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- Sean Hannity: The left-wing media is full of lying, dishonesty and hysteriaFox News host Sean Hannity said the Democrats cannot run on President Biden's record, so they use out of context quotes to energize his shrinking base. Their latest attempt is to pounce on former President Donald Trump's campaign rally analogy, "bloodbath," in reference to the economic effects on the auto industry if President Biden is elected. MSNBC HISTORIAN ADMITS TRUMP 'BLOODBATH' COMMENT WAS ABOUT AUTO INDUSTRY, STILL COMPARES HIM TO HITLERSEAN HANNITY: I mean, you gotta laugh. Just, you know, full-blown lying, dishonesty, hysteria from NBC, CBS, fake news CNN, ‘MSDNC,’ The New York Times, pretty much everyone in the Democratic Party, every single "mainstream media outlet." They're just flat out lying to your face. Now, Trump's full remarks are on tape. He's clearly not calling for political violence at all. In fact, he is using, well, let's say, a pretty normal analogy. So matter of fact, this phrase pay attention, Liberal Joe, is very common on the left. --They take the words of Donald Trump completely out of context. They pretend that we are facing an existential crisis, and this is what they do every day. The top donors to the Biden campaign this year, like in 2020, like Hillary Clinton in 2016, will be the mob in the media.– Joe has already jumped the shark, compared Trump to the KKK, is accusing Trump of ending American democracy. He's lying about abortion. We now know they lied a lot about January 6th and kept a lot of information that was exculpatory from you, the American people. And he's lied about the economy. Are you better off? Joe Biden is fomenting panic, hysteria, he's promoting a fake existential crisis. He's trying to prop up his shrinking base in the mob and the media. They just are an extension of the Biden campaign.
- California murder suspect stabs attorney with pen before charging prosecutorAn Oakland, California murder suspect faces additional charges after freeing himself from restraints in a courtroom on Monday morning and stabbing his attorney in the face and head with a pen before turning his angst toward the prosecutor.The Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that 28-year-old Ramello Randle was attending his homicide trial at the A.F. Bray Courthouse in Martinez, California at about 10:55 a.m. on Monday when he attacked his attorney with a pen. He then went to attack the district attorney, who the sheriff’s office said was able to push him off.The East Bay Times reported that the incident was witnessed by a Contra Costa jury, which is tasked with determining whether Randle is guilty of murdering his ex-girlfriend in July 2020, as well as attempting to murder a man as a child custody dispute was underway.The publication said Randle cut or broke through restraints keeping him attached to a courtroom chair. He then grabbed defense lawyer Matthew Fregi’s pen and stabbed him in the face and head before charging Deputy District Attorney Kevin Bell, who suffered a scratch on the hand.SAN FRANCISCO COUPLE, TODDLER, KILLED BY SUV WHILE WAITING FOR BUS TO ZOOOfficials reportedly found a note written by Randle before the attack that read, "sorry."Randle, Bell and Fregi are expected back in court on Tuesday to continue the trial, the publication reported.Randle was in court because he and Christopher Slaughter allegedly worked together to kill the mother of Randle’s child, 24-year-old Jonaye Lahkel Bridges.FORMER CALIFORNIA RIDESHARE DRIVER PUNCHED RIDER AFTER THINKING MAN WAS JEWISH OR ISRAELI, DOJ SAYSThe plot allegedly involved tracking Bridges’ vehicle with a tracking device, following her to a store in Antioch, and shooting her and a man who was with her.Bridges was killed in the attack, the publication reported, while the man was wounded but survived.The case had gone to trial previously, but it was declared a mistrial in November 2022 after Randle shouted expletives at Bell during cross-examination. Randle also told Judge Charles "Ben" Burch to shut up, adding he was not his "b - - - h," when the judge tried to control the situation.LA CORONER DISCOVERS DEAD MAN WAS CHILD RAPE SUSPECT THOUGHT TO HAVE KILLED SELF 15 YEARS AGOThe judge ultimately declared a mistrial and the judge told him he could not represent himself.In September 2023, Fregi became Randle's attorney after he allegedly swung at another attorney, tripped and was handcuffed and taken to jail.Now, Judge John Kennedy is presiding over the case and is tasked with looking at how courts have handled other situations when courtroom violence occurs before jurors.After the situation on Monday, the courtroom was cleared and the fire department assessed both attorneys, who refused medical attention.Randle was transported back to jail and now faces additional charges of attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon and battery.
- Blake Snell lands with Giants on 2-year deal after long free agency: reportsOne of the top remaining free agents in MLB is off the market. Blake Snell, the reigning NL Cy Young Award winner, is heading to the San Francisco Giants, according to multiple reports.Snell is signing a two-year deal worth $62 million, though there is an opt-out after the first season. CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COMSnell’s presence in free agency with spring training well underway was alarming to some in the baseball world as he and super agent Scott Boras continued to hold out on deals coming their way. However, the market just didn’t develop the way they would’ve hoped, even after Snell won his second career Cy Young Award. His market began to heat up more than it has in months over the past few days, with the Giants at the top of the list. With Robbie Ray on the 60-day IL as he works back from Tommy John surgery, as well as Alex Cobb and Tristan Beck set to miss the beginning of the year, the Giants were always in the market for more starting pitching to go along with ace Logan Webb and Kyle Harrison. TREVOR BAUER TO FACE YANKEES IN EXHIBITION GAME WITH MEXICAN LEAGUE TEAMSnell should fit well in the rotation, though it’s unknown when that will be as the season starts in just a couple of weeks. The Houston Astros were also among those reportedly showing interest in Snell, though they were considered long shots to sign him. They reportedly "balked" at Snell’s asking price, which was a $60 million guaranteed over two years that includes an opt-out after this upcoming season.The New York Yankees, also in the market for a rotation arm after Gerrit Cole will miss the start of the season, reportedly moved on from Snell as well.It’s unknown if this Giants deal includes the opt-out, but the money is right where he wanted it. If Snell feels he can clean up with a longer-term deal in free agency after the 2024 season, he has the ability to do so with this pact.Snell, who won the Cy Young with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2018, posted a 2.25 ERA in 32 starts with 234 strikeouts to a league-leading 99 walks in 180 innings last season for the San Diego Padres.The 31-year-old features a nasty pitch mix, which includes a mid-90s fastball and a sweeping curveball that had a 56.3% whiff rate last season with a 33.5 put-away percentage, meaning hitters were fooled when it was thrown at a high rate.The Giants need all the help they can get in the NL West, where they have to face the star-studded Los Angeles Dodgers, Snell’s old Padres squad and the reigning NL-champion Arizona Diamondbacks.Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
- Legal experts weigh in on Trump’s options after failure to secure $464M appeal bond: ‘uncharted territory’Legal experts are weighing in on Donald Trump’s options after attorneys for the former president said he has not been able to secure a $464 million appeal bond he needs following a New York civil fraud judgment against him. Trump’s lawyers wrote in a Monday court filing that obtaining the nearly half-a-billion appeal was a "practical impossibility under the circumstances presented." David Gelman, a criminal defense attorney and a former deputy district attorney, called the judgment a "unicorn." He argued that the judge should give Trump a lot more leeway to satisfy the bond because "not even the richest man in the world has $464 million lying around." A New York Appeals Court judge denied Trump’s request late last month to delay payment of the $464 million owed as a result of the lawsuit brought by New York State Attorney General Letitia James, but said he would temporarily allow the 2024 front-runner and his sons to continue running their business during the appeals process. A New York Appeals Court judge previously ruled that the former president must post a bond for the full amount of the judgment and that an independent director of compliance will be appointed. That ruling comes after New York Judge Arthur Engoron handed down his decision earlier in February after a months-long trial beginning in October in which the former president was accused of inflating his assets and committing fraud in financial documents.JAMES CARVILLE SAYS BIDEN CAMP RIGHT TO BE CONCERNED ABOUT BLACK VOTE: ‘IT IS A PROBLEM’Engoron ruled that Trump and other defendants were liable for "persistent and repeated fraud," "falsifying business records," "issuing false financial statements," "conspiracy to falsify false financial statements," "insurance fraud" and "conspiracy to commit insurance fraud."Gelman told Fox News Digital that "everyone needs to realize how unprecedented this is." "There has never been a judgment of this magnitude against a company or individual in the history of New York, so we are really in uncharted territory." Gelman said Trump has three options: not appeal, ask the court to allow Attorney General James to use his property as collateral, or take it to a federal court and say the New York law is unconstitutional on its face. "Courts really don’t deny bonds when there are other ways to pay. Again, because this is so unprecedented, and I don’t care how rich you are, nobody has that much liquid cash. So if a court had the option to allow a defendant to use some other collateral to satisfy the bond, they will," Gelman said. He added that there was no reason for the judge or Attorney General James to say no. "You’re dealing with Trump. He’s not going anywhere. He’s the most famous and well known person in the world. It’s not like he can just disappear and can’t be found," Gelman said. NATHAN WADE CANCELS MAJOR IN-PERSON NETWORK INTERVIEW, CITING FAMILY EMERGENCYFormer federal prosecutor Andrew Cherkasky told Fox News’ The Story with Martha MacCallum that he "would not count Trump out yet." Cherkasky said that even if the court denies Trump’s appeal, he "still has paths to move forward through federal court – ultimately to the Supreme Court to complain about Eight Amendment violations." Per the Eighth Amendment, which deals with cruel and unusual punishment, "excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted." Cherkasky argued that the fines imposed on Trump were so "astronomically high here that it seems unbelievable for the Constitution to permit it under these circumstances." "I think – and I hope – that the New York Court of Appeals looks at it appropriately," Cherkasky said. "But like I said, I think even the Supreme Court would have an interest in this case on Eighth Amendment grounds." Trump attorney Alina Habba told the X22 report Monday she was "confident" Trump's debt would be dismissed. "Despite the fact that witnesses frankly had said that they were great clients, we all made money, they did nothing wrong, we got slammed with this egregious number, and I'm confident we'll overturn it," Habba told the online podcast. Writing on his Truth Social platform later Monday, Trump called the bond set by Engoron "unconsitutitonal, un-American, unprecedented, and practically impossible for ANY company, including one as successful as mine." "The Bonding Companies have never heard of such a bond of this size before nor do they have the ability to post such a bond, even if they wanted to," Trump wrote. Fox News' Greg Norman contributed to this report.
- Pleading the Eighth? Ex-federal prosecutor says don't 'count Trump out yet' despite massive fineAs former President Trump continues to fight legal battles on multiple fronts, conjecture arose that the massive fine levied against him by New York Supreme Court First District Judge Arthur Engoron might be the straw to break the presumptive Republican nominee's back.On Monday, Trump's attorneys said he has not been able to secure a $464 million appeal bond he needs following a New York civil fraud judgment against him. In a court filing, Trump's team said obtaining one is a "practical impossibility under the circumstances presented."However, at least one prosecutor said despite appearances, the former president may have a sound legal case to shrink or put aside the $464 million bond that New York State Attorney General Letitia James said she will seek to otherwise enforce as he appeals."I would not count Trump out yet," former federal prosecutor Andrew Cherkasky told "The Story" on Monday.PENCE DECLINES TO ENDORSE TRUMP; WON'T BACK BIDEN"He has a week yet to actually have this money secured in order to file the appeal," Cherkasky said.The former U.S. Air Force judge advocate general noted Trump is already attempting to get a court's approval for a $100 million bond amount instead or procure a ruling nixing the bond entirely.The Constitution, Cherkasky said, appears to be in Trump's corner.With the bond and fine being as high as they are, Trump has a potential Eighth Amendment defense, as James has threatened to begin seizing his New York assets, which include The Trump Building at 40 Wall Street, a large stake in a commercial skyscraper, plus his iconic Trump Tower.The Eighth Amendment decrees "excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted."TRUMP ATTORNEYS SAY $464M APPEAL BOND A ‘PRACTICAL IMPOSSIBILITY’Judge Anil Singh, an Andrew Cuomo appointee to the state's appellate court, dealt another judicial blow to Trump in late February when he denied the former president a pause in the collection of the bond.Singh, however, decided he would allow Trump and sons Eric and Don Jr. to continue running the family business during the appeals process – as Engoron has banned them from operating in New York for several years hereforth."[If] James actually does try to foreclose on some of his properties, I think he still has paths to move forward through federal court, ultimately to the Supreme Court to complain about Eighth Amendment violations," Cherkasky told "The Story."The prosecutor added it seems "unbelievable" the Constitution would permit such a lien against Trump.CLICK TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP"It does seem very unusual to have to essentially disgorge yourself of everything that you're still fighting for through the appellate channel," he said, noting Trump appears counter to the typical defendant attempting to delay or decrease fine enforcement.
- Philadelphia DA Krasner declines to retry decade-old mass shooting caseA Philadelphia man won't be retried in a 2011 shooting that injured four people, including a 6-year-old girl, and sent him to prison for more than a decade at age 17, a prosecutor announced Monday.A judge closed the case against C.J. Rice, now 30, months after a federal judge found the defense lawyer at his 2013 trial deficient and the evidence "slender." Rice had been serving a 30- to 60-year prison term until he was released amid the federal court ruling late last year.The case was formally dismissed Monday after District Attorney Larry Krasner decided not to retry it. While he said most of the 45 exonerations his office has championed have been more clearcut cases of innocence, he found a new look at the evidence in Rice's case more nuanced.SEVERELY DECOMPOSED BODY OF UNIDENTIFIED TODDLER FOUND INSIDE DUFFEL BAG IN WEST PHILADELPHIA: POLICE"The case falls within that 15% or so (of exoneration cases) where we believe it's murky," Krasner said at a press conference where he was joined by defense lawyers who pushed back on that view.The reversal hinged on a few key points. A surgeon testified that Rice could not have been the person seen running from the scene because Rice had been seriously injured in a shooting three weeks earlier that fractured his pelvis.Rice was shot on Sept. 3, 2011, in what he described as a case of mistaken identity. His trial lawyer, now deceased, agreed to stipulate that one of the Sept. 25, 2011, shooting victims was a potential suspect in Rice’s shooting — giving prosecutors a motive — even though there was little evidence of that."The evidence of (his) guilt was slender. Only one of the four victims was able to identify him and she admitted that the last time she had seen (him) was at least four years before the shooting. No weapon was ever recovered," U.S. Magistrate Judge Carol Sandra Moore Wells wrote in her October report.Rice left prison in December, but did not attend Monday’s court hearing. His lawyers said during a news conference that the case echoes many wrongful convictions that involve faulty eyewitness identification, ineffective counsel and overreach by prosecutors.Nilam Sanghvi, legal director of the Pennsylvania Innocence Project, said the crime should have been thoroughly investigated before trial, not years later."It takes courage to face the wrongs of the past," she said, while adding "we can never really right them because we can’t restore the years lost to wrongful conviction — here, over a decade of C.J.’s life."
- St. Louis teen Kaylee Gain still unconscious, suffering from fractured skull after brutal attackThe family of the St. Louis teen who was violently attacked in a viral video shared an update on her condition, saying the road ahead remains long and uncertain.The video showed Kaylee Gain, 16, having her head repeatedly pounded on the pavement in the March 8 assault near Hazelwood East High School in Spanish Lake, Missouri, just outside St. Louis. According to family attorney Bryan Kaemmerer, Gain suffered a fractured skull, resulting in life-threatening brain swelling and bleeding.He said she has not regained consciousness in the week or so since the fight, Fox 2 reported.MISSOURI AG SAYS JUVENILE SYSTEM MUST BE REFORMED AFTER TEEN ARRESTED FOR SLAMMING GIRL’S HEAD INTO PAVEMENTThe following day, police arrested a 15-year-old girl in connection with the fight. She’s currently being held by St. Louis County Family Court on assault charges.After the attack went viral, Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey said the suspect who brutally beat Gain in the violent brawl should be tried as an adult and charged with murder if the offense rose to a homicide. "We’ve got to reform our juvenile system to ensure that these sorts of issues are addressed," Bailey previously said. "I’m going to be following this case closely. I think there needs to be some accountability in our juvenile system. People are starting to notice that, and it’s causing problems across the State of Missouri."MISSOURI GIRL IN CRITICAL CONDITION AFTER TEEN BRUTALLY ASSAULTED HER NEAR HIGH SCHOOLFriends and family of Gain have set up two GoFundMe accounts to raise money for her medical bills as well as share updates on Kaylee's condition."We are so grateful for the amazing medical staff who have been working tirelessly to give her the best possible chance at a full recovery. We know she has a very long road ahead of her, but we remain hopeful," the family said in a statement on Kaylee's Recovery funds page.Fox News Digital's Bradford Betz contributed to this report.
- Ex-Cowboys star Leighton Vander Esch, 28, retires from NFL after several neck injuriesFormer Dallas Cowboys star Leighton Vander Esch announced his retirement on Monday due to injuries.Vander Esch, 28, suffered a season-ending neck injury against the San Francisco 49ers during the team’s Week 5 loss to the San Francisco 49ers. It would be the third time in six seasons he played in 10 games or fewer.The Cowboys released him last week.He thanked his wife, coaches, fans, his agent and his alma mater Boise State in his retirement message posted on the Cowboys’ team website.CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM"During my six years as a Cowboys player, I've always pursued success and winning football games, while preparing and training with the highest standards of competition, passion and perseverance," he said in part. "It has been an honor to represent my family, my teammates and the people of Dallas."I realize that I am no longer able to adhere to the unwavering standard of excellence that professional football demands. I say this with a heavy heart: I am medically retiring from the NFL. I love the game of football so much, but my body won't cooperate any longer. "I cherished every moment of my NFL career, and it has been such a blessing to play the game for as long as I have played. This year, things may look a little different for me, but the sole focus is being a great husband and father for my loving family."ROBERT GRIFFIN III THINKS CALEB WILLIAMS SHOULD TELL BEARS HE WON'T PLAY FOR THEM: 'PULL AN ELI MANNING'The Cowboys selected Vander Esch with the No. 19 overall pick of the 2018 draft. He quickly became an integral part of the defense, earning a Pro Bowl selection in his rookie season.In his second year, the injuries began. He suffered a nerve issue in his neck which forced him to miss the final few weeks of the season. The 2020 season was also derailed because of another nerve issue in his neck. He managed to return in the middle of the season.Vander Esch played in every game in 2021, racking up 77 tackles, a sack and an interception. But in 2022, it was more of the same. He suffered a neck stinger that cost him a few games. He managed to play for Dallas in the playoffs, but the Cowboys didn’t go far.In 2023, Vander Esch had 30 tackles and a fumble recovery for a touchdown. He only played in five games."I thank God every day for all that He has given me: my family, my friends, my teammates, and being on this stage to impact people's lives in a positive way," he concluded. "Today, I would like to thank God for the countless blessings he continues to shower over my family and me. You have given me a new healthy baby girl and a wife that follows you."Without trusting in your unwavering love and guidance, I know I wouldn't have made it this far. You have blessed me with the ability to become a Dallas Cowboy and for allowing me the privilege of a 6-year professional football career. I strive to let you work through me in this next chapter to continue to impact people's lives and to be a light in this world."Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
- Trevor Bauer to face Yankees in exhibition game with Mexican League teamTrevor Bauer is once again pitching against an MLB team as he tries to get on a team’s roster in 2024.Bauer announced via social media that he’ll be facing the New York Yankees, but he won’t be playing for the Asian Breeze, the independent team based out of Japan that he previously pitched with against Los Angeles Dodgers minor leaguers – his first pitching appearance in the United States in over three years.This time, Bauer will be playing for the Diablos Rojos, a Mexican team, in a Sunday exhibition against the Yankees on March 24. CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COMBut it won’t be a one-and-done situation for Bauer, who agreed to play five more games for the Diablos as his own version of spring training."I’ll be pitching against the @Yankees on March 24 as a member of the @diablosrojosmx," Bauer wrote on X. "I’ve also agreed to pitch 5 games for the Diablos between April 11 and May 8 in lieu of a traditional spring training period as it’s the best way for me to stay ready to pitch. This will help me stay in game shape and I’ll be able to join a rotation immediately if or when an MLB offer comes. Hope to see you on Sunday and can’t wait to show y’all what Mexican baseball is all about!"TREVOR BAUER REACTS AFTER OUTING VS DODGERS MINOR LEAGUERS: ‘I’M STILL ONE OF THE BEST PITCHERS IN THE WORLD'The Yankees will be in split-squad exhibition games in Mexico City this Saturday and Sunday. The 33-year-old Bauer has been trying to get back into MLB since serving his 194-day suspension that was originally a record 324 games after a woman accused him of sexual assault, which was settled last fall following the decision by prosecutors not to file charges in February 2022.Bauer denied all allegations against him, saying the encounters were consensual. The woman eventually sued him after prosecutors didn’t file charges, and Bauer filed a countersuit. He has noted wanting to play on the league minimum salary for any club to prove he can still be an asset on the mound. During his outing against the Dodgers, the team that cut him following his suspension ending, Bauer topped out at 99 mph several times with his fastball and struck out four of his 12 batters faced."It's not a money thing," he told reporters after his outing with the Asian Breeze. "I've served my suspension twice over. I've been cleared of everything in the legal system. If you think about it logically, there's really no reason I shouldn't have a job.""But I don't. So, it is what it is. We'll see how it plays out. I don't want to predict the future. We'll see."Bauer still feels he’s one of the best pitchers in the world, and he’ll have another chance to prove so against a team that could use some starting pitching with Yankees ace Gerrit Cole expected to miss time to start the season.After his Dodgers release, Bauer went to Japan to pitch for the Yokohama DeNA Baystars. He owned an impressive 2.59 ERA over 156.2 innings in 24 games at two different levels for the Baystars. Bauer struck out 160 batters and walked just 34.The last time Bauer was on an MLB mound was the 2021 season for the Dodgers, where he pitched to a 2.59 ERA over 17 starts (107.2 innings) with 137 strikeouts. Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
- JESSE WATTERS: Trump 'bloodbath' controversy gives Democrats a new hoaxFox News host Jesse Watters shares the full context of President Trump’s controversial "bloodbath" comment on "Jesse Watters Primetime." JESSE WATTERS: When "Inside Edition" is talking about the president's special shoes, saying he needs support so he doesn't stumble, this is a campaign that desperately needs a distraction and this weekend we got one. We have a new hoax, ladies and gentlemen. The dictator on day one now has company. "Trump says country faces bloodbath if Biden wins in November." That was the headline everywhere! I looked at the news Sunday, I'm thinking, "Trump said, what?" So, I do my own research and this is what he actually said. FORMER SUPREME COURT JUSTICE STEPHEN BREYER SOUNDS OFF ON DOBBS DECISION: 'TOO MANY QUESTIONS' DONALD TRUMP: "Let me tell you something to China. If you're listening, President XI and you and I are friends, but he understands the way I deal, those big monster car manufacturing plants that you're building in Mexico right now, and you think you're going to get that, you're going to not hire Americans, and you're going to sell the cars to us. Now, we're going to put a 100% tariff on every single car that comes across the line, and you're not going to be able to sell those guys if I get elected. Now, if I don't get elected, it's going to be a bloodbath for the whole – that's going to be the least of it. It's going to be a bloodbath for the country. That'll be the least of it, but they're not going to sell those cars." Now Trump is not threatening bloody violence if he loses to Biden. He's saying the American auto industry will face a bloodbath from cheap Chinese cars manufactured in Mexico and then dumped here. That's the dictionary definition of bloodbath, "a major economic disaster."
NATIONAL NEWS
- California murder suspect stabs attorney with pen before charging prosecutorAn Oakland, California murder suspect faces additional charges after freeing himself from restraints in a courtroom on Monday morning and stabbing his attorney in the face and head with a pen before turning his angst toward the prosecutor.The Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that 28-year-old Ramello Randle was attending his homicide trial at the A.F. Bray Courthouse in Martinez, California at about 10:55 a.m. on Monday when he attacked his attorney with a pen. He then went to attack the district attorney, who the sheriff’s office said was able to push him off.The East Bay Times reported that the incident was witnessed by a Contra Costa jury, which is tasked with determining whether Randle is guilty of murdering his ex-girlfriend in July 2020, as well as attempting to murder a man as a child custody dispute was underway.The publication said Randle cut or broke through restraints keeping him attached to a courtroom chair. He then grabbed defense lawyer Matthew Fregi’s pen and stabbed him in the face and head before charging Deputy District Attorney Kevin Bell, who suffered a scratch on the hand.SAN FRANCISCO COUPLE, TODDLER, KILLED BY SUV WHILE WAITING FOR BUS TO ZOOOfficials reportedly found a note written by Randle before the attack that read, "sorry."Randle, Bell and Fregi are expected back in court on Tuesday to continue the trial, the publication reported.Randle was in court because he and Christopher Slaughter allegedly worked together to kill the mother of Randle’s child, 24-year-old Jonaye Lahkel Bridges.FORMER CALIFORNIA RIDESHARE DRIVER PUNCHED RIDER AFTER THINKING MAN WAS JEWISH OR ISRAELI, DOJ SAYSThe plot allegedly involved tracking Bridges’ vehicle with a tracking device, following her to a store in Antioch, and shooting her and a man who was with her.Bridges was killed in the attack, the publication reported, while the man was wounded but survived.The case had gone to trial previously, but it was declared a mistrial in November 2022 after Randle shouted expletives at Bell during cross-examination. Randle also told Judge Charles "Ben" Burch to shut up, adding he was not his "b - - - h," when the judge tried to control the situation.LA CORONER DISCOVERS DEAD MAN WAS CHILD RAPE SUSPECT THOUGHT TO HAVE KILLED SELF 15 YEARS AGOThe judge ultimately declared a mistrial and the judge told him he could not represent himself.In September 2023, Fregi became Randle's attorney after he allegedly swung at another attorney, tripped and was handcuffed and taken to jail.Now, Judge John Kennedy is presiding over the case and is tasked with looking at how courts have handled other situations when courtroom violence occurs before jurors.After the situation on Monday, the courtroom was cleared and the fire department assessed both attorneys, who refused medical attention.Randle was transported back to jail and now faces additional charges of attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon and battery.
- Philadelphia DA Krasner declines to retry decade-old mass shooting caseA Philadelphia man won't be retried in a 2011 shooting that injured four people, including a 6-year-old girl, and sent him to prison for more than a decade at age 17, a prosecutor announced Monday.A judge closed the case against C.J. Rice, now 30, months after a federal judge found the defense lawyer at his 2013 trial deficient and the evidence "slender." Rice had been serving a 30- to 60-year prison term until he was released amid the federal court ruling late last year.The case was formally dismissed Monday after District Attorney Larry Krasner decided not to retry it. While he said most of the 45 exonerations his office has championed have been more clearcut cases of innocence, he found a new look at the evidence in Rice's case more nuanced.SEVERELY DECOMPOSED BODY OF UNIDENTIFIED TODDLER FOUND INSIDE DUFFEL BAG IN WEST PHILADELPHIA: POLICE"The case falls within that 15% or so (of exoneration cases) where we believe it's murky," Krasner said at a press conference where he was joined by defense lawyers who pushed back on that view.The reversal hinged on a few key points. A surgeon testified that Rice could not have been the person seen running from the scene because Rice had been seriously injured in a shooting three weeks earlier that fractured his pelvis.Rice was shot on Sept. 3, 2011, in what he described as a case of mistaken identity. His trial lawyer, now deceased, agreed to stipulate that one of the Sept. 25, 2011, shooting victims was a potential suspect in Rice’s shooting — giving prosecutors a motive — even though there was little evidence of that."The evidence of (his) guilt was slender. Only one of the four victims was able to identify him and she admitted that the last time she had seen (him) was at least four years before the shooting. No weapon was ever recovered," U.S. Magistrate Judge Carol Sandra Moore Wells wrote in her October report.Rice left prison in December, but did not attend Monday’s court hearing. His lawyers said during a news conference that the case echoes many wrongful convictions that involve faulty eyewitness identification, ineffective counsel and overreach by prosecutors.Nilam Sanghvi, legal director of the Pennsylvania Innocence Project, said the crime should have been thoroughly investigated before trial, not years later."It takes courage to face the wrongs of the past," she said, while adding "we can never really right them because we can’t restore the years lost to wrongful conviction — here, over a decade of C.J.’s life."
- St. Louis teen Kaylee Gain still unconscious, suffering from fractured skull after brutal attackThe family of the St. Louis teen who was violently attacked in a viral video shared an update on her condition, saying the road ahead remains long and uncertain.The video showed Kaylee Gain, 16, having her head repeatedly pounded on the pavement in the March 8 assault near Hazelwood East High School in Spanish Lake, Missouri, just outside St. Louis. According to family attorney Bryan Kaemmerer, Gain suffered a fractured skull, resulting in life-threatening brain swelling and bleeding.He said she has not regained consciousness in the week or so since the fight, Fox 2 reported.MISSOURI AG SAYS JUVENILE SYSTEM MUST BE REFORMED AFTER TEEN ARRESTED FOR SLAMMING GIRL’S HEAD INTO PAVEMENTThe following day, police arrested a 15-year-old girl in connection with the fight. She’s currently being held by St. Louis County Family Court on assault charges.After the attack went viral, Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey said the suspect who brutally beat Gain in the violent brawl should be tried as an adult and charged with murder if the offense rose to a homicide. "We’ve got to reform our juvenile system to ensure that these sorts of issues are addressed," Bailey previously said. "I’m going to be following this case closely. I think there needs to be some accountability in our juvenile system. People are starting to notice that, and it’s causing problems across the State of Missouri."MISSOURI GIRL IN CRITICAL CONDITION AFTER TEEN BRUTALLY ASSAULTED HER NEAR HIGH SCHOOLFriends and family of Gain have set up two GoFundMe accounts to raise money for her medical bills as well as share updates on Kaylee's condition."We are so grateful for the amazing medical staff who have been working tirelessly to give her the best possible chance at a full recovery. We know she has a very long road ahead of her, but we remain hopeful," the family said in a statement on Kaylee's Recovery funds page.Fox News Digital's Bradford Betz contributed to this report.
- Eroding dunes leave Atlantic City casinos desperate for new sand by summerThe ocean and beaches have always been a part of Atlantic City's identity: from salt water taffy to Miss America bathing beauties to the name of the place itself, the city has been marketed as a place to have fun by the sea.But there is a little too much Atlantic in Atlantic City this year as the crucial summer season approaches. Weeks of winter storms have badly eroded beaches in the northern section of town, leaving little if any sand on which to play during all but the lowest tides.Executives with the three northernmost casinos: the Ocean Casino Resort, Resorts and Hard Rock, are pressing the federal and state governments to expedite a beach replenishment project that was supposed to have been done last year.ONLINE GAMBLING REVENUE SKYROCKETS IN ATLANTIC CITY, WHILE IN-PERSON SLUMP CONTINUESBut under the current best-case scenario, new sand won't be hitting the beaches until late summer, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the agency that oversees such projects.And that has the casinos concerned about not having an essential element of their tourism appeal. Atlantic City has long said its beaches set it apart from the plentiful gambling options elsewhere in the region and the country. Without them, it could be a harder sell in attracting tourists and gamblers."One of the highlights of coming to Atlantic City has always been the beaches and the Boardwalk," said Mike Sampson, general manager of the Hard Rock casino. "It's going to be a challenge."Hard Rock lost its popular beach bar to repeated winter storms."It was totally destroyed," Sampson said. "Parts of it washed out to sea; debris remained on the beach and had to be disposed of."He said Hard Rock is hopeful it can still rent out beach cabanas and umbrellas this summer, albeit on a smaller beach.Sampson said that "unless someone can intervene, it's probably going to be a post-summer fill."Anything that might make people less likely to come to Atlantic City is bad news for the gambling resort, which still has not recovered from the COVID-19 outbreak. Only three of the nine casinos are winning more money from in-person gamblers than they did in 2019 before the pandemic hit.And while internet gambling and sports betting has added new revenue streams to the equation, that money must be shared with partners such as tech platforms and sports books, and is not solely for the casinos to keep. That is why the casinos consider money won from in-person gamblers to be their core business — and why they need usable beaches.Last summer, the Ocean Casino spent $600,000 to truck in and dump sand on its beach, which was not in as bad a shape as it is this year."How do you run a beach resort without a beach?" asked Bill Callahan, Ocean's general manager. "It's a tough pill to swallow."And an expensive one: that sand quickly washed away, and even less is left there now. At high tide, the ocean waves lap up against the dune, which itself is badly eroded."By the end of summer, all that sand was gone," said Ian Jerome, project director for Ocean's effort last year. "That is not a sustainable option."Of the dozen beach entrances spanning the three casinos, only two are accessible, he said. The rest just dead-end in mid-air, with treacherous drop-offs that could cause serious injury — or worse — should anyone fall from them.Atlantic City last received beach replenishment in 2020, and was due for additional sand last summer. But Congress failed to approve funding for the project then.This year, $25 million in federal funding is available toward the $30 million cost, of which the state pays a smaller percentage.But the government contracting process does not lend itself to quick fixes. Stephen Rochette, a spokesman for the Army Corps, said a contract for the work will be put out to bid in April or May, with the work starting "sometime this summer or in the fall."He said the agency is aware of the tendency of Atlantic City's northern beaches to erode at a more rapid rate than other ones, and is studying the situation to see if any engineering improvements can be added to the eventual project design.Mark Giannantonio, president of Resorts casino and of the Casino Association of New Jersey, said the casinos want at least some of the project to be carried out in early summer — what he called a possible "beach-lite" option."Everyone realizes the importance of getting this sand," he said. "The sense of urgency…
- Texas woman allegedly confessed to gunning down her own grandmother in DallasA Texas resident was arrested after she allegedly told police that she shot and killed her elderly grandmother.Kelsie Miles, 30, was charged with one count of murder on Sunday, according to the Dallas Police Department. She is accused of killing her 80 year-old grandmother, Betty Lou Hearn, at their East Oak Cliff home.The Grand Prarie Police Department told Fox News Digital that Miles contacted them about the shooting at around 5:10 a.m. on Sunday morning."Miles did drive to the Grand Prairie Police Department where she met officers outside in the parking lot and told them about the shooting in Dallas," a department spokesperson explained. UBER DRIVER HITS, KILLS 1-YEAR-OLD AFTER DROPPING FAMILY OFF IN HOUSTON"Officers detained her and contacted Dallas PD who responded to our detention center where they took custody of her."In a press release, the Dallas Police Department said that first responders rushed to the scene of the shooting to assist the victim."Officers responded to the address, and after receiving no response from anyone inside and having reason to believe someone may need immediate medical help, the officers forced entry into the home," the statement read. HOUSTON POLICE CHIEF APOLOGIZES, VOWS IMPROVEMENT AFTER 264K CASES DROPPED DUE TO STAFF SHORTAGE"Once inside, officers located 80-year-old Betty Hearn on the floor, shot. Dallas Fire Rescue responded, and Hearn died at the scene."After her arrest, Miles was transported to the Dallas County Jail. She is being held there on $750,000 bond.
- Wisconsin father arrested for child abuse after claiming newborn son was hit by an iPadA Milwaukee man is being accused of child abuse after his baby was found with severe injuries that he claimed were caused by an iPad. Steven Nichols, 19, was charged with one count of child abuse and one count of neglect by the Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office. According to court documents obtained by Fox News Digital, the child's mother became aware of her son's injuries on March 11. She left him with Nichols for the weekend. He was with Nichols from March 8 through March 10.When the baby was brought back home, the mother noticed that he was "fussy," constipated, and had trouble sleeping.FLORIDA COUPLE ARRESTED AFTER CHILDREN FOUND LIVING IN 'DEPLORABLE' CONDITIONS: AFFIDAVITWhen the mother noticed that the child was bruised and asked Nichols about the injuries, he claimed that an iPad accidentally hit the child."Nichols had informed [her] that an iPad he propped up on a formula container had fallen onto [the child]," documents read. The baby boy, who was born on Feb. 3 of this year, was brought to St. Joseph's Hospital by his mother.Hospital staff determined that the baby boy suffered "bilateral skull fractures, a significant brain injury [and a] femur fracture to both the left and right femur."TODDLER LONE SURVIVOR AFTER WISCONSIN CRASH KILLS 9, INCLUDING 7 AMISH COMMUNITY MEMBERSIn addition, he also sustained rib fractures, buttocks burns and spinal bleeding. Bruises were also found on the child's abdomen, left inner thigh, groin, eye and forehead."Medical informed officers that an iPad could not have caused all of these injuries," the court documents read."It was determined that these injuries were inflicted and not accidental by medical staff based on the nature, number, and placement of the injuries."While Nichols was being interviewed, he allegedly told police that it "wasn’t unfair" to say that he hurt his child, but still denied the allegations.
- Pregnant woman's suspected killer is first to be charged under NH fetal homicide lawA New Hampshire man appeared in court Monday on charges that he killed a pregnant woman and her unborn child by means of multiple blunt force injuries, the first time the state has charged someone with murder in the death of a fetus.William Kelly, 28, appeared in Carroll County Superior Court in Ossipee with his lawyer, Caroline Smith. He did not address the judge. Smith said she planned to file paperwork that Kelly was waiving his arraignment and pleading not guilty. An email seeking comment was left for Smith.Deputy Chief Medical Examiner Mitchell Weinberg determined that Christine Falzone, 33, was about 35 to 37 weeks pregnant at the time of her death in December.MAURA MURRAY: 20 YEARS AFTER NURSING STUDENT VANISHED IN NEW HAMPSHIRE, FAMILY 'HOPEFUL' FOR ANSWERSThe Legislature passed a bill in 2017 that defines a fetus at 20 weeks of development and beyond as a person for purposes of criminal prosecution of murder. Republican Gov. Chris Sununu signed the bill into law. It took effect in 2018.Kelly’s case is the first time the state had charged someone with murder in the death of a fetus, said Michael Garrity, a spokesperson for the attorney general’s office.Kelly was indicted by a Carroll County grand jury on Friday on two counts of second-degree murder. He recklessly caused the deaths of Falzone and her fetus, according to the indictment.Lawyers said they were waiting on forensic test results. They agreed to schedule a hearing in June and a potential trial date in 2025.Kelly, who was being held without bail, has several criminal convictions. The most recent was for assault in 2019, police said.Kelly initially was arrested in December on a single second-degree murder charge connected to Falzone's death.Police said they found Falzone unconscious and not breathing at the Ossipee home she shared with Kelly. It was not immediately known if Kelly was the father of the unborn child.
- Los Angeles police forms task force to counter foreign gangs exploiting US visa system to target luxury homesThe Los Angeles Police Department has formed a task force to counter a rise in gangs from Latin America that have been targeting luxury homes in Southern California. In a notice last week, the LAPD said it "recognizes the increase in burglaries where homes in affluent neighborhoods are targeted." "I can tell you that we have a significant increase in burglaries from organized groups that are outside this country, that are coming into the country, and they are targeting high-end residents," Chief Dominic Choi said. This year alone, the LAPD has recorded more than 900 Los Angeles homes that have been burglarized. The department said it was teaming up with other agencies that have been affected by organized groups coming into the country to engage in this criminal activity. HOMELESS MAN ‘TERRORIZED’ COMMUNITIES IN 2 STATES AFTER ALLEGEDLY KILLING 3 FAMILY MEMBERS DURING CRIME SPREEMost of the participants in these gangs are coming from Chile, but law enforcement has seen nationals from other South American countries, including Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia. It is believed that many of those involved in these organized crime rings are entering the U.S. by exploiting a 2014 visa waiver that was intended to promote tourism from trusted countries. The waiver allows nations of designated member participants to travel to the U.S. for tourism or business purposes for up to 90 days without obtaining a visa. LAPD Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton told the Los Angeles Times that the thieves tend not to carry guns to avoid gun charges."They sometimes carry jamming devices to disable home security systems," he said. Meanwhile, police in Scottsdale, Arizona are investigating a string of crimes related to South American theft groups. Last week, police announced three arrests in so-called "dinner-time burglaries," FOX 10 reported.
- New York woman freed on bail in body parts case arrested for allegedly stealing beauty products: reportA New York woman accused of gruesomely dismembering two bodies and then scattering the parts on Long Island was arrested last week, days after being freed under state bail laws.Amanda Wallace is one of four people charged in connection with discarding the body parts of two victims at various parks on Long Island. On Friday, she was arrested for allegedly stealing beauty products from a Lindenhurst CVS store while under court-ordered electronic monitoring, Newsday reported. Wallace, 40, of Amityville, has pleaded not guilty to petit larceny. Police said a CVS employee called authorities at 10:50 p.m. Friday about the alleged theft and Wallace was taken into custody. GILGO PROSECUTOR SLAMS NY GOV HOCHUL CRIME POLICY AS ‘LAUGHABLY INADEQUATE’ AFTER BODY PARTS SUSPECTS FREED"I did — eyelashes and nail polish," Wallace told an officer, according to the court documents obtained by the newspaper. "I forgot my money and really didn’t feel like walking back over."Prosecutors asked that Wallace be held on $10,000 cash bail, telling a judge: "She did it while wearing a GPS monitor, your honor."Suffolk County Judge James McDonaugh ordered Wallace held without bail in the body parts case, saying she violated the conditions of her earlier release. Bail for the petit larceny charge was set at $5,000 cash bail, $10,000 surety bond or $50,000 partially secured bond."At the bare minimum, you should be able to go nine days without being rearrested," McDonaugh said. OFFICIALS RAIL AGAINST BAIL REFORM AS 4 SUSPECTS CHARGED, THEN LET GO IN NY BODY MUTILATIONS CASEWallace and her boyfriend, Steven Brown, 44; Jeffrey Mackey, 38; and Alexis Nieves, 33; have all pleaded not guilty to first-degree hindering prosecution, concealment of a human corpse, and tampering with physical evidence by concealing or destroying.Evidence against the suspects includes human remains, meat cleavers, butcher knives, significant amounts of blood and video surveillance, authorities said. The two victims have been identified as 53-year-old Malcolm Brown and 59-year-old Donna Conneely. Their dismembered remains were found on Feb. 29 and March 5 in a park in Babylon, Bethpage State Park and a wooded area in West Babylon.Under New York's 2019 reform laws, charges of merely chopping up and disposing of dead bodies aren't eligible for bail, according to Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney.Fox News Digital's Michael Ruiz contributed to this report.
- Maryland investigators find charred dog remains, charge 2 men with animal crueltyTwo Maryland men face animal cruelty charges after an investigation discovered charred remains of several domesticated dogs on a Cumberland property.The Allegany County Sheriff’s Office arrested 18-year-old Justin Uzonna Anabaraonye and 19-year-old Paul Tomas Baylor III on March 15 and charged them with multiple counts of animal cruelty.According to the sheriff’s office, deputies were contacted on March 12 for reports of animal cruelty.The deputies were presented with photographs of what appeared to be charred remains of domesticated dogs, which led to the launch of an investigation.ILLEGAL MIGRANT CHARGED WITH ASSAULTING GIRLS AT MARYLAND CHURCH WAS DEPORTED TWICE: ICEAs part of the investigation, detectives executed a search warrant on March 15 at a property in the 13000 block of Tulip Street in Cumberland, Maryland.While searching a wooded area of the property, investigators discovered charred remains of seven dogs in what looked like a burn pile, the sheriff’s office said.Skeletal remains of numerous other dogs were also located during the search of the property.MARYLAND POLICE ID SECOND SUSPECT IN DECADES-OLD COLD CASE KILLING OF TEEN GIRLDeputies enlisted the help of the Office of the State Fire Marshal, which deployed a K9 team to the property. As a result of the search conducted by the dogs, there was an indication that the suspects used some type of accelerant to start the fires.The sheriff’s office turned the remains of the dogs over to the Humane Society of the United States to investigate and determine how they died.Still, Baylor has been charged with four counts of animal cruelty, while Anabaraonye faces six counts, along with a single count of aggravated animal cruelty.Both men were remanded to the Allegany County Detention Center where they were held pending a bond review.
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- Pentagon looks to keep troops in Niger as junta orders departureThe Pentagon is working with Niger officials, seeking a way for U.S. troops to stay in the country — a key base for counterterrorism operations in sub-Saharan Africa — following a weekend directive that they leave.Last week a high level-delegation of U.S. officials, including Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Molly Phee, Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs Celeste Wallander and the head of U.S. Africa Command Gen. Michael Langley, traveled to Niger to meet with members of the military junta.Pentagon deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh said Monday the U.S. officials had "lengthy and direct" discussions with the junta officials that were also in part spurred by concerns over Niger's potential relationships with Russia and Iran.NIGER'S JUNTA TO LEAD JOINT SECURITY EFFORT AGAINST EXTREMIST VIOLENCE"We were troubled on the path that Niger is on," Singh said.White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the U.S. was "closely monitoring the Russian defense activities" there in order "to assess and mitigate potential risk to U.S. personnel, interests and assets."On Saturday, following the meeting, the junta’s spokesperson, Col. Maj. Amadou Abdramane, said U.S. flights over Niger’s territory in recent weeks were illegal. Meanwhile, Insa Garba Saidou, a local activist who assists Niger’s military rulers with their communications, criticized U.S. efforts to force the junta to pick between strategic partners."The American bases and civilian personnel cannot stay on Nigerien soil any longer," he told The Associated Press.Singh said the U.S. was aware of the March 16 statement "announcing the end of the status of forces agreement between Niger and the United States. We are working through diplomatic channels to seek clarification. These are ongoing discussions and we don't have more to share at this time."State Department spokesman Vedant Patel said the discussions were prompted by Niger's "trajectory.""We are in touch with transition authorities to seek clarification of their comments and discuss additional next steps," Patel said.The junta has largely been in control in Niger since July when mutinous soldiers ousted the country’s democratically elected president and months later asked French forces to leave.The U.S. military still had some 650 troops working in Niger in December, largely consolidated at a base farther away from Niamey, Niger's capital. Singh said the total number of personnel still in country, including civilians and contractors, is roughly 1,000.The Niger base is critical for U.S. counterterrorism operations in the Sahel and has been used for both manned and unmanned surveillance operations, although Singh said the only drone flights being currently conducted are for force protection.In the Sahel the U.S. has also supported local ground troops, including accompanying them on missions. However, such accompanied missions have been scaled back since U.S. troops were killed in a joint operation in Niger in 2017.
- Estonia's prime minister calls on US and NATO allies to be tougher on RussiaAs continued U.S. support for Ukraine remains in question, European leaders have been ramping up their own defense spending and industry capacity. Leading the charge is Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas who, at 46, is Estonia’s first female prime minister. Kallas is known for being tough on Russia. Some critics joke she even eats them for breakfast. Russia’s interior minister issued a warrant for her arrest earlier this year, for taking down Soviet monuments, but Kallas has not backed down. Asked to respond to critics that say she is too tough on Putin, Kallas said, "Can you be tough enough on Putin, considering what he has done?" Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Kallas has become one of Putin’s loudest critics.Kallas has been considered to become the next NATO Secretary General, but some of her opponents say she is too hawkish to lead NATO. To that, Kallas said she does not think Putin should have a say in how NATO runs its alliance.UKRAINE’S 'UNDERGROUND RAILROAD' RESCUES ABDUCTED UKRAINIAN CHILDREN FROM RUSSIAN REEDUCATION CAMPS"Russia is the biggest threat to NATO security … if we say that, because of our attitudes towards Russia, we are prevented from taking top positions, then we actually give too much power to Putin to decide how we run our alliances," Kallas said.Estonia is on the front line of NATO, sharing a 210-mile border with Russia. Estonia spends 3.2% of its annual GDP on defense and 1.35% of that is for Ukraine to fight the Russians, the equivalent to $378 billion a year.After the Soviet Union fell in 1991 Estonia became independent, eventually joining NATO in 2004. In 2007 Russia launched massive cyberattacks unlike anything the world had seen. The cyber campaign lasted 22 days targeting Estonia's parliament, banks and news organizations. Estonia is now the headquarters to NATO's cyber defense. Kallas said the attacks in 2007 are nothing like the attacks that Estonia now prevents every day. "We have invested a lot in cybersecurity so these attacks don't really go through," Kallas said. But the cybersecurity of hospitals remains a huge concern. "There could be civilian casualties. So we have to prepare," Kallas said.These cyberattacks are part of what Kallas calls a shadow war. "While there is a conventional war going on in Ukraine, there's also a shadow war going on within our societies … What they are really good at is pouring fuel into the fires that are already existing in our societies. So we have to be aware," Kallas said.It is not only direct conflict with Russia that Kallas is worried about. She wants to prevent more of a shadow war. It is because of this that Kallas warned against negotiating with Russia to end the war in Ukraine as former President Trump has suggested he will do if elected.RUSSIA TO CREATE 'BUFFER ZONE' IN UKRAINE TO DETER UKRAINIAN ATTACKS"Of course, war is bad and peace is good. But there's also a difference between peace and peace," Kallas said. Under Joseph Stalin, in 1949 her mother was just six months old. She and her family were sent to a Soviet prison camp in Siberia. These labor camps across Russia were known as the Gulag. They were there for ten years before being released. "Just because a war is over does not mean there is peace, Kallas said."Peace on Russia’s terms doesn't mean human suffering will stop. For my country, one fifth of our population was either deported or killed. Our language, our culture was suppressed. All these things happened while we had peace. So, peace under Russian terms does not mean that the human suffering will stop."Kallas warned if Putin wins in Ukraine it will inspire other conflicts around the world. "History rhymes and we have to learn from history," Kallas said, referencing the 1930s and the lead up to WWII."If aggression pays off somewhere, it serves as an invitation to use it elsewhere. We know the tensions in the South China Sea, Iran, North Korea. So we're going to have more conflicts around the world because the aggressors or would-be aggressors in the world are carefully taking notes."Asked about skeptics who say Ukraine can’t win the war, Kallas said it is Russia’s goal to make the West believe Ukraine can’t win. "No war has been won when you don't have a victory as a goal," Kallas said, referencing this is not the time to negotiate.Kallas called on the U.S. to continue backing Ukraine and for Congress to pass more funding. "If U.S. is not backing Ukraine, then Russia will…
- Congolese journalist gets time served in 'false information' case, rights group saysCongolese journalist Stanis Bujakera was set to be freed soon after a court sentenced him Monday to six months in prison for spreading false information among other charges, according to media freedom group Reporters Without Borders.He was expected to be released hours or days after the verdict, having already served more than six months while waiting for trial. A court in Kinshasa also fined him 1 million Congolese francs ($360.)CONGO BRINGING BACK DEATH PENALTY AS VIOLENCE, MILITANT ATTACKS SURGEBujakera worked for Actualité.CD, a Congolese online news site, and Jeune Afrique, a Paris-based magazine, among others.Bujakera, who has denied all charges, had faced up to 20 years in prison. He was accused of fabricating a memo that implicated a Congolese intelligence official in the murder of an opposition spokesman."He should never have been arrested, prosecuted, imprisoned and convicted on the basis of a case that was clearly fabricated against him," Reporters without Borders said in a statement.Actualité.CD said in a statement that it stood behind Bujakera’s reporting and called on his lawyers to appeal the guilty verdict.Bujakera's imprisonment drew widespread condemnation from international rights organizations.
- Takeaways from the predictable Russian election that gave Putin another 6 years in powerTALLINN, Estonia (AP) — To no one's surprise, President Vladimir Putin secured another six years in power in a preordained election landslide that comes amid the harshest crackdown on the opposition and free speech since Soviet times.The three days of balloting, in which Putin faced three token contenders but none offering voters any real choice, went ahead with barely any independent monitoring and were marked by a level of pressure unseen in previous Russian elections. That left little room for protests, but some Russians still tried to defy authorities.RUSSIA TO CREATE 'BUFFER ZONE' IN UKRAINE TO DETER UKRAINIAN ATTACKSSome key takeaways from the election:PUTIN WAS IN FULL CONTROL OF THE ELECTIONThe Central Election Commission said Putin received 87.28% of the vote, the highest number for any president in post-Soviet Russia. It said turnout was 77.44% of the electorate, also the biggest. Others on the ballot all finished in single digits, and anti-war candidates were not allowed to run.The state news agency RIA Novosti said the vote "as expected ... took place in an atmosphere of unprecedented national unity."There was no video from CCTV cameras at polling stations depicting voter fraud or ballot-box stuffing -– access to the footage was more heavily restricted than in previous elections -– and hardly any independent monitors were on hand to document irregularities.There still was voter intimidation, however, according to Golos, Russia’s prominent independent election watchdog, noting it received reports of citizens being pressured to vote in over 60 Russian regions. On Sunday, voters were searched at polling stations, and some reported police checking their ballots before they were cast or peering over their shoulder while they filled them out, Golos said."Nothing like that has happened on such a scale at elections in Russia before," Golos said in a statement Monday. A total of 89 people were detained Sunday in 22 cities, said OVD-Info, a rights group that monitors political arrests.The 71-year-old Russia leader "chose to show his adversaries his power," said political analyst Abbas Gallyamov, a former Putin’s speechwriter.Vandalism also was reported at polling stations, with arson attempts or some pouring ink into ballot boxes. On Sunday, a woman who set off a firecracker in a polling station bathroom was injured. At least 34 people were detained on vandalism charges over the weekend, according to Russian independent news outlet Verstka.A STYMIED OPPOSITION STILL MUSTERED SOME PROTESTSThe Kremlin has severely crippled the Russian opposition in recent years. Top figures are either in jail or in exile abroad, and the death last month of Alexei Navalny, who was Putin's most vocal opponent, raised even more questions about what lies ahead for them.On Sunday, some Russians turned up at polling stations at home and abroad at noon local time and formed long lines in a strategy endorsed by the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny and other Putin adversaries.Analysts had said the "Noon Against Putin" tactic would test how well exiled opposition figures could rally supporters amid the crackdown that has largely scared people off from staging mass demonstrations.Its success was hard to gauge. Navalny’s team shared photos of lines at polling stations in Russia and embassies abroad as proof that many heeded their call. Journalists from The Associated Press and other independent media spoke to voters in multiple locations who confirmed they showed up to take part in the protest.But Russian officials and state media interpreted the lines in their favor, saying they indicated an increased interest in the election.This protest couldn’t have had any direct implications for the Kremlin and the election's outcome, but it did show that such "silent resistance" — both inside the country and abroad — will continue, said Andrei Kolesnikov, senior fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center."The message to political manipulators has been sent: ‘We are here, this is what we are like, we’re not giving up, we’re prepared to be creative in using unexpected windows (of opportunity to protest),'" Kolesnikov said.UNPOPULAR MOVES PROBABLY ARE AHEADIn a post-election news conference, Putin looked relaxed, Gallyamov noted, probably realizing that "he has secured his future for at least six years ahead."Demonstrating his confidence, Putin even referenced Navalny by name -– something he had made a point of not doing in public in years -– and revealed that days before his foe’s death, he supported the idea of releasing him from prison in a prisoner exchange.There likely will be a period where officials will take some time off to celebrate the victory, Gallyamov said, but after that, unpopular moves could be in store.After his…
- Armed gangs in Nigeria attack 2 villages, capture 100Armed gangs attacked two villages in Nigeria's northwest over the weekend and seized at least 100 people from their homes, residents and a state official told The Associated Press on Monday, in the latest mass abduction in the region.The gunmen attacked communities in Kaduna state’s Kajuru council area on Saturday and Sunday, said Usman Dallami Stingo, who represents Kajuru in the state legislature.Kaduna state is where nearly 300 schoolchildren were abducted less than two weeks ago. The latest kidnappings, like the previous one, have been blamed on bandit groups known for mass killings and kidnappings in Nigeria's northwestern and central regions. Most of the bandits were previously herders in conflict with local communities.NIGERIAN LABOR UNIONS STRIKE OVER INFLATION, AILING ECONOMYThe kidnappers attacked the Dogon Noma community early Saturday and abducted 14 women, then attacked the Kajuru-Station community on Sunday night and seized 87 people, Stingo said."There is no presence of security nearby," he said, echoing concerns about the absence of security forces in remote villages across the region where arrests are rare.At least eight of those abducted in the latest attacks were relatives of Madaki Tanko Aridu in Dogon Noma, who lamented the lack of response of security agencies."Up till now, no force man has reported there," he said.Security forces, meanwhile, are yet to provide any public update on the rescue operation for the schoolchildren abducted earlier this month in Kaduna’s Kuriga town. The children are thought to be held hostage in the vast forests that connect most states in the troubled region.President Bola Tinubu, elected to lead the country of more than 210 million people last year, has ruled out the payment of ransoms — as is often done — in the operation to free the children.Tinubu's government did not immediately comment on the latest attacks.
- 3 Mexican police officers killed in highway assaultA state police officer and her two bodyguards were killed in a highway attack in Mexico’s violent western state of Michoacan, security officials said Monday.Michoacan’s state security agency said on X, formerly Twitter, that three members of the state Civil Guard had died in the line of duty Sunday night. One of them, Cristal García Hurtado, was a regional police commander. Local press reported that she had been decapitated.ANOTHER MEXICAN POLITICIAN MURDERED IN LEADUP TO JUNE ELECTIONSThe attack occurred on the highway connecting the towns of Patzcuaro and Uruapan.The Michoacan state prosecutor’s office, which is investigating, did not immediately comment.Michoacan has been particularly hard hit by gang turf wars, with the Jalisco New Generation cartel fighting a local gang, the Viagras, for control. Thousands of residents have been displaced as organized crime experiments with drone attacks and improvised explosive devices.In February, two hopefuls to be mayor of the town of Maravatío were killed within hours of each other.
- South African authorities suspect foul play after burned boat washes ashore with no sign of captainSouth African authorities searching for a missing charter boat captain are concerned about possible foul play after they discovered his vessel burned and abandoned on a beach in neighboring Mozambique, but no sign of him or the unknown man who hired him.The National Sea Rescue Institute raised the alarm over captain John Matambu and his passenger after they didn't return to Sodwana Bay on South Africa's northeastern coast on Saturday evening having gone out early that morning.The charred wreck of Matambu's speed boat, Magnum Too, was discovered by a search plane on Sunday in the Dobela area of Mozambique, some 105 miles up the coast.UK REPORTS SUSPECTED PIRATE HIJACKING OFF SOMALI COAST"Both men remain missing in unknown circumstances," the National Sea Rescue Institute said.Matambu's cousin told local media that a petrol canister and a medical kit were found near the boat.The NSRI said some of the circumstances "appear to indicate that foul play may be involved."The man who hired Matambu to take him out on the 21-foot boat apparently gave false contact details, NSRI spokesperson Craig Lambinon said. The booking was made for a man, his wife and a child, but only the man boarded the boat, Lambinon said."Hopes are that this has all been a misunderstanding, and foul play was not involved, but at this stage all possibilities are being examined," Lambinon told national broadcaster SABC. "The fact that the boat has been found across the border is obviously the difficulty now."The NSRI received a report that the boat was spotted at 10 p.m. Saturday night heading north toward Mozambican waters, it said, the last sighting before its charred hull was discovered the following day.The Police Sea Borderline Control agency and the Police Search and Rescue unit are also involved in the search. Authorities described Matambu as a well-known, experienced and respected boat captain in Sodwana Bay.
- Report says famine is 'imminent' in northern Gaza as Israel launches another raid on main hospitalRAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Famine is "imminent" in northern Gaza, where 70% of people are experiencing catastrophic hunger, according to a report issued Monday that warned escalation of the war could push half of Gaza's total population to the brink of starvation.The report, by the international community’s authority on determining the severity of hunger crises, came as Israel faces mounting pressure from even its closest allies to streamline the entry of aid into the Gaza Strip and to open more land crossings. Aid groups complain that deliveries by air and sea by the U.S. and other countries are too slow and too small.DOSSIER REVEALS INFORMATION USED TO EXPLAIN UN AGENCY'S DEEP TIES TO HAMAS IN GAZAThe European Union’s top diplomat said the impending famine was "entirely man-made" as "starvation is used as a weapon of war."Israeli forces, meanwhile, launched another raid on the Gaza Strip’s largest hospital early Monday, saying Hamas militants had regrouped there and fired on them from inside the Shifa Hospital compound.Clashes continued all day in and around the hospital, where Palestinian officials say tens of thousands of people have been sheltering.The Israeli military said troops killed 20 people it identified as Hamas militants, and one of its own soldiers was killed, though the identification of the dead as militants could not be confirmed. Among those killed was a senior commander in Gaza’s Hamas-led police forces who Israel said was hiding in the hospital. Gaza officials said the commander was coordinating protection of aid convoys.The army last raided Shifa Hospital in November after claiming that Hamas maintained an elaborate command center within and beneath the facility. The military revealed a tunnel leading to some underground rooms, as well as weapons it said were found inside the hospital. But the evidence fell short of the earlier claims, and critics accused the army of recklessly endangering the lives of civilians.RAFAH OFFENSIVE COULD PUSH HALF OF GAZA TO STARVATIONThe latest findings on hunger in Gaza came from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, or IPC, an initiative first set up in 2004 during the famine in Somalia that now includes more than a dozen U.N. agencies, aid groups, governments and other bodies to determine the severity of food insecurity.It says virtually everyone in Gaza is struggling to get enough food, and that around 677,000 people — nearly a third of the population of 2.3 million — are experiencing the highest level of catastrophic hunger. That means they face extreme lack of food and critical levels of acute malnutrition. The figure includes around 210,000 people in the north.Outright famine is projected to occur in the north anytime between now and May, it said. An area is considered to be in famine when 20% of households have an extreme lack of food, 30% of children suffer from acute malnutrition and at least two adults or four children per every 10,000 people die daily.The report said the first condition has been fulfilled, and it is "highly likely" the second has as well. The death rate is expected to accelerate and reach famine levels soon, it said.The report warned that if Israel broadens its offensive to the packed southern city of Rafah, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to do, the fighting could drive over 1 million people — half of Gaza’s population — into catastrophic hunger and potentially cause famine in the south."This is the largest number of people facing imminent famine in the world today, and it has only taken five months to occur," said Matthew Hollingworth, the acting World Food Program country director for the Palestinian territories.Jamie McGoldrick, the U.N. humanitarian coordinator for the Palestinian territories, called for "all roads" to be opened for aid, including into northern and central Gaza. The WFP report said aid from airdrops is "negligible" compared to what is brought on trucks.Northern Gaza, including Gaza City, was the first target of the invasion, and entire neighborhoods have been obliterated. It is now the epicenter of Gaza’s humanitarian catastrophe, with many residents reduced to eating animal feed. At least 27 people, mostly children, have died from malnutrition and dehydration in the north, according to the Health Ministry.A spokesman for the Israeli military body that deals with Palestinian issues, Shimon Freeman, said Israel "places no limit on the amount of aid that can enter the Gaza Strip" and encourages countries to send aid. Israel has accused U.N. bodies of failing to distribute aid in a timely manner. Aid groups say distribution is impossible in much of…
- National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan confirms Israel killed top Hamas commanderU.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan on Monday confirmed reports that Israel has killed a top Hamas commander. Speaking to reporters, Sullivan said Israel has made "significant progress" against Hamas, having broken battalions and killed thousands of Hamas fighters. Among those thousands of fighters was Hamas’ third in command, Marwan Issa, who was killed in an Israeli operation last week. "The rest of the top leaders are in hiding, likely deep in the Hamas tunnel network, and justice will come for them too," Sullivan said. Sullivan is the first government official to confirm Issa’s death.His comments come hours after Israeli forces launched a raid on Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, accusing Hamas militants of using it as a base. The military said it killed Faiq Mabhouh, Hamas’ top official in internal security. An IDF soldier was also killed in the operation. BIDEN SPEAKS WITH NETANYAHU AS US-ISRAEL TENSIONS ESCALATE OVER DIRECTION OF HAMAS WARThe military said Mabhouh operated and directed militant activity from inside the hospital compound. Gaza's Health Ministry, meanwhile, accused the Israeli army of directing gun and missile fire at a building used for specialized surgeries.Sullivan said it "was clear" that Hamas fighters were firing back at Israeli troops from the hospital. "We have seen Hamas over the course of this conflict use civilian facilities, including hospitals, to store weapons for command and control and to house fighters," Sullivan said. "And that places an added burden on Israel that very few militaries have to deal with, an entrenched insurgency, using the shield of civilian institutions to protect themselves during a fight, rather than meeting Israel on some open field to battle." Israel raided the same medical center in November after claiming that Hamas was concealing a major command and control center within and beneath the compound. It revealed a tunnel running to an underground bunker beneath the hospital, and some weapons discovered inside.The ministry says around 30,000 people are sheltering at the hospital, including patients, medical staff and people who have fled their homes seeking safety.Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, Israel's chief military spokesman, said the patients and medical staff could remain in the compound and that a safe passage was available for civilians to leave. ISRAEL LAUNCHES ANOTHER RAID ON GAZA'S LARGEST HOSPITAL, CLAIMS IT IS WHERE HAMAS REGROUPEDSullivan’s comments come amid growing concerns within the Biden administration over Israel’s prospective offensive in the southern city of Rafah, where roughly 1.5 million Palestinians have taken refuge to escape the worst of the conflict in the north. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed Monday to send a team of Israeli officials to Washington to discuss the matter with Biden administration officials. "We've arrived at a point where each side has been making clear to the other its perspective," Sullivan said.Earlier Monday, Biden and Netanyahu had their first interaction in over a month. Sullivan said Biden questioned the Israeli leader over a lack of a "coherent and sustainable strategy' to defeat Hamas.Biden administration officials have warned that they would not support an operation in Rafah without the Israelis presenting a credible plan to ensure the safety of innocent Palestinian civilians.Israel has yet to present such a plan, according to White House officials.TRUMP TORCHES BIDEN, DEMOCRATS' MIDDLE EAST POLICY: THEY ARE ‘VERY BAD’ FOR ISRAELAfter the call, Netanyahu issued a statement, not indicating there were any tensions. "We discussed the latest developments in the war, including Israel's commitment to achieving all of the war's goals: Eliminating Hamas, freeing all of our hostages and ensuring that Gaza never (again) constitutes a threat to Israel — while providing the necessary humanitarian aid that will assist in achieving these goals," Netanyahu said.Gaza’s Hamas-run Health Ministry, which doesn't differentiate between civilians and combatants in its count, says more than 31,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war. Roughly two-thirds of whom are women and children, according to the Ministry’s estimates. Israel has disputed these figures. Palestinian militants killed some 1,200 people and took another 250 people hostage in the surprise Oct. 7 attack out of Gaza that triggered the war. Hamas is still believed to be holding some 100 captives, as well as the remains of 30 others.
- Senior State Department official heads to Montenegro in support of EU bidA senior U.S. official visited Montenegro Monday to offer support to the small Balkan nation seeking to join the European Union.During a press conference in the capital Podgorica, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Gabriel Escobar said Montenegro should be next in line to join the 27-nation bloc."There is absolutely no doubt in our mind... (the) strategic goal of this country is to become (a) full EU member," said Escobar after talks with Prime Minister Milojko Spajic.TOP STATE DEPT. OFFICIAL WORRIES KOSOVO CURRENCY BAN COULD CAUSE 'HUMANITARIAN CRISIS' FOR SERB MINORITYSix nations from the Western Balkan region — Albania, Bosnia, Serbia, Kosovo, Montenegro and North Macedonia — are at different stages of the EU accession process following a period of wars and crises in the 1990s.Escobar said EU enlargement has become a reality following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 which made U.S and EU officials more keen on trying to lure the six countries away from the Kremlin’s influence."It is very important right now," he said, "we need to make sure Montenegro remains the next candidate and the next member of (the) European Union."In 2017, Montenegro defied Russia by joining NATO and has since sought EU membership. Spajic, who took office last year, has pledged to revive the EU bid after years of political deadlock.The country is deeply divided between pro-Western forces and those supporting closer ties with neighboring Serbia and Russia. The stalemate had blocked progress in the EU-requested reform process needed to join the bloc."My argument to the European Union is if you have seen how Montenegro has behaved inside of NATO, which has been very positive, you can expect Montenegro to be the next European Union member," said Escobar.Last week, Escobar visited Kosovo in the latest U.S. effort to restart talks between Pristina and Belgrade to push them to normalize their ties, easing their way to join the EU. Brussels has warned both that this may hinder their chances of membership.Western officials are seeking to resolve the remaining Balkan disputes, fearing Russia could try to stir trouble in the volatile region and shift at least some of the attention from Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
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