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Oregon's Bootleg wildfire, currently the largest active blaze in the <keyword id="6354458" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="US">US</keyword>, has so far scorched an area 1.5 times the size of New York City, has destroyed at least 160 homes and 117 other buildings since it erupted on July 6, officials said.<br /><br />As of Monday, the active wildfire, which has burned through more than 300,000 acres, was 25 per cent contained from 22 per cent the previous day, reports <keyword id="106387" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Xinhua-news-agency">Xinhua news agency</keyword>.<br /><br />According to the fire officials, another 2,500 structures have been threatened by the massive blaze which has also triggered the expansion of mass evacuation orders.<br /><br />Two evacuation centres have been set up for residents in several cities, including <keyword id="11680302" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="klamath-falls">Klamath Falls</keyword> and <keyword id="155995" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Redmond">Redmond</keyword>.<br /><br />Meanwhile, the Log Fire is burning a couple of miles to the northeast of Bootleg Fire and has grown to more than 10,000 acres.<br /><br />The two fires are likely to merge, Marcus Kauffman, spokesman for the <keyword id="11654629" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="oregon-department-of-forestry">Oregon Department of Forestry</keyword>, said in a statement on Monday.<br /><br />Bootleg Fire is burning through high desert conifer forests parched after a long-running drought and above-average temperatures, according to a report by <keyword id="3325693" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Oregonlive">OregonLive</keyword>.<br /><br />Bootleg is one of more than 80 major fires raging across 13 US states, spurred by heatwaves and high winds, the BBC reported.<br /><br />Wildfires have already scorched more than 1.2 million acres of the country this year, mainly in western states, according to the <keyword id="1113023" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="National-Interagency-Fire-Center">National Interagency Fire Center</keyword>.<br /><br />More than 4,000 blazes have been recorded by the organisation so far in 2021, which is almost double last year's total.<br /><br />In California, five times as many acres have burned compared with the same period last year.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><strong>SEE ALSO -<br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/apple-could-finally-bring-the-always-on-display-feature-on-the-iphone-13/articleshow/84542970.cms">Apple could finally bring the always-on display feature on the iPhone 13</a><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/g-r-infraprojects-ipo-makes-a-strong-listing-on-exchanges-with-over-100-premium-shares-open-at-1700/articleshow/84542747.cms">G R Infraprojects IPO makes a strong listing on exchanges with over 100% premium, shares open at ₹1700</a></strong><br />

Oregon  Bootleg wildfire scorches area 1.5 times the size of New York City, destroyed 160 homes and 117 buildings so far

<ul class="summary-list"><li>A woman escaped her kidnapper by breaking down a door inside a makeshift cell, according to the FBI.</li><li>The complaint alleges Negasi Zuberi posed as an undercover policeman to lure her to his home. </li></ul><p>A woman escaped her kidnapper by breaking down a metal door inside a cell her abductor had built, and waving down a passing car, the FBI said on Wednesday. Now authorities are looking for more victims.</p><p>The <a href="https://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices/portland/news/fbi-portland-seeking-additional-victims-after-woman-escaped-makeshift-cell-in-klamath-falls-oregon" target="_blank" rel="noopener">FBI's Portland Field Office</a> announced at a press conference on August 2, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/live/-vA6ywHcEHg?feature=share" target="_blank" rel="noopener">posted to YouTube by KGW News</a>, that it arrested a man accused of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a woman. </p><p>According to the criminal complaint, the suspect Negasi Zuberi met the unnamed woman in Seattle after soliciting her for sex. Posing as an undercover police officer, he pointed a taser at the woman before handcuffing her, shackling her, and driving her to Klamath Falls, Oregon, the complaint alleges. </p><p>Zuberi — who also goes by several aliases — repeatedly stopped the car to sexually assault her, the criminal complaint alleges. When they arrived in Oregon about 7 hours later, he locked her in a makeshift cinderblock cell with a metal door and a single light bulb hanging above that he had constructed in his garage, the FBI said during the press conference. </p><p>After several hours alone in the cell, the victim "realized that she would likely die if she did not attempt to escape," according to the complaint.</p><p>She then began beating on the door with her bare hands "until they were bloody, in order to break free," Stephanie Shark, assistant special agent at the FBI's Portland office said in the press conference. "Her quick thinking and will to survive may have saved other women from a similar nightmare."</p><p>The victim was able to bust open the door, grab Zuberi's handgun out of his parked car, and flee the home, according to the complaint. </p><p>After receiving help from a motorist passing by, according to the complaint, the victim was taken to Sky Lakes Medical Center and given a sexual assault examination. Post-examination, the woman took law enforcement to the house she said Zuberi held her in, where officers found blood on the fence she had climbed to escape and connected Zuberi to the residence.</p><p>On July 16, the officers obtained a search warrant for Zuberi's house, according to the complaint, and located the cell the victim had described. Photos in the complaint show the small, cinderblock cell, which contains one chair, electrical cords, and several plastic bottles. Cell phone records, according to the complaint, also show Zuberi and the victim's locations matched during the alleged time of the attack. </p><p>Zuberi was arrested the same day, on the afternoon of July 16.</p><p>An attorney listed for Zuberi did not immediately respond to a request for comment.</p><p>"I want to thank the brave women who fought for their lives to get us where we are, here, today," Shark said during the press conference. "Now, it is our turn to take their burden and fight for them, any other victims out there, and seek justice." </p>

A woman escaped a kidnapper by breaking down a metal door inside a cell her abductor built and waving down a passing car, the FBI said. Now authorities are looking for more victims.

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="12759719" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="fred-meyer" source="Orion">Fred Meyer</keyword> and Quality Food Center workers in Oregon walked off the job on Friday in protest of unfair work conditions. </li><li>The Kroger-owned supermarket chains are scrambling to hire replacements during the busy holiday season. </li></ul><p>As employees of Kroger-owned Fred Meyer and Quality Food Center grocery stores embark on a week-long strike, the chains are scrambling to replace workers during the busy holiday season. </p><p>The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union 555 <a href="https://www.ufcw555.org/ufcw-555-members-at-fred-meyer-and-qfc-will-strike-at-6am-2021-12-17/">confirmed on Friday</a> that workers at the two Oregon-based supermarket chains will walk off the job Friday over what it said is unfair <keyword id="11910050" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="labor" source="Orion">labor</keyword> practices and interference in contract negotiations by <keyword id="12047300" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="kroger" source="Orion">Kroger</keyword>, the nation's largest grocer by revenue. The strike is slated to continue through Christmas Eve, and comes on the heels of ongoing requests to increase wages and working conditions. </p><p>In response to the strike, Fred Meyer stores have begun posting signs calling for temporary associates who are "willing to cross a picket line," <a href="https://www.opb.org/article/2021/12/17/thousands-of-oregon-fred-meyer-qfc-kroger-grocery-employees-strike/">according to local reports</a>. The signs state that the starting rate for the position is $17 an hour, higher than existing part-time hour wage range of $13.35 to $16.80 listed in <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=fred+meyer+cashier+job+description&amp;oq=fred+meyer+cashier+job+&amp;aqs=chrome.0.0i512j69i57.5359j0j9&amp;sourceid=chrome&amp;ie=UTF-8&amp;ibp=htl;jobs&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=2ahUKEwiV6Ovakev0AhX8j3IEHdxiAEAQkd0GegQIFBAB#fpstate=tldetail&amp;htivrt=jobs&amp;htiq=fred+meyer+cashier+job+description&amp;htidocid=idl-hvutOLL5nko5AAAAAA%3D%3D">recent job postings</a>. </p><p>In a statement, Fred Meyer and Quality Food Center said they plan to stay open despite the labor shortage, and called the strike "reckless." </p><p>"At a time when we want to invest more than ever in wage increases and affordable health care, the UFCW has chosen disruption and the unknown for our associates and their families," Dennis Gibson, president of Fred Meyer, said in a statement. "We value our associates and thank them for what they do every day for each other and our customers. We are committed to serving our customers, and our stores are open and stocked with fresh food and household essentials."</p><p>Fred Meyer employs more than 30,000 workers across 139 stores in the states of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Alaska, while QFC has nearly 6,000 staffers in 62 stores in Washington. As of now, the <keyword id="11911258" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="strikes" source="Orion">strikes</keyword> appear to be largely concentrated in Oregon stores in the cities of Portland, Newberg, Bend, and Klamath Falls, <a href="https://www.statesmanjournal.com/story/news/2021/12/16/oregon-fred-meyer-employees-could-strike-friday-morning/8932986002/">the Stateman Journal reported</a>. </p><p>According to the union, which represents nearly 30,000 workers in Oregon and Washington, Kroger has refused to provide information needed for contract negotiation and is hindering efforts to increase wages.  </p><p>"After nearly two years of breaking labor law to continue paying their employees less, Fred Meyer has upped the ante by systematically ignoring the law and trampling on employee rights," Dan Clay, President of UFCW Local 555 said in a statement. "It's absurd, and abhorrent." </p><p>Worker protests first erupted at Fred Meyer in May 2020, after Kroger cut its "hero pay" pandemic hazard bonus, which increased wages by $2 an hour for essential workers on the front lines. The company later offered one-time bonus payments of $400 to full-time employees and $200 for part-time staffers. </p>

Kroger-owned grocery chains are desperately trying to replace striking workers as employees walk off the job at the height of the holiday shopping season

<ul class="summary-list"><li><strong>The Bootleg <keyword id="28762" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="60" keywordseo="fire">Fire</keyword> in <keyword id="94113" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="60" keywordseo="Oregon">Oregon</keyword> is so big it's generating fire <keyword id="49873" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="clouds">clouds</keyword> and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/canada-wildfire-heat-generating-pyrocumulonimbus-storm-clouds-2021-7">pyrocumulonimbus storms</a>.</strong></li><li><strong>Fire clouds can reach up to 6 miles high; people can spot them from more than 100 miles away.</strong></li><li><strong>Pyrocumulonimbus clouds can generate <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/australia-bushfires-generate-pyrocumulonimbus-thunderstorm-clouds-2019-12">fire tornadoes and lightning</a> that may spark more blazes.</strong></li></ul><p>Rising temperatures and a growing wildfire are creating dangerous fire clouds and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/canada-wildfire-heat-generating-pyrocumulonimbus-storm-clouds-2021-7">firestorms</a> that can generate their own lightning in the skies above southern Oregon.</p><p>The Bootleg Fire, the largest blaze currently burning in the US, has torched more than 388,000 acres (606 square-miles) since it started July 6 in Klamath County. It's only <a href="https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7609/">30% contained</a> as of Tuesday.</p><p>As heat and smoke from large fires rise skyward, they can create storms comprised of what are known as <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/australia-bushfires-generate-pyrocumulonimbus-thunderstorm-clouds-2019-12?r=US&amp;IR=TIR=T">pyrocumulonimbus clouds</a>. These thunderheads produce their own <keyword id="6359992" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="weather">weather</keyword>, including tornadoes in rare cases, which can then spark new fires. It's a vicious cycle.</p><p>The Oregonian blaze is also creating pyrocumulus, or flammagenitus, clouds - the second word is Latin for "created from flame."</p><p>These fire clouds consist of up to 6-mile-high columns of smoke and ash that are visible from more than 100 miles away. The Bootleg Fire has generated multiple pyrocumulus clouds of this size for the last four days in a row, the Associated Press <a href="https://apnews.com/article/science-fires-environment-and-nature-oregon-wildfires-3255d07c698462a9221c090f212ac98e">reported Friday</a>.</p><div type="image" title="Bootleg fire satellite image July 18 2021 from NASA" height="1980" width="2640" msid="84591725" hostid="261"></div><p>"The fire is so large and generating so much energy and extreme heat that it's changing the weather," Marcus Kauffman, a spokesman for the Oregon forestry department, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/19/climate/bootleg-wildfire-weather.html?action=click&amp;module=Top%20Stories&amp;pgtype=HomepageHomepage">told The New York Times</a> Monday. "Normally the weather predicts what the fire will do. In this case, the fire is predicting what the weather will do."</p><p>Authorities said the clouds form between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. local time everyday, as heat from the baking ground rises skyward.</p><h2>'Fire-breathing dragon of clouds'</h2><div type="image" title="bootleg fire oregon clouds" height="1333" width="2000" msid="84490517" hostid="261"></div><p>"Pyrocumulus clouds above active fires, especially large fires, are relatively common," Nick Nauslar from the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho, <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-11-19/what-are-pyrocumulus-clouds-california-wildfire-analysis">told the Los Angeles Times</a>.</p><p>But if you spot a bank of thicker, taller thunderheads looming over an intense wildfire, those are almost always pyrocumulonimbus clouds, Nauslar said.</p><p><a href="https://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/pyrocb.html">NASA describes</a> pyrocumulonimbus storms as the "fire-breathing dragon of clouds." They can also generate hundreds of lightning strokes, which in turn can spark more blazes.</p><div type="image" title="Pyrocumulonimbus satellite image" height="538" width="1076" msid="84490518" hostid="261"></div><p>In general, thunderstorms form when lots of warm, moist air from the ground rises into the sky. As it enters the lowest part of the atmosphere, that air cools, and then sinks closer to Earth - where it warms up again, and subsequently rises. That cycle of rising and falling air is known as convection, and births cumulonimbus, or thunder, clouds.</p><p>But when that heat and moisture rise from a smoky wildfire rather than the ground, the convection creates pyrocumulonimbus clouds.</p><div type="image" title="fire" height="914" width="1200" msid="84490519" hostid="261"></div><p>These anvil-shaped clouds can generate rain like other thunderstorms. Often, though, they unleash powerful blasts of air known as "downbursts," rather than water droplets. In pushing dry air back down toward the ground, these downbursts can scatter a blaze's embers and smoke across large distances. That fuels the flames that generated the storm in the first place.</p><p>In September 2020, the Creek Fire in California created one of the <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2020/californias-creek-fire-creates-its-own-pyrocumulonimbus-cloud">largest types of these clouds</a> ever seen in the US. It measured <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/The-fire-breathing-dragon-of-clouds-15557949.php#:~:text=The%20Creek%20Fire%20pyrocumulonimbus%20formed,is%20not%20expected%20until%20October.">175,893 acres</a>, or 275 square miles, in size (an area more than three times the size of Seattle).</p><div type="image" title="pyrocumulonimbus.2" height="1560" width="1536" msid="84490520" hostid="261"></div><p>Rising temperatures and drier air are associated with more frequent and more intense <keyword id="394841" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="wildfires">wildfires</keyword>. And as wildfires increase in size and severity, fire-generated storms, too, are becoming more common.</p><p>In 2002, Canada, the US, and Mexico saw about <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/pyrocb.html">17 such storms</a> in total. About two decades later, the average number of annual pyrocumulonimbus events had jumped to 25 in western North America alone, <a href="https://e360.yale.edu/features/fire-induced-storms-a-new-danger-from-the-rise-in-wildfires">Yale360 reported</a>. </p>

Oregon's Bootleg Fire is so big it's generating dangerous fire clouds and firestorms that can spark their own lightning

<p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right"><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div>A 1,200 square foot Oregon home disappeared from its foundation, and no one has any idea where it is.<p>Klamath County Sheriff Frank Skrah confirmed the incident at a press conference on Tuesday. So far, there do not seem to be any leads as to the house's location or how it seemingly vanished overnight.</p><p>"We had a complete home stolen. This isn't a motor home, this isn't a mobile home and this is a 'home,'" Skrah said, <a href="http://kobi5.com/news/item/missing-house-in-klamath-falls.html">according to local NBC affiliate KOBI</a>.&#xa0;</p><p>Thankfully, the owners were not in the home when it was stolen.&#xa0;</p><p><span>The town, Klamath Falls (population: 20,000), is located about&#xa0;</span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">300 miles south of Portland.</span></p><p>Business Insider has reached out to the Klamath County sheriff office, and will update with any further information we receive.</p><div><div></div></div>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/iphone-headphones-tricks-2015-2">14 things you didn't know your iPhone headphones could do</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="o2OGM3czpWcydnvhjbkDBd6feXPuExiD" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

A 1,200-square foot Oregon home vanished from its foundation

<ul class="summary-list"><li>President <keyword id="6354484" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Donald-Trump">Donald Trump</keyword>, senior Justice Department officials, and Republican lawmakers have amplified the theory in recent weeks that the far-left group "<keyword id="5002721" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="antifa">antifa</keyword>" is infiltrating protests against <keyword id="53374" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Police-Brutality">police brutality</keyword> to stoke violence.</li><li>A closer examination of media reports, public records, intelligence assessments, and social media activity shows little evidence of a widespread or coordinated effort by antifa to weaponize the protests.</li><li>One investigation into court records of those arrested in connection to the protests show that the majority of those charged are local residents trying to take advantage of the chaos.</li><li>Another investigation that combed through the first set of federal criminal complaints related to the arrests found no mention of antifa or anti-fascist ideology.</li><li>Law enforcement veterans and experts in disinformation told Business Insider the allegations against antifa are more of a bogeyman for the far right than legitimate claims.</li><li>Meanwhile, there's been radio silence from Trump and Republican officials about credible warnings of violence in the protests linked to right-wing and white supremacist groups.</li></ul><p>As widespread protests against police brutality rage across the country following the Memorial Day death of <keyword id="9295731" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="george-floyd">George Floyd</keyword>, President Donald Trump, senior Justice Department officials, Republican lawmakers, and right-wing media figures have accused the far-left group "antifa" of using the demonstrations to incite violence.</p><p>But a closer examination of media reports, public records, and social media shows little evidence of a widespread or coordinated effort by antifa to weaponize the protests and spark riots.</p><p>On May 30, the president accused "ANTIFA and the Radical Left" of sparking riots, adding, "Don't lay the blame on others!" Following a wave of violence that weekend in Washington, DC, protests, Trump announced on May 31 that the US "will be designating ANTIFA as a Terrorist Organization."</p><p>The same day, Attorney General William Barr released a statement saying the "violence instigated and carried out by Antifa and other similar groups in connection with the rioting is domestic terrorism and will be treated accordingly."</p><p>Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida echoed the president, writing that individuals who sparked violence or committed other crimes at the rallies are part of antifa and should be hunted down like terrorists.</p><p>(Twitter flagged Gaetz's tweet for glorifying violence but determined it was in the public's interest to keep the tweet viewable, though users can no longer like, retweet, or reply to it.)</p><p>Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton struck a similar chord, writing in a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/03/opinion/tom-cotton-protests-military.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">controversial New York Times op-ed</a> that "cadres of left-wing radicals like antifa" are responsible for starting riots during the protests "to exploit Floyd's death for their own anarchic purposes."</p><p>(The Times later determined that Cotton's op-ed fell short of its editorial standards and should not have been published.)</p><p>Barr singled out the group again during a Thursday <keyword id="6355005" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="news">news</keyword> conference. "We have evidence that antifa and other similar extremist groups, as well as actors of a variety of different political persuasions have been involved in instigating and participating in the violent activity," the attorney general said.</p><p>FBI Director Christopher Wray also weighed in as he stood alongside Barr that day. "We're seeing people who are exploiting this situation to pursue violent extremist agendas," he said. "Anarchists like antifa and other agitators."</p><p>But recent media reports, intelligence assessments, court records, and social media posts fly in the face of these allegations.</p><h2>A 'bogeyman' for the far right</h2><p><div type="image" title="george floyd protest houston texas" height="1250" width="2500" msid="76273088" hostid="261"></div></p><p>An <a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-antifa-protests-wrong_n_5edbd47bc5b602afd0cf5dfe?ncid=tweetlnkushpmg00000067" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Associated Press investigation</a> into the arrest records, employment histories, and social media activity of 217 people arrested on May 30-31 in Minneapolis and Washington, DC — two cities at the epicenter of the demonstrations — found that more than 85% of the people charged with crimes connected to the protests were local residents.</p><p>Only a "handful" of those charged with curfew violations, rioting, and failure to obey law enforcement appeared to be affiliated with organized groups, the investigation found. Those charged with more serious offenses like arson, burglary, and theft were "overwhelmingly" local residents, many with past criminal records, who appeared to be taking advantage of the chaos, the report said.</p><p>The AP's investigation appears to line up with a separate report from The Nation, which said the FBI had "no intelligence indicating Antifa involvement/presence" in the violence that took place on May 31. The report cited an internal situation report from the FBI's Washington, DC, field office.</p><p>The situation report listed a series of violent acts, including instances of bricks being thrown at police officers and a backpack that contained explosives. But based on "CHS [Confidential Human Source] canvassing, open source/social media partner engagement, and liaison," the bureau had no evidence that those acts were directly linked to antifa, The Nation reported.</p><p>The Daily Beast also <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/antifa-is-literally-never-mentioned-in-the-first-prosecutions-of-protest-violence" target="_blank" rel="noopener">combed through</a> the first 22 criminal complaints federal agents filed since May 31 that were related to the protests. None of them list antifa or anti-fascist ideology as being a motivating factor for the alleged crimes.</p><p>According to the report, only three out of the 22 complaints referenced a specific political ideology. One person appears to hold anti-Trump views and is accused of shouting, "Trump must die," and "This is a revolution" while pointing a semi-automatic weapon at a crowd in Texas. This person also allegedly posted on Facebook about wanting to "off racists and MAGA people," referring to Trump supporters.</p><p>In another complaint, authorities accused an 18-year-old in Massachusetts of throwing Molotov cocktails and telling local police he was "with the anarchist group." And in the third, three men connected to the far-right <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/03/us/boogaloo-extremist-protests-invs/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Boogaloo movement</a>, whose gun-toting members advocate for a second civil war, were <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/3-boogaloo-men-terror-charges-george-floyd-protest-riot-conspiracy-2020-6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">arrested on domestic terrorism charges</a> in Nevada for trying to start a riot during Las Vegas protests.</p><p>Matt Chandler, a deputy chief of staff at the Department of Homeland Security during the Obama administration, told Business Insider that while there "certainly are individuals and groups seeking to take advantage of the protests to distract from their true purpose," practically speaking, antifa is not "a centrally organized group, it's a loose collective of those who share anti-fascist, anti-white supremacist, and sometimes anarchist ideologies."</p><p>Jeffrey Cramer, a longtime former federal prosecutor who spent 12 years at the Justice Department, echoed that view, telling Business Insider that antifa does not have an organizational structure or command and control. Instead, "it is a bogeyman for far-right Republicans to explain civil unrest," Cramer said.</p><p>Moreover, because there still <a href="https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/R/R44921" target="_blank" rel="noopener">isn't a standard process</a> for publicly designating domestic terrorist groups, Trump's focus on antifa "appears to be political in nature and paints anyone who disagrees with him — in this case protesters who have nothing to do with antifa and are exercising their First Amendment rights — as an 'enemy,'" said Chandler, who is now a managing director at the Democratic consulting agency Bully Pulpit Interactive.</p><p>And "while individuals have certainly instigated violence during these protests, it is hard to claim an amorphous entity is responsible for criminals deciding to loot stores or cause problems," Cramer said.</p><h2>Theory of antifa-led riots bears 'all the earmarks of current-day disinformation'</h2><p><div type="image" title="FILE - In this June 1, 2020, file photo, President Donald Trump speaks in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington. Less than five months before voters will decide his fate, Trump is confronting a vastly different political reality than he once envisioned. The president, West Wing advisers and campaign aides have grown increasingly concerned about his reelection chances as they’ve watched Trump's standing take a pummeling first on his handling of the coronavirus pandemic and now during a nationwide wave of protests against racial injustice. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)" height="1976" width="3952" msid="76273089" hostid="261"></div></p><p>Paul Barrett, the deputy director of the New York University Stern Center for Business and Human Rights who released a report last year on how disinformation would affect the 2020 election, told Business Insider that efforts to frame the <keyword id="9316626" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="george-floyd-protests">George Floyd protests</keyword> as "a violent leftist conspiracy" bear "all the earmarks of current-day disinformation."</p><p>"The now-familiar elements include profuse social media posts of dubious provenance, flat-out falsehoods by President Trump, and deft amplification by right-wing figures on Fox News," said Barrett, who is also the author of a <a href="https://bhr.stern.nyu.edu/tech-content-moderation-june-2020" target="_blank" rel="noopener">newly released report</a> on content moderation.</p><p>The theory that antifa is behind organizing the riots is the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/01/technology/george-floyd-misinformation-online.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">most prominent piece of misinformation</a> flying around about the demonstrations, according to <a href="https://zignallabs.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Zignal Labs</a>, which tracked and analyzed certain types of mis- and disinformation connected to the protests.</p><p>Out of 873,000 pieces of <keyword id="535763" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Misinformation">misinformation</keyword> linked to the demonstrations, 575,800 mentioned antifa, Zignal Labs <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/01/technology/george-floyd-misinformation-online.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told The New York Times</a>.</p><p>The allegations gained traction after Trump tweeted on May 31 that antifa and other left-wing radicals were responsible for the violence. But they started bouncing around social media days earlier, according to The Times, which found more than 6,000 Facebook posts linking antifa to the protests that garnered 1.3 million likes and shares from May 25 to June 1.</p><p>On Thursday, the hashtag #exposeAntifa began trending on Twitter as the president and his allies continued amplifying the theory.</p><p>And a number of media reports in the days since have documented instances of people across the country acting on bogus warnings of antifa-led infiltrations of anti-racism demonstrations.</p><p>As protests unfolded in Idaho last week, white residents armed with military-style assault rifles lined the streets of some towns after seeing unfounded reports of "ANTIFA agitators" planning to invade the state, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/protests-armed-white-vigilantes/2020/06/04/09e17610-a5bb-11ea-b619-3f9133bbb482_story.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the Washington Post reported</a>. One of the armed locals told the outlet that he mobilized after hearing trusted sources warning of "antifa types" being on the move.</p><p>It turned out the warnings were an online hoax. Indeed, local officials in the state confirmed to the Post that not a single participant in the rallies was known to have defaced homes or storefronts in the name of antifa.</p><p>An <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/social-media/klamath-falls-oregon-victory-declared-over-antifa-which-never-showed-n1226681" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NBC News report</a> described a similar scenario in Klamath Falls, Oregon, where a group of about 200 protesters gathered at a local hotspot and were met with hundreds of their mostly white neighbors across the street, who were armed with guns, hammers, axes, baseball bats, and American flags.</p><p>The armed counter-protesters told NBC News they wanted to protect their town after hearing that the billionaire philanthropist and right-wing bete noire George Soros had paid for antifa activists to be bused in to destroy Klamath Falls.</p><p>Barrett said the events show the risks of "purposeful confusion" regarding major events like the police brutality protests.</p><p>"Ordinary people may misunderstand important public events," in this case, "the identity and motivations of throngs of people earnestly protesting racism and injustice," he said. More generally, these developments indicate how swaths of the American public are becoming cynical "about the very possibility of understanding basic truths about society and <keyword id="6358883" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="politics">politics</keyword>."</p><p>The regression is similar to "what you see in autocracies like Russia, where Trump's friend Vladimir Putin has so debased the notion of truth that many Russians have given up on trying to discern it," Barrett said.</p><p><div type="image" title="trump putin" height="1000" width="2000" msid="76273090" hostid="261"></div></p><h2>Radio silence on violence linked to the far right</h2><p>At the same time as they blame antifa and radical left-wing activists for violence connected to the rallies, Trump, Barr, and other Republican lawmakers have remained silent about media reports and criminal charges brought against those who identify with the far right.</p><p>On Monday, CNN reported that a man accused of driving his car through a crowd of protesters in Virginia over the weekend is an "admitted leader" of the Ku Klux Klan and a "propagandist for Confederate ideology," according to the county attorney.</p><p>The man, Harry Rogers, has been charged with attempted malicious wounding, felony vandalism and assault, and battery.</p><p>Barr's news conference on Thursday also came one day after the Justice Department announced charges against the three Nevada men who self-identified as being part of the <keyword id="5924267" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="boogaloo">Boogaloo</keyword> movement. When the attorney general was asked why he singled out antifa but not the Boogaloo arrests, Barr replied that he had acknowledged "actors of a variety of different political persuasions" in his opening statement.</p><p>Meanwhile, the FBI's internal situation report which found "no intelligence" indicating antifa's involvement in the May 31 protest violence <em>did </em>warn that people associated with a right-wing social media group had "called for far-right provocateurs to attack federal agents" and "use automatic weapons against protesters."</p><p>Politico also reported earlier this month that a Department of Homeland Security intelligence note warned law-enforcement officials that a white supremacist channel on the encrypted messaging app Telegram encouraged its followers to incite violence to start a race war during the protests.</p><p>Citing the FBI, it said that two days after Floyd's death, the channel "incited followers to engage in violence and start the 'boogaloo.'"</p><p>One of the messages in the channel called for potential shooters to "frame the crowd around you" for the violence, the note said, according to Politico.</p><p>On May 29, the note said, "suspected anarchist extremists and militia extremists allegedly planned to storm and burn the Minnesota State Capitol."</p><p>And <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/security/twitter-takes-down-washington-protest-disinformation-bot-behavior-n1221456" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NBC News reported</a> this month that Twitter had identified a group posing as an "antifa" organization calling for violence in the protests as actually being linked to the white supremacist group Identity Evropa.</p><p>Twitter suspended the account, @ANTIFA_US, after it posted a tweet that incited violence. A company spokesperson also told NBC News that the account violated Twitter's rules against platform manipulation and spam.</p><p>Law enforcement veterans said Trump and Republicans' silence on far-right or white supremacist groups seeking to weaponize the protests could be seen as tacit approval for their actions.</p><p>"That is clearly troublesome," Chandler said, especially given warnings from the FBI and DHS that these groups pose "credible threats" to safety surrounding the rallies. </p><p style="font-weight: 400;">Cramer echoed that view and added that the Justice Department needs to offer "a level of consistency" as to what constitutes a terrorist organization.</p><p style="font-weight: 400;">Otherwise, he said, "the term and related legal weapons to battle such extreme forces becomes moot."</p>

The GOP's claim that antifa is infiltrating George Floyd protests is a right-wing 'bogeyman' that bears all the hallmarks of a domestic disinformation campaign

<p><strong><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span><a href="https://twitter.com/i/web/status/980175772206993409">Twitter</a></span></p></div><p></p></div></div></strong></p><ul><li><strong>Sinclair Broadcast Group came under scrutiny after a clip of news anchors reading a required script about "fake news" went viral.</strong></li><li><strong>Some worried the mandated segment undermined the news organizations, while others - including President Donald Trump - defended Sinclair.</strong></li><li><strong>Here is a list of Sinclair Broadcast Group stations in every state and major city or media market.</strong></li></ul><p>Since the release of a viral clip showing broadcasters reading a <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/sinclair-news-anchors-false-news-controlling-what-people-think-2018-4">required segment on journalistic integrity</a>, local-TV giant <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/category/sinclair-broadcast-group">Sinclair Broadcast Group</a> has been under the microscope.</p><p>The company, which owns 193 local stations across the US, drew criticism for what some saw as a forced message that undermined the independence of the news organizations. Others, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/trump-trashes-cnn-defends-sinclair-pro-trump-local-news-2018-4?r=UK&amp;IR=T">including President Donald Trump</a>, have <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/sinclair-responds-viral-video-anchors-reciting-false-news-speech-2018-4">defended Sinclair</a> and the monologue.</p><p>One of the biggest reasons for the intensity of the scrutiny is just how wide Sinclair's reach has become. Based on Sinclair's website, the company maintains stations in 34 states and Washington DC.</p><p>We went through <a href="http://sbgi.net/tv-channels/">Sinclair's list of stations</a> and found all of those affiliated with a major network or designated under its own call letters.</p><p>Check below to see if there's a Sinclair station in your area:</p><h3>Alabama:</h3><ul><li>Birmingham:<ul><li>WABM (MyTV)</li><li>WBMA (ABC)</li><li>WDBB (CW)</li><li>WTTO (CW)</li></ul></li><li>Mobile/Pensacola, FL:<ul><li>WPMI (NBC)</li><li>WEAR (ABC)</li><li>WFGX (MyTV)</li><li>WJTC (Independent)</li></ul></li></ul><h3>Arkansas:</h3><ul><li>Little Rock-Pine Bluff:<ul><li>KATV (ABC)</li></ul></li></ul><h3>California:</h3><ul><li>Bakersfield:<ul><li>KBFX (Fox)</li><li>KBAK (CBS)</li></ul></li><li>Chico-Redding:<ul><li>KCVU (Fox)</li><li>KRCR (ABC)</li><li>KRVU (MyTV)</li></ul></li><li>Eureka:<ul><li>KAEF (ABC)</li><li>KBVU (Fox)</li><li>KECA (CW)</li><li>KECA-2 (MyTV)</li></ul></li><li>Fresno-Visalia:<ul><li>KMPH (Fox)</li><li>KFRE (CW)</li></ul></li></ul><h3>Florida:</h3><ul><li>Gainesville:<ul><li>WNBW (NBC)</li><li>WGFL (CBS)</li><li>WGFL-2 (MyTV)</li></ul></li><li>Tallahassee/Thomasville, GA:<ul><li>WTLF (CW)</li><li>WTWC (NBC)</li></ul></li><li>West Palm Beach-Fort Pierce:<ul><li>WTCN (MyTV)</li><li>WPEC (CBS)</li><li>WTVX (CW)</li><li>WWHB (Aztec America)</li></ul></li></ul><h3>Georgia:</h3><ul><li>Albany:<ul><li>WFXL (Fox)</li></ul></li><li>Macon:<ul><li>WGXA (Fox/ABC)</li></ul></li><li>Savannah:<ul><li>WTGS (Fox)</li></ul></li></ul><h3>Idaho:</h3><ul><li>Boise:<ul><li>KBOI (CBS)</li><li>KBOI-2 (CW)</li><li>KYUU (CW)</li></ul></li></ul><h3>Illinois:</h3><ul><li>Champaign-Springfield-Decatur:<ul><li>WICD (ABC)</li><li>WBUI (CW)</li><li>WICS (ABC)</li><li>WRSP (Fox)</li><li>WCCU (Fox)</li></ul></li><li>Peoria-Bloomington:<ul><li>WHOI (ABC)</li></ul></li><li>Quincy/Hannibal, MO/Keokuk, IA:<ul><li>KHQA (ABC/CBS)</li></ul></li></ul><h3>Indiana:</h3><ul><li>South Bend-Elkhart:<ul><li>WSBT (CBS)</li></ul></li></ul><h3>Iowa:</h3><ul><li>Cedar Rapids-Waterloo-Dubuque:<ul><li>KGAN (CBS)</li><li>KFXA (Fox)</li></ul></li><li>Des Moines-Ames:<ul><li>KDSM (Fox)</li></ul></li><li>Ottumwa, Iowa/Kirksville, Missouri:<ul><li>KTVO (ABC)</li></ul></li><li>Sioux City:<ul><li>KPTH (Fox)</li><li>KPTH-2 (MyTV)</li><li>KMEG (CBS)</li></ul></li></ul><h3>Kansas:</h3><ul><li>Wichita-Hutchison:<ul><li>KSAS (Fox)</li><li>KMTW (MyTV)</li><li>KOCW (Fox)</li></ul></li></ul><h3>Kentucky:</h3><ul><li>Lexington:<ul><li>WDKY (Fox)</li></ul></li><li>Paduca-Cape Girard-Harsbg<ul><li>WDKA (MyTV)</li><li>KBSI (Fox)</li></ul></li></ul><h3>Maine:</h3><ul><li>Portland-Auburn:<ul><li>WPFO (Fox)</li><li>WGME (CBS)</li></ul></li></ul><h3>Maryland:</h3><ul><li>Baltimore:<ul><li>WBFF (Fox)</li><li>WNUV (CW)</li><li>WUTB (MyTV)</li></ul></li></ul><h3>Massachusetts:</h3><ul><li>Providence-New Bedford:<ul><li>WJAR (NBC)</li></ul></li></ul><h3>Michigan:</h3><ul><li>Flint-Saginaw-Bay City:<ul><li>WEYI (NBC)</li><li>WSMH (Fox)</li><li>WBSF (CW)</li></ul></li><li>Grand Rapids-Kalamazoo-Battle Creek:<ul><li>WWMT (CBS)</li><li>WWMT-2 (CW)</li></ul></li><li>Traverse City-Cadillac:<ul><li>WGTQ (ABC)</li><li>WTOM (NBC)</li><li>WPBN (NBC)</li><li>WGTU (ABC)</li></ul></li></ul><h3>Minnesota:</h3><ul><li>Minneapolis:<ul><li>WUCW (CW)</li></ul></li></ul><h3>Missouri:</h3><ul><li>Columbia-Jefferson City:<ul><li>KRCG (CBS)</li></ul></li><li>St. Louis:<ul><li>KDNL (ABC)</li></ul></li></ul><h3>Montana:</h3><ul><li>Butte-Bozeman:<ul><li>KTVM (NBC)</li><li>KDBZ (NBC)</li></ul></li><li>Missoula:<ul><li>KECI (NBC)</li><li>KCFW (NBC)</li></ul></li></ul><h3>Nebraska:</h3><ul><li>Lincoln-Hastings-Kearney:<ul><li>KFXL (Fox)</li><li>KHGI (ABC)</li><li>KWNB (ABC)</li></ul></li><li>Omaha:<ul><li>KXVO (CW)</li><li>KPTM (Fox)</li><li>KPTM-2 (MyTV)</li></ul></li></ul><h3>Nevada:</h3><ul><li>Las Vegas:<ul><li>KSNV (NBC)</li><li>KVCW (CW)</li><li>KVCW-2 (MyTV)</li></ul></li><li>Reno<ul><li>KRNV (NBC)</li><li>KRXI (Fox)</li><li>KAME (MyTV)</li></ul></li></ul><h3>New York:</h3><ul><li><span>Albany-Schenectady-Troy:</span><ul><li><span>WRGB (CBS)</span></li><li><span>WCWN (CW)</span></li></ul></li><li><span>Buffalo:</span><ul><li><span>WNYO (MyTV)</span></li><li><span>WUTV (Fox)</span><span></span></li></ul></li><li><span>Rochester:</span><ul><li><span>WHAM (ABC)</span></li><li><span>WHAM-2 (CW)</span></li><li><span>WUHF (Fox)</span><span></span></li></ul></li><li><span>Syracuse:</span><ul><li><span>WTVH (CBS)</span></li><li><span>WSTM (NBC)</span></li><li><span>WSTQ (CW)</span></li></ul></li></ul><h3>North Carolina:</h3><ul><li>Greensboro-High Point-Winston Salem:<ul><li>WXLV (ABC)</li><li>WMYV (MyTV)</li></ul></li><li>Greenville-New Bern-Washington:<ul><li>WYDO (Fox)</li><li>WCTI (ABC)</li></ul></li><li>Raleigh-Durham:<ul><li>WRDC (MyTV)</li><li>WLFL (CW)</li></ul></li></ul><h3>Ohio:</h3><ul><li>Cincinnati:<ul><li>WKRC (CBS)</li><li>WKRC-2 (CW)</li><li>WSTR (MyTV)</li></ul></li><li>Columbus:<ul><li>WWHO (CW)</li><li>WSYX (ABC)</li><li>WSYX-2 (MyTV)</li><li>WTTE (Fox)</li></ul></li><li>Dayton:<ul><li>WRGT (Fox)</li><li>WRGT-2 (MyTV)</li><li>WKEF (ABC)</li></ul></li><li>Toledo:<ul><li>WNWO (NBC)</li></ul></li></ul><h3>Oklahoma:</h3><ul><li>Oklahoma City:<ul><li>KOKH (Fox)</li><li>KOCB (CW)</li></ul></li><li>Tulsa:<ul><li>KTUL (ABC)</li></ul></li></ul><h3>Oregon:</h3><ul><li>Eugene:<ul><li>KPIC (CBS)</li><li>KVAL (CBS)</li><li>KMTR (NBC)</li><li>KMTR-2 (CW)</li><li>KCBY (CBS)</li><li>KMCB (NBC)</li><li>KTCW (NBC)</li><li>KTCW-2 (CW)</li></ul></li><li>Medford-Klamath Falls:<ul><li>KTVL (CBS)</li><li>KTVL-2 (CW)</li></ul></li><li>Portland:<ul><li>KUNP (Univision)</li><li>KATU (ABC)</li></ul></li></ul><h3>Pennsylvania:</h3><ul><li>Harrisburg-Lancaster-Lebanon<ul><li>WHP (CBS)</li><li>WHP-2 (MyTV)</li><li>WHP-3 (CW)</li></ul></li><li>Johnstown-Altoona:<ul><li>WJAC (NBC)</li></ul></li><li>Pittsburgh:<ul><li>WPGH (Fox)</li><li>WPNT (MyTV)</li></ul></li><li>Wilkes Barre-Scranton:<ul><li>WQMY (MyTV)</li><li>WSWB (CW)</li><li>WOLF (Fox)</li></ul></li></ul><h3>South Carolina:</h3><ul><li>Charleston:<ul><li>WCIV (MyTV)</li><li>WCIV-2 (ABC)</li></ul></li><li>Columbia: <ul><li>WACH (Fox)</li></ul></li><li>Florence-Myrtle Beach:<ul><li>WPDE (ABC)</li><li>WWMB (CW)</li></ul></li><li>Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson/Asheville, NC:<ul><li>WLOS (ABC)</li><li>WMYA (MyTV)</li></ul></li></ul><h3>Tennessee:</h3><ul><li>Chattanooga:<ul><li>WTVC (ABC)</li><li>WFLI (CW)</li><li>WFLI-2 (MyTV)</li></ul></li><li>Nashville: <ul><li>WNAB (CW)</li><li>WZTV (Fox)</li><li>WUXP (MyTV)</li></ul></li><li>Tri-Cities (<span>Kingsport-Johnson City/Bristol, VA)</span><ul><li><span>WCYB (NBC)</span></li><li><span>WEMT (Fox)</span><span></span></li></ul></li></ul><h3>Texas:</h3><ul><li>Abilene-Sweetwater:<br /><ul><li>KTXS (CW)</li><li>KTXS-3 (MeTV)</li><li>KTES-LD (MeTV)</li></ul></li><li>Amarillo:<ul><li>KVII (ABC)</li><li>KVII-2 (CW)</li><li>KVIH (ABC)</li><li>KVIH-2 (CW)</li></ul></li><li>Austin<ul><li>KEYE (CBS)</li><li>KEYE-2 (Telemundo)</li></ul></li><li>Beaumont-Port Arthur:<ul><li>KBTV (Fox)</li><li>KFDM (CBS)</li><li>KFDM-2 (CW)</li></ul></li><li>Corpus Christi:<ul><li>KTOV (MyTV)</li><li>KSCC (Fox)</li></ul></li><li>El Paso<ul><li>KFOX (Fox)</li><li>KDBC (CBS)</li><li>KDBC-2 (MyTV)</li></ul></li><li>Harlingen-Weslaco-Brownsville-McAllen:<ul><li>KGBT (CBS)</li></ul></li><li>San Angelo:<ul><li>KTXE (ABC)</li><li>KTXE-2 (CW)</li></ul></li><li>San Antonio:<ul><li>KABB (Fox)</li><li>WOAI (NBC)</li><li>KMYS (CW)</li></ul></li></ul><h3>Utah:</h3><ul><li>Salt Lake City:<ul><li>KMYU (MyTV)</li><li>KUTV (CBS)</li><li>KENV (NBC)</li><li>KJZZ (Independent)</li></ul></li></ul><h3>Virginia:</h3><ul><li>Norfolk-Portsmouth-Newport News:<ul><li>WTVZ (MyTV)</li></ul></li><li>Richmond-Petersburg:<ul><li>WRLH (Fox)</li><li>WRLH-2 (MyTV)</li></ul></li><li>Roanoke-Lynchburg:<br /><ul><li>WSET (ABC)</li></ul></li></ul><h3>Washington:</h3><ul><li>Seattle-Tacoma:<ul><li>KUNS (Univision)</li><li>KOMO (ABC)</li></ul></li><li>Spokane:<ul><li>KLEW (CBS)</li></ul></li><li>Yakima-Pasco-Richland-Kennewick:<ul><li>KEPR (CBS)</li><li>KEPR-2 (CW)</li><li>KIMA (CBS)</li><li>KIMA-2 (CW)</li><li>KORX (Univision)</li><li>KUNW (Univision)</li></ul></li></ul><h3>Washington, DC:</h3><ul><li>District of Columbia:<ul><li>WJLA (ABC)</li></ul></li></ul><h3>West Virginia:</h3><ul><li>Charleston-Huntington:<ul><li>WVAH (Fox)</li><li>WCHS (ABC)</li></ul></li><li>Wheeling/Stubenville, OH:<ul><li>WTOV (NBC)</li><li>WTOV-2 (Fox)</li></ul></li></ul><h3>Wisconsin:</h3><ul><li>Green Bay-Appleton:<ul><li>WLUK (Fox)</li><li>WCWF (CW)</li></ul></li><li>Madison:<ul><li>WMSN (Fox)</li></ul></li><li>Milwaukee:<ul><li>WCGV (MyTV)</li><li>WVTV (CW)</li></ul></li></ul>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/transgender-activist-former-white-house-intern-sarah-mcbride-isnt-discouraged-by-trump-2018-3">This transgender activist and former Obama White House intern isn't backing down against Trump</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div>

Sinclair Broadcast Group owns local news stations across the US - find out if your local station is one of them

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><a href="http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/ilate-week-ice-storm-texas-to-pennsylvania/20571898">Accuweather</a></p></div><p></p></div></div><em style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">State-by-state look at wintry <keyword id="6359992" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Weather">weather</keyword>, including frigid temperatures, ice and snow, hitting US</em></p>
<p>A big chunk of the U.S. is getting a blast of wintry weather. Some areas are experiencing frigid temperatures. <span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Some are seeing snow and ice. </span></p>
<p><span>"It's almost like a Black Friday," Texas resident <span>James</span>McGilberry told AP, "but I guess we'll call it an Ice Friday."</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">The conditions are making travel difficult and prompting the cancellation of flights, holiday festivities and football games. Even one outdoor ice rink in cold-accustomed South Dakota is shutting down.</span></p>
<h3>ARIZONA</h3>
<p>A storm rolling in over the weekend will keep northern Arizona in the grips of freezing temperatures, bringing more snow and making travel a little tricky.</p>
<p>Phoenix residents could see a dusting of snow in the surrounding mountains. Several inches of snow could fall in the higher terrain.</p>
<p>The cold weather is normal for this time of year, but the duration of chilly temperatures that will dip below zero in some parts of northern Arizona is what makes the recent and upcoming days "on the cold end of normal," said David Blanchard, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Flagstaff.</p>
<p>Tucson street crews were busy Thursday preparing for the weather by coating about 70 bridge decks with magnesium chloride to keep ice from sticking to roadways.</p>
<h3>ARKANSAS</h3>
<p>Wintry weather prompted schools, businesses and government agencies to shutter their doors Friday as icy weather pelted the state ahead of a cold snap expected to last for days.</p>
<p>Gov. Mike Beebe declared a statewide emergency, making it easier for crews to repair expected damage to trees and power lines. He also said only essential state personnel needed to report for duty in Little Rock, the state capital.</p>
<p>An ice storm warning issued by the National Weather Service in North Little Rock was to last until 6 p.m. Friday.</p>
<p>Cold air following the storm was forecast to drop temperatures below zero in parts of northern Arkansas as bitter cold stretches across the state into next week.</p>
<h3>COLORADO</h3>
<p>In northwestern Colorado, temperatures dropped to near 30 degrees below zero.</p>
<p>National Weather Service meteorologist Matthew Aleksa said the temperature in Meeker hit 29 below zero just before sunrise Thursday, and Craig was at minus 27 degrees.</p>
<p>"Those are the actual temperatures, not wind chill temperatures. It's going to stay cold," Aleksa said.</p>
<p>Some mountain areas reported up to a foot of snow. The Colorado Department of Transportation said U.S. Highway 550 was closed between Silverton and Ouray in western Colorado to prevent avalanches on Red Mountain Pass.</p>
<p>In Denver, homeless people lined up in 9-below-zero temperatures before dawn, waiting for the St. Francis Center day shelter to open so they could get off the streets.</p>
<p>The National Weather Service said Denver's airport tied a record low Thursday of minus 15 set in 1972, but the airport was also closer to Denver 41 years ago.</p>
<h3>DAKOTAS</h3>
<p>Some organizations in the Dakotas canceled holiday events, and one city decided it was even too cold for ice skating.</p>
<p>A "Christmas at the Zoo" fundraising event in the North Dakota city of Minot and "Parade of Lights" events in the South Dakota cities of Yankton and Sturgis were among those called off. Many schools announced late starts, and officials in Rapid City, S.D., shut down an outdoor ice rink.</p>
<p>The National Weather Service posted advisories for the two states saying wind chills could make the temperature feel as low as 40 degrees below zero into the weekend.</p>
<h3>ILLINOIS</h3>
<p>Icy, cold weather has caused numerous traffic accidents in southern Illinois, and dozens of schools and day care centers say they will be closed Friday.</p>
<p>More than a dozen counties south of Interstate 70 in southern Illinois were under winter storm warnings from the National Weather Service. Parts of Illinois could see up to 8 inches of snow.</p>
<p>The electric utility Ameren Illinois says it has trucks ready to respond to outages.</p>
<h3>INDIANA</h3>
<p>The Indiana Department of Transportation was preparing for freezing rain, sleet, ice and snow to hit parts of the state Thursday night and Friday.</p>
<p>The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning for much of southern and central Indiana.</p>
<h3>MICHIGAN</h3>
<p>Temperatures fell sharply across Michigan on Thursday. Readings reached a spring-like 63 degrees in parts of southern Michigan and the mid-40s in the Upper Peninsula early Thursday before the frigid air pushed into the state.</p>
<p>The National Weather Service said that by mid-afternoon, the day's lows stood at 10 degrees in Ironwood, 15 in Iron Mountain, 31 in Kalamazoo and 38 at Detroit Metropolitan Airport.</p>
<p>A mix of snow and freezing rain was expected in places, making travel difficult, and gale warnings were in effect for Lake Superior and parts of northern Lake Michigan.</p>
<h3>MINNESOTA</h3>
<p>The storm dumped as much as 2 feet of snow in parts of Minnesota, forcing school closures and temporary power outages and delighting skiers who were hitting the slopes despite temperatures in the single digits Thursday.</p>
<p>The Spirit Mountain ski area in Duluth, Minn. welcomed the heavy snowfall, which helped turn the slopes into a party. Attendees included students from the University of Minnesota Duluth and other colleges who were given Wednesday off.</p>
<p>While college classes resumed Thursday, Duluth-area elementary and high schools remained closed. Temperatures were in the single digits above zero Thursday morning and were forecast to slowly fall all day on their way to subzero overnight lows for at least the next few days.</p>
<h3>MISSOURI</h3>
<p>Most of southern Missouri was under winter weather warnings, with up to 8 inches of snow possible by Friday evening.</p>
<p>Even more problematic: Sleet and freezing rain accumulations of up to a quarter-inch were expected in areas south of Interstate 44 in addition to the snow, creating a strong potential for downed power lines and very slick driving conditions.</p>
<p>"Certainly power outages are going to be a real threat," said Scott Truett, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in St. Louis. As for driving, snow on top of ice "is a very bad combination," Truett said.</p>
<p>Adding to Missouri's woes was the frigid cold. Highs were mostly expected to reach only into the 20s or low 30s, a sharp decline from highs in the 60s in many places just 24 hours earlier. St. Louis reached 69 degrees on Wednesday; afternoon temperatures on Thursday were 40 degrees colder.</p>
<h3>MONTANA</h3>
<p>Temperatures plunged to minus 11 in Helena, where a frozen pipe burst and flooded part of the Montana State Capitol building Thursday morning.</p>
<p>There was minor flooding in the cafeteria, media rooms and some bathrooms, although most of the building remained open for business and public meetings as workers dried the soaked areas.</p>
<p>The cold snap Thursday set or matched record low temperatures in parts of Montana, including minus 26 in Great Falls. Denton also set a record at minus 23 Thursday morning and Havre's minus 27 reading matched a record that has stood since 1936.</p>
<p>The cold snap is expected to last through the weekend.</p>
<h3>NEVADA</h3>
<p>In northern Nevada, Carson City Sheriff Ken Furlong said extreme cold was likely what killed a 53-year-old transient who was found dead behind a convenience store Thursday.</p>
<p>Carson City's high temperature hasn't exceeded 25 for two days, according to the National Weather Service.</p>
<p>In northeast Nevada, the low Thursday reached a record 23 below zero in Ely, near the Utah line. A hard freeze warning remained in effect as far south as Las Vegas until 9 a.m. Friday.</p>
<h3>NEW MEXICO</h3>
<p>A storm system that swept through parts of New Mexico on Thursday dumped up to 6 inches of snow across the state, closing some schools and causing dangerous driving conditions and traffic accidents, including one that critically injured a sheriff's sergeant.</p>
<p>New Mexico State Police say Sandoval County sheriff's Sgt. Robert Baron, 47, was transported to University of New Mexico Hospital after he was struck by a vehicle while directing traffic on Interstate 25 near the San Felipe Pueblo.</p>
<p>The weather forced school closures in Santa Fe and in Albuquerque's eastern mountains. Schools in other municipalities, like Las Vegas, N.M., opted for a two-hour delay.</p>
<h3>OHIO</h3>
<p>Temperatures in parts of Ohio were expected to drop by 40 degrees or more as an icy blast of wintry weather bore down on the state Thursday. Temperatures could plunge into the teens by the weekend.</p>
<p>Forecasters predicted the cold front would bring a mix of freezing rain and sleet, as well 2 to 6 inches of snow along the Interstate 70 and 71 corridors from Cincinnati through Columbus.</p>
<h3>OKLAHOMA</h3>
<p>Freezing precipitation fell in parts of southern Oklahoma on Thursday morning, prompting officials to postpone high school state football championship games and cities to cancel holiday festivities across the state.</p>
<p>The brunt of the wintry storm bringing snow and ice will be felt overnight and into Friday morning, National Weather Service forecaster Daryl Williams said.</p>
<p>The Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association said the 6A state football title game between Jenks and Union has been rescheduled from Thursday in Stillwater to Dec. 12 in Tulsa. Other games would be rescheduled for next week.</p>
<p>Holiday events during the next few days were also canceled in several cities.</p>
<p>In Moore, officials canceled the Christmas in Old Town event featuring horse-drawn carriage rides and a tree-lighting ceremony, which was to take place Friday night. City spokesman Jayme Shelton said organizers feared putting residents in potentially unsafe situations.</p>
<h3>OREGON</h3>
<p>The cold proved too much for a public outdoor pool in the Oregon city of Klamath Falls. Officials in the high-desert city known for heating businesses, homes and sidewalks with geothermal resources closed the pool at least until next week.</p>
<p>The pool that's heated with geothermal resources is normally around 80 degrees and sometimes closes in cold weather, but that's usually in January. The pool temperature had fallen to about 75, low enough to put users at risk, said John Bellon, superintendent of parks maintenance and operations.</p>
<p>It was cold in the area east of the Cascade Range on Wednesday, about 7 above in the city and setting a record low for the day at nearby Crater Lake: minus 2.</p>
<p>Statewide, the cold was expected to be followed by significant snow in much of southern and eastern Oregon.</p>
<h3>TEXAS</h3>
<p>A storm brought sleet and freezing rain to the West Texas region on Thursday, coating roads with a layer of thin ice and prompting the postponement of Saturday's Texarkana Bowl.</p>
<p>The freezing precipitation was expected to transition to snow later Thursday. Temperatures in West Texas were expected to stay in the 20s Thursday and Friday.</p>
<p>American Airlines and American Eagle canceled nearly 500 flights Thursday. Fort Worth-based American said the cancellations were a precaution in anticipation of deteriorating travel conditions.</p>
<p>The Texarkana Bowl between Harding University and Texas A&amp;M Commerce was postponed because the area was under an ice storm warning. Bowl officials and representatives of both schools were working to reschedule the game, which was originally to be held Saturday.</p>
<h3>WISCONSIN</h3>
<p>With residents of northwestern Wisconsin digging out from as much as 17 inches of snow, forecasters warned that temperatures in the area could plunge as low as 25 degrees below zero.</p>
<p>Temperatures across north-central Wisconsin were forecast to fall into the single digits above and below zero on Thursday night. They were expected to drop into the minus 20s over the next few days into the middle of next week.</p>
<h3>WYOMING</h3>
<p>Residents in Laramie and the Shirley Basin endured temperatures of 31 degrees below zero Wednesday night, and high temperatures across the state were forecast to remain in the single digits through the weekend.</p>
<p>Other frigid readings across Wyoming overnight included minus 24 in Rawlins, minus 22 in Casper and Pinedale and minus 19 in Cheyenne.</p>
<div class="nc_footer">
<p>Copyright (2013) Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.</p>
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