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Pennsylvania defense attorney charged with pressing clients into sex

Pennsylvania defense attorney charged with pressing clients into sex

SCRANTON, Pa. — A defense attorney targeted vulnerable clients and pressured them into having sex in exchange for legal work, the Pennsylvania attorney general’s office said Monday.

Corey J. Kolcharno is charged with four counts of promoting prostitution after an investigation found he sexually exploited clients, tethering “his performance as their counsel to a demand for sexual services from them or in exchange for payment,” police wrote in an affidavit.

Kolcharno — a former Lackawanna County prosecutor — was arraigned Monday and released on a $20,000 unsecured bail. A statement issued by his attorney from him said Kolcharno “has made a conscious decision to accept responsibility.” Kolcharno told reporters he intended to give up his law license.

According to state police, Kolcharno targeted women who struggled with addiction, had been sexually abused or had financial problems. At first he requested nude photos or worn underwear, then escalated his predatory behavior into a demand for sex in exchange for legal services, authorities said. I have paid his clients as much as $500, police said.

Victims said they were ashamed but felt they had no choice but to give in, authorities said.

Kolcharno “picked these victims because they had limited choices, because he thought they would be easy to silence, and less likely to be believed if they ever came forward,” Attorney General Josh Shapiro said in a written statement.

Investigators said they found hundreds of sexually explicit images of Kolcharno’s clients on his cellphone.

Police said the crimes took place between 2018 and 2022, when Kolcharno was a partner in the Fanucci & Kolcharno law firm outside Scranton.

Before reentering private practice, Kolcharno was an assistant district attorney in Lackawanna County from 2005-2011.

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Car sought in four Muslim killings in New Mexico

Car sought in four Muslim killings in New Mexico

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The main mosque in Albuquerque has urged its members to avoid walking alone at night and make sure no one is following them home. Some Muslims in the city are closing their businesses early. Others say they won’t go out after dark.

In the past two weeks, three Muslim men have been shot and killed in Albuquerque in what authorities think were targeted attacks. The police have appealed to the public for help finding a vehicle linked to the crimes but have made no arrests, leaving the Muslim community feeling panicked and helpless.

Authorities suspect the three recent killings may be connected to an earlier unsolved homicide in November 2021. The victims in all four incidents were men of South Asian descent.

The police have not determined a motive for the killings. At least three of the shootings followed a pattern in which the victims were ambushed and killed, said Gilbert Gallegos, a spokesman for the Albuquerque police.

Police on Sunday released a photo of the car that they believe was “used as a conveyance” in the four shootings and asked the public for assistance, saying the vehicle had tinted windows and appeared to be a Jetta.

The FBI’s Albuquerque office is assisting the city’s police in the investigation, said Frank Fisher, a spokesman for the office. The New Mexico State Police and the local sheriff’s office are also lending resources.

There are about 5,000 Muslims in Albuquerque, many of them immigrants, representing a tiny fraction of the city’s overall population of 560,000.

Now they are united by a feeling of disquiet.

“People are just fearful, and rightfully so, because you don’t know where the next attack” is going to take place, said Ahmad Assed, the president of the Islamic Center of New Mexico, a mosque attended by all four of the victims .

The most recent victim, Naeem Hussain, was killed on Aug. 5. His body was discovered in the parking lot of Lutheran Family Services Rocky Mountains, a nonprofit that provides adoption and refugee services.

Hussain was a truck driver in his 20s who had immigrated to the United States from Pakistan and took the oath of citizenship on July 8, said Ehsan Shahalami, his brother-in-law.

Just hours before he was killed, Hussain had attended the funerals of two of the earlier victims, Aftab Hussein, 41, and Muhammad Afzaal Hussain, 27, at the Islamic Center of New Mexico. The three men share a common surname but are not related. all regularly attended prayers at the center, said Tahir Gauba, his director of public affairs.

Gauba said the string of killings has been “horrific” for Albuquerque’s Muslim community.

“I’ve been in the United States since ’95,” he said. “I’ve been through 9/11. I’ve been through the Trump era. I’ve never felt this helpless and in fear.”

Last year’s killing of Mohammad Ahmadi, 62, outside his family-owned business was initially viewed as an isolated crime. That changed after the shootings of Aftab Hussein on July 26 and Muhammad Afzaal Hussain on Aug. 1.

Assed, the Islamic Center’s president, said police told him that the second and third killings were linked and the perpetrator was possibly targeting Muslims. The collective reaction was, “Oh my god, what are we dealing with here?” I have recalled.

Since the fourth killing on Friday, the city’s Muslim community has been in a state of panic.

Ahmed Hasan, president of Salam Academy, a local school affiliated with the Muslim community, said that he had received a flood of calls from parents asking about the security of their children, whose classes start on Wednesday.

The school has reactivated an access code system that it had stopped using during the pandemic and there is now a police presence on campus, Hasan said. Meanwhile, he and his family have stopped leaving home in the evening and have urged their relatives to do the same. “It’s a stressful time,” said Hasan.

The families of the victims are in shock. Naeem Hussain left behind a wife, parents and siblings, said Shahalami, his brother-in-law of him. Hussain loved fishing and always carried a rod in his truck, taking time between deliveries to seek out rivers and lakes. He had planned to bring his wife over from Pakistan and they hoped to buy a house together.

Hussain was a “genuine, pure-hearted” individual who was “in love with America,” Shahalami said.

Muhammad Afzaal Hussain, who was fatally shot Aug. 1, worked on the campaign team of Rep. Melanie Ann Stansbury (DN.M.), the congresswoman said during a news conference Sunday.

She described him as “a kind, funny, brilliant, amazing young man from Pakistan who came to the United States to pursue his career and his life’s dream and to study at the University of New Mexico.”

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) pledged Sunday that the perpetrator would be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, but that authorities needed community support to identify the vehicle of interest.

“We will bring this person or to justice,” she said at a news conference. “We will provide justice to the families who have lost everything.”

President Biden said Sunday that he was “angered and saddened by the horrific killings” in Albuquerque.

“While we await a full investigation, my prayers are with the victims’ families, and my Administration stands strongly with the Muslim community,” he said. on Twitter. “These hateful attacks have no place in America.”

“The lives of Albuquerque Muslims are in danger,” said Edward Ahmed Mitchell, the deputy director at the Council on American-Islamic Relations. “Whoever is responsible for this horrific, hateful shooting spree must be identified and stopped — now.”

CAIR, which advocates for the civil rights of Muslims in the United States, said in a statement Saturday that it was offering $10,000 for information “leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible.” The organization called on the Biden administration to “take a direct role” in the matter.

Praveena Somasundaram contributed to this report.

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Andrei Skoch: Judge authorizes warrant for US to seize Russian oligarch’s $90 million plane

Andrei Skoch: Judge authorizes warrant for US to seize Russian oligarch's $90 million plane



CNN
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US authorities have obtained a warrant to seize a Russian oligarch’s private plane, valued at over $90 million, for violating US sanctions for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The Airbus A319-100 aircraft, authorities say, is owned by Andrei Skoch, a member of Russia’s State Duma and a billionaire who made his fortune through a stake in a conglomerate in the metals and mining industry. Skoch has been on the US sanctions list since 2018 for Russia’s invasion of Crimea, the eastern region of Ukraine. The plane is believed to be in Kazakhstan, authorities said.

Skoch is the latest Russian oligarch to have one of his luxury assets in the sights of US authorities, who launched a campaign to seize valuable property of those close to the Kremlin in hope of pressing an end to the war.

In June, US authorities announced a judge approved a warrant for the seizure of two of Roman Abramovich’s private plans, valued at more than $400 million. In May, the US took possession of a $300 million super yacht called the Amadea, which is owned by Suleiman Kerimov. And in April, authorities seized at a port in Spain the $90 million yacht Tango belonging to Viktor Vekselberg, a billionaire with close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

On Monday, a federal judge authorized a seizure warrant from a special agent with the US Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security, which traced the plane to Skoch through a series of shell companies allegedly intended to shield his ownership.

Authorities allege Skoch violated US sanctions by using US dollars to pay the plane’s registration fees to Aruban authorities and pay insurance premiums on the Airbus that passed through US financial institutions. The $113,180 in registration payments and $284,459 in insurance premiums passed through the US banking system without a license to allow payment on sanctioned entities.

The seizure warrant notes that, in addition to the plane, Skoch owns a yacht named the Madame Gu, a helicopter, and a villa at the Four Seasons Hotel in the Seychelles. Those assets are not authorized for seizure. Authorities need to demonstrate that sanctions were violated, such as by money transferring through the US banking system, to seize property.

Prosecutors have creatively used insurance premiums and registration payments to identify assets for seizure since most yachts and plans can’t operate unless they are insured. Since the US, UK and the European Union announced broad sanctions against Russian elites, several insurance companies stopped doing business with sanctioned individuals.

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Biden’s landmark climate and spending bill – what’s in it, and what got cut? | Joe Biden

Joe Biden’s $740bn package tackling climate, the deficit and healthcare that has just passed the Senate and is almost certain now to become law is a far cry from his original even bigger ambitions, but it still represents a major triumph for the president.

The bill – the Inflation Reduction Act – was virtually dead in the water before a last-minute turnaround by the conservative West Virginia Democrat Joe Manchin saw it suddenly revived.

It then endured another round of political horse-trading as it navigated the choppy waters of a 50-50 split Senate. But, being carried by a tie-breaking vote from Biden’s vice-president, Kamala Harris, it emerged mostly intact. And, after a vote in the House later this week, it is set to land on Biden’s Oval Office desk.

Here is what’s in it and what it means:

Overview

The estimated $740bn package is full of Democratic priorities. Those include capping prescription drug costs at $2,000 out of pocket for seniors, helping Americans pay for private health insurance, and what Democrats are calling the most substantial investment in history to fight the climate crisis: $375bn over the decade.

Almost half the money raised, $300bn, will go toward paying down federal deficits.

It’s paid for largely with new corporate taxes, including a 15% minimum tax on big corporations to ensure they don’t skip paying any taxes at all, as well as projected federal savings from lower Medicare drug costs.

It’s not at all clear the 755-page bill will substantially ease inflationary pressures, though millions of Americans are expected to see some relief in healthcare and other costs.

US Senate passes $739bn healthcare and climate bill – video

What does it mean for Biden?

For Biden, the bill’s passage delivers a much-needed domestic win at a time when his popularity has sunk and key midterm elections loom in November.

Though the bill has been stripped of much of his original ambitious program, it remains a major achievement. Biden can now go to the polls and portray himself as a president able to get things done even in the difficult political circumstances of a deeply divided country.

climate crisis

The bill would invest nearly $375bn over the decade in climate-fighting strategies, including investments in renewable energy production and tax rebates for consumers to buy new or used electric vehicles.

It’s broken down to include $60bn for a clean energy manufacturing tax credit and $30bn for a production tax credit for wind and solar, seen as ways to boost and support the industries that can help curb the country’s dependence on fossil fuels. The bill also gives tax credits for nuclear power and carbon capture technology that oil companies such as ExxonMobil have invested millions of dollars to advance.

The bill would impose a new fee on excess methane emissions from oil and gas drilling while giving fossil fuel companies access to more leases on federal lands and waters.

A late addition pushed by Senator Kyrsten Sinema and other Democrats in Arizona, Nevada and Colorado would designate $4bn to combat a mega-drought in the west, including conservation efforts in the Colorado river basin, on which nearly 40 million Americans rely for drinking water .

For consumers, there are tax breaks as incentives to go green. One is a 10-year consumer tax credit for renewable energy investments in wind and solar. There are tax breaks for buying electric vehicles, including a $4,000 tax credit for purchase of used electric vehicles and $7,500 for new ones.

In all, Democrats believe the strategy could put the country on a path to cut greenhouse gas emissions 40% by 2030, and “would represent the single biggest climate investment in US history, by far”.

Prescription drug costs

Launching a long-sought goal, the bill would allow the Medicare program to negotiate prescription drug prices with pharmaceutical companies, saving the federal government $288bn over the 10-year budget window.

Those new revenues would be put back into lower costs for seniors on medications, including a $2,000 out-of-pocket cap for older adults buying prescriptions from pharmacies.

Seniors would also have insulin prices capped at $35 a dose. A provision to extend that price cap on insulin to Americans with private health insurances was out of line with Senate budget rules and Republicans stripped it from the final bill.

health insurance

The bill would extend the subsidies provided during the pandemic to help some Americans who buy health insurance on their own.

Under earlier pandemic relief, the extra help was set to expire this year. But the bill would allow the assistance to keep going for three more years, lowering insurance premiums for people who are buying their own healthcare policies.

How is it paid for?

The biggest revenue-raiser in the bill is a new 15% minimum tax on corporations that earn more than $1bn in annual profits. The new corporate minimum tax would kick in after the 2022 tax year and raise more than $258bn over the decade.

The revenue would have been higher, but Sinema insisted on one change to the 15% corporate minimum, allowing a depreciation deduction used by manufacturing industries. That shaves about $55bn off the total revenue.

To win over Sinema, Democrats dropped plans to close a tax loophole long enjoyed by wealthier Americans – so-called carried interest, which under current law taxes wealthy hedge fund managers and others at a 20% rate.

Money is also raised by boosting the IRS to go after tax cheats. The bill proposes an $80bn investment in taxpayer services, enforcement and modernization, which is projected to raise $203bn in new revenue – a net gain of $124bn over the decade.

The Associated Press contributed to this report

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Biden surveys flood damage in Kentucky, pledges more US help

Biden surveys flood damage in Kentucky, pledges more US help

LOST CREEK, Ky. (AP) — President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden on Monday witnessed the damage from deadly and devastating storms that have resulted in the worst flooding in Kentucky’s history, as they visited the state to meet with families and first responders.

At least 37 people have died since last month’s deluge, which dropped 8 to 10-1/2 inches of rain in only 48 hours. Gov. Andy Beshear told Biden that authorities expect to add at least one other death to the total. The National Weather Service said Sunday that flooding remains a threatwarning of more thunderstorms through Thursday.

The president said the nation has an obligation to help all its people, declaring the federal government would provide support until residents were back on their feet. Behind him as he spoke was a single-story house that the storm had dislodged and then left littered on the ground, tilted sideways.

“We have the capacity to do this — it’s not like it’s beyond our control,” Biden said. “We’re staying until everybody’s back to where they were.”

In the summer heat and humidity, Biden’s button-down shirt was covered in sweat. Pacing with a microphone in his hand, he eschewed formal remarks as he pledged to return once the community was rebuilt.

“The bad news for you is I’m coming back, because I want to see it,” the president said.

The Bidens were greeted warmly by Beshear and his wife, Britainy, when they arrived in eastern Kentucky. They immediately drove to see devastation from the storms in Breathitt County, stopping at the site of where a school bus, carried by floodwaters, was crashed into a partially collapsed building.

Beshear said the flooding was “unlike anything we’ve ever seen” in the state and credited Biden with swiftly approving federal assistance.

He praised responders who “have moved heaven and earth to get where we are, what, about nine days from when this hit,” he said.

Attending a briefing on the flooding’s impact with first responders and recovery specialists at Marie Roberts Elementary School in Lost Creek, Biden told a delegation of Kentucky leaders that he would do whatever was necessary to help.

“I promise you, if it’s legal, we’ll do it,” he said. “And if it’s not legal, we’ll figure out how to change the law.”

The president emphasized that politics have no place in disaster response, noting his frequent political battles with Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky. “We battle all the times on issues,” Biden said, but in helping Kentuckians rebuild, “we’re all one team.”

Monday’s trip is Biden’s second to the state since taking office last year. I have previously visited in December after tornadoes whipped through Kentucky, killing 77 people and leaving a trail of destruction.

“I wish I could tell you why we keep getting hit here in Kentucky,” Beshear said recently. “I wish I could tell you why areas where people may not have much continue to get hit and lose everything. I can’t give you the why, but I know what we do in response to it. And the answer is everything we can. These are our people. Let’s make sure we help them out.”

Biden has expanded federal disaster assistance to Kentucky, ensuring the federal government will cover the full cost of debris removal and other emergency measures.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the Federal Emergency Management Agency has provided more than $3.1 million in relief funds, and hundreds of rescue personnel have been deployed to help.

“The floods in Kentucky and extreme weather all around the country are yet another reminder of the intensifying and accelerating impacts of climate change and the urgent need to invest in making our communities more resilient to it,” she said.

The flooding came just one month after Kentucky’s governor visited Mayfield to celebrate the completion of the first houses to be fully constructed since a tornado nearly wiped out the town. Three families were handed keys to their new homes that day, and the governor in his remarks heard him back to a visit he had made in the immediate aftermath.

Now more disasters are testing the state. Beshear has been to eastern Kentucky as many times as weather permitted since the flooding began. He’s had daily news conferences that stretched to an hour in order to provide details and a full range of assistance for victims.

A Democrat, Beshear narrowly defeated a Republican incumbent in 2019, and he’s seeking a second term in 2023.

Polling has shown him consistently with strong approval ratings from Kentuckians. But several prominent Republicans have entered the governor’s race, taking turns pounding the governor for his aggressive pandemic response and trying to tie him to Biden and rising inflation.

Beshear comments frequently about the toll surging inflation is taking in eating at Kentuckians’ budgets. He has avoided blaming the president, instead pointing to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and supply chain bottlenecks as contributors to rising consumer costs.

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Schreiner reported from Frankfort, Kentucky and Megerian reported from Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.

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9 wounded, police search for 2 shooters

9 wounded, police search for 2 shooters

Nine people were injured and at least two shooters are still at large after a shooting in Cincinnati’s Over-the-Rhine neighborhood on Sunday. A night of fun turned into a chaotic scene with many running as gunfire erupted on Main Street. Cincinnati police told WLWT just before 12 pm Monday, that they don’t have any updates at this time. Here’s what we do know: Nine people were shot after an argument between two groups of people turned into a shootout, at the corner of Main and Woodward streets. Police said at least two people fired shots and they are still at large. The victims range in age from 23 to 47. One victim is a woman, the rest are men. All have been treated and released from the hospital. The shooting unfolded just before closing time at bars in Over-the-Rhine, so the street was packed with people. There were also extra patrols in the area at the time of the shooting because Cincinnati police said they had already beefed up patrols in the area due to other disturbances and gatherings of large crowds in the last month. 15 shots were fired. Police said Officer Joe Shook was able to fire a shot at one of the two people firing a weapon. Police said they don’t know if the gunman was hit. He was last seen running toward Ziegler Park.”When that individual left the scene, there were more shots fired south on Main Street so we know we have at least two people firing,” said Cincinnati Police Department Lt. Colonel Mike John. Councilman and former officer Scotty Johnson said the shooting is a harsh reminder to have personal accountability.”We want everybody to have a good time and enjoy our city.. We want everybody to come downtown and have a good time, but personal accountability has to trump these ridiculous outlandish beefs that are going on in our city,” Johnson said. Monday at 5:30 pm, there will be mental health services provided in conjunction with Talbert House and The City of Cincinnati for service industry in Over-the-Rhine who have been impacted by Sunday’s gun violence. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Cincinnati Police Department are offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of those involved in the shooting. Anyone having information about this incident should call ATF at 1-888-ATF-TIPS (888-283-8477). Tips can also be made to 513-413-4625 or to Crime Stoppers at 513-352-3040. People can also email [email protected], or contact ATF through its website at www.atf.gov/contact/atf-tips. Tips may also be submitted to ATF using the ReportIt® app, available on both Google Play and the Apple App Store, or by visiting www.reportit.com.

CINCINNATI—

Nine people were injured and at least two shooters are still at large after a shooting in Cincinnati’s Over-the-Rhine neighborhood on Sunday.

A night of fun turned into a chaotic scene with many running as gunfire erupted on Main Street.

Cincinnati police told WLWT just before 12 pm Monday, that they don’t have any updates at this time.

Here’s what we do know:

Nine people were shot after an argument between two groups of people turned into a shootout, at the corner of Main and Woodward streets.

Police said at least two people fired shots and they are still at large.

The victims range in age from 23 to 47. One victim is a woman, the rest are men.

All have been treated and released from the hospital.

The shooting unfolded just before closing time at bars in Over-the-Rhine, so the street was packed with people.

There were also extra patrols in the area at the time of the shooting because Cincinnati police said they had already beefed up patrols in the area due to other disturbances and gatherings of large crowds in the last month.

15 shots were fired.

Police said Officer Joe Shook was able to fire a shot at one of the two people firing a weapon.

Police said they don’t know if the gunman was hit. He was last seen running toward Ziegler Park.

“When that individual left the scene, there were more shots fired south on Main Street so we know we have at least two people firing,” said Cincinnati Police Department Lt. Colonel Mike John.

Councilman and former officer Scotty Johnson said the shooting is a harsh reminder to have personal accountability.

“We want everybody to have a good time and enjoy our city.. We want everybody to come downtown and have a good time, but personal accountability has to trump these ridiculous outlandish beefs that are going on in our city,” Johnson said.

Monday at 5:30 pm, there will be mental health services provided in conjunction with Talbert House and The City of Cincinnati for service industry in Over-the-Rhine who have been impacted by Sunday’s gun violence.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Cincinnati Police Department are offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of those involved in the shooting.

Anyone having information about this incident should call ATF at 1-888-ATF-TIPS (888-283-8477). Tips can also be made to 513-413-4625 or to Crime Stoppers at 513-352-3040.

People can also email [email protected], or contact ATF through its website at www.atf.gov/contact/atf-tips. Tips may also be submitted to ATF using the ReportIt® app, available on both Google Play and the Apple App Store, or by visiting www.reportit.com.

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White House tries again to rebrand Biden, this time as ‘dark Brandon’

White House tries again to rebrand Biden, this time as 'dark Brandon'

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Multiple White House staffers and Democrats have taken to social media attempting to rebrand President Biden as “dark Brandon” amid a series of legislative victories.

“Dark Brandon is crushing it,” Andrew Bates, the White House deputy press secretary, tweeted Sunday evening along with an image of Biden with laser eyes.

“Your malarkey has been going on for long enough, kiddo,” read the image’s caption.

Bates then tweeted another meme with the captions “the malarkey will end” and “the dark Brandon rises” in response to a tweet criticizing his initial post. The image appeared to depict Biden as Batman.

REPUBLICANS SAY DEMOCRATS WILL ‘PAY THE PRICE’ IN MIDTERMS FOR PASSING MASSIVE SPENDING BILL

But conservatives pointed out that the second image tweeted by Bates included an eagle imagery resembling the logo used by the Nazi Party in the 1930s.

“Personally, I’m not surprised that you’re tweeting out Nazi eagle imagery of your boss who reminisces about his segregationist ‘mentor,'” Abigail Marone, a spokesperson for Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., tweeted.

“‘Dark Brandon’ started as Chinese propaganda and then the White House co-opted it using Nazi Eagle imagery…” Alec Sears, a digital staffer at the Republican National Committee, tweeted. “They’re not sending their best.”

“In 2020, the Trump campaign faced a week of stories and fact checks about a t-shirt with an eagle on it,” Tim Murtaugh, the communications director for former President Trump’s 2020 campaign, tweeted. “Let’s see if a tweet from an official Biden White House account gets the same treatment.”

However, the apparent creator of the image said Monday that the image was never intended to be the “Reichsadler” seen in Nazi imagery, in an interview with The Washington Post. He said it was meant to represent a bald eagle instead.

The White House suggested the Nazi imagery allegation originated from Jack Posobiec, a conservative commentator linked to conspiracy theories.

“Who could have guessed that some Pizzagate/QAnon guy lies?” Bates told Fox News Digital in an email. “Have y’all seen this, though?”

Bates then pointed to a tweet Monday containing allegations from Gen. Mark Milleythe chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, that former President Trump insisted US generals be more like “German generals in World War II.”

The “Dark Brandon” moniker appears to have started on Twitter in March among anonymous Biden supporters seeking to create an “edgy” version of the president, according to an online meme database. The meme also seeks to co-opt the “let’s go Brandon” meme that originated among conservatives online and has become popular for those that oppose the Biden administration’s agenda.

EXHAUSTED BERNIE SANDERS ‘MORE IRRITABLE THAN USUAL’ AFTER PROPOSALS KEEP DYING WITH VIRTUALLY NO SUPPORT

In addition, Rob Flaherty, the White House director of digital strategy, tweeted an image of Biden with laser eyes. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., also appeared to parrot the “dark Brandon” meme, posting an animation of Biden without pupils without a caption Sunday.

Megan Apper, who left the White House earlier this year to join the State Department, joined in on the “Dark Brandon” tweets, tweeting, “Dark Brandon said ‘here’s the deal’ and then there was a deal.”

The apparent rebranding of Biden comes after several victories Democrats said showed the president has been successful overcoming gridlock on Capitol Hill.

In June, Biden signed a gun control bill that incentivizes states to approve red flag laws and introduce increased background checks, and last week, Biden signed the $280 billion Chips and Science Act, which increases funding for the domestic semiconductor supply chain.

President Biden speaks about inflation and supply chain issues in Los Angeles.

President Biden speaks about inflation and supply chain issues in Los Angeles.
(AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

And, on Sunday, the Senate approved the Inflation Reduction Act, a sweeping budget reconciliation package that would introduce new green energy incentives and attempt to lower pharmaceutical prices.

“For decades, the gun lobby and the oil companies and the drug industry controlled Washington. And ordinary people suffered,” Murphy tweeted. “and [sic] then, in one summer, all that changed. The first gun safety bill in 30 years. Historic climate change legislation. Caps on drug costs. Just wow.”

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However, conservatives were quick to criticize Democrats claiming victory and rebranding Biden as “dark Brandon.”

“You can try to Dark Brandon meme your way out of sub-40 approval ratings all you want, but throwing hundreds of billions at green boondoggles in the middle of an inflationary spiral isn’t going to turn things around,” conservative commentator Ben Shapiro tweeted Monday.

Editor’s note: This piece has been updated with a quote from a White House spokesperson.

Thomas Catenacci is a politics writer at Fox News Digital

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3 charged with helping alleged Mall of America shooters flee

3 charged with helping alleged Mall of America shooters flee

Two cousins ​​who work at a hotel near the Mall of America and one of their friends were charged with felonies Monday accusing them of helping two men escape after one of them fired three rounds inside a crowded mall store.

Denesh Raghubir, 21, of Minneapolis; Selena Raghubir, 23, of Bloomington; and Delyanie Kwen-Shawn Arnold, 23, of Burnsville, were charged with aiding an offender to avoid arrest. They were being held in the Hennepin County jail Monday evening while two suspects remain at large.

Court documents identify the shooter as Shamar Alon Lark, 21, of Minneapolis, who is shown in security videos with Rashad Jamal May, 22, of Burnsville, fleeing a fight between four other individuals that led to Lark firing several shots.

Warrants were issued for May and Lark, who faced a slew of gun charges including second-degree assault, felony discharge of a dangerous weapon and felony possession without a permit. May is charged with aiding an offender.

Lark is on probation for a shooting in September near SE. 26th and Delaware avenues. Responding officers saw Lark and another male flee the area of ​​the shooting, and he was later apprehended while in possession of a firearm. He was charged with carrying a pistol without a permit.

At a Monday afternoon news conference, Bloomington Police Chief Booker Hodges held up driver’s license photos of Lark and May.

“You cannot come shoot up a mall and think that you’re gonna get away with it. We’re not gonna allow that to happen,” Hodges said. “Mr. May and Mr. Lark, please turn yourselves in. Please, but understand our detectives and officers are not going to rest until they have you in custody.”

According to charging documents:

May drove Lark’s vehicle to the mall, arriving around 4 pm Thursday. It was left in the parking ramp and towed to the Bloomington Police Department, where officers searched the vehicle and found IDs for both men as well as a handgun holster in the trunk.

Three cartridges were found inside the main entrance of the Nike store after officers responded to the shooting shortly before 4:20 pm Security video shows a fight broke out before May and Lark left the store briefly. Lark returned and fired a handgun in the direction of the fight. He then ran out the north doors with May and into the IKEA parking lot where they could no longer been seen on surveillance.

The men were picked up by a Best Western hotel shuttle at IKEA and taken to the hotel just south of the mall. Officers interviewed the bus driver, Raghubir, who told police he dropped them off and last saw them smoking outside the hotel.

Officers obtained a search warrant for May’s phone which showed that two minutes after the shooting, he called Arnold, who in return called May five times between 4:20 and 4:23 pm

Arnold then called his girlfriend, Selena Raghubir, an assistant manager at the hotel who is a cousin of the shuttle bus driver. The couple exchanged calls with May around 4:30 pm

Ten minutes later, the bus driver is shown on surveillance picking up Lark and May at IKEA and dropping them off at the back side of the hotel, where a vehicle registered to Selena Raghubir followed.

Hotel management said that Denesh Raghubir is not the regular shuttle bus driver. He has admitted to police that his cousin was friends with May and Lark and he recognized them.

“When he dropped the two off at Best Western, Selena Raghubir immediately left the front desk and he did not see her for about 45 minutes. He stated that Selena Raghubir later called him and asked what time the police left,” according to court documents .

Phone records later show May and Arnold at Arnold’s Bristol Village address in Bloomington.

The day after the shooting, police executed a search warrant at the Bloomington residence where Arnold lives with Selena Raghubir. Inside her vehicle police found an orange T-shirt May wore and white tank top Lark wore at the time of the shooting.

Police say that the assistance and misinformation provided by Arnold and the Raghubirs “resulted in the flight of Lark and May and the interference in the investigation.”

The three remain in custody and make their first court appearance Tuesday afternoon.

Hodges said that because police believed Lark and May were in the hotel, it was locked down and searched, wasting valuable investigative time.

“We were there for a long time when we could have been looking for them,” he said.

Bloomington Mayor Tim Busse praised police in a tweet for their “continued outstanding work” and called the suspects “cowards who fired shots into a crowded store at MOA.”

“People with no respect for others, and anyone who helps them, will be held accountable,” Busse wrote.

Meanwhile, business was returning to normal at the Mall of America.

Logan Rieger, 28, an assistant manager at the Under Armor store, who was near the shooting, said that there were onlookers Monday checking out the scene, but there were also quite a few who didn’t know anything had gone on.

About 75 people ended up crowding in his store when the shots rang out last week, he said. Some huddled behind anything they could hide. Rieger took the next day off work to “reset.” When he returned over the weekend, he said that there was a “noticeable increase” in security.

Intern Katelyn Vue contributed to this report.

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US

York, Pa., police investigating two suspicious deaths

York, Pa., police investigating two suspicious deaths

JERRY IT WILL TAKE AN AUTOPSY TO KNOW FOR SURE, BUT POLICE ARE LOOKING AT THE POSSIBILITY THAT THIS MAY BE DRUG RELATED. FIVE PEOPLE FOUND INSIDE A HOME IN THE 600 BLOCK OF WEST LOCUST STREET SUNDAY EVENING. A 48 YEAR OLD MAN WAS DEAD OF 38, RATHER, 37 YEAR OLD WOMAN WOULD DIE AT THE HOSPITAL. THREE OTHERS NEEDED TO BE HOSPITALIZED. ACROSS THE WESTERN NEIGHBORHOOD, PEOPLE WERE SHOCKED BUT DECLINED TO TALK ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED. EVEN IF IT’S DRUG RELATED, WE STILL LOOK AT THOSE AS A CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION AND WE LOOK INTO WHO SUPPLIED THE DRUGS. WHAT HAVE YOU. NOW POLICE KNOW WHO THE VICTIMS ARE, BUT THE NAMES HAVE NOT BEEN RELEASED. AN AUTOPSY IS SET FOR TOMORROW

York police investigating two suspicious deaths

Police in York are investigating two suspicious deaths. Police said they were called to a home on the 600 block of West Locust Street on Sunday around 7 pm for a report of several people who were unconscious. Officers said they found five people in need of medical attention. One person was pronounced dead in the home. A second person died at the hospital. The victims were identified only as a 48-year-old man and a 37-year-old woman. The deaths could be drug-related, but that has yet to be confirmed. The deaths are under investigation.”Even if it’s drug-related, we still look at those as a criminal investigation. We look into who supplied the drugs, what have you,” Det. Sgt. Kyle Hower said.The other three people were treated at York Hospital.TipsIf you have any information that could help investigators, you can contact them in any of the following ways:Submit an online tip here.Call the York City Police Tip Line at 717-849-2204. Call the York City Police Department at 717-846-1234 or 717-849-2219. Email Det. Baez: [email protected].

YORK, Pa.—

Police in York are investigating two suspicious deaths.

Police said they were called to a home on the 600 block of West Locust Street on Sunday around 7 pm for a report of several people who were unaware.

Officers said they found five people in need of medical attention.

One person was pronounced dead in the home. A second person died at the hospital.

The victims were identified only as a 48-year-old man and a 37-year-old woman.

The deaths could be drug-related, but that has yet to be confirmed. The deaths are under investigation.

“Even if it’s drug-related, we still look at those as a criminal investigation. We look into who supplied the drugs, what have you,” Det. Sgt. Kyle Hower said.

The other three people were treated at York Hospital.

Tips

If you have any information that could help investigators, you can contact them in any of the following ways:

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US

Tucker Carlson ‘Shitting Himself’ Scared That His Alex Jones Texts May Leak

Tucker Carlson 'Shitting Himself' Scared That His Alex Jones Texts May Leak

This reporting appears as one of several scoops featured in this week’s edition of trust, the newsletter pulling back the curtain on the media. Subscribe here and send your questions, tips, and complaints here.

Tucker Carlson is “shitting himself” over the possibility that texts between him and far-right conspiracy loon Alex Jones will leak, a source close to the Fox News star told Confider.

Carlson and the raving Infowars ranter trade text messages on a daily basis, according to two people familiar with their relationship. If made public, these sources said, the text messages would be “highly embarrassing” for Carlson.

Two years’ worth of text messages sent and received by Jones are now in the possession of the US House committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection after the far-right conspiracy king’s lawyers accidentally sent a digital copy of all his texts to the lawyers representing the families affected by the Sandy Hook elementary school massacre, which Jones repeatedly dubbed a “hoax.” (Last week, a Texas jury ruled that Jones must pay a combined $49 million in compensatory and punitive damages to the parents of one of the schoolchildren killed in that 2012 mass shooting.)

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The lawyer representing the families, Mark Bankston, has publicly said the texts include “intimate messages” between Jones and self-described “dirty trickster” Roger Stone, who melted down on Telegram and called for Jones to sue his own attorney.

Carlson and Jones have maintained a friendly relationship for years. The Fox News primetime star has made multiple appearances on Infowars, gushed over Jones’ unhinged rhetoric, branded him “more talented than I am,” and supplied a fawning blurb for the bullshitting blowhard’s upcoming book.

“Maybe Alex Jones is onto something,” Carlson wrote of his pal on the back cover of The Great Reset: And the War for the World. “Read this book and decide for yourself who’s crazy.”

Carlson and Jones did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

Subscribe to the Confider newsletter here and have The Daily Beast media team’s stellar reporting sent straight to your inbox every Monday night.

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