IRS Stimulus Debit Cards Being Cut Up, Mistakenly Reported As Scam
The IRS is sending out four-million stimulus payments in the form of Visa prepaid debit cards even though most people were expecting checks.
Officer fired after allegedly saying it was ‘unfortunate’ virus didn’t kill all black people
KAPLAN, La. — A Louisiana police officer was fired for inappropriate comments reportedly made on social media.
The Kaplan Police Department announced the termination of officer Steven Aucoin on its Facebook page.
Chief of Police Joshua Hardy said the department was made aware of a post that Aucoin had made on Facebook, and the post was racist in nature.
The chief confirmed to KATC that the post insinuated it was “unfortunate” the coronavirus did not kill off all black people. Hardy says he does not tolerate that behavior.
The officer had worked previously for the department for eight months and had been back on the force for about three months.
Photo Credit: facebook
Eric Garner’s mother says George Floyd’s death feels like déjà vu
(CNN) — Almost six years ago, Eric Garner took his last breath after being put in a chokehold by a New York City police officer.
His last words, “I can’t breathe,” became a rallying cry in the Black Lives Matter protest movement.
This week, the same words were used by George Floyd, a black man who died after a Minneapolis police officer placed his knee on Floyd’s neck. Floyd was arrested Monday after officers responded to a call about an alleged forgery in progress.
Video taken by witnesses shows 46-year-old Floyd pleading that he is in pain and can’t breathe for several minutes. Then, his eyes shut and the pleas stop. He was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.
Four police officers involved in the incident were fired Tuesday, Minneapolis police said. Later on Tuesday, crowds gathered to protest Floyd’s death. Some demonstrators held “I can’t breathe” signs and chanted near the scene of the fatal encounter and at a nearby police precinct.
‘We want criminal charges’
In an interview with CNN, Garner’s mother, Gwen Carr, said what happened is forcing her to relive her son’s death.
“It’s hard enough we’re coming up on the anniversary of my son’s death, and now to hear about this young man, it’s like déjà vu,” said Carr. “It’s just like the murder of my son all over again. He was basically the same age as Eric.”O’Fallon,Illinois Launches New Policy For Cars Used Less Than 49 Miles/DayDrivers With No Tickets In 3 Years Should Do This On MayAd By Comparisons.org See More
Garner died on July 17, 2014, after police attempted to arrest the 43-year-old father of six, who was allegedly selling loose cigarettes illegally on Staten Island. Cellphone video shows an officer maintaining a chokehold as Garner is taken to the ground, crying out, “I can’t breathe,” over and over again.
The officer who choked Garner, Daniel Pantaleo, was never charged in his death. He was fired in 2019 after being found guilty in a disciplinary trial of using a chokehold.
Carr said she wants to see a different outcome in Floyd’s case.
“We want criminal charges. This officer intended to take this man’s life,” Carr told CNN. “There’s no other way. Look at that video, they outright murdered that young man. No matter what he did, he wasn’t doing anything to threaten them, so why would they kill that young man? Just like they killed my son,” she said.
Earlier Wednesday, Carr spoke to Floyd’s family on the phone with the Rev. Al Sharpton, according to a news release from the National Action Network. Carr pledged to work with Floyd’s family and supporters to fight for accountability and justice, according to the release.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation has opened an investigation into Floyd’s death, which will focus on whether the Minneapolis officers involved “willfully deprived (Floyd) of a right or privilege protected by the Constitution or laws of the United States,” according to a statement from the FBI’s Minneapolis Division.
“This can’t be swept under the rug,” said Carr. “We have to treat this as it is, and not just another news story.”
CNN’s Elizabeth Joseph, Ray Sanchez, Joe Sutton, Artemis Moshtaghian, Mark Morales, David Shortell, Eric Levenson and Christina Maxouris contributed to this report.
Photo Credit: kmov.com
Iranian girl, 13, beheaded by father in ‘honor killing’ as she slept
A 13-year-old Iranian girl was beheaded by her father in an “honor killing” while she was fast asleep, prompting a national outcry, according to reports.
Romina Ashrafi was killed Thursday by Reza Ashraf as punishment for running away with a 34-year-old man from her home in Talesh, Iran International TV reported.
The teen fell in love with the older man, Bahamn Khavari, in her hometown, but her father opposed their relationship and she eloped with him, the outlet reported.
Both of their families called on authorities to have them brought home, despite the teen warning that would put her life in danger, according to the report.
She was located five days later with her lover and handed over to her father as required by Islamic Republic law, the outlet reported.
While she was asleep in a family room, her dad beheaded her with a sickle, according to the report.
Following the murder, the father showed up to the police, sickle in hand, and confessed to killing the teen, the outlet reported.
He was arrested, but the law prohibits him from facing the death penalty since he is the victim’s guardian, the report said.
Under current law, he faces a sentence of up to 10 years in prison.
But the slaying has prompted Iranian President Hassan Rouhani to call on his cabinet to fast-track harsher laws against “honor killings,” which are often carried out by relatives who believe the women have gone against conservative Islamic values on love and marriage.
Her case has also provoked outcry on social media, where the hashtag #RominaAshrafi has been used thousands of times, mostly to condemn the killing.
Shahnaz Sajjadi, an aide to the president on human rights affairs, said the country “should revise the idea that home is a safe place for children and women.”
“Crimes that happen against women in the society are less than those that happen in the homes,” the aide told local media.
via: https://nypost.com/2020/05/27/iranian-girl-13-beheaded-by-father-in-honor-killing/
Photo Credit: nypost.com
JPD officer placed on leave after video of assault surfaces
JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV)- A Jackson police officer has been placed on administrative leave after a video surfaces of him in a physical confrontation with a male.
In the video, it can be seen that the officer has his hands around the neck of a shirtless male, as he is being pushed up against his car.
The incident took place near the Beauty Zone and 88-cent Store on Bailey Avenue around 4:30 p.m. Friday.
According to Cheif James Davis, internal affairs has launched an investigation into the matter.
Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba released the following statement:
“After being made aware of a video that has surfaced of a Jackson police officer in confrontation with an individual, the officer involved has been placed under administrative leave pending the outcome of an internal affairs investigation. This administration is clear that we are trying to build an approach to public safety that is about trust, collaboration, and intergrity. Any actions that do not reflect those principles have no place in the City of Jackson.”
via: https://www.wjtv.com/news/jpd-officer-placed-on-leave-after-video-of-assault-surfaces/
Photo Credit: wjtv.com
A Man Coughed on a Wegmans Employee. Now He’s Charged With a Felony.
A New Jersey man was charged with making a terroristic threat after he intentionally coughed near a supermarket employee and told her he had the coronavirus, the authorities said on the same day that the Justice Department warned of similar threats to spread the virus.
The man, George Falcone, 50, of Freehold, N.J., was shopping for groceries at a Wegmans store in Manalapan, N.J., on Sunday evening when a worker asked him to move away from her and a food display because he was too close, the state attorney general, Gurbir S. Grewal, said on Tuesday.
The authorities said that Mr. Falcone leaned in close to the worker to cough and allegedly laughed, telling her that he was infected with the virus. Mr. Falcone later told two other store employees that they were lucky to have jobs, officials said.
Mr. Falcone was charged with making a terroristic threat in the third degree and fourth-degree of obstructing administration of law, Mr. Grewal said. Both charges are considered felonies in New Jersey.
The second charge stemmed from Mr. Falcone’s refusal to provide his name and driver’s license for 40 minutes to a police detective who had been part of a security detail at the supermarket, the authorities said. Mr. Falcone was also charged with harassment, they said. The authorities did not say whether Mr. Falcone actually has the virus.
“These are extremely difficult times in which all of us are called upon to be considerate of each other — not to engage in intimidation and spread fear, as alleged in this case,” Mr. Grewal said in a statement.
Mr. Falcone would face up to seven years in prison and a fine of up to $26,000 if convicted on all charges, the state attorney general said.
A lawyer for Mr. Falcone did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday. In a Facebook message to Reuters, Mr. Falcone denied making the threat.
On Tuesday, the same day that charges against Mr. Falcone were announced, the deputy U.S. attorney general, Jeffrey A. Rosen, sent a memo to law enforcement heads and federal prosecutors warning them to be on the lookout for threats to spread the coronavirus.
“You may encounter criminal activity ranging from malicious hoaxes to threats targeting specific individuals or the general public, to the purposeful exposure and infection of others with Covid-19,” Mr. Rosen wrote, using the name for the disease caused by the virus.
The memo said that such acts could potentially be prosecuted under federal terrorism laws because the virus was considered a “biological agent.”
Mr. Falcone was not the first person to threaten to spread the virus in New Jersey, where there had been a reported 62 deaths during the outbreak as of Wednesday.
Gov. Philip D. Murphy on Wednesday said that a man in New Providence, N.J., whom he called “another knucklehead,” started to cough at the police and medical personnel during his arrest on a domestic violence charge. The man was also charged with disorderly conduct and harassment, Mr. Murphy said.
On March 12 in Hanover, N.J., local police said a woman, who was arrested on charges of driving under the influence, purposely coughed on an officer and said, “Oh, by the way, I have the coronavirus and so do you now.” Three officers who came in contact with the woman self-quarantined, the police said. The woman, who did not have the coronavirus, was also charged with causing a false public alarm, the authorities said.
Mr. Falcone was charged by summons and was not taken into custody. He waived his first appearance in Monmouth County Court. His next court date has not been set.
Mr. Grewal said there was no tolerance for those who threatened to spread the virus.
“We must do everything we can to deter this type of conduct and any similar conduct that harms others during this emergency,” he said. “Just as we are cracking down on bias offenses and those who use the pandemic to fuel hatred and prejudice, we vow to respond swiftly and strongly whenever someone commits a criminal offense that uses the coronavirus to generate panic or discord.”
Katie Benner contributed reporting.
via: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/25/us/coronavirus-terrorism-nj.html
Photo Credit: nytimes.com/Office of New Jersey Attorney General
Foot fetishist arrested after stealing, having sex with 100 pairs of flip-flops
A Thai man with an unhealthy obsession with shoes has been arrested for stealing more than 100 pairs of flip-flops, which he admitted to having sex with.
Police in Nonthaburi, central Thailand, first knew something was awry after receiving dozens of complaints from locals over missing shoes, reports Newsflare.
CCTV footage eventually revealed the culprit to be local man Theerapat Klaiya, 24, who was filmed lurking outside his latest victim’s home. Authorities apprehended Theerapat on May 24 at his rented dwelling with 126 pairs of flip-flops that he admitted to pilfering over two years.
The alleged footwear fetishist described how he would wear the sandals, which spanned every make and size, around the house to arouse himself a la shoe-coveting serial killer Jerry Brudos.
And that was just foreplay. Theerapat would reportedly then caress and kiss the well-worn flip-flops, strip down and rub them all over his naked body, and then, eventually, make love to them. Once he was done ravaging his sole mates, he’d toss them aside and look for a new pair.
The sandal vandal admitted to three charges of nighttime theft and snatching at a police press conference where his massive shoe collection was on full display. If that wasn’t bad enough, he was also found guilty of possessing a digital transceiver without permission and violating the coronavirus curfew, reports Newsflare.
Theerapat will be held at the station until his next court date, whereupon prosecutors will decide what to do with the shameless shoe screwer, according to Police Major Colonel Ekkaphop Prasitwattanachai.
This wasn’t the flip-flop copper’s first pedi crime. “We also found out that he had already been arrested last year for stealing flip-flops in another district,” says Ekkaphop.
Photo Credit: todayheadline.co
Sex workers recommend ‘reverse cowgirl’ to prevent spread of coronavirus
Enterprising Swiss sex workers have devised some inventive ways for their colleagues to service clients sans spreading the coronavirus — by doing the deed “doggy style” and “reverse cowgirl.” The opportunistic courtesans drafted the guidelines in hopes that Switzerland will lift the temporary ban on prostitution enacted two months ago over COVID-19 concerns, reports Swiss media outlet Watson.
Both aforementioned sexual positions allow for a safe distance between faces during hanky-panky, according to sex-worker advocacy group ProKoRe in Switzerland, where prostitution is legal. They claim that flesh peddlers can reduce the likelihood of contracting or transmitting the virus via water droplets that are inherent in going at it missionary style (face-to-face).
In March, New York City officials released guidelines for pandemic sex, declaring masturbation is the safest way to avoid the coronavirus and denouncing sex acts like “rim jobs.” Healthline cautioned against hooking up with strangers in a recent article on making love in the time of corona.
Currently, there’s no evidence that having sex in the “doggy style” or “reverse cowgirl” positions can mitigate the risk of contracting COVID-19, which can travel as far as 13 feet. Other proposed COVID-avoiding measures include airing out rooms for at least 15 minutes after each steamy session, washing bed sheets at a temperature of at least 60 degrees and requiring call girls to wear face masks while working.
And if that wasn’t kinky enough, hookups should be limited to 15 minutes, and the brothel must keep a record of the customer’s contact info for a full month, per the guidelines.
In the bill, ProKoRe implores Switzerland to lift lockdowns as a matter of emergency, citing that Switzerland’s prostitution hole is currently being filled by clandestine courtesan rings, reports Watson.
Swiss skin merchants aren’t the only ones struggling to stay afloat during lockdown. Adult-content creators claim they’re getting booted from subscription platform OnlyFans as the site goes more mainstream. Meanwhile, non-essential business closures have forced one Nevada sex worker to offer her services as a virtual girlfriend in exchange for groceries and Amazon gift cards.
via: https://nypost.com/2020/05/26/sex-workers-recommend-reverse-cowgirl-to-prevent-coronavirus-spread/
Photo Credit: nypost.com
Jimmy Fallon apologizes for old blackface skit after viral backlash
immy Fallon has apologized for donning blackface in a resurfaced 2000 “Saturday Night Live” skit that had many calling to “cancel” him.
The 45-year-old host of “The Tonight Show” issued a statement Tuesday in a tweet and thanked fans for holding him “accountable.”
“In 2000, while on SNL, I made a terrible decision to do an impersonation of Chris Rock while in blackface,” he wrote. “There is no excuse for this. I am very sorry for making this unquestionably offensive decision and thank all of you for holding me accountable.”
Fallon’s 20-year-old sketch went viral overnight after Twitter user @chefboyohdear posted the vintage clip featuring Darrell Hammond and Fallon doing an impersonation of Rock with his face painted brown.
The tweet, which has amassed nearly 962,000 views as of Tuesday, featured the hashtag #jimmyfallonisoverparty and a caption which read: “NBC fired Megyn Kelly for mentioning blackface. Jimmy Fallon performed on NBC in blackface.”
While backlash over the resurfaced video was swift, fans seemed to be divided over Fallon’s tweet apology.
“It was 20 years ago, it doesn’t matter anymore,” one wrote.
“This was 20 years ago… Cancelled culture needs to chill tf out Y’all do realise that not everything people do and say 20 years before is the same as what they do and say now,” chimed in another.
“Nobody cares about what you did on SNL. It wasn’t offensive, it was funny,” wrote one fan in a response which was lambasted by another. “Who the hell are you to say it wasn’t offensive? It was,” the Twitter user replied.
“How gullible are you? He’s only apologizing now because it got publicized now. He would have carried it to the grave if he could have,” a cynical fan responded.
via: https://nypost.com/2020/05/26/jimmy-fallon-apologizes-over-2000-snl-blackface-skit/
Photo Credit: nypost.com
CT woman spits in man’s face for walking wrong way in supermarket aisle
NEWTOWN, CT — A confrontation between two shoppers at a Newtown Big Y ended in a 40-year-old woman removing her mask and spitting in the shopper’s face because he wouldn’t follow the store’s social distancing rules, police said Tuesday. The woman, Sandy Hook resident Martine Shanchuk, was arrested, police said.
According to a summary released by the Newtown Police Department, officers were called to the Big Y on Queen Street shortly after 4 p.m. on May 18. In a 911 call, a person complained that “while shopping at Big Y, he got into an argument with a woman about going the wrong way down an aisle.”
The dispute over aisle etiquette began when that woman, identified by police as Shanchuk, apparently tried to enforce the store’s social distancing policy on her own. (In March, when the state’s coronavirus-related shutdown mandated new safety procedures for essential businesses, Big Y began operating with customer limits, plexiglass screens at cashier stations and one-way aisles which allow shoppers to maintain 6 feet of distance.)
According to the police summary, Shanchuk told officers that after spotting a “young male” walking in the wrong direction down an aisle.
“She felt it was necessary to tell him to turn around and enforce Bit Y’s aisle rules herself,” police said.
When the other shopper didn’t turn around, Shanchuk “stopped in the aisle to prevent him from continuing down the aisle in the wrong direction,” police said.
At that point, Shanchuk “continued to yell at the other individual in the store [and] because he was not listening to her she removed her mask and spit in the man’s face.”
Shanchuk was charged with breach of peace in the second-degree, a misdemeanor which carries a maximum punishment of six months in jail a $1,000 fine.
via: https://patch.com/connecticut/newtown/newton-woman-removes-mask-spits-shoppers-face-police
Photo Credit: rawstory.com