A young man who accused Kevin Spacey of groping him in a Nantucket, Massachusetts bar in 2016 has dropped his lawsuit, according to Spacey's lawyer on Friday. The Oscar-winning actor still faces a criminal charge. He pleaded not guilty to indecent assault and battery in January. He is due back in court on Monday. The accuser's lawyer, Mitchell Garabedian, announced in an email that the suit filed June 26 in Nantucket Superior Court has been voluntarily dismissed. No reason was provided by Garabedian or in the court filing. The suit asked for a jury trial and damages for emotional distress, medical bills and other bills. According to the court filing, the suit was dismissed "with prejudice," which means it cannot be refiled. The lawsuit being dropped could indicate a private settlement was reached, or that persecutors have asked the accuser to drop with over a timing issue. The suit was filed months into the ongoing criminal case.
A three year statute of limitations in the case would run out this week. The legal development could have significance for the criminal case against Spacey, legal experts say. Garabedian's client alleged Spacey got him drunk and sexually assaulted him at the Club Car restaurant where the then-18-year-old man worked as a busboy. The criminal case has been centered on the cellphone used by the accuser the night of the alleged groping, which the defense says it needs in order to recover text messages it says will support Spacey's innocence. Nantucket District Court Judge Thomas Barrett has ordered the man to give the phone over to the defense, but his attorney says they cannot find it. The judge has given them until Monday to produce the phone. Spacey has been accused of sexual misconduct by more than two dozen men.
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As M1 Abrams tanks take over DC’s streets, worry takes over military leaders. Concerned about the policization of President Trump’s Independence Day event, most top military chiefs will be skipping the festivities. With the President’s re-election campaign already in full force, the military personnel worry that the event has taken on a political hue. Trump has already broken tradition to deliver a speech in a special VIP area which the Republican National Committee is distributing tickets to. If Trump turns what is meant to be a celebration into a political event, he could put military personnel in the position of violating Defense Department guidelines. ”Military members may not participate in political campaigns,” said Jordan Libowitz, communications director for Citizens for Responsbility and Ethics in Washington. “This is likely the reason why they are hesitant to participate, because the guidelines are pretty clear about what they can and cannot do. If they come standnext to him for a political speech while in uniform, representing the military, it could become a problem.” Libowitz says if the celebration becomes an overtly political event, there are also laws that come into play. A federal law known as the Hatch Act prohibits government employees and resources from being used for political activity and the Appropriations Acts bars government funds from being used for purposes Congress hasn’t approved, including publicity of propaganda. Absent from the Independence Day celebration are Army Chief of Staff Gen.Mark Milley and his Navy, Air Force and Marine counterparts. Funds for the July 4th event are also under fire for other reasons. According to the Washington Post, more than $2 million collected from the National Parks Service entrance and recreation fees will be allocated to help pay for the President’s celebration. Trump administration officials have consistently refused to say how much taxpayers will have to pay for the expanded celebration. The diverted park fees represent just a fraction of the extra costs as a result for the event, which includes displays of military hardware, flyovers by jets and Air Force One, tanks on the Mall and an extended fireworks show.
According to former Park Services deputy director Denis P. Gal in, the entire Fourth of July celebration on the Mall typically costs the agency about $2 million. A secret Facebook Group filled with a collection of derogatory jokes made by past and current Boarder Patrol officers has been uncovered.As people grieved over the photo released of the father and daughter face down in the Rio Grande, a Facebook Group “where Old Patrol meets New Patrol” made insentsitive comments towards them. Other post uncovered discuss throwing burritos at Latino members of Congress visiting a detention facility outside of El Paso. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a victim of multiple vulgar posts, spoke out against page saying, “This isn’t about “a few bad eggs.” This is a violent culture.” ProPublica reported Monday that they received screenshots of disturbing posts from the 10-15 Facebook group and was able to identify particpates to real profiles that belonged to Border Patrol agents. Particpants of the group include a supervisor based in El Paso and an agent in Eagle Pass. The page was created in August 2016 and has racked up over 9,000 members from across the country. This is only the most recent incident of law enforcement coming under fire for their digital disrespect. In early 2018, federal investigators found an accumulation of of racist text messages sent by Border Patrol agents in southern Arizona after searching the phone of Matthew Bowen, a U.S. Border Patrol Agent charged with hitting a migrant with his truck. The texts described migrants in multiple different derogatory terms, even referring to them as “subhuman”. Upon the text messages revealed in court, there were repeated discussions about burning the migrants up. “It confirms some of the worst critics of Customs and Boarder Protection,” says Joaquin Castro, head of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, Joaquin Castro. “These are clearly agents who are desensitized to the point of being dangerous to migrants and their co-workers.” Here's to hoping your lunch break is filled with sweet treats - here's some news to catch up on while you enjoy.National: White House security specialist is seeking official whistle-blower protection after accusing her boss of "unwarranted security clearances" for administration officials and engaging in discriminatory practices based on her sex and disability. The complaint, filed by Tricia Newbold, was submitted less than two weeks after she was suspended without pay for defying her supervisor, Carl Kline. Read more: Colorado students will finally have their teachers back in class. Denver teachers who were on strike over wages and bonuses have reached a tentative agreement with school district officials. The strike began Monday, after 15 months of negotiations ended without a deal. The agreement came after more than half of the district's teachers failed to report to classrooms on Wednesday - that's approximately 4,700 teachers. They are expected to be back in most classes today. Read more: One year after the shooting at Stoneman Douglas High, urgency for new gun restrictions has declined, but roughly half of the country is still concerned a mass shorting could take place at their school in their community, a new Marist poll finds. This is a stark contrast between the immediate aftermath of the shooting, where 71 percent of Americans said laws covering the sale of firearms should be stricter. That number is now 51 percent. Read more: Still got some time?Here's some news to digest:National:A former Air Force intelligence specialist has been charged for providing defense secrets to the Iranian Government. The DOJ alleges that Monica E. Witt, 39, was targeted and recruited by Iran. After she defected in 2013, she allegedly revealed the code name and mission of a classified Defense Department program. Authorities also alleged that Witt revealed the identity of a U.S. counter-intelligence agent who was working against "a specific target." In a letter she wrote to an Iranian contact, she was "endeavoring to put the training I received to good use instead of evil," said prosecutors. Read more: Swipe left - Americans lost $143 million in online relationship scams last year. The Federal Trade Commission received more than 21,000 reports about romance scams last year. Of those who said they lost money in the "catfish" relationships, the median amount lost was $2,600. That is seven times more than the media loss for other types of fraud... something to be mindful of this Valentine's Day. Read more: NASA announces Mars rover Opportunity is dead after 15 years on the planet. Opportunity has not been heard from since June 10, when a massive dust storm that lasted months blocked the sunlight that provided the rover its power. Today, NASA tried one last time, and failed, to contact the spacecraft after more than 1,000 failed recovery commands in previous months. Unable to activate its battery-powered heaters, the 15-year old Mars explorer was susceptible to the intense Martian cold and likely froze. Read more: Local News:An elderly man's body was found in a construction area outside Children's Memorial Hermann Hospital early Monday, Police say. HPD Homicide detectives are investigating the death of the victim, and say foul play is suspected. Representatives for the hospital say they don't believe the individual has any connection to the hospital, but they are working closely with investigators. Read more: Caught on tape outside of a Houston restaurant revealed a terrifying scene - a masked man approaching a woman and trying to steal her purse. It happened to two women in the Cooking Girl restaurant parking lot at 2400 West Holcombe on Monday. One of the victims was dragged and nearly run over. The two suspects took off westbound on West Holcombe. They are described as black men between the ages of 20 and 30. Read more: Have some extra time? Check these out:Here's a few bite sized nuggets of news to get you through your lunch hour:National:The infamous Mexican drug lord head of the Sinaloa cartel was found guilty today of all 10 federal criminal counts against him. Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzmán Loera's top charge against him was engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise. He is likely to spend the rest of his life in a maximum security prison with no possibility of parole. Read more: Michelle Cater, the Massachusetts woman who encouraged her teenage boyfriend to kill himself, was sentenced to 15 months in jail in 2017 - but is finally starting to serve her time. After Carter was originally sentenced, a judge allowed her to remain free while she appealed in state court. Massachusetts highest court upheld her conviction last week, saying her actions caused her boyfriend's death. Conrad Roy was 18 when he killed himself on July 12, 2014. In his last minutes, he had been talking to Carter by phone and text message. When Roy questioned committing suicide, Carter reassured that he should go through with it. Read more: The Pacific Northwest is facing a massive measles outbreak with more than 50 cases confirmed in Washington and Oregon. Most of these cases found in vaccinated children under 10. Labeled Washington's worst measles outbreak in the last 2 decades, prompting one county to declare a public health emergency. Washington lawmakers are working to fight the outbreak with a bill that would remove parent's ability to claim a personal or philosophical exemption to opt their school-age children out of the combined measles, mumps and rubella vaccine. The bill has been protested by hundreds. Read more: Local NewsHoly cow - over 15,000 people have signed a petition asking Cardi B to cancel her show at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. The petition reads that "Cardi B is, herself, an animal lover, which is why we're asking her to stand up for these poor animals and cancel her performance at the rodeo." Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo officials say they strongly believe in the importance of animal welfare, taking great pride in the care and attention they receive throughout the Rodeo. They also say they are looking forward to welcoming Cardi B on March 1. Read more: A new ruling in Leon County could raise some trouble for the proposed high-speed train between Houston and Dallas, by preventing the developer's from using eminent domain to acquire land for the rail line. Texas Central Railway has been working on the rail line over the past few years, with the plan to use eminent domain as a railroad when landowners don't want to sell their land voluntarily. Texas Central says it has the authority under state law, but a judge in Leon County has now ruled that Texas Central isn't actually a railroad. Texas Central issued a statement in response to the ruling, planning to appeal. "We are confident that the laws of Texas irrefutably give this project authority to access and survey private land to help determine the high-speed train’s most advantageous route between Houston and North Texas." Read more: Texas Democratic Rep. Beto O'Rourke greeted President Donald Trump into his hometown with a counter-rally against his fight for a border wall. Monday night, Trump promised an El Paso crowd that he would press for the construction of the wall - as news that congressional negotiators would fall short of his funding demands started breaking. Another partial government shutdown was brewing, when bipartisan negotiations in the capital agreed to $1.375 billion for "physical barriers" at the border, which will fund about 55 miles of fencing. Trump was demanding 5.7 billion for the barriers. Negotiators also agreed to more resources for non-barrier border security measures, such as technology and resources at ports of entry. While making his speech, the President claimed he did not know the details of the deal, sticking to his talking points on the border wall. “As I was walking up to the stage, they said that progress is being made with this committee. Just so you know, we’re building the wall anyway,” he said. Read more: If you have some additional time, here's some other things for today:"The ballooning costs of healthcare act as a hungry tapeworm on the American economy," said Berkshire Hathaway CEO, Warren Buffett.
Three huge corporate players are teaming up on healthcare by creating an "independent company that is free from profit-making incentives and constraints" for their U.S. employees. "Our group does not come to this problem with answers. But we also do not accept it as inevitable," Buffett says. "Rather, we share the belief that putting out collective resources behind the country's best talent can, in time, check the rise in health costs while concurrently enhancing patient satisfaction and outcomes." The healthcare industry has been nervously watching this newfound competition for months. This new team in healthcare could pressure profits for the middlemen in the U.S. healthcare supply chain, according to Bloomberg. "Our people want transparency, knowledge and control when it comes to managing their healthcare," said CEO of JPMorgan, Jamie Dimon. "The three of our companies have extraordinary resources, and our goal is to create solutions that benefit our U.S. employees, their families and, potentially, all Americans." The effort is in the early planning stages and is being spearheaded by Todd Combs, an investment officer of Berkshire Hathaway; Marvelle Sullivan Berchtold, a managing director of JPMorgan Chase; and Beth Galetti, a senior vice president at Amazon. The move sent healthcare shares falling in early trading. According to Bloomberg, Express Scripts Holding Co. and CVS Health Corp slumped 6.7 and 5.5 percent, respectively. Also dropping were health insurers Cigna Corp. and Anthem Inc. "Hard as it might be, reducing healthcare's burden on the economy while improving outcomes for employees and their families would be worth the effort," Amazon Chief Executive Officer, Jeff Bezos said. "Success is going to require talented experts, a beginner's mind, and a long-term orientation." The Astros General Manager, Jeff Luhnow, is planning to unveil a surprise on opening day. Is it another new pitcher or perhaps something that will shake up the season? No. It's a plate - not a home plate, but a license plate. For a few years, Luhnow has drove around with "GM111" on his license plate as a constant reminder of something he never wanted to experience again. The 111 represents the amount of loses the team suffered back during the 2013 season. "I wanted to remind myself every time I got into my car that I never wanted to expereience anything like that again," Luhnow told USA Today. It's no longer 2013, and the Astros, along with Luhnow, now have a World Series trophy to make up for the past. Remembering the GM's license plate, The Texas DMV was quick to offer something to celebrate the achievement and put the 2013 season behind them.
Source: KPRC
USA Gymnastics has cut ties with Karolyi Ranch, outside of Huntsville, after Simone Biles says she was sexually abused by a former national team doctor at the facility. ”It will no longer serve as the USA Gymnastics National Team Training Center,” USA Gymnastics President Kerry Perry said in a statement. “It has been my intent to terminate this agreement since I became president and CEO in December. Our most important priority is our athletes, and their training environment must reflect this. We are committed to a culture that empowers and supports our athletes.” USA Gymnastics initially agreed to buy the training facility in August 2016 but backed out of the agreement following an investigation into sexual abuse by the former national team doctor, Larry Nessar. He worked with the organization for nearly three decades before stepping away in 2015. Several olympians, including Biles, Gabby Douglas, Aly Raisman and McKayla Maroney, say they were abused by Nassar, with some of the alleged abuse occurring at the facility. Nassar “left scars on my psyche that may never go away,” Maroney said in a victim’s statement at Nassau’s sentencing hearing on Thursday that Nassar. Nassar has already been sentenced to 60 years in federal prison on child pornography crimes and is awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to molesting girls at Michigan State University and his home The common pain killer, Ibuprofen, may cause you harm later in life if you are taking a dosage similar to high-level athletes.The dosage can lead to a condition often seen in elderly men and can be linked to lower fertility, according to a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The study found that heavy usage "alters human testicular physiology," which results in a disorder called compensated hypogonadism. Taking place in Denmark and France, the study involved 31 adult men under the age of 35. Over a six-week period, the men took 1,200 milligrams of ibuprofen daily. Some men took a placebo instead. Testosterone-producing hormones in the ibuprofen subjects became tied to the amount of ibuprofen in their blood within two weeks. The ratio of the hormones to testosterone dropped, causing compensated hypogonadism. The Consumer Health Products Association "supports and encourages continued research and promotes ongoing consumer education to help ensure safe use of OTC medicines," said Mike Tringales, a spokesman for the association. "The safety and efficacy of active ingredients in these products have been well documented and supported by decades of scientific study and real-world use." Sources: CNN, USA Today |
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