Florida bail bondsman, Russell Bruce Moncrief, has been charged with human trafficking and racketeering, accused of offering incarcerated women bond in exchange for sexual favours. Some of the inmates were housed in Orange County jail. Moncrief is said to have exploited his position by preying on women held on charges of prostitution and drug possession. He is also accused of selling women he had bonded out to others. During the investigation into former defence attorney, John Gillespie, for committing similar crimes, victims revealed that they had been forced to perform sexual acts with Moncrief.
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The Instagram-famous squirrel, Peanut, and a raccoon named Fred were euthanized by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to test for rabies. The agency seized the animals from their owner, Mark Longo, who had kept Peanut as a pet for seven years and amassed over 537,000 Instagram followers documenting Peanut’s life. According to the agency, it is illegal to keep young wildlife as pets due to the potential risk of spreading diseases like rabies. Longo and his wife run an animal sanctuary named after Peanut, and are appealing for donations to help with legal fees and to keep the sanctuary running.
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The US Supreme Court denied an emergency appeal from the Republican party to prevent thousands of provisional ballots being counted in Pennsylvania. The justices have upheld a ruling by the state’s Supreme Court that demanded election officials count provisional votes from people whose mailed votes were rejected. The ruling has been welcomed by supporters of voters’ rights, who have forced predominantly Republican-controlled counties to let electors cast a provisional vote at the polls if their postal vote is rejected due to an error. By contrast, Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court rejected a last-minute plea by campaigners for voters’ rights to ensure postal votes will still be counted even if they lack an accurate, handwritten date on the envelope.
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Puerto Rico’s GOP chair, who has announced a threat to withhold support for Trump unless he issues an apology regarding his past comments about the island, has provoked a mixed bag of reactions from me. On one hand, I can appreciate the sentiment. The audacity of Trump’s disrespect toward Puerto Rican people is undeniable. Since 2017, he has demonstrated a blatant disregard for the hardship faced by Puerto Ricans, particularly during the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. To now have a prominent member of the GOP state that they might not support him unless he acknowledges this only makes me roll my eyes—there’s so much irony steeped in these sentiments.… Continue reading
The recent discovery of a lost Mayan city hidden deep in the Mexican jungle is nothing short of exhilarating. This monumental find, referred to as Valeriana, uncovers a rich tapestry of ancient civilization, complete with pyramids, sports fields, and connection corridors that once facilitated activity in what is now just a thick canopy of trees. I can’t help but feel a rush of excitement thinking about how dense and lush the landscape is, often concealing stories of the past that are just waiting to be unveiled. For those of us who have dreamt of being archaeologists, this serves as a powerful reminder of the potential that lies beneath our feet.… Continue reading
The US Pentagon is sending an additional $425 million in military assistance to Ukraine, bringing total aid since the Russian invasion in February 2022 to $60.4 billion. The latest package includes air defense interceptors, munitions for high mobility artillery rocket systems, 155 mm artillery, armored vehicles, and anti-tank weapons drawn from US stockpiles. The announcement comes as Ukraine faces increasing missile strikes from Russian forces and prepares to confront over 10,000 North Korean soldiers deployed near its border. The city of Kharkiv was recently hit by a 500-kilogram glide bomb, killing three and injuring many.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has called on international allies to act, rather than just observe, the presence of North Korean troops in Russia. He emphasised North Korea’s advancements in weapon production and modern warfare, and said that Ukrainian civilians would have to defend themselves against the soldiers. Despite having located where the North Korean soldiers are in Russia, Zelenskiy stated that Ukraine lacks the resources to strike them. He called for global action to avoid a potential expansion of Russia’s war against Ukraine. This call to action came after an interview where Zelenskiy criticised the limited response from his allies to Russia’s North Korean troop deployment.
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A former Kentucky police detective, Brett Hankison, was convicted by a federal jury of using excessive force during a flawed 2020 drug raid that resulted in the death of Breonna Taylor. It marks the first conviction of an officer involved in the operation. The jury was initially deadlocked on the excessive force charge against Taylor, but chose to continue deliberations. Tamika Palmer, Taylor’s mother, commended the jurors for allocating time to understand the need for justice for her daughter. Hankison, who fired 10 shots during the raid and failed to hit anyone, faces a potential life sentence to be decided on 12 March.
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A YouGov poll found that 1-in-8 women have voted differently from their partners without telling them, mirroring the habits of men. The issue is gaining attention amid the 2020 election, where women’s issues have become central campaign points. The gender voting gap has also widened, with polls showing women prefer Kamala Harris by a margin of 12% over Donald Trump, despite 46% of men in the YouGov survey believing that their partners would vote for Trump.
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Poland has commenced building defensive fixtures along its border with Russia, a program named the “Eastern Shield”, according to Prime Minister Donald Tusk. The plan includes the construction of 800 kilometers of trenches along the 400-kilometer border with Russia’s Kaliningrad region and Belarus, minefields, anti-tank barriers, video surveillance systems, and more. Tusk emphasized Poland’s strategic role on NATO’s eastern flank and highlighted the project aims to secure the border during peace and make it impenetrable in war. The “Eastern Shield” is slated for completion in 2028, costing about $2.5 billion. Meanwhile, Baltic states are setting up over 1,000 concrete bunkers along their borders with Russia and Belarus, a project dubbed the “Baltic Defense Line”.
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John Q. Hosedrinker