Tag: corruption

Israeli army says soldiers accused of abusing Palestinian to return to duty

Israeli military chief Eyal Zamir has authorised five soldiers accused of sexually assaulting a Palestinian inmate in the notorious Sde Teiman detention camp to return to reserve service after charges against them were dropped, according to Israeli media reports.

The soldiers, all from the Force 100 unit assigned to guard military prisons, are being reinstated despite an ongoing, internal military inquiry into their conduct.

Israeli Army Radio reported that some of the reservists have already returned to active duty, including deployment to combat roles.

An Israeli army statement, cited by Israel’s Haaretz newspaper, said: “The investigation does not prevent them from continuing to serve … the command-level investigation will be completed as soon as possible.”

The reinstatement comes after Israel’s top military lawyer dropped all charges against the soldiers last month, closing a case that had been among the most divisive in Israel’s recent history.

The soldiers had been charged with aggravated assault and causing severe injury, after footage broadcast by Israeli television showed them abusing a Palestinian man in Sde Teiman. The military’s own indictment described soldiers stabbing the detainee with a sharp object near his rectum, causing cracked ribs, a punctured lung and an internal tear.

A doctor at the facility, Yoel Donchin, told Haaretz he was so shocked by the Palestinian inmate’s condition that he initially assumed it was the work of a rival armed group.

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When Did America Quit Electing Adults?

Politicians are not known for being model citizens. Left or right, if you go into a room full of them, after shaking a few hands, you’re likely to really want to find a restroom to wash yours. Even a casual history buff knows that going back 250 years to the nation’s founding, the stereotype of the sleazy elected official is older than the Constitution itself. 

So, this isn’t an issue of good vs. bad. It’s an issue of maturity. Twenty years ago, if you caught a politician with his pants down, literally, he was shamed out of Congress.

In 1987, Democrat presidential contender Gary Hart, a U.S. senator from Colorado, saw his political aspirations go up in smoke when the Miami Herald broke the news that Hart had a “womanizing” problem. The scandal became known as the “Donna Rice affair,” which effectively ended his candidacy and his Senate career.

When all of this became known, Hart did what you’d expect at the time. He quietly took steps to exit the public stage and maintain a lower profile for the rest of his life until today. He’s still with us at 89 years old, by the way.

History is not without its colorful characters. Wilbur Mills was a congressman from Arkansas in 1974 when the U.S. Park Police pulled his car over because it was 2 a.m., and he didn’t have his headlights on. The officer found that Mills was drunk with injuries to his face from a little brawl he had with a Washington, D.C., stripper whose stage name was Fanne Fox. 

She was in Mills’ car at the time of the traffic stop. And so, when police approached the car, she did what any self-respecting stripper would do when sitting in a car driven by a drunken congressman who had just been pulled over. She jumped out of the car and into the nearby reservoir that sits in front of the Jefferson Memorial, better known as the Tidal Basin.

The press had a field day with this, and Fox now had a new name – “The Tidal Basin Bombshell.” As polarizing as politics can be, Democrats and Republicans alike saw the story for what it was. An embarrassing scandal that eventually took Mills down and ended his career. 

Had this happened today, the Democrats would have painted Mills as almost saintly in his efforts to provide support to a “sex worker.” They would dox the cop who pulled him over, and somewhere along the way, they would have found a way to blame President Donald Trump.

Believe it or not, Mills survived this incident and was re-elected after it, but he lost his clout. His errant ways soon caught up with him, and he faded away in disgrace.

The point is, for better or worse, for Hart and Mills, and other politicians of the era, bad behaviors had consequences, and they paid them like adults. Keep in mind, these were the more extreme cases of political controversy. 

Your everyday congressional rep or senator had to actually do something to earn news, not just spontaneously do a selfie video and vomit what was on their minds at the time.

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Spanberger awards $5 MILLION to husband’s firm for Virginia Advanced Propulsion Facilities project

It has been revealed that Democrat Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger signed off on grants totaling $18 million to help a company where her husband works in expanding its operations in Orange County, $5 million of which will be awarded to the company directly. The grants will help build the Virginia Advanced Propulsion Facilities in Orange County.

L3Harris, an aerospace technology company as well as a defense contractor, had announced an over $1 billion expansion for solid rocket motor production capacity at the company’s site in Orange County. The grants are part of the project expansion.

“Governor Spanberger approved two grants of $12.5 million and $500,000 from the Commonwealth’s Opportunity Fund to assist Orange County with the projects. The Governor also approved a performance-based grant of $5 million from the Virginia Investment Performance Grant, an incentive that encourages continued capital investment by existing Virginia companies. Funding and services to support L3Harris’ employee training activities will be provided through the Virginia Jobs Investment Program,” a press release from Spanberger’s office said.

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Gay D.C. police lieutenant arrested on child porn charges

D.C. police announced on April 14 that they have placed one of their lieutenants, Matthew Mahl, on administrative leave and revoked his police powers after receiving information that he was arrested in Maryland one day earlier.  

Although the initial D.C. police announcement doesn’t disclose the reason for the arrest it refers to a statement by the Harford County, Md. Sheriff’s Office that discloses Mahl has been charged with sexual solicitation of a minor and child porn solicitation.

“On Tuesday, the Harford County Sheriff’s Office contacted MPD’s Internal Affairs Division shortly after arresting Lieutenant Matthew Mahl,” the D.C. police statement says.

“The allegations in this case are extremely disturbing, and in direct contrast to the values of the Metropolitan Police Department,” the statement continues. “MPD’s Internal Affairs Division will investigate violations of MPD policy once the criminal investigation concludes,” it says.

“MPD is not involved in the criminal investigation and was not aware of the investigation until yesterday,” the statement adds.

Mahl served as acting supervisor of the MPD’s then Gay & Lesbian Liaison Unit in 2013 when he held the rank of sergeant. D.C. police officials placed him on administrative leave and suspended his police powers that same year while investigating an undisclosed allegation.

A source familiar with the investigation said Mahl was cleared of any wrongdoing a short time later and resumed his police duties. Around the time he was promoted to lieutenant several years later Mahl took on the role as chairman of the D.C. Police Union, becoming the first known openly gay officer to hold that position.

NBC 4 reports that Mahl, 47, has served on the police force for 23 years and most recently was assigned to the department’s Special Operations Division.

Records related to Mahl’s arrest filed in Harford County District Court, show Sheriff’s Department investigators state in charging documents that he allegedly committed the offenses of Sexual Solicitation of a Minor and Child Porn Solicitation on Monday, April 13, one day before he was arrested on April 14.   

The court records show he was held without bond during his first appearance in court on April 14. A decision on whether he would be released while awaiting trial or continue to be held without bond was scheduled to be determined during an April 15 bond hearing. The outcome of that hearing could not be immediately determined.  

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Trump’s religion is ‘Israelism’ – Tucker Carlson

US President Donald Trump’s true religion is “Israelism” rather than Christianity, conservative journalist and podcaster Tucker Carlson has claimed, criticizing the president’s Middle East policies.

Carlson made the remarks in response to controversial statements Trump made over the past week, including his attacks on Pope Leo XIV and posts depicting himself as a Christ-like figure.

On Monday, Trump described the US-born pontiff as “weak” and “terrible for foreign policy” after the pope called Trump’s threat to destroy Iranian civilization “truly unacceptable” and said that Jesus “does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, but rejects them.”

On his show, Carlson argued that the US had launched the war against Iran “on behalf of Israel” and “at the instigation of Israel.”

“What’s the religion, honestly, of Donald Trump? It’s not Christianity, clearly. It’s Israelism. It’s the defense of Israel,” Carlson said, adding that support for the Jewish state has become a “civic religion” of the American government.

He described Trump’s social media posts as “iconography” and “attempts to send a statement about faith,” which “doesn’t actually add up to a theology.”

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New GOP Outrage As Minnesota Dems Unite to Shield Walz From Impeachment

There’s one thing you have to admit about Democrats: They stick together. They have each other’s backs, regardless of what accusations may be flying about, at least until things get so egregiously bad with a particular donkey (Eric Swalwell) that they just have to admit that the dead woodchuck under the porch is starting to stink.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz doesn’t appear to have reached that odoriferous point yet. Minnesota’s Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), that being what they call Democrats in Minnesota, has now united to block any impeachment proceedings by Republicans against Governor Walz and his equally dead-woodchuck-smelling Attorney General, Keith Ellison.

Conservatives, not just in Minnesota but everywhere, are not happy with the move. 

Conservatives on social media erupted with outrage Thursday after Democratic lawmakers in Minnesota united to block a Republican effort to investigate further and impeach Gov. Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison.

A resolution taken up by the Minnesota House Rules and Legislative Administration Committee to launch an impeachment investigation and allow the committee to hold hearings, issue subpoenas and further investigate the massive fraud scandal was blocked after all eight Democrats on the committee voted against it, Fox 9 Minneapolis reported.

The lawmakers deadlocked 8-8 on a straight party-line vote.

Because of course they did. Democrats are lockstep in support of their guy, and honestly, that’s something Republicans could stand to be just a little better at.

Here’s a real howler:

“This is a fundamentally unserious proposal by a fundamentally unserious party who isn’t interested in governing,” Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL) Rep. Michael Howard said about the move. 

Oh, the irony! Half of the state of Minnesota is raking in billions in blatant fraud, and he’s saying that the minority Republicans are screwing up?

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SPAIN: Prolific Serial Killer Transitions While Serving 127-Year Sentence, Is Now Being Held In A Women’s Unit

One of Spain’s most prolific serial killers is now being held in a women’s correctional unit after beginning to identify as transgender while behind bars. Joan Vila Dilmé, also known as the Olot nursing home killer, is reportedly now going by the name “Aida.”

Vila, 60, was sentenced to 127 years in prison in 2013 for the murders of 11 elderly residents at the care home he worked at.

Dubbed “the angel of death” by Spanish media, Vila was arrested following the death of an 85-year-old resident at the La Caritat nursing home in the northeastern Catalan town of Olot. Medical staff determined that the woman had died after ingesting a corrosive substance, prompting authorities to classify the case as suspicious.

Police soon identified Vila, a caregiver at the facility, as a person of interest after establishing that he had been present at the time of the woman’s death. During questioning, he confessed to the killing, admitting that he had forced her to drink a corrosive substance.

Although Vila initially confessed to just three murders, a subsequent investigation revealed a far more extensive pattern of abuse. Authorities ultimately linked him to at least 11 deaths at the nursing home—nine women and two men. The victims, all of whom were between 80 and 90 years of age, were identified as:

  • Rosa Barbures Pujol
  • Francisca Matilde Fiol
  • Teresa Puig Boixadera
  • Isidra García Aseijas
  • Carme Vilanova Viñolas
  • Lluís Salleras Claret
  • Joan Canal Julià
  • Montserrat Canalias Muntada
  • Sabina Masllorens i Sala
  • Montserrat Guillamet Bartolich
  • Paquita Gironès i Quintana

The murders were carried out between August of 2009 and October of 2010.

Investigators determined that Vila had evaded detection for an extended period by initially employing methods that were difficult to trace. In early cases, he administered cocktails of barbiturates and other drugs mixed with water, or delivered high doses of insulin intravenously to diabetic patients. These methods often led to the deaths being mistakenly classified as natural or medical.

By September of 2010, colleagues began noticing a marked shift in Vila behavior. He reportedly became increasingly aggressive and expressed frustration with caring for elderly residents, stating that he wanted to leave his job. Following one of his later killings, he allegedly compelled a co-worker to remain in the victim’s room and watch over the body.

The final series of murders occurred within a five-day span between October 12 and 17, 2010. During this period, Vila killed Sabina Masllorens i Sala, Montserrat Guillamet Bartolich and Paquita Gironès i Quintana. In these cases, he abandoned earlier methods and instead forced victims to ingest bleach or injected corrosive substances directly into their mouths.

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Woke Boston mayor hands out $500 haircut and MASSAGE vouchers to migrants despite city’s budget plunging $50m in red

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu is handing out $500 vouchers to migrants so they can enjoy haircuts, massages and other self-care benefits, despite the city’s budget plunging nearly $50 million short. 

Applicants who are ‘low-income, isolated queer and trans migrants, asylum seekers and refugees’ are prioritized for the ‘wellness allowance.’ 

The initiative, called ‘Belonging Matters’, was created by OUTnewcomers, a nonprofit that advocates for LGBTQ+ migrants in Boston alongside the Mayor’s Office for Immigrant Advancement, Mass Daily News reported. 

Applicants get $250 to $500 toward ‘non-clinical care’ completely funded by the city agency, which is run by the Democrat’s administration. 

They can participate in activities like meditation, yoga, peer support, creative healing, acupuncture and gym memberships, as detailed in the post. 

It comes as the city faces a $48.4 million deficit and teachers are faced with possible staffing cuts due to a $53 million shortfall for Boston Public Schools, according to statistics for this fiscal year. 

OUTnewcomers was founded by Sal Khan, a ‘queer activist’ and drag performer who is also the organization’s executive director, according to the group’s Facebook page. 

The 33-year-old, whose drag queen name is Miss Chilly Masala, also refers to himself as ‘angry brown queer,’ according to his Instagram. 

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VA Executive Charged With Concealing Gifts and Cash Received from Government Contractors

In March, John H. Windom, 64, was federally indicted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia on three counts: Concealment of Material Facts, False Statements, and Falsification of a Record or Document.

Windom, 64, a retired U.S. Navy Captain and former senior executive at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), served as Executive Director of the Office of Electronic Health Record Modernization (OEHRM) from 2017 to 2022.

In 2022, during the Biden administration, he was reassigned as deputy director of the Federal Electronic Health Modernization Office, a joint DoD-VA initiative.

According to the three-count Indictment, between 2017 and 2021, while Windom was leading the $16 billion acquisition and deployment of the VA’s Electronic Health Records solution, then one of the largest information technology contracts in the federal government, he concealed from the VA, executive branch ethics officials, and the public that he was also accepting, and sometimes demanding, extravagant gifts from a group of contractors and subcontractors who worked on the project he was overseeing.

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Trump 2020 Election Lawyer John Eastman Disbarred in California For Challenging Democrat Fraud

President Trump’s 2020 election lawyer John Eastman was officially disbarred in Californian on Wednesday.

The California Supreme Court affirmed that Eastman was disbarred after a two-year battle with the state bar.

CBS News reported:

John Eastman, Chapman Law School’s former dean, lost his law license after he allegedly helped President Trump try to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia.

“After extensive proceedings before the State Bar Court’s Hearing and Review Departments, both of which found Mr. Eastman culpable of serious ethical violations, the Court has imposed the discipline warranted by the clear and convincing evidence that he advanced false claims about the 2020 presidential election to mislead courts, public officials, and the American public,” said State Bar Chief Trial Counsel George Cardona.

The California Supreme Court affirmed Eastman’s disbarment two years after the State Bar found him culpable of 10 disciplinary charges, claiming he engaged in misconduct by allegedly helping Trump try to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia.

Eastman was disbarred in April 2024 after a judge ruled he should have his law license stripped for challenging the 2020 election.

John Eastman previously asked a California judge to pause the disbarment ruling, citing massive legal fees.

Eastman faced disbarment in California for ‘undermining democracy’ by trying to ‘overturn the presidential election.’

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