Month: August 2020

Ghislaine Maxwell’s request to delay the unsealing of potentially damaging court documents has been rejected by a New York judge. Attorneys for Maxwell, who is accused of sex trafficking teenage girls for late financier Jeffrey Epstein, argued that “critical new information” had surfaced that could affect Maxwell’s ability to obtain a fair trial, justifying the delay. However US District Judge Loretta Preska in Manhattan said she had no reasonable basis to order their requested three-week delay. The documents come from a long-settled civil defamation case against Maxwell by Virginia Giuffre, who said Epstein kept her as a “sex slave” with Maxwell’s help. Maxwell’s criminal trial is scheduled for July 2021.

US prosecutors are also expected to respond to a separate request by Maxwell’s lawyers that she be moved into the general population at the Brooklyn jail where she is being held. The lawyers said the 58-year-old has been subjected to “uniquely onerous” conditions, including 24-hour surveillance and numerous body scans. 

Epstein was found hanged in his prison cell last August from an apparent suicide, while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

Ghislaine Maxwell fails to obtain delay in unsealing documents

Via www.msn.com

A U.S. judge on Wednesday rejected Ghislaine Maxwell’s request for a three-week delay in the…

08/12/2020 6:29 PM

 

A Florida elementary school student was online for her first day of school when her mother was shot and killed during the online class, police said. The shooting happened at a home in Indiantown, about 30 miles southwest of Port St. Lucie.

Martin County Sheriff William Snyder said that the suspect, Donald J. Williams, was taken into custody that same day and faces charges of first-degree murder as well as other felony offenses. Snyder said at a news conference that the girl’s teacher witnessed the child reacting to the shooting. The sheriff said investigators believe there was an argument between Williams and the girl’s mother, Maribel Rosado-Morales, who had previously dated.

Six children ranging in age from 10-17 were in the home at the time of the shooting. Rosado-Morales, 32, was shot multiple times and died at a hospital, the sheriff said. None of the children — four of whom are Rosado-Morales’ children and two cousins — were injured. Following the incident, Williams fled the home but was later arrested after a bus driver got suspicious and called 911. The sheriff said a gun was found in a bag on the bus and Williams, 27, “made a full confession.” 

Sheriff: Woman killed by ex during daughter’s online class

Via abcnews.go.com

Authorities say a Florida woman was fatally shot by her ex-boyfriend as her daughter started her…

08/12/2020 9:30 PM

 

Editorial credit: View Apart / Shutterstock.com

Biotechnology company Moderna reached a deal with the U.S. government on Tuesday to deliver 100 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine candidate. Moderna said the deal for its mRNA-1273 vaccine candidate is worth $1.525 billion and includes the option for the United States to purchase up to 400 million doses of the potential vaccine. The United States has invested $2.48 billion in Moderna’s vaccine candidate. Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel said, “We appreciate the confidence of the U.S. government in our mRNA vaccine platform and the continued support.”

The United States has also reached agreements with Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson for their vaccine candidates. President Trump said during a briefing at the White House Tuesday, “We are investing in the development and manufacture of the top six vaccine candidates to ensure rapid delivery. The military is ready to go, they’re ready to deliver a vaccine to Americans as soon as one is fully approved by the FDA and we’re very close to that approval.”

US government strikes deal with Moderna for 100M coronavirus vaccine doses

Via finance.yahoo.com

President Trump announced a deal on Tuesday between the U.S. government and biotechnology…

08/11/2020 7:27 PM