Monday, February 19, 2024

2nd suspect charged following discovery of human remains in yard of Gaston County home

#1:2nd suspect charged following discovery of human remains in yard of Gaston County home

A second person has been charged following the discovery of human remains on Friday on the property of a home in Lowell, according to reports from the Gaston County Police Department.

Robin Rae Adair, 53, has been charged with felony concealment of a death and felony obstruction of justice.

The charges are in connection with a missing persons case that began in October 2020.

This led to the execution of a search warrant at 613 S. Church St., where heavy equipment was used to dig up the backyard, which was when the remains were found.

On Friday, Kenneth Richard Johnson, 55, was charged with concealment of death, disturbing human remains, dismembering human remains, and unnatural death.

Johnson was arrested in November of 2023 for outstanding charges in Ocala, Florida. He was transported to the Gaston County Magistrate’s Office, where he is currently in custody awaiting trial.

Adair was arrested in Ocala, Florida, and is awaiting extradition to North Carolina.

Police said she formerly resided at the home on S. Church St. but its current tenants aren’t involved in this case.
 

READ MORE - 2nd suspect charged following discovery of human remains in yard of Gaston County home

Sunday, February 18, 2024

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Saturday, February 17, 2024

US judge condemns FBI while ordering release of man in 'Newburgh Four' case

#1:US judge condemns FBI while ordering release of man in 'Newburgh Four' case

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A man convicted in 2010 of plotting to blow up New York City synagogues, a Jewish community center and shoot down military planes, was ordered to be released from prison by a judge who said the defendant was part of a group manipulated by the FBI.

Four men, who became known as the "Newburgh Four," were caught up in a scheme in 2009 to attack the synagogues, community center and launch stinger missiles at military aircraft, driven by what the judge describes as overzealous FBI agents and an "unsavory" confidential informant.

U.S. District Judge Colleen McMahon had already ordered the three other men in the group - Onta Williams, David Williams and Laguerra Payen - to be released last July.

The fourth man, James Cromitie, described as the ringleader by the government, was ordered released by the judge on Friday. The judge called the case "notorious."

The judge called the men "hapless" petty criminals who were "easily manipulated" by the government in a sting operation.

The four men were convicted of terrorism charges in 2010 and sentenced to 25 years in prison. Friday's order by the judge asked for Cromitie's sentence to be cut to time served plus 90 days. It did not reverse the conviction.

Judge McMahon said that Cromitie was a small-time "grifter" who was broke and unemployed when he was enlisted in the FBI-driven plot and provided fake bombs to plant in exchange for $250,000 in the "jihadist mission." Cromitie enlisted the other three men to serve as lookouts, according to the judge.

"The three men were recruited so that Cromitie could conspire with someone," the judge said. "The real lead conspirator was the United States. .... The F.B.I. invented the conspiracy; identified the targets; manufactured the ordnance."

Cromitie by longtime FBI informant Shahed Hussain, whom the judge was recruited called a "villain." The judge wrote that Hussain's role was to infiltrate mosques and spot people who could be potential extremists.

Hussain offered "heavenly and earthly rewards, including as much as $250,000" to Cromitie "if he would plan and participate in, and find others to participate in, a jihadist 'mission,'" according to the judge.

(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Sandra Maler)
 

READ MORE - US judge condemns FBI while ordering release of man in 'Newburgh Four' case

Friday, February 16, 2024

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Thursday, February 15, 2024

Scott Peterson’s Sister-in-Law Has Maintained His Innocence: Here’s Why She Thinks He Didn’t Kill Wife Laci

#1:Scott Peterson’s Sister-in-Law Has Maintained His Innocence: Here’s Why She Thinks He Didn’t Kill Wife Laci

The L.A. Innocence Project said in court filings that "new evidence now supports Mr. Peterson's longstanding claim of innocence"

Scott Peterson's case is being taken on by the Los Angeles Innocence

Project — but he has always had his sister-in-law’s support, even after being convicted of the murders of his pregnant wife Laci Peterson and their unborn son Conner.

A California jury found Scott guilty of two counts of first-degree murder in 2004. His wife, Laci, 27, was eight months pregnant when she went missing on Christmas Eve in 2002. While Scott initially helped look for her, it soon came out that he had been having an affair, and he became the prime suspect.

Four months later, Laci's body was found in San Francisco Bay, just a mile away from where her unborn baby's body was found.

Scott has always maintained his innocence and so has his sister-in-law Janey Peterson, who spoke with the Today show in 2021, saying that Laci was not killed on Christmas Eve 2002, but was actually killed later.

“There's evidence that was completely ignored that shows Laci was alive after [Scott] left for the day,” Janey, who is married to Scott's brother, told the show at the time. “But also, there was no evidence that he had anything to do with what happened to Laci.”

Scott, now 51, has claimed that Laci was killed by an unknown assailant as she walked the couple's dog after he left to go on a solo fishing trip on Christmas Eve morning.

As the case moved forward, it was revealed that he had a months-long affair with a woman named Amber Frey, who was unaware that Scott was married when she started dating him.

Frey eventually disclosed the affair to police in December 2002, after learning Laci had vanished and she even testified during Scott’s trial.

However, Janey says that being an adulterer does not mean that her brother-in-law is a killer. “I don't think you can take that leap,” she told the show, adding that she believes the murderer is still at large.

"We don't have justice,” she said. “This crime is not solved.”

Scott was sentenced to death in 2005 and remained on death row until 2020, when his death sentence was overturned, meaning that he would face a new penalty phase trial. That October, the California Supreme Court ruled that a lower court should take a second look at his case to determine whether his guilty verdict should be overturned.

In 2021, Scott's death sentence was officially vacated and he was resentenced to life in prison. The following year, a San Mateo County Superior Court Judge denied Scott’s bid for a new trial.

This week, the L.A. Innocence Project took up Scott's case and is seeking new evidence in his original trial, arguing Scott’s state and federal constitutional rights were violated, ABC News first reported.

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The nonprofit organization, known for its work to exonerate wrongly convicted and incarcerated individuals, told PEOPLE in a statement Friday that they represent Scott now and are "investigating his claim of actual innocence.”

In court filings submitted Wednesday and first obtained by ABC News, lawyers for the organization stated that "new evidence now supports Mr. Peterson's longstanding claim of innocence and raises many questions into who abducted and killed Laci and Conner Peterson."

The filings highlight updated witness testimony pointing to multiple aspects of the case, including a December 2002 burglary of a Modesto home across the street from the Petersons, ABC News reports.

The organization is also hoping to conduct new DNA testing on a blood-stained mattress found on Dec. 25, 2002, in a burned out orange van discovered near the home. The investigation will determine whether the item contained Laci's blood, which could be argued links her back to the burglars, the organization said.

Pat Harris, Scott’s defense attorney, tells PEOPLE: “We are very excited to have the incredible attorneys at the L.A. Innocence Project lend their considerable expertise to helping prove Scott Peter’s Innocence."
 

READ MORE - Scott Peterson’s Sister-in-Law Has Maintained His Innocence: Here’s Why She Thinks He Didn’t Kill Wife Laci

Wednesday, February 14, 2024

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Tuesday, February 13, 2024

Maryland Appellate Court upholds state police termination of former Trooper of the Year

#1:Maryland Appellate Court upholds state police termination of former Trooper of the Year

BALTIMORE — Maryland’s Appellate Court found this week that there was “substantial evidence” supporting a Maryland State Police trial board’s conclusion that a former Trooper of the Year lied about knowing the location of a traffic stop and made false reports.

As such, the court agreed with Anne Arundel Circuit Court’s previous decision to uphold the trial board’s recommendation and the termination of Kashef Khan.

Khan was fired in 2022 after a trial board found him guilty of two counts of false report, along with unbecoming conduct. It was a swift fall for Khan, who three years earlier was recognized as the agency’s top trooper for performance “above and beyond expectations.”

The former trooper, a Muslim American who grew up in Pakistan, has argued his firing was due to retaliation and racial discrimination. He told The Baltimore Sun last year he wanted the agency’s “‘good ol’ boy’ system and systemic racism gone.”

Khan’s attorney, Clarke Ahlers, said Friday that he is “ashamed, as a Maryland citizen, for the way Maryland State Police treats minority troopers.” He added that he and Khan are “leaning toward” an appeal.

The state police, meanwhile, said in an emailed statement that the agency agrees with the Appellate Court decision: “Integrity, fairness and service are the core values of the department and any individual compromising them undermines the MDSP’s duty to the citizens of Maryland.”

Khan has accused the two internal state police investigators behind the misconduct case of lying under oath. He says the two mischaracterized their second interrogation of him, calling it contentious and saying Khan didn’t answer questions.

Khan has revealed since that he made his own recording of that interrogation — state police say theirs can’t be found, and claim their recorder didn’t make a recording. He says it is evidence of the investigators’ false statements. Part of the proof, Khan says, includes audible beeps in his recording as state police started and stopped the interrogation.

The state police said Friday there is an ongoing administrative investigation into Khan’s two investigators, Sgt. Kristopher Phillips and D/Sgt. Matthew Mann. That probe is being conducted by one state police employee and one employee of the Maryland Capitol Police.

Ahlers, who had requested an independent investigation, said the Capitol Police employee was formerly with the state police.

The matter was investigated previously by the state prosecutor’s office. In a report obtained by The Sun, the office noted its review was “limited,” as some of the investigators’ statements were made during interrogations. A U.S. Supreme Court case, Garrity v. New Jersey, protects police from incriminating themselves in such situations.

The appellate court ruling is a letdown for Khan, who hoped the court would find the trial board recommendation arbitrary. In a brief, Ahlers argued the board disregarded evidence of innocence and drew irrational conclusions.

The judges’ opinion, written by Judge Rosalyn Tang, noted that they have a “narrow” role in reviewing an agency decision — just to determine whether substantial evidence supports the original finding.

It found there was. Evidence, they said, supported the board’s conclusion that Khan knew he was in D.C., not Maryland, at the time of the traffic stop, and that a “reasoning mind” could find he had changed the location in a subsequent report.

Oral arguments held in December largely did not focus on Khan’s other allegations: the missing recording and investigators’ alleged mischaracterizations.

The judges’ opinion makes a passing reference in responding to Ahler’s brief. He had argued state police brought itself into disrepute by “likely” deleting the recording, writing a “provable false and misleading report” and suspending Khan, leading to more than 100 dropped DUI cases.

“The appellant does not explain how MSP’s alleged conduct rendered insubtantial the evidence supporting the board’s conclusions about his conduct,” the opinion said in a footnote. “Thus, we decline to address these points on appeal.”

Khan has said he is one of a group of state police employees seeking class action status in a federal lawsuit alleging the agency discriminates against troopers of color. There is a similar pending U.S. Department of Justice investigation.

The ex-Trooper of the Year said during his trial board hearing that a sergeant told him he wasn’t recognized again the following year because he didn’t have the “complexion for protection,” which he saw as a reference to his race and ethnicity.

“They didn’t want me to be [the] face of MSP for two straight years, so they put me in this mess,” Khan told trial board members.
 

READ MORE - Maryland Appellate Court upholds state police termination of former Trooper of the Year

Monday, February 12, 2024

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Sunday, February 11, 2024

Charlie Sheen Granted Emergency Order to Get Sole Custody of Twin Sons, 14, If Brooke Mueller Fails Drug Test

#1:Charlie Sheen Granted Emergency Order to Get Sole Custody of Twin Sons, 14, If Brooke Mueller Fails Drug Test

The actor, who has been sober for six years, worries about his teen twin sons as ex Brooke Mueller allegedly struggles with addiction

    Charlie Sheen and Brooke Mueller have agreed to protections for their twin sons, Max and Bob, amid her struggles with addiction

    Sheen will obtain sole custody of his 14-year-old twins in the event of Mueller's relapse, per court documents obtained by PEOPLE

    Sheen and Mueller have co-parented the twins since they split in 2011

Charlie Sheen is taking steps to protect his sons.

In an ex parte motion filed Thursday, the Two and a Half Men actor, 58, laid forth new stipulations around child custody — previously agreed to in formal documents filed in November 2022 and August 2023 — involving ex-wife Brooke Mueller's sobriety.

In documents obtained by PEOPLE, Sheen requests that the court sign and enter the two documents, which lay out rules previously agreed upon by both parties, without legal response from Mueller, 46.

The former couple, who split in 2011, share 14-year-old twin sons Max and Bob. Documents explain that the pair agreed that Sheen would get sole custody of the boys should Mueller relapse, first signing off on this provision in 2022. In the summer of 2023, Mueller allegedly relapsed, triggering the second filing.

The papers state that in the event of Mueller's relapse, there would be an "immediate reversion of sole custody and sole physical custody to [Sheen]."

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The agreement states that the two will "continue to enjoy joint legal custody" unless Mueller tests positive for drugs and alcohol or otherwise relapses. At that point, Sheen would have sole custody "until further court order or written agreement of the Parties," and this could happen on as little as 48 hours' notice.

The two also share physical custody of the boys, though the paperwork sets for that "the minor children's primary residence will be with [Sheen]."

"Brooke shall enjoy reasonable and flexible periods of custody and visitation as agreed and arranged between the Parties, recognizing the goal of frequent and continuous contact between the minors and both parents."

The agreement also says Mueller will undergo drug and alcohol testing weekly at minimum, as well as "as often as required by her probation officer" or "within 24 hours of a written request (email or text) from [Sheen] or his attorney," which they have the right to continue until the twins turn 18 or graduate high school (whichever is later).

Termination of custody for Mueller in the event of a positive test would be "immediate," with a missed test counting as a positive test.

The documents also state that the actor, who recently celebrated six years of sobriety after his own struggles with drugs and alcohol, is currently paying Mueller's rent and will continue to on condition of her sobriety, though he will not serve as a co-signer on any new real estate moving forward. In the event of relapse, Sheen reserves the right to terminate all financial support of Mueller, leaving her responsible for any costs of securing a new residence.

Reps for Sheen and Mueller did immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.

Speaking with PEOPLE last month, Sheen talked about doing "single dad stuff" as he enjoyed his time with his teen sons.

"I've mostly been raising my 14-year-old boys," he said at the time. "Their mom has been trying to figure some stuff out on her end, so she's not in the picture too much right now."

He added the kids are doing great. "They're really cool, really smart, and really funny."

A rep for Mueller declined to comment when reached by PEOPLE.

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READ MORE - Charlie Sheen Granted Emergency Order to Get Sole Custody of Twin Sons, 14, If Brooke Mueller Fails Drug Test

Saturday, February 10, 2024

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Friday, February 9, 2024

Why DeSantis Says Trump’s Romp in Iowa Is Actually a Sign of His Weakness

#1:Why DeSantis Says Trump’s Romp in Iowa Is Actually a Sign of His Weakness

MANCHESTER, N.H. — To Donald Trump’s campaign, his win in the Iowa caucuses by a record 30-point margin was a sign he would steamroll to the nomination. To hear Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis tell it, the result was actually a sign of the former president’s weakness.

DeSantis on Friday began offering a public version of private commentary he has been making: that Trump’s failure to get much more than roughly 50% of the vote during caucuses with the lowest turnout in decades indicates an inability to galvanize the Republican base in a way that signals danger in a general election.

Speaking at a news conference outside the site of a planned debate that was canceled after Nikki Haley, a former United Nations ambassador under Trump, said she would not take part without her former boss onstage, DeSantis declared that Trump’s performance in Iowa was a “warning sign for the party in November.”

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“It’s not that it was a weak result to win the caucus,” DeSantis said. “It’s a question of what does that portend for November and how the Republican base is going to be energized or not energized.”

Turnout in the Iowa caucuses was roughly 110,000 voters. That is about half of what campaigns had once expected, and far below the 186,000 who came out in 2016. “Yes, it was cold,” DeSantis said. “Yes, the conditions weren’t great.”

But still.

“The overall danger sign is the low number of people that turned out,” he said.

DeSantis described Trump as essentially an incumbent, and said he thought that Trump, as a former president, should have done better in Iowa — despite DeSantis’ repeated predictions that he would win there.

“I kind of feel like Reagan would have won 80%, if he were — if he were running again,” DeSantis said.

By contrast, DeSantis said, Trump is shedding the support he once had. “There are a class of Republicans that, that voted for him twice, and were happy to do that, who’ve checked out at this point, and it’s not like he’s got votes to spare,” he said.

Minutes earlier, in a Fox News interview with Neil Cavuto, DeSantis had lamented how “the inevitability thing” was helping Trump — that voters, even his potential supporters, had begun to write off the contest. DeSantis said this even as he predicted that Trump would march through New Hampshire with little resistance.

“Trump will run away with it in New Hampshire — I think that’s pretty clear at this point,” DeSantis said on Fox News, dismissing Haley’s chances there and beyond.

Some of the few dozen reporters from the national press corps were listening, huddled around an iPhone streaming the interview and waiting for DeSantis to begin his outdoor news conference in New Hampshire, where the temperature had dipped into the 20s.

A hardy group of DeSantis fans, some of them without coats, stood behind the prepared stand of microphones. They bounced. They bobbed. They shivered. It had been about an hour.

“I knew it was going to be outside,” a supporter said. “I didn’t know it was going to be this long.”

DeSantis arrived, wearing a blue suit but no coat, and spoke at length about Trump’s vote share and enthusiasm for the fall. He talked about his record in Florida. His answers were discursive, and reporters tried to interject. “Stop,” he said, putting a hand up when a reporter tried to interrupt with a question about whether he was running as something of an insurance policy in case Trump falters.

He declared that he did not want to play pundit — before doing just that.

“I’m not a political prognosticator,” he said in response to a question about which state would be the one where he would beat Trump. “Here’s the deal. Republican voters, we saw in Iowa: Half wanted him, half didn’t, roughly. The turnout was abysmal. There’s terrible enthusiasm right now based off that result.”

“Now,” he asked, “looking forward to November, what does that look like for this party if he’s the nominee?”

In a hallmark of DeSantis’ extensive reliance on an outside group essentially to carry his campaign, the news conference was staged by his super political action committee, Never Back Down. DeSantis was a “special guest.”
 

READ MORE - Why DeSantis Says Trump’s Romp in Iowa Is Actually a Sign of His Weakness

Thursday, February 8, 2024

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Wednesday, February 7, 2024

What to know about Biden’s student loan income-driven repayment plan

#1:What to know about Biden’s student loan income-driven repayment plan

Millions of Americans are paying down their student loans for the first time in years but with more repayment options than before.

Chief among them is President Biden’s new income-driven repayment plan - Saving on a Valuable Education plan, commonly known as SAVE - which ties monthly payments to earnings and family size. The White House estimates the plan could save the typical borrower $1,000 a year on payments because it reduces the amount of income used to calculate monthly bills. And some people enrolled in the plan will have their balances forgiven starting in February.

So how does it work? Here’s some information that could help you decide whether SAVE is right for you.

- - -

What is the SAVE plan?

It is an amended version of an existing income-driven repayment plan known as Revised Pay as You Earn, or REPAYE.

A little background: Income-driven plans cap monthly bills at a percentage of a borrower’s earnings and extend repayment periods from the standard 10 years to as long as 25 years, with the promise of forgiving the balance at the end of that term. Payments are based on a percentage of discretionary income, typically whatever a person earns above 150 percent of the federal poverty line.

SAVE differs from the existing four IDR plans in a few key ways.

It raises the amount of income shielded from the calculation of your payments from 150 percent to 225 percent of the federal poverty line. The plan also caps payments for undergraduate loans to 5 percent of income above that 225 percent threshold, instead of 10 percent. People with debt from undergraduate and graduate studies will pay a weighted average between 5 percent and 10 percent.

What’s more, you can skip having to manually recertify your income under SAVE if you give approval for the department to automatically access your latest tax return from the Internal Revenue Service.

- - -

Will SAVE affect the interest on my loans?

Under other income-driven plans, if your monthly loan payment was not sufficient to cover the interest that had accrued on your debt, the unpaid portion would be added on to your remaining balance. But that would end under the SAVE plan.

This is the only IDR plan that prevents negative amortization, one of the reasons borrowers can see their balances balloon over time.

“As long as you pay what you owe under this plan, you’ll no longer see your loan balance grow because of unpaid interest,” Biden has said about the SAVE plan.

- - -

How does loan forgiveness work in the SAVE plan?

The loan forgiveness component of SAVE is most generous for people who didn’t borrow much. If you borrowed $12,000 or less for undergrad or graduate school, you will receive loan forgiveness after making 10 years’ worth of payments, instead of 20 or 25 years’ worth.

Every additional $1,000 borrowed above $12,000 would add one year of monthly payments to the time a borrower must pay before their debt is forgiven. So if you borrowed $14,000, it would take 12 years of payments before your balance is forgiven. Owe a whole lot more than that? The plan still caps the number of years to forgiveness at 20 years for undergrad loans and 25 years for grad debt.

Starting in February, the Education Department will begin forgiving the outstanding balance of enrollees who borrowed less than $12,000 and have been paying down the debt for at least a decade.

- - -

How much will I pay on SAVE?

Because of the higher income exemption, a single borrower earning under $32,800 or a family of four earning under $67,500 would not have to make payments under the SAVE plan, while still getting credit toward loan forgiveness.

The Biden administration says people who earn more could save $1,000 a year compared with other IDR plans. Say you owe $25,000 in student loans and earn $38,000 a year. Under the old REPAYE plan, your monthly payment would have been $134 a month, but with SAVE it would be $43 a month. That amounts to an annual savings of $1,092.

- - -

Who is eligible for SAVE?

People with federal loans made directly by the government for their own education are eligible for the plan, as well as those who consolidate their loans from the defunct Federal Family Education Loan Program.

However, people with Parent Plus loans are shut out of the new plan. Parents who have taken on federal debt for their children’s education can only enroll in what’s known as income-contingent repayment, which caps monthly bills at 20 percent of disposable income and forgives the remaining balance after 25 years.

- - -

How do I apply for SAVE?

You can apply on the Education Department’s website at: studentaid.gov/idr. People who are already enrolled in the REPAYE plan will be automatically switched to SAVE.

The Education Department said it will take about 10 minutes to complete the application and roughly four weeks for student loan servicers to process it.

- - -

How soon could my payments drop?

The SAVE plan takes full effect in 2024, but borrowers can enroll now and some components are currently being implemented.

Chief among them is raising the income exemption from 150 to 225 percent of the poverty line. The Education Department will also stop charging monthly interest not covered by your payment on SAVE. Married borrowers who file their taxes separately will no longer be required to include their spouse’s income in their payment calculation for the plan. And everyone who opts in to having their tax data pulled won’t have to submit documents to recertify their income annually.

Borrowers with undergrad debt will have to wait until next year to see their payments cut in half from 10 to 5 percent of income above 225 percent, or the weighted average between 5 percent and 10 percent for those who also have graduate loans.

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READ MORE - What to know about Biden’s student loan income-driven repayment plan

Tuesday, February 6, 2024

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Monday, February 5, 2024

Inside CNN, a Debate Over Taking Trump Live

#1:Inside CNN, a Debate Over Taking Trump Live

Tensions within CNN over coverage of former President Donald Trump burst into the open Thursday during an internal call with the network’s journalists, as an executive candidly questioned the approach of the channel’s new chief executive, Mark Thompson.

CNN aired roughly 10 minutes of Trump’s victory speech after he won the Iowa caucuses Monday before cutting away. The decision to cut him off prompted derision from the former president and his allies, although critics on the left questioned why CNN had taken Trump live in the first place, given his tendency to spread falsehoods and conspiracies. MSNBC chose not to take any of his remarks live.

Thompson opened his morning conference call Thursday by acknowledging a debate within his newsroom, saying he believed the network had a journalistic obligation to broadcast the remarks of the leading Republican candidate for president.

After a period of silence, a senior vice president of programming, Jim Murphy, jumped in, telling Thompson that the network had given Trump too much airtime when it aired Trump’s live news conference last week after his civil fraud trial. Murphy said that CNN should cover Trump’s comments when he makes news, not when he is repeating political talking points.

The debate on the conference call, which was open to thousands of CNN journalists, was described by three people who either listened to the call or were briefed on its contents. They requested anonymity to avoid reprisal for sharing details of a conversation intended to be private.

The exchange between Thompson and Murphy, which lasted about 15 minutes, was lively but collegial, the people said. According to one account, Thompson said he believed that CNN had struck the right balance between allowing the public to hear from the Republican front-runner, while not allowing Trump an endless soapbox — and that he believed that CNN, at some points during the 2016 election, had granted Trump too much airtime. It is a criticism that the network’s president at the time, Jeff Zucker, has acknowledged.

The conundrum of covering Trump, who often rapidly unleashes incendiary and misleading remarks, has vexed news executives since the earliest days of his first presidential run. The tensions within CNN speak to continuing debates in journalistic circles even as Trump moves closer to clinching the Republican nomination.

On MSNBC, a network popular with left-leaning viewers, anchor Rachel Maddow told viewers on the night of the caucuses that she simply would not broadcast Trump live.

“It is not out of spite. It is not a decision that we relish,” Maddow said. “It is a decision that we regularly revisit and honestly, earnestly. It is not an easy decision. But there is a cost to us as a news organization of knowingly broadcasting untrue things.”

That approach earned mockery from a Trump ally, Fox News anchor Sean Hannity, later in the week. “What?” Hannity said on his Fox News program. “The audience is going to melt if they hear him?”
 

READ MORE - Inside CNN, a Debate Over Taking Trump Live

Sunday, February 4, 2024

Philips Sonicare ExpertClean 7500, Rechargeable Electric Power Toothbrush, White, HX9690/06

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Saturday, February 3, 2024

March for Life attendees seek a sharper stance from Trump on abortion

#1:March for Life attendees seek a sharper stance from Trump on abortion

Tens of thousands of people who oppose abortion descended upon the nation's capitol in Washington, D.C. for the annual March For Life on Friday.

The event included speeches from women who shared their personal stories of considering abortion, but ultimately deciding not to. Prominent guests like Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh also spoke. The event also focused on providing resources and funding to pregnancy resource centers as a proposed rule from the Biden administration could limit some funding sent to such centers. Attendees, including priests and college students, came from all over the United States and cheered through falling snow and frigid temperatures.

"It's really just to be show a sign of strength, perseverance, sacrifice for the human rights cause that the pro-life movement is all about this year, (with a) particular focus on the needs of women facing unplanned pregnancies," Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, told CBS News.

For many attendees, abortion will be a top issue in upcoming elections and colors how they view presidential candidates. In a Fox News town hall, former president Donald Trump recently bragged about his role in ending Roe v. Wade, as he appointed three of the Supreme Court judges who ruled in the majority of the Dobbs decision that overturned the landmark 1973 ruling.

"Nobody has done more in that regard. (But) I happen to be for the exceptions like Ronald Reagan, with the life of the mother, rape, incest. I just have to be there, I feel," Trump said.

However, the former president told Republicans that they have to find a consensus on the issue to "win elections," a stance that some attendees at the March for Life disagreed with. Ony Otiocha, a 20-year-old college student at North Carolina State University and the president of the campus' Students for Life group, believes life begins at conception and men should be able to have a voice in abortion policy. She said she believes Trump has been "a little wishy-washy" on some of these issues.

"I'm not like super excited about that," Otiocha said. Instead, she prefers Florida governor Ron DeSantis, who signed a six-week abortion ban into law in Florida.

Sophia Niarchos, 68, from New Jersey, said the Dobbs decision that overturned Roe v. Wade was "only a drop in the bucket" because "in most of the states in this Union, people can still have abortions."

Both former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley and DeSantis have said that if elected as president, they would sign a national abortion ban. Voters who resonate with the anti-abortion movement are looking for further restrictions. Haley recently called on Republicans to stop demonizing abortion.

"The Democrats put fear in women on abortion and Republicans have used judgment," Haley said last week. "This is too personal of an issue to put fear or judgment. Our goal should be 'How do we save as many babies as possible and support as many moms as possible?'"

One official with Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America said that Trump was the president with the most reflective record on opposing abortion, but candidates should address the topic with compassion. Dannenfelser said that her organization is looking to support Republican candidates on a federal level that champion restrictions on abortion after the third month of pregnancy.

Zoe Gilsenan, a 20-year-old student from the University of Florida, said that abortion isn't a party issue, but she is looking for a candidate who doesn't compromise with exceptions.

"I find that both political parties have a diversity of perspectives on the pro-life issue. As a Catholic, I take issue with some of the stances that Democrats hold as well as Republicans. So, I think it's more complex than just Republican and Democrat. And I think it's important to look at the individual beliefs and stances of each candidate," she said. "I think that Donald Trump has leaned more pro-life than Joe Biden. However, he is not unapologetically pro-life from the moment of conception, and I do take issue with that."
 

READ MORE - March for Life attendees seek a sharper stance from Trump on abortion

Friday, February 2, 2024

Venustas Women's Heated Jacket With Battery Pack, Water-Resistant Lightweight Quilted Jacket, Heated Coat For Winter Outdoor

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Thursday, February 1, 2024

Trump confuses Nikki Haley with Nancy Pelosi when talking about Jan. 6

#1:Trump confuses Nikki Haley with Nancy Pelosi when talking about Jan. 6

Former President Donald Trump appeared to mistakenly refer to GOP rival Nikki Haley instead of Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., when discussing the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at a campaign rally in New Hampshire on Friday night.

The mix-up came during Trump's remarks to a crowd of supporters in Concord, where he spoke for more than 90 minutes and repeatedly bashed Haley, who served in his administration as an ambassador to the United Nations and has never been a member of Congress.

“Nikki Haley, you know they, do you know they destroyed all of the information, all of the evidence, everything, deleted and destroyed all of it. All of it, because of lots of things like Nikki Haley is in charge of security. We offered her 10,000 people, soldiers, National Guard, whatever they want. They turned it down. They don’t want to talk about that. These are very dishonest people,” Trump said.

NBC News has reached out to Trump’s campaign for comment on his remarks.

Trump has previously accused Pelosi of turning down 10,000 soldiers on Jan. 6, a claim that has been debunked. The final report by the now-defunct Jan. 6 committee said: “Some have suggested that President Trump gave an order to have 10,000 troops ready for January 6th. The Select Committee found no evidence of this. In fact, President Trump’s Acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller directly refuted this when he testified under oath.”

Trump’s gaffe comes as he frequently portrays President Joe Biden, 81, as confused and mentally unfit for office. The former president, 77, has previously confused politicians during his speeches. In September, Trump confused Biden with former President Barack Obama, saying “with Obama, we won an election that everyone said couldn’t be won.”

During the same September speech, Trump also said that “we would be in World War II very quickly if we’re going to be relying on” Biden.

Trump has defended switching Obama’s and Biden’s names by saying he “sarcastically” swaps them “as an indication that others may actually be having a very big influence in running our country.”

In October, Trump referred to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán as the leader of Turkey, and he greeted a crowd that he said was from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, when he was in Sioux City, Iowa.

While Biden has had his fair share of gaffes and flubs, he hasn’t made his predecessor’s mental fitness a major campaign issue like Trump has.

For example, Biden in 2022 asked at a White House event whether Rep. Jackie Walorski was in the audience — almost two months after the Indiana Republican died in a car crash. The president had put out a statement offering his condolences after Walorski’s death.

Voters in a September NBC News poll expressed concern about the ages of Trump and Biden. About 74% of respondents said they had major or moderate concerns about Biden, at 80 years old, “not having the necessary mental and physical health to be president for a second term.” About 47% of respondents reported similar concerns about Trump.
 

READ MORE - Trump confuses Nikki Haley with Nancy Pelosi when talking about Jan. 6

Wednesday, January 31, 2024

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Tuesday, January 30, 2024

A baby lived because an Oregon teen couldn't stand by after she saw 3 people get electrocuted

#1:A baby lived because an Oregon teen couldn't stand by after she saw 3 people get electrocuted

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Majiah Washington noticed a flash outside her home this week in Portland, where a dangerous storm had coated the city with ice. Opening her blinds, she saw a red SUV with a downed power line on it and a couple who had been putting their baby in the car.

The woman screamed to her boyfriend to get the baby to safety, and he grabbed the child and began to scramble up the driveway on concrete so slick it was almost impossible to walk. But before he made it halfway, he slid backward and his foot touched the live wire — “a little fire, then smoke,” Washington said.

The mother, six months pregnant, tried to reach the baby, but she too slipped and was electrocuted. So was her 15-year-old brother, when he came out to help.

Washington, 18, was on the phone with a dispatcher when she saw the baby, lying on top of his father, move his head — the 9-month-old was alive. Having just seen three people shocked to death, she decided to try to save the boy.

She kept a low crouch to avoid sliding into the wire as she approached, she said at a news conference Thursday, a day after the deaths. As she grabbed the baby she touched the father’s body, but she wasn’t shocked, she said.

“I was concerned about the baby,” said Washington, who recognized the woman as her neighbor's daughter. “Nobody was with the baby.”

Portland Fire and Rescue spokesman Rick Graves praised Washington for her heroism but confessed he didn’t understand how she and the baby weren’t also electrocuted. The baby was examined at a hospital and is fine, authorities have said.

“We do have fortunately with us a toddler that is going to be able to thrive and do what they possibly can as they move forward,” Graves said. “And they are here, in part, because of the heroic acts of a member of our community.”

The snow, freezing rain, ice and frigid temperatures that hammered the Pacific Northwest in the past week have now been blamed for at least 10 deaths in Oregon, from hypothermia and falling trees or utility poles, along with five from hypothermia in the Seattle area.

Oregon’s governor declared a statewide emergency Thursday night after requests for aid from multiple counties “as they enter the sixth day of severe impacts” from the weather.

The ice weighs down trees and power lines making them prone to snap, especially in strong winds. That appears to be what caused the electrocution deaths: A large branch broke from a tree, landed on utility wires and pushed one onto the vehicle.

Washington’s neighbor, Ronald Briggs, declined to speak with The Associated Press beyond confirming that his 21-year-old daughter and 15-year-old son had been killed.

But he told Portland television station KGW that his daughter had come over to use the internet after hers went out. He and his wife had just gotten in their own car to run an errand when they heard the boom and saw the SUV apparently on fire.

He watched as the couple slid to their deaths — and then told his 15-year-old son, Ta’Ron Briggs, a high school sophomore, to keep his distance, to no avail.

“I told him, ‘Don’t go down there — try to get away from them.’ And he slid, and he touched the water, and he, and he died too,” Briggs said. “I have six kids. I lost two of them in one day.”

“It just hurt,” he said. “Being a good father cannot solve this right now.”

READ MORE - A baby lived because an Oregon teen couldn't stand by after she saw 3 people get electrocuted

Monday, January 29, 2024

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Sunday, January 28, 2024

Costco is testing out a new system for entering stores

#1:Costco is testing out a new system for entering stores

Bad news if you’re mooching off of someone else’s Costco membership: The retail giant is cracking down.

When you enter Costco, you need to show your membership card to an employee to shop. Costco membership cards are non-transferable, but the company allows members to give a second household card to one other person in their home. Anyone with a card can bring up to two guests to the club during each visit, the company stipulates.

But Costco has noticed that non-members have been sneaking in with membership cards that don’t belong to them — particularly since Costco expanded self-checkout.

Costco recently started asking for shoppers’ membership cards along with a photo ID at the self-checkout registers, the same policy as regular checkout lanes, to crack down. “We don’t feel it’s right that non-members receive the same benefits and pricing as our members,” Costco said in announcing the change.

And now, Costco is testing out a system that requires members to scan their membership cards at the store entrance — instead of just flashing the card to employees. Shoppers have spotted the new scanners at a store in Washington State and posted photos on Reddit.

Costco finance chief Richard Galanti told CNN that more people have been sharing memberships since the pandemic in 2020.

Costco is testing the scanners at a handful of stores to see if they help. The scanners also mean employees don’t need to ask customers for their membership cards at cash registers and self-checkout.

“It speeds up the process at entry and speeds up the process at the checkout,” he said. “That’s what we believe and we’re going to pilot it.”

It’s the latest example of Costco and other companies like Netflix cracking down on membership sharing.

Costco had around 66 million paid members and 119 million cardholders in 2022, making it one of the largest membership clubs in the world. Costco members pay either $60 a year for a regular membership or $120 for an “executive” card, which includes additional perks.
 

READ MORE - Costco is testing out a new system for entering stores

Saturday, January 27, 2024

REDTIGER Dash Cam Front Rear, 4K/2.5K Full HD Dash Camera for Cars, Free 32GB Card, Built-in Wi-Fi GPS, 3.16” IPS Screen, Night Vision, 170°Wide Angle, WDR, 24H Parking Mode

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Friday, January 26, 2024

Detroit Lions ticket prices are going through the roof as rare playoff run jolts local economy

#1:Detroit Lions ticket prices are going through the roof as rare playoff run jolts local economy

Even Eminem might cringe at how much it costs to witness the Lions make their Cinderella run for the Super Bowl.

Playoff tickets are fetching an average of $1,097 for the Lions home game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday in Detroit, easily the most expensive Divisional playoff game on record and the second-most expensive non-Super Bowl playoff game, according to online marketplace TickPick.

That’s nearly double the previous record ($605) for a Divisional round playoff game set just last year when the San Francisco 49ers visited the Dallas Cowboys.

Even standing room-only seats are selling for almost $700, according to TickPick.

The Lions, long one of the worst performing franchises in pro sports, are having a moment right now. And the entire Detroit economy is cashing in on the team’s rare playoff success, not just the ticket vendors.

Bars, restaurants, casinos and hotels are all experiencing soaring demand as local fans and visitors alike flock to downtown Detroit following the team’s first playoff victory in 32 years.

Detroit native Eminem attended the Lions’ game in person last week. And he may have summed it up best when he narrated the opening to NBC’s broadcast of the Lions game last Sunday by saying: “This is the story of what a football team can mean to a city.”

Sunday’s playoff game alone is projected to boost the Detroit metro economy by $52 million, according to consulting firm Anderson Economic Group.

“A $50 million stimulus to the Detroit economy is a really big deal,” said Tyler Theile, director of public policy and economic analysis at AEG.

That stimulus projection factors in fan spending inside the stadium as well as outside at hotels, restaurants, stores and bars.

“This has been monumental for the city,” said Remy Lutfy, a Detroit resident and co-owner of downtown steakhouse Vertical Detroit.

Normally closed on Sundays in January, Vertical Detroit was jam-packed last Sunday to host fans before the Lions game.
 

READ MORE - Detroit Lions ticket prices are going through the roof as rare playoff run jolts local economy

Thursday, January 25, 2024

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Wednesday, January 24, 2024

Beachgoer sparks outrage online after capturing video of floating atrocity: ‘This needs to be illegal’

#1:Beachgoer sparks outrage online after capturing video of floating atrocity: ‘This needs to be illegal’

A boat towing a large digital billboard past beachgoers was met with shock and disgust.

“Only in Miami do you see an advertisement at the beach on a boat,” TikTok user RadicalMusica (@RadicalMusica) said in his video of the boat passing the beach.

In the clip, you can see an advertisement for 7-Eleven’s Big Gulp drinks plastered on the enormous screen, with brightly illuminated letters easily readable from the beach. As the 7-Eleven ad blinks out, it’s immediately followed by a poster for the movie “The Tomorrow War.”

The clip, which is from 2021, provoked immediate anger and frustration.

“This needs to be illegal, it’s literally sad,” one person wrote.

“This really makes me sick to my stomach,” another person commented on Reddit, where the video was re-posted in the subreddit r/ABoringDystopia.

“I genuinely cannot describe the level of sorrow and grief that this has brought me,” another said on TikTok.

According to Scenic America, there are at least two million billboards in the United States. And unfortunately, this is not the first example of advertising, billboards, and signage cropping up where it is least wanted — such as in the middle of a field or on a beach.

And these billboards aren’t just distracting or ugly — they affect residents. A home within 500 feet of a billboard typically sells for $30,000 less than a comparable home that is not near a billboard.

The pervasive nature of advertising also affects our mental health. The average person sees 10,000 ads per day, which has been shown to negatively impact our well-being. According to the Harvard Business Review, increased advertising in an area is significantly correlated with decreased happiness among residents.

Finally, it’s harmful to the environment. Digital billboards use the equivalent of 11 homes worth of energy use.

And while a few states — Maine, Alaska, Vermont, and Hawai’i — have enacted no-billboard laws to keep their states entirely billboard-free, the overwhelming majority of states don’t have any such regulations. However, certain cities and townships are working to pass laws to limit the construction of new billboards, the use of digital billboards, and more.

“We’re so far beyond satire at this point,” one person wrote grimly.

“This is like going to the park,” another wrote, “and seeing the sky’s been replaced with a billboard.”

Join our free newsletter for cool news and cool tips that make it easy to help yourself while helping the planet.
 

READ MORE - Beachgoer sparks outrage online after capturing video of floating atrocity: ‘This needs to be illegal’

Tuesday, January 23, 2024

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Monday, January 22, 2024

When my mom's house burned down, I expected the man I was dating to leave me. Instead, the tragedy fast-tracked our relationship.

#1:When my mom's house burned down, I expected the man I was dating to leave me. Instead, the tragedy fast-tracked our relationship.

    It was the morning after my boyfriend's birthday when my mom's aide call me.

    Her house had burned down and everything was gone.

    We spent the next weeks living out of hotels helping piece her life together again.

I got the call the morning after my boyfriend's birthday. I had booked a luxe Boston hotel for a mini staycation, and as we lay in bed blissfully contemplating where to have brunch, I answered the phone to hear my mother's care aide in a frantic, breathless tone.

"Everything is gone," she told me. I lurched upright, like a cartoon character waking from a terrible nightmare. "What do you mean?" It's funny how much things can change in an instant. A minute ago, our only dilemma was where to get pancakes. Now, we had to figure out how to navigate a devastating fire that engulfed my mother's house and everything in it. We'd only been dating for three months.

At the time, I didn't know that Bryan and I would spend the next two weeks in Connecticut, living out of hotels, trying to help my mom piece her life back together and find a place to live. While I fully expected him to bail on the relationship after experiencing all the challenges firsthand that will come with my complicated family, the opposite happened. It brought us closer. In a way, the fire functioned like a fast-forward button for our relationship.
I worried about what he'd think of my mother

While I dated a small handful of guys in my 20s, almost none met my mom — partly because I was afraid that if they did, they'd run.

My mother has many positive qualities, but she also struggles with a number of mental health conditions as well as physical disabilities and a traumatic brain injury from a car accident, so her behavior is entirely unpredictable. After I started falling in love with Bryan, I was extra careful about keeping him at arm's length from my complicated family for as long as possible. I didn't want anything to compromise the happy and healthy relationship we were building.

But after this tragedy struck, I no longer had a choice. Just as I began mentally preparing myself to face the fallout alone, Bryan began packing his things. "Good thing I took off work today," he said. "We should hit the road."

Upon arriving at the hospital, staff informed us that my mother had been taken to the behavioral health unit. Although he didn't ask questions, I could see the wheels turning inside Bryan's mind. Wasn't she just being treated for possible smoke inhalation? Why was she admitted into psychiatric care? After speaking privately with a social worker about my mother's history of opioid and alcohol misuse, bipolar disorder, and borderline personality disorder, I think he started to get the picture.

When the nurse finally ushered us into her tiny white room with no windows, my mother began weeping. She had put on her johnny gown backward, so part of her breast was visible, and since she hadn't put her dentures in, she was toothless. I held her for several minutes and wondered what Bryan must be thinking. "It's not too late," I told him with my eyes. "This is your chance to get out."

After my mother learned she was required to stay the night to be monitored, she began screaming and swearing at the nurse, who asked to speak to me in the other room. When I came back, I found Bryan gently stroking her bare back with one hand while she rested her head on his shoulder.
I was used to handling crises by myself

Over the course of my upbringing, my mother had to be hospitalized many times for various physical and mental issues. As her only child with a mainly absent father, the responsibility always fell on me to figure out how to handle things.

I got used to this role — to the point where reaching out for help was not even an option that crossed my mind.

One night, after my mom threw a tantrum in her hotel room, I told Bryan, "You can go back to Boston any time, you know." To my surprise, he seemed offended by this remark.

Allowing someone else to share the burdens felt uncomfortable at first. But very quickly, I began to embrace the idea that maybe I didn't have to cope with these challenges by myself anymore.
We got to see how we worked as a team under pressure

Over the course of those few weeks in Connecticut, we faced numerous setbacks. All of my mother's medications for depression, anxiety, chronic pain, and various other ailments had been incinerated in the fire, so we had to arrange for refills. Neither my mother nor I could emotionally handle seeing the remains of the condo, so Bryan met with the adjuster to assess the damage. We also set up a new bank account for the insurance advance and found a social worker to secure her new housing.

Meanwhile, we dealt with my unraveling mother, in withdrawal from her meds and overwhelmed with grief. I became accustomed to calls from the hotel manager regarding complaints of her frequent smoking, screaming, and sobbing in the middle of the night. When she threatened to kick us out of the hotel, Bryan said, "I'll take care of it," and marched down to her office. I never got one of those calls again.
Ultimately, the experience made our relationship stronger

Not even two years into our relationship, Bryan and I began looking at houses together. After buying a condo in 2020, we got married on June 2, 2023 — five years after the fire. Although we've only been together for almost six years at this point, we often joke that it feels like decades, given all we've had to overcome.

Navigating that experience together ended up serving as the ultimate test for our relationship.

In my vows, I told him that seeing how we worked so well together as a team — and under extremely stressful circumstances — gave me confidence for our future. If we can manage to clothe, feed, and care for my distraught, disabled, emotionally volatile, and homeless mother, and find her a safe and happy living situation, then I'm pretty sure we can get through anything.
 

READ MORE - When my mom's house burned down, I expected the man I was dating to leave me. Instead, the tragedy fast-tracked our relationship.

Sunday, January 21, 2024

HelloBaby Upgrade Monitor, 5''Sreen with 30-Hour Battery, Pan-Tilt-Zoom Video Baby Monitor with Camera and Audio, Night Vision, VOX, 2-Way Talk, 8 Lullabies and 1000ft Range No WiFi, Ideal Gifts

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