Friday, March 31, 2023

US Capitol Police to boost presence after Trump indictment

The U.S. Capitol Police will boost its presence around Capitol Hill following the indictment of former President Trump, officials said Friday. 

The Senate Sergeant-at-Arms and the USCP said they anticipate demonstrations across the country related to the Trump indictment, which was announced Thursday by the Manhattan District Attorney's office. 

"While law enforcement is not tracking any specific, credible threats against the Capitol or state offices, there is potential for demonstration activity," a note from the Sergeant-at-Arms said. 

TRUMP SAYS 'ILLEGAL LEAKS' INDICATE HE'LL BE ARRESTED TUESDAY

The Senate Operations Center and State Office Readiness Program were monitoring the situation, it said. 

In New York, all NYPD officers were ordered to report to work Friday in uniform in anticipation of any potential threats related to the indictment. 

"It's just in preparation for anything that could happen," an NYPD spokesperson told Fox News Digital on Thursday.

The concerns come after Trump was indicted as part of the Manhattan District Attorney's Office's years-long investigation into hush money payments. The payments included transactions of $130,000 made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels, and the $150,000 payment made to former Playboy model Karen McDougal.

Hush money payments made to both McDougal and Daniels were revealed and reported by Fox News in 2018. Those payments had been investigated by the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Southern District of New York and by the Federal Election Commission. 

"This evening we contacted Mr. Trump’s attorney to coordinate his surrender to the Manhattan D.A.’s Office for arraignment on a Supreme Court indictment, which remains under seal," a spokesperson for the DA's office said. "Guidance will be provided when the arraignment date is selected."

Trump's legal team has denied any wrongdoing. 



Taliban Fast Facts

Read Taliban Fast Facts on CNN and learn more about the Sunni Islamist organization operating primarily in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

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How to get rid of your old cellphone securely

Cellphones have become an extension of our lives. Even more than laptops and computers, your phone likely has a combination of sensitive personal and professional information. I know I couldn't possibly do my work without my phone at my side at all times. 

However, there are always new models of cellphones coming out every time we turn around, and should you decide to sell, recycle, or donate your old cellphone, you've got to always take the necessary steps to clear the data. 

One of the single biggest mistakes that I learned is thinking that deleting the content on your old phone is the same as wiping the data. Deleted data can be recovered by the next stranger who gets your old phone in their hands. 

CLICK TO GET KURT’S CYBERGUY NEWSLETTER WITH QUICK TIPS, TECH REVIEWS, SECURITY ALERTS AND EASY HOW-TO’S TO MAKE YOU SMARTER

Many carriers allow you to bring the old phone in after you purchase the new one it is replacing. In that case, you can directly transfer data from your old phone to your new device. If, however, you need to give up your old phone at the time of trade-in, sale, recycling or donating, then you need to back up the phone before getting rid of all data. 

HOW TO BLUR OUT THE BACKGROUND FOR PRIVACY WHEN YOU ARE ON A FACETIME CALL

Each brand and type of phone has different requirements and steps for backing up phones. To find out how to backup and restore your iPhone, Android and Samsung devices, visit CyberGuy.com/mobilebackup. 

Please note: If your device uses eSIM which is a newer virtual SIM card technology that replaced a physical SIM card, erase your device and the eSIM profile when asked. You may be asked to input your passcode when you hit 'Erase'. 

HOW TO RECORD CALLS ON YOUR PHONE

If you're not using a SIM card, contact your carrier to help transfer the service to the new owner. Don't forget to remove the iPhone you just reset from your list of trusted devices.

You will get a prompt that will ask if you're okay with erasing the list of data. Click Reset Phone. You may be asked to input your pin or other security info. You will get a warning prompt asking if you are sure. 

Click Erase Everything 

NEVER MISS A CALL AGAIN EVEN WHEN YOUR PHONE'S IN ANOTHER

Now that your old phone has been ‘wiped’ clean, you’re ready to sell, recycle or donate your old device. Instead of adding your old phone to your pile of unused tech, consider selling it now that it is wiped clean. 

Because most cellphones contain hazardous materials such as heavy metals, avoid simply throwing them away. Many carriers, electronic stores, and other organizations have recycling or donation programs at no cost to you. The Environmental Protection Agency has a list of donation and recycling programs listed. 

Were these tips helpful? Feel free to reach out if you have any other concerns. 

For more of my tips, subscribe to my free CyberGuy Report Newsletter by heading to CyberGuy.com/Newsletter

Copyright 2023 CyberGuy.com. All rights reserved.



King Charles wraps up triumphant state visit to Germany

Another week, another royal trip. This week, we joined King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla as they embarked on their historic first joint state visit abroad.

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Federal agencies must detail plans for supporting gender transition in workplace: Biden OPM

The Biden administration's top human resources office told federal agencies on Friday to establish policies that explain how federal workers will be allowed to transition to another gender in the workplace in ways that guarantee their privacy support.

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) released updated guidance on "gender identity and inclusion in the federal workplace," which had not been changed since the end of the Obama administration in 2017. The new guidance was released on International Transgender Day of Visibility.

The old OPM guidance told federal agencies to treat gender transitions with "sensitivity and confidentiality," and offered other general advice on how to handle transitions. The new guidance asks agencies to go further by setting internal policies and procedures on how to handle transitions, and to "support transitioning employees" consistent with the broad goals laid out by OPM.

BIDEN SAYS TRANSGENDER PEOPLE ‘SHAPE OUR NATION’S SOUL' IN OFFICIAL PROCLAMATION

According to OPM, agency policies should explain the "type of support a transitioning employee can expect from supervisors, managers, human resources personnel, and agency employee support services," including access to employee assistance programs.

Agency rules should list a federal human resources official who can support transitioning employees.

CHURCH ASSEMBLY TO DEBATE URGING US GOVERNMENT TO 'RENOUNCE THE SIN' OF TRANSGENDER PROCEDURES FOR MINORS

OPM also said agency rules should set out a procedure by which gender transitions will be reflected in the workplace. "The procedure would include, with the transitioning employee’s input and consent, when and which colleagues to notify of a transition; the timing for name changes and pronoun changes, where applicable and consistent with this Guidance, in email, IT systems, and employee profiles; and a process for any gender identity inclusion training for supervisors, managers, and coworkers if such training would be beneficial," OPM said.

According to OPM guidance, federal agencies are to make their gender transition policies available to everyone and to allow the use of sick leave for transitioning workers if they are receiving medical treatment during their transition, "just as with medical treatment for any other reason."

NASHVILLE TRANSGENDER SCHOOL SHOOTER'S MESSAGES TO FRIEND SHOW 'MUCH DEEPER ISSUES,' SAYS EX-FBI SPECIAL AGENT

The guidance says more broadly that employees should have "control, to the extent possible, over when, with whom, and how much they share about their gender identity or sex characteristics. It says employees should be addressed by the names and pronouns that they use to describe themselves, and says agencies should use "correct names and pronouns" to avoid discrimination.

"The isolated and inadvertent use of an incorrect name or pronoun will generally not constitute unlawful harassment, but, as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has explained, continued intentional use of an incorrect name or pronoun (or both) could, in certain circumstances, contribute to an unlawful hostile work environment," it said.



Thursday, March 30, 2023

Gwyneth Paltrow's lawyers argue ski collision accuser's 'perception' of crash doesn't match reality

Attorneys delivered their closing arguments in the ski collision trial between Gwyneth Paltrow and Terry Sanderson on Thursday. The jury heard from multiple expert witnesses, along with Sanderson and Paltrow, throughout the eight-day court proceedings.

Sanderson is suing Paltrow for $300,000, claiming the actress skied into him from behind leaving him severely injured and changing his life.

Paltrow's lawyer Stephen Owens emphasized that the actress has spent the last two weeks as a "punching bag" as she's attended each day of the trial.

He explained to the jury that Paltrow lost more than just a half day of skiing and actually lost out on a bonding experience with her then-boyfriend and now-husband Brad Falchuk due to the stress she endured after the ski collision.

"[Sanderson] hit her. He hurt her," Owens said. "And then he asked her for $3 million for the pleasure. That is not fair."

"The easy thing for my client would have been to write a check and be done with it," he added. "But what does that tell her kids?"

Owens also brought back up the idea of the GoPro footage – which Sanderson and his daughters claim has never existed – and the legal term spoliation. "Spoliation is probably a word you never heard before," the lawyer explained. "It's a legal term, but the idea is if they destroy evidence, you can assume that it was bad for them."

The lawyer suggested at one point there was GoPro footage because of an email his daughter, Shae Hareth, sent him where she said she was "so glad" there was GoPro video of the collision. Hareth has since testified that she misunderstood what her father had told her.

James Egan, another attorney for Paltrow, also claimed Sanderson's perceptions do not match reality.

"Maybe you've seen a pattern over the course of these last couple of weeks or the last two weeks," he told the jury. "On the one hand, you have real events and then on the other hand, you have embellishments. On the one hand, you have objective and on the other hand you have subjective reports. On the one hand, you have what happened in the past and then on the other hand have perception of what happened in the past."

Sanderson's attorney went first and began with an anecdote of a car crash he witnessed where a man ran a red light but believed the light to be green.

"I tell you that story because so often people that are in these types of events have a totally different viewpoint," Bob Sykes told the jury. "So, we don't hold anything against Gwyneth or her viewpoint as sincerely expressed, but she's wrong based on the evidence."

The attorney also suggested the "flakey" Deer Valley Resort investigation into what happened was a "cover up." Sykes accused ski instructor Eric Christiansen of being "inconsistent" specifically about the claim Sanderson told him he was "OK" despite having four broken ribs.

Sanderson's lawyer Lawrence Buhler emphasized his persistent concussion symptoms are permanent.

He claimed Sanderson's symptoms "last a lifetime, they last forever."

Buhler pointed out this case is "not about celebrity. He stated to the jury, "It's not about that. There are lots of indications of that. But this is about a man's life."

PLAINTIFF IN GWYNETH PALTROW SKI CRASH BLAMES ACTRESS FOR THREE ‘NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCES’ POST-COLLISION

Paltrow's lawyer questioned Sanderson on Wednesday afternoon about how he was able to travel the world while also being a "recluse" in the years following the 2016 ski collision.

Sanderson, now 76, was labeled a "self-imposed recluse" throughout the trial. His lawyers claimed during opening statements that since the accident, Sanderson had not been able to participate in the activities he loved to do, such as wine tasting.

GWYNETH PALTROW'S VERSION OF SKI COLLISION ‘MATCHES’ LAWS OF PHYSICS: EXPERT

However, during cross-examination, Paltrow's lawyer asked the retired optometrist about the world-wide traveling he has done in the years after the ski collision. Owens presented the jury with a round of photos showing Sanderson on various excursions after the crash – including trips to Peru, Germany, Morocco, scuba diving, zip-lining, bike rides and boat tours.

Sanderson said that his travels were "part of the healing process." He testified, "I was told by several neurologists and cognitive therapists, 'Get back to your routine. As soon you can do that, the better you'll be.'"

"Looking back at that time, I was determined to prove I didn't have any mental issues," he said.

GWYNETH PALTROW'S SKI CRASH TESTIMONY MAY GIVE HER ADVANTAGE WITH JURY AS LEGAL EXPERTS DISSECT TRIAL

Paltrow and Sanderson's recollection of the accident differs. The actress has claimed that Sanderson skied into her from behind, while the retired optometrist testified that Paltrow lost control and rammed into him.

During Friday's court proceedings, Paltrow testified that she initially thought "something perverted" was happening when Sanderson's skis came between her own, and he allegedly pressed up against her back.

"I was confused at first, and I didn’t know exactly what was happening. It’s a very strange thing to be happening on a ski slope," she recalled. "I froze, and I would say I got very upset a couple seconds later."

GWYNETH PALTROW TAKES THE STAND AFTER ACCUSER'S DAUGHTER BREAKS DOWN IN TEARS DURING TESTIMONY

Paltrow explained why she initially thought she might have been getting sexually assaulted during questioning by Sanderson's lawyer.

"So that was a quick thought that went through my head when I was trying to reconcile what was happening," Paltrow explained. "Two skis came between my skis forcing my legs apart and then a body pressed against me.

"My brain was trying to make sense of what is happening," she added. "I thought, ‘Is this a practical joke? Is someone doing something perverted?’ My mind was going very, very quickly, and my mind was trying to ascertain what happened."

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Paltrow and Sanderson's legal fight is the result of the 2016 ski collision that left Sanderson severely injured, according to a 2019 lawsuit. Jurors have heard testimony from doctors speaking on Sanderson's medical condition prior to and following the collision.

Sanderson accused the Goop founder of skiing off after the accident, which left him with a "permanent traumatic brain injury, four broken ribs, pain, suffering, loss of enjoyment of life," along with emotional distress and disfigurement, according to the suit.

Sanderson originally sued the actress, Deer Valley Resort and an instructor for $3.1 million and claimed he was a victim of a hit-and-run. A judge dismissed the claim, and Deer Valley Resort and the instructor were removed from the lawsuit.

Paltrow has filed a countersuit, claiming that Sanderson previously admitted he did not have a clear memory of the accident. The actress is seeking a judgment for attorneys' fees plus $1.

Fox News Digital's Tracy Wright contributed to this report.



Starbucks shareholders want more information about the company's anti-union efforts

Starbucks' investors have voted in favor of an independent review of the company's anti-union efforts.

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Rescued dolphin thrives 1 year after arriving in Florida Keys

A rescued juvenile dolphin that was airlifted from Texas to the Florida Keys about one year ago is thriving and interacting with other dolphins at a Keys-based marine mammal facility, officials said Monday.

The orphaned male calf dubbed Ranger was discovered in June 2021. He was stranded near Goose Island State Park and suffering from a respiratory infection and dehydration. Rescued near his dead mother, the young bottlenose dolphin was deemed too young to forage and survive in the wild.

The National Marine Fisheries Service chose the Dolphin Research Center in Grassy Key, Florida, as Ranger’s permanent home after he was temporarily cared for at the Texas State Aquarium in Corpus Christi.

DESANTIS BLASTS BIDEN FOR LEAVING FLORIDA OUT TO DRY AMID MARITIME MIGRANT SURGE

"Dolphins are very social; they live in a family, they depend on that family even to learn how to catch fish," said Linda Erb, the Dolphin Research Center’s vice president of animal care and training. "Without a mom, without a family, this little guy would have starved — he would not have known how to be a wild dolphin."

Erb said her team’s primary goal has been to make sure that Ranger, now about 3 years old, learned to socialize with other dolphins in a natural lagoon at the center after his release from a necessary five-week quarantine in a medical pool.

"The Ranger that was living in our med pool is a different dolphin than the Ranger living out here now today," Erb said. "He is fully adapted into the family and has surrogate moms that help take care of him. He has buddies that he plays with."



Fire rips through Rohingya refugee camp in Bangladesh leaving thousands homeless

A massive fire ripped through a Rohingya refugee camp in Bangladesh's southern district of Cox's Bazar on Sunday, leaving around 12,000 people homeless, local Superintendent of Police Mohammad Mahfuzul Islam told CNN.

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Weaponization hearing devolves into chaos as Democrat shouts at Republicans over witness testimony

A House Weaponization Subcommittee hearing went off the rails Thursday as one Democrat congressman shouted at Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, over his party's ability to "cross-examine" testimony provided by prominent Republicans.

The hearing — held to examine the Biden administration's alleged collusion with Big Tech to violate First Amendment rights — featured testimony from Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry, former Missouri attorney general Eric Schmitt, and former Missouri deputy attorney general for special litigation, D. John Sauer.

The witnesses were provided with the opportunity to discuss their federal government censorship lawsuit, Louisiana and Missouri v. Biden et al – which they filed in May 2022 and describe as "the most important free speech lawsuit of this generation.

Massachusetts Democrat Rep. Stephen Lynch was incensed after the witnesses left after giving following their initial statements. "At least if we're not gonna have the ability to cross-examine, I would move that we strike the testimony provided by Sen. Schmitt and Attorney General Landry," Lynch told Jordan.

BIDEN ADMIN LED MASSIVE 'SPEECH CENSORSHIP OPERATION,' FORMER STATE AG WILL TESTIFY

"You mean you wanna censor it? You wanna censor their testimony," one Republican questioned as he interrupted Lynch.

"I wanna strike it," Lynch said repeatedly. "If we aren't able to probe the veracity of their statements, the truthfulness of their statements..."

"You'll be given your five minutes when we get to the five minutes of questioning," Jordan interjected.

"They're not here to question," one Democrat representative said as the hearing devolved into chaos and a shouting match between lawmakers.

"They're not here. They're absent. They have scurried away with your complicity," Lynch shouted at Jordan.

"They have not scurried away," Jordan said over Lynch, recognizing Sauer for his testimony.

LAWSUIT FILED AGAINST BIDEN, TOP OFFICIALS FOR 'COLLUDING' WITH BIG TECH TO CENSOR SPEECH ON HUNTER, COVID

"In a country of 330 million people, you couldn't find two people to defend their statements," Lynch said loudly across the room. "That's pretty disgraceful."

Amid the chaos, one Democrat said, "If allowing them to leave is not weaponization, I don't know what is, Mr. Chairman."

Lynch then moved to adjourn the hearing, telling Jordan that what was taking place was a "mockery and a disgrace."

"The gentleman has not been recognized," Jordan said over Lynch, calling for Sauer to continue.

"There is a motion on the floor to adjourn and it's not debatable," Lynch said. "If you don't know the rules of the committee, then talk to your parliamentarian."

While telling Lynch that he wasn't recognized to make the motion, Jordan was interrupted by another Democrat who told him he was "not following the rules of the committee."

Jordan's office said the Judiciary Committee often allows current and former lawmakers to present opening statements without staying for questions.

"It has been a long practice of the Committee to allow current and former Members of Congress to present an opening statement without taking questions," said Russell Dye, communications director for Jordan and counsel for the House Judiciary Committee:"Democrats did the same exact thing when they were in the majority. Furthermore, Democrats recently asked Rep. Jamie Raskin to provide an opening statement to the Committee without taking questions as well. Democrats know all of this, of course, but sadly decided to put on a partisan charade instead of act like adults."

The testimony comes after Missouri and Louisiana filed a lawsuit against the Biden administration, alleging that President Biden and members of his team "colluded with social media giants Meta, Twitter, and YouTube to censor free speech in the name of combating so-called ‘disinformation’ and ‘misinformation.’"

The lawsuit alleges that coordination led to the suppression and censorship of truthful information "on a scale never before seen" using examples of the COVID lab-leak theory, information about COVID vaccinations, Hunter Biden’s laptop, and more.

Schmidt testified that Biden accomplished "the largest speech censorship operation in recent history" by working with social media companies to suppress and censor information later acknowledged as truthful" in his written remarks submitted to the subcommittee. 

Fox News' Brooke Singman contributed to this article.



Wednesday, March 29, 2023

Russia lists member of dissident women's punk group as wanted criminal

Russian authorities have put a member of the Pussy Riot punk group on a wanted list for criminal suspects as the Kremlin works to stifle political dissent.

Russian news outlet Mediazona discovered an entry for Nadezhda Tolokonnikova in the Russian Interior Ministry's database of wanted individuals on Wednesday. The entry, also reviewed by The Associated Press, said Tolokonnikova faces criminal charges, but it didn't specify what the charges are.

FORMER PUTIN SPEECHWRITER, OTHERS ADDED TO RUSSIA'S 'FOREIGN AGENT' REGISTRY

Tolokonnikova became widely known for taking part in a 2012 Pussy Riot protest inside Moscow’s Christ the Savior Cathedral. She spent nearly two years in prison.

Earlier this month Russia's top human rights lawyer, Pavel Chikov, said a criminal case had been launched against Tolokonnikova on the charge of offending religious believers' feelings, which became a criminal offense in Russia after the 2012 Pussy Riot protest.

PUSSY RIOT MEMBER REGAINED CONSCIOUSNESS AFTER POSSIBLY BEING POISONED

Tolokonnikova has left Russia. In 2021, the Russian government designated her as a "foreign agent," a label that brings additional government scrutiny and carries pejorative connotations that can discredit the recipients.

Russian authorities have applied the designation to independent media outlets and opposition activists.



Young children, the head of their school and its custodian. These are the victims of the Nashville school shooting

Another American community is reeling after a shooter killed three 9-year-olds and three adults at a private Christian elementary school in Nashville.

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King Charles, Camilla, Queen Consort, begin new reign with world debut in Germany

King Charles and Camilla, the Queen Consort, have officially kicked off their new reign as Britain's monarchs, touching down in Germany for their first foreign trip.

The king and his wife were greeted with a 21-gun salute and two flyover jets upon their arrival. They were also met by supporters as they descended from their plane, making their way to their vehicle.

The royal couple were previously scheduled to begin their tour in France, although plans were changed and canceled due to pension reform protests in that country.

The king is said to be using this trip as an opportunity to strengthen relations with Germany while also proving he will be as successful as his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II.

KING CHARLES III AND CAMILLA HURLED WITH EGGS, PROTESTER ARRESTED

The king and the queen consort shared a message regarding their travels to their Twitter page, writing, "Ahead of our first State Visit to Germany, we are very much looking forward to meeting all of those who make this country so special. It is a great joy to be able to continue the deepening of the longstanding friendship between our two nations."

Just an hour later, the couple were met with military honors by German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and his wife, Elke Budenbender, at the Brandenburg Gate.

The dignitaries posed for photos before enjoying a reception inside.

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The trip was designed to underscore British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s efforts to rebuild relations with the German bloc after six years of arguments over Brexit and highlight the countries’ shared history as they work together to combat Russian aggression in Ukraine.

Now everything rests on Germany, where the king faces the first big test of whether he can be an effective conduit for the "soft power" the House of Windsor has traditionally wielded, helping Britain pursue its geopolitical goals through the glitz and glamour of a 1,000-year-old monarchy.

The German president was complimentary of Charles during the reception, saying, "You are, quite literally, the driving forces behind the energy transition. … You are helping to make the world a better place."

On Thursday, the king is slated to give a speech to Germany's parliament.

On Friday, the couple will go to Hamburg, with plans to visit the Kindertransport memorial for Jewish children who escaped the terror of the Nazis.



US School Violence Fast Facts

Read Fast Facts from CNN about elementary, middle and high school (excludes colleges and universities) violence with fatalities, from 1927 to present.

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Biden makes multiple Second Amendment claims in wake of Nashville shooting, but reality isn't so clear-cut

President Biden responded to Monday's fatal school shootings in Nashville, Tennessee, during a stop in North Carolina on Tuesday, omitting some nuance about the Second Amendment in the wake of tragedy.

The president made a scheduled stop in Durham, North Carolina, to speak about his economic agenda and the advancement of semiconductors.

But before he got to the meat of his speech Tuesday, the president addressed the tragedy that occurred at a private Christian school in Nashville, the Covenant School, on Monday.

BIDEN KEEPS REPEATING FALSE SECOND AMENDMENT CLAIM, DESPITE REPEATED FACT CHECKS

Six victims were shot and killed when 28-year-old Audrey Elizabeth Hale, whom police identified as a transgender former student of the school, entered the building with two "assault-type rifles" and a handgun before opening fire.

After Hale killed three 9-year-old students and three adults, Metropolitan Nashville Police officers killed Hale at the scene.

Biden told the crowd in Durham on Tuesday that Monday’s incident was the families’ "worst nightmare."

Biden said he lost a child to an accident and another to cancer, noting that there was nothing like losing a child, especially when taken in a senseless and heartbreaking act.

BIDEN TO SIGN EXECUTIVE ORDER TO REQUIRE BACKGROUND CHECKS ON MORE GUN SALES

"They should be with us … as a nation, we owe these families more than our prayers. We owe them action," the president said. "You know, we have to do more to stop this gun violence that is ripping communities apart, ripping apart the soul of this nation. Protect our children so they learn how to read and write instead of duck and covering in a classroom."

The president, who describes himself as a "Second Amendment guy," said the weapons used on Monday were "weapons of war" and that the right to bear arms is not absolute.

"You’re not allowed to go out and own an automatic weapon. You’re not allowed to own a machine gun. You’re not allowed to own a flamethrower," Biden said. "You’re not allowed to own so many other things. Why in God’s name do we allow these weapons of war on our streets and in our public schools?"

While the National Firearms Act imposes strict limits on machine guns, it allows for exceptions, though minimal.

BIDEN VOWS TO BAN ASSAULT WEAPONS 'COME HELL OR HIGH WATER'

In addition, the law does not specifically ban flamethrowers. A 2019 House bill that aimed to subject flamethrowers to the same federal regulation never passed.

Biden has previously said that the Second Amendment also banned the ownership of cannons when it was passed in 1791, but that, too, has been debunked.

He continued making claims about firearms, especially when it comes to the death of children.

"This is hard to believe," he said. "I never thought when I started my public life that guns would be the No. 1 killer of children in America. Guns. No. 1. It’s sick and overwhelming; a majority of gun owners agree we have to do something."

'YOU DON'T NEED AN AR-15': A LOOK AT SOME OF BIDEN'S MOST INACCURATE REMARKS ABOUT FIREARMS AND 2A SUPPORTERS

Analysis from the Kaiser Family Foundation published in 2022 did find that firearms recently became the number-one cause of death for children in the U.S., surpassing deaths related to motor vehicles or other injuries.

EDITOR'S NOTE: This report has been updated to clarify firearms limits and the prevalence of gun-related deaths among U.S. children.



Tuesday, March 28, 2023

IRS silent on timing of visit to journalist Matt Taibbi’s home, how often it makes house calls

The IRS was silent about how often it dispatches agents to people’s homes Tuesday on the heels of journalist Matt Taibbi saying he received an unannounced visit from Uncle Sam at his New Jersey residence. 

Taibbi, a Substack journalist who played a key role in Twitter owner Elon Musk’s efforts to reveal the social media juggernaut’s once-secret communications, was visited by an IRS agent on March 9. That was the same day he testified before the newly Republican-created Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government about what he learned about Twitter.

The IRS did not answer a series of questions from Fox News Digital, including how often agents show up at people’s homes and whether Taibbi’s role in "Twitter Files" had anything to do with his visit. "Federal law prohibits IRS from commenting on an individual taxpayer matter," a spokesperson said. 

WHAT ELON MUSK'S TWITTER FILES HAVE UNCOVERED ABOUT THE TECH GIANT SO FAR

The "Twitter Files" have provided revelations about how and why Twitter banned former President Trump, the existence of so-called "shadowbanning," censorship of opinions deemed misinformation about COVID-19, the behind-the-scenes machinations around censoring the Hunter Biden laptop story, and more.

The Wall Street Journal’s editorial board criticized the IRS and noted it normally sends a letter or schedules a meeting at the agent’s office rather than make unannounced visits to taxpayers’ homes.

Members of Congress have also questioned what the IRS was doing, and Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas tweeted it "absolutely stinks to high heaven" because the "IRS has a troubling history of targeting the political enemies of Democrats."

MATT TAIBBI ISSUES WARNING OF GOVERNMENT EFFORTS TO CLEANSE MEDIA OF ‘DISINFORMATION’: ‘EXTREMELY DANGEROUS’ 

Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, the House Judiciary Chairman, sent a pair of letters Monday to try and get answers.

Taibbi has said he won’t discuss the situation for the time being. 

"I don’t want to comment on the IRS issue pending an answer to chairman @Jim_Jordan’s letter. I’m not worried for myself, but I did feel the Committee should be aware of the situation," Taibbi tweeted. 

MATT TAIBBI TORCHES DEMOCRATS FOR ‘COMICALLY INEPT’ ATTACKS DURING TWITTER FILES HEARING 

Earlier this month, Taibbi slammed House Democrats for their "comically inept" attacks during the heated Capitol Hill hearing that occurred as IRS agents visited his home. 

"I expected them to attack us, but they were really comically inept attacks and cut off any attempt to engage in any kind of conversation about the material and really just tried to get us to… admit that Russian interference happened," Taibbi told Brian Kilmeade.

Some Democrats were accused of heckling Taibbi to reveal his sources, including Rep. Sylvia Garcia, D-Texas, and Ranking Member Stacey Plaskett, D-Virgin Islands.

Fox Business’ Lawrence Richard, Bailee Hill and Lindsey Kornick contributed to this report. 



Lawmakers reluctant to pursue gun control measures following Nashville school shooting

Monday's deadly school shooting in Nashville has sparked a familiar cycle of condolences and calls to action among lawmakers in Washington, but both sides of the aisle have been quick to concede that the recent violence is probably not enough to sway a divided Congress to move substantive gun control efforts forward.

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Gwyneth Paltrow's version of ski collision 'matches' laws of physics: expert

The Utah ski crash trial involving Gwyneth Paltrow and retired optometrist Terry Sanderson is heating up, as both sides attempt to prove they were not responsible for the collision that allegedly left Sanderson badly injured.

During Tuesday's testimony, Paltrow's lawyers called biomechanical engineer Irving Scher. He testified that the 50-year-old actress' version of the collision matched the laws of physics.

"For [Craig] Ramon's version, I couldn't get it to work," Scher told the jury. "It doesn't match with the laws of physics. The complete part of his testimony just doesn't fit."

Paltrow claimed in her testimony that Sanderson skied into her from behind, and they fell as if they were spooning to the right, landing with their heads uphill. However, Craig Ramon – the only person who claims to be an eyewitness to the collision – claimed Paltrow skied into Sanderson from behind. In his version of events, Sanderson fell forward, face planting in the snow with his skis spread eagle.

GWYNETH PALTROW TESTIFIES IN SKI COLLISION TRIAL THAT SHE INITIALLY BELIEVED ACCIDENT WAS A SEXUAL ASSAULT

"So the key is either she would come out of the bindings or she would be stuck on Mr. Sanderson," Scher explained, referring to Ramon's version of events. "She wouldn't be able to move past him if her skis stayed on in various versions of this."

Everyone involved in the collision has maintained that Paltrow's and Sanderson's skis remained on throughout the accident.

"But even if [the bindings] didn't release, then her ski winds up getting trapped by his, and she can't move forward," the expert witness added. "And in many of these scenarios, her leg would get twisted in a really odd way that would likely create injuries."

Paltrow testified that she didn't have any injuries besides soreness and an overstretched knee.

GWYNETH PALTROW SKI CRASH TRIAL: BIGGEST BOMBSHELLS

On Monday, Paltrow's lawyers called into evidence a recreation video of the accident scene, as described from the vantage point of ski instructor Eric Christiansen.

Christiansen, who was hired by Paltrow to teach her then 9-year-old son Moses how to ski, confirmed that the animated video was an accurate representation of how he recalled the events of the day.

"When you're working with students, especially if they're children, you're always looking around. It's very much like driving, you're very aware of everything around you," Christiansen explained referring to why he originally noticed Sanderson making "round, and large and fairly fast" turns on the Deer Valley slope.

"The one thing this animation does not show is I actually watched him make several turns down. And that's what caught my eye…Mr. Sanderson has some very strong skiing skills, because he was skiing edge to edge," Christansen added of the plaintiff.

GWYNETH PALTROW ACCUSER TESTIFIES IN SKI COLLISON TRIAL, DESCRIBES 'BLOOD-CURDLING SCREAM'

Christansen alleges that he was skiing on the left side of the "Bandana" trail with Moses while Paltrow was on the skiers' right, making "short-radius turns."

Throughout Christiansen's testimony, Paltrow's lawyer, Steve Owens, would pause and play the recreation, asking the ski instructor to confirm if what was being shown was indicative of that day.

Sanderson is suing Paltrow for $300,000, alleging she severely injured him when she collided with him on a trail at Deer Valley resort.

GWYNETH PALTROW PREPARES TO TAKE THE STAND AS HER COURTROOM APPEARANCES GO VIRAL

"They were on the slope, and she was underneath, and he was on top of her," Christiansen explained of how he discovered both Paltrow and Sanderson, after hearing a loud noise.

"They both had their heads uphill, both sets of skis were still on both she and Mr. Sanderson… Their skis were below them. And they were basically lying, pretty much on their backs," Christiansen explained.

Paltrow recalls realizing something was wrong when "two skis came between my skis forcing my legs apart and then a body pressed against me…My brain was trying to make sense of what is happening," she testified

"I thought, ‘Is this a practical joke? Is someone doing something perverted?’ My mind was going very, very quickly, and my mind was trying to ascertain what happened."

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The testimony from Christiansen and Paltrow directly contradicts the testimony given by Ramon, who claims he saw the collision happen.

"We were skiing down the run, and then I heard this yell, this scream," he said. "I looked over … and then I see this skier just slam into the back of Terry, very hard. She hits him right directly in the back. His skis, the tips go out like this, and he falls face down kind of spread eagle."

Sanderson gave a similar recount, explaining. "There was nothing in front of me…I just remember everything was great, and then I heard something I’ve never heard at a ski resort."

"It was like somebody was out of control and hit a tree and was going to die, and that’s what I had until I was hit."

The retired optometrist said he was hit in the back and felt the two fists along with ski poles between his shoulder blades.

Paltrow and Sanderson'slegal fight is a result of the 2016 ski collision that left Sanderson severely injured, according to the 2019 lawsuit. Jurors heard testimony last week from doctors speaking on Sanderson's medical condition prior to and following the collision.

Sanderson accuses the Goop founder of skiing off after the accident, which left him with a "permanent traumatic brain injury, four broken ribs, pain, suffering, loss of enjoyment of life," along with emotional distress and disfigurement, according to the lawsuit.

Sanderson originally sued the actress, Deer Valley Resort and an instructor for $3.1 million and claimed he was a victim of a hit-and-run. A judge dismissed the claim, and Deer Valley Resort and the instructor were removed from the lawsuit.

Paltrow has filed a countersuit, claiming that Sanderson previously admitted he didn't have a clear memory of the accident. The actress is seeking a judgment for attorney fees plus $1.



A stunning lineup of five planets will decorate the night sky

A lineup of five planets will appear beneath the moon in the night sky, beginning just after sunset. Onlookers should be able to catch the best glimpse of the alignment the evening of March 28, just after sunset.

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Scientists name rare beetle species after former California Gov. Jerry Brown

Scientists are naming a rare species of beetle in honor of former California Gov. Jerry Brown after finding one at his ranch.

Bembidion brownorum was last seen in 1966, but it hadn't been named or described until one was collected near a creek on Brown's ranch in Colusa County, about an hour's drive northwest of Sacramento, the University of California, Berkeley announced Monday.

The beetle is brown and tiny at about 0.20 inch long, although that is still larger than other Bembidion beetles. Under magnification "it glows with a green and gold metallic shimmer," according to UC Berkeley.

Brown, who left office in 2019, lives in California's inner coastal mountain range on land that has been in his family since the 1860s. He has offered his property as a meeting space for the California Native Plant Society, entomologist, and forestry and fire experts.

CALIFORNIA GOV. JERRY BROWN A 'HYPOCRITE' WHEN IT COMES TO OIL DRILLING, CRITICS SAY

UC Berkeley entomologist Kipling Will has been sampling insects at the 2,500-acre ranch for more than two years. On July 1, 2021, he found an unfamiliar beetle and called up an expert, David Maddison at Oregon State University, to help identify it, UC Berkeley said.

They determined that it was a species that hadn't been previously named or described. Will later found 21 specimens in museums throughout California, although they may have been unlabeled or misidentified, UC Berkeley said.

The species probably was rarely spotted because it probably has been rapidly declining as its habitat is destroyed by urbanization and agricultural development, Will said.

HOW CLOSE TO DOOMSDAY? JUST ASK FORMER CALIFORNIA GOV. JERRY BROWN

The beetle was named in honor of Brown and his wife, Anne Brown.

"I’m very glad that (my ranch) is advancing science in some interesting and important ways," Brown said in the UC Berkeley statement.

"There are so many undiscovered species," he said. "I think it’s very important that we catalog and discover what we have and understand their impact on the environment — how it’s functioning and how it’s changing."

Will and Maddison described the beetle in a study published Monday in the journal ZooKeys. John S. Sproul of the University of Nebraska Omaha is a co-author.

"As of the moment of publication this morning the species was formally named," Will said through UC Berkeley in answer to a question by The Associated Press. "If the question is about a ceremony of some sort, no we don’t do that."



Monday, March 27, 2023

Nashville school shooting: 6 killed including 3 students, shooter dead

A shooting at a Tennessee private Christian grade school left three students and three adults dead Monday and the shooter was killed by police, authorities said. 

The victims were killed in the attack at the Covenant School, authorities said. Nashville police say officers engaged with and killed the shooter, identified as a 28-year-old female carrying two "assault-type rifles" and a handgun.

The female, who was only identified as a Nashville resident, was killed by police just before 10:30 a.m. local time.

"At one point she was a student at that school," Nashville police Chief John Drake said. "There was a vehicle nearby that gave us a clue as to who she was."

FORMER MEMPHIS POLICE SUPERVISOR IN TYRE NICHOLS' DEATH RETIRED WITH BENEFITS BEFORE HE COULD BE FIRED

Police say the shooter entered the building through a side door before climbing stairs to the second floor, where she then opened fire. They don't believe she was wearing any body armor, authorities said.

Officials at the medical center say three young students were transported to Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt with gunshot wounds. All three were pronounced dead after arrival. Three more adults were also pronounced dead following the attack. All three were staff at the school.

Law enforcement were working to contact the families of victims, none of whom have been publicly identified. Police have yet to establish any connection the shooter may have had with the school.

"Right now I will refrain from saying the ages, other than to say, I was literally moved to tears to see this and the kids as they were being ushered out of the building," Drake said. Officials previously established a reunification center nearby where students inside the school were transported in the aftermath of the shooting.

Covenant School is a private Christian institution for students up to 6th grade, according to its website.

"My heart breaks with news of the school shooting at The Covenant School this morning," Rev. Mark Spalding of the Diocese of Nashville said in a statement. Let us pray for the victims, their families, and the Covenant Presbyterian community."

"We are responding to an active aggressor at 33 Burton Hills Blvd Covenant School. We can confirm we have multiple patients," the Nashville Fire Department said Monday. "Parents coming to the school should go to 20 Burton Hills at this time, this is an active scene," the statement continued.

EX-TENNESSEE COP AT CENTER OF SCANDAL CLAIMS SHE WAS SEXUALLY 'GROOMED' IN NEW LAWSUIT

The Metro Nashville PD confirmed the shooter's death in a statement, adding that the school was already working on reunifying parents and children a safe distance away from the Burton Hills Blvd the school is on.

"An active shooter event has taken place at Covenant School, Covenant Presbyterian Church, on Burton Hills Dr. The shooter was engaged by MNPD and is dead. Student reunification with parents is at Woodmont Baptist Church, 2100 Woodmont Blvd.," the department wrote in a statement.

The only reported injury following the attack was an officer who suffered a glass wound to his hand.

The Nashville branch of the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) has also deployed agents to assist the MNPD in responding to the attack.

Nashville Mayor John Cooper released a statement regarding the attack on Monday.

"In a tragic morning, Nashville joined the dreaded, long list of communities to experience a school shooting," he wrote. "My heart goes out to the families of the victims. Our entire city stands with you. As facts continue to emerge, I thank our first responders and medical professionals."

David Rausch, director of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, said his agency is assisting local authorities. 

"I know there are people who will criticize us for prayers but that’s the way we do it in the south."

Other Tennessee lawmakers were quick to offer their condolences and support following Monday's attack. The state's senators, Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty, both released statements mourning the tragedy and praising law enforcement.

"Devastated and heartbroken about the tragic news at Covenant School," Hagerty tweeted Monday. "I'm grateful to law enforcement and first responders for their heroic actions. I am monitoring the situation closely, and my office is in contact with local officials & available to anyone needing assistance."

"Chuck & I are heartbroken to hear about the shooting at Covenant School in Nashville. My office is in contact with federal, state, & local officials, & we stand ready to assist," Blackburn wrote in a statement. "Thank you to the first responders working on site. Please join us in prayer for those affected."

First Lady Jill Biden also responded to the attack later Monday, saying we "stand with Nashville in prayer."

"I am truly without words and our children deserve better," she added.

On Monday, the FBI released data on active shootings for 2021. The agency said there were 61 such incidents that year with all but one committed by a male. The number of shootings was a 50% increase from 2020, the FBI said. 

This is a developing story. Check back soon for updates.



Actor Jonathan Majors arraigned on several assault and harassment charges

Actor Jonathan Majors was arraigned on several assault and harassment charges Sunday, the Manhattan DA's office tells CNN.

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Gwyneth Paltrow accuser testifies in ski collision trial, describes 'blood-curdling scream'

A Utah man who claims he was severely injured after Gwyneth Paltrow skied into him took the stand Monday after lawyers revealed that a new piece of evidence had surfaced.

Paltrow, 50, is being sued for $300,000 by retired optometrist Terry Sanderson, who claims the actress skied into him from behind at Utah's Deer Valley Resort in 2016.

Sanderson took the stand Monday morning, and recalled the ski collision and the "blood-curdling scream" he heard as Paltrow allegedly skied into him.

"There was nothing in front of me," he said on the stand. "I just remember everything was great, and then I heard something I’ve never heard at a ski resort."

GWYNETH PALTROW TAKES THE STAND AFTER ACCUSER'S DAUGHTER BREAKS DOWN IN TEARS DURING TESTIMONY

Sanderson claimed: "It was like somebody was out of control and hit a tree and was going to die and that’s what I had until I was hit."

"That’s what is going on in your mind when you hear that scream?" his lawyer clarified.

"They’re really seriously out of control," Sanderson responded.

The retired optometrist said he was hit in the back and felt the two fists along with ski poles between his shoulder blades. "All I saw was a whole lot of snow and I didn’t see the sky," he explained. "I was flying in that sense, and I had no control."

Sanderson also declared on the stand he doesn't "believe in celebrity worship," but he did email his children on the same day of the accident with the subject line "I'm Famous."

Paltrow's lawyer asked questions regarding Sanderson's memory of the incident.

"Do you agree that you do not have a perfect memory of what you told others in the one, two, three minutes after the collision?" he asked.

Sanderson responded: "Answer would be, no it’s not perfect."

"You don’t even remember that ski patrollers came by?" Owens pointed out.

"No, I don’t remember that," Sanderson said.

The retired optometrist got emotional while discussing his relationship at the time of the collision. Sanderson claimed he told Karlene Davidson to leave him.

Davidson told the jury last week that Sanderson "started pushing [her] away" after the accident. "He had no joy left in his life," she recalled. "Not knowing what he was dealing with, I thought it was relationship-status things, and so I blame a lot of it on that… and now looking back, I think there was a lot going on."

Davidson was dating Sanderson at the time of the collision and said their relationship fell apart shortly after the incident. She described Terry as "fun-loving, joyful and very ambitious" with "a lot of energy." Davidson "had a lot of trouble keeping up with him."

Sanderson's testimony followed the introduction of new evidence in the trial Monday morning. The new evidence came from a viewer who has been following the trial, and investigated the link in an email Terry Sanderson sent to his daughters. The viewer sent a copy of the message to lawyers, who had not been able to recover the link.

Craig Ramon, the only eyewitness to the crash, was called back to the stand briefly Monday morning to discuss the posting on Meetup.com. 

GWYNETH PALTROW SKI CRASH TRIAL: BIGGEST BOMBSHELLS

Paltrow's attorney plans to call the actress' husband Brad Falchuk and her children – Apple, 18 and Moses, 16 – to testify in her defense.

The "Shakespeare in Love" actress spent roughly two hours on the stand Friday as she answered questions from both Sanderson's lawyer and her own. She gave her account of what occurred – declaring multiple times that the retired optometrist skied into her from behind.

GWYNETH PALTROW'S SKI CRASH LAWYER BATTLES WITH PLAINTIFF'S DAUGHTER, REGRETS ‘BEING AN A--’ DURING TRIAL

Paltrow explained she initially thought she might have been getting sexually assaulted when the collision happened.

"So that was a quick thought that went through my head when I was trying to reconcile what was happening," Paltrow explained. "Two skis came between my skis forcing my legs apart and then a body pressed against me."

"My brain was trying to make sense of what is happening," she added. "I thought, ‘Is this a practical joke? Is someone doing something perverted?’ My mind was going very, very quickly, and my mind was trying to ascertain what happened."

Paltrow noted it felt like they were "spooning" when the two fell to the ground. She also emphasized that she's not claiming she was sexually assaulted, that's just "what went through [her] mind when it happened."

GWYNETH PALTROW SKI COLLISION TRIAL: LEGAL EXPERTS ANALYZE IF CELEBRITY STATUS MADE HER A TARGET

The jury heard from two of Sanderson's three daughters last week. Polly Grasham and Shae Hareth both testified about changes they have observed in their father's personality since the ski collision.

Grasham spoke about the moment she realized something was "terribly wrong" with her father, about a year or year and a half after the accident.

"His processing speeds," she said, were slower and "the effort that it took, definitely when we were in person… I felt like, wow."

"I almost expected drool to be coming out of his mouth because he was not engaged with anyone and had taken himself to a remote corner," Grasham added.

That's the moment she knew something was "terribly wrong," she said.

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Paltrow and Sanderson are in a legal fight over a 2016 ski collision that left the retired optometrist severely injured, according to a 2019 lawsuit. Jurors heard testimony last week from doctors speaking on Sanderson's medical condition prior to and following the collision.

Sanderson accused the Goop founder of skiing off after the accident, which left him with a "permanent traumatic brain injury, four broken ribs, pain, suffering, loss of enjoyment of life," along with emotional distress and disfigurement, according to the lawsuit.

Sanderson originally sued the actress, Deer Valley Resort and an instructor for $3.1 million and claimed he was a victim of a hit-and-run. A judge dismissed the claim, and Deer Valley Resort and the instructor were removed from the lawsuit.

Paltrow has maintained that Sanderson actually skied into her and claims she stuck around until given the OK to leave by a Deer Valley Resort ski instructor. The 50-year-old actress also said in her countersuit that Sanderson previously admitted he didn't have a clear memory of the accident.

The actress is seeking attorneys' fees and $1.

Fox News Digital's Tracy Wright contributed to this report.



Taylor Swift fans take Ticketmaster to court over Eras Tour ticketing chaos

Taylor Swift fans headed to court in Los Angeles Monday to face off against Ticketmaster after the ticketing giant fumbled online sales to the mega-star's latest tour.

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Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate gave probation to domestic abuser who later killed two people, burned bodies

A Milwaukee County judge running for a seat on the state’s Supreme Court, who has faced backlash over what critics describe as being soft on crime, suspended the prison sentence of a convicted domestic abuser before he went on to kill two people in 2019.

Janet Protasiewicz, a judge for the Milwaukee County Circuit Court in Wisconsin, will face off against Dan Kelly, a former Wisconsin Supreme Court justice, this Tuesday. 

In February 2020, Matthew J. Neumann was found guilty of killing two of his cleaning company employees and burning their bodies on a hunting property in East Troy he was leasing back in January 2019. He was sentenced to 72 years in prison.

Neumann had a long criminal history prior to the killings. In 2015, he was found guilty of second-offense drunken driving, a misdemeanor, and later sentenced to 45 days in jail. 

IN ABORTION-FOCUSED WISCONSIN SUPREME COURT RACE, OTHER ISSUES START TAKING PRECEDENT

Later that year, local law enforcement was called to Neumann's home after police said his wife alleged he was drunk with a gun and threatening to use it if she left the house, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported. Neumann surrendered to police after about 30 minutes, and police confiscated more than 60 guns from his basement. He pled guilty to endangering safety with a gun while intoxicated and disorderly conduct, both with a domestic abuse modifier, and he was prohibited from further gun ownership.

In January 2016, Protasiewicz suspended Neumann's 18-month prison term and placed Neumann on probation for two years under certain conditions, including "absolute sobriety" and taking anger management classes.

Six months later, while still on probation, Neumann was accused of stealing property and convicted of a misdemeanor. The Journal Sentinel reported that Neumann was still on probation in April 2018, when Protasiewicz sought to modify the 18-month sentence. A new judge on the case, however, noted that Neumann had been cited for helping a woman burn her ex-boyfriend's car and denied the request, the report said.

Less than a year later, Neumann was convicted for killing his two employees. 

Wisconsin voters started casting ballots in the Supreme Court election on March 21. While the race is technically non-partisan, Kelly was endorsed by former President Trump in 2020, and Protasiewicz received the endorsement of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton last week.

The winner will determine majority control of the court, with the fate of abortion access, legislative redistricting, voting rights, rules for elections and other major issues at stake. 

The winner will also be in place heading into the 2024 presidential election in battleground Wisconsin. The court, currently controlled 4-3 by conservatives, came within one vote of overturning President Joe Biden’s narrow win in 2020.

Kelly criticized Protasiewicz for "weak-on-crime sentencing" during their first and only debate last Tuesday, citing her sentencing of 23-year-old Jovian Reese, who was convicted of sexually assaulting his cousin in 2018. While Reese faced a maximum sentence of 10 years, Protasiewicz gave him 14 months in prison, the Daily Mail reported.

Protasiewicz defended her record and said the case had been "cherry-picked." When asked in February whether she would have ruled any differently on any past cases, she said no. 

"Every single case is unique," she said. "Integrity is one of my hallmarks. Absolute integrity. I looked at what I looked at in each one of those unique cases and made a decision that I thought was appropriate."

In another case, Protasiewicz gave the minimum recommended prison sentence to a man accused of sexually assaulting his 13-year-old niece while she slept.

Prosecutors sought three to five years in prison followed by seven years of extended supervision for Nicholas J. Grzybowski, but Protasiewicz handed down three years imprisonment with credit for 65 days already served and five months of extended supervision.

Protasiewicz’s campaign did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.



Sunday, March 26, 2023

Today's news in 10 minutes

March 27, 2023

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Matt Taibbi issues warning of government efforts to cleanse media of 'disinformation': 'Extremely dangerous'

Independent journalist Matt Taibbi joined "Sunday Morning Futures" and warned host Maria Bartiromo of the threats ‘targeting true information' posed by anti-disinformation programs - stressing that the programs from NGO's and the government are ‘extremely dangerous’ and 'terrifying.'

MATT TAIBBI CALLS OUT 'CENSORSHIP-INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX' IN LATEST TWITTER FILES

MATT TAIBBI: … Our most recent discoveries involve something called Stanford's Virality Project, which was you know, it was created by Stanford University. It's an outgrowth of something that was called the Election Integrity Partnership that was founded in 2020. There's a lot of state money involved in this project, but what was most significant about what we found, we found emails to Twitter in which this project told them that they should consider as standard misinformation on your platform, true stories that might promote hesitancy or true stories of vaccine side effects. So we now know that a lot of these anti-disinformation programs, whether they're actual state agencies or whether they're NGOs that are state-funded, they're targeting true information that just happens to be counter-narrative, which I think is extremely dangerous. 

MARIA BARTIROMO:Yeah, it is extremely dangerous. And then you've got this administration wanting to set up a disinformation governance board. How scary is that? 

TRASHING OF TWITTER FILES JOURNALISTS IS ‘MCCARTHYISM WRIT LARGE’: MIRANDA DEVINE

MATT TAIBBI: … It's terrifying. They've tried a couple of times, the disinformation governance board last year had to be basically paused after three weeks and then they threw it away, but they continued to have something called the MDM subcommittee. Now, just last week, they essentially announced that they're no longer going to have that, this misinformation, disinformation, mal-information subcommittee. But there's another subcommittee that's coming up behind it that I think may essentially inherit the same mantle that the governance board was supposed to have. So we have to be on the lookout for these government efforts to try to centralize the cleansing of, 'disinformation' from the media landscape, which I don't think is the government's job.



Marine veteran who survived three tours in Iraq, Afghanistan killed driving an Uber in California

A California Marine veteran and father of two was fatally shot and killed Friday morning while driving for Uber, according to police.

Aaron Orozco, 38, picked up two passengers early that morning and stopped at a Lynwood 7-Eleven for an unknown reason before he got into a physical altercation with the two passengers, police said.

One suspect shot Orozco in the upper torso, cops said. The firearm hasn't been recovered.

The suspects then fled in Orozco's vehicle, and it was later located by local authorities a short distance away. Orozco was pronounced dead at the scene. He leaves behind his wife, Sandra Medina, a 9-year-old son and a 3-year-old daughter. 

US MILITARY INVESTIGATING DEATH OF CALIFORNIA MARINE FOUND DEAD IN BARRACKS: REPORT

"It just seems like I’m in a nightmare. It doesn’t seem real to me," Medina told Fox 11. "I haven’t even told my kids yet, they still think dad is going to come through the door."

Orozco had been based out of Camp Pendleton and had previously completed three tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. Medina told Fox 11 her husband had started working for Uber at night so he could care for their children while she was working as a nurse. 

HUMANITARIAN VOLUNTEER, MARINE VET KILLED IN UKRAINE WHILE HELPING CIVILIANS

"We were married for 10 years, but we’ve been together since high school, high school sweethearts," Medina told FOX 11. 

Orozco had been working for Uber for four years before the shooting, never having had issues in the past until the morning of March 24.

I LOST MY BROTHER AND MY FIANCÉ IN THE IRAQ WAR. 20 YEARS LATER, HERE'S HOW I HOPE AMERICANS WILL HONOR THEM

"Our hearts are with Mr. Orozco Figueroa’s family as they cope with this unfathomable tragedy, and we have reached out to offer our condolences," Uber said in a statement to Fox News Digital. "We banned the rider’s account and are working with police on their investigation."

Uber told Fox News Digital they have extended their condolences to the family and explained Orozco's family is eligible for survivor benefits, provided through Intact. 

The company's Public Safety team – composed of former law enforcement officers and paralegals – is ready to assist with the investigation, which is still ongoing. Uber said they are working closely with detectives on the case and will continue to cooperate with the investigation. 

A GoFundMe page set up in honor of Orozco and his family had already surpassed its $20,000 goal as of Sunday morning, with more than $36,000 donated.

"I just hope that they find them because they created this chaos in my life and my family's life," Medina told ABC 7. "And, you know, now I don't have my husband with me. And, it has just changed my life around so much. So, I really hope that they do catch them."



England hands Ukraine defeat on emotional night at Wembley Stadium

The sight of Ukrainian flags flying along Wembley Way -- the road approaching the iconic Wembley Stadium -- took on extra significance Sunday as Ukraine faced England in its Euro 2024 qualifier.

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Blinken may be slapped with subpoena after refusing GOP request to open books on Afghanistan

Secretary of State Antony Blinken could be served a subpoena on Monday if he doesn’t turn over classified documents about the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, the chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee said.

"It's extraordinary to have 23 embassy employees dissenting to the policy of the secretary of State and the White House," Rep. Michael McCaul, a Texas Republican, told "Fox News Sunday" host Shannon Bream. 

"We want to know – and the American people deserve to know, and the veterans and the Gold Star mothers deserve to know – what were in those dissenting cables."

Last week during a hearing on the State Department budget, McCaul gave Blinken a Monday deadline to provide the committee a dissent cable authored by at least 23 diplomats stationed the U.S. embassy Kabul in July 2021. The cable warned about how security in Afghanistan was deteriorating before the U.S. withdrawal at the end of August 2021. 

The document was sent through a "dissent channel," which allows State Department officials to send warnings to senior officials. 

MCCAUL TARGETS CHINA, AFGHANISTAN WITHDRAWAL AS TOP OVERSIGHT PRIORITIES: ‘I HAVE SUBPOENA POWER’

"We need this dissent cable, and I think the American people deserve to see it, to know what in the world was going on in those critical weeks," McCaul told Blinken last week during the hearing. "I have the subpoena. It’s right here, and I’m prepared to serve this."

NO MENTION OF AFGHANISTAN IN BIDEN’S STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS AS AFGHAN EVACUEES LEFT IN LIMBO

McCaul told Bream on Sunday that he is sticking with his plan to serve the subpoena if he does not receive such documents. 

"If they don't deliver by Monday, close of business, I will serve that subpoena," McCaul said. 

FIRST HOUSE HEARING ON BIDEN ADMIN'S AFGHANISTAN WITHDRAWAL TO DISSECT 'STUNNING FAILURE' OF LEADERSHIP

Blinken said at the hearing last week that the State Department will not release a copy of the cable in order to protect the dissent channel.

"It is vital to me that we preserve the integrity of that process and of that channel, that we not take any steps that could have a chilling effect on the willingness of others to come forward in the future, to express dissenting views on the policies that are being pursued," Blinken said.

McCaul said Sunday the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, which left 13 U.S. service members dead, was a "turning point" for America’s "projection of weakness" on the world stage, pointing specifically to how China and Russia interpreted the withdrawal.

"When Afghanistan imploded, that is the turning point. That is when Putin… looked at Ukraine, and Xi's looking at Taiwan. That's when everything changed. Afghanistan was a turning point. It was a disaster. We left Americans behind, Afghanistan partners behind," he said.

The State Department did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment on McCaul's comments Sunday. 



Saturday, March 25, 2023

Meteorologist prays for Mississippi residents in path of tornado while on air: ‘Dear Jesus, please help them’

A local Mississippi meteorologist invoked the name of Jesus Christ live on air as he watched a deadly tornado approach the town of Amory, Mississippi Friday night.

While reporting on the tornado’s trajectory and seeing it get close to the populated town, WTVA’s Matt Laubhan told viewers to get into their "Tornado safe place."

He then paused and prayed to Christ to keep its resident’s safe. 

ARMY CORP INVESTIGATING NEW ORLEANS FLOOD PROTECTION SYSTEM AFTER DRAINAGE PUMP CORRODED IN 5 YEARS

Laubhan was tracking the deadly tornado Friday night at the NBC-affiliate's news station in Tupelo, Mississippi, as it tore through the state, where it would ultimately kill 23 people

The Emmy-award winning meteorologist was glued to his storm tracker screen as he reported the movement of the storm, becoming noticeably perturbed as he realized the tornado was most likely going to veer directly towards Amory.

At the outset of the nearly two-minute-long clip – which has since racked up more than a million views on Twitter – Laubhan pointed out that his radar was showing a "strong tornado here, just east of Amory."

"How far to Amory are we talking about?" he asked as he updated and adjusted his real-time models. 

Upon further observations, he said, "Assuming we’re moving 65 miles per hour, I would say the western few streets in Amory were now less than two minutes away."

RARE TORNADO RIPS THROUGH LOS ANGELES COUNTY, INJURING 1 AND TEARING OFF ROOF

As radar images behind the meteorologist displayed the storm getting closer to the town, Laubhan warned, "This is a strong, life-threatening tornado that’s going to move either extremely close to Amory, or in through the northern part of the city of Amory."

He then offered his viewers a disclaimer that he could be wrong about his prediction: "Y’all trust me too much. I tell you where it goes and some of you are like, ‘That’s where it’s going to go.’ But the reality is, this could be changing directions."

Either way, he advised viewers in Amory, "We need to be in our tornado safe place."

Upon seeing a new scan, Laubhan grew tense. The tornado appeared to be moving directly toward the town. He said, "We got a new scan coming in as we speak. Oh man, like north side of Amory this is coming in."

Growing more emotional, he again said, "Oh man," and bent over his instruments, letting out a heavy sigh. 

At that moment he then turned to the Almighty, saying, "Dear Jesus, please help them. Amen." 

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After the brief prayer, Laubhan returned to his play-by-play of the tornado's trajectory, noting that it was about to cross "the Highway 6 bridge within the next 20 seconds or so."



Florida principal let go after failing to notify parents about lesson on Michelangelo's David

A charter school principal in Tallahassee did not follow procedure before a lesson on Michelangelo's statue of David was given to sixth graders and was asked to resign, school board Chair Barney Bishop III told CNN.

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Don't fall for this new round of iCloud support scam emails

Those who use Apple devices are being targeted once again with the latest phishing email scam. This is not the first time hackers are trying to get your personal information. However, they're always coming up with new tricks, and you must know how to protect yourself. 

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With this particular phishing scam, tons using Apple products have been receiving emails claiming to be from iCloud Support. These phishing emails will typically tell you some false information about your iCloud account being compromised and will ask you to click a link immediately to change your Apple ID and password. 

The link will then lead you to a website that looks like Apple Support's official website and ask you to start adding in your personal information. Once the hackers have that information, they can expose your entire digital life and get pretty much any information they want on you.

IS AN AIRTAG DANGEROUS TO YOUR DOG?

If you're an Apple user, you're aware that your iCloud account is used to back up all your files and is guarded with your Apple ID and password. However, what you may not realize is just how much information is stored within your Apple ID, which is exactly why these hackers want you to hand it over to them. 

Your Apple ID is what allows you to access everything from your personal iCloud Photo Library to your Notes app and even files stored in iCloud Drive. It also gives access to Find My, which would allow hackers to figure out the location of all your devices and potentially your family's devices as well.

If you use Apple Pay, your Apple ID would give them access to your debit and credit card information too. And probably worst of all, they can remotely wipe any of your devices, intercept your iMessage and SMS messages, and get at everything in your iCloud Backups including your call history, web browsing history, and more.

FREE ANTIVIRUS: SHOULD YOU USE IT? 

The most important step you can take to protect yourself is to never open any suspicious-looking emails or click any links sent to you. You should always be double-checking the email address of any message you've received, as you may notice that the email address has an extra letter, a capital letter that doesn't belong, or a random symbol within it. 

Even if you do take these steps, however, it's possible to miss something because these hackers can be super clever. That's why you should also consider installing antivirus software on all your devices. Antivirus software will protect you from accidentally clicking malicious links and will remove any malware from your devices. 

See my expert review of the best antivirus protection for your Windows, Mac, Android & iOS devices by searching ‘Best Antivirus’ at CyberGuy.com by clicking the magnifying glass icon at the top of my website.

I would also strongly recommend enabling 2-factor authentication with your Apple ID. This would require anyone trying to access your Apple ID to enter a 6-digit verification code along with your password. The code gets sent to your iPhone or iPad, so unless the hacker has those devices in their possession, then they're way less likely to be able to get into your account. 

HOW TO SCAN A QR CODE SAFELY USING YOUR SMARTPHONE

To enable 2-factor authentication for your Apple ID, follow these steps: 

Stay vigilant and take necessary precautions to safeguard your personal information while using your Apple devices to avoid falling victim to these malicious iCloud phishing email scams. Have you been seeing any iCloud phishing email scams? Let us know how you handled it. 

For more of my tips, subscribe to my free CyberGuy Report Newsletter by clicking the "Free newsletter" link at the top of my website. 

Copyright 2023 CyberGuy.com. All rights reserved.



Small US banks see record drop in deposits after SVB collapse

Deposits at small US banks dropped by a record amount following the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank on March 10, data released on Friday by the Federal Reserve showed.

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Webb Space Telescope captures dust storm on remote planet

Researchers working with data from the James Webb Space Telescope have spotted silicate cloud features in a distant planet's atmosphere. 

NASA said that the atmosphere of the "Tatooine-like world," known as VHS 1256 b, is constantly rising, mixing and moving during its 22-hour day.

As the atmosphere constantly brings hotter material up – with high temperatures reaching 1,500 degrees Fahrenheit – and pushes colder material down, the result is dramatic brightness changes.

"The resulting brightness changes are so dramatic that it is the most variable planetary-mass object known to date," NASA said in a release. 

NASA SEES ACTIVE VENUS VOLCANO FOR FIRST TIME EVER

The larger silicate dust grains in the atmosphere may be like very hot, small sand particles. 

Furthermore, the scientists also identified the largest number of molecules all at once on a planet outside our solar system, making detections of water, methane and carbon monoxide. 

VHS 1256 b is about 40 light-years away from Earth and orbits two stars over a 10,000-year period. 

The exoplanet's turbulent skies are due to a couple of factors. 

It has low gravity compared to more massive brown dwarfs, meaning that silicate clouds can appear and remain higher in the atmosphere. Plus, in astronomical terms, it's a young planet; only 150 million years have passed since it formed.

NEIL DEGRASSE TYSON SAYS JAMES WEBB SPACE TELESCOPE IS WINDOW TO UNIVERSE 'NEVER BEFORE ACHIEVED'

Although all the features the team observed have been spotted on other planets elsewhere in the Milky Way by other telescopes, other research teams typically identified only one at a time. 

"No other telescope has identified so many features at once for a single target," research co-author Andrew Skemer of the University of California, Santa Cruz, said in a statement. "We’re seeing a lot of molecules in a single spectrum from Webb that detail the planet’s dynamic cloud and weather systems."

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The researchers reached these conclusions by analyzing data from Webb's NIRSpec and MIRI instruments, with observations as part of Webb's Early Release Science program. 

Their findings were published in a paper in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.



Friday, March 24, 2023

Minnesota man fatally stabbed wife during Bible study, police claim

A Minnesota man is accused of fatally stabbing his wife during a Bible study session.

Police in St. Paul called to a home around 9 p.m. Tuesday found Corinna Woodhull with knife wounds to her torso, chest and arms and people holding down her husband, 40-year-old Robert Castillo, authorities say in charging documents.

Woodhull, 41, was taken to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

MINNESOTA POLICE BODYCAM FOOTAGE SHOWS MOMENT KNIFE-WIELDING MAN WAS SHOT: VIDEO

Castillo, 40, was charged with second-degree murder. It wasn’t clear Friday if he has an attorney. Police haven't disclosed a possible motive for the attack.

Castillo's sister told officers that she hosts a Bible study for relatives at her home on Tuesdays. Woodhull and Castillo sat together on a couch, according to the charging document.

MINNESOTA TEEN DEAD IN SCHOOL STABBING, ANOTHER STUDENT ARRESTED: POLICE

During this week's session, Castillo held his wife's hand and kissed her, then whispered something to Woodhull. When she shook her head no, he pulled out a hunting knife and began stabbing her, the report says. Other relatives tackled Castillo and held him until police arrived.

Castillo has a long criminal history, including felony convictions for assault, according to court records. In one case, he attacked a woman with a hammer, and in another, he repeatedly stabbed a roommate, prosecutors say in the charging document.