More from the article ...

... Only in Trump's second-term makeover could a 90,000-square-foot ballroom"already larger than the 55,000-square-foot mansion it's attached to-be considered too small, and architect James McCrery II has urged restraint, the insiders said. ...

More from the article ...

... The alleged hazing began with "grease being smeared on the victim" and escalated from there to the firefighter allegedly being beaten with a belt with his underwear pulled down and waterboarded, according to Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods.

"In my 30 years as a firefighter, this is the most egregious thing that I've seen been reported to me," Marion County Fire Chief James Banta said during a press briefing on Wednesday, adding that he was "in shock and disgusted." ...

Three Marion County Fire Rescue employees -- Edward Kenny III, 22, an EMT; Seth Day, 22, a firefighter/EMT; and Tate Trauthwein, 19 a firefighter/EMT -- have been arrested for kidnapping, robbery and battery, authorities said. A fourth -- Kaylee Bradley, 25, a paramedic -- has been arrested for robbery and principal/accessory to robbery, authorities said. It is unclear if they have attorneys at this time.

The incident occurred while the alleged victim was working a 24-hour shift at Fire Station 21 in Ocala on Nov. 16, according to the arrest affidavit.

The alleged victim told authorities that several firefighters -- including Day and Trauthwein -- initially smeared grease on him, according to the affidavit.

"The victim stated he tried not to let it bother him and did not retaliate," the arrest affidavit stated.
A Marion County Fire Rescue fire truck.
Marion County Fire Rescue

The alleged hazing escalated after the suspects tried to get the firefighter's cellphone password after they learned he had a viral TikTok video, according to the arrest affidavit. The alleged victim told authorities that Trauthwein asked him about his large Instagram following, which he attributed to a TikTok video on a dancing trend that he said was "embarrassing" and he had since deleted and no longer had, according to the affidavit.

Trauthwein is accused of then throwing the firefighter's work boots into the woods nearby, and when the firefighter went to retrieve them, he was allegedly grabbed from behind and held down by Kenny and Day, according to the affidavit.

"The victim advised initially he thought they were just playing around," the affidavit stated. "Co-defendant Trauthwein then removed the victim's belt and the victim's pants were pulled down.

The victim no longer thought they were playing around." ...

@#9 ... Short term perhaps. But giving Russia a permission slip to start WWIII in Eastern Europe hardly defines the word "Peace."

Putin in still intent on creating his own legacy as a glorious leader who restored the U.S.S.R. to its former power and glory. ...

Yup.

The huge cue for me to that conclusion is Pres Putin's insistence that Ukraine cannot be a part of NATO.

That, to me, indicates, he has future plans.

@#6 ... Adam's is trying to mitigate the damage the nepotism boy communist is preparing to inflict. ...

What damage is that, and upon whom might he be inflicting that imagined damage?

Yer up.

Does one win the Nobel Peace Prize by invading a sovereign country?

If so, maybe Pres Putin should be awarded that prize?

/s

@#2 ... Got a link to a non-paywalled source? ...

Sadly, Newsweek is now paywalled. Similar to Axios site.

When I cited that, I did not know it was paywalled.

I have taken Newsweek off the bookmarks that I tend to visit.

Which is a shame because, I had liked Axios, I considered it an excellent news site. But if they want to cut themselves off from people, that is their choice. Ditto for newsweek.com.

He "agreed" to pay the taxes he owed.

That implies a choice is involved.

What if I were to "disagree" to pay my taxes due next year?

Is that choice equally acceptable to the IRS?

More from the article ...

... That's according to the latest warning issued by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which has flagged a "recent string of cyber intrusions" that diverted studio-to-transmitter links (STLs) so attackers could replace legitimate programming with their own audio " complete with the signature "Attention Signal" tone of the domestic Emergency Alert System (EAS).

According to the alert, the intrusions exploited unsecured broadcasting equipment, notably devices manufactured by Swiss firm Barix, which were reconfigured to stream attacker-controlled audio instead of station output. That stream included either real or simulated EAS alert tones, followed by obscene language or other offensive content.

Stations in Texas and Virginia have already reported incidents, including one during a live sports broadcast and another on a public radio affiliate's backup stream.

The HTX Media radio station in Houston confirmed it had fallen victim to hijackers in a post on Facebook, saying: "We've received multiple reports that 97.5 FM (ESPN Houston) has been hijacked and is currently broadcasting explicit and highly offensive content... The station appears to be looping a repeated audio stream that includes an Emergency Alert System (EAS) tone before playing an extremely vulgar track." ...

... President Donald Trump suggested Thursday that the United States is preparing to take new action against alleged drug trafficking networks in Venezuela, telling service members during a Thanksgiving call that efforts for strikes on land will be starting "very soon." ...

So, Pres Trump admits he plans to invade a sovereign Country?

And this is A Good Thing?

Why?

@#2

gents

--- oops ---

agents

:)

imo, it is not only about the cost.

For me, what tasks were those FBI agents pulled away from?

What protections did the FBI not provide while the gents were on this task?

And what, exactly, was the task they were assigned to do? Has there been an official explanation?

@#8 ... $100 is one thing, but per person? So $400 for a family of 4? Some people may rethink that. ...

Ya think?

It looks to me like Pres Trump is just trying, yet again, to offset his Large Lousy Law that gave extreme tax cuts to billionaires and cut health-care and food for workers.

@#2

Once, my doctor said I needed an MRI for the symptoms I presented.

So, I went to the hospital, and participated in the MRI experience.

[my doctor said the MRI was good, fwiw]

Shortly afterwards, I received a letter with a bill enclosed. The letter was almost mocking in its tone. It said, and I paraphrase, ~we don't participate in any medical insurance plans, so you have to pay us directly. That will be (hundreds of dollars). Thank-you. Due date is (30 days later). Yes, it was valid.

OK, I never approved, or even asked, the entity who sent me that letter for their medical assistance. It seemed to be the private-equity-owned hospital having someone walk into a room and then charging me for their "consulting."

Fortunately, it was only a few hundred dollars?

I have seen reports on the local CT news of similar occurrences, but with tens of thousands of dollars involved.

Healthcare in the Country is broken.

Why cannot the wealthiest nation on the planet provide affordable healthcare for its citizens?

More from the article ...

... Our organization can't really handle much more demand," said Michael Sapienza, chief executive of the Colorectal Cancer Alliance, which helps patients pay for colonoscopies, tests and cancer treatment.

Financial assistance from the HealthWell Foundation, one of the largest charities in the country, is already 23 percent higher this year than all of last year. Requests swamped the fund it launched this month to help consumers offset higher Obamacare premiums that are likely if the subsidies expire, prompting it to stop taking new applicants after just two days. The Colorectal Cancer Alliance has seen a 26 percent increase in requests year-over-year, and CancerCare, another charity, has seen a 10 percent increase in year-over-year requests.

Michael Heimall, HealthWell's chief executive, expects the spike in assistance requests to continue next year and expressed concern over whether donors, who are also under price pressure, can maintain or ramp up their payments. ...

@#10

Yeah. See #3.

@#9

Updated version ...

... trying a criminal case against Trump would not be feasible. ...

So, he seems to be admitting that he is not up to the task before him?

Interesting article ...

How did the fire start?

Was it arson?

A spark from a faulty electrical system?

Someone ~lighting up~ and throwing a lit match in a wrong place?

And, as I noted above, why did it seem to spread so quickly within the apartment complex?

Too many unanswered questions at this point.

There are people in the upper floors who have not yet been rescued, trying to stay alive as the building below them looks to be going up in flames.

From the article in #4 ...

... Though the origin of the fire was unclear, investigators were focusing on the bamboo scaffolding and green netting that surrounded the towers at Wang Fuk Court as renovations were carried out.

Experts said they appeared to help flames leap from building to building as the blaze grew into an inferno that engulfed seven of the estate's eight towers.

Chan said: "Our preliminary view is that the fire spreading so fast is likely related to these materials. But ... whether that is actually the case, we have to wait for our fire investigation colleagues to conduct an investigation to confirm." ...

@#28 ... That's how I see it. ...

I guess the end goal is the difference.

If one does not want to try to change opinions (not only of the person being attacked but, importantly on a message forum, the opinions of other readers), then your approach works.

I don't view it as evasive, but more in wanting to explain a stance and try to change the opinions of others.

Stated differently, what if the person you have been castigating comes up with a comment that you strongly agree with (as, e.g., MSGT has done with me in the past). Since you had been degrading that person, now the current comment you agree with is also degraded?

I do readily admit, that is a tougher row to hoe, but, there is my view.

I try to look more to changing the future than changing the present.

More from the cited article ...

... "You see some of these other sports that have been fractured for so long," McIlroy told CNBC's CEO Council Forum. ...

"other sports?"

Wait what, golf is a sport?

Why is walking around on grass fields and hitting balls a sport?

@#26 ... So?

Isn't that exactly what those of us on this side of the aisle have been receiving for more than a decade now? ...

While I am not at all understanding of that comment.

Let me explain more of what I stated in #25, over-simplified ...

Bad: you are a piece of anal excrement.

Better: your comment makes you look like a piece of anal excrement.

See the difference?

The above aside ...

... those of us on this side of the aisle have been receiving ...

Huh?

Receiving?

From whom, or what?

Have you a radio implanted in your brain?

@#11 ... his Cult ...

Bingo!

Related?

... President Trump lashed out at the New York Times for a story ...

Again?

@#5 ... During his deposition, Hott acknowledged that ICE agents do not receive regular training on crowd control and that he too had no crowd control experience before arriving in Broadview, the site of tense demonstrations over the last few months. ...

Whoa, wait, what?

ICE agents being deployed to quell riots when they seem to acknowledge they have no training in how to do that?

@#2 ... One would think similar offers must also available to us Americans.

Torch an ICE vehicle, get $500 from Russia. ...

That would not surprise me.

@#23 ... Or it is the "wrong tack."

I respect you, Lamp.

Thank-you for that.

... What tack should I ... take? ...

Back when (decades ago) when I ran a message board, I used to tell the participants, attack the message and not the poster.

Your comment I replied to was nothing more than an attack of the poster, with little to gainsay what was said in its comments.

Now I am the first to admit that I am not perfect in this regard, but it is a posting policy I try to maintain for myself.

@#1 ... A C-SPAN caller who said she was upset by "hatred" in the media suddenly pivoted ...

Did she mention which media has upset her so?

And more ...

... Private interviews with other federal officials " Russell Hott, a US. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement official, and Daniel Parra, deputy chief patrol agent at Customs and Border Protection -- also showed bickering between attorneys and lawyers representing the federal government consistently objecting to questioning.

During his deposition, Hott acknowledged that ICE agents do not receive regular training on crowd control and that he too had no crowd control experience before arriving in Broadview, the site of tense demonstrations over the last few months. He also admitted that the consistent use of tear gas and pepper balls stopped after Illinois State Police took over responding to these protests.

Hott also dodged questions about use of force, including by saying he doesn't know the context when asked if use of force was justified against a pastor shot in the head with pepper balls while praying. Parra, meanwhile, repeated "I do not recall" when asked about specific incidents in use of force reports presented by attorneys during his deposition. ...

More from the article ...

... He continued to dodge questions, even after being shown a clip of himself tackling a man to the ground during a protest outside a federal immigration facility in the west Chicago suburb of Broadview.

After attorneys played footage of the man's arrest, Bovino repeatedly denied that he tackled "an older gentleman" in the video and dodged questions on whether he used force. ...

@#94 ... Trump is blaming Biden for the shooter that Trump gave Asylum to earlier this year. ...

You noticed that also?

From what I hear, the other National Guard peron is not in good shapte.

I hope he pulls through this heinous attack.