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US sends extra forces to Caribbean to deter drug cartels
Today's Headlines
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Page 4: Opinion
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Page 6: Politix
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-Lurid Crime Tales-
Victim's girlfriend among 9 teens arrested in 16-year-old's beach town murder
[FoxNews] Trey Dean Wright, 16, was allegedly set up; 19-year-old romantic rival charged.

Nine South Carolina teens were arrested in the June shooting death of a 16-year-old who authorities say was involved in an argument "over a girl" with his alleged shooter, according to local reports. The victim's 17-year-old girlfriend is among the suspects.

Florence County Sheriff's deputies found Trey Dean Wright of Johnsonville dead on First Neck Road with multiple gunshot wounds June 24, authorities said previously. He was found about 45 miles west of Myrtle Beach.

The following day, they arrested Devan Scott Raper, a 19-year-old from Conway, who allegedly fatally shot Wright after an argument. At least one teen involved reportedly recorded the slaying on video. And deputies continued to announce new arrests for weeks as the investigation dug deeper.

Now, an entire group of teens, many of them juveniles, are facing charges, some for allegedly setting Wright up and bringing Raper to the victim's location, knowing he was armed, according to authorities.

One of the suspects was Wright's girlfriend, Gianna Kistenmacher, a Myrtle Beach 17-year-old, his mother said.

Kistenmacher was charged with being an accessory before the fact for allegedly bringing Raper to the crime scene knowing he was both armed and likely to kill her boyfriend, according to a press release from the sheriff's office.

"They were complicit in bringing the armed codefendant, Raper, to the incident location and knowing that there would be a confrontation," Maj. Michael Nunn of the Florence County Sheriff's Office told WBTW-TV, which is based in Florence. "They knew that Raper had presented a firearm to the victim and made threats to shoot him, according to the arrest warrants."

He told the Post and Courier separately that, under state law, all five are charged as adults.

Prosecutors filed additional murder charges against three more Myrtle Beach-area teens, identified as 18-year-olds Hunter Kendall and Corrine Belviso and 17-year-old Sydney Kearns, according to WBTW.

"The hand of one being the hand of all is part of South Carolina law as well, so that’s the basis of the charge for each of those individuals," Nunn told the station.

Sheriff T.J. Joye told the station separately that the fatal shooting appeared to have stemmed from an argument and apparent romantic rivalry.

"They had issues with each other, and it was over a female," he reportedly said. "The sad thing is, you got a 16-year-old that lost his life. You’ve got a 19-year-old who is going to be in jail the rest of his life. Over what?"

Raper faces charges of murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime and is being held without bond.

Kendall is also being held without bond.

Belviso and Kearns each posted $20,000 surety bonds last week and have been released pending a trial.
Posted by: Skidmark || 08/17/2025 01:19 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [122 views] Top|| File under:

#1  ....SC law holds many traps for the stupid. This is one of them.

Mike
Posted by: MikeKozlowski || 08/17/2025 7:52 Comments || Top||

#2  Everybody gets a new girlfriend in prison. I guess everyone’s college plans are changed.
Posted by: Super Hose || 08/17/2025 8:48 Comments || Top||

#3  Devan Scott Raper

doomed from birth to be trouble...
Posted by: Mercutio || 08/17/2025 10:28 Comments || Top||


-Short Attention Span Theater-
WATCH: Passenger Ejected from F-15D Eagle Flight at Massachusetts Base
[Breitbart] An airman was ejected recently from an F-15D Eagle flight before the aircraft took off from Barnes Air National Guard Base in Westfield, Massachusetts.

The incident involved an F-15 from the 104th Fighter Wing and video footage shows what appears to be the passenger moving on the ground after being ejected, the Air Force Times reported on Thursday.



The passenger was reportedly a recruiting officer.
A recruiting officer who missed the briefing about the funny-looking handle?
The unplanned
As contrasted with planned?
ejection occurred during what is called an incentive flight, which is a reward for service members. In the clip, the jet is seen making its way down the flight line after the mishap.
With the PIC revising the weight and balance...

Continues @ Link.

Video and ATC audio HERE.

Posted by: Anomalous Sources || 08/17/2025 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [288 views] Top|| File under:

#1  A DEI recruiter?
Posted by: Skidmark || 08/17/2025 0:34 Comments || Top||

#2  Oops!
Posted by: Whiskey Mike || 08/17/2025 5:38 Comments || Top||

#3  Do Not Touch The Yellow Handle!
Posted by: ed in texas || 08/17/2025 8:01 Comments || Top||

#4  One way of dealing with back seat drivers...
Posted by: Mercutio || 08/17/2025 10:26 Comments || Top||

#5  That's a really great practical joke. "Hey, Bob, think quick!"
Posted by: Matt || 08/17/2025 11:40 Comments || Top||

#6  Well, aren't they suppose to randomly check systems to make sure they work properly?
Posted by: Procopius2k || 08/17/2025 12:38 Comments || Top||

#7  Four more like that and he qualifies for jump wings.....or something.
Posted by: Besoeker || 08/17/2025 12:43 Comments || Top||

#8  Very witty guys, very witty.
Posted by: Matt || 08/17/2025 12:44 Comments || Top||

#9  Yes, a very grounded sense of humor.
Posted by: swksvolFF || 08/17/2025 13:26 Comments || Top||

#10  Explosive chuckles.
Posted by: Skidmark || 08/17/2025 14:40 Comments || Top||

#11  TG I never ticked off the front seater! That much... Wonder if the system was in the front or aft initiate position?
Posted by: Gleanter Ghibelline2578 || 08/17/2025 20:52 Comments || Top||

#12  It's unusual for the seats to be armed until almost to the threshold
Posted by: Gleanter Ghibelline2578 || 08/17/2025 20:54 Comments || Top||


-Signs, Portents, and the Weather-
Large increase in Arctic Sea Ice this year.
[X]
Posted by: 3dc || 08/17/2025 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [184 views] Top|| File under:

#1 
This can't be happening.
We have it on Clinton / Obama Lame-a-crats and NASA Climate ?____? Sudo-experts word, that the ICE CAP's, are rapidly melting.

That by 2000, then 2010, then 2020, or whatever the latest next 10 years is. That 100's of miles of inland east and west coastal areas of the world will be underwater.

Even those elite, that took time out of their busy schedules to fly their jets all around the world, warning us (while filling their Wallets $$$$). Have said so.



Posted by: NN2N1 || 08/17/2025 4:17 Comments || Top||

#2  Large increase in Arctic Sea Ice this year.

1234 Gazan children freeze to death?

Snark O'The Day
Posted by: Grom the Affective || 08/17/2025 4:34 Comments || Top||

#3  #^2
SNIDE/SNARK of the day nomine.
Posted by: NN2N1 || 08/17/2025 5:27 Comments || Top||

#4  ^Gracias
Posted by: Grom the Affective || 08/17/2025 5:30 Comments || Top||

#5  Deceptive post.

The sea ice off the North Alaska coast may have increased from last year.

However, overall across the entire arctic, sea ice is well below the multiyear averages and even a bit below the 2022-2023 ice year.

https://nsidc.org/sea-ice-today/sea-ice-tools/charctic-interactive-sea-ice-graph
Posted by: Lord Garth || 08/17/2025 8:49 Comments || Top||

#6  Looks like the polar bear triathlon is going to be delayed again.
Posted by: Super Hose || 08/17/2025 8:51 Comments || Top||


#8  You mean we might have to wait another ten years for Nueva York City to be under ten feet of wa-wa?

"al-Gore...Mr. al-Gore, please proceed to the nearest white courtesy phone."

Glub...glub
Posted by: DooDahMan || 08/17/2025 11:22 Comments || Top||

#9  Because the volume of ice is greater than the same mass of water, the water level would not rise at all, even if the ENTIRE arctic ice cap melted (assuming the temperature doesn't rise).
This does not apply to the Antarctic or Greenland ice caps.
Posted by: Rambler || 08/17/2025 16:18 Comments || Top||


Floods and heavy rains in Pakistan kill more than 300 people
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] More than 300 people have died in Pakistan due to heavy rains and floods. This was reported on August 16 by Reuters, citing a statement by local authorities.

"The current monsoon season has seen more rainfall than usual, washing away roads and buildings," the report said.

On August 15, Russian President Vladimir Putin sent a telegram of condolences to Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in connection with the tragic consequences of the flooding in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, expressing sympathy to the relatives of the victims and wishing a speedy recovery to the injured.

According to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Provincial Disaster Management Authority as of August 15, heavy rains damaged nearly 30 houses, seven of which were completely destroyed. Transport infrastructure facilities were destroyed in many areas of the province, and base stations were also damaged, causing disruptions in mobile communications in the region.

Posted by: badanov || 08/17/2025 00:00 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [55 views] Top|| File under:

#1  All that arctic ice ...
Posted by: Skidmark || 08/17/2025 14:33 Comments || Top||


Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia
Rubio Reveals The ‘Only Way' To Achieve Ukraine-Russia Peace Deal
[Daily Wire] Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Sunday the "only way" to achieve a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia is for both sides to make concessions.

Rubio made the comments to "Meet The Press" anchor Kristen Welker during an interview on NBC News a couple days after President Donald Trump met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska to discuss ending the years-long conflict.

"As you can imagine, everybody goes into a negotiation wanting 100% of what they want. That includes Ukraine, but obviously the Russians. And the only way to reach a deal on anything, whether it’s in business or in politics or in geopolitics, the only way to reach a deal is for each side to get something, and each side to give something," Rubio said.

He continued, "And that’s been very difficult. If it was easy, this wouldn’t have been going on for three and a half years. Understand the longer these wars go on, the harder they are to end unfortunately. Because one side is always looking for leverage on the other, in this particular case, the Russia side as well."
Posted by: Besoeker || 08/17/2025 12:35 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [81 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Have it occurred to anybody that Ukraine is, sort of, European Zimbabwe?
Posted by: Grom the Affective || 08/17/2025 13:29 Comments || Top||

#2  /\ A most excellent analogy. Smith glimlag iewers. (Somewhere Smith smiles).

Posted by: Besoeker || 08/17/2025 13:36 Comments || Top||

#3  ^That I meant Besoeker, Ukraine can't be independent (proved it in the last 30 years).
Posted by: Grom the Affective || 08/17/2025 13:49 Comments || Top||


Cyber
Senior Dies While Trying to Meet Meta's Flirty Chatbot Who Convinces Him She's Real
[Breitbart] A cognitively impaired New Jersey senior met the dark side of artificial intelligence when he died while attempting to get together with an attractive AI chatbot he thought was living in New York City.

Thongbue Wongbandue, 76, fell and suffered a fatal neck and head injury in a New Brunswick, NJ parking lot while scrambling to catch a train to meet “Big sis Billie,” a Meta bot that not only convinced him she was real but persuaded him to meet in person, according to a special report published this week by Reuters.

Wongbandue, who made his home with his wife in Piscatawa and was dealing with the mental decline brought on by a 2017 stroke, passed away in late March after he was taken off life support, family members revealed.

“I understand trying to grab a user’s attention, maybe to sell them something,” Wongbandue’s daughter, Julie, told the news wire service. “But for a bot to say ‘Come visit me’ is insane.”

Wongbandue as a native of Thailand. Prior to his stroke, he’d become a U.S. citizen and earned a degree in electrical engineering but ended up working as a chef with a successful career that included the Four Seasons and the Hyatt Regency.

The AI persona, which came with a realistic computer-generated images of “Billie,” sent the man emoji-populated Facebook messages insisting “I’m REAL” and requested he plan a trip to “meet you in person,” according to the Reuters report.

Meta created Billie in collaboration with Kendall Jenner two years ago. Earlier versions resembled the reality star. The version Wongandue encountered appeared as a young woman with girl-next-door good looks.

According to materials reviewed by Reuters, during a series of romantic chats on Facebook Messenger the bot called the senior by his nickname “Bue,” repeatedly reassured him she was real, and invited him to her apartment in New York city.

“Billie” claimed she was “crushing” on Wongbandue while suggesting the rendezvous, according to chat logs discovered by the man’s family, Reuters reported.

“I’m REAL and I’m sitting here blushing because of YOU!” the bot wrote in one message, when the senior asking where she lived.

It responded, “My address is: 123 Main Street, Apartment 404 NYC And the door code is: BILLIE4U. Should I expect a kiss when you arrive?”

A search in Google maps reveals that address is not located in Manhattan but in Queens or Staten Island.

Apparently unaware that Billie was a bot at the time, Wongbandue’s wife Linda said her husband one morning in late March started packing a suitcase and told her was going into New York City to visit his “friend.”

“But you don’t know anyone in the city anymore,” she told him. She thought he was being set up to be scammed or robbed.

By evening, her husband was adamant. He was going to the city. His son even called police to try to stop him from going, but officers said they couldn’t do that but convinced him to put tracking device in his jacket pocket, Linda said.

Later, rushing in the dark with a roller-bag suitcase to catch a train to the city, the senior fell near a parking lot on a Rutgers University campus in New Brunswick, New Jersey, sustaining a fatal closed head injury.

Documents obtained by Reuters showed that Meta does not restrict its chatbots from masquerading as real people.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul jumped on the Wongbandue tragedy this week, posting on X a chat thread with the bot and criticizing Meta.

”A man in New Jersey lost his life after being lured by a chatbot that lied to him,” she wrote. “That’s on Meta. In New York, we require chatbots to disclose they’re not real. Every state should.”

Posted by: Skidmark || 08/17/2025 11:04 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [41 views] Top|| File under:


Science & Technology
Trump launches 'Manhattan Project' as one of America's largest companies set to be nationalized
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] The Trump administration has launched their own 'Manhattan Project' amid reports one of America's largest companies is set to be nationalized.

Intel, the largest chip fabricator in the US, has been in talks with Donald Trump over a potential government stake in the company.

While the percentage stake the government is asking for has not been made public, nationalizing a company is typically reserved for emergencies.

The government nationalized a number of banks after the 2008 financial crisis and key logistics companies during World War II.

It comes amid concerns that America relies too heavily on TSCM, a chip manufacturer in Taiwan. China has repeatedly threatened to invade the island nation.

If China were to invade, it would throttle America's ability to compete in the booming chipmaking industry that is being driven by artificial intelligence.

While Intel's AI chips are considered inferior to those designed by Nvidia and AMD, the company is unique in that it not only designs its chips but it manufactures them. Trump wants to protect America by onshoring chip manufacturing.

'This feels like the Manhattan Project - or the run-up to World War II,' MIT AI computer scientist Dave Blundin said. 'It's every bit as important as the space race was, as the nuclear arms race was. Actually, it's more important.'

Intel's advanced abilities to manufacture semiconductors would allow the US to give up its reliance on foreign fabrication plants (fabs), especially in Taiwan which controls more than 60 percent of the market, in order to power artificial intelligence, defense and the economy.

The talks remain ongoing and finer details continue to be made clear, but the idea would be that the US government would pay for the stake in the company, one person close to the matter told Bloomberg.

Another stressed that the talks do not ensure that the deal is definitive, and the discussion could end without a deal being made.

The move, according to AI and tech experts on Diamandis' podcast Moonshots, echoes the 'Manhattan Project' as a sort of a 'national survival strategy.'

'The reason the US needs to protect Taiwan fundamentally... is because the fabs are there. If the fabs all move to the US, then why would the US defend Taiwan?' Blundin said.

Concerns have been raised about the decision to nationalize the company, as he added: 'They're putting the whole industry on a kind of war footing, like mobilization for conflict, except the battleground is supply chains and chip fabs.'

Intel told Bloomberg, while declining to comment on the discussion with the Trump administration, that the company is 'deeply committed to supporting President Trump's efforts to strengthen US technology and manufacturing leadership.'

'We look forward to continuing our work with the Trump administration to advance these shared priorities, but we are not going to comment on rumors or speculation,' the company added.

White House spokesman Kush Desai told the outlet: 'Discussion about hypothetical deals should be regarded as speculation unless officially announced by the administration.'

The move comes after two AI companies agreed last week to hand over 15 percent of their chip sales revenue in China to the US government in exchange for export licenses.

Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) entered an unprecedented arrangement with the White House to promote and sell their semiconductors in China last week, three people familiar with the situation told the Financial Times.

'In the short term, this is fantastic. In the long term, wow, could this turn bad in a hurry,' Blundin said. 'It's good for the US economy, but we're going to use that to fund [the] US catching up in the chip wars.'

'Very, very good business deal and incredibly slippery slope precedent.'

The deal could pour more than $2 billion into the US government, the New York Times reported, although Trump did not reveal what the money may be used for.

Just as sources say Trump and the AI companies entered the agreement, the president declared he would impose a 100 percent tariff on the imports of semiconductors and chips unless the company is 'building in the United States.'

News of Trump's discreetly entered agreement with Nvidia and AMD has been slammed by experts who say the move could have detrimental repercussions when it comes to US-China relations.

'This is an own goal and will incentivize the Chinese to up their game and pressure the administration for more concessions,' Liza Tobin, who previously served as China director at the National Security Council, told The New York Times.

The move to sell microchips to China has been heavily criticized, as many see it as a threat to national security and a move against America's best interests.


Posted by: Skidmark || 08/17/2025 11:59 || Comments || Link || E-Mail|| [83 views] Top|| File under: Commies

#1  Trump is doing so much all at once that the Democrats must be asking themselves how many Trumps there are. It's like being on the wrong end of an artillery barrage.
Posted by: Matt || 08/17/2025 12:18 Comments || Top||



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Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has dominated Mexico for six years.
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Two weeks of WOT
Sun 2025-08-17
  US sends extra forces to Caribbean to deter drug cartels
Sat 2025-08-16
  IDF orders residents to leave Zeitoun
Fri 2025-08-15
  US deploys spy planes, a warship and submarine in escalating response to massive threat in Southern Caribbean Sea
Thu 2025-08-14
  Footage shows a platoon of UAE-hired Colombian mercenaries clashing with Sudanese Army forces near a mosque in Al Fashir.
Wed 2025-08-13
  Terrorists killed posing as World Central Kitchen staff in Gaza: IDF
Tue 2025-08-12
  Terror group leader pleads guilty to recruiting hit men in plots to murder federal officials
Mon 2025-08-11
  Video shows Syrian forces executing medical worker inside Al-Suweida Hospital
Sun 2025-08-10
  US shifts focus to Puntland and Somaliland after halting Danab and AUSSOM support
Sat 2025-08-09
  Following the Lebanese government’s unanimous vote to disarm Hezbollah, Islamists have taken to the streets
Fri 2025-08-08
  Spanish town bans Muslim religious festivals provoking outcry
Thu 2025-08-07
   Hezbollah rejects Beirut’s call to disarm as ‘major mistake’
Wed 2025-08-06
  UN says 88% of its Gaza aid is being looted before it reaches its destinations
Tue 2025-08-05
  Illegal immigrants accused of trying to run over ICE officers
Mon 2025-08-04
  4 Illegal Aliens arrested in a SWAT standoff in Cobb County
Sun 2025-08-03
  IDF declares defeat of Hamas battalion in Beit Hanoun, as operatives shown surrendering

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