Monthly Archives: January 2021

Exclusive: Large bitcoin payments to right-wing activists a month before Capitol riot linked to foreign account – Yahoo News

Posted: January 19, 2021 at 8:55 am

WASHINGTON On Dec. 8, someone made a simultaneous transfer of 28.15 bitcoins worth more than $500,000 at the time to 22 different virtual wallets, most of them belonging to prominent right-wing organizations and personalities.

Now cryptocurrency researchers believe they have identified who made the transfer, and suspect it was intended to bolster those far-right causes. U.S. law enforcement is investigating whether the donations were linked to the Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol.

While the motivation is difficult to prove, the transfer came just a month before the violent riot in the Capitol, which took place after President Trump invited supporters to walk down Pennsylvania Avenue and take back our country.

Right-wing figures and websites, including VDARE, the Daily Stormer and Nick Fuentes, received generous donations from a bitcoin account linked to a French cryptocurrency exchange, according to research done by software company Chainalysis, which maintains a repository of information about public cryptocurrency exchanges and whose tools aid in government, law enforcement and private sector investigations. Chainalysis investigated the donations after Yahoo News shared the data points about the transaction.

According to one source familiar with the matter, the suspicious Dec. 8 transaction, along with a number of other pieces of intelligence, has prompted law enforcement and intelligence agencies in recent days to actively investigate the sources of funding for the individuals who participated in the Capitol insurrection, as well as their networks. The government is hoping to prevent future attacks but also to uncover potential foreign involvement in or support of right-wing activities, the source said.

During a press conference on Tuesday on the investigation into the Capitol riot, acting U.S. Attorney Michael Sherwin said the scope and scale of this investigation in these cases are really unprecedented. At this time, Sherwin added, prosecutors are treating the matter as a significant counterterrorism or counterintelligence investigation involving deeper dives into money, travel records, disposition, movement, communication records.

Story continues

One of the ways extremist groups have made money in recent years is online through cryptocurrency and crowdfunding. Bitcoin, which was anonymously released online in 2009 as open-source software, exists only virtually. It does not utilize a central bank or administrator to disburse funds, nor does any government control or distribute it. While bitcoin has fluctuated in value in recent years, and continues to do so, it gained mainstream popularity around 2017, the same year prominent alt-right figure Richard Spencer tweeted, Bitcoin is the currency of the alt right.

A 2017 Washington Post investigation explored how far-right groups turned even more aggressively toward bitcoin following the deadly August 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Va. The story cited research by the nonprofit Southern Poverty Law Center that identified a large bitcoin donation to Andrew Anglin, the editor of the Daily Stormer, a prominent neo-Nazi website that accepts bitcoin donations. At the time, the donation was worth around $60,000.

A newfound expertise in online messaging and recruitment, coupled with the fact that modern extremist groups are generally young and digitally savvy, means that these organizations and individuals have fundamentally altered the way that extremists raise money, wrote Alex Newhouse, a data analyst at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, in a 2019 report that explored the links between white supremacists and digital currency.

Some prominent right-wing groups or sites display their bitcoin wallets prominently, the report noted. The lack of regulation over Bitcoin has driven its adoption by white supremacists, it said.

While cryptocurrency has been used by extremist groups and criminals to raise funds while shielding their identities, bitcoin is pseudonymous rather than anonymous. Bitcoin wallet addresses are permanent, and the digital ledger of transactions, called the blockchain, is public and cant be changed. That means if people identify their bitcoin wallet addresses, as many right-wing groups do to raise funds, transactions can be traced, which is what allowed Chainalysis to uncover information about the source of the large December donations.

The source of the funding, according to research conducted by Chainanalysis, appears to be a computer programmer based in France who created an account in 2013 and who maintained a personal blog, which was not updated between 2014 and Dec. 9, 2020, the day after the donations.

Chainalysis researchers discovered a blog post from the bitcoin user that reads like an apparent suicide note, bequeathing his money to certain causes and people in light of what he describes as the decline of Western civilization, though the researchers were unable to confirm that the user was in fact dead. Chainalysis declined to publish the users name, citing privacy concerns due to the inability to conclusively confirm his death and out of concerns over ongoing law enforcement investigations.

An email to the apparent French donor did not immediately receive a reply.

Chainalysis investigators relied on openly available information, or public bitcoin transactions, to investigate and map out the large transaction. The original donor was registered on NameID, an internet service that allows bitcoin users to tie their online pseudonym or email address with their bitcoin profile information the original donor included. Investigators tracked that email address to the blog, and to several cryptocurrency forum posts going back to 2013.

According to their research, Fuentes, a popular right-wing commentator who was suspended from YouTube last winter for violating its policies on hate speech, received the largest chunk of funding on Dec. 8 about $250,000 in bitcoin. The Daily Stormer and the anti-immigration website VDARE were among the other recipients.

Yahoo News reached out to the recipients named in this article to confirm whether they had received the funding, what information they had about the donor and what they planned on doing with the funds. None returned a request for comment, although Fuentes tweeted an obscene gesture, naming several journalists, including this reporter, shortly after the inquiry was sent.

While the Daily Stormer website openly requests cryptocurrency donations, it also includes a disclaimer that says it is opposed to violence and that anyone suggesting or promoting violence in the comments section will be immediately banned.

While theres no evidence that Fuentes directly participated in the Capitol riot, something he has so far denied, the financial resources of prominent right-wing actors are of growing interest to law enforcement.

Id be stunned if both nation-state adversaries and terrorist organizations werent figuring out how to funnel money to these guys, one former FBI official who reviewed the data for Yahoo News said. Many of them use fundraising sites (often in Bitcoin) that are virtually unmonitored and unmonitorable. If they werent doing it, theyd be incompetent.

Additionally, much like conversations that took place on social media in the weeks leading up to the Capitol riot, the digital currency transactions are happening in plain sight. While cryptocurrency has the reputation of being anonymous and shadowy, thats actually a common misconception, explained Maddie Kennedy, Chainalysiss communications director. With the right tools you can follow the money, she said. Cryptocurrency was designed to be transparent.

While there are methods that cryptocurrency users can deploy to obfuscate their identities including using privacy coins such as Monero, which are difficult to trace, or using a mixer that allows various users to combine their bitcoins and mix them together to disguise their origin theres no indication the French programmer utilized those tools, Kennedy said.

Though the donations are not a smoking gun or indicative of a crime, and it remains unclear to what extent the Capitol riot was coordinated in advance, the activity is nonetheless revealing, according to Kennedy.

These extremist groups are probably more well organized and well funded than what was previously believed, she said. Chainalysis maintains a database of domestic extremists who have cryptocurrency accounts, and while the company has traced donations to right-wing groups over the years, the December deposit was the single biggest month weve ever observed directed toward these causes, the researchers wrote.

This is evidence to show theyre raising money, Kennedy said. Additionally, the fact that the donor was outside the United States suggests this has international scope, she continued, a fact that law enforcement should be paying attention to.

_____

Read more from Yahoo News:

Read the original:

Exclusive: Large bitcoin payments to right-wing activists a month before Capitol riot linked to foreign account - Yahoo News

Posted in Yahoo | Comments Off on Exclusive: Large bitcoin payments to right-wing activists a month before Capitol riot linked to foreign account – Yahoo News

Twitter CEO Says Censorship Will Be ‘Much Bigger’ Than The Trump Ban – The Federalist

Posted: at 8:55 am

In a secret recording from Jan. 8, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey admitted that the big tech company is exploring a long-term political censorship campaign to purge and ban users the company deems unacceptable.

The focus is certainly on this account, and how it ties to real-world violence, but also we need to think much longer-term around how these dynamics play out over time, Dorsey said, referring in context to President Donald Trumps account. I dont believe this is going away any time soon.

In the short video, obtained and published by Project Veritas, Dorsey reportedly addressed his employees about the Silicon Valley giants efforts to censor, ban, and de-platform certain users such as President Donald Trump and other conservatives. In the recording, Dorsey pledged to expand Twitters purge in the days following President-elect Joe Bidens inauguration.

We know we are focused on one account right now, but this is going to be much bigger than just one account, and its going to go on for much longer than just this day, this week, the next few weeks, going on beyond inauguration, Dorsey said. We have to expect that. We have to be ready for that.

In addition to banning the sitting president and removing more than 70,000 accounts that Twitter claimed were linked to or amplified QAnon conspiracy theories, Dorsey said the heads of the company are exploring banning more users.

The moves that were making today, around, you know, QAnon, for instance, is one such example of a much broader approach that we should be looking at and going deeper on, Dorsey said. The team has a lot of work and a lot of focus on this particular issue, but we also need to give them the space and the support to focus on the much bigger picture because it is, it is not going away.

The U.S. is extremely divided. Our platform is showing up every single day. And our role is to protect the integrity of that conversation and do what we can to make sure that no one is being harmed based off that, Dorsey concluded.

Jordan Davidson is a staff writer at The Federalist. She graduated from Baylor University where she majored in political science and minored in journalism.

Visit link:

Twitter CEO Says Censorship Will Be 'Much Bigger' Than The Trump Ban - The Federalist

Posted in Federalist | Comments Off on Twitter CEO Says Censorship Will Be ‘Much Bigger’ Than The Trump Ban – The Federalist

How Corey Kluber deal happened, and what it means for Yankees rotation – Yahoo Sports

Posted: at 8:55 am

Corey Kluber in blue Rangers jersey strides to the plate

After a winter of unfulfilled need, the Yankees struck quickly on Friday to bolster their starting rotation, agreeing to terms with Corey Kluber soon after finalizing their deal with D.J. LeMahieu.

Assuming Kluber passes his physical, the teams rotation is likely set. After paying LeMahieu $15 million and Kluber $11 million, the Yanks are just a few million under a $210 luxury tax threshold that they do not plan to exceed.

According to league sources, longtime Yankee Masahiro Tanaka is seeking a one-year deal at $15-20 million. SNY reported earlier in the offseason that a reunion with the Yankees was unlikely. Now its even harder to see how it would work.

The San Diego Padres have been engaged with Tanakas camp, but sources say those negotiations have not heated up. It remains a real possibility that Tanaka will return to Japan. Anything connecting the Mets to Tanaka has been pure rumor (as it was with LeMahieu, who the Mets never pursued).

The Yankees have talked to Cincinnati about Luis Castillo, but it sounds as if we should file those discussions under Duh, who wouldnt ask about Luis Castillo?

Though Castillo talks havent advanced to date, it does seem worth keeping at least one eye on this situation, as Castillo is set to make just $4.2 million this year. If the Yanks can unload Adam Ottavinos contract, they could accommodate Castillo. The prospect cost would be steep, too.

Back in reality, its clear that the Yankees calculation was straightforward: They chose Kluber as their major rotation expenditure this year.

After Kluber threw a well-attended bullpen session in Florida last week, several teams began bidding aggressively, including a previously unknown suitor: the Toronto Blue Jays. This pushed Klubers base salary past what many in the industry expected, considering his recent injury history.

According to league sources, the Yanks actually did not submit the highest offer for Kluber. There were multiple teams willing to pay more than $10 million.

It came down to a desire on the part of Kluber and the Yanks to work together. It couldnt have hurt that Kluber enjoys working with Eric Cressey, the Yankees new director of player health and performance.

For both sides, it felt like a fit. Now, if Kluber can stay healthy, the Yanks have more depth and experience in the rotation.

Go here to see the original:

How Corey Kluber deal happened, and what it means for Yankees rotation - Yahoo Sports

Posted in Yahoo | Comments Off on How Corey Kluber deal happened, and what it means for Yankees rotation – Yahoo Sports

Andrew Yang Used To Champion Ideas. Now He Is A Boring Democrat – The Federalist

Posted: at 8:55 am

Former Democratic Party presidential candidate Andrew Yang announced his candidacy for New York mayor on Jan. 14, and its time we set the record straight on him.

Despite a colorful ad featuring New York bodegas, his Asian-American credentials, and his fundraising prowess, Yangs run for mayor is nothing like the barnstorming presidential candidacy in which he presented new ideas and interesting credentials as an entrepreneur and nonprofit founder. Yang has become a standard Democratic candidate who now upholds very standard and uninteresting Democratic positions.

His signature issue, universal basic income cash payments of $1,000 a month, has lost its luster as more Democrat candidates in New York City have co-opted the proposal. We have also seen the limited effects of universal cash payments, as the Trump administration has carried out effectively the same policy to perverse consequences, such as inflation, that would be worse if payments are carried out over the long term, as Yang proposes. Consumer prices for groceries remain up even as the supply chain has righted itself, and the average American will pay roughly $400 more in 2021 for groceries than she did in 2020.

Other than a universal basic income, Yangs policy priorities for New Yorkers are uninspiring. He wants to form a government-run bank to pick and choose winners and losers in business. He wants to add new teachers to a public school system mismanaged by outgoing Mayor Bill de Blasio. Although he has some other interesting ideas, such as fostering a startup incubator with $100 million in private capital, it is unclear where that money comes from or if he has the skill to raise it.

Yangs most disheartening attribute is his quick descent from independent-minded freethinker to Democratic Party shill and coattails-rider. The quirky former presidential candidate came into national politics with concerns about automation taking away American jobs, admirably writing in his 2018 book, The War on Normal People: America is starting 100,000 fewer businesses per year than it was only 12 years ago, and is in the midst of shedding millions of jobs due primarily to technological advances.

Yang broke boundaries (not just racial) in his presidential campaign, appearing on Fox News, Joe Rogans podcast and The View to articulate his ideas, and he attracted young and tech-savvy voters known as the Yang Gang. At times, Yang wrote as an independent-minded and even admirable personality.

During the height of the lockdowns in 2020, Yang asked Asian-Americans to step up and become leaders in their communities, showing a gentle patriotism mixed with understanding about Asian-American fears. He wrote: We Asian Americans need to embrace and show our American-ness in ways we never have before. We need to step up, help our neighbors, donate gear, vote, wear red white, and blue, volunteer, fund aid organizations, and do everything in our power to accelerate the end of this crisis.

But after his presidential campaign ended, Yang ingratiated himself with the Democratic mainstream. He became a stump speaker for Joe Biden, who is hardly a reformer or changemaker by any stretch of the imagination, and capitulated to leftist identity politics by saying that a Biden-Harris win would be Asian-Americans best hope. He directed followers to move to Georgia for Senate candidates Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock before the runoff elections.

Now in his New York City mayoral campaign, he is promising free everything: from free money to free business bucks (at the mercy of the government, of course), to free college and forgiveness of college tuition. He has become a caricature of himself as free stuff Santa.

All the while, Yang has drifted further and further away from the concerns of ordinary Americans. In one interview at the start of his mayoral campaign, Yang said to The New York Times, We live in a two-bedroom apartment in Manhattan. And so, like, can you imagine trying to have two kids on virtual school in a two-bedroom apartment, and then trying to do work yourself?

It was a classically Yang kind of thing to say, but criticism mounted immediately over his out-of-touch words, especially since Yang owns a second home far away from the city in which he camped during the pandemic. Over Twitter, New York critics compared his comments to let them eat cake. Yang responded feistily: Anyone who thinks my New Yorkness is in question, he said, should come and say it to my face.

An early poll shows Yang up among the candidates for NYC mayor. But pitfalls can also follow high initial name-recognition. His recordor lack thereofwill be put through the meat-grinder in the New York political machine. Without a truly independent brand, Yang may prove to be ultimately indistinguishable from either his more liberal or conservative opponents.

Yangs evaporation is surely disappointing. A promising outsider, a family man, and a man with intellectual credibility about the decline of middle-class America has become a shill for the Democratic Party, and New Yorkers shouldnt expect much more.

Go here to see the original:

Andrew Yang Used To Champion Ideas. Now He Is A Boring Democrat - The Federalist

Posted in Federalist | Comments Off on Andrew Yang Used To Champion Ideas. Now He Is A Boring Democrat – The Federalist

Divisional round recap: Is a win next week bigger for Rodgers or Brady? – Yahoo Sports

Posted: at 8:54 am

Subscribe to The Yahoo Sports NFL Podcast

Terez Paylor & Charles Robinson recap all four divisional round games from the weekend, starting with Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers putting away Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints on Sunday evening in what is likely to be Brees' final game before retirement.

Later in the show, they break down the Kansas City Chiefs outlasting the Cleveland Browns after Patrick Mahomes suffered a concussion in the third quarter, what's next for Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens after scoring only three points against the Buffalo Bills and why the Green Bay Packers offense should get more credit after dispatching the Los Angeles Rams on Saturday afternoon.

There's also some Wentz vs. Goff talk, and the show closes out with our experts sharing some thoughts about the hirings of Arthur Smith in Atlanta and Robert Saleh in New York. Later in the week, they'll go deep into the five head coaches hired in the last week.

Stay tuned for a special month of LIVE episodes of the Yahoo Sports NFL Podcast, streaming every Monday through the Super Bowl at 1pm EST/10am PST on the Yahoo Sports YouTube, Twitter, Twitch & Facebook pages.

Stay up to date with the latest NFL news and coverage from Yahoo Sports on Twitter @YahooSportsNFL.

Follow Charles @CharlesRobinson

Follow Terez @TerezPaylor

Tag your questions for the guys on Twitter with #YahooNFLPodcast

Check out the rest of the Yahoo Sports Podcast family at https://apple.co/2Abi8jk or at yahoosports.com/podcasts

See the article here:

Divisional round recap: Is a win next week bigger for Rodgers or Brady? - Yahoo Sports

Posted in Yahoo | Comments Off on Divisional round recap: Is a win next week bigger for Rodgers or Brady? – Yahoo Sports

March For Life Cancelled As Abortion Extremist Descends On White House – The Federalist

Posted: at 8:54 am

After 46 years, the annual Washington, D.C., March for Life has been cancelled, with leaders citing COVID-19 concerns and the Jan. 6th U.S. capitol riot, which has resulted in heightened pressures for law enforcement officers. Organizers of Americas largest outdoor pro-life demonstration announced Friday that there will be a virtual March for Life on Jan. 29 instead.

Those who were planning to make the D.C. pilgrimage are being asked to stay home and watch the march online. Only a small group of pro-life leaders will attend the event and walk the protest route.

The march takes place every year on the anniversary of the 1973 landmark Supreme Court Roe v. Wade decision, which forced states to allow abortion nationwide. It has become a powerful symbol of the right to life movement.

March organizers bring in passionate pro-life advocates to speak, ranging from Live Action founder Lila Rose to saline abortion survivor Melissa Ohden. Recently, President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence became the first president and vice president to speak at the march.

Each year, the demonstration inspires tens of thousands of Americans, especially young people, to brave the cold weather and take a stand for the more than 600,000 unborn babies killed every year in America. The lasting tradition couldnt even stop 10,000 people from marching in a blizzard during the 1987 rally! Yet leftist corporate media has routinelyrefused to give the mega-march the coverage it deserves, while playing up much smaller leftist rallies.

This year, the March for Life is a sorry loss for pro-lifers, especially since the incoming administration has been named the mostanti-life ticketin our nations history. Vice President-elect Kamala Harris is an extremist who supports late-term abortion. As a senator, Harris had a 0 percent rating from theNational Right to Life Committeeand a 100 percent rating from NARAL Pro-Choice America.

Brian Burch, president of CatholicVote,said, Like Joe Biden himself, Kamala Harris favors radical abortion policies including late-term abortion paid for by taxpayers, as well as forcing Catholic religious orders like the Little Sisters of the Poor to provide abortion drugs in their healthcare plans.

As the attorney general of California, Harris used her power to target the pro-life journalists who investigated Planned Parenthood and exposeditsleadershipnegotiating the harvesting and sale of aborted fetal body parts. Harris has called for arepeal of the Hyde Amendment,which protects taxpayer from being forced to fund abortion.

Harris supports codifying Roe,which would prompt Congress to establish an affirmative and statutory right to abortion, prohibiting states from passing their own restrictions. She also endorses aplanthat would force states and localities to seek prior approval and clearance through the U.S. Department of Justice before placing any restrictions on abortions.Since both Biden and Harris have dodged answering questions on their opinion ofcourt packing, there is a real probability that the U.S. Supreme Court may be cemented as anti-life for decades under the incoming administration.

While the reasons for cancelling an in-person March for Life may be understandable, it couldnt have come at a more dire time for the pro-life movement.

Evita Duffy is an intern at The Federalist and a junior at the University of Chicago, where she studies American History. She loves the Midwest, lumberjack sports, writing, & her family. Follow her on Twitter at @evitaduffy_1

See the article here:

March For Life Cancelled As Abortion Extremist Descends On White House - The Federalist

Posted in Federalist | Comments Off on March For Life Cancelled As Abortion Extremist Descends On White House – The Federalist

The face mask mistake that could cost drivers $349 – Yahoo News Australia

Posted: at 8:54 am

Drivers have been issued a warning about a mask habit that could see them fined hundreds of dollars.

With many people in the habit of keeping a face mask handy, theres one crucial spot they should never store them in the car.

Much like dangling air fresheners and decorative pairs of dice, drivers arent allowed to hang their masks from their rearview mirror.

Doing so in Queensland can cost drivers $311, while in NSW they could be hit with three demerit points and a $349 fine.

The fine is $248 and no demerit points in Victoria, and while penalties exists in other jurisdictions, the exact penalties are not listed.

The RACQ issued a warning on Tuesday, telling motorists it's a simple error but it could cost you big.

Greater Brisbane drivers are naturally in the habit of having their mask handy at all times, but having a mask dangling from the rear-view mirror isnt safe, RACQ spokesperson Lauren Ritchie said.

Drivers need to have a clear view of the road from all angles so they can easily spot other cars, pedestrians and cyclists.

Ms Ritchie said masks could easily create a blind spot and subsequently increase the risk of a crash, which was particularly dangerous on highways and busy roads.

You shouldnt have anything hanging on their mirror which could block your view that includes your mask. So pack it away where it wont be a distraction no matter how long your drive is, she said.

It comes after confusion over whether drivers would be fined for not wearing a mask while driving during Brisbanes three-day lockdown early this month.

Queensland Health told the public they must wear a mask in the car, even if they were travelling alone, which created mass confusion.

Days later, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk backflipped on the earlier request, telling residents of Brisbane they no longer were required to wear a mask while driving.

Story continues

Queensland recorded three cases of coronavirus on Tuesday, all in hotel quarantine. There are 26 active cases in Queensland.

Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and download the Yahoo News app from the App Store or Google Play.

See the original post:

The face mask mistake that could cost drivers $349 - Yahoo News Australia

Posted in Yahoo | Comments Off on The face mask mistake that could cost drivers $349 – Yahoo News Australia

Russell Crowe Is Right, If You Think ‘Master And Commander’ Is Boring, You Need To Grow Up – The Federalist

Posted: at 8:54 am

Peter Weirs 2003 masterpiece, Master and Commander, is a film about manhood, fatherhood, service, and sacrifice. Adapted from three novels in Patrick OBrians epic Aubrey-Maturin series and starring Russell Crowe, the film is set at sea during the Napoleonic Wars and tells the story of British Captain Jack Aubreys mission to find and sink a French privateer thats been harassing the British whaling fleet off the coast of Brazil.

In other words, its not a comic-book film for woke zoomers and millennials trapped in adolescence. Its a film for adults who want to see a nuanced portrayal of masculine virtue set amid breathtaking cinematography and awesome naval battle scenes.

Crowe himself explained as much over the weekend when someone on Twitter snarked that Master and Commander was so boring it might help as a sleep aid during the pandemic. Ive never made it past the ten minute mark, wrote Ian McNabb, to which Crowe replied, Thats the problem with kids these days. No focus.

Peter Weirs film is brilliant. An exacting, detail oriented, epic tale of fidelity to Empire & service, regardless of the cost. Incredible cinematography by Russell Boyd & a majestic soundtrack. Definitely an adults movie.

Crowes critique of the Twitter troll McNabb strikes at the heart of why a film like Master and Commander might seem boring to young people in todays culture, especially young men.

Yes, the film is a slow burn essentially a drawn-out chase scene as Aubreys ship first eludes and then hunts the French privateer. But as the tension slowly mounts, the virtues of a bygone era are made manifest, not just in the friendship between Aubrey and Dr. Stephen Maturin, the ships surgeon, but also in the paternal relationship Aubrey has toward his officers and crew.

In a time when close male friendship and fatherhood are increasingly rare for young men, Master and Commander is an even more important film to watch and contemplate, and then watch again. If you cant get through the first 10 minutes because youre bored, I assure you the problem isnt with the film, its with you. Grow up.

Go here to see the original:

Russell Crowe Is Right, If You Think 'Master And Commander' Is Boring, You Need To Grow Up - The Federalist

Posted in Federalist | Comments Off on Russell Crowe Is Right, If You Think ‘Master And Commander’ Is Boring, You Need To Grow Up – The Federalist

Illinois Dem With #MeToo History Could Be The Next State House Speaker – The Federalist

Posted: at 8:54 am

The top Democrat contender for the speaker position in the Illinois House of Representatives is facing scrutiny from his colleagues and others for his history of domestic abuse.

Reporting by the Chicago Tribune indicates that in 2002, officers responded to Rep. Emanuel Chris Welchs house after his ex-girlfriend claimed he slammed her head into a kitchen countertop numerous times after she called him a loser when she was at his house to pick up some of her belongings. Police reports also suggest Welch blocked her from leaving the home, which is when she called the police. Welch denied the allegations.

While the woman originally sought to press charges against Welch for domestic battery and unlawful restraint, she eventually declined to do so.

A few days later, the woman reported a bruise on her arm, police said, as reported by the Tribune.

Eight years later, another woman filed a federal lawsuit for sexual harassment and retaliation against Welch, saying she lost her job at a school after she broke up with him while he was still president of the school board. The case was eventually dismissed following the beginning of settlement talks.

Welch said the incidents, especially the domestic abuse, are no longer relevant and only resurfaced because Republicans are threatened by the potential growth of my profile.

This verbal argument occurred nearly two decades ago, Welch said in a statement. I will be honest that I have reconciled with the individual since that night.

These charges, however, are concerning to some representatives who note that, if chosen as the speaker, Welch would be replacing his political ally, current Speaker Michael Madigan, who received backlash after a Me Too scandal in 2018 in his office, resulting in the firing of one of his longtime aides.

Despite Welchs quick support and endorsement from the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus, Alaina Hampton, the female campaign worker who came forward in 2018 after her supervisor in Madigans office sent her inappropriate texts, condemned Welchs bid for speaker.

How does our state go through a #MeToo scandal that lasted two years and the solution to replacing Michael Madigan is with a person who appeared in a police report write-up over domestic violence allegations? she asked.

Current speaker Madigan was also under investigation by the House Executive Committee, chaired by Welch, for a Commonwealth Edison bribery scandal, but the committee adjourned with no action.

According to House Republican leader Jim Durkin, Welch is merely an extension of Mike Madigan.

Weve gotta break from the past, said Durkin. And trust me, Mike Madigan is going to do everything he can to make sure he passes that baton off to somebody thats going to continue the business model of Madigan Inc.

Jordan Davidson is a staff writer at The Federalist. She graduated from Baylor University where she majored in political science and minored in journalism.

Read more here:

Illinois Dem With #MeToo History Could Be The Next State House Speaker - The Federalist

Posted in Federalist | Comments Off on Illinois Dem With #MeToo History Could Be The Next State House Speaker – The Federalist

First Yahoo! mock draft has Evan Mobley going to Toronto Raptors – Trojans Wire

Posted: at 8:54 am

2021 is a few weeks old, and already the NBA mock drafts are out in full effect. The latest comes from Yahoo! Sports, who put together their first mock draft of the year as many college programs start their conference slate.

Yahoo! writer Krysten Peeks first go has USC Trojans forward Evan Mobley going No. 4 overall to the Toronto Raptors.

From Peeks article:

No other player in this draft class can do what Mobley does on the court. Hes a 7-footer who can handle the ball and shoot 3-pointers (hes made five so far this season). Defensively, hes one of the best shot blockers in the country with his 7-foot-4 wingspan. Mobley has a huge upside and the only questions surrounding his game are strength and toughness.

While the Raptors will probably rebound in the standings, likely pushing them out of the top-five, playing alongside Fred VanVleet, Kyle Lowry and Pascal Siakam would be a nice fit for Mobley as it would take the pressure off him needing to contribute right away, while allowing him to stretch the defense with his outside shooting.

Mobley and the Trojans will get back into conference play on Thursday evening against the Huskies from the University of Washington.

Read more here:

First Yahoo! mock draft has Evan Mobley going to Toronto Raptors - Trojans Wire

Posted in Yahoo | Comments Off on First Yahoo! mock draft has Evan Mobley going to Toronto Raptors – Trojans Wire