I am often struck by old mugshots in their stark elements. I came across this mugshot recently of opium and cocaine dealer William Stanley Moore from 1926. The standing shot is a particularly gritty shot of a hardened criminal.
Category: Society
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is reporting that a prominent lawyer and an animal shelter volunteer has been arrested in a bizarre bestiality case involving his Labrador Snoopy. Ivan DeVoren, 61, is charged with 10 felony counts of animal cruelty, 10 counts of sexual intercourse with an animal in addition to drug charges. After police found crack cocaine and other drugs in his home, they added possession charges.
DeVoren represents energy companies on regulatory challenges and compliance. He has described himself as a “lawyer and philanthropist” according to Heavy.com.
Continue reading “Prominent Pennsylvania Lawyer Charged With Bestiality”
Colton Haab, a survivor of last week’s mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., has appeared on national television to voice his allegation that CNN tried to get him to read a scripted question at the network’s recent Town Hall event with survivors and leading politicians. The allegation led President Donald Trump to tweet that CNN had been caught in an act of “fake news.” Now however CNN has posted the original email and accused Haab of “doctoring” the emails and lying about its exchange with its producer. If CNN is doctoring the emails (which is unlikely), Haab could sue for defamation. However, the network says that critical language was removed by Haab or his family.
Continue reading “CNN Accuses Florida Student Cited By President As Lying About Scripted Question”
The greatest beneficiary of the Gates plea may not be Rick Gates himself but Tony Podesta, the former head of the Podesta Group and the brother of John Podesta, the former head of the Hillary Clinton campaign. Tony Podesta recently resigned by the Podesta Group and has been cited as one of the Democrats who also engaged in work for Russian-backed interests in the Ukraine. Podesta suddenly registered as a foreign agent in the midst of the Russian investigation. (The Manafort-Gates indictments contained Foreign Agent Registration Act charges). Now, Special Counsel Robert Mueller may have given Podesta legal shelter from any charge in working for the same interests as Manafort and Gates. Buried in the Gates plea agreement is a key section that could have been written by Podesta counsel in establishing a defense to a future charge. While there is still the possibility of charges against Podesta or his former company, the filings strongly suggest that Manafort and Gates knowingly hid both critical facts and sources of payments from two lobbying groups including the Podesta Group. Mueller has been filing “speaking indictments” and these papers notably do not speak to any criminality on the part of Podesta.
This week was the 75th anniversary of a sad but inspiring moment. On this day, Sophia Magdalena Scholl and her brother Hans Scholl were executed by the Nazi regime on February 22, 1943. These young people were part of the White Rose movement of Germans who resisted Adolph Hitler. They put their lives at risk to oppose Hitler and, in giving their lives, stood for those Germans who refused to yield to madness of the Nazis.
The court order for Special Counsel Robert Mueller to share exculpatory evidence with former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn has raised intriguing questions about whether evidence might have been withheld from Flynn before his plea deal. As I stated on air, I do not believe that the issuance of this order by Judge Sullivan should be assumed as evidence of any second thoughts by Flynn. As I state in my column below in The Hill newspaper, I do not see a real option for Flynn in trying to undo his plea deal. However, the disclosure of the evidence could raise questions for Flynn.
Here is the column: Continue reading “Did Mueller Withhold Evidence From Michael Flynn?”
Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens is now the state’s chief executive and its most famous accused felon. On Thursday, the Republican governor was indicted for felony invasion of privacy in a truly bizarre affair from 2015. Greitens, 43, is accused of involuntarily restraining a woman in an affair and taking pictures of her naked as leverage over her. The indictment occurs when nude pictures are also being raised in Nashville as possible evidence against the Mayor Megan Barry, who is also embroiled in a scandal over an affair.
Continue reading “Missouri Governor Charged With Felony Invasion of Privacy In Bizarre Affair”
Paul Manafort has been something of a target rich environment for Special Counsel Robert Mueller who has piled on an assortment of charges for financial and fraud crimes. The charges were not much of a surprise for many of us in Washington where Manafort has long held a reputation for dubious clients and practices. Indeed, as discussed before, it is astonishing that Donald Trump selected Manafort to head his campaign when minimal vetting would have revealed his controversial history and clients. Now Mueller has now filed greatly expanded charges against Manafort and Gates. There is a new allegation of mortgage fraud but one recently disclosed inquiry could present an even more serious issue for Manafort and the Administration. All of the past charges have been unrelated to election or the campaign. The new allegation is no exception, but it does involve the Administration in Manafort allegedly securing a $16 million loan in exchange for an appointment of the banker to a prestigious Administration position. Mueller is reportedly seeking information on the appointment of Stephen Calk to Trump’s council of economic advisers in August 2016. He is the president of Federal Savings Bank and gave Manafort the over-sized loan. As discussed in my most recent column, this is why I have been arguing the financial allegations are more important to watch than the collusion allegations.
We recently discussed the decision of Durham District Attorney Roger Echols to drop felony charges against protesters who destroyed a civil war monument in a premeditated and videotaped crime. The popularity of the crime was obvious as voters rallied around the accused — support that some have alleged pressured Echols to reduce the charges to mere misdemeanors. That reduction however was still criticized by the defendants and their supporters. Now, after an unfavorable ruling by a court, Echols has dropped all charges against defendants who not just committed criminal acts on camera but proudly proclaimed their guilt. It is hard not to view the outcome as an example of popular crimes enjoying a level of immunity.
We have been discussing recent publications by academics arguing that math is a form of white privilege and male domination — often citing the relatively low numbers of women in the field. Colleges and high schools have made a concerted effort to get women to join the field, though a recent poster at Brigham Young University (BYU) caused a degree of confusion and an even greater degree of mirth.
Continue reading “BYU Poster Sends Mixed Math Message . . .”
You know you are on the outs with the President when he not only unleashes an army of citizen trolls on you, but demotes you from plural to singular. President Trump posted another controversial tweet this morning in asking why he is being investigated but not his predecessor or the Democrats. He tells supporters to Just “Ask Jeff Session.” Attorney General Sessions appears to still be the persona non grata and, if anything, diminishing by the day.
Continue reading “Singular Demotion: Trump Tells Citizens “Ask Jeff Session!””
I have previously written about the endless calls for impeachment from Democratic members for everything from Trump criticizing NFL players to comments made about protesters to his reference to “shithole countries.” The Framers saw the great abuses caused not only by tyranny of nobility, but tyranny of the majority. They sought to insulate our government from the transient impulses of politics. The danger has been repeatedly shown by members who see virtually any act or comment by Donald Trump as a case for impeachment. It is a trend toward what I have called “the no-confidence impeachment” option and it is not only an abuse of our constitutional standard but a dangerous trend for this country. The latest grounds for impeachment was stated by former Breitbart spokesperson Kurt Bardella who was also spokesperson for Rep. Darrell Issa, Rep. Brian Bilbray and Senator Olympia Snowe. It appears that the failure to take additional actions or “accept” the fact of Russian interference is now grounds for impeachment and removal from office. His article appears in USA Today entitled President Trump’s Russia Denialism Is Grounds For Impeachment. (For full disclosure, I also write for USA Today).
Call it the “shot never heard around the world.” Elk Grove, California has earned national ridicule by preventing the Elk Grove Historical Society from holding a Revolutionary War reenactment with vintage flintlocks. City officials ruled that the reenactment would violate a ban on firing a gun in city limits, defined as “Use, maintain, possess, fire, or discharge any firearm.” It does not seem to matter that the guns are black powder muskets used in a performance. Would the city take the same position with a Hollywood production?
Continue reading “California City Bars Revolutionary War Reenactment From Using Muskets”
A study in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin would seem to confirm what many take for granted: despite the common adage, money can indeed buy happiness . . . at least if you have a million dollars. Grant E. Donnelly, a doctoral candidate in the Marketing Unit at Harvard Business School, found that the more wealth that people have corollated with greater happiness. There is however a difference in happiness between those near the bottom and near the top of wealthiest individuals. Can you guess who was happier among the millionaires?
Continue reading “Study: Money Can Buy Happiness . . . But The More Money The Better”
Special Counsel Robert Mueller has charged Dutch lawyer Alex Van Der Zwaan. The charge however is another false statement indictment and is not tied to Russian collusion. Rather Van Der Zwaan was interviewed in rather to dealing concerning Ukraine’s Ministry of Justice in 2012. The expected guilty plea certainly adds to the prosecution cases but remains far removed from the Trump campaign. It is more likely related to the Paul Manafort prosecution.
Continue reading “Mueller Charges New Defendant: Alex Van Der Zwaan”