Three R. Kelly associates busted trying to bribe, threaten his victims: feds

Three men were busted for allegedly trying to intimidate and bribe victims in R. Kelly’s sex-trafficking case — including setting a car on fire outside one accuser’s home and offering another half a million dollars for her silence, prosecutors announced Wednesday. Richard Arline Jr., Donnell Russell and Michael Williams were charged with trying to harass, intimidate, threaten or corruptly influence victims in Robert Sylvester Kelly’s racketeering case pending in Brooklyn federal court, officials said. Williams, a longtime friend of Kelly’s, allegedly set alight a black SUV that had been rented by one victim’s father in the early morning hours of June 11, court documents say.

The car was parked in front of a home in Kissimmee, Florida, where the woman was staying with her father and several others. After hearing an explosion, a witness went outside and saw “an individual fleeing from the scene whose arm appeared to be lit on fire,” according to the complaint. Fire investigators found an accelerant on the perimeter of the property. And just two hours before the blaze, Williams allegedly used his cellphone to search the Florida address, prosecutors said. Ten days after the fire, he allegedly Googled “How do fertilizer bombs work?” He was arrested in Pompano, Beach, Florida on Tuesday. Arline, meanwhile, allegedly offered another accuser in the case $500,000 to influence her trial testimony, according to prosecutors. An unnamed associate texted the woman, “Rob is trying to get his cousin rich in contact with you because he wants to pay you for silence,” then during a May 26, 2020 phone call, Arline allegedly offered her $500,000 and said that R. Kelly, 53, had authorized the sum. Unbeknownst to Arline, she had already notified the feds, and agents were listening in on the call. He was arrested Wednesday in Dolton, Illinois. And Russell allegedly harassed another victim and her mother online and by telephone on behalf of the jailed R&B crooner.

The victim was 19 when she met Kelly at a Texas concert, and during their brief fling, flew all over the country meeting the singer in studios and hotel rooms for trysts. She later filed a lawsuit alleging he’d given her herpes. Russell, in an attempt to get her to withdraw the suit, allegedly helped draft a menacing letter signed by Kelly, to her civil lawyer threatening to release partially nude photos of her. On Dec. 4, 2018, Russell emailed the compromising images to employees of A&E with the subject line “Survivors Exposed.” The network owns Lifetime, which produced the documentary series “Surviving R. Kelly” which aired a few months later. Russell is expected to appear on the charges at a later date in Brooklyn federal court. The “I Believe I Can Fly” singer is charged with more than a dozen criminal counts of sex-trafficking, racketeering, coercion and other raps related to the abuse of six women and girls. He faces a separate indictment in Chicago, where he is charged with producing child pornography and destroying evidence.

https://pagesix.com/2020/08/12/three-associates-of-r-kelly-busted-trying-to-bribe-victims-feds/

Amazon cuts more than 1,200 delivery contract jobs, even as that part of its business booms

Amazon has cut ties with several small delivery firms across the U.S., spurring layoffs and causing them to pull out of Amazon facilities. More than 1,200 drivers will lose their jobs as a result of the decision. It comes as Amazon recently touted the growth of its delivery service partner program, saying it now counts 1,300 DSPs across five countries.

More than 1,200 Amazon delivery drivers have been laid off in recent months after the company cut contracts with several small delivery companies across the country. Amazon informed at least seven firms that are a part of its delivery service partner, or DSP, program that it was severing their contracts. The companies announced they’d be laying off approximately 1,205 drivers and pulling out of Amazon facilities in Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification, or WARN, filings submitted this month and in recent months to state officials. The WARN Act requires employers to provide advance notice, generally within 60 days, of mass layoffs and plant closings. Amazon’s DSP program, launched in 2018, has allowed the company to quickly scale up its last-mile delivery capabilities and compete with shipping partners such as UPS and FedEx. DSPs are contracted delivery providers, usually distinguishable by Amazon-branded cargo vans, that are responsible for picking up packages from Amazon delivery stations and dropping them off at doorsteps. Many of the firms impacted by Amazon’s culling of DSPs have announced layoffs across several states and shuttered locations, though the Amazon delivery stations they operate out of remain open. Courier Distribution Systems, a delivery partner based in Georgia, is laying off 273 drivers in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Massachusetts-based Systemize Logistics is closing locations in Connecticut and New York, eliminating 121 jobs.

Elsewhere, TL Transportation, based in Maryland, is cutting 80 jobs in Pennsylvania, while shutting down a New York facility, resulting in 76 layoffs. Prime EFS, based in New Jersey, was forced to lay off 388 employees in the state and in Pennsylvania. JST Transportation laid off 51 employees in Massachusetts and Deliverol Global cut 41 jobs in Pennsylvania. Sheffield Express laid off 95 employees in Connecticut and said it would close its facility there. An Amazon spokesperson told CNBC in a statement that the company regularly evaluates its carrier partnerships. In another recent round of layoffs, beginning in February, the company ended contracts with Transportation Brokerage Specialists, Bear Down Logistics, Express Parcel Service and Delivery Force, among several other firms, resulting in at least 2,000 layoffs. “We have ended relationships with some partners and Amazon is working closely with all impacted drivers to ensure they find opportunities to deliver Amazon packages with other local Delivery Service Partners with little to no disruption to pay,” the spokesperson added. Courier Distribution Systems, Systemize Logistics, TL Transportation, Prime EFS, JST Transportation, Deliverol Global and Sheffield Express didn’t respond to requests for comment.

While Amazon continues to cull poor-performing delivery partners, the program has grown quickly since it launched two years ago. There are now more than 1,300 DSPs across five countries that have added 85,000 jobs and delivered more than 1.8 billion packages worldwide, Amazon said in a blog post earlier this month. So even with the recent cuts, Amazon has added plenty of new partners to take over. The DSP program is an alluring prospect for aspiring business owners. Amazon promises start-up costs as low as $10,000 to launch a delivery fleet and the potential to earn $300,000 a year once a fleet spans 20 to 40 vans. But the ease with which Amazon can cut contracts with DSPs shows that the program isn’t devoid of risks for the entrepreneurs who choose to launch their own delivery service.

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/08/13/more-than-1200-amazon-delivery-drivers-laid-off.html

Attorney General William Barr: John Durham 'development' coming Friday

Attorney General William Barr said there will be a "development" in U.S. Attorney John Durham's criminal inquiry into the Russia investigation on Friday. Barr, who made the announcement Thursday evening during an interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity, stressed it won't be an "earth-shattering development," but an "indication that things are moving along at the proper pace as dictated by the facts in this investigation." Barr appointed Durham more than a year ago to review the origins of the Russia investigation and the federal law enforcement and intelligence officials who participated in it. He acknowledged that the coronavirus pandemic slowed down its progress but told Hannity he is "satisfied" with the progress made by the federal prosecutor.

Democrats, some Justice Department veterans, and legal experts have raised concerns about the public release of Durham's findings or indictments less than 90 days from the election, warning of a possible "October Surprise." Under questioning late last month by Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, a Florida Democrat, Barr refused to commit under oath to not releasing a report before the November contest and pledged it would not "disrupt" the election. Timing is also a mounting concern for the president's allies who fear the federal prosecutor's work will get buried should former Vice President Joe Biden defeat President Trump.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/attorney-general-william-barr-john-durham-development-coming-friday

>>10280345

Nice job anon!

>>10280390

>>10280407

Indeed.. and they know it!

Michelle Obama to make campaign debut alongside Bernie Sanders and John Kasich at Democratic convention opener

Socialist Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and former Ohio Republican Gov. John Kasich will bookend a spectrum of speakers set to open the coronavirus-delayed 2020 Democratic National Convention. Monday's keynote address will be delivered by former first lady Michelle Obama. It's her first appearance on the 2020 campaign trail for this cycle's presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, Joe Biden, and his running mate, California Sen. Kamala Harris. The former first lady's return to the national political spotlight is eagerly anticipated by Democrats, many of whom hoped Biden would pick her as his No. 2. But it's the juxtaposition of Sanders and Kasich in Monday night's We the People-themed programming that caught the attention of many political observers.

For University of Akron professor David Cohen, Kasich wasn't an unexpected choice to be included in the Democratic convention's lineup. "Conventions often seek out members of the other party to speak in order to show how the nominee is willing to work with both sides of the aisle and be bipartisan in an attempt to win over centrist voters, independents, and those from the other side disaffected with their own party or nominee," Cohen said. Kasich didn't attend the 2016 Republican National Convention, despite it being anchored in Cleveland while he was a governor after his own White House bid. And that fall, he declined to vote for President Trump, writing in then-Arizona Sen. John McCain on his ballot instead. "From the Biden campaign’s perspective, Kasich is the perfect guy to highlight how far Trump’s Republican Party has moved in four years and how Biden can be a president to bring people together," he said. Kasich himself said the "Republican Party has always been my vehicle, but never my master." "You have to do what you think is right in your heart, and I'm comfortable here," he told CNN, describing Biden as "a pretty tough guy" who "can restore civility" but not "go hard left" like Sanders.

After being pushed back a month due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Democrats will come together, mostly online, next Monday to Thursday from 9-11 p.m. EST. ABC, CBS, and NBC have committed to covering the last hour every night, while the cable networks are making arrangements for extended broadcasts. Initial plans to hold some in-person events in host city Milwaukee, even Biden's acceptance address, were scrapped last week as virus cases in the Midwest climbed. Rather, Biden and Harris will speak next Wednesday and Thursday from the Chase Center in Wilmington, Delaware, Biden's home state where he's been holed up during the outbreak. Some on the schedule, such as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, were given the option of making remarks "live to tape" or live in general. "I'm so excited," Pelosi said of opting to appear "live from California." Others with slots on Monday include former vice presidential contenders Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, as well as Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada. House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn, whose endorsement helped Biden win South Carolina and seize the majority of primary delegates, also has a spot. So too does New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, whose national profile was boosted by his COVID-19 leadership in his state, and Alabama Sen. Doug Jones, who faces a tough reelection on Nov. 3.

"The COVID-19 pandemic continues its rampage, tens of millions of people are out of work, and America is confronting the racial injustice that has marginalized too many people," the Democratic convention committee wrote. The panel added, "Throughout our history, when we stand united, we can overcome anything. On Monday, we’ll hear from the many Americans who are rising up to take on these three crises, unite our country, and join Joe Biden in rebuilding the country and moving it forward."

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/michelle-obama-to-make-campaign-debut-alongside-bernie-sanders-and-john-kasich-at-democratic-convention-opener

>>10280476

>Sundance was telling the truth

>That's why he got drunk last night

>He knew the shit was coming down

I missed this, wasn't here much last night, Who is Sundance and what did he say?

>>10280548

NotableConfirmation

Thanks for confirming what we Q anons already knew Jordan, We have always seen you!

>>10280642

Sound like CNN to you? Read it again slowly..You'll see it.

>>10280676

>>>10280661 (You) A true anon would have articulately showed their point of view with logic. You have done nothing. You glow bright tonight.