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Published by Radar Online Mega A man claiming to have dated congressman-elect George Santos has accused the embattled GOP politician of stealing his cell phone before pawning the device for cash, RadarOnline.com has learned. Pedro Vilarva, who spoke out against Santos over the weekend, claims he was 18 years old when he and Santos began a relationship together in Florida in 2014. Santos was reportedly 26 years old at the time the relationship started. Mega Even more shocking are Vilarva’s claims that the alleged couple’s relationship ended in 2015 after it was revealed Santos was wanted for alleged theft in Brazil. “He used to say he would get money from Citigroup, he was an investor,” Vilarva said on Sunday, according to Daily Mail. “One day it’s one thing, one day it’s another thing. He never ever actually went to work.” Come 2015, Vilarva reportedly realized something was wrong when Santos gifted him with plane tickets to Hawaii that “turned out not to exist.” Vilarva then could not find his cell phone and came to the conclusion Santos “had pawned it.” “I woke up in the morning, and I packed my stuff all in trash bags, and I called my father and I left,” Vilarva explained after he conducted an online search of Santos and learned the then-26-year-old was wanted by Brazilian authorities for using a stolen checkbook to spend $700 under a fake name. Mega As RadarOnline.com previously reportedly, Vilarva’s allegations against Santos come as the embattled GOP politician is set to be sworn into Congress on Tuesday. Santos recently admitted to lying about his professional and educational background, as well as claims he is of Ukrainian-Jewish heritage and identified as “half-Black.” “My sins here are embellishing my resume,” he told the New York Post in December after admitting he lied about his work on Wall Street and graduating from Manhattan’s Baruch College in 2010. “I’m sorry.” House members on both sides of the aisle have since condemned Santos for lying about his resume in an effort to drum up support for his Congress bid, with many calling on the 34-year-old Republican to resign over his shocking web of lies. Mega “This is troubling in so many ways. Certainly, he’s lied repeatedly,” retiring House Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Texas) said on Sunday. “He certainly is going to have to consider resigning.” “I believe a full investigation by the House Ethics Committee and, if necessary, law enforcement is required,” added House Rep. Nick LaLota (R-New York). “New Yorkers deserve the truth and House Republicans deserve an opportunity to govern without this distraction.” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Meghan Trainor wants to become a “TV star”. The 29-year-old singer has revealed that she’d love to follow in the footsteps of Kelly Clarkson by making a successful transition from the music industry to the TV business. She shared: “I want to be a TV star. I want to be the next Kelly Clarkson and have my own TV show, I want to be in movies, I want to write more music for other artists and I want to have four babies. I have a lot to do.” Meghan also revealed that she recently filmed “a guest star slot on a sitcom”. The ‘All About That Bass’ hitmaker – who released her latest album, ‘Takin’ It Back’, in 2022 – told The Sun newspaper’s Bizarre column: “I really want to do more acting. I have just filmed a guest star slot on a sitcom. “I can’t say which one but it has something to do with one of my girl mom mates. I play a character so I wait to watch it to see if I am any good.” Meghan relishes the challenge of acting and she’s keen to do more of it in the future. The singer – who married actor Daryl Sabara in 2018, after meeting him at a party in 2014 – said: “It was the most fun I have ever had. I cried when I had to leave. Daryl came to the set every day and hung out with me in the trailer. “He is so supportive. I would love to film a romcom and write the music for the film too. That would be the dream to star in a film and also write the soundtrack.” View the full article

Published by Reuters By Trevor Hunnicutt (Reuters) – U.S. President Joe Biden plans to commemorate the second anniversary of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol with a White House ceremony, according to a schedule released by his office on Monday. Friday’s event will mark a rare moment for Biden to wade into the live issues stoked by the deadly riot by supporters of his Republican predecessor Donald Trump. Their actions interrupted the certification of the Democrat’s 2020 victory. Biden has condemned the riot as a threat to democracy and the rule of law, but he rarely discusses his predecessor by name publicly and has framed his presidency around uniting and healing the country’s partisan divides. Soon to enter his third year in office, Biden has said he intends to seek another four-year term but has not formally his candidacy. Trump, who never conceded defeat in the 2020 election, has already announced that he is seeking his party’s nomination again in 2024. Last month, the Democratic-led U.S. House of Representatives panel probing the 2021 attack asked federal prosecutors to charge Trump with four crimes, including obstruction and insurrection. It was the first time in history that Congress had referred a former president for criminal prosecution. Trump, who is facing two other federal probes, has dismissed the House investigation as partisan. The former president gave a fiery speech to his supporters on the morning of Jan. 6, 2021, and publicly chastised then Vice President Mike Pence for not going along with his scheme to reject ballots cast for Biden. Trump then waited hours before making a public statement as thousands of his supporters raged through the Capitol, assaulting police and threatening to hang Pence. Five people, including a police officer, died during or shortly after the incident and more than 140 police officers were injured. The Capitol suffered millions of dollars in damage. “A former president of the United States of America has created and spread a web of lies about the 2020 election. He’s done so because he values power over principle,” Biden said at an event at the Capitol last year marking the event, never speaking Trump’s name. “He can’t accept he lost.” Biden’s schedule said Friday’s ceremony would take place in the White House’s East Room. No further details were provided. (Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt; Editing by Bradley Perrett) View the full article

Published by Reuters By David Morgan WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Top U.S. House of Representatives Republican Kevin McCarthy faces a bruising political battle on Tuesday as he seeks to overcome opposition from hardline members of his own party to win election as speaker. The role would give him the power to steer the House agenda as his party takes the majority, giving it the power to rein in Democratic President Joe Biden and the Democratic-controlled Senate, as well as launch potentially damaging investigations into Biden’s family and administration. After four years as the Republican minority leader, McCarthy now needs at least 218 votes to succeed Democrat Nancy Pelosi as speaker. With 222 seats, the Republicans have a slim nine-seat House majority, but several party members vocally oppose him. A group of hard-line conservatives opposes McCarthy’s candidacy, concerned that he is less deeply vested in the culture wars and partisan rivalries that have dominated the House and even more so since Donald Trump’s White House years. They have criticized the California Republican for not taking a more aggressive stance against Democrats, who under Pelosi had been in control, on priorities including government funding, defense and border security. A protracted speaker election could undermine House Republican hopes of moving forward quickly on legislative priorities involving the economy, U.S. energy independence and border security, and signal a tough year ahead when lawmakers need to agree on critical issues including addressing the nation’s debt ceiling and funding the government. On Sunday evening, Republican lawmakers who were prepared to vote against McCarthy numbered in the double digits, according to a source familiar with the situation. “Kevin McCarthy had an opportunity to be speaker of the House, he rejected it,” said Representative Scott Perry, chairman of the hard-line House Freedom Caucus in a Tuesday morning statement. He said that McCarthy had rejected demands by the group on multiple issues, including term limits for members of Congress and refusing to interfere in party primaries. More broadly, hardliners are concerned that McCarthy is not as combative with Democrats as they would like. They also are seeking deep cuts in domestic spending. No Democrats are likely to vote for McCarthy, so he does not yet appear to have enough votes to secure the job that would put him second in line for the presidency, behind Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris. This could set the stage for hours of votes when the 118th Congress begins meeting at midday EST (1700 GMT). Asked on Monday whether he had the votes, McCarthy, who failed to win the speakership in 2015, told reporters at the Capitol: “I think we’re going to have a good day tomorrow.” He met on Monday with hardliners and supporters, but there was no immediate sign of a breakthrough. House Republicans are expected to meet behind closed doors on Tuesday morning, ahead of the speaker election. Representative Don Bacon, a McCarthy supporter, wrote on the online conservative news website Daily Caller that he could reach across the aisle to find Democratic support for an unidentified Republican candidate if hardliners did not to relent. While Republicans have won back the House, Democrats still hold the White House and Senate. Standoffs are expected over legislation to keep the government open, fund the military and address the U.S. debt ceiling. McCarthy faces a long-shot rival bid from hardline conservative Representative Andy Biggs. Along with Biggs, Republican Representatives Matt Gaetz, Bob Good, Matt Rosendale and Ralph Norman oppose electing him speaker. “I won’t be voting for Kevin McCarthy tomorrow. He’s part of the problem. He’s not part of the solution,” Good told Fox News on Monday. ‘TAKES TWO TO TANGO’ The record number of voting rounds to elect a House speaker is 133 over a two-month period in the 1850s. Every nominee in the last 100 years has succeeded on the first ballot. A standoff would leave the House largely paralyzed and could force lawmakers to consider another candidate. Incoming Majority Leader Steve Scalise and conservative leader Jim Jordan are seen as possibilities. But 15 House Republicans – elected from districts Biden won in 2020 – have warned that they will accept no one for speaker other than McCarthy. Strategists from both parties warn that larger problems could lie ahead for Congress if the House Republicans are left too divided to negotiate with Biden and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. “If the Republicans stick together, Democrats in the Senate will have to wrap their heads around a much more conservative product than they are accustomed (to) in order to pass anything,” said Republican strategist Josh Holmes, a former McConnell aide. Democratic strategist Jim Manley said that if Biden and Schumer did not have a House Republican with authority to negotiate with, then very little would get done, adding: “It takes two to tango.” The hardline Republican House Freedom Caucus is demanding rule changes that would enhance the group’s influence. Moderate Republicans have said they will accept rule changes only if doing so leads to McCarthy’s election as speaker. But some of McCarthy opponents, including Biggs and Gaetz, have suggested they would not back him under any circumstances. The Democrats have picked Hakeem Jeffries to serve as minority leader after Pelosi, the first woman to serve as speaker, stepped down from leadership. She will remain in office as a representative. (Reporting by David Morgan; Editing by Scott Malone, Michelle Nichols and Alistair Bell) View the full article

Published by OK Magazine mega Looks like Prince Harry is ready to move on from his old life for good. In a preview for the prince’s 60 Minutes interview with Anderson Cooper, which will premiere on Sunday, January 8, on CBS, the journalist bluntly asked: “Can you see a day when you would return as a full-time member of the royal family?” “No,” the 38-year-old replied. Others weighed in on the dad-of-two’s response, and it seemed like they were thrilled he stay far away from the U.K. One person wrote, “I wouldn’t trust them to come back as working royals when they have sold their family out for cash. I wouldn’t trust them to not have hidden microphones/be taking photos w/o permission or selling even more stories for cash,” while another added, “The Royal Family can never trust him again.” After Harry and Meghan Markle, 41, moved to the U.S. in 2020, they have told their side of the story, which hasn’t sat well with his brother, Prince William, and father, King Charles. As OK! previously reported, Harry will release his upcoming memoir, titled Spare, on January 10, and it sounds like he’s not holding back. mega PRINCE HARRY ALLEGEDLY THREW FIT AFTER ELDERLY MAN ASKED FOR PHOTOGRAPH, CLAIMS BOOK: ‘HE STORMED OFF’ In another preview for the TV special, Cooper asked the Duke of Sussex if he tried to leave the monarchy in a quiet way, to which he replied, “Every single time I’ve tried to do it privately there have been briefings and leakings and planting of stories against me and my wife. You know, the family motto is never complain, never explain, but it’s just a motto.” mega “They will feed or have a conversation with the correspondent. And that correspondent will literally be spoon-fed information and write the story. And at the bottom of it they will say that they’ve reached out to Buckingham Palace for comment. But the whole story is Buckingham Palace commenting,” he continued. “So when we’re being told for the last six years, ‘We can’t put a statement out to protect you.’ But you do it for other members of the family. It becomes — there becomes a point when silence is betrayal.” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Harry Melling says transgender rights are a “very simple” issue after the backlash against ‘Harry Potter’ writer JK Rowling. The 33-year-old actor, who found fame after playing Dudley Dursley in the wizard film franchise, says he can “only speak for himself” amid the furore surrounding JK’s comments on the transgender community, but says he supports the freedom for anyone to choose to identify in whatever manner they choose. He told the Independent: “I can only speak for myself, and what I feel, to me, is very simple, which is that transgender women are women and transgender men are men. “Every single person has the right to choose who they are and to identify themselves as what’s true to themselves. “I don’t want to join the debate of pointing fingers and saying, ‘That’s right, that’s wrong’, because I don’t think I’m the correct spokesperson for that. But I do believe that everybody has the right to choose.” ‘Harry Potter’ writer JK, 57, was last year defended over her transgender views by Ralph Fiennes. The 59-year-old actor, who played Lord Voldemort in film franchise based on the writer’s book series, said he understands where JK is “coming from” with her remarks on trans issues and branded the abuse and death threats with which she has been targeted in the wake of her comments “disgusting”. JK has been hit by online attacks since 2020 when she bemoaned the loss of references to biological women. She took issue with an online article’s mention of “people who menstruate” by tweeting: “‘People who menstruate’. I’m sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?” Among those who have since hit out at the author over her remarks are ‘Harry Potter’ actors including Daniel Radcliffe, 33, and Emma Watson, 32, as well as Eddie Redmayne, 40, who featured in her ‘Fantastic Beasts’ films. JK also recently ended up in a war of words with singer Billy Bragg over transgender rights and accused him of using the “Holocaust to attack feminists”. She claimed “bearded men”, including Billy, 65, and BBC chat show host Graham Norton, 59, are defining what a woman is instead of leaving it to females. View the full article

Published by Ultimate Classic Rock Simon Le Bon said Duran Duran‘s induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame brought them mixed emotions, because former guitarist Andy Taylor’s cancer meant he couldn’t join them for the ceremony. In a recent interview with BBC Radio 2, the singer described 2022 as their best year since the dizzying heights of the ’80s, and looked forward to more action in the coming year. “It was an incredible moment of pride, but also of sadness too,” Le Bon said. “Andy Taylor, he’s very unwell. And we were very sad that he couldn’t be there with us to share with us.” Le Bon explained that after the ceremony… Read More View the full article

Published by OK Magazine @cher/twitter Cher is entering 2023 unbothered and in love! On New Year’s Day, the superstar posted two photos with boyfriend Alexander Edwards, and while she was beaming in the snaps, she also appeared to debunk rumors of an engagement, wearing the huge diamond ring he gifted her on her middle finger. mega However, the majority of fans didn’t even comment on the bling, as they were too focused on the singer, 76, calling her new man, 36, “Daddy” in the caption. After a slew of commenters cringed at her words, she hit back, quipping, “It’s Never been My Go To, But I Didn’t Realize That This Term Of Endearment Comes With Consequences.. God I Hope There’s No Mandatory Jail Time.” The mom-of-two followed up when one fan gushed over how happy the new couple look. “Ppl Hide In The Dark ,Light, In Basements, Penthouses … DONT LET THESE PPL CHANGE ANYTHING YOU WANT Love Etc.,” she tweeted. “Listen to these idiots & See hostility,& Vitriol in its purist Form.” Cher shared a second photo in which the two looked into each others while flashing their pearly whites, writing alongside the pic, “This should Send you Haters to The Part in Wizard of OZ…WHEN DOROTHY THREW WATER ON THE wicked Witch & Melted her.” @cher/twitter This isn’t the first time the music icon has clapped back at haters, who tried to diminish the romance due to the 40-year age gap. CHER’S MOTHER PASSES AWAY AT 96: ‘MOM IS GONE’ “I DONT GIVE AFK WHAT ANYONE THINKS. I’m Not Defending us. Haters are Gonna Hate…Doesn’t Matter That we’re Happy & Not Bothering Anyone,” she responded via Twitter. “Love doesn’t know math.” All of that being said, Cher acknowledged their age difference is “kind of ridiculous,” but they still “get along great.” “If I hadn’t met younger men in my life, I would have never had a date because older men just didn’t like me all that much,” she confessed on a December episode of The Kelly Clarkson Show. “Well, I have had a couple of boyfriends that we were hovering around my age, but they just didn’t like me for some reason and maybe men don’t care if you’re funny, outrageous and want to do stupid things and you have the strong personality. I am not giving up my personality for anybody!” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Janet Jackson is determined to create a “non-toxic working environment” for her upcoming tour. The 56-year-old singer plans to follow the example of Beyonce, who previously vetted producers and rejected songs by artists for her ‘Renaissance’ album if they faced abuse or harassment allegations. A source told The Sun newspaper’s Bizarre column: “Janet is taking a leaf out of Beyonce’s book and is implementing #MeToo checks as she prepares for her ‘Together Again’ tour. “The checks will see everyone from her dancers and band mates to crew and general staff vetted to ensure they don’t have a history of abuse. “It’s not cheap to do but for Janet and those close to her, creating a safe and kind work environment is more important than profits. “She also wants a completely non-toxic working environment for all her staff and by implementing these early checks she is eradicating the risk.” Janet is absolutely determined that nothing will derail her upcoming tour. The insider explained: “Janet’s ‘Together Again’ tour is expected to generate over £70 million and will be a massive event. A show that big and of the scale Janet plans cannot ­afford anything to happen to it. “Janet is determined everyone working on the tour can be completely comfortable and that they are in a safe environment.” In December, Janet announced details of ‘Together Again’, her first tour in four years. The chart-topping star told her fans that she couldn’t wait to see them again. Janet – who will perform in North America in April 2023 – said on Instagram: “You guys, I miss you so much, I am so excited to see you. You guys have no idea, I’ve missed you so much, so much, and I can’t wait to be with you. I’m so excited.” View the full article

Published by Al-Araby A rabbi in Israel reportedly said the newly appointed speaker of the Knesset, Amir Ohana, was “infected with a disease” because of his sexuality. Rabbi Meir Mazuz, the rabbinic leader of Tunisian Jews in Israel, made the comments about Ohana – a staunch supporter of new Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the first openly gay speaker of the Knesset – during an online lecture on Saturday, according to Israeli media. Mazuz, who has a long history of making inflammatory remarks about the LGBTQ+ community, said during his sermon that the annual Pride Parade in Israel was a parade of “beasts walk… Read More View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Kesha is hoping for “great sex” in 2023. The ‘Praying’ singer is “so excited” for the year ahead and she’s expressed her hope that the coming 12 months brings “love and happiness” to her and her fans – as well as a more saucy wish. Sharing some photos of herself in a bikini on Instagram, she wrote: “So happy for a new year. So excited for what’s coming [star emojis] this year I hope brings us all love and happiness. Peace and joy! And great sex. [love face emoji] (sic)” Last June, the 35-year-old star declared she was “not gay” but “not straight” either. Celebrating LGBTQ+ Pride Month, she wrote: “Happy pride! In case I haven’t been straight forward enough (LOL) I just wanted to take a sec to tell everyone that you are not only enough, just as you are, but the world is so f****** lucky to have you. “I’m not gay. I’m not straight. I don’t know what I am. I love people. I love people because we are all our own little consciousness journeys, dancing around the sun. How weird and interesting and fun this life is, right? “I refuse to be anything, really, except for open to it all. I know it can be confusing sometimes, but you are so seen and loved. “Love u animals, happy pride [rainbow emoji] see u at stonewall soon!!!!!(sic)” Kesha previously claimed she had “gone to the bone zone” with a ghost but a few months ago, she admitted she never actually had sex with a spirit, but had been involved in a “very sensual experience” with the supernatural. She said: “I was in Texas, Fort Worth, Texas, and I had something wake me up while I was in bed with my boyfriend at the time, and it was a touch down the body. “I woke up and looked at the end of the bed and there was an apparition of a woman. “So, full disclosure, I never actually slept with a ghost. But she did wake me up in a very sensual way.” View the full article

Published by Computer World By Charlotte Trueman After going on a hiring spree during the pandemic, tech companies are now laying off staff in job cuts that sometimes involve thousands of employees. While the layoffs may be necessary to help boost sagging profit margins, proponents of diversity in the tech sector are concerned that the job cuts may disproportionally affect underrepresented groups. According to Layoffs.fyi, the online tracker keeping tabs on job losses in the technology sector, 152,542 employees from 993 global tech companies were laid off in 2022. While the COVID-19 pandemic had a huge financial hit on i… Read More View the full article

Published by New York Daily News Marriage is on the horizon for “Good Morning America” host Robin Roberts. The anchor plans to tie the knot with longtime partner Amber Laign this year, she announced on Monday’s episode of the ABC morning show. “I’m saying ‘yes’ to marriage,” Roberts, 62, said. “We’re getting married this year. It was something we have talked about, but we had put it off.” She made the announcement during a segment with motivational speaker Gabby Bernstein, who encouraged Roberts to manifest what she wants in 2023. Roberts began dating Laign in 2005, according to People. She didn’t reveal a date or any specifi… Read More View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Martina Navratilova insists she’s “not done yet” as she braces herself to battle two cancers. The multi-Grand Slam winner, 66, made the declaration when thanking fans after it was revealed on Monday (02.01.23) she was had been diagnosed with throat and breast cancer. She tweeted: “Needless to say my phone and twitter are both blowing up so I will say again – thank you all for your support and I am not done yet.” Billie Jean King, 79, has led the flood of support for Martina since she confirmed she had cancer, with the tennis icon hailing her for being “as brave as she is strong”. Martina, who is married to former Russian beauty queen Julia Lemigova, 50, and who won 59 Grand Slam singles and doubles titles in her four-decade career, said she had been hit with a “double whammy” diagnosis of two forms of cancer. She discovered an enlarged lymph node in her neck in November, with tests saying she had stage one throat cancer. Another “suspicious form” was then found in her breast unrelated to her throat cancer. Martina said: “This double whammy is serious but still fixable. I’m hoping for a favourable outcome. It’s going to stink for a while but I’ll fight with all I have got.” It comes 13 years after the tennis icon underwent radiation therapy for breast cancer and was given the all-clear after undergoing six weeks of chemotherapy. A spokeswoman for Martina added both her cancers “are in early stage with great outcomes”, with a statement released on Monday (02.01.23) saying: “Martina Navratilova has been diagnosed with stage one throat cancer. The prognosis is good and Martina will start her treatment this month. “The cancer type is HPV and this particular type responds really well to treatment. Martina noticed an enlarged lymph node in her neck during the WTA finals in Fort Worth. When it didn’t go down, a biopsy was performed, the results came back as stage one throat cancer. “At the same time as Martina was undergoing the tests for the throat, a suspicious form was found in her breast, which was subsequently diagnosed as cancer, completely unrelated to the throat cancer. “Both these cancers are in their early stages with great outcomes.” Martina won’t be covering the Australian Open for the Tennis Channel from their studio but hopes to be able to join in from time to time by Zoom. Former left-hander Martina has become a key part of the BBC’s coverage at Wimbledon since her retirement. She will undergo treatment on her stage one throat cancer caused by the human papillomavirus this month. Martina lives with Julia in Miami with their two daughters, five Belgian Malinois dogs, turtles and a cat, and in 2012 she said motherhood had changed her so dramatically she had cut down on her travelling to spend more time with her family. Born in Revnice, Czech Republic, she was one of the first openly gay sports figures, with her record nine Wimbledon singles title wins coming between 1978 and 1990 before she retired in 1994 and was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2000. View the full article

Published by Raw Story On Tuesday, ahead of the swearing in of the new Republican House majority, the Huffington Post laid out how a small group of far-right lawmakers are poised to wield total power in the chamber — making Republican leadership, including Kevin McCarthy even if he manages to be elected Speaker, effectively subservient to their demands. “With House Republicans holding just a four-vote majority, the influence of the party’s far right will only grow in the new Congress as each GOP vote holds sway. As Norm Ornstein of the American Enterprise Institute observed to The New Yorker recently, ‘When your mar… Read More View the full article

Published by Al-Araby A Tunisian court has dropped a long-running, symbolic case against a gay rights activist who faced prison for alleged homosexual acts, a court official and a rights group said. The appeals court in the central city of Kairouan ruled that the case against activist “Daniel” was null and void, rights group Damj said. “It’s a victory for Daniel and a victory for us,” the group told AFP. Court spokesman Riadh Ben Halima confirmed the ruling, saying it was on the basis of “procedural irregularities, as police had searched his computer without a warrant”. Daniel, along with five other men, had origin… Read More View the full article

Published by AFP Amber McLaughlin, seen in this photo released by the Missouri Department of Corrections, is scheduled for America's first execution of a transgender person Washington (AFP) – A transgender woman convicted of murder was scheduled to be put to death Tuesday in the first such execution in the United States. Barring clemency from the governor of Missouri, Amber McLaughlin, 49, would be the first transgender person of either sex to be executed in the country, and also the first person to die by capital punishment this year in America. McLaughlin was scheduled to receive a lethal injection for a killing before her transition. She was convicted of murdering a former girlfriend in 2003 in a suburb of St. Louis. McLaughlin stalked the victim to the point where the ex-partner sought a restraining order. The day of the killing, McLaughlin waited for the woman — named Beverly Guenther — as she left work. Guenther was raped and stabbed to death with a kitchen knife. Her body was dumped near the Mississippi river. In 2006 a jury found McLaughlin guilty of murder but was deadlocked on what her punishment should be. The trial judge stepped in and imposed the death penalty. Such intervention is allowed in Missouri as well as in Indiana. Citing the fact that a jury did not sentence McLaughlin to death, her lawyers asked Governor Mike Parson to commute her sentence to life in prison. “The death sentence now being considered does not come from the conscience of the community — but from a single judge,” her attorneys argued in their clemency request. They also argued that McLaughlin had had a troubled childhood and suffers from mental health issues. Her cause has drawn support from high-profile people including two Missouri members of the US House of Representatives, Cori Bush and Emanuel Cleaver. In a letter to the governor they said McLaughlin’s adoptive father used to beat her with a baton and even tasered her. “Alongside this horrendous abuse, she was also silently struggling with her identity, grappling with what we now understand is gender dysphoria,” the letter states. The condition describes people feeling their sex at birth and gender identity do not match. Press reports say McLaughlin began her gender transition in recent years but has remained in the men’s section of death row in Missouri. The Death Penalty Information Center, which works to abolish such punishment in America, said there is no known case of an openly transgender person being executed in the United States. The issue has drawn more attention in recent months, with the supreme court of Ohio upholding a death sentence against a transgender woman and Oregon state commuting one, the center said. Since taking office in 2018, governor Parson has never granted a clemency request. View the full article

Published by Radar Online Mega Marjorie Taylor Greene and her husband finalized their divorce months after he first filed for a formal separation earlier this year, RadarOnline.com can confirm. The former couple’s divorce was reportedly finalized on December 22, three months after Marjorie’s now ex-husband Perry Greene filed for separation in September following 27 years of marriage together. Mega According to court records obtained by Daily Mail, the former couple’s multi-million-dollar marital assets were divided in a secret out-of-court agreement between the two. Although the terms of the agreement have not been disclosed, the assets reportedly included Marjorie’s stock portfolio, the former pair’s two homes in Alpharetta and Rome, Georgia and the congresswoman’s father’s construction company. Marjorie’s ex-husband, who will continue to run the million-dollar construction company despite the couple’s divorce, reportedly earns upwards of $200,000 a year. Marjorie’s thousands of shares in different corporate stocks, such as Apple, AFLAC insurance, and an alternative energy company named NextEra Energy, were also reportedly divvied up amongst the pair’s marital assets. Mega “You can go f— yourself and hope I never meet you in person!” the GOP congresswoman’s ex-husband reportedly told Daily Mail when the outlet requested details about the pair’s secret settlement. Perry Greene also refused to disclose the reasoning for his separation and subsequent divorce from Marjorie, although reports suggest the pair’s split was a result of the GOP congresswoman’s multiple alleged affairs over the past ten years. As RadarOnline.com previously reported, the couple’s relationship first started to deteriorate in 2012 when it was revealed MTG was involved in an alleged extramarital affair with her “polyamorous tantric sex guru” Craig Ivey. She was also suspected of being involved in yet another extramarital affair with the manager of her fitness gym, Justin Tway. Mega Most recently, the controversial GOP and Donald Trump-supporting congresswoman was linked to right-wing reporter Brian Glenn. Photos of the 48-year-old congresswoman and Glenn first surfaced in early November, just weeks after Marjorie’s ex filed for separation and days after the Republican reporter filed for divorce from his own wife. “My divorce has nothing to do with Marjorie Taylor Greene,” Glenn told reporters after the pair were spotted having dinner together in Georgia. “No, I do not have a romantic relationship with Marjorie Taylor Greene.” “We have video stuff we do,” he continued. “She’s in politics, I’m in politics. That’s what’s going on.” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Ruggero Deodato, renowned as the director behind the “most controversial film ever”, has died aged 83. An inspiration for filmmakers including Oliver Stone, Eli Roth and Quentin Tarantino, his most infamous release was the 1980 horror ‘Cannibal Holocaust’. Italian news outlet Il Messaggero reported he had passed away on Thursday (29.12.22), but a cause of death has not yet been released. ‘Cannibal Holocaust’ was so gruesomely realistic it saw Ruggero put on trial for murder. The shocker featured acts of sadomasochism and real-life animal slaughter, leading to the film being banned in several countries. To make it feel more authentic, Ruggero also convinced the actors to fully disappear for one year – but police seized all copies of the film and prosecuted the filmmaker for allegedly killing his cast. While facing 30 years in jail, the director convinced the stars of the film to appear in court to prove they were still alive and save him from a sentence. He claimed the film was a satire on the exploitative violence shown on Italian news at the time, adding about improvising most of the film’s plot on set: “Tomorrow we’ll impale a girl, tomorrow we’ll kill the unfaithful wife… tomorrow we’ll kill a pig, because a crew member is fed up with eating fish. “I couldn’t kill real people, so the animals got killed, but all the animals were eaten. They didn’t just die for the film.” The plot sees an academic who heads into the Amazon forest in search of a missing American documentary crew feared to have been eaten by a cannibal tribe. He discovers a film they recorded before their deaths, which is said in the movie to be “authentic” footage. The film is hailed as the inspiration for the “found footage” horror genre that includes ‘The Blair Witch Project’ and ‘V/H/S’. Ruggero accused the makers of ‘Blair Witch’ of stealing his idea and said he “didn’t like” the hit 1999 horror. He also accused Oliver Stone of copying a village burning sequence in ‘Cannibal Holocaust’ “almost exactly” for his Vietnam film ‘Platoon’. Ruggero started his career as an assistant director for Roberto Rossellini and worked for Sergio Corbucci on spaghetti western Django. He also made a cameo appearance in Eli Roth’s 2007 ‘torture porn’ sequel ‘Hostel II’. View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English The Spice Girls are said to have been left mortified after their infamous unreleased song with an X-rated title leaked online. Their cheeky ‘C. U. Next Tuesday’ track emerged after nearly three decades of being hidden, The Sun reported on Thursday. (29.12.22) The publication said bandmates Mel B, 47, Mel C, 48, Victoria Beckham, also 48, Emma Bunton, 46, and Geri Horner, 50, are “baffled” by the “major security breach” after the sing was this week uploaded. A music insider told The Sun: “The Spice Girls are all at a very different place in their lives now than they were when this song was first written as a tongue-in-cheek track in the Nineties. “It is obviously a bit embarrassing given the cringeworthy title, as they wouldn’t use the c-word in their own lives. “It is a bit of a mystery how on earth it has got out but they aren’t going to dwell on it. “The group have other projects they are looking forward to in 2023 so are focusing on them and hoping this song – which they were never particularly fond of – is forgotten.” The hidden track was written and recorded 27 years ago for their debut album ‘Spice’ but the group hated it so much they refused to allow it to be included as a bonus track when they re-released their first record in 2021. It’s understood the Spice Girls believe it would be a futile waste of time to try and track the source of the leak. Fans have known about the song’s existence for years as the band have mentioned it in interviews, but it appears this is the first time it has been publicly leaked. Mel C has said: “‘C.U. Next Tuesday’ was never used because it’s a pile of s***.” View the full article

Published by Reuters By Kristina Cooke, Mike Spector, Benjamin Lesser, Dan Levine and Disha Raychaudhuri (Reuters) – Lawmakers around the United States have tried to grant justice to victims of decades-old incidents of child sexual abuse by giving them extra time to file lawsuits. Now some of the defendants in these cases, including church and youth organizations, are finding a safe haven: America’s bankruptcy courts. In New York, nearly 11,000 cases flooded state courts, many seeking to hold Catholic dioceses responsible for sexual abuse by clergy, after a 2019 law suspended statutes of limitations that would have otherwise barred many of the lawsuits. In response, four New York dioceses that collectively faced more than 500 sexual-abuse claims filed for bankruptcy. That halted the cases — and blocked those from anyone who might sue later — and forced the plaintiffs to negotiate a one-time settlement for all abuse claims in bankruptcy court. The pattern has taken hold across the United States, a Reuters review of bankruptcies precipitated by mass child sexual-abuse litigation found. Many of the defendants turning to bankruptcy court are nonprofit organizations. In court filings dating back to 2009, the Boy Scouts of America, a New York boys & girls club and 13 separate Catholic institutions each have cited state laws extending abuse victims’ right to sue as factors in their decisions to seek bankruptcy protection. Such bankruptcies are “the counterpunch” to the state laws enabling more victims to seek justice and compensation through lawsuits, said Stephen Rubino, a lawyer who’s represented clergy abuse victims for more than 30 years. In all, 23 states, two territories and Washington, D.C., have passed laws that suspend statutes of limitations for sexual-abuse victims who were previously prevented from suing over older cases. The suspensions typically last a year or more, allowing plaintiffs to file new lawsuits involving old abuse cases during that period. California, New York and several other states passed such laws in 2019. Bankruptcy courts are undermining the impact of the statutes, some legal experts and victims’ advocates say. Judges overseeing these Chapter 11 filings set their own deadlines to file a sexual-abuse claim for compensation from the bankruptcy settlement. Victims who miss the bankruptcy claims-filing deadline receive nothing or are forced to compete for limited funds set aside for unknown future claimants, the Reuters review of bankruptcies found. “As we dramatically increase access to justice through statutes-of-limitations reform, we have more organizations going into bankruptcy because, frankly, bankruptcy law favors the organizations,” said Marci Hamilton, the founder of Child USA, a group that has advocated for laws expanding sexual-abuse victims’ rights to sue. Child sexual-abuse victims often don’t come forward until much later in life, sometimes past the age of 50, according to several victims’ lawyers and studies on abuse disclosure. Some are not aware of bankruptcy proceedings that affect them until it is too late. Bankruptcy claims-filing deadlines can force victims to come forward before they are ready, Hamilton said. And abuse claimants have limited leverage in Chapter 11 cases that halt their litigation and shield organizations such as dioceses, schools or youth organizations from current and future lawsuits, she said. “The federal bankruptcy law is just defective when it comes to sexual-abuse victims,” Hamilton said. “Their voice is just stolen from them.” Reuters identified settlements in 23 bankruptcies precipitated by child sexual-abuse scandals that halted current and future lawsuits and forced claimants to seek compensation from a trust. The cases involved the Boy Scouts, 21 Catholic organizations and USA Gymnastics. The youth gymnastics organization filed for Chapter 11 protection in 2018 amid a surge of lawsuits alleging abuse by convicted child sexual abuser Larry Nassar. (Now in prison, Nassar could not be reached for comment.) The Boy Scouts and USA Gymnastics did not comment for this story. The Boy Scouts and others have argued that their bankruptcy plans seek to pay claimants fairly and equitably, whereas civil litigation can result in some victims winning large jury verdicts and others receiving smaller judgments or nothing. USA Gymnastics has said it sought bankruptcy protection “to pave the way toward a settlement” with abuse survivors, who last year approved a plan paying them $380 million. The organizations also often conduct extensive marketing campaigns to ensure that potential victims know they can seek compensation in the Chapter 11 cases, a review of the cases shows. The Boy Scouts, for instance, said on a website the group set up for restructuring that it launched a “comprehensive noticing campaign” in the media. The Madison Square Boys & Girls Club in New York City referred Reuters to a bankruptcy-court declaration filed in June by its chief financial officer, Jeffrey Dold. Dold said the organization sought Chapter 11 protection after trying and failing to resolve about 140 pending claims of sexual abuse by club employees and volunteers between the 1940s and 1980s, all filed after the passage of New York’s claims-revival law. The club filed bankruptcy, Dold said, “to provide a forum to address those claims fairly and equitably.” The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops had no comment on the new state laws or their impact nationwide on Catholic organizations facing sexual-abuse lawsuits. In a statement to Reuters, it said it defers to state and local catholic leadership organizations on state laws and bankruptcies. The conference noted the importance of “pastoral outreach” to abuse victims and said that local dioceses have victim assistance coordinators to “assist survivors and accompany them as they seek healing.” The nonprofit organizations’ bankruptcies don’t protect the individual abusers themselves, whom victims can still sue. But they do grant lawsuit immunity to the entities that oversaw employees or volunteers accused of abuse. Lawyers defending organizations targeted by sexual-abuse claims, along with some plaintiffs lawyers, say bankruptcy provides a fair way to compensate victims, many of whom want to avoid the ordeal of a lawsuit and a potential trial. Moreover, organizations and insurers paying the settlements won’t agree to any deal that doesn’t shield them from additional liability, said Susan Boswell, a retired lawyer who represented dioceses in bankruptcies from Arizona to Minnesota. “If you can’t have finality,” she said, “then you are not ever going to be able to get one of these cases done.” America’s federal bankruptcy courts play a critical role in justice and commerce by giving businesses overwhelmed by debt an orderly process to settle with creditors during a reorganization or liquidation. Those debts can include liability from lawsuits over deadly products, fraud, sexual abuse or other wrongdoing. The power of U.S. bankruptcy courts to grant lawsuit immunity to organizations in bankruptcy, their leaders and affiliated entities has expanded over time. And so have the legal tactics of entities seeking Chapter 11 protection: Some corporations engulfed in scandals are now creating subsidiaries solely to absorb their lawsuit liability and declare bankruptcy. Nonprofit organizations facing sexual-abuse lawsuits have pulled another page from the corporate bankruptcy playbook: In striking settlements, they typically seek “nondebtor releases” for their associated entities, such as religious schools and individual parishes. Such releases shield people and entities from lawsuits over issues taken up in bankruptcy settlements. By piggybacking on a nonprofit’s Chapter 11 filing, its affiliated organizations or leaders often get these liability shields without having to file for bankruptcy themselves. Judges often appoint someone to advocate for the interests of potential victims who have not yet sued or made a claim in bankruptcy court. Known as future claims representatives, these appointees are often lawyers or financial professionals who are paid by the debtor and tasked with estimating the number of future claims and the funds needed to cover them. The reality, however, is that late filers often end up competing for smaller amounts than those who meet the deadline, according to court records reviewed by Reuters and attorneys involved in the proceedings. Unknown claimants become “numbers on a chart,” Rubino said. JUSTICE DENIED A former Boy Scout, C, alleges a Scout leader abused him when he was a teenager. Reuters agreed to identify the former Scout, now 40, only by his first initial. He sought compensation in the Boy Scouts bankruptcy in June, long after a deadline of November 16, 2020 for filing claims. C is now unlikely to recover much, if anything, from the $2.46 billion settlement the Boy Scouts reached with claimants alleging sexual abuse, his lawyer said. That’s because claimants who miss the deadline face a gauntlet of additional hurdles and conditions, according to C’s lawyer and a review of the Boy Scouts settlement terms. The Boy Scouts bankruptcy reorganization plan, approved by a judge in September, halts all lawsuits against the Boy Scouts, local councils, churches and other organizations that chartered scouting activities. The bankruptcy’s claims-filing rules take precedence over a recent law passed in California, where C says he was abused, that expanded sexual-abuse victims’ rights to sue. The bankruptcy proceedings generally trump state laws because bankruptcy courts are federal, and typically have the power to override state statutes and halt state lawsuits or court orders. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Laurie Selber Silverstein reasoned in approving the Boy Scouts settlement that it was a better solution for victims than seeking compensation in trial courts. Silverstein declined to comment for this story. In a July opinion approving aspects of the Scouts’ reorganization plan, she noted that insurance carriers, local Scouts councils and chartered organizations would not contribute to the settlement without receiving nondebtor releases from liability. She agreed with lawyers for the Boy Scouts and some claimants that the only alternative to a settlement was a “‘death trap’ of litigation with minimal recoveries in sight.” “These boys–now men–seek and deserve compensation,” the judge wrote, for “abuse which has had a profound effect on their lives and for which no compensation will ever be enough.” Beyond questions of fair compensation, C said the bankruptcy is preventing him from getting his day in court against the Boy Scouts to present what happened to him. C grew up in an unstable home in northern California. His mother considered the Boy Scouts a safe environment for her son. For years after a Scout leader allegedly abused him and other boys, C struggled with acknowledging that what had happened to him was wrong, he told Reuters. He had trusted his Scout leader. Within the past couple of years, he spoke at length with another former Scout about the leader’s behavior, he said. The emotional conversation prompted C to reflect on the damage in his own life stemming from the abuse. He said in an interview that his own struggles relating to others began to make more sense. C lives with his mother, sometimes sleeps in his car and has struggled to find a steady career. “I’m waiting to stand in front of a judge,” C said, and hoping for that judge to say: “‘What happened to you was wrong.’” ‘THE PRIEST WOULD NEVER DO THAT’ Some plaintiffs’ attorneys say bankruptcy proceedings can provide a better way to compensate many sexual-abuse victims than trial courts. Victims often don’t want to go through the ordeal of suing their abusers or the organizations that may have enabled them, said Dan Lapinski, a Motley Rice LLC lawyer representing Boy Scouts claimants. For them, seeking compensation through bankruptcy can allow victims to file a claim confidentially and avoid reliving their trauma in open court. “I have clients who fall into that category” in the Scouts matter, Lapinski said, noting that these victims might not have pursued their claim at all outside of bankruptcy court. Financial coffers of individual dioceses are usually smaller than those of large corporations, said Boswell, the retired lawyer who has represented dioceses facing abuse allegations in bankruptcies. Expensive litigation cuts into the money available for compensation, she said, but a bankruptcy reorganization can attempt to pay all claimants equitably. Still, there is often little left for claimants who come forward later, after bankruptcy filing deadlines pass. In January 2020, a 59-year old former altar boy named Henry attended a church service in Minnesota on a visit back to the state to see family. After the service, Henry said, the priest spoke to parishioners about the financial impact of the 2018 bankruptcy of the local Winona-Rochester diocese, caused in part by sexual-abuse claims. Henry knew the abuse first-hand. When he was 17, a priest assaulted Henry in a pool shower after swimming, he said in an interview. He had kept what happened to himself in part because he thought nobody would believe him, said Henry, who spoke on condition that he be identified only by his middle name. Before clergy sexual-abuse scandals emerged worldwide, his community’s attitude was “the church would never do that, the priest would never do that,” he said. “You’re kind of squelched from the get-go.” Finding out about the bankruptcy in church that day emboldened Henry to come forward, too, he said. Two days after the priest’s comments, he contacted a lawyer who filed a late claim on his behalf. But relatively little money — a maximum of $750,000 — had been set aside for claimants who came forward after a 2019 deadline. Henry received $20,000, which he described as “an almost laughable“ amount. Henry could receive more money later, depending on how many additional claims are filed and how a trustee who determines payouts views his claim. But a final determination won’t be made until a deadline for filing late claims passes several years from now, according to documents Reuters reviewed. The judge in the case declined to comment. By comparison, the settlement covering the 145 sexual-abuse claimants who filed on time was nearly $28 million. That would equate to about $190,000 per victim. The amount individual claimants might receive varies, depending on factors including the duration, severity and impact of their alleged abuse, according to court documents. “What I don’t like is that they put some arbitrary cap on anybody who filed after” the deadline, Henry said. Peter Martin, a spokesperson for the Winona-Rochester diocese, declined to comment on its bankruptcy proceedings. Martin did not respond to inquiries about Henry’s allegations of sexual abuse. POWER AND TRUST Statutes of limitations exist for good reason, some legal scholars say. Historically, states enacted them to encourage plaintiffs to file timely lawsuits based on “reasonably fresh” evidence, said Marie T. Reilly, a professor at Penn State Law in University Park, Pennsylvania. Reilly argues that allowing victims to sue long after their alleged abuse threatens the integrity of the legal system in the name of exacting retribution against institutions such as Catholic dioceses. Over time, memories deteriorate, witnesses die and documents can go missing, she said. “The ability to mount a defense deteriorates with the passage of time,” Reilly said. New York State Senator Brad Hoylman, a Democrat, sponsored the state’s bipartisan legislation reviving child sexual-abuse claims. He told Reuters he pushed the bill because it can be especially difficult for individuals to come forward with allegations against abusers who are often “in positions of power and trust.” For thousands of victims with revived legal rights to seek accountability from institutions in trial courts, bankruptcy filings can be crushing. Doug Kennedy was a teenage Boy Scouts camp staffer in upstate New York when a camp director raped him repeatedly and forced him to engage in other sexual activity, according to a lawsuit he filed. His case was halted by the Boy Scouts bankruptcy. In the years after the assaults, he told Reuters, he buried his memories of the abuse. The man Kennedy accused of abuse, Bruce DeSandre, declined to comment through his attorney. In a court filing, DeSandre denied Kennedy’s allegations of sexual abuse and argued that New York state’s revival law was unconstitutional. When Kennedy, now a college professor, finally came to grips with his abuse, the statute of limitations for filing a lawsuit had passed. In January 2019, he retreated to his office at Virginia Wesleyan University, drew the shades and watched a streaming feed of the New York state legislature’s vote to change the law and allow victims like Kennedy to file lawsuits over abuse that occurred long ago. “I broke down, completely broke down,” he said. He thought he would finally get a chance to get accountability for what was allowed to happen to him. Later that year, in August, he filed his lawsuit against defendants including a Boy Scouts local council and DeSandre. About six months later, the Boy Scouts filed for bankruptcy. Kennedy said his feeling of hope drained away when he heard the news. “Bankruptcy is not justice,” he said. “Bankruptcy is business.” (Reporting by Kristina Cooke, Benjamin Lesser, Dan Levine, Mike Spector and Disha Raychaudhuri; editing by Janet Roberts and Brian Thevenot.) View the full article

Published by Radar Online Mega Scientology leader David Miscavige is apparently “nowhere to be found” as prosecutors search to serve the controversial figure with a federal child trafficking lawsuit, RadarOnline.com has learned. Federal authorities have reportedly attempted to serve the mysterious 62-year-old Scientology leader 27 separate times over four months in Los Angeles, California and Clearwater, Florida. Mega According to Daily Mail, security guards on duty at the California and Florida Scientology properties were “clueless” when lawyers arrived in search of Miscavige. The three plaintiffs in the lawsuit – Gawain and Laura Baxter and Valeska Paris – have also since hired a private investigator in an attempt to track down the evasive church leader. Although Miscavige does not have a recorded permanent address, his last known address was the church’s international headquarters in Los Angeles. In court filings connected to the federal child trafficking lawsuit against him, two former Scientology members said Miscavige lives in a gated church community called Hacienda Gardens just outside of Clearwater. Mega “Miscavige cannot be permitted to continue his gamesmanship,” said Neil Glazer, a lawyer representing one of the plaintiffs in the case. Glazer also said Miscavige is taking part in an “intentional concealment of his location and evasion of service.” The Baxters and Paris filed the lawsuit against the church leader earlier this year and claim they were forced to work on Scientology boats after signing a one-billion-year contract in exchange for no money. Paris also claims she was a victim of sexual assault by church members while still a minor and that she was locked inside an engine room when she was 17 as punishment for her mother leaving Scientology. A Scientology spokesperson has since slammed the allegations against Miscavige and the church, calling the accusations “ridiculous” and the federal lawsuit “a scam.” Mega “The allegations are both scurrilous and ridiculous and the lawsuit is both a sham and a scam,” the spokesperson said. “Valeska Paris already wasted the time of law enforcement when she made these fraudulent claims years ago.” “It is public record they closed her file stating: ‘There are no corroborating witnesses or evidence provided to support the allegations.’” Miscavige is due in court on January 20, but the charges remain pending until the church leader can properly and officially be served with the summons. View the full article

Published by Reuters By Trevor Hunnicutt WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday pardoned six people who have already served time for crimes, including five convicted of drug or alcohol-related offenses and a woman who killed her allegedly abusive husband nearly five decades ago. The latest pardons showed Biden nudging U.S. criminal justice policy away from the war-on-drugs ethos that he and other liberal lawmakers once championed. Now gearing up for a possible re-election bid in 2024, the Democratic president faces pressure to show progress on racial and criminal justice issues. The United States has less than 5% of the world’s population but a fifth of its prisoners. A disproportionate share are people of color, who make up a sizable chunk of Biden’s base of support. All three of Biden’s uses of the pardon power so far in his term have involved reducing the sentences of people convicted of drug-related offenses. In October, he dismissed the sentences of thousands of people with federal offenses for simple marijuana possession and launched a reexamination of how the drug is classified by federal officials. All of the people pardoned on Friday were convicted and served a sentence for the crime, some of which happened decades ago, when they were young. In the years since, they have developed careers and been involved in community service. One of those pardoned was Beverly Ann Ibn-Tamas, now 80, who shot and killed her neurosurgeon husband while she was pregnant in 1976. The case of Ibn-Tamas, who said she was abused and acted in self-defense, became a model for using a woman’s history of abuse in legal arguments. After she was released, Ibn-Tamas worked in healthcare and raised the two children fathered by her husband as a single mother, the White House said. Her daughter is now an attorney. Others on Biden’s list included Vincente Ray Flores, an active-duty Air Force service member, now 37, who was convicted for consuming ecstasy and alcohol while serving at age 19, according to the White House. Biden also pardoned Edward Lincoln De Coito III, a decorated U.S. Army veteran, now 50, who was briefly a courier for marijuana at age 23 and served more than a year in prison. Among the others was a 66-year-old convicted of a crime related to a cocaine deal at age 22; a 77-year-old man who sold whiskey without tax stamps at age 18; and a 72-year old who rented space that was used to grow marijuana nearly 30 years ago. (Reporting by Trevor HunnicuttEditing by Frances Kerry) View the full article

Published by Reuters (Reuters) – A Democratic-controlled U.S. House of Representatives committee on Friday released former President Donald Trump’s tax returns from 2015 through 2020. Below are highlights from his personal tax returns. 2015 Wages $14,141 Taxable interest $9,393,096 Dividends $1,729,897 Business income -$599,030 Rental real estate, -$7,882,011 partnerships, etc. Taxable income $0 Net tax $641,931(Congressional tax panel says this could drop to $750, if a claim of previous losses is approved) 2016 Wages $978 Taxable interest $8,994,141 Dividends $337,938 Business income $8,797,393 Rental real estate, -$15,939,523 partnerships, etc. Taxable income $0 Net tax $750 2017 Wages $373,629 Taxable interest $6,758,494 Dividends $21,984 Business income $1,433,030 Rental real estate, -$16,746,815 partnerships, etc. Taxable income $0 Net tax $750 2018 Wages $393,957 Taxable interest $9,435,377 Dividends $60,254 Business income -$430,408 Rental real estate, -$11,992,220 partnerships, etc. Taxable income $22,951,389 Net tax $999,466 2019 Wages $393,928 Taxable interest $11,332,436 Dividends $71,921 Business income -$225,560 Rental real estate, -$16,472,951 partnerships, etc. Taxable income $2,975,173 Net tax $133,445 2020 Wages $393,229 Taxable interest $10,626,179 Dividends $25,347 Business income -$29,686 Rental real estate, -$15,676,469 partnerships, etc. Taxable income $0 Net tax $0 (Reporting by Moira Warburton in Vancouver; Editing by Daniel Wallis) View the full article