Philip Berk, a eight-term past president and 44-year member of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the group that governs and votes for the annual Golden Globe Awards, has been expelled from its membership two days after emailing an article to his fellow members that described Black Lives Matter as a “racist hate movement”. Berk also took the opportunity to condemn its co-founder, Patrisse Cullors, for purchasing a home in Topanga Canyon, California, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
“Effective immediately, Phil Berk is no longer a member of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association,” the HFPA’s board said in a statement released Tuesday afternoon. Fox News reported that the decision comes hours after NBC — which telecasts the Globes — condemned Berk’s actions and called for his “immediate expulsion.”
The show’s producer, Dick Clark Productions, also demanded Berk’s removal.
The Hollywood Reporter indicated that according to the Los Angeles Times, the newspaper received a copy of the e-mail chain that Berk, an 88-year-old from South Africa sent out about the BLM Movement.
Fox News reported that the Los Angeles Times said that Berk not only described the Black Lives Matter movement as a “racist hate movement” but said that Cullors was a “self-proclaimed Marxist.”
The Hollywood Reporter indicated that one HFPA member labeled Berk’s email as “racist,” another “vile” and a third called him “a thundering disgrace,” while the HFPA’s COO notified Berk that it was “not appropriate” behavior. Berk replied, “I only intended to illustrate the hypocrisy that engulfs us I forwarded it as a point of information I had no hidden agenda I now regret having sent it.”
This was, in effect, Berk’s third strike with the HFPA, according to the Hollywood Reporter. He previously took a leave of absence after writing a 2014 memoir, With Signs and Wonders, that did not reflect well on the organization, and was accused by the actor Brendan Fraser, in 2018, of groping Fraser’s buttocks at an event in 2003, as was reported by the Hollywood Reporter.
Fox News reported that the e-mail was sent to HFPA members, staff, the group’s general counsel and chief operating officer.
In a statement sent to the media on Monday evening, the HFPA said, “Since its inception, the HFPA has dedicated itself to bridging cultural connections and creating further understanding of different backgrounds through film and TV. The views expressed in the article circulated by Mr. Berk are those of the author of the article and do not — in any way shape or form – reflect the views and values of the HFPA. The HFPA condemns all forms of racism, discrimination and hate speech and finds such language and content unacceptable.”
The Los Angeles Times revealed in a report on February 21st that the HFPA currently has no black or brown people among its 87 voting members, as was reported by the Hollywood Reporter. The HFPA then retained the services of a diversity specialist and consulted with famed crisis management expert Judy Smith, who inspired Scandal’s Olivia Pope. (THR has learned that Smith has quit as a consultant.) The HFPA then vowed to announce substantial reforms by May 6, with Time’s Up and more than 100 PR firms threatening to cut off the HFPA altogether unless those reforms are game-changers.
Fox News reported that Shaun Harper, who was hired as a diversity strategist advisor by the HFPA last month, said in a resignation letter that he was initially optimistic when he joined the organization, but he felt compelled to step down after learning about the group’s “deep systemic and reputational challenges.”
“I no longer have confidence in our ability to collaboratively deliver the transformational change that the industry and people in it whom I deeply respect are demanding of you,” said Harper, who is a professor of racial, gender and LGBTQ issues at the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business.
“My serious, unwavering commitment to the racial and gender equity issues on which I work every day make it impossible for me to continue serving in a consulting capacity with the HFPA,” he continued.
On Tuesday, both NBC, which broadcasts the Golden Globe Awards, and MRC, which owns the company that produces it, Dick Clark Productions, issued statements demanding Berk’s expulsion from the group, according to the Hollywood Reporter. “NBC strongly condemns Phil Berk’s actions and is calling for his immediate expulsion,” the network said in a statement. “While we continue to await the details of HFPA’s upcoming plan for reform, swift action on this front is an essential element for NBC to move forward with the HFPA and the Golden Globes.(Sources: Fox News & The Hollywood Reporter)
(Arutz Sheva Staff)- Yamina chairman Naftali Bennett delivered a statement to the media Wednesday evening responding to the Likud party’s attacks against him.
“The State of Israel urgently needs a functioning and stable government. With all due respect to what has been happening in the last two years in the Knesset, there are people outside. There are people who need to return to work and businesses that need to be rehabilitated. The citizens of Israel are tired of the quarrels. They want a government that will work for them,” Bennett began.
He said, “While the people want a government, Netanyahu is interested in elections. We will not agree to that. The Likud’s attacks were predictable and do not impress me. I am committed to my values and to the citizens of the State of Israel.”
He noted that “two weeks ago Mr. Netanyahu received from the President the mandate to form a government. I immediately told Netanyahu that he has the support of the Yamina faction, to form a right-wing government. Unfortunately, despite long hours and long days of investment on our part, I realized that while we try to leave no stone unturned in order to form a government, Netanyahu is constantly evading and attacking us. He is afraid to put pressure on those who have climbed up high trees, unwilling to offer compromises, and strives for only one thing – another election, the fifth, this time in a direct election. There is no government, no one will have a government. We will go to the polls again, for the fifth, sixth and seventh times.”
He clarified that “for me, the first priority is to form a right-wing government. Netanyahu, you have us, to form a government. If the Likud fails in the task, then as my second priority I will work to form a unity government. My condition is that it be a stable and functioning government and that I be able to maintain my values. Only if these two things are not possible will we have to go to the fifth election in one form or another.”
We don’t want your money! We don’t want your f**king taquerias owned by white men!”, the self-loathing hipster screamed in the streets as the flock of SJW repeated his racist, tirade.
The communist group later marched across Manhattan Bridge while chanting “one solution, revolution” as they carried a banner displaying bloody handprints and the words “abolish the NYPD.”
The protest movement is a modern manifestation of the communist movement dating back to the 1950’s in America, which has been carefully researched and documented by historian, G Edward Griffin.
To really understand the roots of communist movements and subversion G Edward Griffin’s work is highly recommended. From 1962 to 1975, he completed nine books and seven film productions; Griffin’s 1969 video lecture, More Deadly Than War: The Communist Revolution in America, was printed in English and Dutch.
Listening to G Edward Griffin’s lecture will really help you understand what exactly BLM and ANTIFA is all about, it all connects, and it is manifesting before your eyes.
President Joe Biden reacted Tuesday to the verdict in the Derek Chauvin trial, finding him guilty in the murder of George Floyd.
“It was a murder in the full light of day, and it ripped the blinders off for the whole world to see the systemic racism … a stain on our nation’s soul,” Biden said in a speech.
Biden described the verdict as a “step forward” in the fight for justice in America.
But he also said it was a “much too rare” event when law enforcement was successfully prosecuted for the death of a black man in their custody.
“A murder that lasted more than ten minutes in broad daylight for everybody in the whole world to see,” Biden said.
Vice President Kamala Harris introduced Biden, recalling the “long history of systemic racism” in America, where black people were treated “throughout the course of our history as less than human.”
“Their lives must be valued in our education system, in our health care system, in our housing system, in our economic system, in our criminal justice system, in our nation,” she said. “Full stop.”
Biden offered mild praise for law enforcement, singling out Chauvin’s law enforcement colleagues for testifying against him in the trial.
“Most men and women who wear the badge serve their communities honorably,” Biden said. “But those few who fail to meet that standard must be held accountable.”
Biden said the verdict sent the message that no one was above the law, but that was not enough.
“This takes acknowledging and confronting head-on — systemic racism and the racial disparities that exist in policing and the justice system more broadly,” he said.
Biden promised to continue pushing for the passage of the George Floyd Act drafted by Democrats in Congress.
“It shouldn’t take a whole year to get this done,” he said.
Biden described the year of protests since the death of George Floyd as a legacy of what was possible but urged activists to remain peaceful.
“Let that be his legacy, a legacy of peace, and not violence, and justice,” Biden said. “Peaceful expression of that legacy are inevitable and appropriate, but violent protest is not.”
Biden condemned the “agitators and extremists” who “exploit” the “raw emotions of the moment” who have “no interest in social justice.”
“We can’t let them succeed,” he said. “This is the time for the country to come together.”
Biden said it was his “hope and prayer” that Americans could live up to Floyd’s legacy.
“This can be a moment of significant change,” he said.
Columbus Police Department officials released an officer’s bodycam video showing the seconds leading up to the shooting of a teenage girl. The chaotic video shows a fight in progress.
The Columbus Division of Police released a bodycam video showing Tuesday’s shooting of a young black girl who appeared to be armed with a knife. The video appears to show the girl fighting with another girl as the officer opens fire.
#Columbus
*potentially disturbing*
Body cam. Suspect had a large knife and officers were responding to reports of a knife. pic.twitter.com/ddoXQKXxSf
he knife can be seen in the girl’s hand as she appears to attempt to stab the girl in pink. The officer fires his weapon and the girl falls to the ground. The video shows the knife laying beside her.
Screenshot from bodycam video showing the knife laying beside the teenage girl shot by police.
Columbus officials quickly released the officer’s bodycam video in “an effort to be transparent” about the incident leading to the officer’s decision to shoot. It appears the officer shot to save the life of the girl in pink.
WBNS 10 published the full press conference from police and Columbus city officials.
Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther called it a “tragic day in the City of Columbus.”
“We know based on this footage the officer took action to protect another young girl in our community,” Ginther explained. “We think it’s critically important to share as much information as possible. We’ll continue to share footage and other information as quickly as possible.”
The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation is leading the investigation into the officer-involved shooting.
Former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin has been convicted of murder and manslaughter in the death of George Floyd, the explosive case that triggered worldwide protests, violence and a furious reexamination of racism and policing in the U.S. Photo Credit: AP
Edited by: TJVNews.com
Former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin has been convicted of murder and manslaughter in the death of George Floyd, the explosive case that triggered worldwide protests, violence and a furious reexamination of racism and policing in the U.S.
The jury reached its verdict Tuesday after deliberating about 10 hours over two days in a city on edge against another outbreak of unrest.
Floyd died last May after Chauvin, a 45-year-old now-fired white officer, pinned his knee on or close to the 46-year-old Black man’s neck for about 9 1/2 minutes as Floyd gasped that he couldn’t breathe and onlookers yelled at Chauvin to get off.
The jury, made up of six white people and six Black or multiracial people, weighed charges of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter, with convictions on some, none or all of the charges possible. The most serious charge carries up to 40 years in prison.
People hold signs as they march near the Hennepin County Government Center during a rally in Minneapolis on Monday, April 19, 2021, after the murder trial against former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin. Photo Credit: AP
President Joe Biden weighed in by saying he believes the case is “overwhelming.” Biden told reporters he was only weighing in on the trial into the death of George Floyd, who died with Chauvin’s knee on his neck, because the jury in the case had been sequestered. He said he called Floyd’s family on Monday to offer prayers and “ can only imagine the pressure and anxiety they’re feeling.”
“They’re a good family and they’re calling for peace and tranquility no matter what that verdict is,” Biden said. “I’m praying the verdict is the right verdict. I think it’s overwhelming, in my view. I wouldn’t say that unless the jury was sequestered now.”
The president has repeatedly denounced Floyd’s death but has previously stopped short of weighing in on Chauvin’s trial, with White House officials saying it would be improper to speak out during active judicial proceedings. The White House has been privately weighing how to handle the upcoming verdict, including considering whether Biden should address the nation and dispatching specially trained community facilitators from the Justice Department, aides and officials told The Associated Press.
Floyd’s brother, Philonise Floyd, told NBC’s “Today” show that Biden “knows how it is to lose a family member … so he was just letting us know that he was praying for us and hoping that everything would come out to be OK.”
Psaki on Tuesday said Biden was “not looking to influence” the outcome and would weigh in further once the jury reached a verdict. Biden has yet to deliver expansive remarks as president on race and policing.
Pressed to expand on the president’s remarks, Psaki added, “I’m not going to provide additional analysis on what he meant.”
The White House, meanwhile, was stepping up preparations for the upcoming verdict. Psaki said administration officials have been in contact with leaders in Minnesota and in other cities and states that saw unrest after Floyd’s death last year. The FBI and the U.S. attorney’s office in Minnesota have been working with local officials to support law enforcement as they prepare for the possibility of unrest after the verdict, officials said.
The Justice Department has also dispatched specially trained community facilitators, according to a senior Justice Department official. The official could not discuss the plans publicly and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.
The officials, part of the Justice Department’s Community Relations Service, tout themselves as “America’s Peacemaker” for mediating disputes in communities and holding listening sessions to help prevent future conflicts.
A federal civil rights investigation, separate from the trial, remains ongoing. Several witnesses were subpoenaed earlier this year to appear before a federal grand jury considering charges against Chauvin.
The Justice Department’s civil rights investigation has been focused on Chauvin and some of the witnesses, including other officers who worked with Chauvin, people familiar with the matter have told the AP.
The verdict is a test for Biden, who has pledged to help combat racism in policing, helping African Americans who supported him in large numbers last year in the wake of protests that swept the nation after Floyd’s death and restarted a national conversation about race. But he also has long projected himself as an ally of police, who are struggling with criticism about long-used tactics and training methods and difficulties in recruitment.
The racially diverse jury — anonymous and sequestered from the outside world — resumed deliberations in the morning as lawmakers and fellow citizens alike delivered their own opinions about the combustible case that triggered protests, scattered violence and a reckoning over racism in the U.S.
“It shouldn’t be really even questioned whether there will be an acquittal or a verdict that doesn’t meet the scale of the crime that was committed,” Rep. Ilhan Omar, a Democrat, said in Brooklyn Center, a suburb just outside Minneapolis. The congresswoman said the Chauvin case looks open-and-shut.
Guilty verdicts could mark a turning point in the fight for racial equality, she said.
“We are holding on to one another for support. Hopefully this verdict will come soon and the community will start the process of healing,” Omar said.
National Guard members are seen as a person flies a Black Lives Matter flag during a rally outside of the Hennepin County Government Center in Minneapolis on Monday, April 19, 2021. Photo Credit: AP
Prosecutors argued that Chauvin squeezed the life out of Floyd last May when the white officer knelt on or near the 46-year-old Black man’s neck for 9 1/2 minutes. The defense contended that the now-fired white officer acted reasonably and that a heart condition and illegal drug use led to Floyd’s death.
Chauvin, 45, is charged with second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter The most serious charge carries up to 40 years in prison.
Ahead of a verdict, hundreds, and perhaps thousands, of stores and other buildings have been boarded up across the city, from Absolute Bail Bonds to glass-walled downtown office towers to Floyd’s 99 Barbershop.
More than 3,000 National Guard soldiers, along with police officers, state police, sheriffs deputies and other law enforcement personnel have flooded the city in recent days, with a verdict looming . But in the city that has come to epitomize America’s debate over police killings, there are places today in Minneapolis that can feel almost like a police state.
Concrete barriers, chain-link fences and barbed wire now ring parts of downtown Minneapolis so that authorities can quickly close off the courthouse where the trial is being held. It’s become normal in recent days to pass convoys of desert-tan military vehicles on nearby highways, and stumble across armed men and women standing guard.
Behind all the security are the days of violence that began with protests over Floyd’s death. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz faced withering criticism for not stepping in quicker to deploy the National Guard. City officials estimate the city suffered roughly $350 million in damage, mostly to commercial properties.
“They’re between a rock and hard place,” said Eli Silverman, professor emeritus at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice and a longtime scholar of policing. “You don’t want to overmilitarize and make it appear that you’ve converted a sovereign state into a police state. But on the other hand, you have to be prepared, too,” in case protests flare again.
The city has also been on edge in recent days over the deadly police shooting of a 20-year-old Black man, Daunte Wright, in Brooklyn Center on April 11.
Brooklyn Center Mayor Mike Elliott joined a group of residents Tuesday to call for transparency and accountability in policing.
The mayor said he has met with Wright’s family several times and vowed to “do all that’s within our power to make sure that we are implementing the kind of changes that would prevent another Daunte.”
“What this community is saying is that his life is going to continue to matter,” Elliott said.
After the jury got the Chauvin case Monday, Judge Peter Cahill rejected a defense request for a mistrial based in part on comments from California Rep. Maxine Waters, who said “we’ve got to get more confrontational” if Chauvin isn’t convicted of murder.
In this image from video, Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill reads instructions to the jury before closing arguments, Monday, April 19, 2021, in the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. Photo Credit: AP
The judge called her comments “abhorrent” and “disrespectful to the rule of law and to the judicial branch” and told Chauvin’s attorney that Waters “may have given you something on appeal that may result in this whole trial being overturned.”
Speaking of politicians in general, the judge said, “I think if they want to give their opinions, they should do so in a respectful and in a manner that is consistent with their oath to the Constitution to respect a coequal branch of government. Their failure to do so, I think, is abhorrent.”
On Monday, Cahill ordered that jurors be sequestered in an undisclosed hotel during their deliberations and instructed them to avoid all news about the case.
Still, two defense attorneys in Minnesota said they consider a successful appeal over remarks like Waters’ or Biden’s extremely unlikely.
“Anybody who thinks undue publicity is going to get a case reversed in this day and age is just wrong,” said Joe Friedberg, who is unconnected to the case. “Just from a pragmatic standpoint, with social media, I don’t think it can ever be done again.”
Brock Hunter, past president of the Minnesota Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, said a successful appeal would be unlikely unless there were direct evidence that Waters’ statements affected jurors.
Prosecutors fought hard to add a third-degree murder charge against Chauvin but a conviction on that charge alone could set up a problematic scenario for them. That’s because another fired Minneapolis officer found guilty of third-degree murder has a pending appeal before the state Supreme Court — and if his conviction is overturned, it could mean a Chauvin conviction would fall, too. Chauvin is charged with second- and third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. The jury can convict Chauvin of some, none or all three of the charges. The risk is that if the jury acquits him of second-degree murder but agrees he is guilty of third-degree murder, a murder conviction might not ultimately stick.
The interpretation of Minnesota’s third-degree murder statute is being challenged in the case of former Minneapolis Officer Mohamed Noor. He was convicted in the 2017 shooting death of Justine Ruszczyk Damond, a dual citizen of Australia and the U.S. who was killed after she called 911 to report a potential sexual assault behind her home.
At issue is a short phrase in the statute: that the defendant’s conduct must be found to be “eminently dangerous to others.”
The original charges against Chauvin included third-degree murder, but Judge Cahill threw out that count in October, citing the word “others” — plural — in that phrase. Cahill said there was no evidence Chauvin’s actions endangered anyone beyond Floyd.
Subsequently, a Minnesota appeals court in February rejected similar legal reasoning in Noor’s case, ruling that a third-degree murder conviction can be sustained even if the action that caused a death was directed at just one person. Cahill then reinstated the charge against Chauvin, however, Noor has taken his case to the Minnesota Supreme Court, which will hear arguments in June.
If the jury in the Chauvin case were to come back with a conviction on third-degree murder only, Chauvin “obviously could never be tried again on the other charges” because of his protection against double jeopardy, said Mike Brandt, a local defense attorney who has been closely following Chauvin’s trial.
And if the Minnesota Supreme Court rules in Noor’s favor, that could help Chauvin get his own conviction thrown out, and then Chauvin “would basically walk,” according to Brandt.
From left, attorney Ben Crump, Philonise Floyd, brother of George Floyd, Brandon Williams, nephew of George Floyd, and Rodney Floyd, brother of George Floyd, attend a news conference outside Minneapolis courthouse. Photo Credit: AP
Ted Sampsell-Jones, a professor at the Mitchell Hamline School of Law in St. Paul, Minnesota, agreed it would be a “nightmare scenario” if Chauvin were acquitted of second-degree murder and convicted of third-degree, and the Supreme Court then reversed Noor’s conviction.
“If the Minnesota Supreme Court were to reverse Noor’s third-degree murder conviction, that would almost certainly invalidate Chauvin’s as well,” Sampsell-Jones said. “But — that is quite unlikely all around.”
Sentencing guidelines call for four years in prison on the manslaughter charge versus 12 1/2 years on each of the murder counts.
The book is titled “American Crisis: Leadership Lessons from the Civd-19 Pandemic” and it chronicles the state’s battle against the coronavirus for which the governor received a seven-figure advance. Photo Credit: Amazon.com
Edited By: TJVNews.com
New York State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli has issued a referral on Monday granting authorization to New York State Attorney General Letitia James to begin a possible criminal investigation into Governor Andrew M Cuomo’s use of state resources in relation to his most recent book. The book is titled “American Crisis: Leadership Lessons from the Civd-19 Pandemic” and it chronicles the state’s battle against the coronavirus for which the governor received a seven-figure advance.
The potential investigation follows media reports that detailed how junior staff members and senior aides worked on the book while on state salary.
The New York Times reported on Monday that a spokeswoman for Ms. James confirmed on that the office had received the referral, but declined additional comment on what she called “an ongoing investigation.” DiNapoli suggested in an April 13 letter to Ms. James that a criminal investigation was warranted after allegations surfaced that “public resources may have been used in the development of the governor’s book,” as was reported by the NYT.
Richard Azzopardi, a senior adviser to Cuomo, told the New York Times that, “We have officially jumped the shark — the idea there was criminality involved here is patently absurd on its face and is just the furthering of a political pile-on. “This is Albany politics at its worst,” he continued. “Both the comptroller and the attorney general have spoken to people about running for governor, and it is unethical to wield criminal referral authority to further political self-interest.”
In his letter to Ms. James, DiNapoli said: “As Comptroller of the State of New York I am vested with the broad constitutional and statutory duty and authority to, among other things, superintend the fiscal of the state, audit the accounts of public officers and keep accurate and proper books, audit all state payments including the payroll for public employees, review and approve state contracts, and conduct audits of all state entities. Pursuant to Executive Law $63( ),
I hereby request that your office investigate the alleged commission of any indictable offense or offenses in violation of the law occurring or commencing prior to the date of this referral related to the use of property, services or resources of the state for personal purposes private business purposes or other compensated non governmental purposes by the Executive Chamber including, but not limited to, in the drafting, editing, sale and promotion of the Governor’s book and any related financial or business transactions.
For his part, Cuomo on Monday offered no comment on DiNapoli’s request of Ms. James. According to the NYT report, Cuomo reiterated that some members of his staff had volunteered to work on the book, and that some were also asked to review passages that mentioned them.
Audrey Strauss, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and William F. Sweeney Jr., Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), announced on Monday new charges against the leaders of the notorious Lev Tahor cult that has engaged in nefarious practices for years. The US Attorney named Nachman Helbrans, the leader of the cult as well as Mayer Rosner, Yakov Weingarten, Shmiel Weingarten and Yoil Weingarten as individuals who have conspired to (1) transport a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, and (2) travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct, in connection with the kidnapping of a 14-year-old girl (“Minor-1”) from New York to reunite her with her adult “husband” outside the United States for purposes of continuing their sexual relationship. The defendants, among other members of Lev Tahor, were previously charged with several other crimes related to the kidnapping of Minor-1 and her younger brother.
Lev Tahor is widely described as an ultra-Orthodox Jewish cult that was founded by Shlomo Helbrans. It generally follows a strict version of Jewish law, including its own unique practices such as lengthy prayer sessions, arranged marriages between underage children and adults as well as black, head-to-toe coverings for females beginning at age three. The group has faced allegations of kidnapping, sexual abuse, and child abuse, and has been referred to as a dangerous sect.
Originally having established his community in Israel, which he claimed to have modeled after the Satmar Hasidic movement, Shlomo Helbrans moved his vehemently anti-Zionist community to the United States, where he was convicted in 1994 for kidnapping and served two years in prison. During this time he was accused by a few former community members of child abuse, serving medicine and psychological pills, and using various punishments on his followers.
He was deported back to Israel, but in 2001 he fled to Canada, where he reestablished his community in Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts, Quebec, applying for and attaining refugee status for himself two years later. In November 2013, amid clashes with the education authorities, most members of the group left for Ontario, again claiming religious persecution. On July 7, 2017, Helbrans drowned while performing a ritual immersion in a river in Mexico at the age of 54.
U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss stated: “As alleged, the defendants engaged in a brazen kidnapping of a minor girl in the middle of the night, taking her across the border to Mexico in order to reunite her with her adult ‘husband’ to continue their sexual relationship. These charges send a clear message that the sexual exploitation of children will not be tolerated.”
FBI Assistant Director William F. Sweeney Jr. stated: “International borders will not stop the FBI from pursuing justice and enforcing violations of our laws, especially when you target children. The behavior alleged today is outrageous, and there is no justification for it whatsoever. We are grateful for the excellent cooperation from our partners in Mexico and Guatemala who helped us hold these leaders of Lev Tahor accountable for their behavior. Protecting innocent children should be a priority for all of society – it’s certainly one of ours. If you know of children who are being trafficked, please contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or www.fbi.tips.gov.”
Lionel Virgile allegedly threw a chemical substance at an NYPD officer and a lit molotov cocktail at a police vehicle in Brooklyn on April 17, 2021, according to the NYPD (Credit: NYPD)
Edited by: TJVNews.com
In the aftermath of the vicious attack on two NYPD officers in Brooklyn on Saturday morning in which Lionel Virgile, 44, threw a Molotov cocktail and bleach at them from his car. it has now been reported by the New York Post that the ex-wife of the driver has claimed that he suffers from bipolar disorder and has been off his medication for two years.
The East Flatbush attack was caught on one of the officers body camera. The Post reported that following his arrest, Virgile was transferred to federal law enforcement .
As of early Sunday, Virgile remained under investigation and he was initially charged with the possession of a destructive device, according to the Post report
When approached by officers while in his 2000 Lincoln Town car at Clarendon Road and East 45th Street in Brooklyn, Virgile allegedly threw the contents of a cup holding a “caustic liquid substance” at an office, as was reported by the NY Post. As a result of the attack the officer was brought to a local hospital where he was treated for burns.
Speaking to the New York Post, Virgile’s ex-wife, Marie Theodate told them that her ex is in desperate need of help due to his alleged psychological illness.
Theodate told the Post that, “He’s not a violent person,” normally, but “when he’s off his meds, that’s it. He’s been off his meds for almost two years now.”
The Post reported that police officers then pulled Virgile over at Snyder Avenue hear Kings Highway, according to the Post, At that juncture, Virgile allegedly got out of the car and threw a lit Molotov cocktail at the police car, according to a spokesman for the NYPD.
When responding cops next pulled Virgile over at Snyder Avenue near Kings Highway, the suspect stopped the car, got out, and threw a lit Molotov cocktail at the police car, an NYPD spokesman said. Police also said that the Molotov cocktail was made from a vodka bottle and harmlessly bounced off the car. The officers escaped injury, as was reported by the NY Post.
When speaking to the Post on Sunday morning, Theodate issued an apology for the actions of her ex. “I’m really sorry about that because that’s a really bad thing that he did,” she told The Post. “You cannot attack an officer because they are the ones that protect us. I’m really, really sorry about that.”
After 15 years of marriage, the union ended in 2008 when Virgile became ill, she said. According to the Post report, Theodate said that the couple lived in Connecticut and when her now ex-husband got into any trouble that the police there would bring him to a psychiatric facility so he could get help, as was reported by the Post.
New York City Fire Department (FDNY) EMTs and paramedics are being attacked and need help but no one is listening, their union chief claims. Photo Credit: AP
By: Amy Furr
New York City Fire Department (FDNY) EMTs and paramedics are being attacked and need help but no one is listening, their union chief claims.
Since the beginning of the year, the windows of at least four ambulances have been smashed and vehicles parked outside an EMS [Emergency Medical Services] base in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, have been vandalized, according to Oren Barzilay, president of Local 2507 of the Uniformed EMTs, Paramedics, and Fire Inspectors union.
“On Jan. 1, an EMS crew was driving on Marcus Garvey Boulevard near Quincy Street just before 6 p.m. when someone hurled an unknown object, smashing a passenger side window, police said. No one was reported injured,” the New York Post noted.
Barzilay told the Post his crews are being targeted, adding the most recent incident happened when someone threw a brick at crews responding to a call.
“These incidents are causing a delay in getting the public the help they need as these units are placed off-service for investigation, the wellness of our members and repairs,” he continued.
On Tuesday, two ambulances near FDNY EMS Station 57 reportedly had “FTP” spraypainted on them, which is slang for “Fuck the police,” according to the Post.
The union chief asserted his crews come up against “day-to-day assault,” but receive no safety, self-defense, or de-escalation training and have 20-year-old bulletproof vests to wear.
In December, an ambulance team was allegedly ambushed and robbed at gunpoint in Brooklyn, according to Breitbart News.
The team, consisting of a man and woman, arrived at an address noted on a 911 call only to make it to the building’s 11th floor where they were reportedly robbed.
“The suspect(s) allegedly ‘took their supply bag’ and sent them back to their ambulance. The bag was later recovered ‘with the radio and tablet missing,’” the article read.
During his interview, the union president said there was no indication anything was being done to address their concerns about safety.
“The [FDNY] department is only reactive when someone gets killed,” he stated.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, center, speaks while practicing social distancing, during a news conference at the Jacob Javits Center, in New York. Cuomo has lately shied away from coming face to face with reporters as he faces sexual harassment allegations. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)
By: Marina Villeneuve
New York’s governor gained national attention last spring and won an International Emmy, for daily, televised news briefings at which he answered barrages of questions from journalists about the COVID-19 pandemic.
But lately, Gov. Andrew Cuomo has shied away from coming face to face with reporters as sexual harassment allegations against him have mounted.
The Democrat hasn’t had an in-person news conference since December, when he switched to interacting with the media only via telephone and Zoom conference calls, saying it was a needed pandemic safety precaution.
To be clear, Cuomo hasn’t been ducking questions entirely. On Friday he took questions, via Zoom, from six reporters for about 25 minutes at an event in Buffalo that reporters from had been barred from attending in person.
But his conference calls with reporters have grown less frequent this spring, with six held in March, down from 10 in February and 17 in January.
And with reporters forced to dial in remotely, his office can control which reporters get to ask questions. The few who are picked often don’t get follow-up questions.
That’s a huge change from last spring, when Cuomo met daily with reporters who shouted questions from seats in the State Capitol’s Red Room.
Since February, when women began coming forward with stories about inappropriate comments or touching by Cuomo, the governor has attended numerous events featuring him speaking in front of small groups — but with no journalists allowed.
Asked on a recent conference call why he couldn’t have journalists in the room, Cuomo said that it was safer to speak to reporters remotely, and that doing it by conference call didn’t stop reporters from asking tough questions.
“We try to keep the number of people down, and we try to keep social distancing mandates,” Cuomo said of his in-person events. “Answering questions with the press, I can do through other means, like this.”
It’s in part a return to practice for Cuomo, who, before the coronavirus pandemic, rarely held regular news conferences.
But after months of easy access, the governor’s sudden refusal to allow reporters to freely question him has rankled media outlets.
His withdrawal from view comes as the state attorney general’s office, federal prosecutors and the state Assembly’s judiciary committee investigate allegations that Cuomo abused his power to sexually harass women and withhold data about COVID-19 deaths among nursing home residents.
Leaders of the judiciary committee have said its investigation will include a review of a recent book deal and whether Cuomo’s family got access to quicker test results than other New Yorkers. The probe is reviewing whether there are grounds to impeach the governor.
The leaders of the Journalists Association of New York is demanding that Cuomo reopen his news conferences to journalists and this week called his avoidance of the media “an affront to the public.”
Farhadian Weinstein is married to Wall Street hedge fund manager, Boaz Weinstein and as a result, as of January of this year, she has raised $2.2 million. The NYT reported that hundreds of thousands of those dollars were donated by Wall Street titans and others in the financial sector. Photo Credit: Twitter
Edited by: TJVNews.com
As the nine-way race for Manhattan District Attorney continues to heat up, there is one candidate that stands out from the rest.
Tali Farhadian Weinstein, 45, arrived in the United States in 1979 as a 4-year-old, the daughter of Jewish parents from Iran who fled the revolution and applied for asylum, according to a New York Times report.
Having attended Yale Law School, Farhadian Weinstein was then offered clerkships with Merrick B. Garland, who was then a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, and with Justice Sandra Day O’Connor on the Supreme Court, as was reported by the New York Times. She even worked at the United States Department of Justice as an attorney under Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr., who remembers her as a fierce debater.
“She had really good judgment and the guts to challenge people at the Justice Department,” said Mr. Holder, who has endorsed Farhadian Weinstein, as was reported by the New York Times. “She was not a shrinking violet.”
In addition to working at the Department of Justice she also has experience working in a city prosecutor’s office. Having achieved the state of a Rhodes scholar, Farhadian Weinstein also have a formidable and quite impressive legal resume, as was reported by the New York Times.
Thus far, Farhadian Weinstein has been offered endorsements from prominent New Yorkers and has been able to raise significantly more campaign dollars than her opponents.
Farhadian Weinstein is married to Wall Street hedge fund manager, Boaz Weinstein and as a result, as of January of this year, she has raised $2.2 million. The NYT reported that hundreds of thousands of those dollars were donated by Wall Street titans and other major players in the financial sector.
As to Farhadian Weinstein’s positions on the issues that are being discussed in this important race, rather than taking the perspective (as her opponents are) that reforming laws focused on the reduction of prison sentences for convicted criminals, she has promulgated a more conservative position, according to the NYT report. She has expressed concern about rising crime statistics in New York City as well as the proliferation of illegal guns and the deleterious impact of drug related gangs, as was reported by the Times.
As is quite common in politics, Farhadian Weinstein’s opponents are balking about the sources of the money that she has raised thus fair. They have notably mentioned that the Manhattan district attorney’s has tremendous influence over a large number of financial crimes.
Blade, a NY based helicopter company which has made a name for itself for its luxury helicopter rides, is now saying that they want to lower the sound level on helicopters and private jets that shuttle between New York and the Hamptons. Photo Credit: Beta Technologies
Edited by: TJVNews.com
The New York based short distance aviation company Blade which has made a name for itself for its luxury helicopter rides, is now saying that they want to lower the sound level on helicopters and private jets that shuttle between New York and the Hamptons. The company has told the New York Post that they plan to achieve the cessation of noise pollution in the city with the assistance of a “newfangled, super quiet flying machine.”
Speaking to the New York Post last Tuesday, Blade representatives said that they had recently concluded an agreement with Beta Technologies to buy 20 “electric vertical aircrafts,” or EVAs, to add to its fleet in 2024.
Because drones are becoming the norm in terms of delivering items and now people to their selected destinations, they are now being utilized by Blade. The drones appear to be part helicopter and part private plane, with rotor blades in the rear and on the wings, according to the Post report. The smaller blades and electric engines of the EVAs allow them to fly without making an unbearable and total racket, the Post report added.
Blade Chief Executive Rob Wiesenthal told The Post, “Next to safety, being a good neighbor is Blade’s number one priority. We have been working on our transition from helicopters to quiet and zero emission Electric Vertical Aircraft [EVA] for five years. These new aircraft are near silent in flight and extremely quiet during takeoff and landing.”
Because excessive noise related to helicopter landings and takeoffs in Manhattan has been a growing concern for its residents and visitors, Manhattan Rep. Carolyn Maloney has reintroduced legislation to significantly reduce noise levels and prohibit non-essential choppers to fly in New York City airspace, as was reported in the New York Post.
It appears that any new concept or idea has its own cadre of detractors and Blade’s new brainstorm is no exception. The Post reported that according to the group known as “Say No to KHTO,” which takes its name from traffic controller codes, Blade’s electric vehicles won’t do much to solve the problem of summertime air traffic congestion and noise over the Hamptons.
Patricia Currie, co-founder of the group told the Post, “You’re talking to someone who has lived under siege for 20 years, and frankly it’s too late for them to offer any remedy. It will be like locusts hovering above us.”
“I don’t see it [electric aircrafts] as a solution for this area,” Currie added in her conversation with the Post. “Far more environmentally-friendly options to the east end of Long Island are available, including the wonderful Jitney service and Long Island Railroad, and even driving.”
“It was a very disturbing and difficult day and month for all students involved,” said Ilya Bratman, the Executive Director of Hillel at several CUNY Schools. Photo Credit: hillelatbaruch.org
By Hellen Zaboulani
The Student senate at The City University of New York voted on a resolution on how to define antisemitism, with results which were described as “devastating to Jewish students” by a Hillel Jewish campus community leader.
As reported by The Algemeiner, on Sunday, the University Student Senate (USS) of CUNY voted down a resolution to adopt the Working Definition of Antisemitism as set by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA). At the same time, they also rejected an offering to accept a very different definition put forward by the Jewish Law Students Association (JLSA), which said that anti-Zionist speech or activity was not to be considered antisemitic.
The latter resolution was put forth “in collaboration with our partners” at CUNY Law Students for Justice in Palestine, and supported by several pro-Palestinian groups. The IHRA’s definition would say that speech or action against Israel, comparing Israel to the Nazis, and “using the symbols and images associated with classic antisemitism” would be antisemitic. The JLSA held that moving towards such a definition would be “anti-Palestinian racism”. Both resolutions for definitions were knocked down following a five-hour debate between representatives from both sides.
A petition made prior to the vote by Jewish students and other supporters read, “The Jewish students at CUNY strongly condemn this resolution.” Adding, “Jews should have the right to define what is and is not antisemitic just like other communities have the right to define what constitutes bigotry against them.”
“It was a very disturbing and difficult day and month for all students involved,” said Ilya Bratman, the Executive Director of Hillel at several CUNY Schools. “This is not over, as we anticipate that these proceedings will reverberate for days to come,” he said, noting that the debate was filled “with threats, accusations, and name-calling.” Bratman added, “The climate at the USS is extremely negative now and many students have stated that they don’t feel safe or comfortable as a result of these proceedings.”
“We commend Jewish students for standing up to such malicious bigotry and for the petition they created online that garnered thousands of signatures in favor of the IHRA definition,” said Roz Rothstein, CEO of StandWithUs, an Israel education organization. “CUNY USS can still do the right thing by supporting the majority of Jewish students and recognizing the IHRA definition and we call on them to do so.”
Algemeiner’s requests for comment by the university, the USS, the JLSA, and CUNY Law Students for Justice in Palestine were not immediately returned.
At the all girls Brearley School on Manhattan’s upper east side, the tuition is a $54,000 per year. It is a 761-student, K-12 private school, whose alumni include Caroline Kennedy, Jill Clayburgh, Téa Leoni, and Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney. Photo Credit: Google Maps
By: Jared Evan
Parents of students across the nation have noticed that “critical race theory” based learning has crept into classrooms, and the radical educators are starting to face backlash, particularly at Manhattan’s elite private schools.
At the all girls Brearley School on Manhattan’s upper east side, the tuition is a $54,000 per year. It is a 761-student, K-12 private school, whose alumni include Caroline Kennedy, Jill Clayburgh, Téa Leoni, and Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney.
Andrew Gutmann, a father who sends his daughter to the elite school is fed up with the educational focus is on a radical anti-white race-based curriculum. It has been reported that he will not re-enroll his daughter in the fall, accusing the school of trying to “brainwash” kids with woke philosophies rather than teaching them how to think on their own, the NY Post highlighted.
The scathing 1,700-word letter that Gutmann penned was mailed to 650 families and went viral after writer Bari Weis featured the letter on her Substack account.
Some of Gutmann’s objections are the following:
“By viewing every element of education, every aspect of history, and every facet of society through the lens of skin color and race, we are desecrating the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr”
“l object to Brearley’s advocacy for groups and movements such as Black Lives Matter, a Marxist, anti-family, heterophobic, anti-Asian and anti-Semitic organization that neither speaks for the majority of the Black community in this country, nor in any way, shape or form, represents their best interests.”
“I object that Brearley is fostering a divisive community where families of different races, which until recently were part of the same community, are now segregated into two”
Meanwhile a teacher at Grace Church High School in Manhattan, wrote a large piece objecting to the radical, Marxist, race based critical theory. The $46,000 a year co-ed High school with under 800 students, was accused of brainwashing students, using racially segregated classrooms, treating students differently on the basis of race, and punishing those who express doubt about its ideology and policies.
“Antiracist training sounds righteous, but it is the opposite of truth in advertising. It requires teachers like myself to treat students differently on the basis of race”, wrote teacher Paul Rossi.
” My school, like so many others, induces students via shame and sophistry to identify primarily with their race before their individual identities are fully formed. Students are pressured to conform their opinions to those broadly associated with their race and gender and to minimize or dismiss individual experiences that don’t match those assumptions. The morally compromised status of “oppressor” is assigned to one group of students based on their immutable characteristics. In the meantime, dependency, resentment, and moral superiority are cultivated in students considered “oppressed”, Rossi continued.
As the race for New York City Mayor gains traction, Andrew Yang is leading in polls among crucial registered voters. Photo Credit: AP
By: Ilana Siyance
As the race for New York City Mayor gains traction, Andrew Yang is leading in polls among crucial registered voters. As reported by the Wall Street Journal, a new poll puts the former tech entrepreneur in first place with 24% of registered Democratic voters 50 years and above. The poll, conducted by Siena College Research Institute and senior-citizens’ group AARP, asked registered voters to rank up to five favorites candidates for the June 22 Democratic primary, which is slated to pick the next mayor long before the general election takes place.
In the same poll, other mayoral candidates, including Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams and New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer, were each the first choice for 13% of Democrats age 50 and above. The poll ranked Democratic candidate Ray McGuire, a former vice chairman at Citigroup, in 4th place, with 9% of the Demographic putting him first. Candidate Maya Wiley, a former legal counsel to Mayor Bill de Blasio, was top choice for 7%, as per the poll. Out of the registered Republicans age 50 and up, Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa, founder of the street-patrol group Guardian Angels, was the top choice for 40% of those surveyed.
The poll showed that 26 percent of surveyed Democrats were still undecided, while 44 percent of Republican voters were undecided. The poll, which ran from March 29 to April 8, questioned New Yorkers age 50 and older by phone and online. In all, there were 531 registered Democrats and 129 registered Republicans surveyed, from among people who vote consistently as per Don Levy, head of the Siena College Research Institute. “Amongst this age group, Yang has a decided advantage,” Dr. Levy said. “Yang is polling well across really every demographic”, he added.
Mr. Yang’s co-campaign manager, Sasha Ahuja, commented to say, “The only poll that matters is the one on Election Day, and our strategy remains the same—making sure as many New Yorkers as possible hear Andrew’s message: Hope is on the way.”
A spokesman for Mr. Adams said, “This poll, like others, undercounts Black voters—but Eric Adams will make sure their voice is heard…because he is putting together an historic coalition of support to become the next mayor.” A senior adviser for Mr. McGuire, said, “The race is wide open, but the movement in this poll is consistent with what we are experiencing on the ground.” Representatives for Mr. Stringer and Ms. Wiley declined to comment to the WSJ.
