[ABCnews] Charges against Alec I didn't pull the trigger Baldwin have been dropped in the fatal on-set "Rust" shooting, according to sources familiar with the matter.
Newly appointed special prosecutors in the case confirmed charges have been dropped against the actor, though noted their investigation remains "active and ongoing." Newly appointed special prosecutors? Money DOES have an effect.
Baldwin, 65, had been charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter after fatally shooting cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, 42, on the New Mexico set of the Western in October 2021. The actor was practicing a cross-draw when the gun fired, striking the cinematographer and director Joel Souza, who suffered a non-life-threatening injury.
"We are pleased with the decision to dismiss the case against Alec Baldwin and we encourage a proper investigation into the facts and circumstances of this tragic accident," Luke Nikas and Alex Spiro, the attorneys for Baldwin, said in a statement. The producers were very happy that Baldwin can resume shooting.
Courtesy of Mercutio:
Not So Fast, Bubba
[GatewayPundit] Numerous outlets reported Thursday that the manslaughter charges against Baldwin in the October 2021 shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the movie "Rust" were dropped.
Baldwin’s lawyers immediately claimed this was vindication.
"We are pleased with the decision to dismiss the case against Alec Baldwin and encourage a proper investigation into the facts and circumstances of this tragic incident," they said in a statement.
However, in their statement Thursday night on the decision to drop the charges, special prosecutors Jason Lewis and Kari Morrissey said it does not mean they are gone for good.
"Over the last few days and in preparation for the May 3, 2023, preliminary hearing, new facts were revealed that demand further investigation and forensic analysis in the case against Alexander ’Alec’ Rae Baldwin, III," the prosecutors said in a statement.
"Consequently, we cannot proceed under the current time constraints and on the facts and evidence turned over by law enforcement in its existing form," they said.
The prosecutors said the charges were being dismissed to "conduct further investigation."
"This decision does not absolve Mr. Baldwin of criminal culpability and charges may be refiled," they said. "Our follow-up investigation will remain active and on-going."
#2
They're going to have one Hell of a long 'investigation' trying to find a pretext for a single action Army firing without cocking the hammer and pulling the trigger, both.
The weapon in question is a single-action revolver. Baldwin was practicing a cross-body draw. It is an iconic move: you draw and extend your arm to aim the weapon, at the same time cocking the hammer so you are ready to fire. Cowboy action shooters do it all the time. The trick is to hold the weapon firmly while not squeezing the trigger. Otherwise, if your thumb slips and you drop the hammer, the gun goes bang.
The bit that needs investigating is how live ammunition got onto a movie set. That should never happen. Ever. The person responsible for guns and gun safety on the set is the armorer. I'd pick negligence before malice, but we don't know the back story yet.
[WIRE] The relationship between investment bank JPMorgan Chase and deceased child sex predator Jeffrey Epstein was deeper than the firm has previously admitted, according to a Friday report from The Wall Street Journal.
Recent lawsuits filed against JPMorgan Chase assert that Epstein, who ran a hedge fund before his apparent suicide in 2019, benefited from special treatment at the investment bank because he attracted a number of wealthy clients. Even as attorneys insist that the firm is not liable for the crimes committed by Epstein, the firm continued to conduct business with him for five years after his 2008 state-level conviction for procuring prostitution from a minor.
Mary Erdoes, a senior lieutenant to veteran JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon, made two visits to Epstein’s townhouse in the Upper East Side of Manhattan in 2011 and 2013, unnamed people familiar with the matter told The Wall Street Journal. Erdoes communicated with Epstein via email about a charitable fund JPMorgan Chase was seeking to launch.
John Duffy, who formerly led JPMorgan Chase’s private bank, reportedly visited the townhouse in 2013 for a meeting; despite multiple warnings from compliance officers, the company renewed an authorization one month later permitting Epstein to borrow funds against his account. Justin Nelson, a banker who worked with Epstein at JPMorgan Chase, traveled to a New Mexico ranch owned by the pedophile in 2016 and participated in a handful of meetings at the Manhattan townhouse between 2014 and 2017.
The report from The Wall Street Journal comes one month before Dimon, who has served as the bank’s chief executive since 2005, is scheduled to be deposed behind closed doors. Attorneys recently uncovered communications from employees who mentioned a "Dimon review" into the company’s relationship with Epstein, according to a report from the Financial Times likewise based upon unnamed sources. JPMorgan Chase faces legal actions from the government of the U.S. Virgin Islands and an unnamed Epstein victim contending that the firm benefited financially from the deceased hedge fund manager’s crimes.
JPMorgan Chase has denied that Dimon, widely regarded as one of the financial sector’s most powerful executives, had knowledge of a review into the firm’s associations with Epstein. Another source told the Financial Times that there exists no record of direct communications between the two individuals.
#2
Pretty much all of them, one imagines, DooDahMan. Except Harvard Law professor emeritus Alan Dershowitz, who as I recall won a court case on the subject.
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] The voters are getting what they voted for, good and hard.
Eric Carter, the interim superintendent of the Chicago Police Department, will retire on May 15 after only one month leading the force
Carter, a 30-year veteran of the force, took over when David Brown resigned following Mayor Lori Lightfoot's unsuccessful reelection bid
Carter will resign on the day Lightfoot's successor, Brandon Johnson, takes office, but in a statement announcing his decision said it was made months ago
#5
Less her to see than it appears. Interim fill-ins are at their best if they're already on their way out, and the new Mayor would've replaced him any way, just because. Also because the new Mayor is a leftist POS Teacher's union tool
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/22/2023 10:58 Comments ||
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[Fox8] The City of Akron is temporarily barred from using non-lethal force against nonviolent protestors, according to a joint stipulation entered as an order by the court late Friday.
The order was issued by Judge Charles Grimes Jr. in response to a motion for a temporary restraining order filed by protesters, who sued the City of Akron over the use of pepper spray and tear gas.
Protesters have been organizing in Akron following a special grand jury’s decision not to indict the eight Akron police officers involved in Jayland Walker‘s death.
The order is for 14 days unless the court extends it.
Under the order, the City of Akron, including its Police Department and any other agency or personnel working at its behest, is restrained from using tear gas, pepper spray, flash-bang grenades, rubber bullets, wooden pellets, batons, body slams, pushing or pulling, or kettling on nonviolent protestors to enforce dispersal orders, traffic laws, and/or misdemeanors that were not committed with actual or imminently threatened physical harm or property destruction or with attempted or actual trespass on private property or secured government buildings/facilities.
The order defines “nonviolent protestors” to include individuals who are chanting, verbally confronting police, sitting, holding their hands up when approaching police, occupying sidewalks or streets apart from expressways or freeways, and/or passively resisting police orders in connection with the exercise of rights of free speech and association under the First Amendment.
The City of Akron is directed to enforce dispersal orders, traffic laws, and/or misdemeanors through citations or arrests.
The City of Akron is also prohibited from using the infliction of pain to punish or deter nonviolent protestors and must avoid the infliction of pain on any nonviolent protester when incidental to a use of force necessary to prevent or effectuate an arrest for crimes committed involving the actual or imminent threat of physical harm or property destruction or attempted or actual criminal trespass on private property or secured government buildings/facilities.
#3
I live in the Akron area. I don’t believe there is enough size to the protests for outsiders to tip them into mayhem. Probably a good year to give the Soap Box Derby a miss.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
04/22/2023 8:36 Comments ||
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#4
Step on up there Sup.
Do your part, get them agitated.
Y2k strikes again?
[JustTheNews] Virginia has identified nearly 19,000 dead individuals still on the state's voter rolls and is working to remove them.
A thorough review of state death records discovered 18,990 dead voters that officials said were still on the rolls due to a coding error that failed to correctly process the dates of their death.
"After ELECT [Virginia Department of Elections] requested a review of all VDH [Virginia Department of Health] death records going back to 1960, VDH discovered death records that had not been previously shared with ELECT," the state announced, according to The Center Square. "After additional data analysis by ELECT staff, 18,990 records of registered voters were identified and will be sent to local registrars for processing."
Virginia Elections Commissioner Susan Beals indicated that the number of dead voters still registered was much higher than she had expected, saying "I knew that there was something there, but I didn’t know that it was this big," per WTOP.
Going forward, the state will grant local registrars the authority to remove the names of voters from the rolls on the basis of family notification or an obituary whereas the state previously required a death certificate.
"We have made it easier to identify and remove deceased voters more quickly," said Beals.
The discovery comes as Virginia implements a new statewide voter registration system and database to keep the voter rolls up to date.
Virginia has skewed heavily Democratic in recent presidential and senatorial elections, though Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin's recent triumph has led many to speculate the state may become more competitive in future cycles.
#2
The Center Square. "After additional data analysis by ELECT staff, 18,990 records of registered voters were identified and will be sent to local registrars for processing."
What if the records are not processed?
Posted by: Super Hose ||
04/22/2023 8:41 Comments ||
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#3
What if the records are not processed?
Oh, they'll be 'processed' alright....
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
04/22/2023 12:33 Comments ||
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[The War Zone] New images show the heavily modified bow of Japan’s Izumo class JS Kaga (DDH-184) ’helicopter-carrying destroyer’ as the vessel left its dock recently. Kaga is currently being turned into an F-35B Joint Strike Fighter carrier for the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF).
Photos of the vessel pulling away from its dock in Kure City, Hiroshima Prefecture accompanied by various tugboats began circulating online around April 19. According to Naval News, the first set of modifications to Kaga (originally slated to end in March) included changing the shape of the vessel's bow section and applying a heat-resistant coating to its deck. The next set of modifications, which will involve re-balancing and structurally reinforcing Kaga's hull, are expected to be completed by March 2024.
Overall, work on turning Kaga into an F-35B carrier is expected to continue until early 2027, USNI News states. JS Kaga was originally launched in 2015 and commissioned in 2017.
The 1st Air Fleet, also known as the Kidō Butai ("Mobile Force"), was a name used for a combined carrier battle group comprising most of the aircraft carriers and carrier air groups of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) during the first eight months of the Pacific War.
#3
It sounds as if they will be able to launch and land a F-35B. I suppose that is useful. I didn’t see anywhere in the article about housing a squadron.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
04/22/2023 8:55 Comments ||
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#4
I didn’t see anywhere in the article about housing a squadron.
Originally it was going to be a helicopter carrier. Japan later inked a deal with the US to buy a wing of F-35Bs later this year or next to be on the carrier.
[NYPOST] Lyft CEO David Risher said Friday the ride-hailing company will "significantly" cut jobs in another round of layoffs to reduce costs, sending its shares up about 4%.
The company declined to provide details on the number of affected staff, but the Wall Street Journal reported earlier in the day the move could impact 30% of Lyft’s workforce, or more than 4,000 employees.
The decision comes weeks after the newly appointed CEO said Lyft was not for sale, disappointing some investors who had speculated that the exit of the company’s founders would pave the way for a deal and pushed up its stock last month.
Lyft could see costs slashed by half after the layoffs, the WSJ report said.
The company in November laid off about 683 employees, or 13% of its then workforce, to cut costs and cope with stiff competition from bigger rival Uber Technologies in a tough economy.
The two companies have been locked in a battle for market share coming off the pandemic lows, and investors worry that Lyft’s price cuts to avoid being a distant second in the North American ride-sharing market would squeeze its profits.
[FoxNews] A Texas geoengineering company is hoping to bring weather-controlling technology to their region to boost rain production and solve drought conditions.
Rainwater Tech, which is based in Austin, uses a technological process that enlarges rain drops in clouds to enhance rain output anywhere from 10% to 20%.
"What we do is basically produce an ion plume that goes up into the atmosphere attaches to the cloud nuclei, and enhances rain," Rainwater Tech CEO Mike Nefkins told KXAN.
The company, which was founded in 2022, intends to primarily serve governments and municipalities, as well as farmers and corporations.
Specifically, Rainwater Tech is hoping to target Lake Travis in Austin, which has been an inconsistent supply of water to the city in the past few years.
"We have a real imbalance of where the water is falling, it's falling in areas that already have enough water, we need it to redistribute to the areas that need water most," Nefkins explained.
Nefkins explained that Rainwater Tech would use three antennas to "capture" weather coming from rainier parts of the country without disrupting any weather cycles.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
04/22/2023 8:21 Comments ||
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#3
I've been in Austin all week and there have been plenty of clouds, but very little rain. But maybe Lake Travis is too small a source for the growing population.
Posted by: Bobby ||
04/22/2023 9:05 Comments ||
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#4
Weather equity.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
04/22/2023 10:22 Comments ||
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#5
Sounds like Colorado using up all the river water before it gets to Nebraska and Kansas.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
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.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
[WIRE] The relationship between investment bank .jpg)
