Fall River, Massachusetts, Mayor Jasiel F. Correia II (27), has been arrested for extorting marijuana vendors for hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes; extorting a building owner for cash and a Rolex watch in exchange for activating the water supply to a commercial building; and demanding that his chief of staff give him half of her salary in return for appointing her and allowing her to keep her city job.

BOSTON – […] Prosecutors say Correia agreed to sign non-opposition letters in return for significant six-figure payments from four marijuana vendors looking to open businesses in the city of nearly 90,000 about an hour’s drive south of Boston. The letters are required to obtain a license to operate a marijuana business in Massachusetts, where cannabis is legal.

Correia, 27, appeared in Boston federal court Friday afternoon and pleaded not guilty.  (read more)

The DOJ announcement is Available Here
 

During the latest update from California officials, four bodies have been recovered and four more have been located on the floor of the ocean as divers work to recover them,
A total of 30 people are missing after a catastrophic fire aboard a 75-foot chartered dive boat near Santa Cruz Island.  During a press conference Santa Barbara officials reveal  the discovery of four more bodies in addition to the four victims already recovered:

OXNARD, Calif. (Reuters) – Four bodies were recovered on Monday and 30 people were missing after a predawn fire sank a scuba diving boat off a Southern California island, a U.S. Coast Guard spokesman said.
The fire broke out aboard the Conception, a 75-foot (23-meter) boat, at about 3.15 a.m. while it was moored just off the shore of Santa Cruz Island, the Coast Guard said in a statement.

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A shooting spree spread spread from Midland to Odessa, Texas, after police pulled over a man driving a gold Honda on interstate-20 and the driver began firing a rifle through his rear window, shooting one of two state troopers.
According to local reports a 30-year-old male started the shooting spree after his vehicle was stopped, and then continued shooting random bystanders, victims and responding officers as he drove from Midland to Odessa Texas.

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Texas Department of Public Safety spokeswoman Katherine Cesinger said: one of two state troopers conducting the traffic stop was shot. She says the suspect then fled “and continued shooting innocent people,” including two other police officers.
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After federal authorities raided seven chicken processing facilities in Mississippi last week evidence is now surfacing (within probable cause affidavits – full pdf below) of willful and intentional illegal hiring practices.  But don’t look for all the employers to be prosecuted.
The Washington Post has an excellent outline of the seven facilities citing dozens of instances where evidence shows each company knew they were hiring people who were not legally eligible for work.
In a surprising number of cases the illegal employees were arrested by Border Patrol in California, Texas, New Mexico and Arizona and released on electronic-monitoring programs, including ankle bracelets, to await court dates.
According to the affidavits federal authorities tracked the GPS locators on some of the employees and found they were illegally working in all of the facilities.  During interviews with the workers they stated how friends and family members in Mexico and Guatemala told them where to go for work in Mississippi.
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The armed standoff between Philadelphia police and a suspect who shot six officers ended shortly after midnight when Maurice Hill, 36, a local man with a lengthy history of gun convictions, surrendered to authorities.

According to the Philadelphia Inquirer the suspect has a lengthy criminal record including firearm violations, drug sales, assault and resisting law enforcement. [Background Here]

Troubling. Pray for the police.  ♦Over 100 gunshots were reported heard by witnesses as Philadelphia police responded to an initial drug related incident.  ♦According to authorities six police officers were shot; non life-threatening. ♦One suspect is in custody; ♦however, apparently another suspect is firing on officers who are pinned down inside a building as the shooter fires through walls and ceiling.

(Via Fox News) At least six Philadelphia police officers were wounded, at least one reportedly grazed in the head, in an ongoing shootout in the city’s Nicetown neighborhood on Wednesday afternoon that has been unfolding for almost two hours.
Three officers were rushed to Temple University Hospital, officials told Fox 29.

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As the U.S-China trade confrontation continues, China is running out of dollars.  Beijing is burning through cash to prop up its manufacturing industries; and the currency devaluation only exacerbates the problem.  A weak Yuan, makes their exports cheap; but China is an economy of dependency, and relies upon dollars to pay bills.
Against this growing internal financial crisis, videos seem to confirm Chinese military moving into regions around Hong Kong as protests continue.  Hong Kong nationals staged a three-day protest at Hong Kong’s international airport to draw attention to their plight.

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HONG KONG (Reuters) – Hong Kong police fired tear gas at demonstrators in the working class district of Sham Shui Po on Sunday, as yet another day of protest marches turned into a confrontation between police and activists.
Ten straight weekends of increasingly violent protests have plunged Hong Kong into its most serious political crisis in decades, posing a challenge to the central government in Beijing.(link)

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Democrat presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren sent the following tweet today recognizing the five-year anniversary of Officer Darren Wilson shooting Michael Brown in self defense.   Everything about this “murder” claim is factually false.

CTH researched and covered every aspect this shooting in real time. [451 Articles here]  CTH even discovered evidence that investigators used in grand jury presentations and witness interviews.  [DOJ Report Here]
Michael Brown attacked Police Officer Darren Wilson while the officer was seated in his vehicle.  Brown attempted to get Wilson’s gun from his holster.  The firearm discharged twice wounding Brown’s forearm, while a second bullet traveled to lodge under an apartment window. During the struggle Brown’s friend Dorian Johnson lost his bracelet.  Brown and Johnson both fled.  Officer Wilson pursued Brown.  Brown stopped, turned around and charged Wilson.  While retreating Wilson fired seven shots, six hit Brown.
Ultimately the Eric Holder DOJ came to the same conclusion. Attorney General Eric Holder stated as a result of their investigation the DOJ found there was nothing even remotely accurate about how the shooting was originally reported in the media. [LINK]

After visiting with victims, families and first responders in Dayton, OH, President Trump traveled to El Paso to visit with victims and first responders from Texas. President Trump delivered remarks from the El Paso Regional Emergency Communications Center. [Video and Transcript Below]

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[Transcript – @2:30 of video] – Q Mr. President, can you tell us about today and what you’ve seen?
THE PRESIDENT: We had an amazing day. As you know, we left Ohio. And the love and the respect for the office of the presidency, it was — I wish you could have been in there to see it. I wish you could have been in there.
And it was no different here. We went to the hospital — just came from the hospital. We were there a lot longer than we were anticipated to be. It was supposed to be just a fairly quick — we met with numerous people. We met with also the doctors, the nurses, the medical staff. They have done an incredible job — both places. Just incredible.
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Conveying a message of support for those suffering and appreciation for the first responders, President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump traveled to Dayton Ohio to visit victims from last weekend’s horrific mass shooting.
President Donald Trump and Melania met with patients at Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton; and stopped between rooms to thank the hardworking medical staff.

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