[AFRICANEWS] R. Kelly's convictions for racketeering and sex trafficking, along with his 30-year prison sentence, were affirmed on Wednesday by a federal appeals court, which determined that the artist had exploited his celebrity status for over 25 years to perpetrate sexual abuse against girls and young women.
The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan delivered its ruling after considering arguments presented last March.
The Grammy-winning and multiplatinum R&B artist was found guilty in 2021 in a Brooklyn federal court on multiple counts, including racketeering and sex trafficking.
Jennifer Bonjean, Kelly's attorney, expressed her belief in a statement that the Supreme Court would agree to review the case. She characterized the 2nd Circuit's decision as "unprecedented," arguing that it grants prosecutors excessive discretion to apply the racketeering statute to scenarios that are "absurdly remote" from its original purpose.
[AFRICANEWS] The incident occurred in Bahia El Aguila near the San Isidro Lighthouse. While kayaking with his father, Adrien was trapped in the whale's mouth for a few seconds before being let go. His father, Dell, captured the moment on video. Despite the terrifying experience, both returned to shore safely. Whale attacks on humans are rare in Chilean waters, though collisions with ships are on the increase.
What a story!
Posted by: Fred ||
02/14/2025 00:00 ||
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#1
His father, Dell, captured the moment on video
"I can always get another son. That video, tho' ..is priceless"
Posted by: Frank G ||
02/14/2025 6:08 Comments ||
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#2
"Hey, Chili in my krill!" Barf!
Posted by: ed in texas ||
02/14/2025 8:58 Comments ||
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#3
Assumed accident, of course, but got to wondering whether those rascals might not mess with a floating carcass. Swish-n-squish, see what shakes loose, and ptooey? Or how about "Just a pinch between cheek and gum?"
Posted by: Super Hose ||
02/14/2025 21:42 Comments ||
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#9
An ancient beluga from Perm
Whose noggin was roomy and firm
Once went on a cruise
With some dissolute blues...
And she just reached the end of her term. At university, silly. Everybody knows you can't get pregnant like that. Especially at her age. [Quiet Flows the Don sung by W.C. Fields]
If only the family had been illegal aliens, last November when the problem started, housing and all sorts of aid would have been given to them with no strings attached.
[Breitbart] Two children were reportedly found dead inside a parked vehicle in a parking garage in downtown Detroit on Monday, with police believing the kids froze to death.
The Detroit Police Department said a family pulled their van into a parking garage at the Hollywood Casino Hotel at Greektown at around 1:00 a.m. on Monday, and parked on the ninth floor as the vehicle ran out of gas, according to a report by WXYZ.
“They said that they were unsheltered and they didn’t have a residence to go to,” Detroit Police Captain Nathan Duda said.
Five children were asleep in the van, authorities said, adding that at around noon the mother realized that one of her kids, a nine-year-old boy, was not breathing, at which point she called a friend to take him to the Children’s Hospital of Michigan.
But while they were at the hospital, the grandmother noticed that another child, a two-year-old girl, was also not breathing. So the friend came back to the casino parking garage to retrieve the second child and bring her to the hospital as well, police said.
Both children were pronounced dead at the hospital, WXYZ reported.
While the cause of the children’s deaths have not yet been confirmed, police say they believe the kids both froze to death.
“Very sad. Especially as a father, I just can’t imagine what the family is feeling. I wish it wouldn’t have happened,” Duda said.
The other three children were examined and treated at the hospital, and were listed in stable condition on Monday afternoon, the outlet reported.
Interim Police Chief Todd Bettison reportedly noted that he had heard the family was traveling from casino to casino, adding that he believes they have been living in the van for around two to three months.
“From what I’ve been told, the mother had a lot of pride,” Bettison said, adding, “She loved her kids and she wanted to keep the family together.”
On November 25, the family contacted Detroit’s homeless response team to inform them that they had been living with another family, but could not continue residing there, and needed another place to go, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan said.
Duggan added there was no resolution as a result of the family’s late November conversation with the city’s homeless response team, and that an outreach worker was never sent out.
The mayor noted that outreach staff are sent in emergency situations, but that the family never called back. Duggan, however, also believes that no one from the homeless response team ever reached back out to the family to determine whether their situation had been resolved.
In the meantime, Deputy Mayor Melia Howard has been directed to conduct an investigation with Detroit’s Housing and Revitalization Department (HRD) Director Julie Schneider into how this transpired and develop a plan to make sure it never happens again, the mayor said.
Police, meanwhile, are reminding the public that warming centers are available in the city, and are directing Detroit residents to the city’s website for more information on how they can be accessed.
Additionally, City of Detroit Homelessness Solutions Director Terra Linzner said the city’s shelters have beds available for residents who need them “to try to prevent situations like this.”
Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries (DRMM), also chimed in, reminding the public that their shelters can be used by anyone in need during cold winter months.
“We’ve had quite a few cold snaps and it’s very dangerous,” DRMM director of communications Chiara Clayton said.
“You can’t sustain being outside in these types of cold temperatures,” Clayton added. “That’s why it’s so important people know they can come get a meal, they can get a place over their heads, they can get warm.”
Relief centers like these exist “all across the city,” Duda said.
“There are so many resources available and these resources will keep families together,” the police captain added. “This was unnecessary. It didn’t have to happen this way.”
#1
"If only the family had been illegal aliens, last November when the problem started, housing and all sorts of aid would have been given to them with no strings attached."
That statement, clearly, sums it up.
Those in the DC Swamp that funneled $$$$ to other countries, to skim and pocket Millions, MUST be exposed and brought to trial.
[GEO.TV] A three-year-old water buffalo has been named the tallest among his kind in the world, with a height of 6 feet and 0.8 inches from hoof to withers. "It's almost as big as Stacey Abrams!"
Named King Kong, the majestic buffalo, is a resident of the Ninlanee Farm in Nakhon Ratchasima and is almost 20 inches taller than the average adult water buffalo, the Guinness World Records stated.
Owner Suchart Booncharoen said it was expected of King Kong to grow to this massive size as he was huge at the time of his birth and that is why he was named after the iconic gorilla from the film, according to UPI.
An employee of the farm, Cherpatt Wutti, said despite King Kong being of an intimidating size, the buffalo is quite friendly and playful.
"He is very obedient. He loves to play around, he loves to be scratched, and running around with people," she said.
"He is really friendly and it's like having a big, powerful puppy on the farm," she added.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/14/2025 00:00 ||
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[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] Shocking video caught the moment a Taco Bell security guard slapped a woman across the face in a seemingly unprovoked attack.
Footage shared online shows a woman walking past the security guard, who appeared to be arguing with her, at the downtown Los Angeles franchise on Sunday, and make a beeline to a self-serve kiosk to place her order.
But the security guard follows her, and grabs her arm so that he is face-to-face with the woman.
It is then he unleashes a brutal slap across the woman's face.
'Oh s***,' someone could be heard saying in the background.
'The security guard was telling her to leave and she didn't want to because she was ordering food,' Alejandro Sanchez, who recorded the viral video, explained to SWNS.
'Then he just went off and she started going crazy,' he said.
'He slapped the s*** out of her. It was crazy. Everybody was shocked.'
The unidentified woman was seen in the aftermath cradling her face in stunned disbelief and walking over to the other side of the restaurant, stopping underneath a television broadcasting the Super Bowl.
The security guard again follows her, and the two could be seen having a heated argument, with the woman claiming she would sue.
She repeatedly told the guard to get away from her, as he tells her to leave.
Eventually, the guard could be seen escorting the woman out of the fast food joint.
It is unclear what sparked the argument, but Sanchez claimed that the woman appeared to be 'homeless.' I bet there's a lot more to this story
'There's a Skid Row a couple of blocks away from there and they just have a lot of traffic,' he said, noting that the employees seemed more concerned by him recording the incident than by the slap itself.
DailyMail.com has reached out to Taco Bell for comment.
#4
Nicest Taco Bell I've ever seen. Got the game on and everything.
So yes, I'll go with there's a history, and yes opening act is missed while people quit watching the game and start recording.
And, actually, she hit him before he countered with a mere slap. Watch as she is pulled away from the kiosk.
The way she tanked that slap and just went on like nothing happened would have me guess she high as fk, and was acting like it in a nice restaurant, she been asked not to come in anymore, and security was enforcing the right to refuse service.
#5
A Conjunction of Venus and Mars
"Last week she was still behind bars."
"Now we'll work as a team
For our Hollywood dream."
"Come on, baby, I'll make you see stars!"
[Breitbart] Several grocery store chains such as Aldi, Costco, and Trader Joe’s are limiting how many eggs customers can purchase, citing supply issues amid an outbreak of the avian flu.
A spokesperson for Trader Joes confirmed to CNN that due to “issues with the supply of eggs,” the grocery store chain was limiting its customers to purchasing one dozen eggs per day, meanwhile Costco also confirmed that it was limiting the amount of eggs customers could purchase to “three packages of eggs.”
“Due to ongoing issues with the supply of eggs, we are currently limiting eggs purchases to one dozen per customer, per day, in all Trader Joe’s stores across the country,” a spokesperson for Trader Joe’s told the outlet.
NBC5 Chicago also reported that a local Costco had placed signs up reading, “Due to limited supply please: Limit 3 eggs,” while an Aldi in Chicago was reported to have limited customers to purchasing two dozen eggs.
Other places such as Waffle House have taken steps to account for the “continuing egg shortage” caused by the Bird Flu, such as adding a “temporary .50 per egg surcharge to all menus.”
Breitbart News’s Amy Furr previously reported that the bird flu outbreak has caused the price of eggs to soar, leaving many Americans feeling the sting of the costs.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics recently reported that the average price for a “dozen Grade A eggs” had reached $4.95 in January, representing a record high, according to ABC News:
The average price of a dozen Grade A eggs in U.S. cities reached $4.95 in January, eclipsing the previous record of $4.82 set two years earlier and more than double the recent low of $2.04 that was recorded in August 2023.
Breitbart News recently reported that after seven cases of the bird flu were reported to have been “found in poultry during routine inspections of live bird markets in” several boroughs of New York City, New York officials directed live poultry markets to close down for a week in order to help combat the spread of the bird flu.
#4
Loss-leaders or not.
I am sure the 10,000+ cooked birds sold each week, by just SAM's nationwide, were not all roosters ☺ and many could be producing more eggs.
#5
Roasters and egg layers are different birds entirely. Roasters mature meat wise in 8-10 weeks and are slaughtered. Egg layers have much less meat and start laying at six months.
#10
The same bureaucrats who slaughter a million chickens 'just to make sure it doesn't spread' are the same bureaucrats who are whining and screaming its being done to them back in the Swamp. Irony is not a river in Wisconsin.
[FoxNews] OpenAI says each 1GW supercomputer campus in the US could create thousands of jobs
Stargate, the massive artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure project recently unveiled by President Donald Trump, has begun production in Texas — with data center construction in other states expected to be announced in the coming months.
OpenAI, Softbank, Oracle and other partners' total investment of $500 million in the project will produce a large-scale network of campuses. Each campus will be designed in the roughly 1 gigawatt (GW) or greater range, a measurement of electricity that can power a minimum of 750,000 homes.
During a recent press briefing on The Stargate Project attended by Fox News Digital, OpenAI announced that construction on the first site is underway in Abilene, Texas. Significant progress has been made in identifying additional locations. Stargate is currently weighing 16 additional states as options for future sites.
#3
It's an interesting Flex by Elon. As I understand it, he's not poaching OpenAI, but is after the entity that is being created, that will be used as the vehicle to make OpenAI a for-profit company. And if I follow, this entity is mostly outside of Atlman's purview and control.
[FoxBusinessNews] New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) Texas, "a fully electronic equities exchange," is coming to Dallas.
The announcement came Wednesday, and stated the NYSE Chicago "will reincorporate in Texas and be renamed NYSE Texas," providing companies with a new venue to list their securities.
Several high-profile firms, including Elon Musk's Tesla, and SpaceX, have relocated their headquarters to Texas, attracted by the state's perceived favorable legal and regulatory environment.
"As the state with the largest number of NYSE listings, representing over $3.7 trillion in market value for our community, Texas is a market leader in fostering a pro-business atmosphere," Lynn Martin, president of NYSE Group, said in a statement.
A potential competitor is already in the works, as the Texas Stock Exchange (TXSE), a new venture backed by financial giants including BlackRock, Citadel Securities and Charles Schwab, is targeting a 2026 launch after submitting paperwork late last month to operate as a national securities exchange, Reuters reported.
It will also be a fully electronic equity exchange headquartered in Dallas.
#3
Gotta wonder if Letitia James' persecution of Trump has any bearing on this, besides the economic benefits of Texas Taxes? If that bitch and Alvin Bragg can do it to Trump, they can do it to anybody.
Posted by: Frank G ||
02/14/2025 7:23 Comments ||
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[Jpost] Twelve people were wounded, six critically, after a grenade was thrown into a bar in Grenoble, southeastern France on Wednesday night, French media reported.
French prosecutor Francois Touret de Coucy said the attacker "came in, threw a grenade, didn't say a word, it seems, and then fled," according to the report.
The attacker was also carrying an assault rifle - similar to a Kalashnikov - which he did not use, according to Touret de Coucy.
The incident occurred in the city's Olympic Village district, built for the 1968 games.
Chloé Pantel, deputy mayor of sector 6 of Grenoble, told AFP that the bar is "a gathering place for people from the neighborhood and from elsewhere, and is especially popular for watching football matches."
Le Parisien reported that, according to a police source, the grenade's spoon was found at the scene of the explosion. Some 80 firefighters were present on the scene.
TERRORISM RULED OUT
According to Touret de Coucy, terrorism has been ruled out, but otherwise, there are no leads as to the motive yet. "Everything must be studied; we cannot say at this stage if it is linked to drug trafficking," he explained.
"We can rule out a purely terrorist attack since there is nothing that leads us to believe that it is linked to terrorism," said the prosecutor.
The attacker is on the run and is yet to be identified. No arrests have been made, according to the reports.
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] Elon Musk's Tesla appears set to get a $400 million contract from the US State Department, even as Donald Trump's 'First Buddy' looks for budget cuts with the Department of Government Efficiency.
That follows up a $38.5 million deal with Musk's SpaceX on Monday which outraged liberals.
Marco Rubio's Department of State appears to have altered its fourth quarter procurement forecast to include the $400 million buy for 'Armored Tesla.'
No such vehicle appears to exist as of yet, the modification to the budget was made on December 13.
Under a headline on the forecast that says 'extent completed' under the Tesla buy, it reads 'TBD' according to Drop Site News.
The DOGE chairman is used to dealing with the government, as SpaceX and Tesla have gotten a combined $18 billion in federal contracts since 2015, dating back to Barack Obama's presidency.
DailyMail.com has reached out to the State Department, Tesla and the White House for comment.
Speaking with reporters in the Oval Office on Tuesday, Musk insisted there is no conflict of interest if his companies receive government contracts from the same agencies where he is looking to conduct cuts.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
[AFRICANEWS] 
[AFRICANEWS] The incident occurred in Bahia El Aguila near the San Isidro Lighthouse. While kayaking with his father, Adrien was trapped in the whale's mouth for a few seconds before being let go. His father, Dell, captured the moment on video. Despite the terrifying experience, both returned to shore safely. Whale attacks on humans are rare in Chilean waters, though collisions with ships are on the increase. 
[GEO.TV] A three-year-old water buffalo has been named the tallest among his kind in the world, with a height of 6 feet and 0.8 inches from hoof to withers. 
