A Macon attorney is accused of misusing money, not showing up for hearings. He has been disbarred.

A Macon attorney has been ordered to stop practicing law after Georgia Supreme Court justices determined on Tuesday that he had violated multiple Georgia Bar rules, according to court documents.

The justices at the state's Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that lawyer Melvin Raines II should be disbarred from practicing law in Georgia because he violated the Georgia Rules of Professional Conduct with three of his clients, according to court records.

The state Bar filed three complaints against Raines on April 25, 2024, accusing him of:

• Not abiding by a client's decision regarding representation
• Not acting with diligence and promptness in representing a client
• Not consulting the client on how to accomplish the client's objectives
• Not keeping the client informed about the status of their case
• Not complying with requests for information
• Not holding funds or other client property in an account separate from his personal account
• Not keeping records of account funds and other property by the lawyer
• Withdrawing clients' funds for his personal use
• Not making a reasonable effort to expedite litigation consistent with the client's interest
• Being dishonest, fraudulent, deceitful or misrepresenting a client

Court documents show that because Raines never responded to the complaints when they were filed, the Supreme Court ruled that he admitted to the allegations by default.

Raines told The Telegraph that he could not speak on the matter as he is appealing the decision from the justices. He has been an attorney since 2006.

Macon lawyer wrongly used $5,000 in client money, justices say

Raines represented a client indicted in September 2021 on charges of fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer. Raines told the suspect's mother he was working on a plea deal in the case and needed $5,000, according to court documents.

She provided the $5,000 in a check to Raines on March 9, 2022, according to supreme court records. He deposited the check into his account with Interest on Lawyers' Trust Accounts, which is intended for "raising money for charitable purposes, primarily the provision of civil legal services to indigent persons," according to the American Bar Association.

Raines proceeded to write four checks from that account later that month, totaling $7,150, according to court records. Over the next few months, the balance in his account dropped to less than $10.

The justices wrote in court records that Raines spent the money on personal expenses.

In that case, his client entered a guilty plea on May 5, 2022, but the court "did not accept a plea deal of a fine in lieu of time served and sentenced the son to two years in confinement," the justices said in a court document.

The client's mother asked Raines to return the $5,000 she had given him, but he told the mother that the money was given to the superior court clerk. Court records state that when the mother contacted the clerk, they said they could not accept money without a court order. Raines told the mother he would personally pay her back, but "he failed to return the money by this date," justices said in court documents.

He returned the money in cash in September 2022, but not until after she filed a complaint with the state Bar.

Macon lawyer held in contempt multiple times

In another case that Raines worked on, his client's trial was set for August 2022 and rescheduled so they could "hire other legal counsel to replace Raines," Georgia Supreme Court justices wrote in court records.

In that case, Raines failed to appear at a status hearing on December 1, 2022. He provided notice but dated the notice incorrectly, and the judge in the case scheduled a hearing to determine if Raines should be held in contempt, court records say.

The judge wanted Raines to explain "why, after previously being warned and admonished, he should not be found in contempt for his unexcused failure," justices said.

Raines was held in contempt, according to court documents. That was the fourth time he had faced a contempt hearing related to his attendance and notice issues.

After failing to appear in several cases in the Southwestern Judicial Circuit, he was removed from assigned pending cases, court records say.

Lawyer accused of ignoring client in lead-up to trial

Court records state that Raines was appointed to take over another attorney's client when they retired in a case set to go to trial in April 2022. The attorney told the court that Raines had been given information about the case.

When the trial time arrived, Raines had not inspected the evidence, visited his client, or responded to prosecutors trying to get in touch with him.

The trial was rescheduled several times, until November 2022, when the client asked the judge to remove Raines from his case because he could not communicate with him.

"During Raines's representation, he did not communicate with the client, did not respond to the client's requests for information and updates in his case, did not file anything on the client's behalf after entering an appearance and did not prepare for trial," the justices said.

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These States Are 'Car Title-Holding States' - Here's What That Means

As fun as buying a car can be, it can also be stressful. Determining if you want to buy a new or used car , finding the right car, and, of course, the paperwork involved in making a vehicle yours can become seriously headache-inducing. One of the most important documents to wrangle in any case is the car's title, which displays a car's legal ownership status and who is responsible for it. In many states, holding onto and keeping track of the title is left to the lender, who holds it until the buyer fully pays off their loan.

Once the debt is settled, you or whoever's name is on it will receive the title from the lender — at least that's how the process works in 41 of the 50 states, which are considered title-holding states. The bulk of the United States doesn't hand the title over to the owner until the end of the loan, but there are states where the lender doesn't hold onto this document at all. Instead, these states give the title to the signatory of the loan right out of the gate. Those specific non-car title-holding states are Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New York, Oklahoma, and Wyoming.

Non-title-holding states may seem more buyer-friendly, trusting buyers to hold onto their titles from the beginning. However, their procedure is just as lender-oriented and understandably restrictive as the title-holding states.

Read more: Every Major Car Insurance Company Ranked Worst To Best (According To Consumer Reports)

Non-title-holding states don't ease up on restrictions

When a lender holds onto a car title, this key document is in one of the most secure places possible. Nothing happens without the lender's express approval. Conversely, lenders may seem to be far more trusting of car buyers in the nine non-title-holding states, but the reality is that these states don't give buyers their car title without some form of protection on their end, should someone find a way to violate the lender's terms. This is done via attaching a lien to the title, which ultimately benefits the lender.

For example, a lender could still repossess a vehicle with a lien-burdened title if the buyer fails to make their agreed-upon payments over a specific period. The idea is that this allows the lender to recover some of its lost money by selling the repossessed car. Once a car's loan is paid off as agreed, a lien typically does not disappear on its own either. The buyer will likely have to obtain a lien release from the lender. The lender will then finalize this change through the Department of Motor Vehicles, after which the buyer will receive a new title.

There's a lot to know when it comes to transferring a car title , but the most basic is knowing who keeps hold of it during the loan term. For most buyers, their title will remain with the lender, but, as established, some states make it the buyer's responsibility.

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Read the original article on newsrealtime .

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Wall Street Hates REITs — Why That Might Be Good News for You

Pariah Capital is very interested in the real-estate sector, for the simple reason that nobody else is.

The latest BofA Securities Global Fund Manager Survey shows that the world's top money managers have largely given up on real estate and real-estate investment trusts as an asset. "Real estate allocation is 22% underweight (vs 21% net underweight a month ago)," BofA Securities reports. "Current allocation is 1.6 [standard deviations] below its long-term average," it adds, which is another way of saying fund managers' allocation to REITs is unusually low.

They've been dumping real-estate trusts for several months, and net allocation has dropped toward the levels seen briefly last year and, more remarkably, in the wake of the famous real-estate meltdown of the global financial crisis.

This is happening at the same time that investors are pouring money into gold, other metals and cryptocurrencies as "real" assets that are "safe havens" from the insanity threatening paper currencies — especially here in Weimar America. Isn't real estate a "real" asset?

Pariah Capital is this column's tongue-in-cheek occasional series about the follies of investment-manager groupthink. We examine what would happen if you just did the opposite of the big-money crowd. Generally speaking, you would do pretty well .

Financial adviser John Coumarianos, a former real-estate analyst and now CEO of Mindful Advisory in Northvale, N.J., believes U.S. real-estate investment trusts, or REITs, now look "reasonably priced," especially when compared with the rest of the stock market.

The sector currently trades for about 17.5 times annual funds from operations, compared with an average of about 15.5 times since 2000, he says.

It says something ominous about the overall state of euphoria on Wall Street that even the sector most disliked by investors is still not especially cheap.

The one caveat is that the sector's composition has changed over the years," Coumarianos adds. "You're not simply getting multifamily, office, retail, industrial, healthcare and hotels when you buy the index now. The index still contains those property types, but in lower proportion than previously because of the rise of cell towers and data centers.

REITs enjoy a tax-privileged status because they avoid U.S. corporation tax on income they distribute to their investors, so long as they meet certain legal and financial requirements. If you, the investor, own them in a tax shelter such as an IRA, you also avoid tax.

A study a few years ago argued that real estate worldwide had produced higher overall average returns, dating back to 1960, even than stocks.

According to data from the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts, U.S. REITs have earned investors a compound annual return of 9.1% per year since the start of 1972.

But nearly all the returns over time have come from the dividends, not from price appreciation. This means investors should look closely at the dividend yield when they buy REITs. Right now the expected yield on the iShares U.S. Real Estate ETF is 4.2%, according to FactSet data. Meanwhile the bond market is predicting inflation of about 2.4% ahead, so investors might factor in a real yield of 1.8%.

Normally, we could compare that to the real yield on Treasury inflation-protected securities, or TIPS, but due to the turmoil at the Bureau of Labor Statistics at the moment, it's not entirely certain that you will be able to depend on official inflation figures, and therefore TIPS real yields, in the future. Only time will tell.

Coumarianos says academic studies raise questions about whether real-estate trusts are truly the portfolio diversifiers many people on Wall Street claim. (This, incidentally, is also true about various other "magic beans" investing products currently being prepared for the public, such as private equity.)

And while REITs typically pay high dividends, those dividends are subject to fluctuations, just like those from other companies. Rolling annual payouts across the REIT sector dropped by almost half during the depths of the global financial crisis, and again during the pandemic.

Doug Ramsey, chief strategist at the Leuthold Group, includes REITs among the seven assets in his clever "All Asset No Authority" portfolio, which spreads its best equally across U.S. large caps, U.S. small caps, international stocks, 10-year U.S. Treasury bonds, gold and commodity futures, as well as REITs.

"REITs are absolutely a valid asset class," he says, adding that they are out of favor, along with other dividend-paying value stocks. "I think there's an opportunity there." (Ramsey says he likes "dividend aristocrats" — companies that have raised their dividends every year for at least 25 years — even more than REITs, but he isn't budging about keeping REITs in the AANA portfolio.)

Investors can go with a straight low-cost REIT index fund such as IYR or the Vanguard Real Estate ETF. Those who specifically want to orient their investment more toward residential real estate have a couple of ETF options, such as iShares Residential & Multi Sector Real Estate ETF, which charges 0.48% a year, and Armada’s Residential REIT ETF, which charges 0.6%.

Whether there is still a strategic long-term case for REITs is a matter of debate. The tactical case for buying some because they are out of fashion looks stronger.

But as always, there are no free lunches.

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Booker's The Reserves 2025: Expensive? Oh yeah. Worth it? Yep

One of the nice things about graduate school was making friends with people who'd eventually have money in their 20s. I was not one of those people, but I occasionally got to drink like it.

That's how Booker's fell into my orbit. It was a bourbon bandied about in the same rarified air of Pappy Van Winkle; tasty, a bit overhyped and ultimately divisive on whether it was worth the cost. While the quality of each pour was rarely in doubt, the value made it a difficult proposition when bourbon nerds drove up the price in a world where you can buy, say, Four Roses at $20 per fifth.

Still, Booker's is a bourbon that will catch my attention when mentioned. So when I had the chance to try this year's version of The Reserves -- an annual release that takes the aged spirit and tweaks it just a bit -- I jumped at it. The 2025 Reserves is finished in the same Booker's barrels that are used to age El Tesoro’s 85th Anniversary tequila, shipped back north to complete nearly nine years of aging. I've never had a bourbon that's been finished in tequila barrels, and apparently this is the first time across the Jim Beam portfolio that's been done.

That's interesting. Is it any good? And, just as importantly, is it worth the $130 price tag?

Booker's The Reserves 2025: A

Despite the tequila barrel influence, the smell off the top is pure bourbon. Inviting, malty, warm and just a little sugary. That sweetness comes through in the form of baking spices; cinnamon, a little nutmeg and a slightly bready feel to what already feels like an absolutely lovely dram.

The first sip is sweet on your tongue, with a little raisin/bread pudding vibe to open things up. Then, the mash kicks in. You get a rewarding spice that highlights the 123 proof spirit inside. You get a complex experience, going from gentle dessert flavors to big, bold malt to an easy landing where that sugar and spice intertwine and give you something to linger on.

Despite a procession of rich flavors, the tequila is subtle. It mainly comes with that sweet finish, where the agave helps soften some of that spice and adds a final layer to an already intense sip. It blends with some of that rye heat to produce a dry, but not intimidating, finish that's very easy to come back to.

While that tequila finish could have been a gimmick, it's a welcome addition here. This was already an expertly made tequila; now it's got a little more color to set it apart.

Either way it works, delivering a smooth, soft sipper that brings some spice at barrel proof but is ultimately rewarding and unique. $130 is a lot to pay for a bottle of bourbon. If you can find The Reserves 2025 and you've got the cash, get it done. That sweet dry finish sings -- especially with a little bit of ice involved.

Would I drink it instead of a Hamm's?

This is a pass/fail mechanism where I compare whatever I'm drinking to my baseline cheap beer. That's the standby from the land of sky-blue waters, Hamm's. So the question to answer is: on a typical day, would I drink Booker's The Reserves 2025 over a cold can of Hamm's?

Sorry, Hamm's. This one's a blowout.

This is part of FTW's Beverage of the Week series. Here, we mostly chronicle and review beers, but happily expand that scope to any beverage that pairs well with sports. Yes, even cookie dough whiskey .

This article originally appeared on For The Win: Booker's The Reserves 2025: Expensive? Oh yeah. Worth it? Yep

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Inside Robert Redford's Family Tragedies: What He Said About the Deaths of His Two Sons

The late actor's sons, Scott and James, whom he shared with ex-wife Lola Van Wagenen, predeceased him.

NEED TO KNOW

• Robert Redford, who died at 89 on Tuesday, September 16, was a father to four children, whom he shared with his first wife, Lola Van Wagenen.
• Redford's two sons, Scott and James, preceded him in death; Scott died of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) at 2½ months old in 1959, while James died of cancer at 58 in 2020.
• "Something like that doesn't get completely dismissed. It probably shows up in various small ways you're not even aware of," Redford said about Scott's death in 2017.

Robert Redford , who died On Tuesday, Sept. 16, at 89 years old, he was a father to four children in his lifetime. Two of his children - sons Scott and James - died before the celebrated actor and filmmaker, in 1959 and 2020, respectively.

Redford and his first wife, Lola Van Wagenen, welcomed four children together: Scott, Shauna, James and Amy Redford. The former couple's firstborn, Scott, died from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) at 2 ½ months old. James, who was the third eldest, died of cancer in October 2020. (Robert divorced Van Wagenen in 1985. Decades later, in 2009, he married again with Sibylle Szaggars after their first meeting in 1996, when the actor invited her and a group of friends to dinner at his Sundance Mountain Resort in Utah.

Robert rarely spoke about Scott, who was born on Sept. 1, 1959 and unexpectedly died of SIDS on Nov. 19. In 2017, though, the All the President's Men Star spoke out about Scott's death in an interview with Esquire United Kingdom .

Never miss a story — sign up for newsrealtime's free daily newsletter To stay up-to-date on the best of what NewsRealTime has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

"I was only 21; my wife was 20. We were just starting our lives; I was just starting my career in New York. Of course it was traumatic, and how that plays out over time, I don't know," Robert said at the time. "We had to deal with it. You have to move on. And we had other children who came. But something like that doesn't get completely dismissed. It probably shows up in various small ways you're not even aware of."

"I'm sure there's a lot of this stuff that's subconscious. But it's pretty traumatic when it happens, particularly when you're that young. You're not equipped to deal with it," he added. When Esquire asked if he ever spent time in therapy to unpack the loss, Robert said, "Sure I did. But it never worked out. I tried a while back, two or three times. I found myself trying to psychoanalyze the analyst."

James, meanwhile, was diagnosed with primary sclerosing cholangitis, a disease that affects the liver and bile ducts, as an adult. He received two liver transplants in 1993 and founded a nonprofit called the James Redford Institute for Transplant Awareness following those surgeries. In 1999, James also released a documentary, The Kindness of Strangers , which followed organ donors and recipients.

James' wife, Kyle, announced His death at 58 in an X (previously known as Twitter) post on Oct. 16, 2020. At the time, she told The Salt Lake Tribune That James died from bile-duct cancer in his liver. Kyle said her husband's liver disease had returned in 2018, and that the cancer was discovered in November 2019 while he was awaiting a liver transplant.

Following James' death, a representative for the actor told newsrealtimethat Robert was "mourning with his family during this difficult time and asks for privacy." The representative added, " The grief is immeasurable with the loss of a child Jamie was a loving son, husband and father. His legacy lives on through his children, art, filmmaking and devoted passion to conservation and the environment.

Robert himself spoke about the importance of parenting in his life when he talked with newsrealtimefor a 1998 cover story .

Newsrealtime, think it's been easy for me. That's hard to live with. It's so untrue. The hardest thing in the world is when your children have problems," he said at the time. "There have been so many hits on our family that no one knows about, and I don't want them to, for my family's sake. I've made some interesting movies, and I've been very satisfied with the work, but if someone wrapped it all up and said to me, 'What's your greatest achievement?' I'd say, 'The children. They're the best thing in my life.'

Read the original article on newsrealtime

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Prisoners in Cuba forced to work for exports to Europe, report claims

In Cuban prisons, tens of thousands of inmates are reportedly subjected to forced labor to produce consumer goods intended not only for the national economy, but also for export, particularly to Europe.

The NGO Prisoners' Defenders revealed its findings in a detailed report published Monday, based on official Cuban documents verified by the Institute for Crime and Justice Policy Research at Birkbeck University in London, field research and testimonies from former and current inmates.

Of the 90,000 inmates and 37,458 people serving open prison sentences identified on the island, the report estimates that 60,000 inmates - including political prisoners - are subjected to forced labor in Cuba, in conditions akin to slavery.

The report provides a detailed overview of a large-scale forced labour system organized within a network of 242 penal institutions, including traditional prisons, but also so-called "correctional centers," "camps" and "farms".

The tasks imposed on prisoners varied, ranging from agricultural, industrial, and construction work to garbage collection and cleaning streets, hospitals, and police stations.

The testimonies collected in the report describe harsh working conditions and a daily life filled with deprivation, harassment, and violence, all under close surveillance.

"They force us to work from morning to night, under the scorching sun, without sufficient food or water. If you refuse, the violence is immediate. Several of my colleagues collapsed from exhaustion, others were locked in solitary confinement for days, just for speaking out," recalled Jorge, a former political prisoner.

"Working barefoot in the sugarcane fields, in the rain and heat, is like being a slave," said Maria, a former prisoner of ordinary law. "No compensation, no respect. It's a life of suffering where you wonder every day if you'll make it."

In addition to the lack of adequate tools and minimal safety conditions, which lead to numerous injuries, a large majority of witnesses report serious deterioration in their health as a result of forced labor and the lack of medical care.

The production of sugarcane and especially charcoal from marabu wood, the main agricultural product produced by inmates, is among the most arduous activities. imposed on prisoners , according to the report.

"To produce charcoal, we sleep in the fields, without a bed or a roof. We have to build makeshift huts and can only sleep on bales of straw ... We can only drink dirty water from a trough or from the cows on the neighboring farm," confided one inmate.

Coal and cigars, an opaque prison business

The research indicates that the production of these establishments is largely intended for export.

According to the Prisoners Defenders report, citing data from the Observatory of Economic Complexity (OCE) and the World Bank, in 2023, "charcoal produced by slave labor was Cuba's sixth most exported product," making it the ninth largest charcoal exporter in the world.

The main destinations are Spain, Portugal, Greece, Italy and Turkey, with Cuban charcoal produced in prisons being present in all European countries, according to the report's findings.

Another lucrative sector of the prison trade involves tobacco, and more specifically the production of the iconic Habanos cigars.

"Forced labour affects the Cuban tobacco and Havana cigar production sector, controlled by Tabacuba, in a mixed form of specialised civilians and prisoners subjected to forced labour," said Prisoners Defenders, based on numerous testimonies and an audit of seven Cuban prisons.

The report cites the example of the cigar factory at the Quivican maximum-security prison, where 40 inmates work, supervised by two specialized civilians.

Prisoners work up to 15 hours a day, except Sunday afternoons, without breaks or snacks. They are paid a little over €6 per month, compared to around €100 for workers outside the prison.

According to information gathered by the NGO, cigar factories located in many Cuban prisons account for a large portion of Cuban cigar production for export.

The prisoners work up to 15 hours a day, except Sunday afternoons, without breaks or snacks. They are paid just over €6 per month, compared to around €100 for civilians.

The cigar factories located in many Cuban prisons account for a large proportion of Cuban cigar production for foreign markets, whose margins on exports to Europe are nearly 100%, representing a very lucrative business for the government in Havana, according to the report.

End the international silence

It is also a profitable business for foreign distributors and importers, particularly European ones, who benefit directly or indirectly from the labor of Cuban prisoners.

The opaqueness of supply chains and distribution channels, which sometimes pass through local subsidiaries or commercial partners, hinders product traceability and, consequently, the accountability of foreign companies.

Prisoners Defenders has called on the international community to take action to end forced labor, which is prohibited by the United Nations Human Rights Council, the International Labour Organization, and the European Convention on Human Rights.

Concrete measures recommended by the NGO include the imposition of a targeted embargo on products made with forced labor, particularly those exported to Europe, and the suspension of any trade or cooperation agreement with Cuba as long as forced labor persists.

Related

• Moscow revives gunboat diplomacy with nuclear submarine visit to Cuba
• Cuba starts releasing prisoners after US says it will remove the terrorism designation

However, in the absence of this, the lines have shifted within European institutions. Last November, the European Council adopted a regulation prohibiting the placing on the market, import, and export to the EU of products manufactured using forced labour, regardless of their country of origin.

This regulation, which will enter into force in December 2024, is far from being concretized. EU member states have until December 2027 to begin implementing it.

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Social media has us in its grip and won't let go. The Charlie Kirk killing is a case study

Charlie Kirk's mastery of social media was key to his rise as an influence in conservative politics. So the extent to which His death and its aftermath have played out on those forums should not come as a surprise.

In a microcosm of life today, social media is where Americans have gone to process last week's killing in Utah and is the chief tool. his supporters are using to police those they feel aren't showing proper respect. Investigators are looking into the time the man accused of killing Kirk, Tyler Robinson, spent in the "dark corners of the internet" — anti-social media, if you will — before he allegedly pulled the trigger.

On the other side of the world, as the Kirk story preoccupied Americans , Nepal reeled from a spasm of violence that erupted when the government tried to ban social media platforms.

All of this is forcing a closer look at the technologies that have changed our lives, how they control what we see and understand through algorithms, and the way all the time we spend on them affects our view of the world.

Cox emerges as a powerful spokesman against social media

Utah's governor, Republican Spencer Cox, believes "cancer" isn't a strong enough word to describe social media. "The most powerful companies in the history of the world have figured out how to hack our brains, get us addicted to outrage ... and get us to hate each other," Cox said Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press."

Democratic Senator Brian Schatz from Hawaii urged Americans via social media to "pull yourself together, read a book, get some exercise, have a whiskey, walk the dog or make some pasta or go fishing or just do anything other than let this algorithm pickle your brain and ruin your soul."

Chilling videos of Kirk's September 10 assassination immediately overwhelmed sites like X, TikTok and YouTube, and companies are still working to contain their spread. Confrontational material and conspiracy theories are pushed into social media feeds because they do exactly what they're designed to do — keep people on the platforms for longer periods of time.

I do think we're in a moment here," said Laura Edelson, a professor at Northeastern University and an expert on social media algorithms. "Our country is being digitally mediated. Where we interact with other people, how we interact with broader society, that is more and more happening over feed algorithms. This is the most recent in a long line of ways that society has been changed by media technology.

Divisive content and the proliferation of the video of Kirk's death may not have been the goal but are the direct result of decisions made to maximize profits and cut back on content moderation, Edelson said.

"I don't think there are people twirling their mustaches saying how great it is that we've divided society, except the Russian troll farms and, more and more, the Chinese troll farms," she said.

X owner Elon Musk posted on his site this past week that while discourse can become negative, "it's still good that there is a discussion going." Conservative media star Ben Shapiro , who considered Kirk a friend, admired how Kirk was willing to go to different places and talk to people who disagreed with him, a practice all too rare in the social media era.

"How social media works is a disaster area, fully a disaster area," Shapiro said in an interview with Bari Weiss on a Free Press podcast. "There's no question it's making the world a worse place — and that's not a call for censorship."

How people act on social media is a bipartisan problem, said Shapiro. The most pervasive one is people who use the third-person plural — "they" are doing something to "us," he said. That's been the case when many people discuss Kirk's death, although the shooter's motives Have not become clear, and there is no evidence his actions are anything other than his own.

Collecting inflammatory posts from both sides

The liberal MeidasTouch media company has collected inflammatory social posts by conservatives, particularly those who suggest they're at "war." Meanwhile, several conservatives have combed social media for posts they consider negative toward Kirk, in some cases seeking to get people fired. The Libs of TikTok site urged that a Washington state school district be defunded because it refused to lower flags to half staff.

GOP Representative Randy Fine from Florida asked people to point out negative Kirk posts from anyone who works in government, at an institution that receives public funding, or is licensed by the government — for example, a teacher or lawyer. "These monsters want a fight?" he wrote on X. "Congratulations, they got one."

A Washington Post columnist, Karen Attiah , wrote on Monday that she was fired for a series of BlueSky posts that showed little sympathy for Kirk. But she wrote on Substack that "not performing over-the-top grief for white men who espouse violence was not the same as endorsing violence against them." A Post spokeswoman declined to comment.

"So much of what people use to talk about politics — algorithmically driven social media sites and cable television — is designed to pull Americans apart," said James Talarico, a Democratic state lawmaker in Texas who recently announced a bid for the U.S. Senate. "We've got to find our way back to each other because that's the only way we can continue this American experiment," he said on MSNBC.

Among the most persistent examples of those divisions are the lies and misinformation about elections that have spread for years through online social channels. They have undermined faith in one of the country's foundational institutions and contributed to the anger that led supporters of the President Donald Trump to violently storm the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

Whether meaningful change is possible remains an open question. Nepal's unrest illustrated the dangers of government involvement: Social media sites were shut down and users protested, suggesting it had been a way to stop criticism of the government. Police opened fire at one demonstration, killing 19 people.

Persuading social media sites to change their algorithms is also an uphill battle. They rely on attention and people spending as much time as possible on them. Unless advertisers flee out of fear of being associated with violent posts, there's little incentive for them to change, said Jasmine Enberg, a social media analyst at EMarketer.

Young people in particular are becoming aware of the dangers of spending too much time on social media, she said.

But turn their phones off? "The reality of the situation," Enberg said, "is that there's a limit to how much they can limit their behavior."

___

Associated Press writers Ali Swenson in New York and Barbara Ortutay in San Francisco contributed to this report. David Bauder writes about the intersection of media and entertainment for the AP. Follow him at http://x.com/dbauder and https://bsky.app/profile/dbauder.bsky.social .

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Israel's Alleged Genocide in Gaza: U.N. Commission Report

T the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry has determined that Israel "is responsible for the commission of genocide in Gaza."

A report published Tuesday stated that Israel committed four of the five genocidal acts in Gaza outlined by the 1948 U.N. Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.

These acts include "killing Palestinians, causing serious bodily or mental harm, deliberately inflicting conditions of life calculated to bring about the destruction of the Palestinians, and imposing measures intended to prevent births," according to the Commission .

Israel has strongly rejected the report's findings and called for the Commission to be abolished.

"Israel categorically rejects this distorted and false report and calls for the immediate abolition of this Commission of Inquiry," said the Israeli Foreign Ministry on Tuesday, claiming that those who published the report are "Hamas proxies."

Daniel Meron, Israel's representative to the U.N., also rejected the report, arguing that it "relies solely on Hamas falsehoods" and "cherry-picked data."

"Israel remains committed to international law, and as stated many times in the news, aims to dismantle Hamas, and invests many efforts and resources in minimizing harm to the civilian population, as well as in allowing and facilitating many humanitarian efforts," said Meron.

Read More : Israel's Policies and Actions in Gaza 'Meet the Legal Definition of Genocide,' Says Association of Scholars

The U.N. Commission of Inquiry report concluded "on reasonable grounds that the Israeli authorities and Israeli security forces have committed and are continuing to commit" acts of genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

The Commission also accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Isaac Herzog, and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant of incitement to genocide.

Netanyahu and Gallant currently have arrest warrants issued against them by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in November 2024 for crimes against humanity and war crimes. Israel is also facing an ongoing case accusing the state of committing genocide, first submitted to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) by South Africa in December 2023.

Israel has repeatedly denied that its actions in Gaza constitute genocide, citing its right to defend itself.

A statement from Netanyahu's office called allegations of genocide "ridiculous" and a "blatant falsehood" during an address on Aug. 13.

On August 31, the International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS) passed a resolution stating that Israel's "policies and actions in Gaza meet the legal definition of genocide."

Citing "Article II of the United Nations Convention for the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide" within its findings, the resolution argued that Israel's actions in response to the terrorist attack committed by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, have not only been directed against Hamas "but have also targeted the entire Gazan population."

A spokesperson for Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs rejected the resolution, calling it an "embarrassment to the legal profession and to any academic standard."

Meanwhile, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced Tuesday that troops are expanding ground operations in Gaza City as part of a new phase of war approved in early August which has drawn international condemnation .

The update from the IDF, shared via social media, was accompanied by a map of Gaza showing extensive military presence in the Strip.

At a situational assessment in Gaza on Tuesday, IDF Chief Eyal Zamir said The operation in Gaza City is a significant step to carry out our highest moral and important duty - to return all the hostages home and to dismantle the military and governing capabilities of the Hamas terrorist organization.

The U.N. has said that almost one million Palestinians in Gaza City "are facing daily bombardment and compromised access to means of survival" following IDF displacement orders .

According to the U.N., an estimated 82% of Gaza is now under Israeli military occupation or displacement orders. There are also growing concerns about the malnutrition crisis in Gaza .

Read More : World Leaders React as U.N.-Backed Report Confirms Famine in Gaza

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) concluded in a report published on August 22 that famine is taking place in Gaza City , with the areas of Deir Al Balah and Khan Younis expected to reach the classification of famine by the end of September.

The Israel-Hamas war started after Hamas launched a terror attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing over 1,200 people and taking around 250 hostages. Over 64,000 Palestinians have been killed since the start of the war, including 428 adults and 146 children who have died from starvation and malnutrition, according to Gaza's Health Ministry .

In the absence of independent monitoring on the ground, the ministry is the primary source for casualty data relied upon by humanitarian groups, journalists, and international bodies. Its figures do not differentiate between civilians and combatants and cannot be independently verified by newsrealtime. Data from the IDF suggests a Palestinian civilian death rate of 83% .

Contact us at letters@newsrealtime .

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Judge rules state terrorism charges against Luigi Mangione dismissed in UnitedHealthcare CEO's murder

State terrorism charges against Luigi Mangione, the man accused of murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson , were dismissed on Tuesday, as he appeared in court for a pre-trial hearing in New York City.

Mangione walked into Manhattan Criminal Court, shackled and wearing tan prison clothing, shortly before 9:30 a.m. for the hearing on several pre-trial motions Members of the press and the public filled the courtroom, while crowds of his supporters held signs and chanted outside.

When he entered, he seemed to look briefly at the rows of the public in the back, then stared straight ahead. As he left, he raised his eyebrows in acknowledgment—once at the first row of the defense in the gallery, and then again as he walked past the press and public.

His supporters were later seen following his attorneys down the street as they left court.

Terrorism charges against Luigi Mangione dismissed

The 27-year-old faces both state and federal charges in the killing of Thompson, a husband and father of two , last December outside a Manhattan hotel . The 11 state charges included murder and terrorism , and the federal ones carry the possibility of the death penalty .

His lawyers have been fighting to get the state charges dismissed entirely, arguing that the parallel cases amount to double jeopardy. In his written decision Tuesday, Judge Gregory Carro ruled against their request.

The defense had also asked for the two terrorism charges to be dropped , arguing they do not apply. Prosecutors, however, alleged Mangione's intent was to "violently broadcast a" social and political message to the general public.

The judge ruled to dismiss both terrorism charges -- murder in the first degree in furtherance of an act of terrorism and murder in the second degree as a crime of terrorism -- writing they were "legally insufficient."

"There was no evidence presented of a desire to terrorize the public, inspire widespread fear, engage in a broader campaign of violence, or to conspire with organized terrorist groups," Carro wrote. "Here, the crime - the heinous, but targeted and discrete killing of one person -- is very different from the examples of terrorism set forth in the statute."

Mangione still faces 9 other state charges

Mangione will still face second-degree murder and eight weapons-related charges in the state case. If convicted of the top count, it carries a sentence of 25 years to life. He has pleaded not guilty.

"We respect the Court's decision and will proceed on the remaining nine counts, including Murder in the Second Degree," said the Manhattan District Attorney's office in a statement after the ruling.

The defense also wants to suppress evidence from Mangione's backpack , including a gun and notebook , claiming it was obtained without a search warrant Prosecutors deny the allegations and have asked the judge to force Mangione's lawyers to say whether they will pursue an insanity defense or introduce psychiatric evidence.

The judge did not rule on either of those issues Tuesday, but said hearings in the case will begin on December 1. The hearings will determine whether statements he made to police and the physical evidence they obtained will be allowed and whether a non-witness can testify.

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5 questions hanging over President Trump's British trip

President Trump will arrive in England Tuesday evening local time for a state visit.

Much pomp and circumstance is expected on Wednesday, when Trump will meet King Charles III and other members of the royal family at Windsor Castle, about 25 miles west of London.

A more political aspect of the trip will be seen on Thursday, when Trump is scheduled to meet British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Tariffs, the war in Ukraine and the conflict in Gaza are expected to be among the topics.

Here are five questions before the trip.

Can Starmer get Trump to take a harder line with Putin?

The momentum that the White House had been seeking to create for peace in Ukraine has largely evaporated.

The suggestion of a trilateral meeting among Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and Russian President Vladimir Putin has faded. Putin has increased the intensity of his attacks on Ukraine, including the capital of Kyiv, and last week violated the airspace of Poland — a NATO member — with drones.

Drones over Poland provoked yet another contrast in reaction between the U.S. and its European allies.

Trump affirmed that the Russian action "Could have been a mistake" when he spoke to reporters at the White House. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk responded, "It wasn't. And we know it," on social media.

Starmer, for his part, criticized "the egregious and unprecedented violation." On Monday, Britain confirmed that its fighter jets would defend Polish airspace, in coordination with other NATO members.

But the furor over the drones is only a microcosm of a broader schism, where Starmer clearly wants more robust support for Ukraine in all respects than Trump appears inclined to provide.

Whether the British prime minister can persuade Trump to at least sound as if he will hold Russia more robustly to account will be closely watched.

Will the Epstein scandal derail things?

The ghost of Jeffrey Epstein continues to haunt Trump.

The controversy has been given new fuel in the U.S. after images of a birthday album produced for Epstein's 50th birthday were made public. The album includes a drawing of a female body with a message, apparently bearing Trump's signature. The president continues to insist the signature is not his.

A related aspect of the Epstein scandal threatens to disrupt his British trip.

Last week, Peter Mandelson was forced out as British ambassador to the U.S. because of his own messages to Epstein in the birthday album and - even more damagingly - the publication of later emails in which he sought to boost Epstein's morale as the financier began a prison sentence in 2008.

His departure has not ended the controversy, however.

Mandelson has been a central - and polarizing - figure in British politics since the 1990s. He was pivotal, along with former Prime Ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, in shifting the British Labour Party towards a more centrist position. But he also had to resign twice from Blair-led governments amid scandals.

Now, the opposition parties in Britain want to keep the pressure on Starmer for his questionable judgment in appointing Mandelson as ambassador in the first place.

The British Parliament will hold an emergency debate about the Mandelson matter on Tuesday. Questions about the controversy are virtually certain at the Trump-Starmer press conference expected on Thursday.

Trump won't be happy about that.

Does Trump say anything about the recent right-wing protests in Britain?

Trump's right-wing populism has found echoes in Britain for a long time.

Voters in the U.K. caused a political earthquake in June 2016 by deciding to leave the European Union. Trump defeated former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to win the presidency less than five months later. The British politician most associated with Brexit, Nigel Farage, remains a Trump ally.

Trump's hard-line and inflammatory rhetoric on immigration and multiculturalism is also being replicated on the eastern side of the Atlantic.

More than 100,000 people attended a London protest on Saturday. The driving force behind the event was a far-right activist and provocateur known as Tommy Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon. Amid clashes, at least 26 police were injured.

Elon Musk addressed the rally via video link and displayed his own long-standing penchant for incendiary remarks. Musk told the crowd that "violence is coming to you" and that "you either fight back or you die."

On Monday, a Starmer spokesperson condemned "dangerous and inflammatory language which threatens violence and intimidation," apparently in reference to Musk.

What happens with trade and economic matters?

Trump and Starmer will both be seeking positive headlines from business deals that will be highlighted during the visit.

The process got underway Saturday, when the British government announced well more than $1 billion worth of investments from U.S. corporate giants, including Bank of America and PayPal. Those investments could create up to 1,800 jobs in Britain.

Trump and Starmer are also expected to sign a technology deal during the visit, perhaps with some high-profile CEOs present.

And there's a third element of agreement as well, aimed at expediting the use of nuclear energy .

But even though the British were pleased that they signed a broad trade deal with the U.S. in June, there are still points of contention, notably a 25 percent tariff rate on British steel. That could produce some tension amid the other deals.

How will Trump and Charles interact?

Trump is an open fan of the British royal family and had a particular affection for Queen Elizabeth II, who died three years ago this month.

To that extent, he is sure to savor the ceremonial grandeur of Windsor Castle on Wednesday. The state banquet set for the evening is the centerpiece.

Interactions between Trump and the British king will be closely scrutinized.

British monarchs in the modern age typically avoid direct comment on the politics of the day. But Charles's personal reserve and his history of interest in issues like environmentalism don't mark him out as an easy fit with Trump.

Expect any moments of awkwardness to be thoroughly dissected in the media.

Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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Madeleine McCann Suspect Christian Brueckner '100 Percent' Kidnapped Toddler, Former Associate Insists Ahead of Rapist's Release From Prison

Christian Brueckner is just days away from his prison release — and an ex-associate is insisting he is the man behind the 2007 disappearance of a 3-year-old toddler Madeleine McCann .

Brueckner has been named a prime suspect in McCann's famous missing person case, although he was never formally charged in connection with her kidnapping.

While the convicted criminal has been serving a seven-year sentence for raping a 72-year-old woman in Portugal — near where McCann went missing — he is set to be released this week after completing his time in prison.

Madeleine McCann Prime Suspect to Be Released From Prison

Ahead of Brueckner's release from jail , a former associate of the rapist spoke out during an interview with British ITV News, urging authorities to somehow not let the inmate out of prison.

"I want Christian behind bars for this, for the Madeleine McCann case. This was him, I am 100 percent sure," fellow criminal and ex-associate Helge Busching declared to a reporter from an undisclosed location in Europe. "He can say I am innocent. I know what he was doing, I saw it with my own eyes. I know he's a dangerous man."

Busching made it a point to note that he and Brueckner were never personal friends, but ran a "business" together for some time in the Algarve region of Portugal - participating in things like stealing solar panels, diesel and drug dealing.

Christian Brueckner Is a 'Very Dangerous Man'

Busching said he is now a changed man who has left his criminal past behind and become a key witness for the German authorities in McCann's disappearance.

"He's a dangerous man. A really dangerous man," Busching emphasized days before the convicted pedophile is set to walk free.

During his interview, Busching chillingly recalled a conversation he had with Brueckner while attending a festival in Spain one year after McCann vanished from her family's holiday villa in Portugal.

"I told him I don't understand how somebody can rob little children from a hotel," Busching recounted, though it was Brueckner's alleged response that was concerning.

According to Busching, Brueckner replied: " She was not screaming ."

The comment made Busching wonder, "How do you know this... yeah he has something to do with this," though he was too afraid to question Brueckner further before the rapist abruptly left the festival that night.

"He took Maddie out from this hotel. He is involved, sure," Busching claimed.

Police have never found enough evidence formally Charge Brueckner with McCann's kidnapping , although he was first named as a prime suspect by German authorities in 2020.

At the time, law enforcement officials said McCann was assumed dead and Brueckner was likely the one responsible .

The convicted child abuser, however, has vehemently denied any involvement in McCann's disappearance and alleged murder.

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We Don't Have to Agree to See Each Other as Human | Opinion

When TV show host Jimmy Kimmel reacted "Regarding the killing of Charlie Kirk," he asked, "Instead of angry finger-pointing, can we just for one day agree that it is horrible and monstrous to shoot another human?" It's a simple question, but it cuts right to the heart of where we are as a country.

There are many issues we need to address in the context of violence—from guns, to mental health, to political extremism. But there's also a deeper problem with how we talk to one another, how we divide ourselves into rigid camps, and how little space we leave for empathy in our public discourse.

When A Starting Point (ASP) began, my goal was to make complicated policies and issues feel less intimidating, so more people felt comfortable engaging with them because these issues affect us all. And through my own experiences—interviewing elected officials and listening to people I don't always agree with—I've learned how valuable it is to hear directly from different viewpoints. I've grown because of those conversations.

So why talk about this now? In the last 14 months , we've seen countless acts of political violence against Republican and Democratic leaders alike, including the killing of Democratic Minnesota State Representative Melissa Hortman , an arson attack on Democratic Governor Josh Shapiro's residence, and the two attempted assassinations of the President Donald Trump .

Why does Kirk's killing feel like the straw that broke the camel's back? For me, it's because it exposes something we've been ignoring: the way binary choices and political silos leave no room for nuance, no room for humanity, and no room for growth. We've seen this before. After 9/11, as broken and shocked as we were, there was a sense of unity. The question now is whether tragedies like this will drive us further apart or whether they can help bring us back together.

Philosophically, I'm not aligned with Charlie Kirk. But that doesn't mean I should cheer his death – or anyone's. It's far too easy to dehumanize people we disagree with. It's even easier when our politics, our media, and even our corporations encourage us to see the world as us versus them. Everywhere we look, we're asked to pick a side. And in that process, we lose sight of this basic truth: We don't have to like what someone says or does to still see them as a person. And people, no matter how divided, should not kill each other.

There are tough questions here: Where is the line between identity politics that divides us and cultural pride that strengthens us? How do we fix a broken political reward system that encourages outrage instead of solutions? What responsibilities do policymakers and the media that shape our conversations have in creating a healthier civic space? What responsibility do we all have as individuals?

I don't have all the answers. But I do know this: The first step is refusing to let ourselves be pushed into corners where empathy is no longer possible. My hope behind ASP has always been that we could disagree with respect, recognize different values, and still move forward together. That may sound idealistic. But it's also deeply practical. Because a society that sees others as less than human is a society that eventually tears itself apart. And individuals who don't see each other are more likely to feel comfortable throwing stones at each other. Then we grow further apart, stones leading to bullets, bullets leading to bombs.

Through the many ASP events and conversations I've had the opportunity to work with young people across the country, and I've seen this type of constructive engagement firsthand, and it continually inspires me. We've all seen what happens when we let fear and hate guide us. The choice now is whether we want to keep going down that road—or whether we're ready to do the hard work of seeing each other, truly, as people again. Personally, I choose the latter.

Mark Kassen is an actor, filmmaker, and co-founder of the civic engagement platform A Starting Point (ASP).

The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.

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Hope Fellowship Church founding pastor John McKinzie resigns over "sexual sin and moral failure"

The founding pastor of Hope Fellowship Church , which draws thousands of worshippers each week, has resigned after confessing to what church leaders described as "sexual sin and moral failure," according to an email sent to the church community.

In the email sent on Tuesday morning, leaders announced the departure of John McKinzie. According to the letter, McKinzie confessed during a meeting with church leadership on Sunday and offered his resignation on Monday, which the board accepted.

The letter did not provide details on his admission. An attached FAQ stated, "John admitted to sexual sin and to a pattern of consensual behavior that made him unfit to continue in his role as pastor."

The FAQ also stated that the "Directional Leadership Team, Board, Elders and Pastoral Lead Team" will oversee the church until a new lead pastor is named.

As of Thursday morning, Hope Fellowship's website no longer mentioned McKinzie and instead listed Angela Linz and Aaron Alexander as co-interim lead pastors. An archived version of the site indicated that McKinzie and his wife have four children.

John McKinzie and the stabbing of Austin Metcalf

CBS News Texas spoke with McKinzie in April following the death of Austin Metcalf, a Frisco high school student who was fatally stabbed at a district track meet. Karmelo Anthony, another Frisco ISD student, is charged with Metcalf's murder. A trial is currently scheduled for next summer .

McKinzie offered a trauma workshop for members of the Hope Fellowship congregation, which includes the Metcalf family. A number of other congregants were at the scene, including other students, teachers, and first responders.

"I can't speak for the whole community, but I certainly speak to our church. And I just felt like it was important to help us focus in the right direction," he said.

McKinzie also spoke about the harms of social media, at a time when misinformation and vitriol were spreading about the case online.

He urged the church to pray for the Metcalf family, as well as Anthony and his family.

"Everyone matters to God. And if they matter to God, they matter to me. They matter to us. And I'm praying for him daily, praying for his family, praying for my friends, the Metcalf family, praying for our students, praying for our community," McKinzie said.

Hope Fellowship student pastor removed earlier this year

McKinzie's resignation is the second instance of a Hope Fellowship pastor being dismissed for sexual misconduct this year.

In January, the church announced it had fired student pastor Jerry Nickerson after he admitted to having "inappropriate contact with a minor" a decade earlier.

Nickerson told church leadership that it happened while volunteering in a youth leader role at another church. In an email sent to the congregation at the time, McKinzie wrote that Nickerson came forward with the information on Monday after being confronted about "past incidents" over the weekend.

"We believe that this behavior is disqualifying for those in pastoral and leadership positions, and Hope Fellowship is committed to supporting and advocating for victims of abuse," McKinzie wrote in the email.

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