News and Headlines: In The News, Politics, World News, Commentary/Opinion.
In The News:
Orem man ‘soaked in blood’ arrested for alleged assault on pregnant ex-girlfriend
Thomas Kerstiens, 19, was booked into the Utah County Jail for investigation of two counts of aggravated assault, a second-degree felony and a third-degree felony, as well as possession of a firearm by a restricted person, a third-degree felony.
Investigators spoke with the ex-girlfriend at the hospital where she stated she and Kerstiens had been arguing that evening.
He reportedly started to punch and kick her in the head and stomach and later punched a mirror.
As the woman tried to help bandage his hand, Kerstiens suddenly became upset again and started hitting her.
He also choked her until she was unable to breathe and almost lost consciousness. At that point, one of the men in the apartment had tried to break up the fight.
‘I’m being raped’: Weinstein accuser details alleged assault
Haleyi, one of two women whose assault accusations led to Weinstein’s trial, took the stand Monday and, at times sobbing, detailed her allegation that the disgraced movie mogul sexually assaulted her at his New York City apartment in 2006.
“I did reject him, but he insisted.
Every time I tried to get off the bed, he would push me back and hold me down,” the former “Project Runway” production assistant testified, adding that she told Weinstein she was menstruating in an attempt to deter him.
Haleyi, now 42, told jurors she thought, “I’m being raped,” and considered different options. “If I scream rape, will someone hear me?” she wondered.
Mom of 2 missing kids found in Hawaii with new husband
The strange case began last July, after Vallow’s estranged husband Charles Vallow was shot and killed by her brother, Alex Cox, in an altercation at their home in Phoenix.
At the time, Cox said the shooting was in self-defense, but the case remains under investigation.
In December, Cox also died of unknown causes, and police in Gilbert, Arizona, are still waiting for toxicology test results in his death investigation.
Lori Vallow moved to eastern Idaho with the kids about a month after Charles Vallow’s death.
Extended family members grew concerned as their contact with the kids tapered and then stopped completely, and police in Rexburg,
Idaho, say the children were last seen in late September, though Vallow never reported them missing..
Meanwhile, investigators just one county away were also digging into a mystery.
Daybell’s last wife, Tammy Daybell, died of what her obituary said was natural causes on Oct. 19. Chad Daybell married Vallow about two weeks later.
Nicki Minaj’s brother is sentenced to 25 years to life for repeatedly raping his 11-year-old stepdaughter while her mother was at work
Jelani Maraj, 41, was found guilty of ‘predatory sexual assault against a child and endangering the welfare of a child’ in 2017 and on Monday, Nassau County Supreme Court Judge, Robert McDonald, refused to give him a soft sentence.
‘You raped this child. You raped her over and over again,’ the judge added.
Maraj’s long sentence was for sexual assault but he was also sentenced to 364 days for the endangerment of a child.
Maraj had been held in custody, awaiting sentencing, since he was found guilty of the felony following a three-week trial.
Duluth man pleads guilty to fatally stabbing wife after she asked for a divorce
Ryan Jazdzewski, 40, attacked Nicole Jazdzewski, 41, at the couple’s home in Duluth’s Chester Park neighborhood on June 2. Police came after receiving a report that their 7-year-old daughter was calling for help.
Jazdzewski’s plea agreement calls for a nearly 37-year prison sentence, 11 years longer than the presumed sentence under state guidelines.
A news release from the St. Louis County attorney’s office said this decision was made based on the presence of a child during the murder, as well as the “particular cruelty” Jazdzewski showed stabbing his wife multiple times.
Jazdzewski allegedly told police he had a “horrible fight” with his wife and “lost it.”
Cook gets 3-year prison sentence for threatening to shoot up California Marriott
Rodolfo Montoya, 37, of Huntington Beach, was arrested on Aug. 20, the day after he told another employee he planned to shoot up the hotel – targeting him, other employees and customers – near the Long Beach Airport.
When hotel management alerted authorities, Long Beach police arrested Montoya at his home, where they found several high-powered firearms and hundreds of rounds of ammunition.
An illegal assault rifle, high-capacity magazines and tactical gear were also found in Montoya’s home.
“Montoya had clear plans, intent and the means to carry out an act of violence that may have resulted in a mass casualty incident,” Police Chief Robert Luna said at a news conference shortly after his arrest.
Missing son of 2 Missouri judges found dead in California nearly a month after vanishing
Amazon employee Alex Holden had been missing since New Year’s Eve. Sacramento police said his body was found Sunday near a river, according to reports.
Police ruled out foul play, the Springfield News-Leader reported.
The News Leader cited reports that Holden left his Sacramento apartment and disappeared after an “argument” with his girlfriend.
New Orleans coroner IDs fatal shooting victim found burned in car, and other crime briefs
Dwight Delaney was the man whose corpse was found inside of a vehicle which had been set on fire in the 4800 block of North Rocheblave Street just before midday Jan. 6, the coroner’s office said.
Police have previously said that firefighters found Delaney’s body after putting out the car blaze.
In other matters recently handled by local authorities:
Former State Senator Martin Sandoval charged with bribery, filing false tax return in red light camera scheme
Prosecutors said Sandoval, former chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee, received money in connection with continued support for the operation of red light cameras in Illinois,
“including opposing legislation adverse to the interest of the red-light camera industry.”
Sandoval announced his resignation last November and his resignation was officially accepted by the Illinois Senate in December.
CDC: 110 suspected coronavirus cases in US under investigation, number ‘will only increase’
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in an update on Monday that five of the cases in the U.S. tested positive for the novel coronavirus, or 2019-nCoV, and 32 so far had produced negative results.
At this point, the CDC said the virus does appear to have mutated, but described the outbreak as a “rapidly changing situation.”
The virus has killed at least 81 people in China and sickened over 2,700 more.
Right now, we have a handful of patients with this new virus here in the United States.
However, at this time, in the U.S., this virus is not spreading in the community. For that reason, we continue to believe that the immediate health risk from the new virus to the general American public is low at this time.”
Washington Post political reporter suspended over Kobe Bryant tweets
The Washington Post placed a political reporter on administrative leave over tweets she sent as news of Kobe Bryant’s tragic death were still unfolding.
The paper said the tweets “displayed poor judgment that undermined the work of her colleagues.”
Post reporter Felicia Sonmez shared a 2016 story about 2003 rape allegations from The Daily Beast headlined, “Kobe Bryant’s Disturbing Rape Case:
The DNA Evidence, the Accuser’s Story, and the Half-Confession,” as details of the helicopter crash were still trickling out.
Amazon workers defy company rules with public list of complaints
A group of 357 workers, under the banner Amazon Employees for Climate Justice, posted the complaints about environmental and other matters to the platform Medium.
By doing so, they broke company rules and are risking their jobs.
The demonstration is a show of support for two Amazon employees who were given warnings earlier this month for criticizing the e-commerce giant’s policies on climate change.
FULL MEASURE: January 26, 2020 – The Lead Crisis
Mention the city “Flint” Michigan and many remember a city water system dangerously contaminated with lead and a government response that failed residents.
But what you may not know is cities in every state are grappling with water safety problems– some worse than Flint.
Scott Thuman reports from one such place…Newark, New Jersey…where there are national implications.
Hunter Biden agrees to pay monthly child support, ending standoff over contempt
Independence County Circuit Court Judge Holly Meyer noted that the exact amount of child support couldn’t be determined “based off the defendant’s income,” and that modifications to the total amount owed each month could be made.
Biden was recently photographed driving a sports car, prompting concerns he was shirking his child-support payments.
The plaintiff, Lunden Alexis Roberts, had called for Biden to be held in contempt after he failed to provide financial information in violation of a separate court order.
That prompted Meyer to call for Biden to appear in person on Jan. 29.
DC Solar Owners Plead Guilty to Largest Ponzi Scheme in Eastern California History
The conspirators pulled off their scheme by selling solar generators that did not exist to investors, making it appear that solar generators existed in locations that they did not, creating false financial statements, and obtaining false lease contracts, among other efforts to conceal the fraud.
In reality, at least half of the approximately 17,000 solar generators claimed to have been manufactured by DC Solar did not exist.
U.S. Attorney Scott stated: “This billion dollar Ponzi scheme hurt investors and took money from the United States Treasury.
This case represents not only the largest criminal fraud scheme in the history of the District, it also represents the largest criminal forfeiture in the history of the District with over $120 million in assets forfeited.
All of this money will be returned to the victims.
Delta employee shot to death at Atlanta-Hartsfield Jackson Airport parking lot
The College Park Police Department said it found Alexis Reed, 30, unresponsive in the Delta Employee Parking lot around 10:30 p.m. Sunday.
In a statement to CNN, police said she had been shot several times. Reed was taken to a hospital and died, police said.
“This incident is being investigated as a homicide. There are no suspects in custody at this time,” the police statement says.
4 people injured in shooting outside Bridgeport Superior Court
Bridgeport officials said, “4 individuals were sitting in a car outside of the courthouse at Golden Hill.
An assailant with a gun shot at the individuals in the vehicle — 3 of the individuals in the vehicle ran into the courthouse for cover.
A 4thindividual, the driver of the vehicle, also sustained GSW ( gun shot wound) and was taken to the hospital.
All four individuals are in the care of medics at St. Vincent’s and Bridgeport Hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
Connecticut DMV now offering non-binary option for gender on license
WETHERSFIELD — There are now three options for gender when it comes to the licenses at the Department of Motor Vehicles: Male, Female and Non-binary.
“It’s really simple you come and you fill out the form, it’s either male, female or gender x and you mark the box that you want to put down and lo and behold you have your license to what you reflect your values and who you are,” said Deputy Commissioner Tony Guerrera, Department of Motor Vehicles.
This was one of the commissioner’s top priorities when he was appointed to the DMV. Some drivers were happy to see the change.
Supreme Court allows Trump’s ‘public charge’ immigration rule to take effect
WASHINGTON — A divided Supreme Court on Monday allowed the Trump administration to put in place a policy connecting the use of public benefits with whether immigrants could become permanent residents.
The new policy can be used to deny green cards to immigrants over their use of public benefits including Medicaid, food stamps and housing vouchers, as well as other factors.
The justices’ order came by a 5-4 vote and reversed a ruling from the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York that had kept in a place a nationwide hold on the policy following lawsuits that have been filed against it.
Pro-Trump Fashions Dazzle on the Red Carpet at the Grammys
Joy Villa, recording artist and outspoken Trump fan, showed up at the Grammys in another Trump-themed gown. Her theme was “impeached and re-elected!”
The gown, designed by Villa and her “collaborators,” showed the word “impeached” running down the back of the dress and “Trump 2020” on the front.
Villa wore a white cape with blue shoulders embellished with stars and topped it off with a giant feather in her hair.
Ricky Rebel also decided to go with Trump-themed designer-wear, although the real impact of his outfit was his bare bottom with the words “impeach this”
Pennsylvania woman charged with keeping sister, 53, in wooden cage with ‘dirty’ mattress, officials say
Leona Biser, 51, had claimed she was caring for her 53-year-old sister, Loretta Lancaster, when authorities found her in a “man-made” cage in the living room of Biser’s “deplorable” home in Washington County on Jan. 15, the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office said in a news release.
Investigators said they found Lancaster “disheveled” and wearing “extremely dirty clothes,” WPXI-TV reported.
A baby bottle containing what appeared to be milk was also found in the cage, officials said.
Politics:
MSNBC Anchor: Sanders Is No ‘Good Samaritan’
“Suppose you’re lying on the road hurt, maybe you’ve had something happen to you, you fainted, whatever happened, which of the candidates would stop their car and get out and help you?”
Matthews asked during Morning Joe. “You have your candidate, I think.
I’m not sure about all of them. I think Biden wins that one pretty easily, Elizabeth maybe.
I don’t think Bernie wins it. Do you honestly think Bernie would stop and help you? I’m not sure.
FULL MEASURE: January 26, 2020 – Triggered
Commentary/Opinion:
We begin with an epic Constitutional battle in Virginia that’s drawing national attention.
Inside of two months, nearly every county in the state has passed new measures supporting Constitutional gun rights.
The effort culminated with a massive, peaceful rally at the state capitol this past week where the Governor declared a state of emergency and warned there could be violence.
We investigate what triggered a movement that is now being watched by both sides across the U.S.
The Times Editorial Misstates The Law In Call For Roberts To Issue A Subpoena To Bolton
Commentary/Opinion:
The news of the Bolton book leak has electrified Washington and, as intended, has rekindled calls for witnesses.
I have long stated a preference for witnesses despite my criticism of the historic blunder of the House leadership in rushing this impeachment forward on an incomplete record.
However, the media has now latched on to a column in the New York Times by Neal K. Katyal, Joshua A. Geltzer and Mickey Edwards that Chief Justice Roberts can not only order a subpoena for Bolton solely on the request of the House managers but that his decision cannot be overturned by anything less than a two-thirds vote.
I believe that the premise of the argument on the vote is highly flawed and should not be seriously entertained by either the House managers or the Chief Justice.
Exclusive — Alabama Poll: Jeff Sessions Takes Commanding 21-Point Lead over GOP Field
Sessions, at 43 percent, towers over the next best candidate Rep. Bradley Byrne (R-AL)—who is at 22 percent.
Tommy Tuberville, the former Auburn football coach, has dropped to third place at 21 percent—a slide that is significant in that it follows a trend where Tuberville has consistently struggled and faded since Sessions’ entrance into the field.
“Jeff Sessions is winning because he is a pro-Trump Republican who has spent his life fighting for pro-Trump, pro-America policies like supporting our troops, bringing our jobs back from overseas, religious liberty, and fighting against illegal immigration, and the Bernie-and-The Squad-style socialism,”
Timmy Teepell, a senior adviser to Sessions, also told Breitbart News.
“Jeff Sessions is the only candidate in this race positioned to take on Schiff apologist Doug Jones.”
State Democrats propose new police agency to target ‘far right’
One of its objectives is “to finance and create a new department at the Connecticut State Police which will specialize in investigating far right extremist groups and individuals.”
There’s no mention of other political opinions, nor of the violence routinely triggered by antifa leftists across the country.
“We want to be more aggressive in enforcing our laws and identifying like sources of potential domestic terrorism acts against religious institutions and ethnic institutions.”
The Democrats said the new state department is needed to target “the right” because of “extremism.”
The Connecticut Democrats’ agenda also includes required indoctrination for judges.
It would “create a Benchbook for judges, and require proper training based on the Benchbook” and various “expansions” of voting rights.
One hell of an impeachment: We’re getting just what we elected
Commentary/Opinion:
We don’t have leaders. We have manipulators manipulating the levers of government for selfish political advantage, for self-interested gain, for personal power.
For strong examples of actual quid pro quo, look no farther than the professional party politicians in Congress.
It is routine for them to withhold, change or guarantee their votes in exchange for a campaign contribution or some other favor that will help them hold their seats for decades or add to their personal wealth.
This doesn’t feel like representative government anymore; it’s more like a corrupt enterprise run by racketeers.
These professional politicians like to lecture us on what the founding fathers truly intended when crafting the tools of governance 250 years ago.
Here’s something the founders would surely say to today’s career seat-squatters: “Go away!”
You are a perversion of their ideal of a citizen-representative who leaves his or her profession to serve in Washington for a short while and then return home.
Making congressional service a career inevitably fosters self-interest over the people’s interest. It gives corruption a hand-hold.
Pete Buttigieg Tells Pro-Life Democrat He Supports Party’s Position Against Pro-Lifers
A woman introduced as Kristen Day from Oakton, Virginia, took the microphone and said, “I’m a proud pro-life Democrat.
Do you want the support of pro-life Democratic voters? There are 21 million of us. And if so, would you support more moderate platform language to insure the party of diversity and inclusion does include everybody?”
Buttigieg responded by saying that he respected her point of view and hoped to earn her vote, but that he had to present his own views honestly.
“I’m not going to try to earn your vote by tricking you,” he said. “I am pro-choice. I believe a woman ought to be able to make that decision.”
World News:
Africa locust plague worst infestation in decades: ‘Even cows are wondering what is happening’
The plague of desert locusts swarmed into Kenya from neighboring Ethiopia and Somalia, where an outbreak on this level has not been seen in a quarter century.
Kenyan media showed farmers clanging pots and pans as police shot bullets and tear gas at a swarm of insects to try to scare the voracious insects away from their crops, according to Reuters.
The locusts have overrun about 172,973 acres (70,000 hectares) of land in Kenya, devouring crops and destroying farmland as citizens face high levels of food insecurity.
One swarm in the northeast measured 37 miles long by 25 miles wide (60 kilometers by 40 kilometers).
Pompeo expresses outrage over Iran’s targeting of U.S. facilities in Iraq
REUTERS/Luisa Gonzalez/File Photo
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday expressed outrage in a phone call with Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi at the continued assaults by Iran’s armed groups targeting U.S. facilities in Iraq, including Sunday’s rocket attack against the U.S. Embassy, the State Department said.
“The Secretary underlined once again that these attacks demonstrate a wanton disregard for Iraqi sovereignty and a failure to rein in these dangerous armed groups,” State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said in a statement.
Wife of Canada’s first coronavirus patient tests positive; 19 under investigation
Canada’s second patient with the novel coronavirus is in her 50s and currently showing no symptoms, Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health David Williams said at a news conference. She has been in self-isolation and is being monitored by health officials.
“Given the fact that she has been in self-isolation, the risk to Ontarians remains low,” said Williams in a release earlier in the day.
Her husband had been confirmed to have the virus by a national laboratory in Winnipeg, according to the release. He is currently stable at a hospital in Toronto.
Israeli leaders meet Trump to discuss Peace and Security – 27.1.2020 TV7 Israel News
1) U.S. President Donald Trump held two separate meetings at the White House today with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his main domestic political rival Blue and White Chairperson Benny Gantz – to discuss his long-anticipated, so-called, “deal of the century.”
2) Israel launched retaliatory airstrikes against Hamas positions in the Gaza Strip, in response to the indiscriminate launch of a rocket and numerous clusters of balloons that were attached to explosive devices by Islamist Palestinians from the Jihadist territory toward Israel’s southern communities.
3) Today, the world marked the international Holocaust Remembrance Day, in commemorating the memory of the victims of the 6 million Jews and 11 million others that were murdered by the Nazi regime and its collaborators during the second World War.
China’s War on the Bible and Their Plan to Rewrite It
In November last year, China made the official decision to rewrite both the Bible and the Quran in order to “reflect socialist values.”
Naturally, this is a political tool that is needed as part of the crackdown on the Muslim Uyghur minority that has been such a thorn in the side of the Chinese socialist regime.
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) declared that the revision will make sure that the content of the Bible and Quran do not contradict socialism.
Death toll from China coronavirus up to 80; 2500+ cases now confirmed; speeding up
The Wuhan coronavirus outbreak has continued to worsen in recent days and Chinese officials have warned that the spread of the virus has accelerated.
Cases have reached beyond China, on to Thailand, Taiwan, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Vietnam, France, Australia, Malaysia, Nepal, Canada, and the U.S., NBC News reported. The number of cases worldwide has risen to 2,500.
China, the epicenter of the viral outbreak, has claimed the large majority of the coronavirus cases. China has also seen all of the fatal cases of the virus, now reported at 80 deaths.
Thailand has seen the second-highest number of cases, eight total as of Sunday.
The U.S. has tied for the third-highest rate of coronavirus infection.
Trump holds a bilateral meeting with Israeli PM Netanyahu
President Trump holds a bilateral meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Auschwitz 75 years on: Holocaust Day prompts new anti-Semitism warnings
This may be the last major anniversary where so many survivors are able to attend.
More than 200 survivors travelled to Auschwitz from across the globe to mark the 75th anniversary.
Many wore blue-and-white scarves – a reminder of the striped prison uniforms that victims wore in the concentration camps.
Commentary/Opinion:
Is The National Anthem Racist?
The Star-Spangled Banner, long a treasured symbol of national unity, has suddenly become “one of the most racist, pro-slavery songs” in American culture.
Why is this happening? And more importantly, is it true?
USA Today columnist James Robbins explores the history of the song and its author to answer these questions.
Cruelty To Animals Gets More Media Coverage Than Beheaded Christians
(Photo by Safin Hamed/AFP via Getty Images)
First there was the beheading of 11 Nigerian Christians during the recent Christmas celebration.
The next day, a Catholic woman, Martha Bulus, was beheaded in the Nigerian state of Borno with her bridesmaids, five days before the wedding.
Then there was a raid on the village of Gora-Gan in the Nigerian state of Kaduna, where terrorists shot anyone they met in the square where the evangelical community had gathered, killing two young Christian women.
There was also a Christian student killed by Islamic extremists who recorded his execution.
Then pastor Lawan Andimi, a local leader of the Christian Association of Nigeria, was beheaded.Unfortunately, the murder of these Christians during the last month has been largely ignored by the Western media.
The killing of a gorilla in a Cincinnati zoo, committed to save a child’s life, triggered more emotion and media coverage than the beheading of 21 Christians on a beach in Libya while they invoked the name of Jesus in Arabic and whispered prayers.
HAMMER: Chief Justice Roberts Must Overrule The Judiciary’s Proposed Assault On The Federalist Society
The Left, which holds a special disdain for FedSoc due to both its influence and its success in countering the erstwhile ubiquitous (and still overwhelming) leftist groupthink pervading the legal profession, has been on a particularly vicious anti-FedSoc warpath throughout the entirety of the Trump presidency.
The Trump administration’s judicial nomination machine is a behemoth, and the Left despises the organization most responsible for steering this new generation of judges toward the direction of constitutional originalism.
Indeed, the Left would like nothing more than to take down FedSoc.