November 14, at 8:30 am EDT

LYON, France, October 24, 2019-EDAP TMS SA(EDAP), the global leader in therapeutic ultrasound, today announced that it will release its financial results for the third quarter and nine months ended September 30, 2019 after the financial markets close on Wednesday, November 13, 2019.

An accompanying conference call and webcast will be conducted byPhilippe Chauveau, Chairman of the Board,Marc Oczachowski, Chief Executive Officer; and Franois Dietsch, Chief Financial Officer, to review the results. The call will be held at8:30am EDT onThursday, November 14, 2019. Please refer to the information below for conference call dial-in information and webcast registration.

Conference Call & WebcastThursday, November 14, 2019 @ 8:30am Eastern TimeDomestic: 877-451-6152International: 201-389-0879Passcode: 13695746Webcast: http://public.viavid.com/index.php?id=136640

AboutEDAP TMS SAA recognized leader in the global therapeutic ultrasound market for almost 40 years,EDAP TMSdevelops, manufactures, promotes and distributes worldwide minimally invasive medical devices for urology using ultrasound technology. By combining the latest technologies in imaging and treatment modalities in its complete range of Robotic HIFU devices,EDAP TMSintroduced the Focal One in 2013 inEuropeand in 2018 in the US as the answer to all requirements for ideal prostate tissue ablation as a complement to the existingFDA-cleared Ablatherm Robotic HIFU and Ablatherm Fusion. As a pioneer and key player in the field of extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL),EDAP TMSexclusively utilizes the latest generation of shock wave source in its Sonolith range of ESWL systems. For more information on the Company, please visithttp://www.edap-tms.com, andus.hifu-prostate.com.

CONTACTS:Blandine ConfortInvestor Relations / Legal AffairsEDAP TMS SA+33 4 72 15 31 50bconfort@edap-tms.com

Investor ContactJeremy FefferLifeSci Advisors, LLC212-915-2568jeremy@lifesciadvisors.com

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EDAP TMS SA to Announce Third Quarter and Nine Months 2019 Financial Results on Wednesday, November 13, 2019 - Yahoo Finance

How the UK investment landscape is helping alleviate NHS load on mental health – BQ Live

Posted on October 28, 2019 by Danzig

Smart TMS aims to expand its growing network of clinics across the UK and Ireland so it can help as many people as possible, as well as expanding its development of this innovative treatment so it can offer its patients the best chance of a full recovery for mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, addiction, and OCD.

Founded by Gerard Barnes and consultant psychiatrist and medical director Dr. Leigh Neal, Smart TMS opened its first clinic in 2015 and currently operates seven across the UK and Ireland. With this investment from Hambro Perks, the company plans to open additional clinics in order to make its expertise and services more widely available to help improve the conditions of individuals countrywide.

Amidst the escalating crisis of the mental health epidemic in the UK, the investment community has seen potential in injecting cash into startups that focus on improving the mental health of individuals. Mental health illnesses are affecting an increasing number of the population, resulting in NHS resources becoming strained. Smart TMS uses an alternative method to the usual pharmaceutical treatments and talking therapies to improve depression and many mental health illnesses.

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation therapy is a non-invasive treatment that uses magnetic pulses to stimulate areas of the brain that can relieve the symptoms of depression, anxiety, and other mental health conditions. With very few side effects, TMS only treats the brain circuits involved in a certain condition, is non-pharmaceutical, and does not flood the brain with unnecessary chemicals. 75 per cent of the patients treated for depression have experienced a significant reduction in their symptoms, with 60 per cent going into remission - meaning they are no longer clinically depressed.

Investment into Smart TMS comes at a time when mental health is prominent in the social sphere with a reported 1 in 4 people suffering from a mental health problem each year. Research conducted by Smart TMS across a nationally representative sample of 2000 British individuals - has found that 6.7 million Brits have left a long-term mental health issue untreated over many years in order to avoid prescription drugs and that 11.2 million people have experienced symptoms of what they think is undiagnosed depression for many years. This highlights the need for innovative new treatments. Furthermore, research by Smart TMS has found that 30% of Brits feel more anxious in social situations than they used to.

Dominic Perks, CEO, and co-founder of Hambro Perks says; Hambro Perks is delighted to support Gerard, Leigh and the Smart TMS team as they continue to build their business and help address mental health illness across the country.

Gerard Barnes, CEO, and co-founder of Smart TMS says; This investment comes at an exciting time for mental health as it is, at long last, coming out of the shadows. We will use the money to increase our clinic network and so change many more lives for the better

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How the UK investment landscape is helping alleviate NHS load on mental health - BQ Live

How Old Dominion is using technology to better serve its customers – Fast Company

Posted on October 28, 2019 by Danzig

In 2018, more than 1 trillion packages were delivered in the U.S. alone. With so much business at stake, shipping and logistics companies must innovate to separate themselves from the competition. In this pedal-to-the-metal environment, technology is one way to stay ahead of the packand its one that Old Dominion has embraced.

ELECTRONIC LOGGING DATA

Old Dominion is whats known as a less-than-truckload (LTL) carrier, which means it picks up shipments from one customer and consolidates that merchandise with freight from other companies headed to the same destination. To improve and prepare for the increased need of tracking and traceability, Old Dominion adopted Automatic Onboard Recording Device technology in 2010, seven years before the U.S. Department of Transportation mandated compliance. Today, the company has upgraded to Electronic Logging Devices (ELD) and has taken in-truck technology further by gleaning diagnostic information from the trucks engine in real time, so that the driver is alerted to a maintenance need before it becomes a problem. We find more benefits from ELD than just the electronic logging piece of it, says Barry Craver, Old Dominions VP of business process and innovation When were being more proactive with this technology were able to provide better service to our customers.

New safety features afforded by ELD result not only in lower costs for its customers, but also allow Old Dominion to reinvest the money it saves back into its network, thereby ensuring an even smoother delivery process. The data speaks for itself: Old Dominions 99.7% plus on-time delivery rate leads the industry.

5G AND IOT

When Old Dominion workers are eventually connected with high-speed, 5G-compatible smartphones, they will be able to better track and trace information. This will allow them, for example, to notify customers that their shipment will be the seventh delivery on that days route while providing real-time updates on the estimated time of arrival. The increase in speed at which [5G] smartphones can operate will increase the capabilities of businesses to service their customers, says Craver, adding that recipients will be able to receive text updates or use the companys app to track delivery.

IoT technology is where it all comes together. Sensors on trucks and wearable devices on drivers use radio frequency identification (RFID) technology to provide in-transit status of every shipment without the time-consuming act of scanning each barcode. In addition, vision- and image-recognition apps provide mobile data capture to optimize inventory, improve shipping and receiving, and track and trace workflows. A recent development in the industry is whats known as a just in time delivery process, whereby the products being shipped are constantly moving from truck to truckcalled cross-dockingrather than being held at a distribution center waiting for the next pickup. IoT helps better manage the product inventory by automating the order process, as well as slowing down or speeding up the delivery flow.

Smartphones utilizing augmented reality can help loading-dock workers sort freight and load the truck in the safest and most efficient way. They can also help locate an item that requires special handling or indicate to an employee when the delivery instructions have been changed. I think humans find it hard to sift through all of that data and make sense of it, Craver says. But with IoT youre going to see more predictive things taking place because [the ability] to process that information will help workers see similarities and the anomalies of the supply chain.

SECURITY IN THE CLOUD

A cloud-based supply-chain transportation-management system (TMS) gives businesses the capability to electronically integrate and transmit data securely over the internet. A TMS can be customizable, allowing users to collaborate in real time, and it offers the ability to add features or criteria as well as replacing ones that are no longer used. A cloud TMS also serves as a one-stop destination to schedule and set deadlines, as well as manage quality control while being sensitive to the bottom line. This is especially important for small and midsize businesses (SMBs) that dont have dedicated supply-chain departments. Since employees at SMBs often wear many hats, a TMS helps level the playing field with larger competitors by increasing shipping efficiencies so that their products are delivered on time.

The requirement from a cost and technology perspective when implementing an on-site software solution is nowhere near what it used to be, Craver says. You can just get on the internet, sign up with a TMS, and youre ready to go.

BLOCKCHAIN

In the near future, when blockchain technology is implemented across an entire supply chain, the company will be able to trace the history of an item, starting from where and when it was manufactured to the particulars of how that item was assembled. This precise ledger can then be used to track when an item arrives in a warehouse and when it gets ordered. In such a scenario, once Old Dominion took possession of a package, the company could accurately track when the item was shipped and its subsequent movement.

Blockchain will also allow shippers to dig deeper into an items history to identify manufacturing failures and track them back to a particular lot or order. If, say, the item was recalled, shippers would be able to help determine a strategy to remedy the defect, what type of warranty has to be processed, and what decisions need to be made to satisfy the customer.

Craver sees blockchain having its greatest potential in the food-transportation sector, in which the prompt delivery of perishable goods is essential. Well be able to track that particular item to what farm it was grown on or what plant it is from, he says, adding that, once the technology is implemented at scale (estimates range from five to ten years), the cost benefits can be enormous. Rather than having to search for a larger lot because were not really sure where it originated, well be able to be more precise, which benefits not only the manufacturer but our customers too.

This article was created for and commissioned by Old Dominion.

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How Old Dominion is using technology to better serve its customers - Fast Company

EDAP TMS S.A. (EDAP) estimated to achieve average price target of $5.72 – Market Seat

Posted on October 28, 2019 by Danzig

EDAP TMS S.A. (EDAP) stock moved 2.45% to 5.02 on Friday. It has been trading on front line as seeing to it recent volume. The stock traded recent volume of 253432 shares, this represents a daily trading in volume size. EDAP maintained activity of relative volume at 1.14.

When analyzing volume, determine the strength or weakness of a move. As traders, we are more interested to take part in strong moves and dont join moves that show weakness or we may even watch for an entry in the opposite direction of a weak move. These guidelines do not hold true in all situations, but they are a good general aid in trading decisions.

The Average True Range was recorded at 0.29. The volatility in the previous week has experienced by 6.92% and observed of 6.16% in the previous month. The stock price value Change from Open was at 2.24% with a Gap of 0.20%. The stocks short float is around of 0.32% and short ratio is 0.18. The stock has a beta value of 1.83.

Moving toward the technical facts, its current distance from 20-Day Simple Moving Average is 8.44% and standing 22.68% away from 50-Day Simple Moving Average while traded 45.01% away from 200-Day Simple Moving Average.

A moving average is the average price of a contract over the previous n-period closes. For example, a 20-period moving average is the average of the closing prices for the past 20 periods, including the current period. For intra-day data the current price is used in place of the closing price. The moving average is used to observe price changes. The effect of the moving average is to smooth the price movement so that the longer-term trend becomes less volatile and therefore more obvious.When the price rises above the moving average, it indicates that investors are becoming bullish on the commodity. When the prices fall below, it indicates a bearish commodity. As well, when a moving average crosses below a longer-term moving average, the study indicates a down turn in the market. When a short-term moving average crosses above a longer term moving average, this indicates an upswing in the market. The longer the period of the moving average, the smoother the price movement is. Longer moving averages are used to isolate long-term trends.

EDAP TMS S.A. (EDAP) stock managed performance 7.73% over the last week and switched with performance of 12.56% throughout past one month period. The stock price exposed a move of 171.35% so far this year and uncovered flow of 86.62% in recent year. The shares price displayed 51.20% return during the recent quarter while it has presented performance of 1.01% over the past six months. The stock exhibited 271.85% change to a low over the previous 12 months and manifested move of -7.38% to a high over the same period.

Price Target Estimate:

Analysts expected the average price target of $5.72 that is probable to reach in coming one year period. The price target of a stock is the price at which the stock is fairly valued with respect to its historical and projected earnings. Investors can maximize their rates of return by buying and selling stocks when they are trading below and above their price targets, respectively. Research analysts often publish stock price targets along with buy-sell recommendations. However, investors can and should determine their own price targets for entering and exiting stock positions.

Investors could set buy and sell price points around target prices to maximize returns. The ideal time to buy a stock is usually when it is trading at a substantial discount to its target price. This discount could be the result of weak market conditions or overreaction to recent company setbacks. The ideal time to sell a stock is usually when it is trading higher than its target price range or during overheated markets.

Currently, the 14-day Relative Strength Index (RSI) reading is at 67.41. As you can see RSI calculation is fairly simple. The objective of using RSI is to help the trader identify over sold and overbought price areas. Overbought implies that the positive momentum in the stock is so high that it may not be sustainable for long and hence there could be a correction. Likewise, an oversold position indicates that the negative momentum is high leading to a possible reversal.When the RSI reading is between 30 and 0, the security is supposed to be oversold and ready for an upward correction. When the security reading is between 70 and 100, the security is supposed to be heavily bought and is ready for a downward correction. Institutional owners hold 19.10% stake while Insiders ownership held at 6.00% in the company.

Charles Frey

Category Business

After many years in the market, Charles Frey dedicated all his time to write articles highlighting different financial problems. He has worked as financial analyst until his retirement. He is a well-known research director and portfolio manager for more than 5 years.

Charles holds a postgraduate degree in Software Engineering. The stock market is filled with individuals who know the price of everything, but the value of nothing. Charles is a share market expert, being personally invested for over 6 years. He has been writing his entire life, and while he has made a career of business and finance reporting, he still enjoys writing short stories and poetry.

Address: 2520 North Van Buren Street, Wilmington, DE 19802, USA

Email: [emailprotected]

Zip code: 19802

Contact # 302-298-6858

Charles Frey

Category Business

Address: 2520 North Van Buren Street, Wilmington, DE 19802, USA

Email: [emailprotected]

Zip code: 19802

Contact # 302-298-6858

Welcome to crane country – The Hindu

Posted on October 28, 2019 by Danzig

No one warned K.S. Gopi Sundar that sarus cranes attack. He was a novice when he waded through waist-deep water towards a floating nest, expecting the incubating adult to walk away. Instead, it rose to its full five-foot-plus height and spread its enormous grey wings. Its trumpeting call blasted his eardrums. This wasnt what cranes were reported to do. He stood rooted as he gaped up at this towering bird when it swooped at his head, its dagger-shaped beak barely missing him. He dove into the water, unmindful that his field notebook, binoculars, and camera were getting ruined. Its piercing shriek sped up his retreat. Farmers, who had stopped work to watch, rebuked him, What were you thinking! These birds can kill you.

Sundar had discovered the peril of generalising that all cranes act the same. In many ways, sarus crane behaviour is the exception rather than the rule because the tallest flying birds in the world arent persecuted by people. Elsewhere, cranes harassed by humans are too timid to save their own skins.

The grey birds with bare red heads seem harmless as they strut, looking for insects and grain, through farmlands around Mainpuri, 100 kilometres east of Agra, Uttar Pradesh. As Sundar found out later, the farmers were not being dramatic. Over the past three to four decades, defensive sarus cranes had stabbed about 20 children. But the parents faulted their kids for provoking the birds.

Celebrated in epic sagas and revered for their long-term monogamous relationships, sarus cranes hold a special place in the residents hearts. Farmers dont chase them away from their fields, instead, relying on them to maintain surveillance at night. If nilgai or stray cattle come to feast, the vigilant birds pipe up, waking the people and saving their crops.

Armed protectors

Sundar not only underestimated the sarus but also the depth of villagers regard for them. He learned to approach nests to take measurements only when the less aggressive females were on incubation duty. After noting the figures, when he returned to his motorbike parked by the roadside, he often had to contend with men armed with sticks. They thought he was stealing eggs.

Geology, history, cropping cycles, cultural reverence, and the monsoon combine to make the Yamuna and Ganga basin sarus crane central. The largest population of this species lives in the most populous state of the country. The entire landscape is a blanket of sarus territories, and the birds dont leave at any time, says Sundar. No other crane species is as territorial as the sarus.

Cranes in committed relationships throw their heads up in the air and trumpet together while the males fluff their wings. By analysing audio recordings, the researcher realised each unison call is as unique as a fingerprint and can be used to identify pairs without catching and marking them.

Mystery messages

The birds communicate subtly too. A small greyish skin patch on the crown makes the red-headed cranes seem bald. By controlling the flow of blood, they adjust the size of the spot at will. Since the bright colour catches the eye, they get the message across without getting physical or noisy, although what they say is still a mystery.

Sundar caught fledglings and slipped colour coded bands onto their pink legs for identification. Thirteen years later, one of those youngsters returned to an area adjoining the spot where he had been born. Bachelors kicked out by established pairs bide their time in marginal no cranes land, waiting for a vacancy. In this case, the former owner flew into overhead electrical lines and perished, allowing the youngster to possess a piece of territory and start a family.

The banding exercise had an unintended consequence. The cranes around Mainpuri associated motorbikes with the trauma of their young being caught. For three years after the operation, they trumpeted in outrage at every passing motorcycle.

They generalised human behaviour.

Janaki Lenin is not a conservationista but many creatures share her home for reasons she is yet to discover.

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Welcome to crane country - The Hindu

BBC News heads to the dark web with new Tor mirror – The Verge

Posted on October 28, 2019 by Danzig

BBC News has made a version of its website available on the Tor network, allowing it to be more securely accessed via the anonymising browser. The news organisation is putting its international edition on the network, with coverage available in a variety of languages including Arabic, Persian, and Russian. The Tor network is frequently associated with the dark web, but its also a vital tool for anyone looking to preserve their anonymity while accessing regular websites.

The move is aimed at making the BBCs news coverage available more securely in countries that attempt to restrict access to it such as China, Iran, and Vietnam. Although the BBCs typical bbc.com/news URL already loads when visited via the browser, BBC News reports that using the .onion top level domain prevents spoofing and preserves end-to-end encryption, making it a more secure way to access the news site. Facebook launched a similar mirror back in 2014.

If youd like to give the service a go, you can download the Tor browser and head over to Bbcnewsv2vjtpsuy.onion. Alternatively, the Brave browser also includes a Tor browsing mode similar to the Incognito modes offered on other browsers.

BBC News heads to the dark web with new Tor mirror - The Verge

Harry Potter: 10 Things About Ron Weasley The Movies Deliberately Changed – Screen Rant

Posted on October 28, 2019 by Danzig

The Ron Weasley in the books versus the Ron Weasley in the movies is quite different in many ways. While there are many similarities between both versions of the Harry Potter character, fans have noted that many things about Rons personality were changed for the movies. While, of course, some moments and scenes cant be translated from book to screen or need to be cut out for time, many feel that Rons characterization was changed too much. They feel he didnt really completely get his due compared to Harry and Hermione because of these changes.

RELATED:Harry Potter: 10 Fan Fiction Relationships We Wish Were Real

Here are ten things about Ron Weasley that the movies deliberately changed.

Click the button below to start this article in quick view

One of the saddest things about all the changes made to Ron as a character is how it makes him almost pointless in the plot. So many of Rons big moments and his importance as a member of the trio dont translate onto the screen. It often feels like Ron doesnt even need to be there as so many of the important things that happen are based around Harry or Hermione. Ron often gets less important screen time, so he can come off more as a side character.

While Ron is portrayed in the movies as Harry's best friend, the importance of this isn't really touched on. Ron and Harry are very close in the books, and their friendship is essential to Harry.

RELATED:Harry Potter: 6 Reasons Ron Is Harrys Best Friend (& 4 Reasons Its Actually Hermione)

They hang out together and have similar hobbies. Hermione is also a best friend, but they have a different bond. In the movies, it comes off like Hermione is much closer to Harry than Ron.

Because the movies dont have as much time to tell a story, they cant go into as much detail. So, while Rons family is around in the movies, the importance they have to Ron as a character isnt as focused on. Rons family is the cause of many of his deepest insecurities while also being extremely important to him. This aspect of his character isnt really explored that much in the movies likely because of time reasons.

In the books, its clear that Hermione and Ron both play vital roles in Harrys life. Harry needs them both, and they both have individual ways in which they said Harry in his journey as the Chosen One.

RELATED:10 Most Controversial Changes Made To The Story In The Harry Potter Movies

Ron often provides somewhat of a grounding and calming presence when Harry is more dramatic or Hermione is more emotional. He sometimes provides common sense, and this isnt shown in the books. One example is when he helps Hermione remember to do magic when the Devils Snare has them.

One of the other important ways that Ron functions as an important member of the trio is how he is the voice of knowledge about the wizarding world. In Harry Potter, there are a lot of cultural things that Harry and Hermione dont understand as they were raised by Muggles. Ron is able to provide this insight and knowledge since he was raised in the wizarding community. This knowledge is actually quite important to Harry many times.

In the books, Ron is overall a very loyal and caring friend. While he has his moments of insecurity, its clear that he does care deeply about his friends. They didnt showcase this near as often in the movies.

RELATED:Harry Potter: 10 Times Ron Weasley Surprised Us All

For example, at the end of Prisoner of Azkaban, Ron is willing to die to save Harry and Hermione while in thefilms he cowers in the corner while Hermione defends Harry.

In the books, Ron is also quite a funny character. He makes a lot of jokes and is clearly a character with a good sense of humor. But, in the movies, instead of making him humorous, they tend to make them more the butt of the joke.

RELATED:Harry Potter: 10 Things About Harry The Movies Deliberately Changed

Hes often used more as comic relief not because hes funny but because he comes across goofier. This is a shame because it really takes away from who Ron is. His sense of humor is an important part of his character, but he shouldnt be of the joke.

Ron might not be the smartest of the trio as far as grades go, but then again its also hard to compete with Hermione when shes so smart. But, Ron isnt an incompetent person. Hes probably mostly average overall as a wizard, but he isnt below average by any means. In many classes, he and Harry do equally as well at magic. But, in the movies, it comes across like Harry is extremely gifted at all kinds of magic while Ron is kind of subpar. This really makes it seem like hes more useful and incompetent than he really is.

One thing that many fans are frustrated about in the movies is that Ron doesnt really get a chance to shine. In the books, both Hermione and Ron have moments where they are the heroes as well as times when they are more flawed. But, in the movies, Hermione is often made out to be this perfect heroine while Iron is a bit of a dunce. This means that some of Rons best moments and lines are given to Hermione at Rons expense. This is a shame because overall it makes them both less interesting as characters.

This is a more minor change because it only has to deal with physical appearance, but it is one of the most obvious changes to spot. In the books, its talked about many times that the Weasleys are all red-heads with freckles. In the movies, however, Ron has red hair but not the freckles. This isnt a big deal, but it does seem like something that could have been added. However, it probably wasnt worth the effort of the continuity it would take to keep the freckles the same.

NEXT:Harry Potter: 10 Appearance Changes Between The Book Characters To The Movies

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Harry Potter: 10 Things About Ron Weasley The Movies Deliberately Changed - Screen Rant

Gallant: 2 reasons why Seahawks arent more than above-average – MyNorthwest.com

Posted on October 28, 2019 by Danzig

Seahawks QB Russell Wilson attempted 20 passes to Seattle's 33 runs on Sunday. (AP)

Ive always wondered what would have happened inThe Matrixif Neo had taken the blue pill. After all, the real world that theredpill led to was a bombed-out, sky-scorched land where machines treat humans like AA batteries. Cypher said it best while eating his fake juicy meat: Ignorance is bliss.

Seahawks 27, Falcons 20: ONeils column | 710 reacts | Recap | Britt hurt

The first half of the Seahawks 27-20 victory over the Falcons featured a lot of blue pill bliss:

Chris Carson and company looked like they could run for 300 yards. Russell Wilson and Tyler Lockett were doing Russ & Tyler things. Matt Schaub threw an interception and nearly tossed a pick-6. The Seahawks scored three straight touchdowns going into the half.

But it also made me overlook some concerning developments that would rear their ugly heads in the second half, and that red pill realization of the truth set in:

The Seahawks are one of many above-average teams across the NFL.

Please excuse my rejection of reality, Hawksplainers. Believe me, I get it the Seahawks just dont blow teams out, even though they should. So instead of focusing on the repetitive trend, lets look at why its continuing in 2019.

Its easy to forget the struggles of the Seahawks defense in the first half, but the Falcons moved the ball all game long. They just couldnt stop shooting themselves in the foot before halftime.

Two missed field goals One interception (and another near pick-6 before one of the missed field goals) One fumble

If the Seahawks defense was a plus unit, they would have feasted on Matt Schaub, a 38-year-old backup QB who hasnt played well since 2012. But Seattles D is clearly not that. Schaub threw for 460 yards and a touchdown via screens, quick passes, and a lot of Julio Jones.

Matt. Schaub. Yes, this one.

Its time to swallow this red pill: The Seahawks wont have a pass rush in 2019. Im sure Pete Carroll will tell us that the ball was getting out quickly, but Seattle only managed two sacks in this game. One was via a Bobby Wagner blitz and the other was on a pass setting up to be a Hail Mary at the end of the second quarter. If it cant get sacks or force bad throws from a team thats allowed the third-most hits on QBs (for what its worth, Seattle had seven Sunday), those sacks are just never coming.

There were some nice moments. Rookie safety Marquise Blair has been an imposing thumper with two games of extended reps under his belt. And on a day without starting cornerback Tre Flowers, Shaquill Griffin made some nice plays on the ball (though Jones and Calvin Ridley looked unstoppable, and often).

Im going to highlight a nice moment that should have been more, however a near pick-6 thrown by Schaub to Akeem King. Schaub, who just hung it up while under pressure, badly overthrew his man and hit King right in the hands. Alas, the ball went through his mitts. An inconsistent defense without a pass rush must take advantage of every opportunity like that, because failing to capitalize against an actually good team will result in a loss.

The Seahawks offense is entirely dependent on three playmakers:

Russell Wilson Tyler Lockett Chris Carson

Its one of the better triplets in the league, and as they go, this offense goes.

But at times, it seems like offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer is overwhelmed by these three options. Like a dogthat cant decide what its favorite toy is. The Seahawks first two possessions of the second half killed nearly all of their momentum. Two play calls in particular irked me:

Drive 1: A Carson run on first-and-15 (after an illegal formation) Drive 2: A Carson run on third-and-4

Carson was having a great first half, but that shouldnt make Schottenheimer forget about Wilsons existence especially in a game where center Justin Britt suffered what appears to be a serious knee injury. Russ is one of the best players in the league and should have thrown far more than 20 passes against the Falcons and their fifth-worst pass defense.

There were some other things that bothered me, namely Seattles idea of throwing jump balls to a covered David Moore. But Ill always be most frustrated by the Hawks obsession with achieving offensive balance. Why? Because they dont even do it right (20 passes to 33 runs).

Follow 710 ESPN Seattles Paul Gallant on Twitter.

If Hawks make another trade, what position needs the most help?

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Gallant: 2 reasons why Seahawks arent more than above-average - MyNorthwest.com

Kincade Fire in Sonoma County burns 10000 acres; Napa County Fire heads to the scene – Napa Valley Register

Posted on October 28, 2019 by Danzig

The entire unincorporated community of Geyserville has been placed under a mandatory evacuation order as the Kincade Fire burns to the east and is advancing west into town Thursday morning, according to Sonoma County Sheriff's Officials.

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All residents in Geyserville were ordered to leave just before 6:30 a.m. as the Kincade Fire burns out of control, damaging at least two structures in rural northeast Sonoma County, according to Cal Fire and sheriff's officials.

Cal Fire-Napa County Fire resources are among the many agencies fighting the fire, a Cal Fire representative said Thursday morning.

A total of 300 people have already been forced from their homes and an additional 1,700 people have been warned to be ready to leave.

The blaze has charred 10,000 acres with 0 percent containment as of 6 a.m., Cal Fire officials said. A total of 328 fire personnel are battling the blaze.

The evacuation center at Windsor High School at 8695 Windsor Rd. in Windsor will close at 7 a.m., county officials said. The Healdsburg Community Center at 1557 Healdsburg Ave. in Healdsburg will remain open.

The Sonoma County Sheriff's Office ordered mandatory evacuations and warnings starting at 12:30 a.m. Thursday. Residents on Red Winery Road, all of Alexander Mountain Road, state Highway 128 from Geysers Road to River Road including the Red Rock Casino and all roads off River Road have been ordered to leave.

The California Highway Patrol said that Highway 101 remains open.

The American Red Cross advises residents with large animals to head to the Sonoma County Fairgrounds at 1350 Bennett Valley Rd. in Santa Rosa.

The National Weather Service said as of 5:45 a.m. max wind gusts in the area of the blaze had come down to about 40-50 mph on the highest peaks and humidity remains very low. Sustained winds had dropped down to about the mid 20-to-30 mph range in the higher elevations.

At 2 a.m., conditions in the area of the fire showed temperatures in the 70s to 80s, with relative humidity in the single digits.

A Red Flag Warning remains in effect until 4 p.m. Thursday.

The fire has surged from being 300-400 acres around 11:30 p.m.

Wednesday to 5,000 acres around 1 a.m. Thursday and then 7,000 acres a little more than one hour later, per fire officials.

Sgt. Juan Valencia said there are still no reports of injuries or structure damage. The blaze was first reported at about 9:30 p.m. Wednesday in rural Sonoma County off John Kincade and Burned Mountain roads east of Cloverdale, Cal Fire officials said.

Per its outage website, PG&E had shutdown power in the area a few hours prior around 5 p.m. for its Planned Safety Power Shutdown due to high fire danger weather.

A PG&E spokesperson said the company is aware of the blaze and that power in the area had been shutdown to 27,837 customers in the area around 3 p.m. Wednesday for the safety shutdown.

"The Kincade Fire is near the PSPS footprint, and we are working to gather additional information," the statement said.

Valencia said residents are advised to call 211, not 911, for information on the fire. He said 911 should only be used to report a life-threatening emergency.

View the fire from the perspective of Napa County-based California Highway Patrol pilots below:

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Kincade Fire in Sonoma County burns 10000 acres; Napa County Fire heads to the scene - Napa Valley Register

Tottenham back on track in Europe with 5-0 rout of Red Star – Minneapolis Star Tribune

Posted on October 28, 2019 by Danzig

LONDON Tottenham enjoyed all the goals this time as it went from its heaviest home European loss to its biggest Champions League win.

Son Heung-min and Harry Kane both scored twice and Erik Lamela also netted in a 5-0 victory over Red Star Belgrade on Tuesday to lift the gloom at Tottenham.

It came three weeks after the humiliation of a 7-2 loss to Bayern Munich for last season's finalist.

Having also thrown away a 2-0 lead to draw their Group B opener to Olympiakos, Spurs are back on track in Europe. They moved to second place, a point ahead of Red Star but five behind Bayern Munich, which beat Olympiakos 3-2.

"It's exactly what we needed to do," Kane said after making it 18 goals in 22 Champions League appearances. "We know we've been in a tough run of results and it was the perfect way to respond."

It isn't just in Europe where Tottenham has struggled until Tuesday.

With only one win in his last four Premier League games, manager Mauricio Pochettino even expressed doubts over his Tottenham future.

Tottenham fans reminded the club's leadership "He's magic" in chants as the goals flowed against Red Star.

Pochettino was helped by a fellow Argentine.

It was a corner from Lamela that Kane headed in after nine minutes and he provided the cross that Son ran onto before finishing with a half volley in the 16th minute.

Son was on target again in the 44th, with Tanguy Ndombele slipping the ball through to the South Korea forward, who beat goalkeeper Milan Borjan at his near post.

"It's been a tough time," Son said. "We need to stick together."

This was not a night when Tottenham was going to surrender a winning position.

Not after the fourth goal came in the 57th minute.

Kane won the ball in midfield before playing in Serge Aurier on the right flank. The right back crossed to Lamela who netted on the turn to mark his 200th Tottenham appearance with a goal.

The Serbian champions offered little resistance in defense.

Kane had time to control Ndombele's pass in the penalty area before slipping in the fifth goal in the 72nd minute.

"We were ruthless in front of goal today," Kane said, "which we need to do more often."

It seemed a rare day when everything went smoothly but it came a month after a 4-0 victory over Crystal Palace provided a platform to build on that was never seized.

"It's a great moment to grow, be more mature," Pochettino said. "It should help us to be stronger in the future."

Tottenham heads to Liverpool on Sunday 13 points behind the Premier League leaders after nine games.

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Tottenham back on track in Europe with 5-0 rout of Red Star - Minneapolis Star Tribune

5 takeaways from the Patriots 27-13 win over the Browns – Boston.com

Posted on October 28, 2019 by Danzig

COMMENTARY

Five takeaways from the Patriots 27-13 win over the Browns, which saw Bill Belichick get career win No. 300 against the team that gave him his start as a head coach

THE BROWNS DIDNT BELIEVE

Theres always a fine line in football between a team playing to its strengths versus that same team being too predictable in its strategy. For instance, the prevailing wisdom prior to Sundays game was that the Browns best chance of challenging the Patriots was to pound the ball on the ground with the explosive Nick Chubb rather than entrust things to the leagues most-intercepted quarterback against a defense thats hawking the ball at historic proportions.

So how did Cleveland start Sunday? With four short pass attempts. Then they turned the ball over on the next three plays.And that, effectively, was the ball game.

Once the Browns settled in, they were competitive. Baker Mayfield connected on a dozen straight throws in one stretch. Nick Chubb finished with 131 rushing yards. Cleveland outscored New England over the final three quarters, 13-10.

However, none of that mattered in the result because the Browns began the game in a 17-0 hole. And given the way they dug that hole for themselves, its worth asking whether the dominance of the Patriots defense so far this season has crept into the heads of their opponents. And if that mental edge is becoming as much an advantage as the one established by the depth and level of the Pats physical talent.

That was clearly the case against the Jets, when Sam Darnold was seeing ghosts, and it appeared to be a factor again against the Browns. Cleveland was coming off its bye, so it had two weeks to prepare. Entering at 2-4, its coaches and players understood the desperation baked into their circumstances. Whether they scouted themselves or the Patriots in preparation, it wouldve been clear that the ground game was their best shot at beating their unbeaten hosts.

But instead they got cute by opening in the air. Then Chubb failed to protect the ball, which was wet to begin with, against a team that thrives on turnovers. And, almost ignoring that the second fumble came after a 44-yard carry, the Browns then tried an underhanded shovel pass that was thrown right into the face of New England lineman Lawrence Guy.

Theres no taking away from what the Patriots defense has accomplished. Donta Hightowers touchdown was the defenses fourth of the season. Guys pick gave them 25 takeaways through eight games. But this week showed some previously unseen cracks. The Browns ran the ball effectively, were the more efficient side for stretches, and managed to create some matchup problems. Cleveland challenged New England.

And it could have done so far more seriously had its coaching staff started the day more confident that the team was capable of doing so.

LETS MAKE A DEAL

Mohamed Sanu wasnt great in his Patriots debut, but he was good enough. His biggest play came in the second quarter, when he found a spot over the middle, got to the sticks, and held on through a lick to make a fourth-down-converting catch. His other grab on five targets was a fourth-quarter crosser that gained 19 yards.

Theres got to be more there if the Pats are to ultimately justify giving Atlanta a second-round pick for him, but its a start. And, hopefully, its also just a start for the Patriots efforts to improve themselves before the trade deadline.

The deadline is Tuesday at 4 p.m., and before then New England should be active in pursuit of improvements to the offense and particularly the offensive line, given the ravaging that group has incurred as a result of injury.

Big-ticket right guard Shaq Mason missed Sundays game, joining left tackle Isaiah Wynn and center David Andrews as the starters who have been relegated to the sideline up front. Theres a chance Wynn could return from injured reserve, and Mason isnt expected to be a long-term loss, but the ineffectiveness of the patchwork in front of Brady has begun to impact what the offense can do. And is as culpable as anything for the lack of consistency and clear strength that currently defines the attack.

Tom Brady was sacked three times Sunday, and was forced to throw away a handful of passes under pressure. That came on the heels of Monday night, when the Patriots prioritized getting the ball out of the quarterbacks hands quickly, as though doubting their ability to protect him on a traditional drop back. And then theres the matter of a running game that averaged 2.9 yards per rush against the Browns, further asserting itself as one of footballs least-effective units.

This isnt to say the Patriots should necessarily go out and throw a first-rounder toward the Redskins for holdout Trent Williams. But fortifying the offensive line could create the offensive balance and efficacy that at times has been painfully absent. Its worth paying a price to try and fix it. Its worth overpaying, even.

EDELMAN THE INVALUABLE

As his co-occupants in the receivers room come and go on what seems to be a regular basis, Julian Edelman just keeps delivering with his consistent excellence as valuable now as ever, and on high-profile display during another big performance on Sunday evening.

Edelman scored twice against the Browns, with both of those touchdowns highlighting how good he remains at finding the vulnerabilities in a defense, keeping play alive, and re-routing in such a way that he remains available for his quarterback. Its a combination of playmaking and predictability that is pivotal for an offense thats still trying to figure out its pieces and its power.

On his first score, Edelman initially tried to cross from Bradys left to right across the goal line, but found a linebacker in his path. Undeterred, Edelman staggered his stride, and adjusted with a banana cut back toward his quarterback. That gave him some space to make the catch, and it also gave him a running start for the surge he needed to get into the end zone.

His second score was similar, but this time the rush forced Brady out of his first look, then out of the pocket. Again going from left to right, Edelman worked his way into a gap in the coverage and the quarterback fired on the run.

Two and a half minutes after the Browns moved within one score, the Patriots lead ballooned back to 14. And an offense without an identity was again rescued by the impeccable on-the-fly recognition of its most reliable weapon.

THE RED ZONE IS AN ISSUE

The enormity of Edelmans two scores was amplified by the Patriots problems in the red zone, which is a season-long concern that continued when they converted only two of their six trips inside the 20-yard line on Sunday.

Those two were the touchdown tosses to Edelman. Otherwise they were forced to settle for a 20-yard field goal after facing second and goal from the 2; a blocked field goal after a 13-play march stalled just inside the 15; a 29-yard field goal after a one-yard run and two incompletions came after the club got down to the 12; and a missed field goal after the Pats took over on downs at the Cleveland 14 and actually went a couple of yards backwards.

Take away the two passes to Edelman, and thats six points on four series that advanced to within the foes 15. Overall, with that 2-for-6 New England dropped to an even 50 percent touchdown rate in the red zone for the season (18-for-36), and figures to drop from where they ranked at 19th in the NFL at the start of Week 8. If that rate survives through the second half, itll mark the Patriots worst red-zone percentage since 2003, when they scored touchdowns on 22 of 50 red-zone trips (44 percent). Yes, even the Matt Cassel-led offense of 2008 was better (52.8 percent).

Sunday, the trouble inside the 20 was multifaceted. They attempted six runs that netted nine yards. Brady was sacked once, losing seven yards. And Brady tried 10 passes, completing five for 10 yards. Take away the two scores to Edelman and he was 3-of-8 for 11 yards.

Those are ugly numbers made even uglier when by missing a couple of the four easy kicks.

NOW THE FUN BEGINS

With the Bills loss on Sunday, every team in the AFC now has at least two losses except for the Patriots, of course. Halfway through the campaign, the Pats are cruising to another AFC East title, and at this rate may not even need to sweat out the fight for one of the conferences two first-round playoff byes.

But things change a bit next week. Thats when New England travels to Baltimore to take on one of those two-loss teams, and John Harbaughs Ravens dont figure to come out of their own bye week looking as spooked and second-rate as the Browns did. They soared into their midseason siesta by going to Seattle and knocking off the Seahawks, and have historically been a squad that doesnt back down to the challenge presented by Brady and Belichick.

Further, they possess the NFLs No. 1 rushing offense, which Chubb and, before him, Frank Gore may suggest is the best way to attack the Patriots. The Ravens are a group that wont be afraid of inviting the Pats into a slugfest. Nor will they be fearful about taking shots and being aggressive. But typically they trust the system Harbaugh has built.

Ultimately, Sunday was about survival; getting a win and moving forward on a short week, against a talented team, amid tough conditions. But now its on to an intriguing matchup that promises to be as telling a test as the Patriots have faced. And a tilt that may tell us whether some of the cracks that are starting on the surface are truly worthy of being classified as concerns.

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5 takeaways from the Patriots 27-13 win over the Browns - Boston.com

Tom Perezs No-Win Situation – The Atlantic

Posted on October 28, 2019 by Danzig

What I dont have right now is an immediate set of tools that I can say to this group: Next week, we can do the following to help you, Perez told me. What we do have right now is what were building ... and that we is not just us, but the movement that is coming together to recapture our democracy.

Hes still building. Even the Democratic politicians and operatives who regularly complain to me about Perez have acknowledged that he is in a no-win situation. Staffers at the DNC headquarters know it, too: If the Democratic nominee beats Donald Trump, Perez will get none of the credit, and if the Democrat loses, hell get more than his share of the blame. The most frequent criticism I hear about Perez is that by trying to stay neutral and not shape the nomination process, he has actually done a lotthat in his mission to restore faith in a retrenched Democratic establishment, hes instead come off like the embodiment of the establishments slow and awkward collapse.

For example, Perezs critics say that by refusing to change the established DNC rules and hold a climate-change debate, he is betraying the planet. (The counterargument: A concession might have opened the door to any number of topic-specific debates, and its not clear that one debate on climate change would have significantly changed how the issue has been addressed in the race.) By not buying ads defending former Vice President Joe Biden from Trumps smears in the Ukraine scandal, some go as far to say, Perez has betrayed the party and the Constitution (though buying those ads would have opened the DNC up to accusations of favoring one candidate). But perhaps most of all, Perezs attackers say, by making primary-debate rules that rely on donor and polling thresholds, hes enabled outsider candidates to advance and prevented more experienced Democrats from gaining momentum.

Read: The Democratic debates arent pleasing anyone

I asked Perez about this last claim, specifically: Has he made it so that the candidate who becomes the Democratic nominee is the one who spent months hoop-jumping to qualify for the debates? Tom hasnt made sure, he said. The voters have made sure. He went on: When youre at zero percent in the polling or 1 percent in a few polls, I dont see any historic precedent. Were three months and change out [from the Iowa caucuses]. I mean, nobody who was under 2 percent in the fall for the last 40 years won even a caucus. Nobody under 4 percent in December won anything.

Jeff Weaver, Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermonts top strategist, told me he sees DNC chair as maybe one of the most difficult jobs in Washington, while making a point to say Perez has been working hard and doing it capably.

Arguably, there has never been a time in modern politics when the DNC was more important. Even though some people have already dropped out, this is still the largest primary field in history (just like everyone else, Perez didnt expect quite this many people to run). And while Democrats are consumed with fighting for the nomination, with neither the time nor the money to start thinking as far ahead as next November, the Trump campaign is already raising and spending more than any presidential campaign to date.

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Tom Perezs No-Win Situation - The Atlantic

Federal parties in for long night as voting heads into final hours – Red Deer Advocate

Posted on October 28, 2019 by Danzig

OTTAWA Federal parties could be in for a long and tense night as the clock ticks toward the first polls closing in Newfoundland and Labrador in a few hours before the rest of the country begins to follow suit.

Canadians started heading to the polls on Monday morning to cast their ballots following a 40-day election campaign that featured countless promises, numerous personal attacks and enduring uncertainty right up to the finish line.

The Liberals under Justin Trudeau and Conservatives under Andrew Scheer started the election largely neck-and-neck in opinion polls and, despite their best efforts, neither leader seems to have been able to jump ahead.

While voting was reportedly going smoothly across much of the country, Elections Canada confirmed problems with some polling stations that had caused delays in their being opened. Officials said these were isolated incidents.

There were also concerns about some voters having reportedly received robocalls in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Quebec with incorrect or misleading information about when and where they could cast their ballots. Elections Canada did not immediately confirm these reports.

The Liberals, meanwhile, were flagging concerns about some candidates from the other parties continuing to run advertisements on Facebook on Monday despite a blackout on paid social-media or search-engine ads on election day.

Elections Canada doesnt evaluate incidents in real time, said spokeswoman Natasha Gauthier, adding complaints about potential ads running during the blackout period should go to the Office of Commissioner of Canada Elections, whose mandate is to investigate and enforce the rules.

As with any general election, we have been receiving complaints about election advertising as well as advertising during the blackout period, Myriam Crousette, spokeswoman for the Office of the Commissioner of Canada Elections, said in an email.

However, the Office of the Commissioner does not confirm or deny whether we are in the process of conducting an investigation. This is in keeping with the confidentiality provisions of the Canada Elections Act.

The Conservatives, NDP and Greens did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Trudeau voted in his Montreal riding of Papineau on Monday morning after flying back the night before from British Columbia, where he spent the final day of the campaign and which could prove critical to deciding which party gets to form government.

He was joined by his wife Sophie Gregoire Trudeau and their three children.

The Liberal leader, who came to power in 2015 on an inspirational promise of governing differently, suffered an uneven election campaign this time around thanks in part to revelations he wore racist makeup before entering politics.

The SNC-Lavalin affair also continued to dog Trudeau, as did anger among some progressives over his failure to reform the electoral system and his governments decision to buy the Trans Mountain oil pipeline.

Scheer was scheduled to cast his ballot later in the day in Regina after also spending Sunday in Vancouver and B.C.s Lower Mainland in the hopes of securing enough seats to knock off the incumbent Liberals.

Like Trudeau, the Conservative leader faced challenges on the campaign trail, where he was seen as underperforming in the first French-language debate and faced pointed questions about his position on abortion and climate change.

The other leaders also sought to portray a Tory government as one that would cut services for Canadians after Scheer promised to balance the budget in five years, and he faced questions about his U.S. citizenship and claims to have been an insurance broker.

Scheer spoke briefly Monday to supporters in Wascana, Sask., where the Conservatives are hoping to unseat Ralph Goodale, the longtime Liberal MP and cabinet minister who has been the Liberals only representative in the province for years.

Ralph Goodale has sold out Saskatchewan time and time again, Scheer said before going door to door to encourage voters to get to the polls.

He voted against major pipeline projects that would get Saskatchewan resources to other markets. He voted in favour of the carbon tax. Todays the day we are all going to send Ralph Goodale a message: If he wont vote for Saskatchewan, we wont vote for him.

Ultimately, once all the ballots are cast and counted, the balance of power could reside with one of the other main parties should neither the Liberals nor Conservatives secure enough seats to win a majority government.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, who will spend the night in his B.C. riding of Burnaby South after voting in last weekends advance polls, started the race facing questions about his leadership due to lacklustre fundraising, a shortage of candidates and other organizational challenges.

More than a month later, however, Singh is seen to have run a surprisingly strong campaign that has attracted many progressive voters, resulting in a bump in the NDPs polling numbers, even though the partys chances in Quebec remain uncertain.

The NDP leader was cheered by volunteers and supporters as he visited a campaign office in Burnaby, where he thanked those who helped over the past month and a half before reflecting on the partys campaign.

The reason why I think we got a lot of love, he said, a reason why a lot of people have been saying this is an exciting campaign, is because its been about people. Weve been fighting for people every single day of this campaign.

Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet has overseen a surge in support in la belle province after his party was largely left for dead after abysmal results in 2011 and 2015 followed by years of infighting.

While many Quebecers say sovereignty is not a priority, Blanchet has been able to tap into the same nationalist sentiment that propelled the centre-right Coalition Avenir Quebec to power at the provincial level.

That resurgence has come at the expense of the Liberals, Conservatives and NDP, all of which entered the campaign hoping to win over Quebecers, who have historically played a major role in deciding the makeup of the government in Ottawa.

Meanwhile, Green Leader Elizabeth May, who voted in her riding on Vancouver Island on Monday, is hoping her party can capitalize on its recent success in provincial votes and translate that to more seats in the House of Commons.

May, who voted at St. Elizabeth Catholic Church in Sidney, B.C., said she spent the morning answering messages of support from children who told her theyve been urging their parents and grandparents to vote Green.

It leaves you feeling very inspired and uplifted for a solid Green turnout today, she said.

Maxime Bernier, who has spent much of the campaign trying to protect his own seat in Beauce, Que., will find out whether his upstart Peoples Party of Canada is a movement or a footnote.

I hope that the participation rate will be very high all across the country and well see what will happen in a couple of hours from now, he said before casting his ballot.

The first polls will close around 7 p.m. ET in Newfoundland and Labrador, with the last closing in B.C. at 10 p.m.

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Federal parties in for long night as voting heads into final hours - Red Deer Advocate

BLOG: TCU drills Texas creating second half turnovers for 37-27 win – KXAN.com

Posted on October 28, 2019 by Danzig

FORT WORTH (KXAN) Texas better be ready for the TCUs top notch defense. The Horned Frogs sport the best run defense and the second best passing defense in the conference.

The Longhorns defense doesnt appear to be a confident bunch after allowing 48 points and 560 yards to Kansas at home last week. Texas survived the game with a Cameron Dicker field goal for the 50-48 victory.

Texas hasnt won at Amon G. Carter Stadium since 2013 being outscored 74-14 in their last two games in Fort Worth.

TCU will be motivated dealing with a two-game losing streak. The Longhorns are struggling with injuries in the secondary.

Defensive backs Caden Sterns, Chris Brown, Josh Thompson and DeMarvion Overshown have all be ruled out for this contest.

TCU first possession, first quarter

What happened: This drive was a big boost to a Texas defense that desperately needed some confidence. TCU converted on its first third down conversion, but the Longhorns defense held near the 50-yard line to force a TCU punt

Texas first possession, first quarter

What happened: Texas head coach Tom Herman normally goes for it on fourth and short situations in the red zone. He didnt follow the trend during Texas first possession settling for a 21-yard Cameron Dicker field goal. Texas drove 80 yards in five minutes.

Score: Texas leads 3-0

TCU second possession, first quarter

What happened: The Longhorns snagged their 13th turnover of the season on a Max Duggan interception. Brandon Jones played the middle of the field and Duggan likely didnt see the senior safety on a deep ball. A blindside block penalty on freshman Tyler Owens erased a 40-yard return placing the ball at the Texas 12-yard line.

Texas second possession, first quarter

What happened: Sam Ehlinger threw his second interception in as many weeks deep in his own territory. Linebacker Garret Wallow got the pick. The Horned Frogs are set up in the Longhorns red zone at the 20-yard line. This is Ehlingers fourth interception and sixth forced turnover by the TCU defense this season.

TCU third possession, first quarter

What happened: Another win for the Texas defense being placed in a difficult situation. The Longhorns stopped TCU for a three-and-out. Jonathan Song kicked a 20-yard field goal to tie the game.

Score: Game tied at 3

TCU fourth possession, second quarter

What happened: Defensive tackle Keondre Coburn took a bad penalty that extended the TCU drive. Coburn was called for roughing the passer on a third down at the Texas 46 yard line. With new life, TCU took five plays to get into the end zone. Max Duggan floated a pass down the middle of the field and receiver Pro Wells caught it for a 24-yard touchdown. On further evaluation, it feels like Texas safety Montrell Estell should have been able to make a play on the ball to prevent the completion.

Score: TCU leads 10-3

Texas fourth possession, second quarter

What happened: It took four plays for the Longhorns to equalize the score. Devin Duvernay made a great play on an Ehlinger deep ball down the right side. With Duvernays speed, the TCU defense didnt have a chance to catch up on the 47-yard score.

Score: Game tied at 10

Texas fifth possession, second quarter

What happened: The Longhorns got a gift on the ensuing kickoff. Jalen Reagor fumbled the ball on the return near the 25-yard line. Byron Vaughns forced the fumble. The Longhorns couldnt capitalize on the turnover.

Cameron Dicker missed a 26-yard field goal to the left. It looked like Dickers plant leg slipped right before he kicked.

Score: Game tied at 10

Texas seventh possession, second quarter

What happened: Keaontay Ingram was wide open in the flat and Ehlinger executed the throw for a 17-yard touchdown pass. The big play of the drive came on third and 16 from their own 11-yard line. Collin Johnson made an unbelievable catch on the right sideline for a 25-yard gain. The catch was reviewed and confirmed. Devin Duvernay followed with a 28-yard reception to the TCU 36. After falling behind 10-3, the Longhorns have scored 14 straight points.

Score: Texas leads 17-10

TCU eighth possession, second quarter

What happened: Griffin Kell nailed a 52-yard field goal after Texas head coach Tom Herman used a timeout to try and ice the TCU kicker. The field goal attempt that was stopped for a timeout missed badly, but didnt count.

Score: Texas leads 17-13

HALFTIME NOTE

With Ehlingers touchdown pass to Ingram in the second quarter, the Longhorns junior quarterback now ranks second in school history in total touchdowns with 82. Ehlinger passed Vince Young on the career list.

Texas possession, third quarter

What happened: Devin Duvernay does it again. On third down, Ehlinger found Duvernay on the slant two broken tackles later Duvernay broke off a 63-yard run. For the game, the senior receiver has seven receptions, 169 yards and a touchdown. The Longhorns couldnt punch it in for a touchdown and a two possession lead, however. An offensive pass interference penalty on Collin Johnson forced a Dicker 38-yard field goal.

Score: Texas leads 20-13

TCU possession, third quarter

What happened: TCU is starting to take some shots deep on the Texas secondary. Max Duggan hit Taye Barber for a 51-yard pass play to get TCU inside the five-yard line. Sewo Olonilua ran for a one-yard touchdown run.

Score: Game tied at 20

Texas possession, third quarter

What happened: Ehlinger threw his fifth interception of the season on third down of the drive. Momentum is snowballing toward the Horned Frogs sideline. It looked like Ehlinger couldve run for the first down, but instead opted for the ill-advised throw that was intercepted by ArDarius Washington.

TCU possession, third quarter

What happened: That didnt take longDuggan goes deep to Jalen Reagor who absolutely burned DShawn Jamison in coverage. Reagor scored on a 44-yard deep ball for the Horned Frogs lead. TCU is finally trying to attack the young Texas secondary and its working to perfection.

Score: TCU leads 27-20

Texas possession, fourth quarter

What happened: Ehlinger is forcing throws and just forced his way into a third interception in his own territory doubling his interception mark for the season. TCU has scored 13 points off Texas turnovers. Jonathan Song connected on a 33-yard field goal after the interception.

Score: TCU leads 30-20

Texas possession, fourth quarter

What happened: Ehlinger needed a good drive to keep the game going. He converted on two passes on third and long and ran for 26 yards during a 12 play, 75 yard drive capped off by a Roschon Johnson two-yard touchdown.

Score: TCU leads 30-27

TCU possession, fourth quarter

What happened: This Texas defense cannot get off the field on third down and its going to result in their third loss of the season. The pivotal play came on third and 14 near midfield. Duggan, facing heavy pressure, just lobbed a deep ball up near Taye Barber and he made the catch on freshman Tyler Owens to the 11-yard line. Duggan finished the drive a play later with an 11-yard touchdown run.

Score: TCU leads 37-27

Texas possession, fourth quarter

What happened: TCU closed out the game with a fitting ending on an Ehlinger interception. Ehlinger throws his fourth interception on his 48th pass. The interception is a career-high.

FINAL: TCU wins 37-27

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BLOG: TCU drills Texas creating second half turnovers for 37-27 win - KXAN.com

Trump says US forces cornered IS leader in dead-end tunnel – The Associated Press

Posted on October 28, 2019 by Danzig

WASHINGTON (AP) Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi , the shadowy leader of the Islamic State group who presided over its global jihad and became arguably the worlds most wanted man, died after U.S. special operators cornered him during a raid in Syria, President Donald Trump said Sunday.

Last night, the United States brought the worlds No. 1 terrorist leader to justice, Trump announced at the White House, providing graphic details of al-Baghdadis final moments at the helm of the militant organization. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is dead.

In a national address, Trump described the nighttime airborne raid in Syrias northwestern Idlib province, with American special operations forces flying over heavily militarized territory controlled by multiple nations and forces. No U.S. troops were killed in the operation, Trump said.

The death of al-Baghdadi was a milestone in the fight against IS, which brutalized swaths of Syria and Iraq and sought to direct a global campaign from a self-declared caliphate. A yearslong campaign by American and allied forces led to the recapture of the groups territorial holding, but its violent ideology has continued to inspire attacks.

As U.S. troops bore down on al-Baghdadi, he fled into a dead-end tunnel with three of his children, Trump said, and detonated a suicide vest, killing himself and the children. He was a sick and depraved man, and now hes gone, Trump said. He died like a dog, he died like a coward.

Al-Baghdadis identity was confirmed by a DNA test conducted onsite, Trump said.

Trump had teased a major announcement late Saturday, tweeting that Something very big has just happened! By the morning, he was thanking Russia, Turkey, Syria and Iraq, as well as Kurdish fighters in Syria for their support.

The operation marks a significant foreign policy success for Trump, coming at one of the lowest points in his presidency as he is mired in impeachment proceedings and facing widespread Republican condemnation for his Syria policy.

The recent pullback of U.S. troops he ordered from northeastern Syria raised a storm of bipartisan criticism in Washington that the militant group could regain strength after it had lost vast stretches of territory it had once controlled. Trump said the troop pullout had nothing to do with this.

Planning for the operation began weeks ago, Trump said, after the U.S. gained unspecified intelligence on al-Baghdadis whereabouts. Eight military helicopters flew for more than an hour over territory controlled by Russian and Syrian forces, Trump said, before landing under gunfire at the compound.

Trump vividly described the raid and took extensive questions from reporters for more than 45 minutes Sunday. He said U.S. forces breached the walls of the building because the doors were booby-trapped and chased al-Baghdadi into the tunnel, which partially collapsed after al-Baghdadi detonated the suicide vest. Many homes in Syria, which has been riven by civil war since 2011, have subterranean tunnels or shelters from the fighting.

Trump also revealed that U.S. forces spent roughly two hours on the ground collecting valuable intelligence. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Sunday that the U.S.-led Coalition launched at least one airstrike in western Aleppo aimed at Abu Hassan al-Muhajer, an aide to al=Baghdadi.

Trump said he watched the operation from the White House Situation room as it played out live as though you were watching a movie. Trump suggested he may order the release of the video so that the world knows al-Baghdadi did not die of a hero and spent his final moments crying, whimpering and screaming.

Trump approved the operation Saturday morning after receiving actionable intelligence, Vice President Mike Pence told CBS Face the Nation.

Trump had spent Friday night at Camp David and flew by helicopter Saturday morning to golf at his private Virginia club. He then returned to the White House.

Trump said he teased the announcement as soon as American forces landed safely in a third-country. An Iraqi security official confirmed the U.S. aircraft took off from the Al-Asad air base in western Iraq, where Trump visited American forces in December.

Trump said he did not follow convention in informing leaders on Capitol Hill, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., before the raid, saying he was fearful of leaks.

Pelosi said the House must be briefed on this raid, which the Russians but not top congressional leadership were notified of in advance, and on the administrations overall strategy in the region.

Defense Secretary Mark Esper said the mission was to capture or kill the IS leader. While Trump had initially said no Americans were injured, Esper said two service members suffered minor injuries but have already returned to duty. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said a military dog chasing al-Baghdadi was seriously wounded by an explosive blast.

In his address from the White House, Trump suggested that the killing of al-Baghdadi was more significant than the 2011 operation ordered by his predecessor, President Barack Obama, that killed al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, who was responsible for the 9/11 attacks. Trump later repeated a false claim that he predicted the threat posed by bin Laden in a book before the 2001 attacks.

He also praised Russia and the Syrian government American foes and defended his ban on entry to the U.S. from some Muslim-majority countries. He called European allies a tremendous disappointment for not repatriating foreign IS fighters.

Trumps national security adviser, Robert OBrien, said al-Baghdadis remains would be dealt with in accordance with Islamic law and buried at sea in the same way that bin Ladens were.

Praise for the military operation was swift, coming from American allies and even the presidents political opponents. In congratulating the U.S. forces and intelligence officials, but not Trump, former Vice President Joe Biden warned that IS remains a threat to the American people and our allies.

But one counterterrorism expert said al-Baghdadis death is not the end of IS.

Counterterrorism must be part of the strategy, but reducing the strategy to just special operations raids and drone targeting, as this administration seems to want to, guarantees a forever war, said Katherine Zimmerman of the American Enterprise Institute. She said extremists strength and staying power lies in the support they have locally among the disenfranchised and economically deprived populations.

Al-Baghdadis presence in the village a few kilometers from the Turkish border was surprising, even if some IS leaders are believed to have fled to Idlib after losing their last sliver of territory in Syria to U.S.-allied Kurdish forces in March.

Iraqi officials said Sunday they passed information that helped ascertain al-Baghdadis whereabouts to the U.S. from the wife of an Iraqi aide to al-Baghdadi, as well as al-Baghdadis brother-in-law, who was recently arrested by the Iraqis. The officials werent authorized to publicly discuss intelligence operations and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Al-Baghdadi had led IS for the last five years, presiding over its ascendancy as it cultivated a reputation for beheadings and attracted tens of thousands of followers to a sprawling and self-styled caliphate in Iraq and Syria. He remained among the few IS commanders still at large despite multiple claims in recent years about his death and even as his so-called caliphate dramatically shrank, with many supporters who joined the cause either imprisoned or jailed.

His exhortations were instrumental in inspiring attacks in the heart of Europe and in the United States. Shifting away from the airline hijackings and other mass-casualty attacks that came to define al-Qaida, al-Baghdadi and other IS leaders supported smaller-scale acts of violence that would be harder for law enforcement to prepare for and prevent.

They encouraged jihadists who could not travel to the caliphate to kill where they were, with whatever weapon they had at their disposal. In the U.S., multiple extremists have pledged their allegiance to al-Baghdadi on social media, including a woman who along with her husband committed a 2015 massacre at a holiday party in San Bernardino, California.

With a $25 million U.S. bounty on his head, al-Baghdadi was far less visible in recent years, releasing only sporadic audio recordings, including one just last month in which he called on members of the extremist group to do all they could to free IS detainees and women held in jails and camps.

The purported audio was his first public statement since last April, when he appeared in a video for the first time in five years. In that video, which included images of the extremist leader sitting in a white room with three others, al-Baghdadi praised Easter Day bombings that killed more than 250 people and called on militants to be a thorn against their enemies.

___

Associated Press writers Eric Tucker and Jill Colvin in Washington, Zeina Karam in Beirut, Qassim Abdul-Zahra in Baghdad and Zeynep Bilginsoy in Istanbul contributed to this report.

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Trump says US forces cornered IS leader in dead-end tunnel - The Associated Press

South still supports Trump, but base of disapproval is also steady – NBC News

Posted on October 28, 2019 by Danzig

JACKSON, Miss. The South is continuing to stick with President Donald Trump, though 47 percent disapprove of how hes handling his job, according to results from a new NBC News|SurveyMonkey poll.

That's a slight uptick from the 45 percent who disapproved of the president in the July poll. The new poll found that 52 percent approve of the president's work.

But support for impeachment in the region does not mirror that disapproval number. Only 44 percent said Trump should be impeached and removed from office, while 54 percent opposed it.

NBC News|SurveyMonkey polled voters and residents in 11 states across the South, but the data comes during a particularly interesting time for Mississippi, which is in the midst of a hotly contested governors race.

The president is expected to visit the state on Friday to help campaign for the Republican nominee, Tate Reeves, the state's lieutenant governor. Donald Trump Jr. also joined Reeves at several events over the weekend.

Reeves who has closely tied his campaign to Trump and his family has struggled against the Democratic nominee, state Attorney General Jim Hood, in a race that would be a layup for most Republicans in the deeply red state.

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Its particularly noteworthy as the current governor, Phil Bryant, a Republican, maintains an approval rating of 69 percent.

Nevertheless, polls throughout the race have shown Hood, the only statewide elected Democrat in Mississippi, remaining close to Reeves.

The new poll comes two weeks before the Nov. 5 election. Reeves has outspent his opponent $8.3 million to $3.1 million and holds a single-digit lead, 47 percent to Hoods 40 percent, well outside the nearly 2-percentage-point margin of error.

The Reeves campaign did not respond to requests for comment. The Hood campaign declined to comment.

Trumps presence could give Reeves a needed boost: Forty-one percent of Mississippians said the presidents endorsement would play an important factor in who they decide to vote for in November.

Reeves campaign is banking on that.

Theres no doubt that conservatives are rallying behind our efforts, Reeves said at a press event NBC News attended on Wednesday.

Obviously, President Trump [and] Vice President Pences involvement in our campaign is helpful. With respect to that, were honored to have the president coming to Mississippi in the next 10 days.

But Mississippians also hunger for policy answers at a time when the state has seen its economic growth sputter and stop at or below about 2 percent every year since the recession, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis.

As the state faces major questions on whether it should take federal assistance and expand Medicaid, how to fund necessary fixes to its faltering infrastructure and how to increase teacher pay and retain talent, 54 percent of Mississippians said those three issues should be the next governor's top priorities, and more than 60 percent said they would be willing to pay more taxes to support public schools and fund infrastructure improvements.

On Wednesday, however, Reeves insisted that taxes were not the answer but provided few proposed solutions himself.

We believe you know how to spend your money better than any government entity ever will, he said next to a sign that listed the cost of Hoods policy proposals, which includes expanding Medicaid, providing statewide pre-K and increasing teacher pay and education funding.

The NBC News|SurveyMonkey Southern Regional Poll was conducted online from Oct. 8 to Oct. 22, 2019. Results are among a regional sample of 9,050 adults aged 18 and over, including 7,905 registered voters. The regional sample includes respondents who live in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas or Virginia. The error estimate for registered voters is plus or minus 1.9 percentage points.

Phil McCausland is an NBC News reporter focused on the rural-urban divide.

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South still supports Trump, but base of disapproval is also steady - NBC News

Washington Post: Company with ties to Trump’s brother given government contract – CNN

Posted on October 28, 2019 by Danzig

The government contract from the US Marshals Service went to the company CertiPath, which has been owned since 2013 by a firm with ties to Trump's younger brother, Robert Trump, the Post reports.

An anonymous rival bidder filed a complaint with the Justice Department's office of the inspector general claiming that CertiPath did not disclose "one of the President's closest living relatives stood to benefit financially from the transaction," according to a copy of the July 22 complaint letter obtained by the Post.

CertiPath, based in Reston, Virginia,specializes in digital security and verifying online identities, the Post reports, and the contract was to provide security for federal courthouses and cell blocks.

The complaint reads, according to the Post: "The circumstances of this contract award, and what appear to be CertiPath's effortsto obscure Mr. Robert Trump's financial interest in the company even as it trades on the Trumpname, present the appearance of preferential treatment for those who are close to the President." The complaint was sent by the Washington law firm Venable on behalf of the client, the Post reports.

Venable lawyer Dismas N. Locaria, who signed the complaint letter, declined to disclose to the Post the name of his client. The Post left a phone message for Robert Trump through Trump Management that was not returned.

The president and founder of CertiPath, Jeff Nigriny, said in a statement to the Post that Robert Trump"is one investor in an entity which holds a minority interest in Certipath" and that"he is exclusively a passive investor, has no management role whatsoever, is not an officer or director, and his name has never been used or mentioned by CertiPath in any solicitation for a government contract, whether state or federal."

"Certipath has never used the Trump name in any way, and to do so would be completely inconsistent with our business practices and ethics," Nigriny added.

The contract has been awarded to CertiPath but so far no money has been paid out, the Post reports. Another company, NMR Consulting, also filed a protest against the bid with the Government Accountability Office on July 1, according to the newspaper. That protest led to a "stop work order" on the contract, Drew Wade, a spokesman for the US Marshals Service, told the Post.

"There's no money being spent with CertiPath until this issue is resolved," Wade told the Post.

Wade said the NMR complaint is about a separate issue and "has nothing to do with the president or his relationships," according to the Post. NMR did not respond to calls and emails from the Post seeking comment.

Wade told the Post the US Marshals Service had no knowledge of the allegations that a member of the President's family has a financial interest in CertiPath, and did not have knowledge of the complaint to the inspector general.

The inspector general has not initiated a review of the matter, the Post reports, citing a public listing of their reviews regarding the Marshals Service. A spokeswoman for the inspector general declined to comment further to the Post.

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Washington Post: Company with ties to Trump's brother given government contract - CNN

Was a Photo of Trump in the White House Situation Room Staged? – Snopes.com

Posted on October 28, 2019 by Danzig

U.S. President Donald Trumps announcement on the morning of Oct. 27, 2019, that a military operation in Syria had resulted in the death of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi prompted many comparisons and contrasts with President Barack Obamas similar announcement several years earlier about the raid in Pakistan that had killed al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. In particular, attention focused on photographs taken of the two presidents with members of their national security teams in White House situation rooms while those operations were in progress:

As some critics noted, in the former photograph Trump is in the center of the photograph at the head of the table, everyone pictured is dressed neatly in suit and tie, the subjects are all looking into the camera and appear to be emotionally composed, and the table curiously contains a bunch of colorful ethernet cables that dont appear to be connect to anything. By contrast, in the latter photograph Obama is neither in the center of the pictured nor seated at the head of the table, most of the persons present (including Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, and members of Obamas national security team) are lacking suit coats and/or ties, no one pictured is looking at the camera, and the tension felt by those present in the room is palpable.

These differences led some critics to claim that Trumps situation room photograph had been staged, and that (just as had been falsely claimed of Obama several years earlier), Trump had actually been out golfing when the operation got underway. Particularly, Pete Souza, the official White House photographer who snapped the famous situation room photograph of Obama seen above, suggested that timestamps indicated the former photograph to have been taken well after the raid that led to al-Baghdadis death:

Many online commenters also seized on records and reports supposedly showing that Trump was on a golf outing until just after 3 p.m. on Oct. 26 and didnt arrive at the White House until 4:18 p.m., past the reported time the raid in Syria was taking place:

However, Souza later backed off his previous tweet, maintaining that he hadnt said the situation room photograph was staged, and that its timestamp meshed with Trumps broad statement about timing:

Moreover, these claims of a staged photograph are based on the premise that the raid in Syria was underway or had concluded by 3:30 p.m. EDT on Oct. 26, which doesnt appear to be the case. New Yorker reporter Ben Taub, for example, noted the first on-the-ground posts about a helicopter raid in Idlib started surfacing shortly after 11:00 p.m. local time in Syria. As well, a Time/AP news report described an attack carried out by a squadron of eight helicopters accompanied by a warplane in the Barisha area north of Idlib city, after midnight:

Idlib, Syria, was six hours ahead of Eastern time on the day the raid occurred, so if the operation was indeed unfolding between 11:00 p.m. and midnight in Syria, that would correspond to the interval from 5 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. in Washington, D.C., at a time when the situation room photographs metadata indicated it was snapped.

Were awaiting more precise information about the timing of various events that day, but the available evidence does not seem to support the notion that Trump was away from the White House during the entirety of the Syria operation, and that the photograph of him with his national security team in the White House Situation Room was therefore taken after its conclusion.

Whether the photograph was staged in the sense that its subjects were allegedly posing for the camera rather than being captured naturally and candidly is not something that can be determined from metadata and timing of events.

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Was a Photo of Trump in the White House Situation Room Staged? - Snopes.com

The Trump Administrations War on the Government Is an Autocratic Attempt – The New Yorker

Posted on October 28, 2019 by Danzig

On Friday morning, when I logged on to the Times Web site, two headlines were stacked on the left of the home page. The top one reported that the Justice Department had launched a criminal probe into its own investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election. The headline directly below announced that the Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos, had been found in contempt of court for continuingin direct contravention of judicial decisionsto collect student-loan payments from former students of defunct for-profit colleges. Those headlines were a tiny snapshot of the war between the Trump Administration and the American government as it used to be constituted.

In other news last week: the acting Ambassador to Ukraine, William B. Taylor, Jr., testified about waging a losing battle against Donald Trump and his people to pursue a foreign agenda consistent with government policy and practice. House Republicans stormed a closed impeachment-inquiry hearing in a bizarre direct action of Congress members against congressional practice. And Trumps personal attorney William Consovoy argued in court that his client is immune from any prosecutionincluding, hypothetically, for murdering someone in the middle of Fifth Avenueas long as he is President. These events provided a slightly larger snapshot of Trumps continued war on the government.

Trumpian news has a way of being shocking without being surprising. Most of what we have learned in the course of the last week, or in the month since the impeachment probe in Congress began, or in the more than thousand days since Trump was inaugurated, is consistent with his campaign rhetoricor, rather, his campaign rages against the government, the courts, and Washington. Every one of the events of last week is, in itself, staggering: an assault on the senses and the mental faculties. Together, they are more of the same.

The difficulty with absorbing the news lies, in part, in the words we use, which have a way of rendering the outrageous ordinary. The judge in the Department of Education case, Sallie Kim, a magistrate judge of the Federal District Court in San Francisco, for example, said, Im astounded, really; the Times prefaced this quotation with the statement, Magistrate Judge Kim made it clear this month that she believed the department had acted badly. The Washington Post story on DeVos omitted the more emotional aspects of the hearing, rendering it with the neutral, both-sides tone that a paper would use for a standard court hearingnot one in which a federal agency had blatantly disregarded judicial decisions sixteen thousand times, as Kim pointed out, citing the number of former students and parents affected by the Departments practices. Politico called the ruling an exceedingly rare judicial rebuke of a Cabinet secretary, still falling short of doing justice to the drama of a federal agency seizing the assets of people whom it had been ordered by the courts to leave in peace.

Even if we could find the words to describe the exceptional, almost barely imaginable nature of the weeks stories, that approach would not scale. How do we talk about a series of nearly inconceivable events that have become routine? How do we describe the confrontation of existing government institutions with a Presidential apparatus that wants to destroy them?

In the past few weeks, Ive had the good fortune of listening to a lecture by one of my favorite contemporary thinkers, Blint Magyar, and reading a draft of his latest book. Magyar is a Hungarian sociologist who was once a member of the post-Communist Hungarian government. As his country transformed into an autocracy, he became both a dissident and a student of the transformation. Magyar pioneered the term mafia state, which he has argued is a distinct approach to government. A lot of Magyars argument has to do with terminology. Quite simply, he says, if we use the wrong language, we cannot describe what we are seeing. If you use the language developed for describing fish, you cannot very well describe an elephant: words like gills, scales, and fins will not get you very far.

Magyar has noted that, after 1989, weacademics, journalists, and laypeopleapplied the language of liberal democracy to the societies emerging from the collapse of the Soviet Bloc. This happened both because we expected that they would become liberal democracies and because we had no other language. As a result, when some of these societies developed in unexpected ways, language impaired our ability to understand the process. We talked about, for example, whether they had a free press, or free and fair elections. But saying that they did not, as Magyar told me in an interview, is akin to saying that the elephant cannot swim or fly: it doesnt tell us much about what the elephant is. The same thing happens when we use the language of political disagreement, judicial procedure, or partisan discussion to describe something that breaks out of the system that such terminology was invented to describe. When we talk about shadow foreign policy when discussing Ukraine, for example, we misuse the term: a President, who is the chief foreign-policy official in the United States, cannot run a shadow foreign policy, by definition. What he can do, though, is destroy the institutions and traditions of foreign policy in the course of his war on government.

In his upcoming book, Magyar introduces the term autocratic attempt. It is the first of three stages of establishing autocracythe stage where it may still be reversible. (The next stage is autocratic breakthrough.) It is a useful term to borrow. In the past week, what we observed was a desperate battle between the autocratic attempt and the institutions defensive fight to reverse it. Magyar has analyzed the signs and circumstances of this process in post-Communist countries and has proposed a detailed taxonomy. How it happens here is uncharted territory. We have to invent a way of thinking and writing about it in real time.