California couple allegedly forced man to work without pay, sleep in closet
A California couple has been charged with human trafficking after an Indian man was found living in a storage room in their liquor store — where he worked 105-hour weeks for no pay, according to authorities.
Amarjit and Balwinder Mann, both 66, were busted when an Alcoholic Beverage Control inspector found the man in a back room at their store in Gilroy, with milk crates for a bed and a mop bucket for a bath, the Santa Clara District Attorney’s Office announced Monday.
He told investigators he flew in from India in 2019 expecting to travel the US with the Manns. Instead, the couple took his money and passport and forced him to work every day for 15 hours without pay, while threatening him with deportation, the office said.
Three other men — two who worked at the liquor store and one who worked at the market across the street — also told agents they were forced to work marathon hours with hardly any pay, the office said.
Prosecutors estimate that the couple stole more than $150,000 in wages from the victims while running a profitable business.
“Slavery officially was abolished in 1865. Tragically, we are seeing examples of it in 2020,” District Attorney Jeff Rosen said.
“My Office will prosecute anyone to the fullest extent of the law who practices this kind of criminal and inhumane exploitation.”
The Manns face possible prison time on charges of human trafficking, witness intimidation and wage theft, the DA’s office said.
via: https://nypost.com/2020/11/10/couple-allegedly-forced-man-to-work-without-pay-sleep-in-closet/
Photo Credit: Police Handout
School board president resigns over wife’s racist tweets about Kamala Harris – “All she needs to be qualified is a black p—y!”
A California school board president has resigned amid outrage over racist and sexist slurs his wife posted about Vice President-elect Kamala Harris.
Former Google executive Jon Venverloh resigned from the Las Lomitas Elementary School District in the San Francisco Bay Area on Sunday — while distancing himself from the “reprehensible views” his wife, Mehridith Philips Venverloh, had tweeted hours earlier.
In one disturbing post, she dismissed Harris’ place in history as both the first black vice president as well as the first female one.
“All she needs to be qualified is a black p—y! No brain needed!” Philips Venverloh wrote on her Twitter account, which has since been deleted.
Another post suggested that Harris had used sex to “whore” her way to her history-making position, with other posts also attacking the LGBTQ community.
One local mom, Brianna Caldwell, told KGO that it was like was “watching systemic racism happening, on display in my own children’s school in our backyard.”
“I almost vomited, then I cried a little bit and then I was just shaking and I was so angry,” Caldwell told the station.
Philips Venverloh’s husband resigned from the school board after a petition was signed by more than 100 people in just hours, according to the Mercury News.
“Given my wife’s social media posts, which expressed reprehensible views that I do not agree with, I know that my continued service would be a distraction from the work that needs to be done in the District over the two years remaining in my term,” Venverloh said in a statement.
Before deleting her account, Philips Venverloh apologized for her “vulgar” words that she said were written “in a moment of disappointment.”
“I am deeply sorry and ashamed,” she said and added that she has been taking medications for a “debilitating neurological disease” but had been weaning herself off them in preparation for a scheduled hospitalization.
“I believe that the change in medication reduced my judgment between right and wrong when I made the posts,” she said.
The trustees of the board — which includes a middle school in Menlo Park and an Atherton elementary school — condemned the “abhorrent … racially based and gender-based hatred” shared in the posts.
The statement said the egregiousness of Phillips Venverloh’s posts has “undermined Jon’s ability to serve effectively on our governance team.”
via: https://nypost.com/2020/11/10/school-board-president-resigns-over-wifes-racist-tweets-about-kamala-harris/
Photo Credit: twitter
Steven Spielberg’s daughter Mikaela says doing porn is a ‘healing journey’
She’s a Marvin Gaye song come to life: Mikaela Spielberg is speaking out about appearing in porn, saying her work in the sex industry has been “healing” for her.
The 24-year-old adopted daughter of legendary filmmaker Steven Spielberg, 73, and his actress wife Kate Capshaw, 66, made headlines in February when she was jailed for domestic abuse following a clash with then-fiancé and pro dart player Chuck Pankow, who is 27 years her senior.
The charges were later dropped after successfully completing court-ordered counseling sessions.
The news of her arrest came several days after the public learned that she had launched a career as an independent pornographer on the internet, producing solo videos of her erotic performances from her home in Nashville, Tennessee.
In a new interview with the Daily Beast, the adult webcam actress said her work has been “life-affirming.”
“I felt like had I not done the work I needed to do on myself, and on my relationships, I would have been dead within the year,” she said.
Spielberg has previously been open about her struggles with anxiety, depression, substance abuse and finding herself on the brink of homelessness. Reps for her iconic “E.T.” and “Schindler’s List” director dad have yet to respond to requests for comment.
However, earlier this year, she claimed her high-profile parents were “intrigued” by her new career path — and expressed hopes they would be proud of how she bounced back from a drinking problem that almost took her life “a couple of times” after she turned 21.
“I actually think that once they see how far I’ve come from the bottom I was at a year and a half ago, they’re going to look at this and go, ‘Wow, we actually raised a really self-assured young lady,’ ” she said in February. “My safety has always been a number one priority for them. I’m not doing this out of an urge to hurt anyone or to be spiteful.”
Eight months and one global COVID-19 pandemic later: “I’m in the middle of a healing journey,” Spielberg told The Daily Beast. “About two years ago, I was at my worst.”
The aspiring professional exotic dancer also talked about refining her work on adult content platform ManyVids, which she maintains is “online and dance-only” and “not full-service,” though she did not elaborate on what’s included in her partial service channel. (Full disclosure: Online fans report that it involves full nudity and various sex toys.)
“I’ve learned that I do not enjoy hardcore content personally,” she explained. “Whatever you decide to make is your decision, but I enjoy soft content and passion content.”
The biracial millennial also spoke to issues concerning the nation right now, particularly racism and human rights, adding that the “housing crisis needs to be tackled … speaking from personal experiences.”
Growing up with two white parents, she said, “Racial self-acceptance has been a huge part of my journey.” She later added, “I’ll put it this way: You could have all the love in the world and still be incredibly lonely. And that’s all I’m going to say about it out of respect for everyone I know.”
Spielberg also reflected on news coverage of her arrest in February in harrowing terms.
“I almost feel I can’t speak on the actual events because that would put my safety in jeopardy, but I can say that I feel I was made into this spooky media caricature of what we don’t want in society,” she said. “I felt almost like a racialist caricature of a Jew or a black woman in those moments, because I maintained my innocence that entire time. And that’s all I can say about it.”
via: https://nypost.com/2020/11/09/steven-spielbergs-daughter-mikaela-making-porn-is-a-healing-journey/
Photo Credit: ManyVids
McDonald’s to launch ‘McPlant’ burgers next year
McDonald’s said Monday it will begin testing a new veggie burger next year called the “McPlant.”
The world’s biggest restaurant chain has “created a delicious burger that will be the first menu option in a plant-based platform,” said Ian Borden, president of McDonald’s International. The McPlant line also may eventually include plant-based chicken and breakfast sandwiches, he added.
McDonald’s said the McPlant is part of a new growth strategy. It also expects to launch a new Crispy Chicken Sandwich early next year, in part because sales of its Chicken McNuggets and McChicken Sandwich are exceeding sales of hamburgers.
But McDonald’s is playing catch-up with key rivals when it comes to plant-based meat. Last year, Burger King launched an Impossible Whopper from Impossible Foods, and White Castle launched an Impossible Slider in 2018. KFC, meanwhile, has been serving “Beyond Fried Chicken” in a partnership with Beyond Meat since last year.
“There are other plant-based burgers out there, but the McPlant delivers our iconic taste in a sink-your-teeth-in (and wipe-your-mouth) kind of sandwich,” the company said in a blog post according to USA Today. “It’s made with a juicy, plant-based patty and served on a warm sesame seed bun with all the classic toppings.”
The announcement took shares of Beyond Meat — which had tested burgers with McDonald’s last year — on a roller-coaster ride. Borden said during a Monday investor call that the McPlant will be created by “McDonald’s for McDonald’s,” sending Beyond Meat shares tumbling 8 percent.
Later in the afternoon, a Beyond Meat’s stock recovered after a spokesman said the company “co-created” the McPlant patty with McDonald’s, but it tanked again after-hours trades after Beyond Meat delivered disappointing earnings and a McDonald’s spokesman declined to confirm the partnership with Beyond Meat.
McDonald’s recent marketing programs with such celebrities as rapper, Travis Scott and Latin singer J Balvin have helped to boost sales in recent weeks as the restaurant giant ran out of some ingredients, including lettuce and beef, after the Travis Scott meal launched.
The new growth strategy comes as McDonald’s has been posting surprisingly strong financial results during the pandemic. Same store sales in the US in the most recent quarter rose by 4.6 percent and its profit was $1.8 billion up from $1.6 billion a year ago.
McDonald’s global revenues fell 2 percent to $5.4 billion as international markets, including Europe experience a second wave of Covid-19 shutdowns.
via: https://nypost.com/2020/11/09/mcdonalds-to-launch-mcplant-burgers-next-year/
Photo Credit: REUTERS
Woman named ‘Corona’ says she gets threats, abuse
2020 is not a great year to be named “Corona.”
A British woman named Corona Newton told the BBC that she’s received a number of threatening phone calls and can’t give her name at a restaurant without getting looks from staff amid the coronavirus pandemic.
“People have said to me ‘as if I’m going to listen to somebody named after a virus,’” Newton told the news outlet.
Newton, who lives in the COVID-19 hotspot of Oldham, near Manchester, added that last week when she was driving her daughter to the dentist a man called and screamed at her because of her name.
“He screamed down the phone at me ‘what does it feel like to f—k the world over?’” she said.
At a recent parent-teacher meeting at her school, a teacher thought Newton’s daughter was being inappropriate when she was just saying her mom’s name — not referring to the virus, she told the BBC.
Newton, a native of Ireland who was named after the midwife who delivered her, said she’s faced jokes her entire life — but most of it was related to the beer she shares a name with.
“People used to call me Guinness and Budweiser,” she told the BBC. “That I could always laugh off. But this is more frustrating, especially when it gets aggressive.”
via: https://nypost.com/2020/11/09/woman-named-corona-says-she-gets-threats-abuse/
Photo Credit: facebook
Graphic video shows attacker stab man in the head in Harlem
A graphic new video shows a 40-year-old man being stabbed in the head several times on the streets of Harlem early Monday.
The surveillance footage, obtained by The Post, shows the knife-wielding attacker grabbing the victim by his blue sweatshirt with his left hand and swinging the knife with his right hand.
The attacker stabs the man at least eight times — twice in the face — before the victim runs off, the video shows.
The vicious assault unfolded just after 1 a.m. at the intersection of Second Avenue and East 108th Street, police said.
Cops arrested a 17-year-old shortly after following a trail of blood.
The teen was charged with attempted murder, possession of a weapon and robbery, cops said.
The 40-year-old man was taken to Harlem Hospital where he was listed as stable.
via: https://nypost.com/2020/11/09/graphic-video-shows-attacker-stab-man-in-the-head-in-harlem/
Photo Credit: nypost.com
Protesters rally after Biden effigy found
(Meredith) — A community in Southern California is outraged over a homeowner’s front yard display.
On Wednesday, the homeowner hung a dummy with a black hood from a noose and had a sign that says ‘Sleepy Joe Cheater.’
Local police say that according to the D.A.’s office a crime was not committed but the department has forwarded the case to the Secret Service.
Black Lives Matter supporters showed up in protest the next day outside the man’s house.
via: https://www.kmov.com/news/protesters-rally-after-biden-effigy-found/article_de9f2724-512f-52cc-a57d-764893ba4d84.html?block_id=991246
Photo Credit: kmov.com
Young entrepreneur overcomes troubled childhood, opens beauty salon and inspires others
SOUTH ST. LOUIS (KMOV.com) – In less than a month, a local 19-year-old entrepreneur is taking the leap into the small business world, all while setting an example for young girls.
Kaniya Slusher, 19, opened Major Beauty House salon in Dogtown on Nov. 1. The salon focuses on eye brow tinting and eyelash extensions, and Slusher said she plans to expand services down the road.
“I’m happy it’s not going how I thought it would, because it’s even better,” she said.
Part of her motivation stems from a troubled upbringing, where she often lived in various places due to her parents’ substance abuse. After deciding she wanted more for herself, she found a love for eyebrow and eyelash work thanks to a family member. Soon after, the next step was figuring out what it took to open a business.
“I didn’t have that family push that people would automatically assume that I have,” she said. “But I think that’s okay, I did it on my own and I would encourage others to do the same. You don’t have to let your current circumstances define what you do or how you do it.”
In October, she leased a space for the salon on Tamm Avenue in Dogtown. A month later, she opened her doors.
“My business arrived to me by being able to do what I love to do everyday,” she said. “So I don’t like to say I’m a small business owner, or I’m a boss, or this is how I got here. I just like to say I’m living my life and I’m doing what I love everyday.”
Slusher employs nine people and said their goal as a salon is to increase diversity in their clientele and in the area.
“We feel welcome here, but I want people to feel comfortable coming in here as well,” she said. “We want people to know we can work with different skin types and don’t want people to be self-conscious and afraid to come in.”
In addition to running her business, Slusher inadvertently found herself in the role of mentor.
Aspiring entrepreneur Reginae Jackson, 11, saw the salon on social media and made a point to meet Slusher. She said she sells accessories and purses after getting her business license when she was 10.
“We both want to go somewhere in life, we both live in St. Louis, we’re both trying to make a business out of something and we’re both just young ladies,” Jackson said.
via: https://www.kmov.com/news/young-entrepreneur-overcomes-troubled-childhood-opens-beauty-salon-and-inspires-others/article_be081e7a-2138-11eb-b0c7-3b5e8f00525d.html
Photo Credit: KMOV
Armed men arrested in Philadelphia were trying to deliver fake ballots
(CNN/KMOV) — Two armed Virginia men who were arrested Thursday outside the Philadelphia Convention Center were “coming to deliver a truck full of fake ballots” to the city, CNN affiliate KYW reported, citing prosecutors.
The center is one of the places where election workers have been counting votes from the 2020 general election, which includes the race for president.
Text messages reveal that the men were concerned about the tallying of votes at the convention center, prosecutors said, according to KYW.
Antonio LaMotta, 61, and Joshua Macias, 42, both of Chesapeake, Virginia, were arrested Thursday night outside the center on suspicion of carrying handguns in Pennsylvania without permits, authorities said.
Philadelphia police said they found the men Thursday night after receiving a tip that people with firearms were heading to the Pennsylvania Convention Center in a silver Hummer truck.
Officers found a silver Hummer a block from the center — parked and unoccupied — around 10:20 p.m. Thursday, about seven minutes before finding the men, who acknowledged the Hummer was theirs, police said.
Both men were carrying loaded handguns, and police found an AR-type rifle in the Hummer, authorities said at a news conference Friday. About 160 rounds of ammunition were found in the weapons and the vehicle, authorities said.
Stickers and a hat with logos of the QAnon conspiracy movement were found in the vehicle, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner said.
LaMotta and Macias were charged with having a concealed firearm without a license and carrying a firearm on a public street or public property, Krasner said.
“This alarming incident is still very much under investigation regarding additional charges,” Krasner said.
LaMotta and Macias were arraigned Friday night, and a judge set bail at $750,000 each, Krasner’s spokeswoman Jane Roh said.
Details about the alleged fake ballots — including where they came from, whether they were found in the Hummer, or what was marked on them — weren’t immediately available.
It wasn’t immediately clear whether the men had legal representation. CNN has sought comment from the Philadelphia Public Defenders Office and LaMotta’s relatives.
A woman who was traveling with the men has not been arrested, Krasner said.
Suspect said he needed to take leave to go to Philadelphia, employer says
LaMotta told his work supervisor a few days ago that he needed leave for an “assignment” in Philadelphia, according to the CEO of the company that employs him.
LaMotta works in the Virginia area for Nationwide Investigations & Security, a Houston-based security services firm, according to company CEO Allen Hollimon and LaMotta’s personal website.
Hollimon told CNN that LaMotta this week told his supervisor he needed to take leave for the “assignment” in Philadelphia that was not assigned through the company.
Hollimon said he did not know why LaMotta was in Philadelphia and emphasized that he believes he is “a good guy.”
“He’s a very devoted guy. I’ve never had an issue with him,” Hollimon told CNN. “He’s not a threat.”
LaMotta’s website, which has since been taken down, described him as a “crisis response, security, fugitive recovery agent, bodyguard, security contractor.”
The website included his date of birth and hometown, both of which matched information shared by the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office.
The website displayed pictures of him posing beside a silver Hummer. It also detailed his work experience, including his work at Nationwide Investigation & Security, as well as documents related to a military discharge.
The website detailed other work experience, including for the Virginia city of Chesapeake, where he lives.
LaMotta was a facilities maintenance technician for the city from August 2014 to May 2019, Chesapeake spokesman Heath Covey told CNN. Cover said he could not provide details about why LaMotta left the job.
CNN’s Patrick Cornell, Julian Cummings, Laura Ly, Mark Morales, Ganesh Setty and Joe Sutton contributed to this report.
via: https://www.kmov.com/news/report-armed-men-arrested-in-philadelphia-were-trying-to-deliver-fake-ballots/article_12ee5e77-a724-5633-9c52-6bc3ae91a28b.html
Photo Credit: cnn.com
Tekashi 6ix9ine mocks the death of Chicago rapper King Von
Controversial Brooklyn snitch Tekashi 6ix9ine was seen mocking the death of Chicago rapper King Von on social media Friday, reportedly due to his ongoing feud with King Von associate, rapper Lil Durk.
An Instagram post from blogger DJ Akademiks suggested that Durk may have learned of his friend’s death from fans while streaming on Instagram Live. Within the comment section, 6ix9ine responded with a crying laughing emoji, mocking the “All Love” artist and the late Von.
Tekashi has been feuding with Chicago-based rappers for much of his career, often seen trolling artists from the Windy city online. Uproxx reports that Durk even claimed Tekashi’s new management attempted to pay him to participate in a fake “troll war” with the rainbow-haired artist as a form of promotion. Durk refused, but was still subject to jabs from the “Gummo” artist. Durk also fired back on occasion, dissing 69 on Drake single, “Laugh Now, Cry Later.”
The 26-year-old King Von was involved in a fight between two groups of men outside the Monaco Hookah Lounge in downtown Atlanta when the altercation escalated to shots being fired. A total of six people were allegedly shot with three staying at the scene of the crime and three others running away, but still ending up at the hospital.
Three of those shot died from their wounds, including King Von, though it’s unclear who shot him.
via: https://pagesix.com/2020/11/07/tekashi-6ix9ine-mocks-the-death-of-chicago-rapper-king-von/?_ga=2.212823831.2026506654.1604801803-1483909753.1590005431
Photo Credit: pagesix.com