Category: News Daypop

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department have released surveillance images of a suspect in the fatal stabbing of local investigative journalist Jeff German. The images show an individual wearing a large straw-colored hat, a reflective orange long-sleeve shirt, long pants and black gloves. The individual is wholly covered with their face shrouded by the wide-brimmed hat. They also are seen carrying a navy blue duffle bag.

The police department said in a statement that they are asking the public to review their own video cameras at their homes and businesses in the area of Vegas Drive and Rock Springs for the suspect between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Friday. “At this time, it appears the suspect was potentially casing the area to commit other crimes before the homicide occurred,” the department said, adding that the detectives came across the distributed images amid their investigation.

Police found German dead Saturday at about 10:30 a.m. outside his home in the 7200 block of Bronze Circle in the Summerlin area of Las Vegas. The Clark County coroner’s office has ruled that German died as a result of multiple sharp force injuries. Authorities have said that they believe German’s stabbing death is related to an altercation he had with another person the night prior.

The 69-year-old German worked as a reporter for the Las Vegas Sun for more than 20 years before joining the Las Vegas Review-Journal in 2010. The National Press Club and the National Press Club Journalism Institute issued a joint statement calling on police to “redouble their efforts” to catch the person responsible and uncover the reason why German was killed as well as who gave the order: “Mr. German was a relentless investigator who made his career in Las Vegas. Our hearts go out to his family, colleagues at the Las Vegas Review-Journal and to the community of investigative journalists everywhere…Mr. German frequently worked on cases involving organized crime. This is dangerous work, which must be done but is a high-risk beat.”

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Police said on Tuesday that the body found in a Memphis neighborhood Monday was confirmed to be a Tennessee woman who was abducted late last week. 34-year-old Eliza Fletcher was seen on surveillance video being forced into an SUV while she was jogging near the University of Memphis early Friday morning.

38-year-old Cleotha Abston, the suspect arrested in the case, is being charged with first-degree murder and first-degree murder in perpetration of kidnapping. Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn Davis told reporters it was possible others would be charged in the case but as of Tuesday morning no one else has been.

Fletcher’s body was found behind a vacant duplex, Davis said. A police affidavit said officers noticed vehicle tracks next to the duplex’s driveway and smelled an odor. Purple running shorts consistent with the shorts Fletcher was wearing were found in a discarded trash bag nearby, the affidavit said. According to the chief, it was too early for investigators to determine how and where Fletcher was killed.

District Attorney Steven Mulroy said Abston would be arraigned on the murder charges Wednesday, telling reporters: “We have no reason to think this was anything other than an isolated attack by a stranger.”  Abston appeared before a judge earlier Tuesday on charges of kidnapping, tampering with evidence, theft, identity theft and fraudulent use of a credit card; he was issued a $510,000 bond. Abston said he could not afford bond and he could not afford a lawyer. General Sessions Judge Louis Montesi appointed a public defender to represent Abston.

A mother of two and a school teacher, Fletcher is the granddaughter of the late Joseph Orgill III, a Memphis hardware businessman and philanthropist. Fletcher taught kindergarten at St. Mary’s Episcopal School in Memphis.  The family said in a statement Tuesday said they were “grateful beyond measure” to authorities for finding Fletcher and for arresting a suspect, adding: “We are heartbroken and devastated by this senseless loss. Liza was a such a joy to so many … Now it’s time to remember and celebrate how special she was and to support those who cared so much for her.”

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The Coast Guard announced Monday that their search for nine people who have been missing since the crash of a floatplane off Seattle on Sunday has been called off.   One person was already confirmed dead in the Mutiny Bay area of Puget Sounds after a de Havilland DHC-3 Otter floatplane carrying 10 people went down off Whidbey Island about 3:10 p.m. Sunday. The Coast Guard said that one of the nine who were included in the now-suspended search is a child.  The plane took off from Friday Harbor, Washington, roughly 100 miles north of Seattle, en route to the Seattle area; the crash site off Whidbey Island is about 40 miles north of Seattle.

Capt. Daniel Broadhurst of the 13th Coast Guard District said in a statement Monday: “It is always difficult when it comes time to make a decision to stop searching. The hearts of all the first responders go out to those who lost a family member, a loved one or a friend in the crash.”  The Coast Guard said a remotely operated underwater vehicle and a drone will continue to assist in searching for wreckage and debris.

The Coast Guard was assisted by other agencies in the search including the Island County Sheriff’s Office, the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office and South Whidbey Fire/EMS. The federal agency said that “in total, the Coast Guard conducted 26 search sorties, searching 1,283 nautical miles of track line covering an area of approximately 2,100 square nautical miles.”

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One of two suspects in the Canadian stabbing attack that killed 10 people has been found dead, police confirmed on Monday. Assistant Commissioner Rhonda Blackmore, commanding officer of the Saskatchewan Royal Canadian Mounted Police, said the body of 31-year-old Damien Sanderson was found on the James Smith Cree Nation in Saskatchewan at 11:30 a.m.; the search continues for Myles Sanderson, his brother. Myles Sanderson, 30, may be injured, but that has not been confirmed.

Blackmore said at a news conference: “We do want the public to know this as there is a possibility he may seek medical attention. It does not mean he is not still dangerous.” Damien Sanderson had visible injuries that are not believed to have been self-inflicted, Blackmore said. A cause of death will be determined later, adding that his body was found “outdoors in a heavily grassed area in proximity to a house that was being examined.”

19 people were injured in the attacks, which spanned 13 identified crime scenes, officials said. Including the discovery of Damien Sanderson’s body, the number of deaths involved in the case rose to 11. The identities of the dead were not released by police Monday, but Blackmore said that none of them were infants or children.

Investigators believe some victims may have been targeted and others may have been attacked at random, but an investigation is ongoing. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has called the attacks shocking and heartbreaking:  “This kind of violence, or any kind of violence, has no place in our country,” Trudeau said.

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A federal judge in Florida was presented arguments by lawyers for both the Justice Department and former President Donald Trump, on whether a special master should be assigned to review documents seized from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home. Judge Aileen Cannon did not immediately rule if a third party should be assigned to determine whether the documents seized from Trump’s Palm Beach, Fla. estate contained possibly privileged information, but said she would issue a written ruling later. Cannon on Thursday said she would consider allowing the intelligence community to continue to review the seized documents if a special master is appointed, while also temporarily blocking the Justice Department from accessing the materials for its criminal probe.

The FBI said it recovered more than 320 classified documents from Mar-a-Lago, including 100 seized in August when agents executed a search warrant. Trump voluntarily turned over 15 boxes to the National Archives in January, and his team turned over other materials under subpoena in June. FBI agents seized another 33 boxes during the search of Mar-a-Lago.

“The government should provide to the special master and to movant a copy of the seized materials, a copy of the search warrant and an unredacted copy of the underlying application materials,” Trump’s lawyers said in a court filing Wednesday. Trump lawyer James Trusty accused the Justice Department of trying to “criminalize” the Presidential Records Act, saying: “We’ve characterized it at times as an overdue-library-book scenario where there’s a dispute — not even a dispute — but ongoing negotiations with [the National Archives] that has suddenly been transformed into a criminal investigation.” 

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On Thursday, a federal judge in Atlanta ruled that Sen. Lindsey Graham must comply with a subpoena and testify before the grand jury in the criminal probe into efforts to overturn Georgia’s 2020 presidential election results.

Judge Leigh Martin May limited the scope of questioning but will allow questions about alleged efforts to persuade Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to alter election practices. Said May: “Senator Graham may be questioned about any alleged efforts to encourage Secretary Raffensperger or others to throw out ballots or otherwise alter Georgia’s election practices and procedures. Likewise, the grand jury may inquire into Senator Graham’s alleged communications and coordination with the Trump Campaign and its post-election efforts in Georgia, as well as into Senator Graham’s public statements related to Georgia’s 2020 elections.”

May wrote in her decision that Raffensperger “has stated publicly that he understood Senator Graham to be implying or otherwise suggesting that he (Secretary Raffensperger) should throw out ballots. As the Court has previously stated, any such ‘cajoling,’ ‘exhorting,’ or pressuring of Secretary Raffensperger (or any other Georgia election officials) to throw out ballots or otherwise change Georgia’s election processes, including changing processes so as to alter the state’s results, is not protected legislative activity under the Speech or Debate Clause.”

The judge’s order also said the speech and debate clause of the U.S. Constitution prohibits “questions about Senator Graham’s investigatory fact-finding on the telephone calls to Georgia election officials, including how such information related to his decision to certify the results of the 2020 presidential election.”

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Drummer Micky Dolenz, the last surviving member of The Monkees, has filed a lawsuit against the Department of Justice to retrieve records the FBI kept on the band during the 1960s.  According to the complaint filed, The Monkees were investigated for alleged anti-Vietnam war activities in 1967 after they flashed images and messages protesting the war during one of their concerts.

The 77-year-old Dolenz is suing for the complete case file after a heavily redacted portion was released to the public in 2011 that included testimony from an informant who attended the 1967 concert. The informant described images flashed on the screen behind the band as a “left-wing intervention of a political nature” that included “anti-U.S. messages” on the Vietnam War.

The suit was filed by attorney Mark S. Zaid, a lifelong Monkees fan and Freedom of Information Act litigation expert.  Zaid shared with Rolling Stone: “Theoretically, anything could be in those files though. We have no idea what records even exist. It could be almost nothing. But we’ll see soon enough.”  Zaid added that under then director J. Edgar Hoover, the FBI in the 1960s was “infamous for monitoring counterculture, whether they committed unlawful actions or not.”

The Monkees had four No. 1 albums and a hit sitcom in the 1960s. Dolenz and his late bandmates, Mike Nesmith, Davy Jones and Peter Tork, also were investigated for another matter that was redacted, according to the complaint. Many of the Monkees’ songs included subtle anti-war sentiments, including their hit single, “Last Train to Clarksville.”

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A California jury has awarded $1 million in damages to a teen who was bullied in middle school after her Los Angeles school district failed to protect her.  On Wednesday, a Los Angeles County Superior Court jury ruled that El Segundo Unified School District’s negligence harmed Eleri Irons, who was 13 when the bullying began in November 2017. Irons, who is now 18, was awarded $700,000 in damages for past pain and suffering, and $300,000 for any future emotional trauma she may suffer.

The original lawsuit, filed in 2019, accused the district of failing to protect Irons while she attended El Segundo Middle School where she was “bullied, tormented and verbally assaulted” by three students, including one who started a petition called “Let’s Kill Eleri Irons.”  The suit said that the bullying “included verbal harassment, spreading nasty rumors and text messaging mean comments” directly to her.  The complaint also accused teachers of failing to notify Irons’ parents after they discovered the petition.

The El Segundo Unified School District issued a statement saying it respects the court ruling and vowed to make the well-being of its students a top priority.  The district said: “As we move forward, we are committed to self-improvement and doing everything we can to prevent bullying in our schools.”

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Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves declared a state of emergency on Monday due to the state capitol’s water shortage. Reeves said the Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) is also working to prepare an emergency order due to little or no water pressure in the city of Jackson.

The state of emergency declaration comes after Jackson Mayor Chokwe A. Lumumba declared a water system emergency due to complications from the Pearl River flooding. The mayor said the flooding led to water pressure issues at the O.B. Curtis Water Treatment Facility, causing little to no water pressure for many Jackson customers. Until the issue at the treatment facility has been fixed, there is no reliable, running water in the city, affecting more than 100,000 people.

State Health Officer Dr. Daniel Edney said neighbors should boil their water for one minute before consuming it. The state has also created a mobile incident command center, which will be in operation on Tuesday to help with repairs and improvements at the water treatment plant. Reeves said the city of Jackson will be responsible for half of the cost of the emergency repairs that will be made at the facility.

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According to the Gorbachev Foundation, Mikhail Gorbachev — the final leader of the Soviet Union who helped end the Cold War and lead his country from communism to capitalism — died Tuesday at 91. The Interfax news agency said in a statement from the Central Clinical Hospital that “Mikhail Sergeevich Gorbachev died this evening after a serious and long illness.”  Gorbachev will be buried at the Novodevichy Cemetery in Moscow next to his wife, Raisa Gorbachev, according to the agency.

Gorbachev grew up a committed communist during World War II. After graduating from Moscow State University with a law degree in 1955, he rose through the ranks of the Communist Party and ascended to the party’s top position of General Secretary in March 1985. Gorbachev inacted changes like “perestroika” and “glasnost”– reforms that sought to restructure the Soviet Union’s lagging economy and make its government more transparent.

In 1989, Gorbachev did not send in Soviet tanks to crush the uprisings when pro-democracy rallies began in Poland and swept across the Soviet bloc. The following year, he won the Nobel Peace Prize for helping end the Cold War. The Soviet Union quickly began to disintegrate as the captive Baltic nations of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia pulled away and other nations that had been under Moscow rule, including Ukraine, sought independence. Months after an attempted coup, Gorbachev resigned on Dec. 25, 1991; the Soviet Union was dissolved a day later.

Russian state news agency TASS reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed “deep condolences” over Gorbachev’s death.  Officials including Secretary General of the United Nations António Guterres and European Union Commission President Ursula von der Leyen praised Gorbachev’s leadership Tuesday, saying he changed the course of history and paved the way for a free Europe.

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