Page 4 - ARUBA TODAY JAN 17 2022

A4 U.S. NEWS
Monday 17 January 2022
Michigan AG asks feds to investigate fake GOP electors

(AP) — Michigan’s attorney Republican National
general is asking federal Committeewoman Kathy
prosecutors to open a crim- Berden and Meshawn
inal investigation into 16 Maddock, co-chair of the
Republicans who submit- Michigan Republican Par-
ted false certificates stating ty.
they were the state’s presi- State GOP spokesperson
dential electors despite Gustavo Portela accused
Joe Biden’s 154,000-vote Nessel of sitting on the in-
victory in 2020. formation for a year and
Dana Nessel, a Democrat, “playing political games
disclosed Thursday that her with people’s lives and live-
office had been evaluat- lihoods for the sake of scor-
ing charges for nearly a ing political points ahead
year but decided to refer of an election.” The Asso-
the matter to the U.S. attor- ciated Press left messages
ney in western Michigan. seeking comment from
“Under state law, I think Berden and Maddock on
clearly you have forgery of Friday.
a public record, which is a Democratic Secretary of
14-year offense, and elec- State Jocelyn Benson’s of-
tion law forgery, which is fice last month gave the
a five-year offense,” she Attorney General Dana Nessel announces charges for several security guards from Northland email to a U.S. House com-
told MSNBC’s Rachel Mad- Mall in the 2014 death of McKenzie Cochran during a news conference in Detroit on Thursday, mittee investigating the
dow. But the Justice De- Oct. 14, 2021. (Max Ortiz/Detroit News via AP) Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection.
partment, she said, is best When Michigan’s electors
suited to probe and poten- an evaluation for possible later recognized as duly of the Federal Register — cast 16 votes for Biden in
tially prosecute. charges. elected, qualified electors. which coordinates certain December 2020 following
The spokesperson for the American Oversight, a New Mexico Attorney functions of the Electoral the certification of his 2.8
U.S. attorney’s office de- watchdog group, last General Hector Balderas, College between states percentage point win, a
clined to comment Friday. March obtained certifi- a Democrat, announced and Congress — notified separate group that includ-
Nessel alleged a “coordi- cates submitted by Repub- he was referring his state’s Michigan’s elections di- ed some Republican state
nated effort” among Re- licans in seven states: Ari- case to federal authorities rector and Gov. Gretchen House members tried to
publican parties in several zona, Georgia, Michigan, as well even as “review un- Whitmer’s chief lawyer in an enter the state Capitol with
battleground states includ- Nevada, New Mexico, der state law is ongoing.” email that it received unof- Donald Trump’s Electoral
ing Michigan to push so- Pennsylvania and Wiscon- “Election laws are the foun- ficial, signed certificates College candidates. They
called alternate slates of sin. New Mexico and Penn- dation of our democracy from GOP electors who were turned away by state
electors with fake docu- sylvania Republicans add- and must be respected,” had not been appointed police but claimed in the
ments. She said she wants ed a caveat saying it was he said. by the Democratic gover- certificates that they met
federal authorities to make done in case they were On Jan. 8, 2021, the Office nor. The group includes “in the State Capitol.”q

Snow, ice blasts through South with powerful winter storm

diction Center. at airports in the Washing- portation officials advised
The storm was making air ton, D.C. area, the Federal drivers to take a detour
travel extremely difficult in Aviation Administration and said they hope to re-
some parts of the South. said in its air traffic control open the road by 2 p.m.
The nation’s hardest-hit air- plan for Sunday. More than 250,000 custom-
port -- Charlotte Douglas Parts of North Carolina were ers were without power by
International -- remained under a winter storm warn- late morning Sunday, ac-
open around dawn Sun- ing until Monday morning. cording to poweroutage.
day, the airport said in a Raleigh was experiencing us. Especially hard hit
weather briefing. But more a mix of frozen precipita- was Georgia, with nearly
than 1,000 Sunday flights in tion. 110,000 outages. South
Charlotte have been can- Frank Pereira, a meteo- Carolina had nearly 90,000
celled – more than 80% of rologist with the National customers without power.
the airport’s Sunday sched- Weather Service, said to The remaining outages
ule, according to the flight expect a “significant ice were in Florida, North Caro-
Vehicles navigate hazardous driving conditions along Interstate
85/40 as a winter storm moves through the area in Mebane, tracking service flighta- storm across portions of the lina and Tennessee.
N.C., Sunday, Jan. 16, 2022. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome) ware.com. Charlotte is a central Carolinas,” includ- Crews pretreated road-
major hub in the South for ing the Charlotte metropol- ways in Tennessee, Ken-
Associated Press Tens of thousands of cus- American Airlines. itan area. tucky and West Virginia but
(AP) — A dangerous win- tomers were without power In Atlanta, where Delta The North Carolina Depart- officials still urged people to
ter storm combining high in Georgia, North Carolina, Air Lines operates it main ment of Transportation said stay off them unless travel
winds and ice was sweep- South Carolina and Florida. hub, more than 300 Sun- Sunday that Interstate 95 was necessary. The Tennes-
ing through parts of the More than an inch of snow day flights have been can- was closed in both direc- see Highway Patrol said in
U.S. Southeast on Sunday, fell per hour in some parts celed. tions between Lumberton a tweet that some roads in
knocking out power, felling of the Carolinas, Georgia, Conditions were expected and Fayetteville due to East Tennessee were snow-
trees and fences and coat- Tennessee and Virginia, to continue to deteriorate low-hanging power lines. covered and that troopers
ing roads with a treacher- according to the National later Sunday, and possible Freezing rain had been re- were working several acci-
ous frigid glaze. Weather Service Storm Pre- ground stops were possible ported in the area. Trans- dents due to ice.q