The video of Memphis police beating a Black man who died after a traffic stop on Jan. 7 reminded civil rights attorney Ben Crump of the assault on Rodney King, Crump said after viewing the police bodycam recording with the man’s family on Monday.

Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old father of a 4-year-old boy, died in the hospital on Jan. 10 of injuries he sustained during his arrest by five officers, all of whom have been fired.

“He was defenseless the entire time. He was a human pinata for those police officers,” attorney Antonio Romanucci, Crump’s co-counsel, told reporters.

“It was an unadulterated, unabashed, nonstop beating of this young boy for three minutes. That is what we saw in that video,” he said, adding, “There were multiple uses of force against him.”

The attorneys said local, state and federal investigators promised to release the bodycam video to the public within a week or two. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigations, FBI and Justice Department are investigating the incident in addition to Memphis police and the Shelby County District attorney.

The police department determined after its investigation that the officers violated multiple policies, including using excessive force, failing to intervene and failing to render aid.

Crump said the video reminded him of the landmark video of Los Angeles police beating King in 1991, sparking violent protests and reforms in the department.

“Regrettably, it reminded us of (the) Rodney King video,” said Crump, who previously represented the families of George Floyd and Trayvon Martin. “Regrettably, unlike Rodney King, Tyre didn’t survive.”

The last words heard on the video were Nichols calling for his mother three times, Crump said.

“He was less than 80 yards (73 meters) away when they murdered him. Yes, I say murder,” said Nichols’ mother, RowVaughn Wells.

People who knew Nichols said he was an accomplished skateboarder who had recently enrolled in a photography class and came home to his mother during his lunch break from his job at FedEx.

“My son didn’t do no drugs. He didn’t carry no guns. He didn’t like confrontation. None of that. That’s why this is so hard,” she said.

Memphis police are cooperating, said Chief Cerelyn Davis.

“Transparency remains a priority in this incident, and a premature release (of the video) could adversely impact the criminal investigation and the judicial process,” she said.

Relatives told WREG television it was especially hurtful because all the officers involved were Black.

Crump said he has found that the race of the citizen in these cases tends to the determining factor in the amount of excessive force exerted, not that of the officers involved.

Memphis police on Friday identified the former officers as Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills, Jr., and Justin Smith. Each had served with the department about 2-1/2 to 5 years.

A photo of a bloodied, intubated Nichols released to the public helped fuel multiple days of protests and calls of “Justice for Tyre” in Memphis, a city of 630,000 that is 65% Black.

In an echo of the Cold War, Russian authorities blacklisted on Monday a U.S.-based foundation named for Andrei Sakharov, the late Soviet-era dissident physicist known for supporting nuclear disarmament, international cooperation, and human rights.

Due to “a study of received materials,” the prosecutor general’s office said, the Andrei Sakharov Foundation in the United States had been added to a list of foreign and international non-governmental organizations whose activities were “recognized as undesirable” on Russian territory.

The foundation, headquartered about a half-hour drive southwest of Washington DC, did not respond immediately to an email seeking comment.

It was unclear what impact the decision would have on the work of the foundation, which says it seeks to build a world where the words of the 1975 Nobel laureate are heard, and one that is a “safer and more just place”.

Sakharov’s life and legacy sparked many prizes and initiatives. He was one of the founders of the Russian human rights organization Memorial, which won a Nobel prize last year while battling with authorities seeking to seize its archive of records of historical and contemporary state repression.

Sakharov died in Moscow in December 1989 at age 68.

German defence group Rheinmetall (RHMG.DE) could deliver 139 Leopard battle tanks to Ukraine if required, a spokesperson for the company told media group RND.

Germany is coming under intense pressure from Ukraine and some NATO allies, such as Poland, to allow Kyiv to be supplied with German-made Leopard 2 tanks for its defence against Russia’s invasion.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has so far held back from supplying the tanks or allowing other NATO countries to do so.

Manufacturer Rheinmetall could deliver 29 Leopard 2A4 tanks by April/May and a further 22 of the same model around the end of 2023 or early 2024, the spokesperson was quoted as saying.

It could also supply 88 older Leopard 1 tanks, the person said, without giving a timeframe for their potential delivery.

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• Top companies in corporate America, including Google, Amazon, and Goldman Sachs are cutting jobs. 
• Nearly 40% of US workers “are nervous about being laid off,” according to a recent LinkedIn survey.
• Insider’s guide has all the information you need about layoffs to help you land on your feet.

Some of the biggest names in corporate America are cutting jobs. 

While layoffs overall remain historically low, household names like Amazon, Microsoft, Goldman Sachs, Google, and Spotify have collectively shed tens and thousands of workers in recent weeks.

And as companies around the country scramble to get ahead of a possible recession, American workers are worried. Nearly 40% of US workers said they “are nervous about being laid off,” according to a recent LinkedIn survey of more than 2,000 US employees conducted in December.

If you’ve recently lost your job — or are afraid you will lose it soon — Insider has your back. We’ve compiled a guide with everything you need to know about reading the signs that your job is in jeopardy, collecting severance and unemployment benefits, handling retirement savings and health insurance, as well as taking care your mental health.

We’ve also got you covered with advice from career experts, executives, and people who have turned their careers around during prior economic downturns so that once you’re ready, you can start hunting for a new job. It’s a hard time, no doubt, but you’ll land on your feet.

What you should do if you’re worried about losing your job

How to read the signals that your job is in jeopardy: Insider spoke with 4 career experts about the warning signs that your job might be on the line

When you get a poor review: Here are the 5 things you should do when you get a bad performance rating and your boss isn’t in your corner

How to financially prepare for a layoff: 5 strategies to ensure you’ll weather a financial emergency

What to do if you think you’re being laid off: 7 steps to take if you think you’ll be laid off or furloughed so you can have peace of mind if the unexpected happens

What you should do right now if you’ve been laid off

How to handle stock options: 5 immediate steps to navigate your stock options if you’ve been laid off from a startup and want to make the best financial choices for your future

Filing for unemployment benefits: How to file for unemployment benefits if you lose your job in an economic downturn

What’s the best way to care for your mental health

Protecting your emotional wellbeing: Psychologists recommend taking these 4 steps to improve your mental health if you recently lost your job

How to cope with unemployment depression: Unemployment depression is when being out of work or between jobs hurts your mental health

When it’s time to start the job search 

How to bounce back after losing your job: Insider spoke with 3 career coaches about how people could start their job searches on the right foot.

Searching for a job during an economic downturn: Recruiters and career coaches who survived the Great Recession share their most urgent advice for finding a job during a new economic downturn

Where to look for a new job: LinkedIn has published its new annual “Jobs on the Rise” report for the US, highlighting hot fields.

An email template for job searching: Use this exact email template from a LinkedIn career expert to network and find a new job during a recession

Emailing hiring managers: How to write an email that gets the hiring manager’s attention at your dream company

An earlier version of this guide published on May 8, 2020.

John Locher/AP Photo

• Embattled Rep. George Santos campaigned as an ultra conservative.
• A drag artist who knew him in the mid-2000s told Insider Santos supported Brazil’s left-wing president then.
• Santos now faces scrutiny over multiple fabrications about his past.

A Brazilian drag artist who says she knew George Santos when he dressed in drag in Brazil remembers the congressman during his younger years as a supporter of the country’s progressive president, not as the ultra-conservative politician he says he is now.

The artist Eula Rochard made headlines for circulating a photo she says is of Santos dressed in a red dress.

But in an interview with Insider, she said what’s puzzling to her is how Santos went from backing left-wing president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, known as “Lula,” to his current political incarnation.

Rochard said Santos supported Lula and then “goes to the US and turns into this crazy thing there. What craziness is this?”

Santos, who represents parts of Queens and Long Island, now embraces former President Donald Trump and policies considered anti-LGBTQ. He has accused the left of trying to “groom” kids, a conservative talking point equating gender and sexuality discussion with priming for sexual abuse. 

But in the mid-2000s, Rochard supported a Brazilian president who one expert said had more in common, at least on economic policy, with the progressive politics of Sen. Bernie Sanders.

Rochard said many gay people living in the city of Niterói at the time supported Lula, a left-wing reformer who served as president of Brazil from 2003 to 2010 and who was just reelected for a third term, starting this month.

“Lula promised to make laws to help us gays. They were all Lulistas and Anthony was too because he hung out with us,” Rochard told Insider, using the name Rochard says Santos used in Brazil, “Anthony.”

Brazilian drag artist Eula Rochard holds a newspaper from 2008 that she says shows GOP Rep. George Santos in drag attire.

Insider screen shot.

It’s not surprising that Santos, as a gay person, would have supported Lula in the 2000s, said Rafael Ioris, a professor of Latin American history at the University of Denver. Lula represented the chance for the expansion of civil rights for minority groups in Brazil, and most members of the LGBTQ community were aligned with that perspective, he said.

It’s hard to imagine a member of today’s Republican Party in the US aligning with Lula, even as he became more moderate while governing. Lula is a former trade unionist who built his political career on policies similar to the progressive wing of the Democratic Party: a higher minimum wage and spending more on health care and education. 

Sen. Bernie Sanders tweeted his congratulations to Lula in October when he defeated far-right incumbent Jair Bolsonaro, whose supporters this month stormed government buildings, refusing to accept the results.

“It’s a pretty dramatic shift,” Ioris said of Santos. People change, he said, but “how did that happen?”

It’s one of the many questions swirling around Santos, who is at the center of a scandal about lies on his resume, falsely claiming his mother died on 9/11, and unexplained wealth that helped finance his congressional bid.

Freelance journalist Marisa Kabas broke the story in a Substack post about Santos dressing in drag under the name Kitara in the mid-2000s. Rochard also told Kabas that Santos’ friends in Brazil were left-leaning.

Santos, whose staff did not respond to a request for comment, at first denied that he performed as a drag queen but later told reporters, “I was young and I had fun at a festival. Sue me for having a life.” More videos have since emerged, suggesting it was more than a one-off.

Rochard met Santos when he was about 17 years old and said she used to catch Santos in “little white lies.” She said he wanted to be famous “no matter what.”

“He wasn’t a bad person,” Rochard said. “He was a regular gay teenager in a country where there were no laws protecting gay people.”

It was Sunday, and the host of a certain radio show was weary. The reason he was weary was that he had a burden, a cross to bear. The man had been carrying this burden for quite some time. And now, it was time to confess what this burden was to the American people.

“I uncovered it,” the man screamed. “Nobody knew about it. Nobody talked about it until I uncovered it. I mean, I’m the one who uncovered Biden’s corruption”, Rudy Giuliani shrieked. “I wasn’t able to get the message to the other half.” Sigh. Yes, here comes Rudy again with yet another twisted conspiracy theory.

Rudy, whom I have dubbed America’s maniac (I think it really does sound better than America’s Mayor), has become a sadder figure than even I could have guessed. Doesn’t this man have any sane friends? Doesn’t he know anyone who could stage an intervention?

Perhaps he would not listen anyway. It is said that Rudy’s arrogance goes back decades, and he always had a difficult time taking advice from anyone. But on his radio show, Rudy did what what does best — he played the victim. I have something to say to America’s maniac.. Stop talking. Seriously, Rudy, stop talking. It’s not as if many are listening anyway.

And you should be grateful we have a president like Biden to right the wrongs your friend, the traitor did when HE was in office. Rudy, oh Rudy, what in HELL has happened to you? Do you really not know what a living, breathing mess you have become?

He probably does not. The sad fact is Rudy gave away his life for trump. He’s basically lost everything from his law license to his job to his dignity.

And he doesn’t even seem to understand what a wretched person he’s become, nor does he seem to know how much contempt the public feels for him. It’s likely far too late for Rudy, but it’s sad seeing what was once at least a minimally intelligent human being reduced to this.

The post Rudy Giuliani crashes and burns appeared first on Palmer Report.

(NewsNation) — The double murder trial of disbarred attorney Alex Murdaugh kicked off Monday with jury selection in Colleton County, South Carolina.  

The killings of Murdaugh’s wife, Maggie, and son, Paul, are just one piece of an extensive web of events that surround the family, including mysterious deaths, alleged fraud and reported lies. With extreme complexities and multiple layers to the case, will the bombshell trial unravel mysteries surrounding the Murdaugh family?

A NewsNation special report breaks down the details of the much-anticipated case that’s being considered the trial of the century for the small South Carolina town.

Hosted by NewsNation anchor Marni Hughes, the special report features a deep dive into the Murdaugh family’s roots in South Carolina, when the downfall of the Murdaugh dynasty began, the mysterious deaths linked back to the family and legal expertise on what we can expect during Alex Murdaugh’s trial.

The Murdaugh family reportedly has ties to three other death investigations: a deadly boating accident in 2019, the mysterious 2018 death of their housekeeper and a 2015 fatal hit-and-run. In June 2021, Alex Murdaugh’s wife Maggie and son Paul were both found shot to death on the family’s hunting estate.

According to court documents, Maggie Murdaugh was shot multiple times, including in the back of the head while she was facedown on the ground. Paul Murdaugh, 22, was killed with a shotgun.

Alex Murdaugh’s defense team maintains his innocence in the double murder case.

Months later, Murdaugh himself ended up being shot in what authorities have called a botched suicide for hire plot.

Since the Murdaughs are known for having decades of power, control and deep connections, many in the Lowcountry are on pins and needles for what twists and turns may unfold during the trial. Despite it all, it boils down to a jury facing the question: Did Alex Murdaugh murder his wife and son?

Watch the full special report in the player above.

WASHINGTON (NewsNation) — The White House was forced to play defense once again on Monday after the FBI discovered more classified documents from President Joe Biden’s time as vice president at his Delaware home over the weekend.

Biden is now facing criticism from all corners of the political world, including from some Democrats. In an interview with CNN, Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin conceded Biden has lost the “high ground” in his ability to criticize former President Donald Trump’s handling of classified documents.

Other Democrats have also called Biden’s handling of documents “irresponsible,” but commended him for cooperating with the U.S. Department of Justice.

But Republicans on Capitol Hill are calling for more information from the White House.

U.S. Rep. James Comer, R.-Tenn. — who is leading one of two House investigations into Biden’s handling of classified documents — said any premise the president has spent time at needs to be searched.

“Given the White House’s lack of transparency regarding President Biden’s residential visitor logs, the Committee seeks information from the Secret Service regarding who had access to his home since serving as Vice President,” a letter from Comer read in part.

The 13-hour search on Friday revealed six more documents with classified markings inside his home in Wilmington, Delaware. That discovery marked the fifth disclosure of classified documents tied to Biden. The level of classification is still unknown.

The White House said they voluntarily allowed the “thorough and consensual FBI search,” where agents collected materials from Bidens’ time in the Senate and vice presidency.

The Justice Department has yet to search Biden’s Rehoboth Beach home. His attorney said they have already searched the property and found nothing official or classified was found.

In a newly-revealed letter to the U.S. Secret Service, Comer again asked who had access to Biden’s home since serving as vice president. The Secret Service and White House have previously said no such visitor log exists.

The White House counsel’s office said it is reviewing recent requests from the Republican committee and will cooperate.

What happened:

WNBA power forward Breanna Stewart said she wants to negotiate “a deal that helps subsidize charter travel for the entire WNBA.”

Context:

Stewart, who won the league’s MVP award in 2018, is a free agent courting offers from several teams during the off-season and has reportedly raised the issue of private air travel as part of these negotiations. According to ESPN, it’s an issue being discussed throughout the league due to the “assumption” that when former Russian convict Brittney Griner returns to the WNBA, she “will need to fly privately due to security concerns.”

Griner was arrested on drug smuggling charges at a Moscow airport in February 2022. She was subsequently convicted and sentenced to nine years in prison. Griner was released in December in exchange for Viktor Bout, a.k.a. “the Merchant of Death,” a notorious arms-dealer convicted of plotting to kill Americans.

The alleged “security concerns” that would make it unsafe for Griner to fly on a commercial flight within the United States are not specified.

READ MORE: A Shameful Prisoner Swap

By the numbers:

The WNBA costs about $70 million per year to operate and generates just $60 million in revenue. The NBA, which makes money because people like to watch it, subsidizes the women’s league in the name of equity. WNBA teams typically travel on commercial airlines to save money. Chartering private planes for the entire league would cost an estimated $30 million per year.

Why it matters:

Liberals complain that WNBA players don’t make as much money as their NBA counterparts, which is why Griner, Stewart, and others are forced to play abroad in Russia or Turkey. Griner and Stewart are among the league’s highest-paid players, taking home $228,000 per year (not including bonuses) on top of endorsement deals worth about $1 million.

Former president Barack Obama defined “wealthy” as an individual earning more than $200,000 annually and called for higher taxes on these individuals to pay for government programs. “I do think at a certain point you’ve made enough money,” he said in 2010. (Obama and his wife are estimated to have a net worth approaching $100 million.)

Bottom line:

Women’s sports will never be as popular or profitable as men’s sports, and that’s okay.

The post WNBA Player Demands Private Jets for Entire League appeared first on Washington Free Beacon.

Cameroon’s government on Monday said it had not asked any country to mediate its conflict with Anglophone separatists, apparently denying a statement from Canada that it had been assigned to work on a peace process.

On Jan. 21, Canada’s foreign ministry said it had accepted a mandate to facilitate a peace process between Cameroonian authorities and some separatist factions in English-speaking regions to resolve a conflict that has killed over 6,000 people since 2017.

But the Cameroonian government “has not entrusted any foreign country or external entity with any role of mediator or facilitator to settle the crisis,” it said in a statement that did not directly mention Canada.

A spokesperson for the Anglophone separatists, who are trying to form a breakaway state called Ambazonia in the country’s minority English-speaking regions, said they had taken note of the government’s latest statement but would not comment further.

On Jan. 21, they said they were committed to a negotiated process mandated by Canada.

The press secretary of Canada’s foreign affairs ministry did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.

The U.S. Embassy in Cameroon’s capital Yaounde said on Twitter on Monday that it welcomed Canada’s announcement of talks to resolve the crisis.

Cameroon’s separatist movement stems from the perceived marginalisation of the English-speaking community by the French-speaking majority.

Since 2017, factions of secessionist militias have been battling government troops in the two English-speaking regions, which has killed thousands and displaced nearly 800,000 people. Meanwhile some 600,000 children do not have full access to education, according to the Canadian government.

A 2019 national dialogue granted special status to the two Anglophone regions but failed to resolve the conflict.