'Walgreens utterly saturated the state of Tennessee with narcotics'

By JAMIE SATTERFIELD <a href="https://tennesseelookout.com/2022/09/28/walgreens-ignored-warnings-about-overprescribing-opioids-tennessee-suit-shows/">Tennessee Lookout</a>

When every pharmacy in Southwest 
Tennessee refused to fill prescriptions from a McMinnville doctor under 
probe by federal authorities for peddling opioids to street dealers and 
addicts, Walgreens barred its pharmacists from rejecting them, records 
contained in a lawsuit reveal.

When Walgreens learned a Dayton, 
Tenn., prescriber was shelling out opioids and other dangerous drugs in a
 clinic filled with dogs to cash-paying patients, the drug company told 
its Tennessee pharmacists to keep filling the prescriptions and keep 
quiet about it, records show.

Walgreens knew a Chattanooga 
pill-mill prescriber was offering opioid addicts a free prescription for
 referring 10 more addicts to his practice but filled his prescriptions 
anyway, and the firm refused to stop filling prescriptions from a 
Jackson prescriber whose practice had been raided, according to court 
documents.

“These are far from isolated 
examples,” attorneys with the Tennessee Attorney General’s office wrote 
in a 148-page lawsuit against the national drug store chain earlier this
 year in Knox County Circuit Court. “While Walgreens conducted itself in
 Tennessee as both retailer and (opioid) distributor, it complied with 
the obligations of neither … Walgreens did not flood the state of 
Tennessee with opioids by accident.”

In 14 years, Walgreens pharmacies in 
Tennessee sold more than one billion opiate painkillers — enough to 
supply every child and adult in the state with 175 pills of the deadly 
and addictive narcotic, the drug company’s own records revealed.

And, Walgreens pharmacies are still 
selling them, filling opioid prescriptions daily in more than 200 
pharmacies in Tennessee. The firm has already shelled out billions in 
damages to settle claims in other states over opioid profiteering.

The attorney general’s office is 
demanding in the lawsuit that Walgreens fork over the opioid profits the
 firm earned in Tennessee, too.

Walgreens did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the Tennessee litigation.

The lawsuit includes Walgreens 
internal records, including emails from its Tennessee pharmacists to 
corporate bosses, from its Tennessee pharmacies from 2006 to 2020, as 
well as prescription-filling data.

The numbers cited in the litigation —
 drafted by attorney general consumer protection attorneys Margaret 
Rowland, Olha Rybakoff, Kristine Knowles and Hamilton Milwee — are 
staggering.

Walgreens pharmacies in Sullivan 
County, an epicenter in the opioid epidemic, doled out enough 
prescription painkillers to supply every resident in Sullivan County 
with 226 pills each.

Walgreens stores in Tullahoma sold enough opiates to supply every citizen there 269 pills each.

The firm’s Dunlap, Tenn., pharmacies dispensed enough of the pills to supply that city’s residents 309 each.

A single Walgreens pharmacy in Jamestown, Tenn., sold enough of the drug to supply residents there with 2,104 pills each.

“Walgreens utterly saturated the state of Tennessee with narcotics,” the lawsuit stated.

Among pharmacy chains, Walgreens had 
an advantage in the opioid trade, the litigation shows. In addition to 
ordering opioids from distributors, Walgreens also supplied itself, 
buying directly from drug makers, lawsuit records show. The move meant 
Walgreens was able to sell far more opiates than competitors while 
raising less suspicion of over-dispensing.

“Notably, Walgreens had the highest 
market share in the state from 2008 to 2012, and often by a significant 
margin, during what was arguably the peak of prescription opioid 
dispensing,” the lawsuit states.

When one Walgreens pharmacy maxed out
 its opioid-dispensing limit, the firm ordered pharmacists to send 
pill-seekers to another Walgreens still under the limit, the lawsuit 
shows.

“When orders placed by (one 
Tennessee) store … began to raise flags with Walgreens (compliance 
officers) or its distributors, Walgreens steered customers to (another 
Walgreens in the same area) so that Walgreens could continue to supply 
opioids into the local community without having its suspicious orders 
being reported to the (U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration,)” the 
lawsuit states.

“Between two stores (in Middle 
Tennessee), over 20 million opioid pills entered the Crossville and 
Cookeville communities, enough for each of the combined 50,000 residents
 to receive approximately 500 (doses) each,” according to the lawsuit. 
“Walgreens actually told (supervisors at its Jackson, Tenn.) store how 
to manipulate Walgreens’ systems to artificially increase its ordering 
limits.”

As proof Walgreens executives knew 
they were fueling the opioid epidemic, the lawsuit cites the 
demographics of its opiate-seeking customer base in Tennessee. Customers
 of Walgreens pharmacies in Tennessee hailed from dozens of states 
across the nation as far flung as Alaska and California.

“Three stores in Hamilton County 
dispensed 35 million doses for patients from 4,500 zip codes, including 
ones as far away as Seattle,” the state’s attorneys wrote.

Dog hoarding prescriber? No problem, lawsuit alleges

“He was paid a visit by the DEA a few
 months ago,” an unidentified pharmacist wrote of McMinnville prescriber
 Charles Edward Morgan to his bosses. “Currently no pharmacy in the 
county … will accept new patients from his office … McMinnville Drug 
Center and Rite Aid have given their patients a month to find new 
pharmacies and then will no longer fill any prescriptions for him.

“He has started including diagnosis 
codes on his scripts, but they are often odd,” the email continued. 
“While his practice is listed with the DEA as family practice 
obstetrics, he has started putting ‘cancer’ as the diagnosis for many of
 his patients, but they are being given high dose (opiates) with no 
additional therapy from himself or anyone else … Other pharmacies have 
noted he is prescribing (prescription narcotics) for patients currently 
serving jail time.

“We have not been able to speak to 
him on the phone,” the pharmacist continued. “Many of the patients that 
are presenting (Morgan’s prescriptions) at this time are asking for 
their insurance to be bypassed and are willing to pay high cash prices.”

Walgreens supervisors rebuffed the 
pharmacist’s request to ban Morgan’s prescriptions “and did not warn 
other pharmacies about his prescribing practices,” the lawsuit states. 
“Walgreens’ calculated total revenue potential for Dr. Morgan in 2016 
was $1.7 million.”

Morgan’s state medical license was 
suspended for over-prescribing opiate pills and other dangerous 
narcotics in 2004. His license was permanently suspended in 2017, a 
review of state records by the Tennessee Lookout shows.

Another pharmacist at a Tennessee 
Walgreens wanted to stop filling prescriptions written by Sequatchie 
County nurse practitioner Geoffrey Peterson, who “had worked at several 
pain clinics that had been shut down by the DEA … and was operating a 
primary care clinic, where he also hoarded dogs including in patient 
exam rooms,” records show. The firm refused.

“Even after Peterson was arrested in 
December 2014 for felony possession of drugs (including morphine-filled 
syringes), Walgreens continued filling prescriptions written by him,” 
the litigation states.

Peterson was stripped of his medical license and convicted in a criminal case filed against him in 2015.

Walgreens executives also turned 
aside warnings about Chattanooga prescriber Charles Larmore, continuing 
to fill his prescriptions even after he was indicted federally in a 
pill-mill ring, the lawsuit states.

Larmore has since been convicted and his medical license revoked, records show.

“The DEA told Walgreens as far back as 1988 that its (opioid tracking) practices were insufficient,” the lawsuit stated.

The litigation says the firm shelled 
out money to lobby state legislators and “killed a bill in Tennessee 
that would have required” pharmacies to lock up opioids. The legislation
 was filed after a spate of robberies at Walgreens pharmacies across the
 state by armed pill-seekers who sometimes opened fire inside the 
stores.

“Walgreens set speed and volume goals
 for pharmacists,” the lawsuit states. “It also had a tool that tracked 
the time it took a pharmacist to fill a prescription … These financial 
drivers loomed large for pharmacists, and the company’s revenue from 
selling opioids was never far out of mind.”

Walgreens has not yet filed a response to the litigation.

<h2>'Walgreens utterly saturated the state of Tennessee with narcotics'</h2>By JAMIE SATTERFIELD <a href="https://tennesseelookout.com/2022/09/28/walgreens-ignored-warnings-about-overprescribing-opioids-tennessee-suit-shows/">Tennessee Lookout</a>When every pharmacy in Southwest 
Tennessee refused to fill prescriptions from a McMinnville doctor under 
probe by federal authorities for peddling opioids to street dealers and 
addicts, Walgreens barred its pharmacists from rejecting them, records 
contained in a lawsuit reveal.When Walgreens learned a Dayton, 
Tenn., prescriber was shelling out opioids and other dangerous drugs in a
 clinic filled with dogs to cash-paying patients, the drug company told 
its Tennessee pharmacists to keep filling the prescriptions and keep 
quiet about it, records show.Walgreens knew a Chattanooga 
pill-mill prescriber was offering opioid addicts a free prescription for
 referring 10 more addicts to his practice but filled his prescriptions 
anyway, and the firm refused to stop filling prescriptions from a 
Jackson prescriber whose practice had been raided, according to court 
documents.“These are far from isolated 
examples,” attorneys with the Tennessee Attorney General’s office wrote 
in a 148-page lawsuit against the national drug store chain earlier this
 year in Knox County Circuit Court. “While Walgreens conducted itself in
 Tennessee as both retailer and (opioid) distributor, it complied with 
the obligations of neither … Walgreens did not flood the state of 
Tennessee with opioids by accident.”In 14 years, Walgreens pharmacies in 
Tennessee sold more than one billion opiate painkillers — enough to 
supply every child and adult in the state with 175 pills of the deadly 
and addictive narcotic, the drug company’s own records revealed.And, Walgreens pharmacies are still 
selling them, filling opioid prescriptions daily in more than 200 
pharmacies in Tennessee. The firm has already shelled out billions in 
damages to settle claims in other states over opioid profiteering.The attorney general’s office is 
demanding in the lawsuit that Walgreens fork over the opioid profits the
 firm earned in Tennessee, too.Walgreens did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the Tennessee litigation.‘Utterly saturated the state’The lawsuit includes Walgreens 
internal records, including emails from its Tennessee pharmacists to 
corporate bosses, from its Tennessee pharmacies from 2006 to 2020, as 
well as prescription-filling data.The numbers cited in the litigation —
 drafted by attorney general consumer protection attorneys Margaret 
Rowland, Olha Rybakoff, Kristine Knowles and Hamilton Milwee — are 
staggering.Walgreens pharmacies in Sullivan 
County, an epicenter in the opioid epidemic, doled out enough 
prescription painkillers to supply every resident in Sullivan County 
with 226 pills each.Walgreens stores in Tullahoma sold enough opiates to supply every citizen there 269 pills each.The firm’s Dunlap, Tenn., pharmacies dispensed enough of the pills to supply that city’s residents 309 each.A single Walgreens pharmacy in Jamestown, Tenn., sold enough of the drug to supply residents there with 2,104 pills each.“Walgreens utterly saturated the state of Tennessee with narcotics,” the lawsuit stated.Among pharmacy chains, Walgreens had 
an advantage in the opioid trade, the litigation shows. In addition to 
ordering opioids from distributors, Walgreens also supplied itself, 
buying directly from drug makers, lawsuit records show. The move meant 
Walgreens was able to sell far more opiates than competitors while 
raising less suspicion of over-dispensing.“Notably, Walgreens had the highest 
market share in the state from 2008 to 2012, and often by a significant 
margin, during what was arguably the peak of prescription opioid 
dispensing,” the lawsuit states.When one Walgreens pharmacy maxed out
 its opioid-dispensing limit, the firm ordered pharmacists to send 
pill-seekers to another Walgreens still under the limit, the lawsuit 
shows.“When orders placed by (one 
Tennessee) store … began to raise flags with Walgreens (compliance 
officers) or its distributors, Walgreens steered customers to (another 
Walgreens in the same area) so that Walgreens could continue to supply 
opioids into the local community without having its suspicious orders 
being reported to the (U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration,)” the 
lawsuit states.“Between two stores (in Middle 
Tennessee), over 20 million opioid pills entered the Crossville and 
Cookeville communities, enough for each of the combined 50,000 residents
 to receive approximately 500 (doses) each,” according to the lawsuit. 
“Walgreens actually told (supervisors at its Jackson, Tenn.) store how 
to manipulate Walgreens’ systems to artificially increase its ordering 
limits.”As proof Walgreens executives knew 
they were fueling the opioid epidemic, the lawsuit cites the 
demographics of its opiate-seeking customer base in Tennessee. Customers
 of Walgreens pharmacies in Tennessee hailed from dozens of states 
across the nation as far flung as Alaska and California.“Three stores in Hamilton County 
dispensed 35 million doses for patients from 4,500 zip codes, including 
ones as far away as Seattle,” the state’s attorneys wrote.Dog hoarding prescriber? No problem, lawsuit alleges“He was paid a visit by the DEA a few
 months ago,” an unidentified pharmacist wrote of McMinnville prescriber
 Charles Edward Morgan to his bosses. “Currently no pharmacy in the 
county … will accept new patients from his office … McMinnville Drug 
Center and Rite Aid have given their patients a month to find new 
pharmacies and then will no longer fill any prescriptions for him.“He has started including diagnosis 
codes on his scripts, but they are often odd,” the email continued. 
“While his practice is listed with the DEA as family practice 
obstetrics, he has started putting ‘cancer’ as the diagnosis for many of
 his patients, but they are being given high dose (opiates) with no 
additional therapy from himself or anyone else … Other pharmacies have 
noted he is prescribing (prescription narcotics) for patients currently 
serving jail time.“We have not been able to speak to 
him on the phone,” the pharmacist continued. “Many of the patients that 
are presenting (Morgan’s prescriptions) at this time are asking for 
their insurance to be bypassed and are willing to pay high cash prices.”Walgreens supervisors rebuffed the 
pharmacist’s request to ban Morgan’s prescriptions “and did not warn 
other pharmacies about his prescribing practices,” the lawsuit states. 
“Walgreens’ calculated total revenue potential for Dr. Morgan in 2016 
was $1.7 million.”Morgan’s state medical license was 
suspended for over-prescribing opiate pills and other dangerous 
narcotics in 2004. His license was permanently suspended in 2017, a 
review of state records by the Tennessee Lookout shows.Another pharmacist at a Tennessee 
Walgreens wanted to stop filling prescriptions written by Sequatchie 
County nurse practitioner Geoffrey Peterson, who “had worked at several 
pain clinics that had been shut down by the DEA … and was operating a 
primary care clinic, where he also hoarded dogs including in patient 
exam rooms,” records show. The firm refused.“Even after Peterson was arrested in 
December 2014 for felony possession of drugs (including morphine-filled 
syringes), Walgreens continued filling prescriptions written by him,” 
the litigation states.Peterson was stripped of his medical license and convicted in a criminal case filed against him in 2015.Walgreens executives also turned 
aside warnings about Chattanooga prescriber Charles Larmore, continuing 
to fill his prescriptions even after he was indicted federally in a 
pill-mill ring, the lawsuit states.Larmore has since been convicted and his medical license revoked, records show.“The DEA told Walgreens as far back as 1988 that its (opioid tracking) practices were insufficient,” the lawsuit stated.The litigation says the firm shelled 
out money to lobby state legislators and “killed a bill in Tennessee 
that would have required” pharmacies to lock up opioids. The legislation
 was filed after a spate of robberies at Walgreens pharmacies across the
 state by armed pill-seekers who sometimes opened fire inside the 
stores.“Walgreens set speed and volume goals
 for pharmacists,” the lawsuit states. “It also had a tool that tracked 
the time it took a pharmacist to fill a prescription … These financial 
drivers loomed large for pharmacists, and the company’s revenue from 
selling opioids was never far out of mind.”Walgreens has not yet filed a response to the litigation.

Lawsuit: Walgreens ignored warnings about overprescribing opioids

By TOM MURPHY Associated Press

Shares
 of Biogen and other drugmakers researching Alzheimer’s disease soared 
early Wednesday after Japan’s Eisai Co. said its potential treatment 
appeared to slow the fatal disease’s progress in a late-stage study.

Eisai announced results late Tuesday from a global study of nearly 1,800 people with early-stage Alzheimer’s.

The
 drugmaker said early results showed that its treatment, lecanemab, 
reduced patient clinical decline by 27% when compared to a placebo or 
fake drug after 18 months of the infused treatment. Patients were 
monitored using a scale that measures how they do in areas like memory, 
judgement, problem solving and personal care.

Eisai Co. Ltd. said 
it would discuss full results from the research at a conference in late 
November. It also plans to publish its findings in a peer-reviewed 
medical journal.

The company is already seeking an accelerated 
approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and the agency is 
expected to decide by early next year. Eisai and Biogen will co-promote 
the drug.

The initial results appear to be “quite robust” and will
 likely support regulatory approval, Mizuho Securities analyst Graig 
Suvannavejh said in a research note.

A statement from the 
Alzheimer’s Association called the findings the most encouraging to date
 for potential treatments of the underlying disease causes.

Alzheimer’s
 is a progressive neurological disease with no known cure. Long-standing
 treatments on the market just manage symptoms, and researchers don’t 
fully understand what causes the disease.

Last year, Biogen’s <a href="https://apnews.com/article/science-government-and-politics-business-health-2147d824af9cfde629041d83d9ca7a8d">Aduhelm</a>
 became the first new Alzheimer’s drug introduced in nearly two decades.
 But it has largely flopped after debuting with a price tag of $56,000 
annually, which Biogen later slashed.

Doctors have been hesitant 
to prescribe it, given weak evidence that the drug slows the progression
 of Alzheimer’s. Insurers have blocked or restricted coverage over the 
drug’s high price tag and uncertain benefit.

Like Aduhelm, 
lecanemab, which Eisai developed and ran through clinical trials, seeks 
to remove a protein called beta-amyloid from the brain.

But Eisai 
executives say lecanemab focuses more on floating clumps of the protein 
before it forms a plaque, which is what Aduhelm targets.

Eli Lilly and Co. also is developing a potential treatment, donanemab, that helps clear the protein.

Shares
 of Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Biogen Inc. jumped more than 50% in 
premarket trading Wednesday morning to top $300. The stock had largely 
tumbled since Aduhelm’s debut last year.

Shares of Indianapolis-based Eli Lilly and Co. were up 8%.

By TOM MURPHY Associated PressShares
 of Biogen and other drugmakers researching Alzheimer’s disease soared 
early Wednesday after Japan’s Eisai Co. said its potential treatment 
appeared to slow the fatal disease’s progress in a late-stage study.Eisai announced results late Tuesday from a global study of nearly 1,800 people with early-stage Alzheimer’s.The
 drugmaker said early results showed that its treatment, lecanemab, 
reduced patient clinical decline by 27% when compared to a placebo or 
fake drug after 18 months of the infused treatment. Patients were 
monitored using a scale that measures how they do in areas like memory, 
judgement, problem solving and personal care.Eisai Co. Ltd. said 
it would discuss full results from the research at a conference in late 
November. It also plans to publish its findings in a peer-reviewed 
medical journal.The company is already seeking an accelerated 
approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and the agency is 
expected to decide by early next year. Eisai and Biogen will co-promote 
the drug.The initial results appear to be “quite robust” and will
 likely support regulatory approval, Mizuho Securities analyst Graig 
Suvannavejh said in a research note.A statement from the 
Alzheimer’s Association called the findings the most encouraging to date
 for potential treatments of the underlying disease causes.Alzheimer’s
 is a progressive neurological disease with no known cure. Long-standing
 treatments on the market just manage symptoms, and researchers don’t 
fully understand what causes the disease.Last year, Biogen’s <a href="https://apnews.com/article/science-government-and-politics-business-health-2147d824af9cfde629041d83d9ca7a8d">Aduhelm</a>
 became the first new Alzheimer’s drug introduced in nearly two decades.
 But it has largely flopped after debuting with a price tag of $56,000 
annually, which Biogen later slashed.Doctors have been hesitant 
to prescribe it, given weak evidence that the drug slows the progression
 of Alzheimer’s. Insurers have blocked or restricted coverage over the 
drug’s high price tag and uncertain benefit.Like Aduhelm, 
lecanemab, which Eisai developed and ran through clinical trials, seeks 
to remove a protein called beta-amyloid from the brain.But Eisai 
executives say lecanemab focuses more on floating clumps of the protein 
before it forms a plaque, which is what Aduhelm targets.Eli Lilly and Co. also is developing a potential treatment, donanemab, that helps clear the protein.Shares
 of Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Biogen Inc. jumped more than 50% in 
premarket trading Wednesday morning to top $300. The stock had largely 
tumbled since Aduhelm’s debut last year.Shares of Indianapolis-based Eli Lilly and Co. were up 8%.Cover image courtesy Pixabay

Alzheimer's drug shows promise in early results of study

By MICHAEL HILL Associated Press

ALBANY,
 N.Y. — Some historical battle re-enactors in New York are holding 
their musket fire because of worries over the state's new gun rules — an
 unplanned side effect of a law designed to protect the public's safety.

The
 law that went into effect this month declares parks, government 
property and a long list of other “sensitive” places off limits to guns.
 The rules were geared more for semiautomatic pistols than flintlock 
weapons, but re-enactors who fear being arrested if they publicly 
re-stage battles from the colonial era to the Civil War are staying off 
the field.

Gov. Kathy Hochul’s administration insists that 
historical battle re-enactments are still OK, and some have still taken 
place this month. But persistent skepticism among event organizers and 
participants has resulted in some cancellations, like an 18th century 
encampment and battle re-enactment planned for last weekend north of 
Saratoga Springs.

“We’ve been getting reports from units that were
 supposed to attend that they don’t feel comfortable transporting 
muskets or bringing muskets to the site,” said Harold Nicholson, a 
re-enactor involved in the event at Rogers Island. “And so at that 
point, we decided that it was probably best not to (go ahead)."

The consternation stems from <a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-york-gun-politics-legislature-kathy-hochul-38558a7dc679f01c213aea910da1ba88">a law quickly approved</a>
 after the U.S. Supreme Court invalidated New York's requirement that 
people must demonstrate an unusual threat to their safety to qualify for
 a license to carry a handgun outside their homes.

Hochul and her 
fellow Democrats in control of the state Legislature responded with a 
law that set strict new licensing criteria and <a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-supreme-court-travel-manhattan-gun-politics-legislature-507daf2e3b85e72af606b4f44ef2ceab">limited where handguns, shotguns and rifles</a>
 can be carried. Some re-enactors looking at the letter of the law have 
concluded the old-style weapons they use could place them in the 
crosshairs of the new rules.

Among the canceled events: two Civil 
War re-enactments in upstate New York this month and a Revolutionary War
 raid that was to be staged this weekend at the Fort Klock historic site
 in the Mohawk Valley.

“The reason why we canceled it was for fear
 of exposing the people that we invited to the event to prosecution for 
committing a felony,” said Robert Metzger, a re-enactor who chairs the 
board of Fort Klock Historic Restoration.

Metzger said he realizes
 local sheriff's deputies have “a lot better things to do than to harass
 70-year-old men with flintlocks,” but there was a chance someone could 
complain. And the not-for-profit group did not want to take the chance 
of losing its state charter.

He added that re-enactors from Canada were reluctant to come down for the event.

Hochul's
 press office, in a prepared statement, said historical re-enactments 
can continue under the law “and there should be no concern otherwise.”

“We
 will work with legislators and local law enforcement to ensure these 
events can proceed as they have for centuries,” the administration said.
 "In the meantime, individuals who have lawfully participated in 
reenactments should continue to do so.”

Organizers of a 
re-enactment at Fort Ticonderoga in northern New York took that advice, 
hosting a recreation of a 1777 raid on the fort.

“Both the 
governor’s office and state leadership advised us to just continue 
operations as usual,” said Beth Hill, president and CEO of the Fort 
Ticonderoga Association. “So we haven’t changed anything.”

But the
 governor's repeated assurances have meant less to other groups. They 
say they will not feel secure on simulated battlefields in New York 
until there are changes in the law making it clear they won't become 
defendants if they act like historical soldiers.

“We want our history to live,” Metzger said. “And they’re making it quite difficult.”

By MICHAEL HILL Associated PressALBANY,
 N.Y. — Some historical battle re-enactors in New York are holding 
their musket fire because of worries over the state's new gun rules — an
 unplanned side effect of a law designed to protect the public's safety.The
 law that went into effect this month declares parks, government 
property and a long list of other “sensitive” places off limits to guns.
 The rules were geared more for semiautomatic pistols than flintlock 
weapons, but re-enactors who fear being arrested if they publicly 
re-stage battles from the colonial era to the Civil War are staying off 
the field.Gov. Kathy Hochul’s administration insists that 
historical battle re-enactments are still OK, and some have still taken 
place this month. But persistent skepticism among event organizers and 
participants has resulted in some cancellations, like an 18th century 
encampment and battle re-enactment planned for last weekend north of 
Saratoga Springs.“We’ve been getting reports from units that were
 supposed to attend that they don’t feel comfortable transporting 
muskets or bringing muskets to the site,” said Harold Nicholson, a 
re-enactor involved in the event at Rogers Island. “And so at that 
point, we decided that it was probably best not to (go ahead)."The consternation stems from <a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-york-gun-politics-legislature-kathy-hochul-38558a7dc679f01c213aea910da1ba88">a law quickly approved</a>
 after the U.S. Supreme Court invalidated New York's requirement that 
people must demonstrate an unusual threat to their safety to qualify for
 a license to carry a handgun outside their homes.Hochul and her 
fellow Democrats in control of the state Legislature responded with a 
law that set strict new licensing criteria and <a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-supreme-court-travel-manhattan-gun-politics-legislature-507daf2e3b85e72af606b4f44ef2ceab">limited where handguns, shotguns and rifles</a>
 can be carried. Some re-enactors looking at the letter of the law have 
concluded the old-style weapons they use could place them in the 
crosshairs of the new rules.Among the canceled events: two Civil 
War re-enactments in upstate New York this month and a Revolutionary War
 raid that was to be staged this weekend at the Fort Klock historic site
 in the Mohawk Valley.“The reason why we canceled it was for fear
 of exposing the people that we invited to the event to prosecution for 
committing a felony,” said Robert Metzger, a re-enactor who chairs the 
board of Fort Klock Historic Restoration.Metzger said he realizes
 local sheriff's deputies have “a lot better things to do than to harass
 70-year-old men with flintlocks,” but there was a chance someone could 
complain. And the not-for-profit group did not want to take the chance 
of losing its state charter.He added that re-enactors from Canada were reluctant to come down for the event.Hochul's
 press office, in a prepared statement, said historical re-enactments 
can continue under the law “and there should be no concern otherwise.”“We
 will work with legislators and local law enforcement to ensure these 
events can proceed as they have for centuries,” the administration said.
 "In the meantime, individuals who have lawfully participated in 
reenactments should continue to do so.”Organizers of a 
re-enactment at Fort Ticonderoga in northern New York took that advice, 
hosting a recreation of a 1777 raid on the fort.“Both the 
governor’s office and state leadership advised us to just continue 
operations as usual,” said Beth Hill, president and CEO of the Fort 
Ticonderoga Association. “So we haven’t changed anything.”But the
 governor's repeated assurances have meant less to other groups. They 
say they will not feel secure on simulated battlefields in New York 
until there are changes in the law making it clear they won't become 
defendants if they act like historical soldiers.“We want our history to live,” Metzger said. “And they’re making it quite difficult.”

Hold fire: Re-enactors fear being targeted by NY gun law

Prototype electric airplane takes first flight

LAS
 VEGAS (AP) — A dolphin habitat at a hotel on the Las Vegas Strip has 
been temporarily closed after the third mammal death at the attraction 
in five months.

Officials at the Mirage Secret Garden and Habitat said an 11-year-old bottlenose dolphin named K2 died Saturday.

The
 cause of death remains unclear, but officials told the Las Vegas 
Review-Journal that the mammal had been receiving treatment for a 
respiratory illness.

They say Maverick, a 19-year-old bottlenose 
dolphin, died Sept. 2 following treatment for a lung infection while 
13-year-old Bella died in April after undergoing treatment for 
gastroenteritis.

According to the international organization 
Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums’ website, a bottlenose 
dolphin’s life expectancy is about 28 to 29 years.

Mirage interim 
President Franz Kallao said officials were working closely with 
veterinary and pathology experts to determine the cause of death for K2,
 who was born at the Secret Garden.

“We are also working with 
additional outside veterinary, water quality, behavioral, animal 
welfare, and environmental experts to help us conduct a thorough review 
and inspection of both the animals and the facility,” Kallao added.

In
 February 2019, four remaining bottlenose dolphins at a Phoenix-area 
aquatic facility were moved to a new home in the Caribbean after four 
deaths at Dolphinaris Arizona since its 2016 opening.

LAS
 VEGAS (AP) — A dolphin habitat at a hotel on the Las Vegas Strip has 
been temporarily closed after the third mammal death at the attraction 
in five months.Officials at the Mirage Secret Garden and Habitat said an 11-year-old bottlenose dolphin named K2 died Saturday.The
 cause of death remains unclear, but officials told the Las Vegas 
Review-Journal that the mammal had been receiving treatment for a 
respiratory illness.They say Maverick, a 19-year-old bottlenose 
dolphin, died Sept. 2 following treatment for a lung infection while 
13-year-old Bella died in April after undergoing treatment for 
gastroenteritis.According to the international organization 
Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums’ website, a bottlenose 
dolphin’s life expectancy is about 28 to 29 years.Mirage interim 
President Franz Kallao said officials were working closely with 
veterinary and pathology experts to determine the cause of death for K2,
 who was born at the Secret Garden.“We are also working with 
additional outside veterinary, water quality, behavioral, animal 
welfare, and environmental experts to help us conduct a thorough review 
and inspection of both the animals and the facility,” Kallao added.In
 February 2019, four remaining bottlenose dolphins at a Phoenix-area 
aquatic facility were moved to a new home in the Caribbean after four 
deaths at Dolphinaris Arizona since its 2016 opening.Cover image courtesy Pixabay

Vegas attraction closed after 3rd dolphin death in 5 months

In a world first, <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-s-dart-mission-hits-asteroid-in-first-ever-planetary-defense-test">NASA has crashed a spacecraft into an asteroid</a>
 in an attempt to push the rocky traveler off its trajectory. The Double
 Asteroid Redirection Test – or DART – is meant to test one potential 
approach that could prevent an asteroid from colliding with Earth. David
 Barnhart is a <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=lYrFzm4AAAAJ&amp;hl=en&amp;oi=ao">professor of astronautics</a>
 at the University of Southern California and director of the Space 
Engineering Research Center there. He watched NASA’s live stream of the 
successful mission and explains what is known so far.

By DAVID BARNHARDT <a href="https://theconversation.com/nasa-crashed-a-spacecraft-into-an-asteroid-photos-show-the-last-moments-of-the-successful-dart-mission-191402">The Conversation</a>

<a href="https://www.nasa.gov/feature/dart-s-final-images-prior-to-impact">The first images</a>,
 taken by a camera aboard DART, show the double asteroid system of 
Didymos – about 2,500 feet (780 meters) in diameter – being orbited by 
the smaller asteroid Dimorphos that is about 525 feet (160 meters) long.

As the targeting algorithm on DART locked onto Dimorphos, the craft 
adjusted its flight and began heading towards the smaller of the two 
asteroids. The image taken at 11 seconds before impact and 42 miles (68 
kilometers) from Dimorphos shows the asteroid centered in the <a href="https://dart.jhuapl.edu/Mission/Impactor-Spacecraft.php">camera’s field of view</a>. This meant that the targeting algorithm was fairly accurate and the craft would collide right at the center of Dimorphos.

<a target="_blank" href="mailto:?subject=NASA%20crashed%20a%20spacecraft%20into%20an%20asteroid%20%E2%80%93%20photos%20show%20the%20last%20moments%20of%20the%20successful%20DART%20mission%20%E2%80%94%20The%20Conversation&amp;body=Hi.%20I%20found%20an%20article%20that%20you%20might%20like%3A%20%22NASA%20crashed%20a%20spacecraft%20into%20an%20asteroid%20%E2%80%93%20photos%20show%20the%20last%20moments%20of%20the%20successful%20DART%20mission%22%20%E2%80%94%20https%3A%2F%2Ftheconversation.com%2Fnasa-crashed-a-spacecraft-into-an-asteroid-photos-show-the-last-moments-of-the-successful-dart-mission-191402"> Email</a><a target="_blank" href="http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=NASA+crashed+a+spacecraft+into+an+asteroid+%E2%80%93+photos+show+the+last+moments+of+the+successful+DART+mission&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Ftheconversation.com%2Fnasa-crashed-a-spacecraft-into-an-asteroid-photos-show-the-last-moments-of-the-successful-dart-mission-191402%3Futm_source%3Dtwitter%26utm_medium%3Dbylinetwitterbutton&amp;utm_campaign=none&amp;via=ConversationUS"> Twitter2</a><a target="_blank" href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftheconversation.com%2Fnasa-crashed-a-spacecraft-into-an-asteroid-photos-show-the-last-moments-of-the-successful-dart-mission-191402%3Futm_source%3Dfacebook%26utm_medium%3Dbylinefacebookbutton"> Facebook</a><a target="_blank" href="http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&amp;source=The+Conversation&amp;summary=_In+a+world+first%2C+%5BNASA+has+crashed+a+spacecraft+into+an+asteroid%5D%28https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nasa.gov%2Fpress-release%2Fnasa-s-dart-mission-hits-asteroid-in-first-ever-planetary-defense-test%29+in+an+attempt+to+push+...&amp;title=NASA+crashed+a+spacecraft+into+an+asteroid+%E2%80%93+photos+show+the+last+moments+of+the+successful+DART+mission&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Ftheconversation.com%2Fnasa-crashed-a-spacecraft-into-an-asteroid-photos-show-the-last-moments-of-the-successful-dart-mission-191402%3Futm_source%3Dlinkedin%26utm_medium%3Dbylinelinkedinbutton"> LinkedIn</a><a href="https://theconversation.com/nasa-crashed-a-spacecraft-into-an-asteroid-photos-show-the-last-moments-of-the-successful-dart-mission-191402#"> Print</a>

In a world first, <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-s-dart-mission-hits-asteroid-in-first-ever-planetary-defense-test">NASA has crashed a spacecraft into an asteroid</a>
 in an attempt to push the rocky traveler off its trajectory. The Double
 Asteroid Redirection Test – or DART – is meant to test one potential 
approach that could prevent an asteroid from colliding with Earth. David
 Barnhart is a <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=lYrFzm4AAAAJ&amp;hl=en&amp;oi=ao">professor of astronautics</a>
 at the University of Southern California and director of the Space 
Engineering Research Center there. He watched NASA’s live stream of the 
successful mission and explains what is known so far.

This video, sped up 10 
times actual speed, shows a series of images taken one second apart by 
the DART spacecraft as it approached Didymos and the smaller Dimorphos 
before colliding with Dimorphos. The last few images are shown in real 
speed.

The second-to-last image, taken two seconds before impact shows the rocky surface of Dimorphos, including small shadows. These shadows are interesting because they suggest that the camera aboard the DART spacecraft was seeing Dimorphos directly on but the Sun was at an angle relative to the camera. They imply the DART spacecraft was centered on its trajectory to impact Dimorphos at the moment, but it’s also possible the asteroid was slowly rotating relative to the camera.

The final photo, taken one second before impact, only shows the top 
slice of an image but this is incredibly exciting. The fact that NASA 
received only a part of the image implies that the shutter took the 
picture but DART, <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-s-dart-mission-hits-asteroid-in-first-ever-planetary-defense-test">traveling at around 14,000 miles per hour</a> (22,500 kilometers per hour) was unable to transmit the complete image before impact.

The point of the DART mission was to test whether it is possible to <a href="https://theconversation.com/nasa-is-crashing-a-spacecraft-into-an-asteroid-to-test-a-plan-that-could-one-day-save-earth-from-catastrophe-190888">deflect an asteroid with a kinetic impact</a>
 – by crashing something into it. NASA used the analogy of a golf cart 
hitting the side of an Egyptian pyramid to convey the relative 
difference in size between tiny DART and Dimorphos, the smaller of the 
two asteroids. Prior to the test, Dimorphos orbited Didymos in roughly 
16 hours. NASA expects the impact to <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-s-dart-mission-hits-asteroid-in-first-ever-planetary-defense-test">shorten Dimorphos’ orbit by about 1%, or roughly 10 minutes</a>.
 Though small, if done far enough away from Earth, a nudge like this 
could potentially deflect a future asteroid headed towards Earth just 
enough to prevent an impact.

The last bits of data that came from the DART spacecraft right before
 impact show that it was on course. The fact that the images stopped 
transmitting after the target point was reached can only mean that the 
impact was a success. 

While there is likely a lot of information to be learned from the 
images taken by DART, the world will have to wait to learn whether the 
deflection was also a success. Fifteen days before the impact, DART 
released a <a href="https://www.asi.it/en/planets-stars-universe/solar-system-and-beyond/liciacube/">small satellite with a camera</a>
 that was designed to document the entire impact. The small satellite’s 
sensors should have taken images and collected information, but given 
that it doesn’t have a large antenna onboard, the images <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-s-dart-mission-hits-asteroid-in-first-ever-planetary-defense-test">will be transmitted slowly back to Earth</a>, one by one, over the coming weeks.

4. What does the test mean for planetary defense?

I believe this test was a great proof-of-concept for many 
technologies that the U.S. government has invested in over the years. 
And importantly, it proves that it is possible to send a craft to 
intercept with a minuscule target millions of miles away from Earth. 
From that standpoint DART has been a great success. 

Over the course of the next months and years, researchers will learn 
just how much deflection the impact caused – and most importantly, 
whether this type of kinetic impact can actually move a celestial object
 ever so slightly at a great enough distance to prevent a future 
asteroid from threatening Earth.

David Barnhart is a
 Professor of Astronautics at the University of Southern California.

In a world first, <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-s-dart-mission-hits-asteroid-in-first-ever-planetary-defense-test">NASA has crashed a spacecraft into an asteroid</a>
 in an attempt to push the rocky traveler off its trajectory. The Double
 Asteroid Redirection Test – or DART – is meant to test one potential 
approach that could prevent an asteroid from colliding with Earth. David
 Barnhart is a <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=lYrFzm4AAAAJ&amp;hl=en&amp;oi=ao">professor of astronautics</a>
 at the University of Southern California and director of the Space 
Engineering Research Center there. He watched NASA’s live stream of the 
successful mission and explains what is known so far.<figure>
 <iframe width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/N-OvnVdZP_8"></iframe>
 <figcaption>This video, sped up 10 times actual speed, shows a series of images taken one second apart by the DART spacecraft as it approached Didymos and the smaller Dimorphos before colliding with Dimorphos. The last few images are shown in real speed.</figcaption>
 </figure>By DAVID BARNHARDT <a href="https://theconversation.com/nasa-crashed-a-spacecraft-into-an-asteroid-photos-show-the-last-moments-of-the-successful-dart-mission-191402">The Conversation</a><h2>1. What do the images show?</h2><a href="https://www.nasa.gov/feature/dart-s-final-images-prior-to-impact">The first images</a>,
 taken by a camera aboard DART, show the double asteroid system of 
Didymos – about 2,500 feet (780 meters) in diameter – being orbited by 
the smaller asteroid Dimorphos that is about 525 feet (160 meters) long.As the targeting algorithm on DART locked onto Dimorphos, the craft 
adjusted its flight and began heading towards the smaller of the two 
asteroids. The image taken at 11 seconds before impact and 42 miles (68 
kilometers) from Dimorphos shows the asteroid centered in the <a href="https://dart.jhuapl.edu/Mission/Impactor-Spacecraft.php">camera’s field of view</a>. This meant that the targeting algorithm was fairly accurate and the craft would collide right at the center of Dimorphos.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/9/1664298960552.png" alt=" This photo shows the textured and rock-strewn surface of Dimorphos and was taken two seconds before DART crashed into the surface. NASA/Johns Hopkins APL " />
 <figcaption> This photo shows the textured and rock-strewn surface of Dimorphos and was taken two seconds before DART crashed into the surface. NASA/Johns Hopkins APL </figcaption>
 </figure><a target="_blank" href="mailto:?subject=NASA%20crashed%20a%20spacecraft%20into%20an%20asteroid%20%E2%80%93%20photos%20show%20the%20last%20moments%20of%20the%20successful%20DART%20mission%20%E2%80%94%20The%20Conversation&amp;body=Hi.%20I%20found%20an%20article%20that%20you%20might%20like%3A%20%22NASA%20crashed%20a%20spacecraft%20into%20an%20asteroid%20%E2%80%93%20photos%20show%20the%20last%20moments%20of%20the%20successful%20DART%20mission%22%20%E2%80%94%20https%3A%2F%2Ftheconversation.com%2Fnasa-crashed-a-spacecraft-into-an-asteroid-photos-show-the-last-moments-of-the-successful-dart-mission-191402"> Email</a><a target="_blank" href="http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=NASA+crashed+a+spacecraft+into+an+asteroid+%E2%80%93+photos+show+the+last+moments+of+the+successful+DART+mission&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Ftheconversation.com%2Fnasa-crashed-a-spacecraft-into-an-asteroid-photos-show-the-last-moments-of-the-successful-dart-mission-191402%3Futm_source%3Dtwitter%26utm_medium%3Dbylinetwitterbutton&amp;utm_campaign=none&amp;via=ConversationUS"> Twitter2</a><a target="_blank" href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftheconversation.com%2Fnasa-crashed-a-spacecraft-into-an-asteroid-photos-show-the-last-moments-of-the-successful-dart-mission-191402%3Futm_source%3Dfacebook%26utm_medium%3Dbylinefacebookbutton"> Facebook</a><a target="_blank" href="http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&amp;source=The+Conversation&amp;summary=_In+a+world+first%2C+%5BNASA+has+crashed+a+spacecraft+into+an+asteroid%5D%28https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nasa.gov%2Fpress-release%2Fnasa-s-dart-mission-hits-asteroid-in-first-ever-planetary-defense-test%29+in+an+attempt+to+push+...&amp;title=NASA+crashed+a+spacecraft+into+an+asteroid+%E2%80%93+photos+show+the+last+moments+of+the+successful+DART+mission&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Ftheconversation.com%2Fnasa-crashed-a-spacecraft-into-an-asteroid-photos-show-the-last-moments-of-the-successful-dart-mission-191402%3Futm_source%3Dlinkedin%26utm_medium%3Dbylinelinkedinbutton"> LinkedIn</a><a href="https://theconversation.com/nasa-crashed-a-spacecraft-into-an-asteroid-photos-show-the-last-moments-of-the-successful-dart-mission-191402#"> Print</a>In a world first, <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-s-dart-mission-hits-asteroid-in-first-ever-planetary-defense-test">NASA has crashed a spacecraft into an asteroid</a>
 in an attempt to push the rocky traveler off its trajectory. The Double
 Asteroid Redirection Test – or DART – is meant to test one potential 
approach that could prevent an asteroid from colliding with Earth. David
 Barnhart is a <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=lYrFzm4AAAAJ&amp;hl=en&amp;oi=ao">professor of astronautics</a>
 at the University of Southern California and director of the Space 
Engineering Research Center there. He watched NASA’s live stream of the 
successful mission and explains what is known so far.This video, sped up 10 
times actual speed, shows a series of images taken one second apart by 
the DART spacecraft as it approached Didymos and the smaller Dimorphos 
before colliding with Dimorphos. The last few images are shown in real 
speed.<h2>1. What do the images show?</h2><a href="https://www.nasa.gov/feature/dart-s-final-images-prior-to-impact">The first images</a>,
 taken by a camera aboard DART, show the double asteroid system of 
Didymos – about 2,500 feet (780 meters) in diameter – being orbited by 
the smaller asteroid Dimorphos that is about 525 feet (160 meters) long.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/9/1664298960552.png" alt=" This photo shows the textured and rock-strewn surface of Dimorphos and was taken two seconds before DART crashed into the surface. NASA/Johns Hopkins APL " />
 <figcaption> This photo shows the textured and rock-strewn surface of Dimorphos and was taken two seconds before DART crashed into the surface. NASA/Johns Hopkins APL </figcaption>
 </figure>The second-to-last image, taken two seconds before impact shows the rocky surface of Dimorphos, including small shadows. These shadows are interesting because they suggest that the camera aboard the DART spacecraft was seeing Dimorphos directly on but the Sun was at an angle relative to the camera. They imply the DART spacecraft was centered on its trajectory to impact Dimorphos at the moment, but it’s also possible the asteroid was slowly rotating relative to the camera.The final photo, taken one second before impact, only shows the top 
slice of an image but this is incredibly exciting. The fact that NASA 
received only a part of the image implies that the shutter took the 
picture but DART, <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-s-dart-mission-hits-asteroid-in-first-ever-planetary-defense-test">traveling at around 14,000 miles per hour</a> (22,500 kilometers per hour) was unable to transmit the complete image before impact.<h2>2. What was supposed to happen?</h2>The point of the DART mission was to test whether it is possible to <a href="https://theconversation.com/nasa-is-crashing-a-spacecraft-into-an-asteroid-to-test-a-plan-that-could-one-day-save-earth-from-catastrophe-190888">deflect an asteroid with a kinetic impact</a>
 – by crashing something into it. NASA used the analogy of a golf cart 
hitting the side of an Egyptian pyramid to convey the relative 
difference in size between tiny DART and Dimorphos, the smaller of the 
two asteroids. Prior to the test, Dimorphos orbited Didymos in roughly 
16 hours. NASA expects the impact to <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-s-dart-mission-hits-asteroid-in-first-ever-planetary-defense-test">shorten Dimorphos’ orbit by about 1%, or roughly 10 minutes</a>.
 Though small, if done far enough away from Earth, a nudge like this 
could potentially deflect a future asteroid headed towards Earth just 
enough to prevent an impact.<h2>3. What do we know already?</h2>The last bits of data that came from the DART spacecraft right before
 impact show that it was on course. The fact that the images stopped 
transmitting after the target point was reached can only mean that the 
impact was a success. While there is likely a lot of information to be learned from the 
images taken by DART, the world will have to wait to learn whether the 
deflection was also a success. Fifteen days before the impact, DART 
released a <a href="https://www.asi.it/en/planets-stars-universe/solar-system-and-beyond/liciacube/">small satellite with a camera</a>
 that was designed to document the entire impact. The small satellite’s 
sensors should have taken images and collected information, but given 
that it doesn’t have a large antenna onboard, the images <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-s-dart-mission-hits-asteroid-in-first-ever-planetary-defense-test">will be transmitted slowly back to Earth</a>, one by one, over the coming weeks.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/9/1664299038904.png" alt=" The force from DART’s impact should slightly shift the orbit of Dimorphos around Didymos. NASA/Johns Hopkins APL " />
 <figcaption> The force from DART’s impact should slightly shift the orbit of Dimorphos around Didymos. NASA/Johns Hopkins APL </figcaption>
 </figure><h2>4. What does the test mean for planetary defense?</h2>I believe this test was a great proof-of-concept for many 
technologies that the U.S. government has invested in over the years. 
And importantly, it proves that it is possible to send a craft to 
intercept with a minuscule target millions of miles away from Earth. 
From that standpoint DART has been a great success. Over the course of the next months and years, researchers will learn 
just how much deflection the impact caused – and most importantly, 
whether this type of kinetic impact can actually move a celestial object
 ever so slightly at a great enough distance to prevent a future 
asteroid from threatening Earth.David Barnhart is a
 Professor of Astronautics at the University of Southern California.<div><iframe src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/191402/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-advanced" width="1" height="1" style="border: none !important" referrerpolicy="no-referrer-when-downgrade"></iframe></div>

🎥 Photos show the last moments of the successful DART mission

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — A Spanish judge on Tuesday approved a trial for Colombian pop singer Shakira on charges of tax fraud.

Spanish
 prosecutors accused the entertainer in 2018 of failing to pay 14.5 
million euros ($13.9 million) in taxes on income earned between 2012 and
 2014. Prosecutors are seeking an <a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-sports-soccer-music-5038d7fbe5db2b54404303acabe7bee1">eight-year prison sentence</a> and a hefty fine if she is found guilty of tax evasion.

Shakira,
 45, has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and rejected a deal with 
authorities to avoid going to trial. Her public relations firm has said 
that she has already paid all that she owed and an additional 3 million 
euros ($2.8 million) in interest.

The court based in the town of 
Esplugues de Llobregat near Barcelona said that Shakira will face six 
counts of tax fraud. The date for the trial has yet to be set.

The
 case hinges on where Shakira lived during 2012-14. Prosecutors in 
Barcelona have alleged the Grammy winner spent more than half of that 
period in Spain and should have paid taxes in the country, even though 
her official residence was in the Bahamas.

Shakira, whose full 
name is Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll, has been linked to Spain since 
she started dating soccer player Gerard Pique. The couple, who have two 
children, used to live together in Barcelona but recently <a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-soccer-sports-colombia-c3f0867176acbeeba3f34946dc228c62">ended their 11-year relationship</a>.

Spain has cracked down on soccer stars like <a href="https://apnews.com/article/ad8ec240091a4badaaeeb4c85db4dc8f">Lionel Messi</a> and <a href="https://apnews.com/article/e6c4a935cea1434d8d6027c07e09a416">Cristiano Ronaldo</a>
 over the past decade for not paying their full due in taxes. They were 
found guilty of evasion but both avoided prison time thanks to a 
provision that allows a judge to waive sentences under two years in 
length for first-time offenders.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/9/1664297213957.jpeg" alt="Shakira poses for photographers upon arrival at the premiere of the film 'Elvis' at the 75th international film festival, Cannes, southern France, Wednesday, May 25, 2022. A Spanish judge on Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2022 approved a trial for Colombian pop singer Shakira on charges of tax fraud. Spanish prosecutors accused the entertainer in 2018 of failing to pay 14.5 million euros ($13.9) in taxes on income earned between 2012 and 2014. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole, file)" />
 <figcaption>Shakira poses for photographers upon arrival at the premiere of the film 'Elvis' at the 75th international film festival, Cannes, southern France, Wednesday, May 25, 2022. A Spanish judge on Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2022 approved a trial for Colombian pop singer Shakira on charges of tax fraud. Spanish prosecutors accused the entertainer in 2018 of failing to pay 14.5 million euros ($13.9) in taxes on income earned between 2012 and 2014. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole, file)</figcaption>
 </figure>BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — A Spanish judge on Tuesday approved a trial for Colombian pop singer Shakira on charges of tax fraud.Spanish
 prosecutors accused the entertainer in 2018 of failing to pay 14.5 
million euros ($13.9 million) in taxes on income earned between 2012 and
 2014. Prosecutors are seeking an <a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-sports-soccer-music-5038d7fbe5db2b54404303acabe7bee1">eight-year prison sentence</a> and a hefty fine if she is found guilty of tax evasion.Shakira,
 45, has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and rejected a deal with 
authorities to avoid going to trial. Her public relations firm has said 
that she has already paid all that she owed and an additional 3 million 
euros ($2.8 million) in interest.The court based in the town of 
Esplugues de Llobregat near Barcelona said that Shakira will face six 
counts of tax fraud. The date for the trial has yet to be set.The
 case hinges on where Shakira lived during 2012-14. Prosecutors in 
Barcelona have alleged the Grammy winner spent more than half of that 
period in Spain and should have paid taxes in the country, even though 
her official residence was in the Bahamas.Shakira, whose full 
name is Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll, has been linked to Spain since 
she started dating soccer player Gerard Pique. The couple, who have two 
children, used to live together in Barcelona but recently <a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-soccer-sports-colombia-c3f0867176acbeeba3f34946dc228c62">ended their 11-year relationship</a>.Spain has cracked down on soccer stars like <a href="https://apnews.com/article/ad8ec240091a4badaaeeb4c85db4dc8f">Lionel Messi</a> and <a href="https://apnews.com/article/e6c4a935cea1434d8d6027c07e09a416">Cristiano Ronaldo</a>
 over the past decade for not paying their full due in taxes. They were 
found guilty of evasion but both avoided prison time thanks to a 
provision that allows a judge to waive sentences under two years in 
length for first-time offenders.

Pop singer Shakira to face trial over tax fraud in Spain

By BETH L. FOSSEN <a href="https://theconversation.com/name-calling-in-politics-grabs-headlines-but-voters-dont-like-it-and-it-could-backfire-in-the-2022-midterm-elections-190398">The Conversation</a>

Spending on political advertising is setting records in the midterm 
elections. But evidence shows that negative messages might discourage 
voters from casting ballots altogether. 

As the 2022 midterms get closer, political attacks in campaign advertisements are on the rise. 

In November, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/republicans-gosar-trump-ocasio-cortez/2021/11/08/ead37b36-40ca-11ec-9ea7-3eb2406a2e24_story.html">Rep. Paul Gosar shared an anime cartoon video</a> showing him physically attacking Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Democrat, and President Joe Biden.

That same month, Rep. Ilhan Omar called her Republican colleague Rep. Lauren Boebert <a href="https://twitter.com/IlhanMN/status/1464037767005057024">a buffoon and a bigot</a> on Twitter. Even the official White House Twitter account has gotten in on the politically divisive action, making <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/26/us/white-house-twitter-ppp-loans.html">recent headlines</a> when it snapped back in August 2022 at several Republican members of Congress who criticized the <a href="https://www.sba.gov/funding-programs/loans/covid-19-relief-options/paycheck-protection-program">Paycheck Protection Program</a> – after they themselves had their loans forgiven.

Uncivil messages by politicians have <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/19485506221083811">become more and more common</a> in the last decade. Political attacks are now a regular occurrence in an increasingly polarized political environment, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1086/718979">encouraging voters to get mad and plan to vote</a> ahead of Election Day in November.

But that doesn’t mean these kinds of advertisements and personal attacks actually work. 

<a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=vFCS00oAAAAJ&amp;hl=en">I study political marketing</a>
 and, as a former campaign manager and political consultant, have seen 
politicians use uncivil strategies firsthand with the hopes of getting 
themselves elected. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s11129-021-09246-x">My research</a>
 on political advertising suggests that highly polarized communications 
could be losing their persuasive power and can even backfire in the 
upcoming midterms, hurting a candidate’s chances.

<a href="https://doi.org/10.1287/mksc.2020.1260">My research</a> shows that political ads and language do indeed put people in a negative mood. Even simply asking voters to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s11109-017-9431-7">think about politics</a> is enough to get them angry. This negativity is amplified if an ad <a href="https://doi.org/10.1086/523287">specifically attacks</a> an opposing candidate.

There is also evidence that this anger carries over to voting 
behavior. Data from U.S. elections from 2000 to 2012 shows that negative
 political TV commercials make people less likely to vote for the 
attacked politician, but also make <a href="https://doi.org/10.1287/mksc.2017.1079">people less</a> likely to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2022.4347">vote in general</a>.

Politicians tend to use <a href="https://doi.org/10.1017/S0003055420000696">less negative, polarizing advertising</a>
 on social media compared to their advertising on television, however. 
This might be because social media attracts a smaller, more targeted 
audience, and perhaps candidates fear that these kinds of tactics could 
demobilize supporters.

There are a few factors that help explain why political campaigns and
 attacks on opponents have become more toxic in recent years.

First off, voters are <a href="https://doi.org/10.1086/718979">more emotional and angrier</a> than ever before. This emotion about politics has been linked to the <a href="https://news.gallup.com/poll/249098/americans-stress-worry-anger-intensified-2018.aspx">normalcy of anger in our day-to-day lives</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1086/718979">increased political competition</a> – for example, close presidential elections.

Democrats and Republicans in the U.S. are also <a href="https://doi.org/10.1086/718979">interacting less and less</a>. This social polarization comes as <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/poq/nfs038">political identity is more important to voters</a>
 than ever before. Being a Democrat or a Republican is a core part of 
who the voter is and shapes both their political decisions – like whom 
they vote for – as well as their nonpolitical ones, like whom they hang 
out with.

Given these factors, conversations about politics are increasingly happening among people who already agree on political issues.

Politicians like former President <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/01/19/upshot/trump-complete-insult-list.html">Donald Trump</a> and others seem to be leveraging the fact that they are preaching to the choir, so to speak, and are using <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/19485506221083811">more and more polarized language</a> to attack the other side.

Whether language is polarized or not is a subjective question, but my research and the work of others has focused on <a href="https://doi.org/10.1287/mksc.2020.1260">how negative a political message is</a> and <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11129-021-09246-x">how extreme the message is</a>.

The declining power of polarized messaging

There is some evidence that voters may be getting tired of negative political communications flooding their screens. 

Using data from the 2016 U.S. presidential election, my collaborators
 and I found that political ad messages that are more polarized <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s11129-021-09246-x">hurt candidates in the polls and lead voters to talk less about the candidate</a>.

Specifically, we find that voters prefer more centrist and more 
consistent messaging in political ads, at least in the contexts of 
recent presidential elections. This research used text analysis methods,
 which allowed us to score each ad for how polarized the messaging was 
as well as how consistent the messaging was for the candidate. 

Polarized messages particularly hurt a candidate’s election chances if they are <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s11129-021-09246-x">off-brand for the candidate</a> – that is, for politicians who are typically moderate, and then try to go extreme.

There’s a <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/whats-at-stake-2022-midterm-elections/">lot at stake</a>
 in the upcoming midterm elections in November 2022, as every House seat
 and about one-third of the Senate seats are up for grabs. A 
record-setting <a href="https://adimpact.com/2022-political-spending-projections/">US$8.9 billion</a> in political ad spending is expected for this midterm election season.

If the dominant tone of this messaging is toxic, political campaigns run the risk of disengaging more and more voters. 

<a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s11129-021-09246-x">My research</a> 
shows that there are emerging consequences of polarized communications 
that can hurt candidates in the polls. These insights may encourage 
political campaigns to test different ad strategies this midterm, 
perhaps curbing the negativity.

Beth L. Fossen is an Assistant Professor of Marketing at the Kelley School of Business, Indiana University.

By BETH L. FOSSEN <a href="https://theconversation.com/name-calling-in-politics-grabs-headlines-but-voters-dont-like-it-and-it-could-backfire-in-the-2022-midterm-elections-190398">The Conversation</a>Spending on political advertising is setting records in the midterm 
elections. But evidence shows that negative messages might discourage 
voters from casting ballots altogether. As the 2022 midterms get closer, political attacks in campaign advertisements are on the rise. In November, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/republicans-gosar-trump-ocasio-cortez/2021/11/08/ead37b36-40ca-11ec-9ea7-3eb2406a2e24_story.html">Rep. Paul Gosar shared an anime cartoon video</a> showing him physically attacking Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Democrat, and President Joe Biden. That same month, Rep. Ilhan Omar called her Republican colleague Rep. Lauren Boebert <a href="https://twitter.com/IlhanMN/status/1464037767005057024">a buffoon and a bigot</a> on Twitter. Even the official White House Twitter account has gotten in on the politically divisive action, making <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/26/us/white-house-twitter-ppp-loans.html">recent headlines</a> when it snapped back in August 2022 at several Republican members of Congress who criticized the <a href="https://www.sba.gov/funding-programs/loans/covid-19-relief-options/paycheck-protection-program">Paycheck Protection Program</a> – after they themselves had their loans forgiven. Uncivil messages by politicians have <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/19485506221083811">become more and more common</a> in the last decade. Political attacks are now a regular occurrence in an increasingly polarized political environment, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1086/718979">encouraging voters to get mad and plan to vote</a> ahead of Election Day in November. But that doesn’t mean these kinds of advertisements and personal attacks actually work. <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=vFCS00oAAAAJ&amp;hl=en">I study political marketing</a>
 and, as a former campaign manager and political consultant, have seen 
politicians use uncivil strategies firsthand with the hopes of getting 
themselves elected. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s11129-021-09246-x">My research</a>
 on political advertising suggests that highly polarized communications 
could be losing their persuasive power and can even backfire in the 
upcoming midterms, hurting a candidate’s chances.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">This is sick behavior from Rep. Paul Gosar. He tweeted out the video showing him killing Rep. Ocasio-Cortez from both his official account and personal account. In any workplace in America, if a coworker made an anime video killing another coworker, that person would be fired. <a href="https://t.co/0ygBfE6bEL">pic.twitter.com/0ygBfE6bEL</a>&mdash; Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) <a href="https://twitter.com/tedlieu/status/1457865685464276997?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 9, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> </div><h2>The impacts of political attack ads</h2><a href="https://doi.org/10.1287/mksc.2020.1260">My research</a> shows that political ads and language do indeed put people in a negative mood. Even simply asking voters to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s11109-017-9431-7">think about politics</a> is enough to get them angry. This negativity is amplified if an ad <a href="https://doi.org/10.1086/523287">specifically attacks</a> an opposing candidate. There is also evidence that this anger carries over to voting 
behavior. Data from U.S. elections from 2000 to 2012 shows that negative
 political TV commercials make people less likely to vote for the 
attacked politician, but also make <a href="https://doi.org/10.1287/mksc.2017.1079">people less</a> likely to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2022.4347">vote in general</a>.Politicians tend to use <a href="https://doi.org/10.1017/S0003055420000696">less negative, polarizing advertising</a>
 on social media compared to their advertising on television, however. 
This might be because social media attracts a smaller, more targeted 
audience, and perhaps candidates fear that these kinds of tactics could 
demobilize supporters.<h2>The rise of polarization</h2>There are a few factors that help explain why political campaigns and
 attacks on opponents have become more toxic in recent years.First off, voters are <a href="https://doi.org/10.1086/718979">more emotional and angrier</a> than ever before. This emotion about politics has been linked to the <a href="https://news.gallup.com/poll/249098/americans-stress-worry-anger-intensified-2018.aspx">normalcy of anger in our day-to-day lives</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1086/718979">increased political competition</a> – for example, close presidential elections. Democrats and Republicans in the U.S. are also <a href="https://doi.org/10.1086/718979">interacting less and less</a>. This social polarization comes as <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/poq/nfs038">political identity is more important to voters</a>
 than ever before. Being a Democrat or a Republican is a core part of 
who the voter is and shapes both their political decisions – like whom 
they vote for – as well as their nonpolitical ones, like whom they hang 
out with. Given these factors, conversations about politics are increasingly happening among people who already agree on political issues.Politicians like former President <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/01/19/upshot/trump-complete-insult-list.html">Donald Trump</a> and others seem to be leveraging the fact that they are preaching to the choir, so to speak, and are using <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/19485506221083811">more and more polarized language</a> to attack the other side. Whether language is polarized or not is a subjective question, but my research and the work of others has focused on <a href="https://doi.org/10.1287/mksc.2020.1260">how negative a political message is</a> and <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11129-021-09246-x">how extreme the message is</a>. <h2>The declining power of polarized messaging</h2>There is some evidence that voters may be getting tired of negative political communications flooding their screens. Using data from the 2016 U.S. presidential election, my collaborators
 and I found that political ad messages that are more polarized <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s11129-021-09246-x">hurt candidates in the polls and lead voters to talk less about the candidate</a>. Specifically, we find that voters prefer more centrist and more 
consistent messaging in political ads, at least in the contexts of 
recent presidential elections. This research used text analysis methods,
 which allowed us to score each ad for how polarized the messaging was 
as well as how consistent the messaging was for the candidate. Polarized messages particularly hurt a candidate’s election chances if they are <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s11129-021-09246-x">off-brand for the candidate</a> – that is, for politicians who are typically moderate, and then try to go extreme.<h2>Looking ahead to the 2022 midterms</h2>There’s a <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/whats-at-stake-2022-midterm-elections/">lot at stake</a>
 in the upcoming midterm elections in November 2022, as every House seat
 and about one-third of the Senate seats are up for grabs. A 
record-setting <a href="https://adimpact.com/2022-political-spending-projections/">US$8.9 billion</a> in political ad spending is expected for this midterm election season. If the dominant tone of this messaging is toxic, political campaigns run the risk of disengaging more and more voters. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s11129-021-09246-x">My research</a> 
shows that there are emerging consequences of polarized communications 
that can hurt candidates in the polls. These insights may encourage 
political campaigns to test different ad strategies this midterm, 
perhaps curbing the negativity.Beth L. Fossen is an Assistant Professor of Marketing at the Kelley School of Business, Indiana University.<div><iframe src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/190398/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-advanced" width="1" height="1" referrerpolicy="no-referrer-when-downgrade"></iframe></div>

Name-calling in politics grabs headlines, but voters don’t like it – and it could backfire in the 2022 midterm elections

By ROBIN OPSAHL <a href="https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2022/09/22/capitol-rioter-from-iowa-called-leader-of-the-mob-by-police-did-not-testify-in-his-trial/">Iowa Capital Dispatch</a>

Iowan Doug Jensen did not testify
 and his lawyers did not call any witnesses in his defense as he stands 
trial for his role in the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol insurrection.

Closing arguments are scheduled for Friday and then the federal jury 
in the District of Columbia is expected to begin deliberations after the
 weeklong trial.

U.S. Capitol Police Inspector Thomas Lloyd, who testified at the 
trial this week, described Jensen as “leader of the mob” headed into the
 Capitol during the 2021 riot. Jensen, of Des Moines, became a widely 
recognized figure when video circulated on social media of him, wearing a
 “Q” T-shirt, at the front of a mob pursuing a U.S. Capitol police 
officer up a staircase.

Defense attorney Christopher Davis <a target="_blank" href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2022/09/21/january-6-doug-jensen-trial-leader-mob-capitol-riot/8072934001/">said Tuesday in his opening remarks</a>
 that no one is contesting that Jensen participated in the insurrection.
 But Jensen was not violent and did not damage federal property, he 
said.

“This is not a whodunit case,” Davis said. “Literally, the whole case is on video.”

Jurors were shown multiple well-known photos and videos of Jensen’s 
participation in the U.S. Capitol, including footage of him climbing up 
the side of an outside staircase as protesters attempted to break into 
the building. Another video showed him advancing through a cloud of 
spray erupting from a ruptured fire extinguisher. The trial also 
featured two concurrent video recordings of the altercation when Jensen 
was seen running up stairs in pursuit of a Capitol police officer.

That officer, Eugene Goodman, testified at the trial. He <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/capitol-police-officer-eugene-goodman-offers-new-jan-6-details-trial-q-rcna48577">told jurors Wednesday</a>
 about his assignment at the Capitol rotunda that day, which was to 
guard U.S. senators and House members moving between chambers as they 
certified the results of the 2020 presidential election.

Goodman was stationed outside for part of the day, where he was hit 
with bear spray and tear gas deployed by law enforcement, he told 
jurors. He went inside and vomited in a bucket once back-up officers had
 arrived, he said, before returning outside. When the mob broke into the
 Capitol, he went inside to direct politicians, including U.S. Sen. Mitt
 Romney, away from the crowd.

As the rioters approached, Goodman said he was prodded with a 
Confederate flag. By the time of his confrontation with Jensen, he had 
“no out” except going up the stairs, he said.

“I felt like they were going to rush at any time,” Goodman said.

FBI Special Agent Tyler Johnson testified Thursday, describing the 
“Q-Anon” shirt Jensen wore and the 3-inch pocket knife he carried that 
day. As one of the people who interviewed Jensen when he turned himself 
in, Johnson answered questions from the defense saying that Jensen was 
“coherent” during his interview, and was not verbally aggressive.

Jensen was one of the first of many arrested and charged for their 
actions at the U.S. Capitol that day, where supporters of former 
President Donald Trump gathered to contest President Joe Biden’s victory
 in the 2020 election. Many of the participants were followers of the 
“QAnon” conspiracy theory, believing that Trump had plans to reveal and 
punish a child sex trafficking ring among the wealthy and influential.

Nearly 900 people have been charged for federal crimes in relation to
 the riot, and roughly 400 have pleaded guilty. Jensen, one of eight 
Iowans charged in relation to the event, did not yet have any warrants 
out for his arrest when he walked to a police station and turned himself
 in the day after he returned from Washington, D.C. He has been in 
custody for nearly the entire 18 months since his arrest.

Jensen faces charges of civil disorder, resisting or impeding 
officers and obstruction of an official proceeding. None of the 
defendants involved in the insurrection have been acquitted of their 
charges in jury trials.

By ROBIN OPSAHL <a href="https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2022/09/22/capitol-rioter-from-iowa-called-leader-of-the-mob-by-police-did-not-testify-in-his-trial/">Iowa Capital Dispatch</a>Iowan Doug Jensen did not testify
 and his lawyers did not call any witnesses in his defense as he stands 
trial for his role in the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol insurrection.Closing arguments are scheduled for Friday and then the federal jury 
in the District of Columbia is expected to begin deliberations after the
 weeklong trial.U.S. Capitol Police Inspector Thomas Lloyd, who testified at the 
trial this week, described Jensen as “leader of the mob” headed into the
 Capitol during the 2021 riot. Jensen, of Des Moines, became a widely 
recognized figure when video circulated on social media of him, wearing a
 “Q” T-shirt, at the front of a mob pursuing a U.S. Capitol police 
officer up a staircase.Defense attorney Christopher Davis <a target="_blank" href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2022/09/21/january-6-doug-jensen-trial-leader-mob-capitol-riot/8072934001/">said Tuesday in his opening remarks</a>
 that no one is contesting that Jensen participated in the insurrection.
 But Jensen was not violent and did not damage federal property, he 
said.“This is not a whodunit case,” Davis said. “Literally, the whole case is on video.”Jurors were shown multiple well-known photos and videos of Jensen’s 
participation in the U.S. Capitol, including footage of him climbing up 
the side of an outside staircase as protesters attempted to break into 
the building. Another video showed him advancing through a cloud of 
spray erupting from a ruptured fire extinguisher. The trial also 
featured two concurrent video recordings of the altercation when Jensen 
was seen running up stairs in pursuit of a Capitol police officer.That officer, Eugene Goodman, testified at the trial. He <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/capitol-police-officer-eugene-goodman-offers-new-jan-6-details-trial-q-rcna48577">told jurors Wednesday</a>
 about his assignment at the Capitol rotunda that day, which was to 
guard U.S. senators and House members moving between chambers as they 
certified the results of the 2020 presidential election.Goodman was stationed outside for part of the day, where he was hit 
with bear spray and tear gas deployed by law enforcement, he told 
jurors. He went inside and vomited in a bucket once back-up officers had
 arrived, he said, before returning outside. When the mob broke into the
 Capitol, he went inside to direct politicians, including U.S. Sen. Mitt
 Romney, away from the crowd.As the rioters approached, Goodman said he was prodded with a 
Confederate flag. By the time of his confrontation with Jensen, he had 
“no out” except going up the stairs, he said.“I felt like they were going to rush at any time,” Goodman said.FBI Special Agent Tyler Johnson testified Thursday, describing the 
“Q-Anon” shirt Jensen wore and the 3-inch pocket knife he carried that 
day. As one of the people who interviewed Jensen when he turned himself 
in, Johnson answered questions from the defense saying that Jensen was 
“coherent” during his interview, and was not verbally aggressive.Jensen was one of the first of many arrested and charged for their 
actions at the U.S. Capitol that day, where supporters of former 
President Donald Trump gathered to contest President Joe Biden’s victory
 in the 2020 election. Many of the participants were followers of the 
“QAnon” conspiracy theory, believing that Trump had plans to reveal and 
punish a child sex trafficking ring among the wealthy and influential.Nearly 900 people have been charged for federal crimes in relation to
 the riot, and roughly 400 have pleaded guilty. Jensen, one of eight 
Iowans charged in relation to the event, did not yet have any warrants 
out for his arrest when he walked to a police station and turned himself
 in the day after he returned from Washington, D.C. He has been in 
custody for nearly the entire 18 months since his arrest.Jensen faces charges of civil disorder, resisting or impeding 
officers and obstruction of an official proceeding. None of the 
defendants involved in the insurrection have been acquitted of their 
charges in jury trials.

Capitol rioter called ‘leader of the mob’ did not testify in his trial

By DEEPASRI PRASAD and WILMA BAINBRIDGE <a href="https://theconversation.com/new-study-seeks-to-explain-the-mandela-effect-the-bizarre-phenomenon-of-shared-false-memories-188269">The Conversation</a>

If you pictured the character from the popular board game wearing one, you’d be wrong. In fact, <a href="https://www.cracked.com/article_24565_hard-truth-time-monopoly-guy-never-had-monocle.html">he has never worn one</a>.

If you’re surprised by this, you’re not alone. Many people possess 
the same false memory of this character. This phenomenon takes place for
 other characters, logos and quotes, too. For example, Pikachu from 
Pokémon is often thought to have a black tip on his tail, <a href="https://www.cbr.com/pikachu-black-tail-belief-theory/">which he doesn’t have</a>. And <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/MandelaEffect/comments/99hv43/fruit_of_the_loom_cornucopia/">many people are convinced</a> that the Fruit of the Loom logo includes a cornucopia. It doesn’t.

We call this phenomenon of shared false memories for certain cultural icons the “visual Mandela Effect.”  

People tend to be puzzled when they learn that they share the same 
false memories with other people. That’s partly because they assume that
 what they remember and forget ought to be subjective and based on their
 own personal experiences.

However, research we have conducted shows that people tend to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.plm.2019.02.001">remember and forget the same images</a> as one another, regardless of the diversity of their individual experiences. Recently, we have shown these similarities in our <a href="https://psyarxiv.com/nzh3s">memories even extend to our false memories</a>.

The term <a href="https://mandelaeffect.com/nelson-mandela-died-in-prison/">“Mandela Effect” was coined by Fiona Broome</a>,
 a self-described paranormal researcher, to describe her false memory of
 former South African president Nelson Mandela dying in prison in the 
1980s. She realized that many other people also shared this same false 
memory and wrote an article about her experience on her website. The 
concept of shared false memories spread to other forums and websites, <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/MandelaEffect/">including Reddit</a>.

Since then, examples of the Mandela Effect have been widely shared on
 the internet. These include names like “the Berenstain Bears,” a 
children’s book series that is falsely remembered as spelled “-ein” 
instead of “-ain,” and characters like Star Wars’ C-3PO, who is falsely 
remembered with two gold legs <a href="https://screencrush.com/c3po-silver-leg/">instead of one gold and one silver leg</a>.

The Mandela Effect became fodder for conspiracists – the false memories so strong and so specific that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/tops.12348">some people see them as evidence of an alternate dimension</a>.

Because of that, scientific research has only studied the Mandela 
Effect as an example of how conspiracy theories spread on the internet. 
There has been very little research looking into the Mandela Effect as a
 memory phenomenon. 

But understanding why these icons trigger such specific false 
memories might give us more insight into how false memories form. The 
visual Mandela Effect, which affects icons specifically, was a perfect 
way to study this. 

To see whether the visual Mandela Effect really exists, <a href="https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/nzh3s">we ran an experiment</a>
 in which we presented people with three versions of the same icon. One 
was correct and two were manipulated, and we asked them to select the 
correct one. There were 40 sets of icons, and they included C-3PO from 
the Star Wars franchise, the Fruit of the Loom logo and the Monopoly Man
 from the board game.

In the results, which have been accepted for publication in the 
journal Psychological Sciences, we found that people fared very poorly 
on seven of them, only choosing the correct one around or less than 33% 
of the time. For these seven images, people consistently identified the 
same incorrect version, not just randomly choosing one of the two 
incorrect versions. In addition, participants reported being very 
confident in their choices and having high familiarity with these icons 
despite being wrong.  

Put together, it’s clear evidence of the phenomenon that people on 
the internet have talked about for years: The visual Mandela Effect is a
 real and consistent memory error.

We found that this false memory effect was incredibly strong, across 
multiple different ways of testing memory. Even when people saw the 
correct version of the icon, they still chose the incorrect version just
 a few minutes later.  

And when asked to freely draw the icons from their memory, people also included the same incorrect features.

What causes this shared false memory for specific icons?  

We found that visual features like color and brightness could not 
explain the effect. We also tracked participants’ mouse movements as 
they viewed the images on a computer screen to see if they simply didn’t
 scan over a particular part, such as Pikachu’s tail. But even when 
people directly viewed the correct part of the image, they still chose 
the false version immediately afterward. We also found that for most 
icons, it was unlikely people had seen the false version beforehand and 
were just remembering that version, rather than the correct version.

It may be that there is no one universal cause. Different images may 
elicit the visual Mandela Effect for different reasons. Some could be 
related to prior expectations for an image, some might be related to 
prior visual experience with an image and others could have to do with 
something entirely different than the images themselves. For example, we
 found that, for the most part, people only see C-3PO’s upper body 
depicted in media. The falsely remembered gold leg might be a result of 
them using prior knowledge – bodies are usually only one color – to fill
 in this gap. 

But the fact that we can demonstrate consistencies in false memories 
for certain icons suggests that part of what drives false memories is 
dependent on our environment – and independent of our subjective 
experiences with the world.

Deepasri Prasad is a Ph.D. Student in Cognitive Neuroscience at Dartmouth College. Wilma Bainbridge is an
 Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of Chicago.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/9/1663945545708.jpg" alt="Image courtesy of Pixabay" />
 <figcaption>Image courtesy of Pixabay</figcaption>
 </figure>By DEEPASRI PRASAD and WILMA BAINBRIDGE <a href="https://theconversation.com/new-study-seeks-to-explain-the-mandela-effect-the-bizarre-phenomenon-of-shared-false-memories-188269">The Conversation</a>Imagine the Monopoly Man.Is he wearing a monocle or not?If you pictured the character from the popular board game wearing one, you’d be wrong. In fact, <a href="https://www.cracked.com/article_24565_hard-truth-time-monopoly-guy-never-had-monocle.html">he has never worn one</a>.If you’re surprised by this, you’re not alone. Many people possess 
the same false memory of this character. This phenomenon takes place for
 other characters, logos and quotes, too. For example, Pikachu from 
Pokémon is often thought to have a black tip on his tail, <a href="https://www.cbr.com/pikachu-black-tail-belief-theory/">which he doesn’t have</a>. And <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/MandelaEffect/comments/99hv43/fruit_of_the_loom_cornucopia/">many people are convinced</a> that the Fruit of the Loom logo includes a cornucopia. It doesn’t.We call this phenomenon of shared false memories for certain cultural icons the “visual Mandela Effect.” People tend to be puzzled when they learn that they share the same 
false memories with other people. That’s partly because they assume that
 what they remember and forget ought to be subjective and based on their
 own personal experiences.However, research we have conducted shows that people tend to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.plm.2019.02.001">remember and forget the same images</a> as one another, regardless of the diversity of their individual experiences. Recently, we have shown these similarities in our <a href="https://psyarxiv.com/nzh3s">memories even extend to our false memories</a>.<h2>What is the Mandela Effect?</h2>The term <a href="https://mandelaeffect.com/nelson-mandela-died-in-prison/">“Mandela Effect” was coined by Fiona Broome</a>,
 a self-described paranormal researcher, to describe her false memory of
 former South African president Nelson Mandela dying in prison in the 
1980s. She realized that many other people also shared this same false 
memory and wrote an article about her experience on her website. The 
concept of shared false memories spread to other forums and websites, <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/MandelaEffect/">including Reddit</a>. Since then, examples of the Mandela Effect have been widely shared on
 the internet. These include names like “the Berenstain Bears,” a 
children’s book series that is falsely remembered as spelled “-ein” 
instead of “-ain,” and characters like Star Wars’ C-3PO, who is falsely 
remembered with two gold legs <a href="https://screencrush.com/c3po-silver-leg/">instead of one gold and one silver leg</a>.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/9/1663945631338.png" alt=" The Fruit of the Loom logo has never had a cornucopia. Wikimedia Commons " />
 <figcaption> The Fruit of the Loom logo has never had a cornucopia. Wikimedia Commons </figcaption>
 </figure>The Mandela Effect became fodder for conspiracists – the false memories so strong and so specific that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/tops.12348">some people see them as evidence of an alternate dimension</a>.Because of that, scientific research has only studied the Mandela 
Effect as an example of how conspiracy theories spread on the internet. 
There has been very little research looking into the Mandela Effect as a
 memory phenomenon. But understanding why these icons trigger such specific false 
memories might give us more insight into how false memories form. The 
visual Mandela Effect, which affects icons specifically, was a perfect 
way to study this. <h2>A robust false memory phenomenon</h2>To see whether the visual Mandela Effect really exists, <a href="https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/nzh3s">we ran an experiment</a>
 in which we presented people with three versions of the same icon. One 
was correct and two were manipulated, and we asked them to select the 
correct one. There were 40 sets of icons, and they included C-3PO from 
the Star Wars franchise, the Fruit of the Loom logo and the Monopoly Man
 from the board game. In the results, which have been accepted for publication in the 
journal Psychological Sciences, we found that people fared very poorly 
on seven of them, only choosing the correct one around or less than 33% 
of the time. For these seven images, people consistently identified the 
same incorrect version, not just randomly choosing one of the two 
incorrect versions. In addition, participants reported being very 
confident in their choices and having high familiarity with these icons 
despite being wrong. Put together, it’s clear evidence of the phenomenon that people on 
the internet have talked about for years: The visual Mandela Effect is a
 real and consistent memory error.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/9/1663945662258.png" alt="&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;The correct version of Pikachu is 
the one on the left. Most participants in the study not only chose a 
wrong version of the popular cartoon character, but they also chose the 
same wrong one – the Pikachu with the black tip on its tail.
 Wilma Bainbridge and Deepasri Prasad, <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a>" />
 <figcaption>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;The correct version of Pikachu is 
the one on the left. Most participants in the study not only chose a 
wrong version of the popular cartoon character, but they also chose the 
same wrong one – the Pikachu with the black tip on its tail.
 Wilma Bainbridge and Deepasri Prasad, <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></figcaption>
 </figure>We found that this false memory effect was incredibly strong, across 
multiple different ways of testing memory. Even when people saw the 
correct version of the icon, they still chose the incorrect version just
 a few minutes later. And when asked to freely draw the icons from their memory, people also included the same incorrect features.<h2>No universal cause</h2>What causes this shared false memory for specific icons? We found that visual features like color and brightness could not 
explain the effect. We also tracked participants’ mouse movements as 
they viewed the images on a computer screen to see if they simply didn’t
 scan over a particular part, such as Pikachu’s tail. But even when 
people directly viewed the correct part of the image, they still chose 
the false version immediately afterward. We also found that for most 
icons, it was unlikely people had seen the false version beforehand and 
were just remembering that version, rather than the correct version.It may be that there is no one universal cause. Different images may 
elicit the visual Mandela Effect for different reasons. Some could be 
related to prior expectations for an image, some might be related to 
prior visual experience with an image and others could have to do with 
something entirely different than the images themselves. For example, we
 found that, for the most part, people only see C-3PO’s upper body 
depicted in media. The falsely remembered gold leg might be a result of 
them using prior knowledge – bodies are usually only one color – to fill
 in this gap. But the fact that we can demonstrate consistencies in false memories 
for certain icons suggests that part of what drives false memories is 
dependent on our environment – and independent of our subjective 
experiences with the world.
 
 
 
 Deepasri Prasad is a Ph.D. Student in Cognitive Neuroscience at Dartmouth College. Wilma Bainbridge is an
 Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of Chicago.<div><iframe src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/188269/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-advanced" width="1" height="1" referrerpolicy="no-referrer-when-downgrade"></iframe></div>

Study seeks to explain the ‘Mandela Effect’ – the bizarre phenomenon of shared false memories

By RAY GLIER <a href="https://georgiarecorder.com/2022/09/21/sleepy-coffee-county-wakes-to-national-spotlight-with-2021-voting-machine-breach-videos/">Georgia Recorder</a>

DOUGLAS, Ga. – Sitting at a back table at Ole Times restaurant, Larry Nesmith was putting a cold drink to his lips when his phone jangled. It was his wife calling. They live out near the high school and kids in their trucks can get a little excitable after school. She said one smacked a fence, then sped off. Blue lights from the sheriff’s car zipped by moments later.

“That’s the kind of news we’re used 
to, a kid in a truck,” said Nesmith, a Democrat, and a community 
activist who has run for local office. “This other stuff? Not used to 
that around here.”

“This other stuff” was the breach of 
the Coffee County Elections and Registrations office Jan. 7, 2021. Cathy
 Latham, the chair of the Coffee County Republican party, Misty Hampton,
 the county elections supervisor, and Eric Chaney, a member of the 
county elections board, were involved in opening up the elections office
 on W. Ashley Avenue for cyber sleuths working for the 
conspiracy-spinning attorney Sidney Powell, whose chief client was 
President Donald Trump.&nbsp;

The computer guys copied hard drives 
and peered into the workings of the proprietary software of Dominion 
Voting, which provides the voting technology used by the state. They 
claimed to have scanned every vote, according to court documents. They 
were looking for supposed vulnerabilities in the voting machines that 
could help explain Trump’s loss in the 2020 election. They also wanted 
evidence of election fraud, which seemed cockamamie in an election where
 Trump won 70% of the vote in Coffee County.&nbsp;

Now the Georgia Bureau of 
Investigation and the Fulton County district attorney are investigating 
and so is the office of Brad Raffensperger, the Secretary of State, 
which was first notified by a new
 election director in spring of 2021 that the password no longer worked 
for the server and that he&nbsp; found a notorious Trump supporter’s business
 card near the computer Hampton used at the Coffee elections office. That led to a state official removing the server the following month.

In response to a subpoena filed by the plaintiffs, Coffee County 
attorneys turned over video this week that revealed footage of the 
elections office on January 7, 2021, when the county GOP 
Chairwoman&nbsp;Latham, election board member Eric Chaney and election 
director Misty Hampton were joined by Hall, Paul Maggio, chief operating
 officer of Atlanta-based forensic data firm SullivanStrickler.

The news of an attempted breach in Coffee County became public this 
spring after Marilyn Marks, executive director of the Coalition for Good
 Governance, released a recording of a phone call she had in March 2021 
in which Atlanta bail bondsman Hall claimed he provided a flight for a 
team of people to fly to Coffee County to copy voting records to 
discredit the machines and justify Trump’s efforts to overturn the 
election results.

Raffensperger publicly launched an 
investigation into the Coffee County breach episode last March because 
of pressure from Marks. The spring 2022 revelation of a <a target="_blank" href="https://georgiarecorder.com/2022/09/07/familiar-cast-of-trump-election-deniers-emerges-with-new-video-showing-coffee-election-breach/">video showing Hampton</a> ushering in a group that copied voting machine records&nbsp;prompted Raffensperger to take a closer look at events that occurred at the county courthouse in January 2021.

As late as April, interim deputy secretary of state Gabriel Sterling denied the breach allegation.
 This summer, however, the secretary of state’s office confirmed that an
 investigation was underway and that the GBI was assisting.

Meanwhile, Coffee County is coping 
with making national news for all the wrong reasons. There is some 
national scorn of the south Georgia town and the county of about 43,000 
because it is seen as a haven of disgruntled, undemocratic losers.&nbsp;

“I’ve talked to all the county 
commissioners, all of them Republican, except one, and they were shocked
 by what happened at the elections office and unhappy about it,” Nesmith
 said.&nbsp;&nbsp;

On Peterson Street, which is the Main
 Street here in Douglas, Jill Cravey, the owner of The Crave Boutique on
 Peterson Avenue, couldn’t contain her disgust.

“I trust none of them now after this,
 Democrats and Republicans,” she said. “I pay all this money in taxes 
for this? It is a big mess.”

Three women eating lunch at Sparky’s 
downtown did not know the details of the attempted breach. Their eyes 
got wide with interest as they heard of local officials helping 
outsiders learn more about the inner workings of Coffee County’s voting 
system.&nbsp;

“Sneaky,” said Jasmine Scott, an IT consultant. “I don’t like it. We don’t like sneaky stuff.”

Others who were stopped and asked 
about the breach on Peterson Street this week just shrugged and said 
they had not really followed the episode.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/9/1663775154577.png" alt="An image from video surveillance recorded Jan. 7, 2021, shows former Coffee County Republican Party Chair Cathy Latham and Election Director Misty Hampton. Screenshot from Coffee County video" />
 <figcaption>An image from video surveillance recorded Jan. 7, 2021, shows former Coffee County Republican Party Chair Cathy Latham and Election Director Misty Hampton. Screenshot from Coffee County video</figcaption>
 </figure>By RAY GLIER <a href="https://georgiarecorder.com/2022/09/21/sleepy-coffee-county-wakes-to-national-spotlight-with-2021-voting-machine-breach-videos/">Georgia Recorder</a>DOUGLAS, Ga. – Sitting at a back table at Ole Times restaurant, Larry Nesmith was putting a cold drink to his lips when his phone jangled. It was his wife calling. They live out near the high school and kids in their trucks can get a little excitable after school. She said one smacked a fence, then sped off. Blue lights from the sheriff’s car zipped by moments later.“That’s the kind of news we’re used 
to, a kid in a truck,” said Nesmith, a Democrat, and a community 
activist who has run for local office. “This other stuff? Not used to 
that around here.”“This other stuff” was the breach of 
the Coffee County Elections and Registrations office Jan. 7, 2021. Cathy
 Latham, the chair of the Coffee County Republican party, Misty Hampton,
 the county elections supervisor, and Eric Chaney, a member of the 
county elections board, were involved in opening up the elections office
 on W. Ashley Avenue for cyber sleuths working for the 
conspiracy-spinning attorney Sidney Powell, whose chief client was 
President Donald Trump.&nbsp;The computer guys copied hard drives 
and peered into the workings of the proprietary software of Dominion 
Voting, which provides the voting technology used by the state. They 
claimed to have scanned every vote, according to court documents. They 
were looking for supposed vulnerabilities in the voting machines that 
could help explain Trump’s loss in the 2020 election. They also wanted 
evidence of election fraud, which seemed cockamamie in an election where
 Trump won 70% of the vote in Coffee County.&nbsp;Now the Georgia Bureau of 
Investigation and the Fulton County district attorney are investigating 
and so is the office of Brad Raffensperger, the Secretary of State, 
which was first notified by a new
 election director in spring of 2021 that the password no longer worked 
for the server and that he&nbsp; found a notorious Trump supporter’s business
 card near the computer Hampton used at the Coffee elections office. That led to a state official removing the server the following month.In response to a subpoena filed by the plaintiffs, Coffee County 
attorneys turned over video this week that revealed footage of the 
elections office on January 7, 2021, when the county GOP 
Chairwoman&nbsp;Latham, election board member Eric Chaney and election 
director Misty Hampton were joined by Hall, Paul Maggio, chief operating
 officer of Atlanta-based forensic data firm SullivanStrickler.The news of an attempted breach in Coffee County became public this 
spring after Marilyn Marks, executive director of the Coalition for Good
 Governance, released a recording of a phone call she had in March 2021 
in which Atlanta bail bondsman Hall claimed he provided a flight for a 
team of people to fly to Coffee County to copy voting records to 
discredit the machines and justify Trump’s efforts to overturn the 
election results.Raffensperger publicly launched an 
investigation into the Coffee County breach episode last March because 
of pressure from Marks. The spring 2022 revelation of a <a target="_blank" href="https://georgiarecorder.com/2022/09/07/familiar-cast-of-trump-election-deniers-emerges-with-new-video-showing-coffee-election-breach/">video showing Hampton</a> ushering in a group that copied voting machine records&nbsp;prompted Raffensperger to take a closer look at events that occurred at the county courthouse in January 2021.As late as April, interim deputy secretary of state Gabriel Sterling denied the breach allegation.
 This summer, however, the secretary of state’s office confirmed that an
 investigation was underway and that the GBI was assisting.Meanwhile, Coffee County is coping 
with making national news for all the wrong reasons. There is some 
national scorn of the south Georgia town and the county of about 43,000 
because it is seen as a haven of disgruntled, undemocratic losers.&nbsp;“I’ve talked to all the county 
commissioners, all of them Republican, except one, and they were shocked
 by what happened at the elections office and unhappy about it,” Nesmith
 said.&nbsp;&nbsp;On Peterson Street, which is the Main
 Street here in Douglas, Jill Cravey, the owner of The Crave Boutique on
 Peterson Avenue, couldn’t contain her disgust.“I trust none of them now after this,
 Democrats and Republicans,” she said. “I pay all this money in taxes 
for this? It is a big mess.”Three women eating lunch at Sparky’s 
downtown did not know the details of the attempted breach. Their eyes 
got wide with interest as they heard of local officials helping 
outsiders learn more about the inner workings of Coffee County’s voting 
system.&nbsp;“Sneaky,” said Jasmine Scott, an IT consultant. “I don’t like it. We don’t like sneaky stuff.”Others who were stopped and asked 
about the breach on Peterson Street this week just shrugged and said 
they had not really followed the episode.&nbsp;Latham has moved to Texas. Hampton 
was fired as elections supervisor and is working at the bank. Chaney 
resigned his seat on the elections board and is working on his family’s 
used car lot.It remains to be seen if this costs Coffee County more than just a black eye.&nbsp;Marks, who has been challenging the 
security of elections since 2017, said all the election equipment needs 
to be wheeled to the dumpster. The state replaced the Coffee County 
server after the breach, but she said all the election equipment, which 
includes poll pads, have been corrupted.&nbsp;The state owns the election 
equipment. Is it going to ask Coffee County taxpayers to reimburse it 
for the server, or just let this fade away?Mike Hassinger, a spokesman for 
Raffensperger, did not return an email request asking about the costs of
 the breach and whether they would be passed on to the county.Wesley Vickers, the county administrator, told the Georgia Recorder in his office Monday he is not aware of the state billing the county for new election equipment, or the cleanup.&nbsp;Across the street at the Elections Office, Rachel Ann Roberts, who
 has been the elections supervisor in Coffee County for nine months, 
said there has been no request by the state for money to replace voting 
equipment.“What about attorney’s fees in 
dealing with Dominion whose software was examined?” Nesmith said. “Do I 
and other taxpayers have to pay for that? What are all the costs to 
taxpayers of Coffee County associated with this breach?”Robert Preston Jr. runs the local 
online media site DouglasNow. He said he was a neighbor of Hampton, the 
fired elections supervisor, and she is a friend. Preston said the local 
officials “honestly believed something happened statewide” as far as 
election fraud and that is why they opened the elections office to the 
so-called “cyber ninjas” supporting Trump.President Joe Biden defeated Trump by
 11,779 votes in the state. Trump tried to shake down Raffensperger for 
votes to overturn Biden’s win and one of the avenues was to challenge 
the worthiness of the voting machines.“They thought that they were going to
 find some type of election fraud in Georgia that caused Trump to lose 
the election,” Preston said. “And that what they found would eventually 
overturn the election. Obviously that hasn’t happened. And I don’t think
 that they thought that they were breaking any laws.”Preston insists there has been no county-wide condemnation of Latham, Hampton, and Chaney.“I think the majority of the people 
here in Coffee County feel like the efforts by the individuals who have 
been named in this event were acting in good faith to try to uncover 
potential election fraud,” he said. “And when we’ve posted stories to 
provide some coverage, the comments locally that come in, not all of 
them, but most of the comments locally, seem to support what happened.”Nesmith disagrees and said many 
people in the county are upset with the trio. What’s more, Republican 
supporters in the county he has talked with are not as vociferous as 
others around the country about Trump being cheated out of the White 
House in 2020.&nbsp;“I don’t hear it about how Trump really won, I really don’t,” Nesmith said.Senior Reporter Stanley Dunlap contributed to this report.

Misc