CNN Wrote:Meat Loaf, the larger-than-life singer whose bombastic rock opera "Bat Out of Hell" is one of the best-selling albums of all time, has died at age 74, according to a statement on his verified Facebook page.

"Our hearts are broken to announce that the incomparable Meat Loaf passed away tonight with his wife Deborah by his side," the statement read. "Daughters Pearl and Amanda and close friends have been with him throughout the last 24 hours."

Meat Loaf's agent confirmed his death to CNN. No cause of death was shared.

Tributes poured in for the artist whose career spanned six decades.

Cher on Twitter Wrote:Had So Much Fun With Meatloaf When We Did  “Dead Ringer”. Am Very Sorry For His Family,Friends,& Fans. Am I imagining It, or Are Amazing Ppl In The Arts Dying every other Day⁉️
?

Fox News Wrote:A Pennsylvania court struck down the commonwealth’s mail-in voting law, saying that voters must amend the state constitution in order to enact the legislation.

The 3-2 decision by a five-judge Commonwealth Court panel of three Republicans and two Democrats struck down Act 77, which has allowed Pennsylvania residents to vote by mail without an excuse since 2019.

"No-excuse mail-in voting makes the exercise of the franchise more convenient and has been used four times in the history of Pennsylvania," Commonwealth Court Judge Mary Hannah Leavitt wrote in the ruling Friday.

"If presented to the people, a constitutional amendment to end the Article VII, Section 1 requirement of in-person voting is likely to be adopted. But a constitutional amendment must be presented to the people and adopted into our fundamental law before legislation authorizing no-excuse mail-in voting can ‘be placed upon our statute books.’"

The court did not rule on the merits of mail-in voting but concluded that the expansion must be done via constitutional amendment and not through legislation.

Pennsylvania's Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf appealed the ruling, saying the appeal means the ruling has no immediate effect. Wolf said he will take the case to the state Supreme Court, which is controlled by Democrats by a 5-2 margin.

Republicans in the state, as well as across the country, have decried mail-in voting, citing reports of lost ballots and fraud, while Democrats nationwide have pushed for more mail-in voting in recent years, citing concerns about the coronavirus pandemic spreading at polling places.

Fox News Wrote:Actor Moses J. Moseley, who was notable as a recurring zombie character on "The Walking Dead" has died, Fox News Digital has confirmed. He was 31.

"Everyone loved Moses. He never met a stranger. He loved his fans as much as his family and friends. He was always excited to get auditions and work," Moseley’s rep Tabatha Minchew said in a statement to Fox News Digital on Monday.

"He was a great friend for 10 years or more," she added. "He was the kind of person who you could call in the middle of the night if you needed to talk or needed anything. He will be deeply missed by so many, his friends, family, costars and fans."

Moseley’s body was found deceased last week in Stockbridge, Georgia, and police are investigating his death to determine if foul play is suspected, according to TMZ.
...
Moseley’s family pressed to the gossip site that they had been phoning various hospitals but were unsuccessful in locating the actor and decided to file a missing person’s report on Wednesday. It wasn’t until the family contacted OnStar that Moseley’s vehicle was tracked down to the Hudson Bridge — where his body was subsequently found with a reported gunshot wound, according to TMZ.
...
Moseley broke onto the scene on "The Walking Dead," in which he was cast from 2012-2015 as one of Michonne's pet zombies.

Fox News Wrote:The owner of a house in southwest England claims that it is one of the most haunted houses in the world. Having lived in it since she was 8 years old, the owner says that she and her family have made some creepy discoveries.
...
She says that her father unearthed a pile of bones and ancient knives on the property. After being examined by experts, the bones were determined to not be animal bones. The age of the daggers couldn’t be determined, however.

The house itself dates back to 1145 AD.

A 500-year-old mummified cat was found in the walls of the house. After doing research, Humphries believes that it was placed in the wall to protect the house from witches. Due to the materials used to make the stone walls, the cat’s body remained in good condition despite its extreme age.

The house is believed to have been built on an ancient pagan burial ground. Humphries says her parents initially bought the house with plans to set it up as a bed and breakfast.

Since then, however, it’s become a popular destination for ghost hunters and paranormal enthusiasts. Many of these visitors have claimed to experience strange phenomena, including objects moving on their own.

The house may still hold more mysteries. Humphries says that the deed mentioned the existence of cellars in the building, but so far, they haven’t been to locate these rooms. Since the building is close to an old church, Humphries speculates that the cellars may be connected to the church in some way.

New York Post Wrote:California’s Department of Justice is pursuing Black Lives Matter over its murky $60 million coffers — warning the group’s shadowy leadership that it will be “personally liable” for any fees or fines.

The state’s Attorney General Rob Bonta sent a formal delinquency notice to the controversial activist group on Monday.

“The organization BLACK LIVES MATTER GLOBAL NETWORK FOUNDATION, INC. is delinquent with The Registry of Charitable Trusts for failing to submit required annual report(s),” the letter stated.
...
BLM was given 60 days to file tax and charity documents for 2020 — the year it previously confirmed collecting a staggering $90 million, with at least $60 million left over after expenses and grants.
...
If it misses the 60-day deadline, BLM could lose its tax-exempt status and be hit with late fees “for each month or partial month for which the report(s) are delinquent,” the Justice Department’s letter warned.

“Charitable assets cannot be used to pay these avoidable costs,” the letter said.
...
BLM was also forbidden from “solicitation or disbursing of charitable assets” while it remained delinquent.
...
Co-founders Alicia Garza and Opal Tometi had already stepped away from the group when Cullors also quit amid outrage over her finances.

Chief of Police Wrote:No case investigation was ever initiated or conducted into the representative or his staff.

Fox News Wrote:Texas Rep. Troy Nehls, a Republican, accused the U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) of placing him under "investigation" and taking a secret photo of constitutionally-protected legislative documents in his office.

Nehls blasted out a press release on Tuesday with the accusation, saying he was placed under a probe "in which a USCP officer entered his office and took a photo of private Congressional material protected by the Speech and Debate Clause, Article I Section 6 of the U.S. Constitution."

"The photo was passed up to USCP intelligence analysts and a report was filed citing ‘suspicious writings,’" Nehls’ office wrote in the release. "That following Monday, three plainclothed USCP agents returned to the office, where they questioned a staff member about the contents of the questionably-obtained photo."

U.S. Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger released a statement on Tuesday defending their officer, saying if "a member’s office is left open and unsecured, without anyone inside the office, USCP officers are directed to document that and secure the office to ensure nobody can wander in and steal or do anything else nefarious."

"The weekend before Thanksgiving, one of our vigilant officers spotted the congressman’s door was wide open," Manger said. "That Monday, USCP personnel personally followed up with the congressman’s staff and determined no investigation or further action of any kind was needed. No case investigation was ever initiated or conducted into the representative or his staff."
...
Nehls’ office provided Fox News Digital with correspondence and documents related to the incident, including a copy of the incident report that recounted the events as well as a list of answers from Manger relating to the incident, which confirmed the picture was taken by an officer.

Fox Business Wrote:Tony Podesta made $1 million lobbying the White House on behalf of Chinese telecommunications company Huawei, public disclosure forms show.

Podesta earned $500,000 lobbying the "Executive Office of the President" on "Issues related to telecommunication services and impacted trade issues" in the fourth quarter of 2021, the New York Post reported, citing public disclosure forms released last week. He pulled in another $500,000 from Huawei to lobby the "White House Office" on "Issues related to telecommunication services and impacted trade issues" in the third quarter of 2021.

TONY PODESTA PAID $500K BY HUAWEI TO LOBBY WHITE HOUSE, DISCLOSURE SHOWS

Tony Podesta is the older brother of John Podesta, who served as the chairman of Hillary Clinton’s failed 2016 presidential run and as an adviser to President Barack Obama and chief of staff to President Bill Clinton.
...
The FCC designated Huawei a national security threat in 2020 due to its "close ties to the Chinese Communist Party and China’s military apparatus," according to former FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, FOX Business previously reported. 

The Trump administration also persuaded countries such as Australia and Japan to ban Huawei in 5G projects due to fears it would aid China in surveilling abroad.

STOP!

New York Times Wrote:The Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei has hired the veteran Democratic lobbyist Tony Podesta as part of an expanded campaign to improve relations with the Biden administration.

Mr. Podesta has deep connections inside the White House, including to President Biden and his close counselor Steve Ricchetti. But Mr. Podesta has been out of lobbying since late 2017, when his $42-million-a-year lobbying and public relations firm collapsed amid a federal investigation that rendered him toxic.
...
Mr. Podesta signed an agreement with Huawei a couple weeks ago, and this week he signed a deal to represent a Bulgarian energy company seeking to do business with American companies, according to a person familiar with his efforts.

CyberScoop Wrote:Some data belonging to Americans was swept up in a secret CIA mass surveillance program that operated under atypical legal authority for such an operation, according to a letter released Thursday night by two Democratic members of the Senate Intelligence Committee.


The unnamed program operates “entirely outside the statutory framework that Congress and the public believe govern this collection, and without any of the judicial, congressional or even executive branch oversight” that otherwise would apply, according to the letter from Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Martin Heinrich, D-N.M.

The senators said the “secret bulk collection program” was authorized under presidential Executive Order 12333 from the early 1980s, which covers some activities of U.S. intelligence agencies. Many of the intelligence community’s surveillance programs are covered under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which involves a special court that secretly reviews requests for spying.

The information released by the senators does not say how much information about Americans was collected, or what technology was used. It also does not say when the bulk data collection occurred, whether those activities are ongoing, or whether other U.S. intelligence agencies were involved.

Quote:Actor Mark Ruffalo posted on Saturday his support for an illegal immigration protest set to take place on Valentine’s Day.

"I stand with the thousands of immigrants pledging not to work, go to school, or shop on #ValentinesDay," Ruffalo wrote on his Twitter account. "Our nation depends on undocumented immigrants every single day. We need immigration reform w/ a path to citizenship now!"

The actor also posted a link to a Facebook group called "Un Día Sin Inmigrantes (Day without immigrants)" that’s organizing the protest.

The movement was started by a 23-year-old TikTok user named Carlos Eduardo Espina who boasts over 2.4 million followers on TikTok and over 88,000 subscribers to his YouTube channel. He created the Facebook group on Jan. 31 and has since gained 29,000 users as well as support from some progressive lawmakers.

Fox News Wrote:The Black Lives Matter activist who was charged in Monday’s targeted shooting of Louisville, Kentucky, mayoral candidate Craig Greenberg was previously the subject of a missing person investigation that called into question his mental health.

Quintez Brown, 21, was charged with attempted murder and four counts of wanton endangerment after he entered Greenberg’s campaign headquarters in Butchertown and fired multiple shots using a 9mm Glock handgun, police said. Nobody was hurt, but Greenberg’s shirt was grazed by a bullet, police said.

Greenberg is a White, Jewish Democrat, and police have not provided details about the possible motive for the shooting but said they are looking at all angles.

Brown previously worked for the Louisville Courier Journal as an intern and an editorial columnist, according to the newspaper. He shared a short campaign video on Twitter in December announcing that he was running to represent District 5 for Louisville’s Metro Council in 2022.

Brown made headlines last summer after he went missing for about two weeks. His family was critical of the Louisville Metro Police Department during the investigation and said police were "ill-equipped" in helping to locate Brown. His parents told local media at the time that their son could possibly be going through a mental health crisis and pleaded with the public to help find him. Brown was later found safe in New York.

(02-18-2022, 02:01 AM)kyonides Wrote:

Quintez Brown, Louisville BLM activist charged with attempted murder of mayoral candidate, has troubled past

Russia Today Wrote:Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced he ordered his country's military to conduct a special operation in the Donbass region after the leaders of the breakaway republics asked Moscow for military assistance in response to what they claim is an increase in “Ukrainian aggression.”

At the same time, in address to the public, Putin said that he wanted to "demilitarize" and "de-Nazify" Ukraine. According to him, "we have no plans to occupy Ukrainian territory." Within moments of the speech, a series of explosions were reported in cities across Ukraine, with CNN, CBC and a number of Ukrainian media outlets reporting to hear a blast in the capital, Kiev.

In a statement, US President Joe Biden said that “the prayers of the world are with the people of Ukraine tonight as they suffer an unprovoked and unjustified attack by the Russian military forces.”

The decision comes days after Moscow recognized the independence of the Donetsk and Lugansk breakaway republics in the Donbass, alleging Kiev had not lived up to its obligations under the Minsk agreements struck in 2014 and 2015 to resolve conflict between separatists and the Ukrainian government.

Russian President Vladimir Putin Wrote:Circumstances require us to take decisive and immediate action. The People's Republics of Donbass turned to Russia with a request for help. In this regard, in accordance with Article 51, part 7 of the UN Charter, with the sanction of the Federation Council and in pursuance of the friendship treaties ratified by the Federal Assembly and mutual assistance with the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics, I have decided to conduct a special military operation.