Jussie Smollett is facing two quarters for an alleged attack on himself.
The Cook County prosecutors and U.S. Justice Department decided to throw the book at embattled entertainer Jussie Smollett. He has 16 felony counts for allegedly staging a hate crime to advance his career.
Smollett, who is best known for playing Jamal Lyon on the Fox drama Empire was charged for filing a false police report last month. He now is being handed 16 more charges that could be career ending.
The 36-year old actor was accused by the prosecutors of staging a violent encounter outside his Chicago home. He paid two screen extras to beat him up and hang a noose on his neck.
Some considered it a hate crime for the fact he is Black and part of the LGBTQ community. It was the stuff of tabloids.
Smollett also is accused of sending death threats and crushed aspirin to the studios where Empire was being filmed.
These charges had made him a pariah among his supporters and those who spent time trying to sympathize with him. He is an openly gay Black man who became a breakout star on the hit drama.
Now it's unknown whether he'll return back to Empire. The show cut his presence in the remaining season. He may be written out of the show.
Smollett on his part, said that the allegations against him are false. He maintains that he had no role in the attack and vows to fight them in court.
Each count could put him in the iron college for 50 years. The suspect is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Yes, there's criticism.
The federal trial of Paul Manafort became a flashpoint to how white people of wealth are treated by justice system. Manafort was sentenced to 47 months in federal time out for 40 criminal charges. The judge who sentenced him, TS Elliot is being slammed for this. Elliot, a Ronald Reagan appointed federal judge was critical of the case from the jump and gave Manafort a pass. Some say that he was more strict on former Louisiana Democratic lawmaker William Jefferson. Jefferson who was served a 13 year bid got far less charges thrown at him than Manafort.
Whereas a Black man of modest wealth (Smollett) could face LIFE in the iron college, a man like Manafort gets less than five years in federal time out for deliberate money laundering and advancing his career on behalf a foreign government.
The anger over both Smollett and Manafort is equal. Some believe the justice system is broken.
It is.
A black woman was sentenced to five in the iron college for illegally voting. Many call this into question. How could a woman of color get far worse time in the iron college where a man who may have sold out his country gets so little?
Dirty cop faces 25 years to LIFE for killing Corey Jones.
There's justice for Corey Jones's family.
A Florida jury found a former dirty cop guilty of manslaughter in the killing of Corey Jones, the 31-year old man who stranded off the road.
It's the first time in 30 years a Florida cop gets convicted for an on-duty shooting.
Nouman Raja was the former plain clothes officer for the Palm Beach Gardens Police Department.
Raja was fired out the cannon soon after he was convicted.
Jones was a musician from the South Florida community. He was on his way to his home when his car broke down off Interstate 95. Jones and his brother tried to fix the car and they were unsuccessful.
Jones decided to wait for a tow truck off the highway.
Raja drove the wrong way up the ramp in an unmarked white van. He was wearing plain clothes and prosecutors said that Raja was approaching aggressively and not identifying himself to Jones.
Jones thought he was being robbed by the guy. Jones would pull out his legally purchased firearm.
Justice for Corey Jones.
When he pulled his firearm, Raja shot him multiple times not once identifying himself as a police officer. Raja and his attorneys believe that the shooting was justified because he "fear for his life."
You can hear the audio tape of Corey Jones calling for towing assistance. Soon after the call, the dirty cop approaches him from the wrong way and confronts him. Then you hear gun shots.
This is one of the few times a dirty cop is convicted for a murder. Mind you this is a cop of East Asian decent. If he was White, he would have probably walked.
We have a long way to go before we can see reforms.
Raja will likely appeal his conviction. He and those who support him will claim that he was given an unfair trial. They will try to use Jones' prior encounters to protest the verdict.
Another one out. White House Deputy Communications Director Bill Shine is out. The former Fox executive leaves while a scandal is brewing around him.
The White House Deputy Communications Director Bill Shine offered Trump his resignation today.
This comes on the heels of a controversial New Yorker piece saying that Trump and Fox News work hand and hand. The notion that Shine is still being paid by News Corp and 21st Century Fox despite the ouster is a scandal in its own right.
Shine who was then co-president of Fox News was forced out after allegations of intimidation and a cover up of dirty deeds by former CEO, Roger Ailes.
Shine was facing an ethics investigation and possible lawsuits from former Fox News guests, anchors and producers.
Shine announced that he will continue to help in a way. He will serve as a senior advisor to the Trump 2020 reelection campaign.
"Serving [President] Trump and this country has been the most rewarding experience of my entire life. To be a small part of all this President has done for the American people has truly been an honor. I'm looking foward to working on President Trump's reelection campaign and spending more time with my family."
Trump offered praise for the scandalous asshole.
"Bill Shine has done an outstanding job working for me and the Administration. We will miss him in the White House, but look forward to working together on the 2020 Presidential Campaign, where he will be totally involved. Thank you to Bill and his wonderful family," said Trump.
Sarah Huckabee Sanders confirmed the news via her social media account.
This is a huge issue within the Trump team.
Sean "Softball" Hannity, a good friend of Shine was instrumental in getting him on the Trump team.
Shine was the executive producer of Softball & Colmes and later Softball Hannity, the primetime leader in partisan bullshit.
Weak jobs report for February means a rough spring and summer ahead.
The jobs report for the month of Febraury netted only a measly 20,000. The unemployment rate drops tot 3.8%.
The U.S. economy was expecting at least 180,000 positions to be added for the month. February's job report signaled a weak payroll.
This was a big blow to an economy Donald J. Trump was touting constantly on social media.
Non-farm payrolls in January, however, were upwardly revised to 311,000, from 304,000 previously.
The labor force participation rate remains unchanged. It's 63.2%.
That quickly dropped the current NASDAQ and Dow Jones rate today. That also puts a dent in a week where Trump is still regrouping his strategy.
Trump is still favored highly among Republicans. His current job approval is 47% in most polls.
About 94% of Republicans support Trump's policies no matter what.
Last week, Trump and North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un couldn't reach an agreement on the nuclear program. Trump headed home embarrassed and deflated. The former attorney for Trump, Michael Cohen testified multiple times at Congress. He also sued the imbecile for unpaid loans.
The New Yorker released a damaging report about how Trump makes policy decisions. He takes the nonsense of Fox News agitators and uses it as a platform to push an agenda.
Paul Manafort was sentenced to federal time out and Trump is signaling for a pardon. Roger Stone may be placed in the federal time out for continuing his social media presence despite being told to clam up.
So in order to take away the distractions, he would rather have America worked up over Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) criticizing Israel. He can make the bogus claims that she's anti-Semitic.
Those die-hard Trump supporters will say that his leadership is successful. All the while, they find that their average wages are stalling.
Food prices, energy prices, rent, city services and college education have risen over the past year.
Real Reason To Why Unemployment Rate Stays The Way It Is!
There are 104 million active body people not working in the United States. The examples of why they're not working.
1. DEAD 2. BORN 3. IN PRISON 4. IN PRIMARY SCHOOL 5. IN MIDDLE SCHOOL 6. IN HIGH SCHOOL 7. IN COLLEGE NOT LOOKING 8. VOLUNTEER 9. DISABLED 10. STAY AT HOME PARENT 11. RETIRED 12. QUIT ON THEIR OWN 13. NOT HIRING QUALIFIED 14. NATURAL DISASTERS 15. ACTIVE MILITARY 16. NOT HIRING TOO QUALIFIED 17. LAID OFF 18. FIRED FROM THE JOB 19. DESTRUCTION TO FACILITY 20. OUTSOURCING 21. IMMIGRANTS TOO AFRAID OF BEING DETAINED BY I.C.E. 22. SHAMED BY SOCIAL MEDIA
Let me remind you, that Trump and Republicans believe austerity is the key to a strong economy and job market. The Republicans are not in control of the House of Representatives. The Democrats now control the House and will push for an agenda that Trump will likely oppose. Republicans will continue to pass ridiculous laws that hurt the working class and middle class.
The Jobs and Tax Cut Act has added trillions of dollars of debt to the economy. The results of the tax cuts haven't produced the stability. It's still considered a very unpopular law.
Trump is destroying the economy. I won't say anything positive about him. Regardless of what happens, this is short-term success.
I believe in less than three years, Trump and Republicans will once again throw us into another recession. If the Democrats take control of the White House in 2020, we're already prepared to hear the loudest voices on the right blame the Democratic president for the mess Republicans created.
I wonder how trolls feed themselves in this economy?
Light sentence means that Trump could pardon Paul Manafort.
The former Trump campaign adviser gets 47 months in the federal time out. Paul Manafort was given a sentence that many in the junk food media considered too light. Some are calling it a joke because there are people of color who get far worse sentencing from federal courts.
Everyone is saying that a white privileged man gets 4 years in the federal time out while a Texas woman gets 5 years for casting a ballot.
Very light sentence for a man who may have betrayed his country.
Manafort, 69, was facing up to 25 years in prison, a sentence that could have essentially kept him in the federal time out for the rest of his life.
Even at just under four years, the sentence is the longest given yet to any defendant in the Mueller probe.
Manafort was convicted last summer for defrauding banks and the government, and failing to pay taxes on millions of dollars in income he earned from Ukrainian political consulting.
Before he was sentenced, he spoke briefly about how prayer and faith have helped get him through this time and asked U.S. Judge T.S. Ellis "to be compassionate."
"The last two years have been the most difficult years for my family and I," said Manafort, who was in a wheelchair wearing a green jumpsuit that read "ALEXANDRIA INMATE." "Humiliated and shamed would be a gross understatement."
Prosecutors argued that Manafort deserves between 19 and 25 years in prison as well as millions of dollars in fines and restitution for the crimes, for which a jury convicted him after a three-week trial last summer. Manafort has shown little remorse, they say, and even lied under oath following a plea deal after the trial.
Prosecutor Greg Andres told Ellis that Manafort never gave meaningful help during his cooperation with the special counsel's office, despite spending 50 hours together.
"It wasn't information we didn't know," Andres said. "The reason he met for 50 hours was because he lied."
Ellis said he thought the sentencing recommendation was "excessive," adding that he believed Manafort "lived an otherwise blameless life," was a good friend and generous person to others.
But Ellis said he was disappointed that Manafort did not express remorse.
Federal judge gave Manafort a lenient sentence.
"I was surprised I did not hear you express regret for engaging in criminal conduct," Ellis said. "I hope you will reflect on that."
While the judge read the sentence, there was no visible reaction from Manafort or his wife, Kathleen, who was watching in the gallery. After the hearing ended, Manafort's eyes appeared bloodshot as he was wheeled out of the room.
Manafort will also have to pay restitution of at at least $6 million and it could go as high as $25 million, Ellis said. He also must pay a fine of $50,000 and he will serve three years of supervised release.
Manafort will receive a second sentence next week from a federal judge in Washington for the two crimes he pleaded guilty to last year: witness tampering and conspiracy related to his illegal Ukrainian lobbying and money laundering.
He will receive credit for the nine months he has been in jail before and since his trial. Manafort has been held at the Alexandria Detention Center in solitary confinement for his own safety.
The vicious smear campaign against Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN).
I just about had it with Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer.
The House Speaker and Senate Minority Leader have both forced a freshman lawmaker to apologize for criticisms against the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee. The freshman lawmaker is a woman of color. She is a practicing Sunni Muslim. She is also a victim of a relentless campaign of smears and racist attacks. The Speaker and Minority Leader both failed her and those who supported her.
I am so tired of these status quo lawmakers. They have caved to the culture war. The Republicans are trying to distract us from the fallout of the Jobs and Tax Cuts Act, the controversial law that gave billionaires a huge tax cut and the average tax payer the bill.
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) is one of the first Muslim women to serve in Washington, DC. She and fellow Rep. Rashida Tliab (D-MI) became targets of an ugly smear campaign started by the far-white, Republicans, AIPAC, and some leading Democrats. The Israeli government is also trying to target the two and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (D-NY) for speaking out against injustices towards people of color.
They are being called anti-Semitic for criticizing America's "unwavering" alliance to Israel. The two women are concerned that Israel's controversial policies directed at the Gaza Strip and West Bank are war crimes.
They are concerned that Benjamin Netanyahu and his allies in the United States are trying to marginalize debate over the inhumane treatment of innocent Palestinian people.
‘I know what it feels to be someone who is [of] a faith that is vilified.’ — Rep. @IlhanMN gave this response about why she’s speaking up for the dignity of Palestinians, which drew criticism from Republicans and Democrats alike pic.twitter.com/ucZLjDPYBR
Yesterday, Democrats tried to roll out a resolution that condemned Omar.
They were planning on having a floor vote to condemn the remarks Omar made about the Israeli lobbyist group AIPAC.
House Majority Leader, Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD) was forced to replace the language of the resolution.
The House approved a resolution Thursday to condemn "anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, racism and other forms of bigotry" in a move that Democrats hope will quell the outcry by progressives.
The vote on the measure was 407-23. The 23 opposed were all Republican lawmakers.
Omar, Tliab and Rep. Andre Carson (D-IN) praised the decision to add all religions into the resolution.
"It's the first time we have voted on a resolution condemning Anti-Muslim bigotry in our nation's history," the three Democrats said.
The resolution Thursday was put forward after Omar made comments at a Washington, D.C., coffee shop last week in which she again questioned the pro-Israel lobby's influence in American politics. "I want to talk about the political influence in this country that says it is OK for people to push for allegiance to a foreign country," she said, "I want to ask why is it OK for me to talk about the influence of the NRA , of fossil fuel industries or Big Pharma, and not talk about a powerful lobbying group that is influencing policies?"
Another one bites the dust. Fashionistas lose Charlotte Russe.
Fashion retailer is gone.
You remember that Charlotte Russe is the place where women could find the hottest fashion and beauty trends. A place for the best dresses, jeans, shoes and just about any curve. Now fashionistas will no longer find a place to shop.
All the locations in the United States and Canada will close.
The company didn't want to close. It filed for bankruptcy protection only a month ago and announced plans to close nearly 100 stores. Now this is going to be 515 stores.
The goals was to use the bankruptcy process to shed debts and sell to a buy who would keep it open.
CNN reports that Charlotte Russe has 8,700 employees and a handful of them are part-time employees.
Liquidation firm SB360 Capital Partners bought the chain's assets but not the intellectual property.
The store could return in another form.
By April 30, the company will have all its locations closed.
"We are partnering with the buyer and remain in talks to sell the Charlotte Russe brand and are optimistic about the future of the brand, and remain in ongoing negotiations with a buyer who has expressed interest in a continued brick and mortar presence to serve our loyal customers in the future," said Charlotte Russe in a press release.
Black tape will soon cover this GM facility in Ohio. This was one of the largest facilities in North America. It's among four GM facilities in the United States and Canada going out.
Ohio is hit once again with bad news. Despite the bluster from Donald J. Trump, former governor John Kasich, current governor Mike DeWine, Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH), Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH), Rep. Bill Johnson (R-OH) and state lawmakers couldn't save GM's Lordstown facility.
Today marks the end of an era.
The largest GM plant in the United States closes. After it finished its final Chevy Cruze, the lights go out and 1,700 workers head to the unemployment line.
Over five decades of labor and manufacturing gone.
GM planned to idle the 6.2 million-square-foot plant on Friday, but the spokesperson said production was slightly ahead of schedule.
The automaker announced a major restructuring in November, including the closure of four US plants and another in Canada. It said it would cut 8,000 US salaried and contract jobs, representing a 15% reduction in its workforce.
The Lordstown plant is the first of the four US plants GM is closing. It had 1,435 hourly workers last year at the time of the plant closing announcement.
GM said that 417 of those workers have already accepted transfers to other plants, and another 80 have requested transfers and are waiting to see the jobs available to them. Workers who move will get up to $30,000 in transfer assistance from the company.
A plant in Baltimore is set to close next month. Another in Warren, Michigan, is due to shut in August. Those two transmission plants have about 500 employees between them, and 50 workers have accepted transfers. The Hamtramck plant, the last factory GM operates in Detroit, was originally due to close later this year but will now stay open until January 2020. It has 1,350 hourly workers, about 600 of whom have accepted transfers.
In total, more than 1,000 of the 3,300 US hourly workers whose plants are being closed have accepted transfers to other plants.
The jobs report comes out on the day of GM closing. Trump and Mary Barra of GM.
The decision to close the four US plants has led to blowback across the political spectrum. But General Motors says it's necessary so the company can invest more money in the cars of the future.
Last week, the United Auto Workers union sued General Motors over its plans to shutter three of the plants, including Lordstown. The union claims that the decision violates the union's labor contract.
It's asking the court to order GM to reverse the closures. It's also seeking damages for affected employees, including back wages and benefits.
GM said in a statement last week that the company has not violated the provisions of its labor contract with the union.
The metro Youngstown area includes Ohio communities of Warren, Niles, Austintown, Lordstown, Salem, Campbell, Boardman, Canfield and Columbiana. The area also include Pennsylvania communities like Sharon, New Castle and New Wilmington.
Youngstown's city population is 82,000 residents. The region has 2.4 million people. The area is within a drive to Cleveland, Akron, Canton and Pittsburgh.
The area is part of the Rust Belt. The region is depressed. Due to manufacturing loss, the regions suffered significant drops in population. The region is prone to crime, economic poverty and lack of resources for people.
It's call the "dead end of America."
The Ohio Turnpike (Interstate 80) faces the Lordstown GM facility.
The main highways that cover Youngstown include The Ohio Turnpike which carries a majority of Interstate 80 (until Austintown) and some of Interstate 76 (towards the Ohio/Pennsylvania line). In edition, Interstate 680 which serves downtown Youngstown, Ohio State Route 11, Ohio State Route 62, U.S. Highway 422 and Interstate 376 (in Pennsylvania).
The Ohio Turnpike and Pennsylvania Turnpike serves as a connector to a majority of communities.
The majority of Interstate 76, 80 and 90 are toll roads.
This impacts that region. That means those who live in Ohio and Pennsylvania will suffer cause of this plant closing.
Mary Barra and GM executives are taking home billions while the average worker for the automotive company takes the pinkslip.
Okay, 2020 is coming, Sherrod Brown is considering a run for president. Trump will make more appearances in Ohio during the start of the campaign season.
Remember these names when you're heading to the polls.
Jeopardy! All Stars champion Brad Rutter with his team Larissa Kelly and David Madden. They celebrate their victory with Alex Trebek. After the victory, the game show host announced he had cancer.
The famed Jeopardy host announced he has Stage IV pancreatic cancer.
Alex Trebek continues hosting duties on the popular quiz show. Fresh after the Jeopardy All Star's Tourament, the game show host announced that he had the cancer.
Born in Sudbury, Ontario, Trebeck is the son of George Edward Trebek, a chef who married a Quebec woman named Lucille Lagace. Trebeck was raised in a bilingual French-English household.
He hosted many game shows and talk shows during his time, but he is best remembered as being the famed host of the long running game show Jeopardy.
Trebek recorded the message on YouTube saying that, "Now, just like 50,000 other people in the United States each year, this week I was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer."
"Now normally, the prognosis for this is not very encouraging, but I'm going to fight this, and I'm going to keep working."
Trebek added, "And with the love and support of my family and friends and with the help of your prayers also, I plan to beat the low survival rate statistics for this disease."
Alex Trebek with the show's most favorable contestants. Ken Jennings, Brad Rutter, Colby Burnett, Austin Rogers, Buzzy Cohen and Julia Colins were called Jeopardy!'s best. The Jeopardy! All-Stars also had Seth Wilson, Larissa Kelly, Monica Thieu, Matt Jackson, Jennifer Giles, Ben Ingram, Roger Craig, David Madden, Leonard Cooper, Alex Jacob, Pam Mueller and Alan Lin.
"Truth told, I have too! Because under the terms of my contract, I have to host Jeopardy for three more years. So help me. Keep the faith and we'll win. We'll get it done. Thank you."
Sony Pictures Television owns Jeopardy and CBS Television distributes the show to local markets.
Trebek hosted the show for 35 seasons. He will immediately begin chemotherapy treatment and also have possible guest hosts when he's not taping.
The show is watched by 24 million people. I am one of those faithful Jeopardy watchers.
In December 2017, Trebek had underwent brain surgery after he was admitted to Cedar-Sinai Medical Center after a nasty fall where he hit his head.
He is married to Jean Currivan and has two children, Matthew, 29 and Emily, 27.
Robert Sylvester Kelly was interviewed by CBS This Morning/OWN host Gayle King.
This may be one his final interviews.
R. Kelly wanted to tell his story. He ended get outraged over the controversy.
King also sat down with two young women who currently live with the singer, Azriel Clary and Joycelyn Savage, in an interview that will air Thursday, March 7 on "CBS This Morning." Savage's parents have accused R. Kelly of kidnapping their daughter. She said she's living with the singer on her own free will.
R. Kelly also faces accusations of maintaining a sex cult. Friends and family members believe Clary and Savage are a part of it.
During the interview, King had to calm the singer down. And of course, his explosion of temper.
CBS News released the partial transcript of the interview.
Gayle King: They are still talking about you with underage girls. Do you still sit here and say you have never been with underage girls. Can you really say that?
R. Kelly: I sit here and say this: I had two cases back then that I said in the beginning of the interview that I would not talk about because of my ongoing case now.
Gayle King: Ok.
R. Kelly: Fair enough, but I will tell you this: people are going back to my past, OK? That's exactly what they're doing. They're going back to the past, and they trying to add all of this stuff now to that. To make all of this stuff that's going on now feels real to people.
Gayle King: But the past is relevant with you with underage girls?
R. Kelly: Absolutely, no it's not. Because for one, I beat my case. When you beat something, you beat it.
Gayle King: You were acquitted.
R. Kelly: You can't double-jeopardy me like that. You can't. It's not fair. It's not fair to nobody. When you beat your case, you beat your case.
Gayle King: But I'm not talking about the one case in which you were acquitted. I'm talking about the other cases where women have come forward and said, "R. Kelly had sex with me when I was under the age of 18. R. Kelly was abusive to me emotionally and physically and verbally. R. Kelly took me in a black room where unspeakable things happened." This is what they're saying about you.
R. Kelly: Not true.
Gayle King: These aren't old rumors.
After he got out of the county, R. Kelly heads to the Chicago McDonald's restaurant where many of his accuser claim they met him.
R. Kelly: Not true. Whether they're old rumors, new rumors, future rumors, not true.
Gayle King: Correct me if I'm wrong that you've never held anybody against their will?
R. Kelly: I don't need to. Why would I? How stupid would it be for R. Kelly, with all I've been through in my way, way past, to hold somebody, let alone 4, 5, 6, 50, you said – how stupid would I be to do that?
Gayle King: I didn't say you were holding –
R. Kelly: That's stupid, guys! Is this camera on me?
Gayle King: Yes, it's on.
R. Kelly: That's stupid! Use your common sense. Forget the blogs, forget how you feel about me. Hate me if you want to, love me if you want. But just use your common sense. How stupid would it be for me, with my crazy past and what I've been through – oh right now I just think I need to be a monster and hold girls against their will, chain them up in my basement, and don't let them eat, don't let them out, unless they need some shoes down the street from their uncle!
Gayle King: Robert –
R. Kelly: Stop it. You don't quit playing. Quit playing. I didn't do this stuff! This is not me! I'm fighting for my fucking life!
Good luck on convincing a partial jury.
Singer was placed in the county lockup again for failure to pay child support. His ex-wife Andrea Kelly has called upon the court to place him in the lockup for failure to pay for his children.
Kelly attended the child supporting hearing while he was out on his "get out free card."
Kelly faces 10 charges of aggravated sexual abuse but he's maintained he did nothing wrong. He plead not guilty. The suspect is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
The singer has been facing allegations for years. Since he's been acquitted of kiddie porn, Kelly has maintained this lifestyle which some believe is a sex cult.
Joycelyn Savage and Azriel Clary who will have their interview on Friday deny they are being brainwashed by R. Kelly.
The singer on his part claims that their parents "sold" them to him.
Man this is going to be one of the most controversial interviews in American history.
Corrupt Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces a court hearing.
A reminder to those who are attacking Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) with claims they're anti-Semitic, you're gaslighting.
For one thing, you don't pledge allegiance to the state of Israel. You can criticize the brutal, dehumanization, hateful agenda of the Israeli government. You can say that you hate Israel.
You can basically say that you want Israel wiped off the map.
It's not anti-Semitic.
What's anti-Semitic is the brutal attack of 11 innocent lives inside a Pittsburgh synagogue. A man who harbored hatred of the religion went into the Tree of Life Synagogue and opened fire in November 2018.
What's anti-Semitic is a handful of lawmakers also claiming that billionaire activist George Soros is a "puppet master" to the progressive movement. Soros and his family got death threats and a terrorist sent bombs to his home.
Criticizing Israel isn't anti-Semitic.
Having American lawmakers pledge loyalty to Israel and denouncing those who refuse to do so as anti-Semitic is..."drum roll," anti-Semitic.
Yeah, the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee (known as AIPAC) has been a major influence peddler in Washington. Democrats and Republicans alike take billions from this lobbyist group.
They were incorporated in the influence peddling of denouncement of the Iranian Nuclear Deal.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was served for corruption. Netanyahu is an Israeli politician serving as the 9th and current Prime Minister of Israel since 2009, previously holding the position from 1996 to 1999. Netanyahu is also currently a member of the Knesset and the Chairman of the Likud party. He is the first Israeli Prime Minister born in Israel after the establishment of the state.
The Israeli Attorney General announced his intent to file indictments against Netanyahu on bribe and fraud charges in three different cases. Netanyahu would become the first sitting prime minister in Israeli history to be charged with a crime.
NBC News report that Netanyahu dismissed the charges as "fake news."
The prime minister faces one count of bribery and three counts of breach of trust.
"The Attorney General, Avihai Mandelblit, has informed the Prime Minister, Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu, through his attorney, that he is considering indicting him on several criminal charges," according to a statement by Ministry of Justice spokesman Adi Livni.
Prosecutors would have to go forward with a pre-indictment hearing before Netanyahu is formally charged.
"It should be noted that the decision regarding an indictment is not yet final, since the Attorney General will offer to conduct a pre-indictment hearing before reaching any final decision, according to Israeli law," according to Livni's statement.
With elections just six weeks away, Netanyahu called the prosecution's announcement "outrageous" and an "unprecedented witch hunt" carried out by his liberal opponents.
The prime minister vowed to refute all allegations which he said are "blood libel."
Police have previously recommended indicting Netanyahu for bribery, fraud and breach of trust in three different cases.
Netanyahu claimed his predecessors have received small gifts similar to what he has been accused of taking, but were not charged.
"If it not Bibi — there’s no investigation," Netanyahu said, referring to himself by his nickname.
The most serious allegations against Netanyahu involve his relationship with Shaul Elovitch, the controlling shareholder of Israel's telecom giant Bezeq.
Police recommended an indictment in the case based on evidence collected that confidants of Netanyahu promoted regulatory changes worth hundreds of millions of dollars to Bezeq. In exchange, they believe Netanyahu used his connections with Elovitch to receive positive press coverage on Bezeq's popular subsidiary news site, Walla. Police have said their investigation concluded that Netanyahu and Elovitch engaged in a "bribe-based relationship."
Police also recommended charges be brought against Elovitch, members of his family and members of his Bezeq management team.
Police have previously recommended indicting Netanyahu on corruption charges in two other cases. One involves accepting gifts from billionaire friends, and the second revolves around alleged offers of advantageous legislation for a major newspaper in return for favorable coverage.
Netanyahu, 69, who is serving his third consecutive term as prime minister and his fourth overall, has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and called the various allegations against him a witch hunt aimed at removing him from office.
The attorney general's decision to publish his conclusions 39 days prior to the general election on April 9 is raising questions about what impact it can have on the outcome of the vote.
Donald Trump, with whom Netanyahu has forged a close connection, said "[Netanyahu's] done a great job as prime minister" in response to a question in Hanoi, where he was holding a summit with the leader of North Korea.
"He's tough, he's smart, he's strong," Trump said of the Israeli leader, but didn’t comment on the indictment.
Netanyahu rushed back Wednesday from a diplomatic mission to Moscow, and a meeting with President Vladimir Putin, to prepare for his expected rebuttal to the charges on Thursday.
Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit is Netanyahu's former cabinet secretary.
While no stranger to scandal, this was the first time Netanyahu faced the possibility of being formally charged with a crime.
Netanyahu and his family's luxurious lifestyle — often at taxpayers’ expense — has come under scrutiny before. Nearly six years ago, Netanyahu was criticized for reportedly spending $127,000 in public funds for a special sleeping cabin for a five-and-a-half hour flight to London for Margaret Thatcher's funeral. That came just months after the Netanyahu family's taxpayer-funded food budget included $2,700 for artisanal pistachio and French vanilla ice cream.
Man (left) seriously injured by reckless motorist.
Jack Kelly might never walk again because of this asshole who literally caused a nearly fatal car accident in Central Florida.
This incident became the latest shocking event in America.
The 19-year old driver was critically injured in the accident last Thursday in Sarasota. A motel surveillance camera captured the crash.
Shocking footage shows suspect's car clipping off Jack Kelly's car and then fleeing.
The suspect is a 24 year old man who had no business being behind the wheel. The driver of a Kia mini van drove into the path of Kelley's Audi car. The speed on that road was 45 miles per hour.
The Kia mini van clipped the vehicle. It caused the Audi to crash.
The Audi flipped four times and Kelley was partially ejected through the sunroof. The man was a standout from a high school basketball team.
The man suffered a traumatic brain injury.
Slimeball caught.
Michael Kelly, the father of the injured driver was angry that the suspect was caught.
He told the junk food media that his son's life will be forever changed.
"My son is going to be in ICU for a long time. So I'm not relieved, I'm glad they caught him but I'm not happy. I'm glad he's going to serve his justice, but that doesn't give me any satisfaction."
The suspect will face felonious assault (fleeing the scene of an accident), driving without a valid license and criminal assault. If the victim dies, it's bumped to aggravated homicide and vehicular assault.
The charges could carry up to LIFE in the iron college. So far he is guaranteed five to ten years.
