Author: leeheidhues

I am a Green Party member, legal worker, walker, cyclist who follows politics, world events, 🌎 the literary world and 🎥 film

Woman Arrested at Mar-a-Lago. Had Cache of Electronics. Deemed flight risk

The Wall Street Journal and its scandal sheet style reporting.  A story better suited for The New York Post.  Reads like a made for TV docudrama.  It’s all here.  Espionage, Prostitution and China.  Wow!!!

Wall Street Journal  – 4.15.2019

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.—A federal judge ordered that a Chinese woman arrested for entering President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort without authorization be held in jail while she awaits trial.

Yujing Zhang, 33 years old, had a cache of electronics when she was detained, including a device that can detect hidden cameras, four cellphones and nine USB drives, according to prosecutors.

A federal grand jury indicted her on Friday for making false statements, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, and unlawfully entering a restricted building or grounds, which is punishable by up to a year in prison.

U.S. Magistrate Judge William Matthewman denied Ms. Zhang bond at a detention hearing Monday, saying that there was a serious risk she would flee ahead of trial or not show up for it, as prosecutors argued. He said he found it suspicious that Ms. Zhang had so much electronic equipment and cash, and found inconsistencies in her statements to authorities troubling.

“It does appear to the court that Ms. Zhang was up to something nefarious,” Judge Matthewman said.

Ms. Zhang also was arraigned at Monday’s hearing, and her attorneys entered a not guilty plea on her behalf.

The case has focused scrutiny on potential security vulnerabilities at Mar-a-Lago and efforts by foreign and domestic parties to bypass regular protocols in seeking access to Mr. Trump and his advisers.

When Ms. Zhang arrived at Mar-a-Lago on March 30, she first told a U.S. Secret Service agent that she was there to visit the pool. She was allowed to enter, likely as a result of confusion over whether she was a relative of a club member with the same last name, according to a criminal complaint.

Yujing Zhang II 4.16.2019.jpeg

At a second checkpoint, Ms. Zhang told a receptionist she was there to attend a “United Nations Friendship Event,” which didn’t exist, according to the indictment. “As the defendant then and there well knew, no such event was scheduled at Mar-a-Lago and its grounds,” the indictment said.

Kristy Militello, an assistant federal public defender representing Ms. Zhang, said her client went to Mar-a-Lago to attend what she believed was a networking event. The attorney submitted evidence that Ms. Zhang paid the equivalent of about $20,000 to one of the event’s promoters, Chinese businessman Charles Lee.

Mr. Lee has ties to Cindy Yang, the former owner of a day spa where police say they recently videotaped male customers paying for sexual services; among those charged in late February with soliciting prostitution was New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft.

Ms. Militello argued that Ms. Zhang followed proper procedures when she arrived at Mar-a-Lago, presenting herself at the main entrance and showing two Chinese passports. The attorney argued that Ms. Zhang wasn’t facing charges of espionage and that she had “every incentive to appear for court” to clear her name. She asked the judge to allow Ms. Zhang to be released on a $250,000 bond.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Rolando Garcia argued that Ms. Zhang presented a serious risk of flight and urged the judge to keep her in detention. He said a preliminary analysis of text messages on Ms. Zhang’s cellphones showed that she was notified on March 26, four days before the event she was scheduled to attend, that it had been canceled.

Mr. Garcia also provided an update on an analysis of a thumb drive Ms. Zhang had that prosecutors initially said contained malware. Upon further examination, he said, that finding could be a “false positive,” though additional analysis is needed.

Judge Matthewman said he found numerous aspects of Ms. Zhang’s case concerning, including that she came in close proximity to computers at Mar-a-Lago while carrying several electronic devices. The judge also cited the evidence that Ms. Zhang apparently knew the Mar-a-Lago event was canceled before she traveled to the U.S. from China.

“The weight of the evidence against Ms. Zhang is quite strong,” Judge Matthewman said

Paris Historic 12th Century Notre Dame Cathedral in Flames

Breaking News 4.15.2019

BBC – 4.15.2019 10:45AM San Francisco Time

A fire has broken out at the famous Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris.

The cause of the blaze was not immediately clear, but officials say that it could be linked to renovation work.

Images on social media show plumes of smoke billowing into the air above the 850-year-old Gothic building.

Last year, the Catholic Church in France launched an urgent appeal for funds to save the cathedral, which was starting to crumble.

A major operation is under way to tackle the blaze, which broke out on Monday afternoon. An area surrounding the building in central Paris has been cleared, officials said.

Notre Dame Fire III 4.15.2019.jpg

SF sex-trafficking case. Why would judge free defendant? Answer. She didn’t.

Excellent incisive and heartfelt reporting by Heather Knight.  Read the article in full by accessing the link.

Excerpted from San Francisco Chronicle 4.14.2019

Spending time inside the decrepit concrete box that is San Francisco’s Hall of Justice is never pleasant, but a hearing there Tuesday was particularly stomach-churning.

The perfunctory meeting in the bland courtroom lasted just a few minutes, but the reason for it couldn’t have been more important. Would a man held over for trial on eight felony counts of pimping and sex trafficking underage girls, and engaging in unlawful sex with a 15-year-old, be released as he awaited trial?

San Francisco Superior Court judges have a reputation for being too lenientin this liberal, live-and-let-live city, where it’s easy to see crimes happen before your eyes. In broad daylight. On crowded streets. With seemingly no repercussions. Think drug dealing, breaking into cars, shoplifting and chopping up stolen bicycles, to name just a few.

At a hearing April 5, Judge Kay Tsenin (photo below)  indicated she was open to releasing him. Despite the fact she’d presided over his December preliminary hearing, which was full of graphic, devastating testimony about his treatment of teenage girls. Despite the fact she had ordered him to stand trial on all the charges. Despite the fact that if he is found guilty at trial, he could face 25 years or more in state prison. Despite him not showing up for past court dates.

Judge Kay Tsenin 4.14.2019.jpg

Tsenin said Stovall would have to wear a GPS monitoring device on his ankle.

But, according to Assistant District Attorney Asha Jameson (top photo), who vehemently fought Stovall’s release, the Sheriff’s Department has just two deputies to monitor the 190 people currently wearing monitoring devices. And the deputies can monitor only where the defendants are, not if they’re committing crimes. And guess who’s responsible for keeping the monitors charged? The defendants!

Perhaps the smartest thing Jameson did was alert advocates for victims of sex trafficking, a few of whom showed up to the hearing. I was there too. Tsenin, whose last day on the job before retiring happened to be Tuesday, ended up making the right decision.

“My job is to protect society, so I’m going to deny your motion,” Tsenin said. “Sorry.”

Don’t be sorry, judge.

https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/heatherknight/article/In-SF-sex-trafficking-case-why-would-judge-even-13761442.php

Prominent rabbis shown in anti-vax pamphlet aimed at Orthodox Brooklyn parents

Normally I would never post (pardon the pun) anything from  scandal rag The New York Post. But, there’s always the exception when a story elaborates on how ridiculous it is when religious dogma impacts the safety of the population at large.

New York Post 4.14.2019

New York Post 4.14.2019

A computerized pamphlet that bears the names of leading rabbis — and warns of decidedly non-kosher vaccine ingredients like animal organs — is being circulated among ultra-Orthodox Jewish moms in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

The 40-page “Vaccine Safety Handbook” bills itself as “An Informed Parent’s Guide” and says it was prepared by a group called Parents Educating & Advocating for Children’s Health, or P.E.A.C.H.

The pamphlet includes quotes attributed to Israeli Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky and Rabbi Shmuel Kaminetsky of Philadelphia that say schools shouldn’t turn away unvaccinated children.

It also claims that vaccines are made from ingredients that include “human cells from aborted fetuses,” “rabbit brain” and “monkey kidney” — all of which can’t be consumed under Jewish law.

A 25-year-old mother of four who gave her name as Breindy told The Post she decided not to vaccinate her kids after “a friend forwarded me a PDF of the handbook.”

Measles NYC III 4.14.2019.jpg

“When I read through it, it confirmed a lot of things I’d been suspicious about,” she said. Breindy also said she was heavily influenced by the rabbis mentioned in the pamphlet, calling them “Gedolei HaDor,” Hebrew for “greatest of their generation.”

“These aren’t just local no-name rabbis,” she said.

Another Williamsburg mom, who identified herself as Esther, 25, said her three kids all had measles and blasted city officials for ordering mandatory vaccinations against the disease. “I was glad that they got it the way God intended them to get it,” she said.

As soon as I saw those names, I knew I wasn’t going to vaccinate my  children.”

 

A pal with a baby who identified herself as Gitty, 28, also said all five of her kids had measles.

“God created all humans perfectly. My children are perfect and beautiful,” she said.

“It’s my religious belief. I will never put anything in my child to alter their immune system.”

But Menachem Genack, CEO of the Orthodox Union — which certifies kosher foods — said it’s “completely irrelevant” how vaccines get made.

“It’s not an edible substance. It’s not ingested through the mouth. So kashrut [kosher laws] doesn’t come into play,” he said.

https://nypost.com/2019/04/09/prominent-rabbis-shown-in-anti-vax-pamphlet-aimed-at-orthodox-brooklyn-parents/

 

 

Julian Assange’s charges are a direct assault on press freedom

Every Picture Tells a Story – Ongoing Series

Excerpted from The Guardian 4.12.2019

The charge sheet accusing Julian Assange of engaging in criminal theft of US state secrets contains a direct assault on fundamental press freedoms and could have a devastating effect on the basic acts of journalism, leading first amendment scholars and advocacy groups have warned.

Prosecutors in the eastern district of Virginia released on Thursday an indictment against the WikiLeaks founder that has been under seal since March 2018. It will now form the basis of the US government’s request for Assange to be extradited from the UK to Alexandria to face trial.

Chelsea Manning.  Currently in jail for refusing to testify before US Grand Jury

Academics and campaigners condemned large chunks of the indictment that they said went head-to-head with basic activities of journalism protected by the first amendment of the US constitution. They said these sections of the charges rang alarm bells that should reverberate around the world.

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2019/apr/12/julian-assange-charges-press-freedom-journalism

Nihilist in Chief. Banal, Evil, Destructive Reign of Mitch McConnell

Fascinating feature length article. Required reading for political afficianados.

Excerpted from The New Republic 3.21.2019

Mitch McConnell is just what he looks like: a man serenely unbothered by anything he’s done to get his power or anything he’s done with it, having few friends but many allies.

As Trump’s presidency has predictably proved to be a series of outrages and self-inflicted national crises, punctuated with periodic updates on all the crimes and should-be-crimes his friends, associates, and children have committed, McConnell has receded into the wallpaper. It’s another of his special political talents. During that historic shutdown, he simply vanished for days at a time, letting his louder, dimmer counterpart in the Democratic minority, New York Senator Chuck Schumer, make himself the face of the Senate side of the negotiations. And the thing is, with every other major player in Washington desperate to get in front of a camera, this strategy works astoundingly well at deflecting attention and blame for things that are absolutely your own fault.

Mitch McConnell IV TNR 4.11.2019.jpeg

Recounting McConnell’s handling of a prior crisis, Bloomberg Businessweek writer Joshua Green described his strategy well: “McConnell nevertheless manipulates the press masterfully, using methods that are head-smackingly obvious and yet still elude most politicians. He knows exactly what he wants to say, repeats it with emphasis, then stops.” For those wondering how he’ll react if the government shuts down again, or if Trump causes some constitutional crisis by firing everyone investigating him, or if John Bolton declares war on Sweden, there’s your answer.

McConnell and his first wife would be divorced. Sherrill Redmon (shown in photo below)  went on, improbably, to become the director of the Sophia Smith collection of Women’s History at Smith College, where she collaborated with Gloria Steinem on the Voices of Feminism Oral History Project. He does not bring her up often.

Mitch McConnell I TNR 4.11.2019.jpeg

https://newrepublic.com/article/153275/mitch-mcconnell-profile-nihilist-chief

 

In the Fade. Sobering German film

I am watching the gripping, intense and ultimately sad German film In the Fade.  The story of a young mother whose Turkish husband and six year old son are assassinated by Nazis in Hamburg.  The acting is very personal and effective. The courtroom scenes illuminating the German justice system are fascinating. The ferocity with which the main character seeks justice is intense.

In the Fade (German: Aus dem Nichts) is a 2017 German drama film written and directed by Fatih Akin. It stars Diane Kruger as a German woman whose husband and son are killed in a terrorist attack perpetrated by neo-Nazis. It was selected to compete for the Palme d’Or in the main competition section at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival, where Kruger won the Best Actress award. It was selected as the German entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 90th Academy Awards, making the December shortlist,  but it was ultimately not nominated. It did, however, win the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

In the Fade II 4.10.2019

Photo above – Two Neo Nazis accused of murder and their lawyers.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_the_Fade

 

The end piece to In the Fade. The haunting “I Know Places.”

“White Nationalist”Stephen Miller. Racist and Xenophobic. Trump’s Josef Goebbels

(UPDATE) One follower of this Blog post noted that White House adviser Stephen Miller is to Trump like Josef Goebbels was to Adolf Hitler.

Congressman Ilhan Omar (D-Minnesota) is being attacked  for calling racist, xenophobic Stephen Miller a “White Nationalist.”  The Congresswoman’s detractors are trying  once again to foist the “anti-semitic” label on Ms. Omar.  Correctly calling out someone for being a “White Nationalist” has nothing to do with Judaism. Rabid shameless Republicans and some misguided Democrats will go to any length to destroy the Muslim legislator.  Stephen Miller is the shadow image of Boss Trump. 

Excerpted from The Washington Post 4.9.2019

A familiar story line played out Monday night for Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), who condemned one of President Trump’s most trusted advisers, only to end up being accused of anti-Semitism.

“Stephen Miller is a white nationalist,” she tweeted Monday afternoon. “The fact that he still has influence on policy and political appointments is an outrage.”

Stephen Miller 4.9.2019.jpg

Because Miller, Trump’s senior policy adviser, is Jewish, Omar’s fervent detractors on the right viewed her comments not as incendiary criticism of Miller’s hard-line immigration policies but instead as part of a pattern of targeting Jews.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2019/04/09/rep-ilhan-omar-called-stephen-miller-white-nationalist-gop-critics-accused-her-anti-semitism/?utm_term=.f3e48fa31a0d

Dubs sell their soul. Swap soulful Oaktown for $$$ San Francisco.

Politics, sports and money are Intertwined.

Excerpted from The Guardian 4.9.2019

There is no precedent in American pro sports for the relocation that the Golden State Warriors will make this summer from Oracle Arena, their unlovely yet beloved home in Oakland for the past 47 years, to the $1bn Chase Center, located across the bay near downtown San Francisco and stocked with all the amenities that 21st century sports fans supposedly require (luxury suites, locally harvested avocado toast) and that 21st century superstar athletes definitely require, like locker rooms that don’t flood.

What’s more, the story of the Warriors is inextricably linked to Oakland’s racial and political fabric at a key moment in post-civil rights USA, not to mention in the NBA’s evolution as a league, both on the court (Nellieball!) and off it, from a niche league with a primarily African American fanbase to what it is now: the most dynamic league in America, led by Steph Curry, a superstar whose mere physical appearance – light skin, boyish smile – reflects for many black NBA fans the gradual whitening of the league and the erosion of the game’s inner-city roots. And nothing – nothing – drives that feeling home for the city of Oakland like their Warriors leaving for upscale, IPO-inflated, impenetrably expensive, lily-white San Francisco.

For one thing, the Warriors are the first of two pro franchises that the city of Oakland will lose in the next 12 months. The Raiders will be right behind them, relocating to Las Vegas in 2020. And yet, even though the Raiders are leaving the state entirely, the Warriors’ departure for San Francisco – wealthy, impenetrable, white; everything Oakland isn’t – may be the more painful exit of the two.

Warriors II 4.9.2019

Don’t say that in the presence of a Raiders fan unless you want your head split with a pole axe, but the fact is, the Raiders have already left once (for Los Angeles) and as long as Al Davis’s nitwit son owns the team there’s no reason to think they won’t be back. After all, this wouldn’t be the first shotgun marriage in Vegas to go wrong in a hurry.

What’s really unusual here is the combination of a team with a legendarily rabid fanbase at once staying close to home and moving to another world entirely. The Warriors are moving from a place (Oakland) where everyone is a Warriors fan to another place (San Francisco) where everyone is a Warriors fan – but something much more elemental about the team is going to change along with the zip code. In true Silicon Valley fashion, Golden State’s relocation – they played their final regular season game at the Oracle on Sunday night – is like gene therapy, a rewriting of the core DNA of a franchise that forged its identity in Oakland and in direct opposition to what its fancy new home represents.