News and Headlines: In The News, Politics, World News, Commentary/Opinion.
In The News:
PD: Two Watertown teens shot, killed inside home following domestic dispute
Police said 15-year-old Della Jette, and her brother, 16-year-old Sterling Jette Jr., were shot around 9:45 p.m. at their house on Litchfield Road.
The shooter, police said, was the mother’s live-in boyfriend, 42-year-old Paul Ferguson. Ferguson shot himself soon after shooting the teens, according to police.
The shooting unfolded after a reported domestic dispute over the boyfriend smoking cigarettes in the home, police said.
The mother, Danielle Jette, in an interview with police, reported that Della took issue with the smoke. The two were discussing the issue after the daughter got home from a field trip that evening, police said.
Kentucky mother allegedly sold baby for $2,000, police say
Police contacted Maria Domingo-Perez, 31, after officials at Parker Bennett Curry Elementary School in Bowling Green, Kentucky, reported that a woman was giving away a child, police said.
Domingo-Perez initially gave officers “conflicting statements” but police said she later admitted to giving the baby to a man and a woman.
The couple, 37-year-old Catarina Jose Felipe and 45-year-old Jose Manuel Pascual, told detectives they had paid $2,000 for the baby, police said.
Marine arrested for alleged human smuggling after Chinese woman found in car trunk
Customs officials found the two women in the trunk of a 2007 Ford Mustang when the Marine was pulled aside for additional screening. Customs and Border Patrol officials are investigating the incident.
“The Marine is currently being held in civilian custody.,” Edinburgh said.”The determination as to the adjudicating authority has not yet been made.”
The Marine is expected to face federal charges, a CBP spokesperson said.
Edinburgh said the Marine has not served in the Southwest Border Support Mission, where U.S. troops are assisting border agents on the U.S.-Mexico border.
LAPD officer under investigation for allegedly fondling dead woman’s breasts
The officer, who is assigned to downtown’s Central Division, was placed on leave once supervisors reviewed the footage during a random inspection, LAPD officials said.
The incident occurred when the officer and his partner responded to a call about a possible dead woman in a residential unit, sources said.
Once the two officers determined the woman was dead, one officer returned to the patrol car to retrieve something.
During that time, the accused officer turned off his body-worn camera and allegedly fondled the woman’s breasts, LAPD officials said.
Although the officer deactivated the camera, a two-minute buffer on the device captured the incident. The department is also investigating the officer’s work history.
NYU Shanghai Adds Pro-Communist Class at Chinese Government’s Request
According to a report by Campus Reform, New York University Shanghai has introduced a pro-communist course that sympathizes with the Chinese government. Reports suggest that the Chinese government demanded that NYU Shanghai offer the course.
The course, which is entitled “NYU Shanghai Chinese National Student Civic Education,” includes lessons that explicitly promote China’s version of “socialist culture.” Students in the course will take trips to visit memorials for those that died defending China’s communist party.
Bobby Miller, Vice President of the NYU College Republicans, said in a short comment that he is disappointed that NYU Shanghai has bowed to the demands of China’s Communist Party.
AG Barr warns communities could ‘lose police protection’ if they don’t respect police
Barr compared law enforcement officers to members of the military and said while the military receives public support and parades, police officers go about their own demanding jobs without much public support, USA Today reported.
He said Americans need to recognize “the sacrifice and the service” of police or risk losing those police.
The ceremony was meant to recognize 19 distinguished officers and deputies from 12 precincts across the country. Those officers were recognized for their work combating gang violence, stopping active shooters, helping in natural disasters and extending youth outreach in their communities.
At an August speaking event with the Fraternal Order of Police, Barr reportedly warned police not to tolerate those resisting arrest criticized district attorneys who act as “social justice reformers.”
North Carolina man arrested after woman’s body discovered in church on Thanksgiving: report
Jonathan Andrew Weeks, 44, was charged Tuesday with breaking and entering and concealing or failing to report a death after deputies with the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office discovered the body of Jessica Renee Blackwell inside the Golden Church of the Brethren, Bostic, last week, WCVB reported.
Police were able to identify Blackwell as the victim after sharing three of her tattoos with the public, FOX Carolina reported.
An investigation revealed that the victim’s body had been moved to the church from another location. Several days later, they received information leading to Weeks’ arrest.
Kid Rock on ending restaurant agreement after Oprah rant backlash: ‘Trying to label me racist is a joke’
Kid Rock will not be renewing his licensing agreement for the Made in Detroit restaurant in the Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. This comes after the singer ranted against Oprah Winfrey at a Tennessee steakhouse.
“I appreciate all who have patronized our place and still have much love for the City of Detroit and the people/organizations that I have helped there for years, black, white, whatever, but learned long ago, go where you’re celebrated, not tolerated,” the statement said.
On Facebook, Kid Rock said, “I guess the millions of dollars I pumped into that town was not enough. I will let the NAN network and others go ahead and take the wheel now. Good luck.”
While he wished the establishment luck in the future, Kid Rock also defended his reputation.
Baltimore state attorney says 305 police officers have ‘integrity issues,’ can’t be called to testify
Baltimore City State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby presented the number to members of the state Commission to Restore Trust in Policing in a meeting on Tuesday at the University of Baltimore Law School.
The list represents nearly 15 percent of Baltimore’s 2,300-member police force, The Baltimore Sun reported.
“We have 305 officers with integrity issues and/or allegations of integrity issues that would in essence put them in jeopardy from testifying,” Mosby said.
The committee was formed to ensure the department’s integrity after several rogue members of an elite unit known as the Gun Trace Task Force were caught and convicted of robbery, extortion and racketeering charges.
U.S. Blows $230 Million on Wasteful Projects—Self-Cleaning Toilet, Promoting Serbian Cheese
Although the year is not quite over the federal government has already managed to blow more than $230 million on outrageous things such as a self-cleaning toilet, the statue of a popular folk-rock singer for a foreign embassy and dubious research on the effects of nicotine on fish.
The list goes on and the sordid details are provided in a “Waste Report,” published recently by the office of a U.S. Senator who chairs the spending subcommittee of the Senate’s chief investigative and oversight committee.
The document takes a closer look at what the federal government is doing with the American people’s hard-earned money, according to the lawmaker, Kentucky Republican Rand Paul.
The toilet may sound like a joke, but it’s a serious boondoggle that has fleeced taxpayers out of at least half a million dollars.
The self-cleaning toilet is located at the Huntington Metro Station in Washington D.C. and sits inside what appears to be a silver shed.
From 2003 to 2017, the government spent approximately $500,000 maintaining the single self-cleaning toilet, the waste report states.
MS-13 tip line targeting notorious street gang launched by FBI, Maryland’s US Attorney
A new tip line unveiled Tuesday is the latest weapon against the notorious MS-13 gang, as federal officials hope to gather as much information as they can to use against the street gang violence battering both coasts.
The new tip line, along with a public service announcement in Spanish, encourages people who may have information about the gang to come forward.
Both were unveiled in Greenbelt, Maryland, a state with an alarming presence of MS-13 and MS-13-related murders.
MS-13 is active in Maryland but is usually focused in the suburbs around Washington, D.C. Earlier this year, a 14-year-old girl was killed with a machete and a baseball bat when MS-13 gang members turned on an associate “in extremely violent behavior.”
That slaying came only months after authorities arrested five MS-13 gang members for the murder of a fellow member, 16-year-old Jacson Chicas. He was stabbed more than 100 times and then dumped on the side of a Virginia road and set on fire.
Politics:
Cory Booker compares his 2020 campaign to Obama’s, says he can win Iowa caucus
“My campaign is evolving the same way President Obama’s did,” he said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.”
“The same way that Jimmy Carter and others who talked to the larger aspirational goals didn’t break through right away.
But God, when our team is at number three in net favorably in Iowa and climbing, … 80 percent of the people have not settled on their final choice.”
Booker complained about Democratic debate qualifications and claimed that they keep quality candidates from reaching the stage.
Judiciary Democrats Block Motion to Subpoena the ‘Whistleblower’
During the committee’s first impeachment inquiry hearing, Rep. Guy Reschenthaler (R-PA) moved to subpoena “the individual commonly referred to as the ‘whistleblower.’”
After his motion, Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-NY) gaveled him down and asked, “Do I hear a motion to table” — or postpone consideration of the motion to subpoena the “whistleblower.”
A Democrat congresswoman then said, “I move to table the motion.”
The vote fell predictably along party lines, with 24 Democrats voting to table the motion, and 17 Republicans voting against tabling it.
Democrats on the Judiciary Committee earlier in the hearing voted down another Republican motion to call House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff to testify as part of the impeachment inquiry.
Creepy Joe Biden
Commentary/Opinion: Not sure why a former Vice President would want talk about children rubbing his hairy legs. It’s pretty creepy.
Here’s the Simple Truth.
Tammy Bruce Explains: Hillary Clinton Clearly Linked to Epstein Ranch • Tucker Carlson Tonight
Commentary/Opinion: Tammy Bruce:Independent Women’s Voice.
Two Hillary Clinton Donors Indicted for Funneling Illegal Cash to 2016 Campaigns
George Nader, who was a key witness in the investigation by Robert Mueller of collusion by the Trump campaign with Russia in 2016, and Ahmad “Andy” Khawaja, CEO of online payment processing company Allied Wallet, were indicted for conspiring to conceal a $3.5 million contribution from Nader by making them in the name of Khawaja, his wife and his company, Allied Wallet Inc.
Although the 53-count indictment does not specify the 2016 candidate involved, campaign finance records indicate it was Hillary Clinton’s campaign.
Nader is already in custody, charged with possessing child pornography and traveling with a minor for the purpose of engaging in sexual activity. He was convicted in 1991 of a child pornography charge.
Khawaja also allegedly donated $1.8 million to various political committees, allowing him to host several fundraisers in 2016.
Tucker Carlson Does Segment On ‘Vicious’ Paul Singer, Sen. Ben Sasse Over Closure Of Nebraska Company Cabela’s
Fox News host Tucker Carlson went after GOP donor Paul Singer and Republican Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse in a fiery report Tuesday.
“Tonight, we want to tell you a little more about how Paul Singer does business. Pick of the story begins in a small town called Sidney, Nebraska, two hours outside Denver,” Carlson said.
He was introducing a story about the sporting goods company Cabela’s, and how Singer’s hedge fund reportedly made $90 million by pushing the board to sell the company to Bass Pro Shops.
“The residents of Sidney did not get rich. Oh no, just the opposite. Their community was devastated, destroyed,” Carlson said.
“The town lost nearly 2,000 Jobs. A heart-breakingly familiar cascade began.”
Jonathan Turley: ‘This Is Not How You Impeach an American President’
Turley, the sole Republican witness, said the Framers of the Constitution designed impeachment to avoid loose standards of criminality, and rejected “maladministration” as a cause.
He noted that he was not a supporter of President Trump, not had he voted for him, but was concerned that the Democrats were establishing a weak standard for impeachment in a partisan process that boded ill for the future:
This would be the first impeachment in history where there would be considerable debate — and, in my view, not compelling evidence — of the commission of a crime.
World News:
A woman lied on her resume, used photo of Kate Upton to land a $185,000 job. Now she’s going to jail
Veronica Hilda Theriault, 46, was convicted Tuesday of deception, dishonesty, and abuse of public office, relating to her 2017 application for the chief information officer role, which came with an annual salary of 270,000 Australian dollars (US$185,000).
Theriault worked in the position with South Australia’s Department of the Premier and Cabinet for over a month and earned about 33,000 Australian dollars ($22,500) before being fired.
She pleaded guilty to all charges and received a 25-month sentence with a non-parole period of a year.
UK woman organized ‘medieval duel’ to the death between husband, lover to win her affection, prosecutors say
Asta Juskauskiene, 35, had just left her husband when she met 25-year-old Mantas Kvedaras — a prisoner in Lithuania — online, The Telegraph reported Wednesday.
After his release from prison, Kvedaras traveled to London and began an affair with Juskauskiene, according to reports.
Her husband, 42-year-old Giedruis Juskauskas, did not want a divorce and continued to provide child support, according to testimony cited by Metro UK.
Since both men claimed Juskauskiene as their own, she allegedly arranged to have the men settle the matter through a medieval duel in a Stratford alleyway in East London, prosecutors were told.
Reuters Video: Iran’s aggression growing ‘but it’s empire is tottering’ -Netanyahu
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met in Lisbon on Wednesday where they spoke about the threat of Iran.
Mexican Border State AG’s Office on Lockdown amid Cartel Jailbreak Threat
On Saturday, approximately 150 gunmen from the Cartel Del Noreste faction of Los Zetas stormed the town of Villa Union in a brazen attack where they shot the city hall building, torched police vehicles and engaged authorities in an hours-long firefight that killed 21 people.
Subsequent information released by authorities revealed the gunmen kidnapped four adults and three children as well as carjacking two U.S. men on a hunting trip.
Two of the victims were local firefighters who were later found dead while the rest have since been released unharmed. Authorities said that 17 cartel gunmen and four police officers died in the clashes.
On Tuesday, Coahuila authorities announced they arrested 10 suspected gunmen, seized 18 armored SUVs, 21 caliber .223 rifles, six .50 caliber Barret Rifles, and several tactical clothing items.
The arrests of the 10 gunmen in addition to the 17 dead suggests at least 120 are still at large.
Following the arrests, authorities took them to the Coahuila Attorney General’s Office in Piedras Negras, where Attorney General Gerardo Marquez Guevara told his agents to prepare for the worst and not back down in case of an attack.
Researchers Identify Molecule That Can Kill Cancer Cells
Researchers at Tel Aviv Univerity’s Sackler Faculty of Medicine and the Cancer Research Center at Sheba Medical Center have developed a molecule they think can eradicate cancer cells.
In a recent research paper that was published in the journal Oncotarget, Prof. Malka Cohen-Armon of Tel Aviv University and Dr. Talia Golan of Sheba Medical Center explained how by injecting the PJ34 molecule in xenografts, it caused a “substantial eradication” of pancreas cancer cells.
The change in the tumor sized began to shrink after three weeks of daily injections of PJ34. The tumor disappeared completely on day 56.
Commentary/Opinion:
Tucker Investigates: What is destroying rural America?
The influence of Wall Street hedge funds is slowly creeping into rural America.