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2 sisters charged with assaulting family at Tennessee funeral home

Two Tennessee sisters were charged with aggravated assault on Monday after police said they showed up to a funeral home and threatened people with a gun, even stabbing the deceased woman’s sister, police said.

Angel Chatman, 28, and her 26-year-old sister Travonda appeared at Terrell Broady Funeral Home in North Nashville at around 1:00 p.m. for the visitation of Angel’s ex-girlfriend who had recently died, Metropolitan Nashville police said in a news release.

Upon arrival, family members informed the two sisters that they were not allowed to enter -- which apparently triggered a fight. Police said that during the argument, Angel reportedly cut the dead woman’s sister on her back with a knife and both Chatman sisters were said to have brandished guns, threatening the deceased’s mother and uncle.

Angel Chatman (left), 28, the ex-girlfriend of the deceased, and her sister, Travonda Chatman, 26, were charged with felony aggravated assault after a reported fight Monday at a North Nashville funeral home. 

Angel Chatman (left), 28, the ex-girlfriend of the deceased, and her sister, Travonda Chatman, 26, were charged with felony aggravated assault after a reported fight Monday at a North Nashville funeral home.  (Metropolitan Nashville Police Department )

The pair then reportedly ran off and got into an SUV, reversing into another vehicle where the deceased’s brother was said to have been inside.

Police said the brother got out the car as Angel reversed her SUV again, pinning him between his vehicle and hers.

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He sustained “non-critical” injuries to his legs and was transported, along with the stabbing victim, to Vanderbilt University Medical Center for treatment.

The Chatmans were charged with felony aggravated assault; Angel surrendered to police on Monday but Travonda had yet to be arrested, investigators said..

Source: Fox News National

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Sharpton emerges as kingmaker as 2020 Dems compete for his approval

The Rev. Al Sharpton has emerged as a kingmaker in the crowded 2020 Democratic field, as the party's White House hopefuls lined up this week to pitch their vision of America to him in hopes of receiving blessing.

All of the top Democratic contenders were in New York City this week, attending Sharpton's National Action Network convention and discussing the issue of racism in America. More speeches were scheduled for Friday.

Among the attendees: former U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke; South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg; and U.S. Sens. Bernie Sanders, Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren, Cory Booker, Kirsten Gillibrand and Amy Klobuchar.

Such mainstream influence is a stark change for Sharpton, whose early years of activism put him on the fringes of politics. His explosive comments drew swift criticism, as he was accused of inciting violence and riots against Jews in New York in the early 1990s and reportedly used anti-Semitic descriptions such as “bloodsucking Jews” and “diamond merchants.”

BETO BACKS OFF OPPOSITION TO REPARATIONS AT SHARPTON EVENT, PLEDGES HE’D SIGN BILL TO STUDY IT

Fast forward to today, Sharpton is seen as a prominent progressive MSNBC pundit who acts as a kind of middleman between the Democratic candidates and Black America.

Comments about Trump

Unlike many other leaders in the black community, Sharpton also speaks directly to the anti-Trump segments of the country, even as the Trump administration passes a criminal justice reform embraced by many black leaders.

In 2017, Sharpton said during a Politico podcast that Trump “has empowered anti-Semites and racists” and “brought them from the shadows into the mainstream.”

A year later, he said Trump’s Young Black Leadership Summit was "shameful," and he accused the president of "using" young African-American conservatives as "props."

“I don’t think I am a different type of leader, I think these are different times,” Sharpton told the Los Angeles Times about him becoming acceptable in the mainstream. “It is more the evolution of Sharpton than the changing of Sharpton.”

“I don’t think I am a different type of leader, I think these are different times. It is more the evolution of Sharpton than the changing of Sharpton.”

— The Rev. Al Sharpton

AL SHARPTON SELLS HIS LIFE STORY RIGHTS FOR $531G — TO HIS OWN CHARITY

For Democrats, who are heavily relying on people’s negativity toward Trump rather than their personal popularity coming into 2020, Sharpton is an especially important figure.

After Harris announced her run for president earlier this year, one of the first meetings she took was with Sharpton in New York, surrounded by multiple cameras and reporters.

Biden's regrets

Former Vice President Joe Biden, who hasn’t yet officially joined the race, made a speech at a Martin Luther King Jr. Day event that was organized by Sharpton, where the former veep said he regretted backing a tough-on-crime bill in the 1990s.

Sharpton remains cautious about which candidate he will effectively back, pointing out that he didn’t endorse anyone in the 2016 election. Yet the competition for his support is clearly moving the Democratic presidential field leftward.

Thanks to Sharpton’s convincing tone – or a candidate’s lack of backbone – he pressured O’Rourke earlier this week into backing off from his opposition to slavery reparations, with him coming out on the record saying he now supports a bill in Congress to study and consider the payments.

Buttigieg, the rising star of the primary, meanwhile, apologized Thursday during the appearance at the Sharpton event for using the “all lives matter” phrase in the past. He praised the Black Lives Matter movement and said that “it should enhance — not diminish — the value of a good police department when we assert what should go without saying, but in these times must be said clearly and again and again: that black lives matter.”

Stand on reparations

At least five other candidates are backing the idea of reparations – Harris, Warren, former San Antonio Mayor and Obama Cabinet member Julian Castro, entrepreneur Andrew Yang, and Rep. Tulsi Gabbard – though this may change after the events with Sharpton.

But for the time being, Sharpton says he merely wants candidates to propose a vision to address racism in America.

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“I want to hear substance. I don’t want to hear sound bites. Like, yes, we need to alter the criminal justice system. How? What would you do about the mandatory sentencing laws? What would you do about police reform? Would you reinstitute consent decrees?” Sharpton told the Hill.

He added: “I want to hear in terms of the economy, how do you close the race gap in employment? Yes, black unemployment is lower than it’s ever been, but it’s still double that of whites. How do you close the race gap in terms of health care? I want to hear specifics. Where’s the meat? Not just giving us the dessert.”

Source: Fox News Politics

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Notre-Dame’s famed rose window spared but blaze harms priceless artworks

FILE PHOTO: View of the north rose window of Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral in Paris
FILE PHOTO: View of the north rose window (rosace) of Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral in Paris October 18, 2012. REUTERS/Charles Platiau/File Photo

April 16, 2019

By Sarah White and Elizabeth Pineau

PARIS (Reuters) – Four-hundred-year-old paintings hung high inside Notre-Dame were damaged by the immense fire that engulfed the Paris cathedral, but emergency workers formed a human chain to whisk gem-studded chalices and other priceless artefacts out of harm’s way.

Notre-Dame’s famed stained-glass rose windows and most of its many religious relics appeared to have escaped the worst of Monday’s inferno as well, easing fears for the fate of the vast trove of artworks in the 800-year-old gothic cathedral.

Among the most cherished articles to make it out unscathed was the “Sainte Couronne” (holy crown), made of braided reed brought to France from Constantinople in the 12th century. Though lacking its original thorns, the crown has been revered as an object of Christian worship for centuries.

Gold, silver and gem-inlaid chalices, candelabras and many other artefacts survived the blaze thanks to quick-thinking firefighters, police and city employees who formed a human chain to move revered artefacts away from the flames.

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo tweeted a picture of heavy-set candlesticks stacked in the safety of nearby Paris City Hall.

Art specialists were still poring over the extent of the damage to Notre-Dame’s 13th-century South Rose Window, measuring 10 meters across (33 feet), and other stained-glass masterpieces still standing after the cathedral’s wood-beamed roof collapsed.

“It seems they have not been destroyed for now, although we’ll have to see what real state they’re in, and whether they can be restored properly,” said Maxime Cumunel, secretary general of France’s Observatory for Religious Heritage.

“We have avoided a complete disaster. But some five to 10 percent of the artwork has probably been destroyed, we have to face up to that,” Cumunel said. Four of the largest-scale 17th and 18th century paintings depicting scenes from the lives of the apostles had been damaged, at least in part, he added.

Culture Minister Franck Riester said the paintings were mainly affected by smoke damage, rather than by flames.

The artworks, which were dampened during the 15-hour battle to douse the blaze, will be removed from Friday and transferred to the Louvre museum, where other objects will also be kept, for attempts at restoration, he added.

DAMAGE “MAKES ME QUAKE”

It remained unclear how well the cathedral’s towering master organ, embedded into a sculpted wooden casing, had fared, as rescuers remained on high alert for the possibility that some of Notre-Dame’s fragile vaults might come crashing down.

The organ – which survived the French Revolution in the late 18th century, when it was used for recitals of patriotic songs – may have been slightly damaged too, according to Cumunel, though city hall officials said it was largely intact.

“What’s happened is really disturbing and makes me quake,” said Veronique Proust, a specialist guide who has led tours of the cathedral and its treasury for a quarter century.

“For 25 years I’ve shown these treasures, the exceptional quality of the stone carvings, now I’ve got nothing to show anymore.”

Most of the sacramental artefacts in Notre-Dame’s treasury – where they were traditionally kept as reserves to be sold off or melted down in times of need – date from the 19th and 20th centuries.

It was not immediately clear how much Notre-Dame’s treasures were worth, with Riester only pointing to the many “years and hundreds of millions” of euros of investment that would be required to restore the cathedral.

A combined 460 million euros ($520 million) has already been pledged for reconstruction and restoration efforts, led by a 100 million euro donation from Francois-Henri Pinault, billionaire boss of Gucci-owner Kering, and 200 million euros from his rival Bernard Arnault, head of luxury group LVMH.

Oil company Total promised 100 million and Paris City Hall a further 50 million.

State-owned investment fund Caisse des Depots said it would donate oak timber from the forests it owns to help rebuild the framework under the cathedral roof, which went up in flames.

Other relics that made it out of the wreckage included a tunic worn by Saint Louis, a 13th-century king of France, while the cathedral’s 13-tonne bell, its largest, which rings sonorously on special occasions like Easter, was spared.

Sixteen bronze statues that adorned Notre-Dame’s collapsed spire – itself a 19th-century restoration – were airlifted out just days before the fire as part of ongoing renovations.

A gold cross stood eerily intact above the altar on Tuesday, surrounded by debris – the first images from inside the cathedral that reached the wider world.

(Additional reporting by Julie Carriat; Editing by Luke Baker and Mark Heinrich)

Source: OANN

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Athletics: Hotel robbery takes edge off Farah’s marathon preparation

London Marathon Preview Press Conference
Athletics - London Marathon Preview Press Conference - The Tower Hotel, London, Britain - April 24, 2019 Great Britain's Mo Farah during the press conference Action Images via Reuters/Matthew Childs

April 24, 2019

By Mitch Phillips

LONDON (Reuters) – Briton Mo Farah was given an unwelcome birthday surprise when he was robbed at his hotel in Addis Ababa last month, putting a damper on what he said had been an otherwise perfect preparation for Sunday’s London Marathon.

Farah, third last year and facing a monumental challenge to overcome Kenya’s world record holder and defending champion Eliud Kipchoge, said he had completed a really good block of training in Ethiopia.

“I couldn’t have asked for better,” he said. “There were just a couple of things.”

Asked to expand, the multiple Olympic and world champion over 10,000 meters and 5,000m on the track, said: “There was a problem at the hotel. Someone went into my bag and took some money and took a present my wife had got me (a watch), so that was disappointing when I’d been staying there so long.

“It was on my birthday,” added Farah, who turned 36 on March 23 and won the Chicago Marathon last year.

He will be center of attention for the home crowd and the BBC broadcasting the race. Yet, he is only the eighth-fastest man in the field and his best of 2:05.11 is almost four minutes adrift of Kipchoge’s – which would leave him almost a mile behind the Kenyan if they were to reproduce those times on Sunday.

Kipchoge set his astonishing world record of 2:01.39 when winning Berlin last year and is seeking an unprecedented fourth London triumph.

He told a news conference on Thursday that he had not raced since Berlin and had followed his usual preparation – a system that has served him well in a career that has seen him win 10 of his 11 marathons, including the 2016 Olympic Games.

“I like London, I’m fit and ready to compete,” he said, adding that he was still in discussions regarding what pace he will ask the pacemakers to set.

Farah said he fully respected Kipchoge’s talent and extraordinary record but added that he was learning all the time having switched to the roads in 2017 and was not turning up “expecting to finish third or fourth.”

“You look up to these guys, you have to learn from the best and I have learned from each race I’ve done,” Farah said.

“I think I could have gone 2.04-something in Chicago (where he set a European record of 2:05:11) but it was about winning the race.

“Last year in London when Eliud increased the pace at around 20 miles I went with it a bit but just felt tired and in my mind I felt ‘I cant keep that going’ and you end up taking it back a notch. But I am here to race and will give 100 percent as I always do.”

EXTRA ENDURANCE

Farah said he had underestimated the volume of training required to convert his track speed into the extra endurance needed for 26.2 miles on the road, but that he was enjoying the challenge.

“The most important thing is that I’m happy and enjoying it,” he said. “I’m still hungry, I feel like I’ve got my mojo back.”

While Farah and Kipchoge fight it out at the sharp end, around 40,000 others will be pounding the streets of London in the 39th running of what organizers say is the world’s most popular race.

“We had 415,000 applications in five days,” said race director Hugh Brasher. “This weekend we will reach one billion pounds raised for charity by runners, with more than half of that coming in the last nine years.”

In the first race in 1981, co-founded by his father and former Olympic gold medalist Chris Brasher, five percent of finishers were female, while this year that figure is expected to be around 45 percent.

The race is also testing a number of innovations to help reduce its environmental impact, such as fewer feeding stations and an experiment where 700 runners will use a recyclable plastic belt to carry refillable bottles.

(Reporting by Mitch Phillips, editing by Christian Radnedge)

Source: OANN

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Rep. Seth Moulton likely to announce 2020 run early next week: sources

Rep. Seth Moulton of Massachusetts returns to New Hampshire next week.

By the time he arrives, a source close to Moulton tells Fox News that the Democratic congressman and Marine veteran who served four tours of duty in Iraq will likely be a presidential candidate.

MORE SIGNS - INTENTIONAL AND UNINTENTIONAL - OF LIKELY BIDEN 2020 LAUNCH IN COMING DAYS

Next Wednesday, Moulton will headline the ‘Politics and Eggs’ speaking series, a must-stop for White House hopefuls visiting the first-in-the-nation presidential primary state of New Hampshire.

The announcement of his long-shot candidacy for president could come as early as Monday, another Democratic source told Fox News.

And Axios reported Wednesday that Moulton was spotted in his hometown of Marblehead, Massachusetts, taping what appeared to be a presidential announcement video.

Moulton has been mulling a White House run for months, making visits to New Hampshire and the other early voting primary and caucus states.

The congressman, who joined the Marines and led a platoon company in Iraq after graduating from Harvard University, is expected to make foreign policy and national security major staples of his likely White House bid. Moulton recently delivered a major address on the House Democrats’ defense policy vision.

WHO ARE THE WEALTHIEST 2020 DEMS? THE ANSWER MAY SURPRISE YOU

Moulton, 40, was one of the ringleaders of last year’s failed push by some House Democrats to prevent Nancy Pelosi from regaining the speaker’s gavel. Another one of those leaders – Rep. Tim Ryan of Ohio – announced his candidacy for president earlier this month.

Source: Fox News Politics

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Mueller probe 'near the end game' amid shakeup at DOJ, sources say

Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Russia probe is wrapping up soon, and a source familiar with the investigation tells Fox News it is "near the end game" -- although there has been no formal notification to President Trump's legal team that Mueller's work is completed.

Exiting Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who oversaw the Mueller probe for 18 months until the recent confirmation of AG William Barr, had said privately he intended to remain in his role until the Mueller report was delivered to Congress. On Tuesday, the White House announced that Deputy Secretary of Transportation Jeff Rosen would replace Rosenstein.

Sources close to the investigative process have told Fox News that the high-level shakeup at Justice -- with Barr assembling his new team, and Rosenstein planning to leave by mid-March -- is a sign that the stars are aligning for the probe's conclusion.

The DOJ has not confirmed it is planning an announcement on the inquiry, and neither Mueller's team nor the DOJ responded to Fox News' request for comment.

ROSENSTEIN, FMR FBI DIRECTOR MCCABE NEED TO TESTIFY ABOUT APPARENT PLOT TO REMOVE TRUMP, GOP SAYS

Also unclear is whether the final Mueller report will be made public. Barr testified during his confirmation hearings that, as he understands the regulations governing the special counsel, the report will be confidential – and any report that goes to Congress or the public will be authored by the attorney general.

Some Democrats sounded the alarm after Barr's testimony, with Connecticut Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal charging that Barr  indicated he'd exploit legal "loopholes" to hide Mueller's final report from the public and to resist subpoenas against the White House.

"I will commit to providing as much information as I can, consistent with the regulations," Barr had told Blumenthal when asked if he would ensure that Mueller's full report was publicly released.

Mueller's team is still leading several prosecutions, including against longtime Trump adviser Roger Stone on charges of witness tampering and lying to Congress, and against former national security adviser Michael Flynn, who awaits sentencing on charges he lied to FBI agents during the Russia probe. Flynn is cooperating as part of a separate Foreign Agents Registration Act case regarding lobbying work in Turkey as part of his plea deal.

Roger Stone leaves federal court Friday, Feb. 1, 2019, in Washington. Stone appeared for a status conference just three days after he pleaded not guilty to felony charges of witness tampering, obstruction and false statements. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

Roger Stone leaves federal court Friday, Feb. 1, 2019, in Washington. Stone appeared for a status conference just three days after he pleaded not guilty to felony charges of witness tampering, obstruction and false statements. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

The flurry of activity comes shortly after Iowa Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley -- who until recently was chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee -- said he expected Mueller's final Russia report "within a month." Grassley later walked back those comments, saying they were based on unconfirmed news reports and rumors.

The top Republicans on the House and Senate Judiciary Committees, meanwhile, are calling for former FBI Acting Director Andrew McCabe and Rosenstein to testify before their respective panels, following McCabe's explosive claims in an interview last week that senior Justice Department officials had considered removing President Trump using the 25th Amendment.

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According to McCabe, Rosenstein offered to wear a wire to record the president, seemingly confirming reports last year. Rosenstein strongly denied that allegation, calling McCabe's statements "factually incorrect."

The 25th Amendment governs the succession protocol if the president dies, resigns or becomes temporarily or permanently incapacitated. While the amendment has been invoked six times since its ratification in 1967, the specific section of the amendment purportedly discussed by top DOJ officials -- which involves the majority of all Cabinet officers and the vice president agreeing that the president is "unable" to perform his job -- has never been invoked.

Fox News' Catherine Herridge and Jake Gibson contributed to this report.

Source: Fox News Politics

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North Korea leader Kim will meet Putin in Russia later this month: Kremlin

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un speaks during the 4th Plenary Meeting of the 7th Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea in Pyongyang
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un speaks during the 4th Plenary Meeting of the 7th Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) in Pyongyang in this April 10, 2019 photo released on April 11, 2019 by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). KCNA via REUTERS/File Photo

April 18, 2019

MOSCOW (Reuters) – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will travel to Russia in the second half of this month and meet President Vladimir Putin, the Kremlin said on Thursday.

It gave no further details in a statement on its website.

(Reporting by Tom Balmforth; editing by Maria Kiselyova)

Source: OANN

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Venezuela's Foreign Affairs Minister Jorge Arreaza talks to the media during a news conference in Caracas
Venezuela’s Foreign Affairs Minister Jorge Arreaza talks to the media during a news conference in Caracas, Venezuela April 8, 2019. REUTERS/Manaure Quintero

April 26, 2019

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Treasury Department on Friday imposed sanctions on Venezuela’s foreign minister and a Venezuelan judge, according to a statement on the department’s website.

Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza and a judge, Carol Padilla, were targeted over the ongoing crisis in Venezuela, the Treasury Department said, the latest in a list of officials blacklisted by U.S. authorities for their role in President Nicolas Maduro’s government.

(Reporting by Susan Heavey, Makini Brice and Lesley Wroughton; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)

Source: OANN

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Avengers fans gather at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood to attend the opening screening of
Avengers fans gather at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood to attend the opening screening of “Avengers: Endgame” in Los Angeles, California, U.S., April 25, 2019. REUTERS/Mike Blake

April 26, 2019

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Marvel Studios superhero spectacle “Avengers: Endgame” hauled in a record $60 million at U.S. and Canadian box offices during its Thursday night debut, distributor Walt Disney Co said.

Global ticket sales for the film about Iron Man, Hulk and other popular characters reached $305 million for the first two days, Disney said.

(Reporting by Lisa Richwine; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)

Source: OANN

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Funeral of journalist Lyra McKee in Belfast
Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn attends the funeral service for murdered journalist Lyra McKee at St Anne’s Cathedral in Belfast, Northern Ireland April 24, 2019. Brian Lawless/Pool via REUTERS

April 26, 2019

LONDON (Reuters) – The leader of Britain’s opposition Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn, said on Friday he had turned down an invitation to a state dinner which will be part of U.S. President Donald Trump’s visit to Britain in June.

“Theresa May should not be rolling out the red carpet for a state visit to honor a president who rips up vital international treaties, backs climate change denial and uses racist and misogynist rhetoric,” Corbyn said in a statement.

He said maintaining the relationship with the United States did not require “the pomp and ceremony of a state visit” and he said he would welcome a meeting with Trump “to discuss all matters of interest.”

(Reporting by Andy Bruce; Writing by William Schomberg)

Source: OANN

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A bedridden 67-year-old woman and more than a dozen animals were rescued Thursday after a welfare check found that they were living in a home filled with trash, urine, and feces, Florida police said.

Pinellas County sheriff’s deputies said when they arrived at the home in Dunedin around 7:20 p.m. Thursday, they could smell the odor of rotting trash and animal feces as they walked up to the driveway.

“Inside the residence, the odor of feces and urine was so overwhelming that deputies had to don masks,” the sheriff’s department said in a statement.

FLORIDA SHERIFF ON BORDER CRISIS AFTER MAJOR DRUG BUST: ‘IT MAKES ME ABSOLUTELY CRAZY’

Walking throughout the residence, the deputies found 10 emaciated dogs and puppies living in bins filled with their own feces, five large Macaw birds flying freely, rats, bugs and overall squalor.

Puppies discovered living in their own feces inside a Florida home that was filled with trash, urine, and feces.

Puppies discovered living in their own feces inside a Florida home that was filled with trash, urine, and feces. (Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office)

Deputies said due to the large amounts of trash in the home, they had to clear a path to reach the victim’s bedroom.

“None of the home’s toilets were working and all were found to be overflowing with feces,” deputies said. “The only working sink was located on the opposite end of the house from the victim’s bedroom.”

They said there was no food or water for the victim or the animals.

FLORIDA MAN IN EASTER BUNNY COSTUME CAUGHT IN VIRAL BRAWL IS WANTED IN NEW JERSEY, HAS HISTORY OF ARRESTS

The victim was transported to a local hospital for injuries that were non-life threatening, while the animals were transported to shelters.

The woman’s caretaker, Richard Lawrence Goodwin, 65, was arrested and charged with abuse and neglect of an elderly person, disabled person, and cruelty to animals.

Richard Goodwin, 69, was arrested for abuse and neglect of an elderly and disabled person after deputies found she was living in deplorable conditions.

Richard Goodwin, 69, was arrested for abuse and neglect of an elderly and disabled person after deputies found she was living in deplorable conditions. (Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office)

The sheriff’s department said this was Goodwin’s second arrest for abuse and neglect of the same victim. He was previously arrested in May 2018.

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Neighbor Victoria Muenzerbeer told FOX 13 that Goodwin and the victim were hoarders and the conditions inside the home were horrible years ago when she visited once.

“I went in and it was absolutely, a human being couldn’t live there,” she said. “The kitchen wasn’t usable and part of the wall was falling in.”

Source: Fox News National

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Libyan Minister of Economy Ali Abdulaziz Issawi speaks during an interview with Reuters in Tripoli
Libyan Minister of Economy Ali Abdulaziz Issawi speaks during an interview with Reuters in Tripoli, Libya April 25, 2019. REUTERS/Hani Amara

April 26, 2019

By Ulf Laessing

TRIPOLI (Reuters) – Libya’s U.N.-recognized government has budgeted up to 2 billion dinars ($1.43 billion) to cover costs of a three-week-old war for control of the capital, such as treatment for the wounded, to be funded without new borrowing, the economy minister said.

Ali Abdulaziz Issawi suggested the government hoped for business to continue more or less as usual despite the assault on Tripoli, in the country’s northwest, by forces tied to a parallel administration based in the eastern city of Benghazi.

Once Africa’s third largest producer of oil, Libya has been riven by factional conflict since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, with the country now broadly split between eastern-based forces under Khalifa Haftar and the U.N.-backed government in Tripoli, in the west, under Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj.

Still, with Haftar’s Libyan National Army forces unable so far to pierce defenses in Tripoli’s southern suburbs, normal life and business activities continue in much of the capital and western coastal towns.

Issawi, in an interview with Reuters in his Tripoli office, also said Libya’s commercial ports and wheat imports were still functioning normally, although some roads have been blocked.

He said the Serraj government estimates it will spend up to 2 billion dinars extra on medical treatment for wounded, aid for displaced people and other “emergency” war costs.

He said this was not military spending but analysts believe that the sum will also cover expenditures such as pay for allied armed groups or food for fighters.

“We could actually spend less,” he added, in comments that gave the first insight into the economic impact of the fighting.

Issawi said the Tripoli government, which controls little territory beyond the greater capital region, would not incur new debt to fund the war costs, sticking to a plan to post a 2019 budget without a deficit.

Tripoli derives revenue largely from oil and natural gas production, interest-free loans from local banks to the central bank, and a 183 percent surcharge on foreign exchange transactions conducted at official rates.

But with centralized tax collection greatly diminished, public debt has piled up – to 68 billion dinars in the west, including unpaid state obligations such as social insurance.

Some analysts expect Serraj’s government will be forced to raise new debt if the war for control of Tripoli drags on.

With much of Libya dominated by armed factions that also act as security forces, the public wage bill for both the western and eastern administrations has soared as fighters have been made public employees in efforts to buy their loyalty.

The east has sold bonds worth 35 billion dinars outside the official financial system as the Tripoli central bank does not fund the parallel government apart from some wages.

Despite its limited reach, the Tripoli government still runs an annual budget of around 46.8 billion dinars, mainly for public salaries and fuel subsidies.

“This year we cannot finance via debt…we will not borrow (by agreement with the central bank),” Issawi said.

According to International Monetary Fund data, Libya’s central government debt-to-GDP ratio is 143 percent, making it one of the most heavily indebted in the world on that measure.

Issawi declined to say what parts of the budget would be trimmed to support the extra outlay for war costs.

However, with some 70 percent of the budget allocated to public wages, fuel subsidies and other welfare benefits, a portion devoted to infrastructure is most likely to be axed.

Widespread lawlessness has meant there have been no major infrastructural projects since 2011, when a NATO-backed uprising overthrew dictator Muammar Gaddafi, leaving schools, hospitals and roads in acute need of restoration.

FOREX SURCHARGE

Issawi said the government planned to raise as much as 30 billion dinars by the end of 2019 from hard currency deals after imposing in September a 183 percent surcharge on commercial and private transactions done on the official rate of 1.4 to the U.S. dollar. That fee has effectively devalued the official rate to 3.9, much closer to the black market equivalent.

Some 17 billion dinars have been raised since then, with hard currency allocated for import credit letters now issued without delays, Issawi said. The forex fee has helped the government forecast a budget in the black for 2019.

Despite the narrowing spread between the two rates, the black market continues to thrive. Dozens of traders remained at their favorite spot behind the central bank headquarters in Tripoli when Reuters reporters visited it last week.

But traders said it could take time for the Serraj government to register the extra forex receipts as official banking channels were taking up to six months to approve import financing, keeping the black market in play for dealers.

Issawi said authorities planned to lower the forex fee from 183 percent, without saying when. The black market rate has dropped from 6 to around 4.1 since September but it has hardly moved of late as demand for black market cash remains high.

The Tripoli government has stopped subsidizing food and bread, which used to be cheaper than drinking water in Libya. Wheat imports are now being arranged by private traders and there are surplus stocks of flour at the moment, Issawi said.

(Reporting by Ulf Laessing in Tripoli with additional reporting by Karin Strohecker in London; Editing by Mark Heinrich)

Source: OANN

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