Jilly_in_VA
Jilly_in_VA's JournalHow long
are we going to have to put up with Shitler's lawlessness? Are we just going to sit here and let him go ahead and continue to do things like kidnap the president of another country and threaten the territory of still another one? What is wrong with us? Are we going to continue to let what is now a demonstrable MINORITY run this country, or are we going to do something about it?
Preschool Teacher, 22, Arrested on TV After Condemning Trump
A preschool teacher was arrested on camera as soon as she finished a TV interview criticizing Donald Trump, fueling the debate over protest policing and free speech.
Jessica Plichta, 22, said she was the only person arrested among roughly 200 demonstrators at an anti-war protest in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on Saturday, hours after Nicolas Maduro was detained in Caracas by the U.S. military.
In the broadcast footage, two officers could be seen approaching from behind as she wrapped her interview with WZZM, the city’s ABC affiliate, then escorted her away as she told them, “I am not resisting arrest.”
WZZM said an officer cited “obstructing a roadway and failure to obey a lawful command,” and that Plichta had been charged with failure to obey a lawful command.
Plichta later told Zeteo: “I don’t think it’s a coincidence that as soon as I finished an interview speaking on Venezuela, I was arrested.”
https://www.thedailybeast.com/donald-trump-critic-arrested-on-camera-after-speaking-out-against-maduro-venezuela-capture/
Same excuses as the 1960s, only worse.
Claire's and The Original Factory Shop near collapse, putting 2,550 jobs at risk
The retailers Claire’s and The Original Factory Shop are on the brink of administration, putting 2,550 jobs at risk.
Both chains are owned by Modella Capital, a private equity firm, which recently bought the high street arm of WH Smith – renamed TG Jones. Modella said in a statement that the climate on UK high streets was “extremely challenging” and data suggested “an alarming drop-off in pre-Christmas footfall”.
It said administration was the “only option” for both Claire’s and The Original Factory Shop, and it had started insolvency proceedings for both chains
The investment group has 154 Claire’s stores after buying about half the UK chain from administrators in September last year. It is understood that the advisory firm Kroll is lined up to handle the proposed administration, which would affect about 1,350 jobs at the accessories and ear-piercing chain.
The 140-store cut-price homewares chain The Original Factory Shop, which was bought by Modella less than a year ago from the private equity group Duke Street Capital, has filed a notice with the high court to appoint administrators. About 1,200 jobs are at risk.
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/jan/05/claires-the-original-factory-shop-collapse-jobs-modella
I kind of hate this. I had the second piercing in my ears done at Claire's some 30 years ago. It was my reward for surviving my hysterectomy.
Minneapolis Hilton cancels ICE agents' hotel reservations
The Department of Homeland Security on Monday said a Hilton hotel canceled reservations for Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Minnesota, where the Trump administration has deployed officers after allegations of fraud against Somali immigrants.
After ICE officers booked rooms using official government emails and rates, Hilton canceled their reservations, the department said in a post on X.
The department also posted screenshots of emails, in which the hotel’s operators said they had “noticed an influx of GOV reservations made today that have been for DHS”, and that they were not allowing any ICE agents to stay at the property.
In a statement, a Hilton spokesperson said the brand’s hotels “serve as welcoming places for all” and that the hotel that canceled the reservations was independently owned and operated. The cancellations “are not reflective of Hilton values”, the spokesperson said.
“We are investigating this matter with this individual hotel, and can confirm that Hilton works with governments, law enforcement and community leaders around the world to ensure our properties are open and inviting to everyone,” the spokesperson said.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/05/ice-hilton-minneapolis
Oh, give over, Hilton! I'm done with you anyway.
Well. it always has to be someone
There's a long-standing joke in my family that someone is always sick on holidays, especially Thanksgiving and Christmas. My daughter had strep on Thanksgiving, so I guess it was my turn to be sick for Christmas this year. And it's a besut, too...some kind of viral thing with cough, ears plugged up, runny nose, the works. Yesterday I didn't even get our of bed and couldn't indulge in one of my favorite sick day pleasures, which is reading. Today I am vertical but can't eat---food tastes yucky. So much for Christmas dinner! I will probably spend the day on the couch. The only thing I know for sure is that it's not flu or covid as I had my shots for both, so here's a big razzberry to RFK Jr. and may rats spit in his plum pudding!
US sees surge in violence against journalists under Trump, report says
The United States has seen a dramatic increase in violence against journalists since Donald Trump again took office.
Most of the reporters and photographers who were allegedly attacked by law enforcement officials were covering protests over the Trump administration’s efforts to deport undocumented immigrants, according to the Freedom of the Press Foundation, a non-profit that tracks such incidents.
The US press have suffered about as many assaults this year as in the previous three years combined, the organization states in a new report.
That rise is largely because whenever there is significant civil unrest, journalists cover it, which makes them more vulnerable to attacks. But anti-media rhetoric from the US president and other public leaders has also increased hostility towards journalists, which can lead to more violence, according to press freedom advocates and journalism researchers.
Trump has repeatedly lambasted the mainstream US media, baselessly accused it of lying about him and his policies and repeatedly insulted several journalists in public.
“When the president models ridicule and delegitimization, it signals to supporters that journalists are fair targets,” said Lars Willnat, a Syracuse University professor who has studied the impact of political polarization on perceptions of journalists. “That shift matters because violence becomes easier to justify once journalists are seen as political combatants rather than neutral observers.”
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/23/violence-against-journalists-increase-trump
Right out of the Nazi playbook
Some Epstein file redactions are being undone with hacks
Un-redacted text from these documents began circulating through social media on Monday evening. An exhibit in a civil case in the Virgin Islands against Darren K Indyke and Richard D Kahn, two executors of Epstein’s estate, contains redacted allegations explaining how Epstein and his associates had facilitated the sexual abuse of children. The exhibit was part of the second amended complaint in the state case against Indyke and Kahn.
In section 85, the redacted portion states: “Between September 2015 and June 2019, Indyke signed (FAC) for over $400,000 made payable to young female models and actresses, including a former Russian model who received over $380,000 through monthly payments of $8,333 made over a period of more than three and a half years until the middle of 2019.”
Prosecutors in the Virgin Islands settled its civil sex-trafficking case against Epstein’s estate, Indyke and Kahn in 2022 for $105m, plus one half of the proceeds from the sale of Little St James, the island on which Epstein resided and on which many of his crimes occurred. The justice department press release announcing the settlement did not include an admission of liability.
Indyke, an attorney who represented Epstein for decades, has not been criminally indicted by federal authorities. He was hired by the Parlatore Law Group in 2022, before the justice department settled the Epstein case. That firm represents the defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, and previously represented Donald Trump in his defense against charges stemming from the discovery of classified government documents stored at Trump’s Florida estate. Calls and email seeking comment from Indyke and the Parlatore Law Group have not yet been returned.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/23/epstein-unredacted-files-social-media
White hat hackers!
6 British men charged with more than 60 sexual assault offences against same woman
Six British men, including a woman's former husband, were charged with more than 60 sexual offences against her over 13 years, U.K. prosecutors said on Monday.
Philip Young, 49, faces 56 charges, including multiple counts of rape, administering a substance with intent to stupefy or overpower to allow sexual activity, and voyeurism, the Crown Prosecution Service said in a statement.
Young, also charged with possession of indecent images of children and other extreme images, has been remanded into custody and is due to appear at Swindon Magistrates' Court, about 130 kilometres west of London, on Tuesday, the statement said.
While British law automatically protects the identity of the victims of sexual crimes, Joanne Young, 48, has voluntarily waived this right.
"She has asked to be named in this press release and is being supported by specially trained officers and partner agencies," the agencies said in their statement.
The other men charged are Norman Macksoni, 47, Dean Hamilton, 46, Conner Sanderson Doyle, 31, Richard Wilkins, 61, and Mohammed Hassan, 37, the CPS said. They have been released on bail and are also due to appear in court.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/britain-sex-assault-crimes-husband-9.7025363
Very similar to the case in France. I hope the court puts these guys away for a LONG time. What a bunch of......words fail me.
Assault at Antarctic base could be a warning for future travellers to Mars
A tense situation among members of an isolated base in Antarctica could foretell conflicts among astronauts on a long distance journey to Mars.
The South African Antarctic research base, SANAE IV, is located at a remote location in East Antarctica. It hosts a nine-member team made up of a doctor, scientists, and engineers who spend 10 months in isolation during the harsh, dark southern winter.
Reportedly, an altercation between one of the members and the leader resulted in an alleged physical attack, death threats and sexual harassment. Names have not been released. According to a statement from South African government officials, the team is undergoing mediation and the accused person has written a formal apology. The statement says the issue is considered resolved and the team will not need to be evacuated.
This type of conflict among people living in extreme isolation and confined quarters is a concern for planners of a much longer human mission to Mars. Travel to the red planet, using any currently available technology, will take roughly seven months one way. Once the crew arrives, they will have to remain there alone for almost another year waiting for the Earth to come around its orbit so it is on the same side of the sun as Mars for a return trip.
Then it will take another six or seven months to journey home. That is a total round trip journey of 750 to 1,000 days, depending on how much fuel you are willing to burn.
https://www.cbc.ca/radio/quirks/antarctic-base-assault-1.7489637
People living in close quarters can have these problems.
US justice department halts funding for human-trafficking survivors
More than 100 organizations that support victims of human trafficking have lost funding since October, leaving thousands of survivors at risk, a Guardian investigation has found.
Anti-trafficking advocates say the US Department of Justice’s failure to spend nearly $90m appropriated by Congress is impeding law-enforcement investigations and exposing survivors to homelessness and the risk of deportation, jail time or re-exploitation.
This is the latest in a series of Guardian investigative reports, which in September revealed that the Trump administration had rolled back efforts to combat human trafficking across the federal government. That retreat has far-reaching implications beyond those related to the release of the investigative files related to the late Jeffrey Epstein.
“It’s extremely irresponsible, and maybe even immoral,” said Kristina Rose, who ran the justice department’s office for victims of crime under Joe Biden and served as its deputy director during the first Trump administration.
(snip)
The Guardian’s report struck a chord on Capitol Hill, where three US senators expressed outrage. Richard Durbin of Illinois said it fit a pattern by the Trump administration of “disregarding congressionally appropriated funds intended to target the most heinous crimes and national security threats–including human trafficking”.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/22/justice-department-human-trafficking-survivors-support-funding
Another distraction from Epstein, and a way to avoid prosecution, perhaps.....
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Gender: Do not displayHome country: USA currently
Current location: Virginia
Member since: Wed Jun 1, 2011, 06:34 PM
Number of posts: 13,798