The former mayor of University Park, Maryland, Joel Biermann, is facing nearly 30 charges related to child pornography. Biermann, 46, was arrested at his home after an FBI search warrant and is being held without bond. The charges date back to October 2024, although several solicitation charges were also filed for 2021 and 2023. The activities were allegedly committed online, according to State’s Attorney Aisha Braveboy, who described the charges as “repugnant” and “extremely disturbing”. Currently, Biermann is not holding office and is considered a private citizen.
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North Korea has launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) that flew for 86 minutes, marking the longest flight time yet. The missile reached a height of 7,000 km. South Korean and US officials have agreed to “take strong and varied response measures,” and South Korea has vowed to impose fresh sanctions on North Korea in response. This comes amid deteriorating relations between the Koreas and allegations of North Korean troops supporting Russia in the war in Ukraine. Both North Korea and Russia have yet to confirm or deny these claims.
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A California landlord, Charles Pierce, claimed on Reddit that he used ballots belonging to his former tenants to vote multiple times for Donald Trump in Shasta County, California. After Reddit users reported him for voter and mail fraud to the FBI, he was fired from his job as a landlord of an apartment complex in Redding. Pierce denied engaging in illegal activities and the Shasta County Clerk and Registrar of Voters stated that the case had been passed onto the District Attorney’s Office. While no charges have been filed yet, the office is considering doing so. The FBI refused to comment on the situation.
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A Pennsylvania prosecutor’s attempt to halt a $1 million daily voter lottery organized by Elon Musk has moved to federal court. The state judge agreed that Musk should have attended the hearing, however, refrained from issuing immediate sanctions. Musk’s attorney argued that claims of federal election interference are involved in the proceedings and the state case was put on hold. In response, Krasner, the prosecutor who filed the suit, has filed a petition to return the case to state court. Critics of the daily lottery suggested it violated federal law which prohibits paying others to vote.
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Germany’s foreign minister, Annalena Baerbock, has announced that all three Iranian consulates in the country will be closed in response to the execution of German-Iranian dual national Jamshid Sharmahd. Baerbock also revealed Germany will seek EU-wide sanctions against those involved in the execution, including the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. After the announcement, Tehran summoned the German envoy in protest.
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Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó is facing criticism for his planned participation in a security forum in Minsk, where he will engage with senior officials from Russia, Belarus and Syria. Observers are lambasting Hungary, a NATO member, for its growing relationship with Russia while the latter continues to wage war on Ukraine. French MEP Nathalie Loiseau criticised Hungary’s government, stating, “the Hungarian government never wastes an opportunity to shame us.”
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Rudy Giuliani’s Manhattan apartment was to be accessed by a moving company representative and lawyers on Thursday. This comes after Giuliani failed to surrender belongings to two former Georgia election workers who won a $148 million defamation judgment against him, missing the Tuesday deadline. The election workers, Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, were meant to receive Giuliani’s prized possessions, which include his $5 million Upper East Side apartment and various other assets. The former New York City mayor’s law defense has argued that while his appeal of the defamation judgment is ongoing, Freeman and Moss should not be allowed to sell his possessions. A status report on any property exchanges has been demanded by U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman.
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South Korea’s UN ambassador, Joonkook Hwang, warned that North Korean soldiers sent to aid Russia in Ukraine will end up as “cannon fodder” and their pay will go directly to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Russia has reportedly been struggling to find enough manpower for its military, resorting to substantial signing bonuses and conscripting prisoners, and has turned to allies like North Korea and Iran for help. Hwang, speaking at a UN Security Council briefing, echoed comments made by the US and Ukraine about Russia’s tactics in the war. Reports suggest North Korea has sent thousands of troops to aid Russia in its war against Ukraine.
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Russian forces are experiencing significant losses in Ukraine as a result of poor training and leadership, according to an article by David Axe in The Daily Beast. In a single day in mid-October, nearly 1,700 Russian troops were killed or wounded and more than 100 vehicles lost during an attack by Ukrainian forces, he wrote. Despite these losses, and a general lack of manpower, the Russian military has reportedly concentrated its efforts on gaining as much territory in Ukraine as possible ahead of winter. It has increased payments to new recruits and is said to be relying on reinforcements from North Korea. Meanwhile, Ukraine is reported to be having significant manpower issues of its own.
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A political group supported by billionaire Elon Musk is using a Facebook account tagged “Progress 2028” to disseminate misleading advertisements suggesting that Kamala Harris endorses certain policies that she in fact does not. These include wanting to implement mandatory gun buybacks, bestowing Medicare benefits and driving licenses to illegal immigrants, and banning fracking. The ads are sponsored by Building America’s Future, a secret fundraisers funded by Musk and others, and tied to over $100 million Musk has spent backing the re-election bid of Donald Trump. As these advertisements are not technically in breach of Meta’s advertising policies and are protected by the American First Amendment, they cannot be removed, even though they have the potential to mislead voters. The advertisements have been viewed by millions in swing states so far.
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John Q. Hosedrinker