Four Californian men charged with inciting violence at 2017 Charlottesville rally
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Four Californian men described by prosecutors as members of a militant white supremacist group were arrested on Tuesday on charges of instigating violence during a white nationalist rally that turned deadly in Charlottesville, Virginia, last year.
The criminal complaint unsealed in U.S. District Court in Charlottesville charged each of the four – Benjamin Drake Daley, 25, Michael Paul Miselis, 29, Thomas Walter Gillen, 34, and Cole Evan White, 24 – with violating the federal riots statute and conspiracy to riot.
Each defendant faces 10 years in prison if convicted of both counts, authorities said. No pleas were entered.
Authorities said all four men flew from the west coast in August 2017 to participate in the “Unite the Right” rally protesting against the removal of a statue honoring Robert E. Lee, commander of the Confederate Army in the U.S. Civil War.
They are accused of physically assaulting counter-protesters they encountered during the Aug. 12 rally at Emancipation Park in Charlottesville, and during a torch-lit march the night before through the University of Virginia campus, where hundreds of Unite the Right demonstrators chanted “white lives matter” and “Jews will not replace us.”
The Aug. 12 event ended with a man plowing his car into a crowd, killing one counter-demonstrator, 32-year-old Heather Heyer, and injuring dozens of others. The driver, James Alex Fields Jr., was charged with the killing in June. He has pleaded not guilty.
U.S. President Donald Trump drew condemnation from Democratic and Republican political leaders for saying that “many sides” were to blame for the violence.
All four of the men newly accused of inciting violence were identified in an FBI affidavit as members and associates of the California-based Rise Above Movement, described as a “militant white supremacist organization.”
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Prosecutors said their participation in beatings of counter-protesters was corroborated by photographs and video footage from the events, some excerpted in a collection of still images printed in the affidavit.
The defendants were also accused of having “engaged in acts of violence” at previous political rallies in Huntington Beach and Berkeley, California.
Daley, Miselis and Gillen, all from Southern California, were presented with the charges during separate court appearances on Tuesday before a federal magistrate in Los Angeles. Each was ordered to remain held by the U.S. Marshals Service pending further proceedings.
White, a San Francisco-area resident, was scheduled for his initial court hearing in Oakland on Wednesday.
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Worst maid ever drank my booze, wrecked my home and passed out on the floor
The only thing these maids cleaned out was the liquor cabinet!
A Brooklyn woman expected a spick-and-span home when she hired a cleaning company to tidy up her Williamsburg pad.
Instead, the maids trashed her apartment, ate her ice cream, guzzled her booze — and one of them even passed out drunk on the kitchen floor.
“I hired two ladies from Joanna’s Cleaning Service in Brooklyn and they didn’t clean a thing, just drank all my liquor and f–ked up my home,” fumed Genevieve Snow, 29, in a now-viral Facebook rant posted Monday.
“My roommate came home to one of them blacked out face-down in our kitchen and the other long gone. My spice rack was smashed, my marble coffee table upended which smashed a stone bowl, keys were gone, booze was gone and chocolate ice cream left on the sofa.”
Now Snow says she’s out of pocket more than $400 for the damage — and, adding insult to injury, when she asked for reimbursment, the company tried to explain it all away with a sob story that the sloshed sweeper’s husband had just left her and her teen daughter was knocked up.
Snow says she’s used Brooklyn-based Joanna Cleaning Service for the occasional spruce-up dating back to 2013, and emailed her most recent contact at the business, a woman identifying herself as Joanna Oltuszewska, for the Aug. 27 job.
She let the two maids in that day before heading off to work — leaving $180 plus a $60 tip — but one of her housemates woke up a few hours later to find the cleaners sitting on their couch eating.
“You know when you are not supposed to be doing something, people jerk up really quickly? They did that,” said roommate Kristen Nepomuceno, 28, who then went off to her job at Soul Cycle.
But when Nepomuceno returned home from work around 5:30 p.m., it was a very different scene. The house was a mess, one maid was nowhere to be seen, and the other was passed out on the floor next to a smashed spice rack.
“I walk in and see bare feet — she is literally lying right here,” Nepomuceno said, pointing at her kitchen floor.
She left the apartment in horror and called the cops — and when they all returned, the maid was awake, sitting on the couch and digging into a pint of ice cream.
“She is licking ice cream and hammered, beyond hammered. She drank one whole bottle of Broker’s Gin and [most of] a bottle of Kettle,” said Nepomuceno.
The NYPD confirmed cops went to the apartment and sent a drunk woman from there to Woodhull Hospital. Snow says they didn’t take a report, however, telling her the cleaners hadn’t committed any crimes and advising her to “take it to civil court.”
Snow fired off an angry email to Oltuszewska asking to be reimbursed for the service, spice rack and getting her locks changed. But the woman kept trying to wiggle out of paying — claiming the passed-out maid was having “family problems.”
“Her husband left her after 19 years marriage, and that day when she was cleaning your apartment she had the phone call that her teenage daughter is pregnant,” Oltuszewska wrote in an email shared with The Post.
“She couldn’t stop her emotions and that’s why she used the alcohol, thats never happened before.”
When Oltuszewska stopped responding altogether, Snow posted about her experience Monday with a bad review on Joanna Cleaning Service’s Yelp page.
That’s when a woman identifying herself as Joanna Sokolowska got in touch — claiming her company, Joanna Cleaning Service, hadn’t cleaned her home since 2017, and insisting she must have been taken for a ride by Oltuszewska, a former employee who was fired in 2013 and set up a rival company called Joanna’s Cleaning.
“I have nothing to hide,” Sokolowska told The Post.
“[Oltuszewska] was working with us — an independent worker. She left and opened her company … I am 100 percent sure it was her.”
Snow says it’s possible a former employee stole her information and took her for a ride, but notes that Oltuszewska first got in contact with her in 2016 when she emailed Joanna Cleaning’s listed email address about getting some cleaning done.
She can’t find an address for either Joanna and just wants to know where she can send the bill — or a lawsuit. “The end goal is finding an address to sue the business,” Snow says.
“If there really are two Joanna’s Cleaning Services, I want to know who owns both of them and where they are registered.” The number listed for Joanna’s Cleaning was disconnected when The Post called Monday, and Oltuszewska did not respond to requests for comment via email.
Photo credit: Kristen Nepomuceno
‘What’s the deal’: Father’s post about lack of baby changing tables goes viral
Donte Palmer isn’t the only dad who’s had to squat on a dirty restroom floor to change his baby’s diaper.
He’s just the newest face of a movement that’s been going on for quite a while: to install baby-changing stations in men’s bathrooms.
The 31-year-old high school teacher was at a steakhouse in Jacksonville, Florida, with his wife and three sons, when 1-year-old Liam started to cry. Palmer knew the boy needed a diaper change.
So he did what had to be done: He picked up his baby, recruited his eldest – 12-year-old Isaiah – and headed for the men’s room.
Palmer assumed the position, which he calls “my perfect man squat.” He had his back against the wall, knees out and used his thighs as a platform for Liam to lay across. Isaiah acted as an extra set of hands: both to give the wipes and new diaper and, on this day, to snap a few shots of his dad and his brother.
Palmer later posted the photos on his Instagram and captioned it: “What’s the deal with not having changing tables in men’s bathroom as if we don’t exist!…Let’s fix this problem!” He used the hashtag #squatforchange.
Since then, the photo has gotten thousands of likes and other dads have also started to post photos of their diaper-changing struggles using the hashtag.
“In society, we have this thing where men are supposed to be macho providers and protectors, while women are the nurturing and caring ones. I’m trying to shred that,” Palmer said.
Men have been struggling to change diapers in public for years, and it’s been a part of the public conversation. In 2016, President Obama signed a Bathrooms Accessible in Every Situation Act, or the BABIES Act, which requires diaper-changing tables in all restrooms in public federal buildings, like courthouses and post offices.
According to the law, if a bathroom doesn’t have a changing table, hallway signs must direct parents to the nearest facilities.
But federal buildings aside, many public men’s rooms still don’t have diaper-changing facilities.
Palmer’s advice? “Keep squatting. Be creative. Stay innovative when it comes to our children.”
via: https://pix11.com/2018/10/03/amazing-video-shows-good-samaritan-pull-woman-out-of-a-burning-car/
Man tried to buy 8-year-old from her mother at Florida Walmart
PORT ORANGE, Fla. – A man tried to buy an 8-year-old girl from her mother at a Florida Walmart for $200,000, police said.
Hellmuth Kolb, 81, is charged with false imprisonment and battery, according to WESH-TV.
Police said Kolb sat down on a bench at a Walmart in Port Orange Friday, then tried to grab and kiss the girl. He then allegedly tried to buy the 8-year-old three different times, according to the Orlando Sentinel.
The mother, who later told police that Kolb made her “extremely uncomfortable,” immediately took her daughter out of the store and called police.
Kolb fled the Walmart, but police used the store’s security video and credit card records to find him. He was booked at the Volusia County Jail on Saturday.
Police said there are other reports of similar incidents and investigators are looking into other cases in Port Orange and Daytona Beach.
#MeToo-Themed College Comedy Series From Whitney Cummings & Lee Daniels In Works At Amazon
2 Broke Girls co-creator Whitney Cummings has teamed with Empire co-creator Lee Daniels for a timely half-hour comedy, which is in development at Amazon. The untitled project, co-created by Cummings and Daniels and starring Cummings, hails from Fox 21 TV Studios and Amazon Studios.
Co-written by Cummings and Daniels, the comedy revolves around the staff of the Ombudsman’s office at a college that navigates PC culture and the #metoo climate. The lead character, played by Cummings, must reconcile the dissonance between different generations of feminism, and the struggle to reconcile our primal desires, and socially constructed identities with current ethical obligations regarding race, class, and gender.
Cummings and Daniels set it up the project at Fox 21 a couple of months ago via Daniels’ overall deal at 20th Century Fox TV. After a bidding war, the comedy landed at Amazon for development. Daniels is set to direct the potential pilot.
As it marks its first year anniversary, the #MeToo movement continues to be a major force for social change, toppling powerful businessmen and politicians and, most recently factoring into the selection of the next Supreme Court Justice. With White House pick Brett Kavanaugh facing sexual assault accusations from the time he was at Georgetown Prep and Yale, the #MeToo discussion has focused on high school and college.
Lee, an Oscar nominee for Precious, is the co-creator/executive producer of the Fox/20th TV drama series Empire and Star. He also executive produces the Fox/20th TV comedy pilot Culture Clash starring 2 Broke Girl alumna Beth Behrs.
This marks the first TV staring vehicle for Cummings since her self-titled NBC comedy series, which she also created and executive produced. Cummings, who also co-created and executive produced the long-running CBS comedy series 2 Broke Girls, recently served as executive producer/.co-showrunner on ABC’s highly rated Roseanne revival. Cummings and Daniels are repped by CAA.
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Kanye West wants Donald Trump and Colin Kaepernick to meet, talk ‘until the conversation turns to love’
Kanye West, who has remained defiant amid backlash over his support for President Donald Trump, said that he reached out to Colin Kaepernick to try to arrange a meeting between the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback and the president, saying, “we keep having the conversation until the conversation turns to love.”
“I’ve been calling Colin this morning, reaching him, so I can bring Colin to the White House and we can remove that s— of b—— statement and we can be on the same page,” the rapper, donning a “Make America Great Again” hat, told TMZ on Monday.
At a campaign rally in Alabama on Sept. 22, 2017, Trump ignited a feud with the National Football League and players who take a knee during the National Anthem to protest racism, where he called on NFL owners to fire them, suggesting they say “get that s– of a b—- off the field! He’s fired, he’s fired!”
During a visit to The Fader offices on Thursday, West was spotted sporting the red Trump “MAGA” hat with a Kaepernick sweatshirt.
Kaepernick, who was the first to take a knee during the playing of the National Anthem in 2016 to protest racism and police brutality, and others who followed suit have been at the center of Trump’s ongoing fight with the league.
Mike McCarn/AP, FILE“We never give up on anyone,” the rapper told TMZ. “Let me even make that more positive, we move forward, we give love, we keeping going, we keep having the conversation until the conversation turns to love.”
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Ruby Rose Named Most Dangerous Public Figure on the Internet
Cybersecurity firm McAfee says users interested in the actress are most likely to land on websites that carry viruses or malware.
Ruby Rose has played some dangerous characters, like an inmate in Orange Is the New Black and a scientist battling a prehistoric shark in The Meg. But the actress herself is now officially dangerous.
Cybersecurity firm McAfee on Tuesday crowned Rose the most dangerous celebrity on the Internet. No other celebrity was more likely to land users on websites that carry viruses or malware.
Reality TV star Kristin Cavallari finished behind Rose at No. 2, followed by actress Marion Cotillard (No. 3), the original Wonder Woman Lynda Carter (No. 4), actress Rose Byrne (No. 5), Debra Messing (No. 6), reality TV star Kourtney Kardashian (No. 7), actress Amber Heard (No. 8), morning TV show host Kelly Ripa (No. 9) and actor Brad William Henke as No 10.
Rose may have gotten a burst of online interest when she was named to play Batwoman on an upcoming CW series.
The survey is meant to highlight the danger of clicking on suspicious links. McAfee urges Internet users to consider risks associated with searching for downloadable content and always apply updated security fixes. The company used its own site ratings to compile the celebrity list and used searches on Google, Bing and Yahoo.
“In our hyper-connected world, it’s important for consumers to think before they click to be sure that they are landing on safe digital content and protecting themselves from cybersecurity threats that may be used to infect their devices or steal their identity,” writes Gary Davis, chief consumer security evangelist at McAfee. “So whether you’re looking up what Ruby did on the latest Orange Is the New Black episode, or what Kristin Cavallari wore to the latest awards show, make sure you’re searching the Internet safely.”
Rose deposes last year’s most dangerous celeb, Avril Lavigne. That top 10 included Bruno Mars, Carly Rae Jepsen, Zayn Malik, Celine Dion, Calvin Harris, Justin Bieber, Sean “Diddy” Combs, Katy Perry and Beyonce.
Musicians on the latest list took a hit. Adele was the highest ranked musician at No. 21, followed by Shakira at No. 27. Diddy, who finished at No. 9 in 2017, fell to No. 76.
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Mail carrier accused of swiping thousands in social services checks
A Brooklyn postal worker and three accomplices targeted the city’s neediest — plucking social services checks from the mail.
Making matters worse, since-canned letter carrier Vanessa Bandie, 29, and her co-defendants allegedly carried out the scam during the holiday season — from Oct. 25, 2016 to Dec. 27, 2016 — stealing nearly $30,000 in benefits checks from 66 people, according to Brooklyn prosecutors.
The group even allegedly swiped nearly $4,000 from residents of a homeless shelter, prosecutors said.
Bandie, whose route was in East New York, was approached by James Black and Lauren Johnson with the proposition to find mail with checks inside to later cash. Bandie, who would get paid from the proceeds, agreed to help them, prosecutors said.
Then the trio brought the checks to a Pay-O-Matic check-cashing business on Linden Blvd. where employee Paul Daniels would cash them and take a cut, prosecutors said.
Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said Monday that the group, “stole from the most vulnerable among us, including residents of homeless shelters. We will now seek to hold them accountable.”
They were charged with grand larceny, identity theft and related charges and pleaded not guilty in Brooklyn Supreme Court.
Bandie and Daniels were released on their own recognizance while Black — who was already in jail on a separate matter — was held on $25,000 bail. Johnson was held on $1,000 bail.
Bandie stopped showing up to work in 2017 and was officially fired in Aug. 2018, according to a law enforcement source.
She is due back in court on Dec. 5 while the others are due back on Nov. 28.
Bandie’s lawyer, Gary Farrell, said, “She has no prior contact with the criminal justice system and is a hard-working single mother.”
A lawyer for Black did not immediately return requests for comment. Johnson’s lawyer declined to comment and Daniels’ lawyer could not immediately be reached for comment.
via: https://nypost.com/2018/10/01/mail-carrier-accused-of-swiping-thousands-in-social-services-checks/
Kanye West Stirs More Outrage With 13th Amendment, Slavery Tweets
Fresh off of stirring outrage with his “Saturday Night Live” speech about President Donald Trump after the show went off the air this weekend, rapper Kanye West took to social media to offer his thoughts about the 13th Amendment.
In a tweet which showed him appearing to be on a private plane while wearing a “Make America Great Again” cap, West wrote, “This represents good and America becoming whole again.”
“We will no longer outsource to other countries. We build factories here in America and create jobs,” West tweeted. “We will provide jobs for all who are free from prisons as we abolish the 13th amendment. Message sent with love.”
The 13th Amendment was ratified in 1865 and abolished slavery.
Later Ye returned to twitter with a clarification.
“The 13th Amendment is slavery in disguise,” he tweeted. “Meaning it never ended. We are the solution that heals.”
Naturally, Twitter exploded with many people offering the same sentiment: “What the hell are you talking about?”
A few fellow celebs also took West to task.
“There’s nothing more maddening than debating someone who doesn’t know history, doesn’t read books, and frames their myopia as virtue,” actor Chris Evans wrote while retweeting the controversial rapper. “The level of unapologetic conjecture I’ve encountered lately isn’t just frustrating, it’s retrogressive, unprecedented and absolutely terrifying.”
Singer Lana Del Rey responded in the comments on West’s official Instagram account.
“Trump becoming our president was a loss for the country but your support of him is a loss for the culture,” she wrote. “I can only assume you relate to his personality on some level. Delusions of Grandeur, extreme issues of narcissism – none of which would be a talking point if we weren’t speaking about the man leading our country.”
“If you think it’s alright to support someone who believes it’s OK to grab a woman by the p**** just because he’s famous-then you need an intervention as much as he does – something so many narcissists will never get because there just isn’t enough help for the issue,” she added.
Producer Swizz Beatz addressed West’s claim of being bullied backstage at “SNL” for wearing the MAGA hat. Beatz said he and West had just talked about the rapper’s political fashion statement.
The producer took the position that fans rightfully felt a certain way about West’s support of Trump.
“Ain’t nobody bullying you, we love you,” Swizz Beatz said. “But you gotta stop that s***, that s*** ain’t right.”
West has insisted in the past that he is merely trying to be a champion for free thinking.
In August, West attempted to make amends for saying slavery was “a choice” earlier in the summer.
Kanye West apologizes for how slavery comment ‘made people feel’
“I don’t know if I properly apologized for how that slave comment made people feel,” West told Chicago’s WGCI-FM during an interview. “So I want to take this moment right now to say … I’m sorry for people who felt let down by that moment.”
via: https://ktla.com/2018/10/01/rapper-kanye-west-stirs-more-outrage-with-13th-amendment-slavery-tweets/
LaMelo Ball slaps rival and starts huge on-court fight
Another Ball, another international incident.
At least this time it happened on the court.
LaMelo Ball, the youngest of the three Ball brothers, got into a skirmish during his Junior Basketball Association Team USA squad’s international tour in Lithuania on Monday. In a game against BC Dzukjia, LaMelo lost the ball out of bounds on the baseline. His opponent, Mindaugas Susinskas, tapped the back of his head. LaMelo, the younger brother of Lakers point guard Lonzo, responded by slapping him in the face, leading to a fight between the two teams and an ejection for LaMelo.
The middle brother, LiAngelo, you may remember for getting in trouble in China for shoplifting along with two other UCLA teammates, and his father, big-talking LaVar, pulling him out of school after he was given an indefinite suspension. The two played in Lithuania last year with BC Prienu Vytautas, but didn’t finish the season there.
LaMelo should be beginning his senior year of high school as one of the nation’s most prized recruits. Instead, he’s cashing paychecks from his father’s new professional league and getting into fights overseas.
via: https://nypost.com/2018/10/01/lamelo-ball-slaps-rival-and-starts-huge-on-court-fight/