THE WEATHER AUTHORITY Potential tropical development expected in the Gulf The Weather Authority is tracking Invest 92-L in the Western Gulf of Mexico which could develop into a named storm, leading to a week of heavy rain for Southwest Florida beginning Sunday.
WINK NEWS SWFL Scoreboard: High School Football Week 7 Week seven was action packed for high school football teams all over southwest Florida. WINK News has the highlights and scores.
Baby girl born during Hurricane Helene A stork managed to fly through Hurricane Helen’s strong winds. Baby Addison Grace Hayes was born during the storm’s peak at Health Park Medical Center in Lee County.
SOUTHWEST FLOIRDA Southwest Florida prepares for approaching storms The southwest Florida community took on a lot of water during Hurricane Helene, and the approaching rainmaker this weekend is concerning for many living in flood-prone areas.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Exclusive: Eric Trump speaks to WINK News on father’s attempted assassination Former president Donald Trump is set to return to the site where he nearly lost his life in July and concerns over security are top of mind.
Potential increasing for tropical system to head towards Florida next week According to the Weather Authority, the potential is increasing for a tropical system to head towards Florida next week. The next name is Milton.
NORTH PORT North Port man accuses insurance carrier of fraud A North Port man went on 60 Minutes to accuse his home insurance carrier, Hertigate Insurance of fraud and worse.
PORT CHARLOTTE Concerns over drainage issues in Port Charlotte One community’s concern is about high water and flooding because of a poor drainage system in Port Charlotte.
IMMOKALEE Def Leppard, Brad Paisley and Train to headline Immokalee’s Harvest Nights Music Festival Def Leppard, Brad Paisley, Train and many more bands will be performing at Harvest Nights Music Festival in Immokalee this November.
Cape Coral makes flood preparations ahead of possible tropical system For the past week, many people have been focused on storm recovery, and now, as we go into this weekend, we could see more rain and flooded roadways.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral firefighter’s union works to strike deal First responders put their lives on the line for all of us every day. Now, Cape Coral firefighters are fighting back for better healthcare and pay.
Charlotte County volunteers lend a hand to those affected by Helene As communities clean up after Hurricane Helene and brace for more rain in the forecast, volunteers give much-appreciated help to those in need, showing off the camaraderie of southwest Florida.
Jewish Community in SWFL emotional ahead of Oct. 7 anniversary The one-year anniversary of the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Hamas is approaching. The Jewish community continues to feel the lasting impact of that tragic day.
FORT MYERS Hurricane Helene causes rental car shortages Hurricane Helene has left a lasting impact on Southwest Florida, including the rental car situation at Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW).
SANIBEL Sanibel woman says she received divine sign from mother 2 years after Hurricane Ian Two years after Hurricane Ian, a Sanibel woman said she received a divine sign after moving back into her home.
THE WEATHER AUTHORITY Potential tropical development expected in the Gulf The Weather Authority is tracking Invest 92-L in the Western Gulf of Mexico which could develop into a named storm, leading to a week of heavy rain for Southwest Florida beginning Sunday.
WINK NEWS SWFL Scoreboard: High School Football Week 7 Week seven was action packed for high school football teams all over southwest Florida. WINK News has the highlights and scores.
Baby girl born during Hurricane Helene A stork managed to fly through Hurricane Helen’s strong winds. Baby Addison Grace Hayes was born during the storm’s peak at Health Park Medical Center in Lee County.
SOUTHWEST FLOIRDA Southwest Florida prepares for approaching storms The southwest Florida community took on a lot of water during Hurricane Helene, and the approaching rainmaker this weekend is concerning for many living in flood-prone areas.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Exclusive: Eric Trump speaks to WINK News on father’s attempted assassination Former president Donald Trump is set to return to the site where he nearly lost his life in July and concerns over security are top of mind.
Potential increasing for tropical system to head towards Florida next week According to the Weather Authority, the potential is increasing for a tropical system to head towards Florida next week. The next name is Milton.
NORTH PORT North Port man accuses insurance carrier of fraud A North Port man went on 60 Minutes to accuse his home insurance carrier, Hertigate Insurance of fraud and worse.
PORT CHARLOTTE Concerns over drainage issues in Port Charlotte One community’s concern is about high water and flooding because of a poor drainage system in Port Charlotte.
IMMOKALEE Def Leppard, Brad Paisley and Train to headline Immokalee’s Harvest Nights Music Festival Def Leppard, Brad Paisley, Train and many more bands will be performing at Harvest Nights Music Festival in Immokalee this November.
Cape Coral makes flood preparations ahead of possible tropical system For the past week, many people have been focused on storm recovery, and now, as we go into this weekend, we could see more rain and flooded roadways.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral firefighter’s union works to strike deal First responders put their lives on the line for all of us every day. Now, Cape Coral firefighters are fighting back for better healthcare and pay.
Charlotte County volunteers lend a hand to those affected by Helene As communities clean up after Hurricane Helene and brace for more rain in the forecast, volunteers give much-appreciated help to those in need, showing off the camaraderie of southwest Florida.
Jewish Community in SWFL emotional ahead of Oct. 7 anniversary The one-year anniversary of the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Hamas is approaching. The Jewish community continues to feel the lasting impact of that tragic day.
FORT MYERS Hurricane Helene causes rental car shortages Hurricane Helene has left a lasting impact on Southwest Florida, including the rental car situation at Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW).
SANIBEL Sanibel woman says she received divine sign from mother 2 years after Hurricane Ian Two years after Hurricane Ian, a Sanibel woman said she received a divine sign after moving back into her home.
WASHINGTON (AP) – A firm run by Donald Trump’s campaign chairman directly orchestrated a covert Washington lobbying operation on behalf of Ukraine’s ruling political party, attempting to sway American public opinion in favor of the country’s pro-Russian government, emails obtained by The Associated Press show. Paul Manafort and his deputy, Rick Gates, never disclosed their work as foreign agents as required under federal law. The lobbying included attempts to gain positive press coverage of Ukrainian officials in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and The Associated Press. Another goal: undercutting American public sympathy for the imprisoned rival of Ukraine’s then-president. At the time, European and American leaders were pressuring Ukraine to free her. Gates personally directed the work of two prominent Washington lobbying firms in the matter, the emails show. He worked for Manafort’s political consulting firm at the time. Manafort’s and Gates’ activities carry outsized importance, since they have steered Trump’s campaign since April. The pair also played a formative role building out Trump’s campaign operation after pushing out an early rival. Trump shook up his campaign’s organization again this week, but Manafort and Gates retain their titles and much of their influence. The new disclosures about their work come as Trump faces criticism for his friendly overtures to Russian President Vladimir Putin. The two men have previously said they were not doing work that required them to register as foreign agents. Neither commented when reached by the AP on Thursday. The emails show Gates personally directed two Washington lobbying firms, Mercury LLC and the Podesta Group Inc., between 2012 and 2014 to set up meetings between a top Ukrainian official and senators and congressman on influential committees involving Ukrainian interests. Gates noted in the emails that the official, Ukraine’s foreign minister, did not want to use his own embassy in the United States to help coordinate the visits. Gates also directed the firms to gather information in the U.S. on a rival lobbying operation, including a review of its public lobbying disclosures, to determine who was behind that effort, the emails show. And Gates directed efforts to undercut sympathy for Yulia Tymoshenko, an imprisoned rival of then-President Viktor Yanukovych. The Ukrainian leader eventually fled the country in February 2014 during a popular revolt prompted in part by his government’s crackdown on protesters and close ties to Russia. The emails do not describe details about the role of Manafort, who was Gates’ boss at the firm, DMP International LLC. Current and former employees at Mercury and the Podesta Group, some of whom spoke on condition of anonymity because they are subject to non-disclosure agreements, told AP that Manafort oversaw the lobbying efforts and spoke by phone about them. Gates was directing actions and seeking information during the project using an email address at DMP International, which he still uses. Manafort did not return phone and email messages Thursday from the AP to discuss the project. After AP reported earlier this week that Manafort helped the Ukrainian political party secretly route at least $2.2 million to the two Washington lobbying firms, Manafort told Yahoo News that AP’s account was wrong. “I was not involved in any payment plans,” Manafort said. Gates said Thursday he was busy with Trump campaign focus groups and promised to review AP’s questions in writing, then did not respond. Manafort also said in a statement earlier this week that he never performed work for the governments of Ukraine or Russia. Gates previously told the AP, “At no time did our firm or members provide any direct lobbying support.” Under the U.S. Foreign Agents Registration Act, people who lobby on behalf of foreign political leaders or political parties must provide detailed reports about their actions to the Justice Department. A violation is a felony and can result in up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. The emails illustrate how Gates worked with Mercury and the Podesta Group on behalf of Ukrainian political leaders. None of the firms, nor Manafort or Gates, disclosed their work to the Justice Department counterespionage division responsible for tracking the lobbying of foreign governments. “There is no question that Gates and Manafort should have registered along with the lobbying firms,” said Joseph Sandler of Sandler Reiff Lamb Rosenstein & Birkenstock, a Democratic-leaning Washington law firm that advises Republican and Democratic lobbyists. Manafort and Gates have said that they did not disclose their activities to the Justice Department because they did not oversee lobbying efforts and merely introduced the Washington firms to a Brussels-based nonprofit, the European Center for a Modern Ukraine, which they said ran the project. The center paid Mercury and the Podesta Group a combined $2.2 million over roughly two years. In papers filed in the U.S. Senate, Mercury and the Podesta Group listed the European nonprofit as an independent, nonpolitical client. The firms said the center stated in writing that it was not aligned with any foreign political entity. The 1938 U.S. foreign agents law is intended to track efforts of foreign government’s unofficial operatives in the United States. Political consultants are generally leery of registering under it, because their reputations can suffer once they are on record as accepting money to advocate the interests of foreign governments – especially if those interests conflict with America’s. Moreover, registering under the law would have required Gates, Manafort or the lobbying firms to disclose the specifics of their lobbying work and their efforts to sway public opinion through media outreach. Ina Kirsch, who runs the European nonprofit, has said the group’s work was independent and its goal was to bring Ukraine into the fold of Europe. The center has declined for years to reveal specific sources of its funding. Gates confirmed to AP previously that he was working for Ukraine’s ruling party, the Party of Regions, at the time. The chairman of the Podesta Group, Tony Podesta – the brother of Hillary Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta – said his firm believed Gates was working for the nonprofit. Podesta said he was unaware of the firm’s work for the Ukraine’s Party of Regions, led by Yanukovych. On Thursday, his firm said it had nothing new to add. Mercury’s founder, Vin Weber, an influential Republican and former congressman, told the AP that his firm was aware of Manafort’s and Gates’ affiliation with Ukraine’s political party and said Gates never participated in Mercury’s lobbying work. Weber did not respond to questions after AP said it had obtained emails contradicting this.