AZ Memo: Wet morning commute; John McCain comments on Bowe Bergdahl, what's ahead for Sheriff Joe Arpaio; Michael Phelps home in Paridise Valley; much more
The National Weather Service says the showers that woke the Valley up Tuesday were expected to rip through the area until about 6 a.m.
Good morning, Arizona. Here’s what you need to know today.
The National Weather Service says the showers that woke the Valley up Tuesday were expected to rip through the area until about 6 a.m.
Valley roadways were wet and slow for those doing the early commute to work, so the Arizona Department of Transportation reminded drivers to slow down and be cautious as the monsoon weather makes it's way through the Phoenix area.
News of road closures were coming in. ADOT said Loop 202 was closed going south at Elliot Road in Mesa, as of 6:20 a.m. The lanes going north remained open but ADOT said there is no timeline for clearing up southbound traffic. Motorists can get the most updated information from ADOT by going to az511.gov or following the organization on Twitter (@ArizonaDOT).
Once the rain clears up in the morning, the forecast calls for drying conditions and near-normal or even slightly below-normal temperatures for the rest of the week.
Here's the extended forecast for metro Phoenix:
Tuesday, the skies should be mostly sunny, with a high close to 100 again and a low temperature around 80 degrees.
Wednesday and Thursday should be similar, forecasters say, with highs around 101 to 102 and lows near 80. Skies should be mostly sunny.
By next weekend, the weather service is seeing yet more of the same, with seasonable temperatures and no real chance of rain in the forecast.
The average temperature for late August is near 103 to 104 degrees during the day and about 82 degrees at night.
Bergdahl attorneys to argue McCain tainted case
While the trial makes it way through military court, defense attorneys are expected to argue a separate motion today that public comments made by U.S. Sen. John McCain tainted the case against Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl.
Bergdahl faces a court-martial on charges of desertion and misbehavior before the enemy for walking off his post in Afghanistan in 2009 — a move that he says led to his detainment by the Taliban and its allies until 2014.
The latter charge carries up to a life sentence. McCain, a prisoner of war in Vietnam, has criticized Bergdahl’s story and said the Senate Armed Services Committee plans to examine the case after the military court makes its decision.
‘No timeline’ for Arpaio contempt case
As you know, Sheriff Joe Arpaio has been referred for criminal prosecution by a federal judge who found him in contempt of court. But even the experts don’t know what exactly that will mean.
What would Arpaio be charged with? Will he serve jail time? Your guess is nearly as good as anyone’s. Because as azcentral’s Michael Kiefer reports, there is no playbook for prosecuting a powerful, high-profile lawman like Arpaio.
The judge asked that the U.S. Attorney's Office look into prosecuting the case, but what U.S. Attorney of Arizona John Leonardo does remains to be seen.
"Potentially everything is on the table right now," said Leonardo's spokesman, Cosme Lopez. "There is no timeline, unfortunately."
Trump cancels events; emails dog Clinton
Donald Trump has canceled at least three events in Western states this month, USA TODAY reports.
On Monday, outlets in Colorado, Nevada and Oregon reported that Trump events set to go on in their states were canceled, though in Nevada and Colorado, Trump is still slated to attend fundraisers.
Both Colorado and Nevada are battleground states where Hillary Clinton leads in recent polling. The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to request for comment.
Meanwhile, the State Department announced it is reviewing nearly 15,000 previously undisclosed Clinton emails that emerged in the FBI's investigation. And Trump has called for a special prosecutor to probe the financial dealings of the Clinton Foundation, alleging a pay-for-play scandal.
Phelps nesting in Paradise Valley
Swimming legend Michael Phelps has a posh Paradise Valley home where he can relax after departing the Rio Olympics.
The year-old Santa Barbara-style house in the pricey metro Phoenix enclave was purchased for $2.53 million in December, according to public records.
The 6,010-square-foot house has five bedrooms, six-and-a-half bathrooms, and, of course, a great swimming pool. Phelps lives there with fiancée Nicole Johnson and their baby boy, Boomer Robert Phelps.
Today in history
- In 1305, Scottish rebel leader Sir William Wallace was executed by the English for treason.
- In 1914, Japan declared war against Germany in World War I.
- In 1939, Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union agreed to a non-aggression treaty, the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, in Moscow.
- In 1973, a bank robbery-turned-hostage-taking began in Stockholm, Sweden; the four hostages ended up empathizing with their captors, a psychological condition now referred to as “Stockholm Syndrome.”
- In 1989, in a case that inflamed racial tensions in New York, Yusuf Hawkins, a 16-year-old black teen, was shot dead after he and his friends were confronted by a group of white youths in the Bensonhurst section of Brooklyn. (Gunman Joey Fama was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison; he will be eligible for parole in 2022.)
- One year ago, Islamic State militants destroyed a temple at ancient ruins of Palmyra in Syria, realizing the worst fears of archaeologists had for the fate of the 2,000-year-old Roman-era city after the extremists seized it and beheaded a local scholar.