Sex Solicitation Charges Against NFL Patriots Owner Kraft Dropped After Court Blocks Sex Video

In February 2019, US billionaire Robert Kraft, owner of the top-ranked American football team, the New England Patriots, was charged with soliciting prostitution following a month-long investigation by Jupiter county police in Florida into sex trafficking that included installing hidden cameras at a massage parlor visited by the investor.

Two misdemeanor charges for “soliciting another to commit prostitution” against New England Patriots’ owner, Robert Kraft, were dropped on Thursday after a Florida court of appeal blocked the use of video evidence provided by the Jupiter county police department.

“Without these videos we cannot move forward with our prosecution,” Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg said during a press conference, adding that he was “disappointed” by the court's decision. “It is not a lack of will that caused us to drop the charges in the spa cases. But our hands were tied”.

On 19 August, the Florida 4th District Court of Appeal ruled that a secretly-recorded video that allegedly shows the billionaire investor engaging and paying for sex acts with women at a massage parlor could not be used against Kraft and other suspects in the soliciting prostitution case.

On Monday, the office of Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody announced their decision not to seek another appeal of the solicitation case.

“We were disappointed by the Fourth District's decision,” Kylie Mason, the attorney general’s press secretary said in a statement to CNN.

On the same day, Kraft’s legal team filed a motion requesting that the recordings be destroyed. The lawyers also said that their client would be ready to pay the state’s cost if anyone challenges a file destruction order, according to Fox News.

On 22 February 2019, Robert Kraft, 79, received two misdemeanor charges for “soliciting another to commit prostitution” with links to an alleged sex trafficking ring in Jupiter, Florida. Among 25 suspects, Kraft was accused of forcing women to perform sex acts at a local massage parlor. Prosecutors provided the court with video recordings from cameras installed secretly at the spa by police.

In March of 2019, Kraft’s attorneys took legal action against the use of the recordings as evidence in the case. In May 2019, the court ruled the videos could be used. Prosecutors challenged the court’s ruling to suppress video evidence, filing an appeal in October of that year.

In March 2019, the Patriots’ owner issued a statement apologizing to the public and refuting accusations against him.

“I am truly sorry. I know I have hurt and disappointed my family, my close friends, my co-workers, our fans and many others who rightfully hold me to a higher standard,” Kraft said. “Throughout my life, I have always tried to do the right thing. The last thing I would ever want to do is disrespect another human being. I have extraordinary respect for women.. I expect to be judged not by my words, but by my actions. And through those actions, I hope to regain your confidence and respect.”

https://sputniknews.com/society/202009241080564434-sex-solicitation-charges-against-nfl-patriots-owner-kraft-dropped-after-court-blocks-sex-video/

Netanyahu: Lockdown unavoidable, claim I’m imposing it to end protests is absurd

PM pans ‘populist’ criticism of policies: ‘Enough is enough. We’re in a new reality’; Lapid: Netanyahu’s failure led to avoidable lockdown, but we’ll follow the rules

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday defended the government’s decision to significantly tighten the national coronavirus lockdown starting Friday, as Israel continued to cope with one of the world’s highest daily coronavirus infection rates.

“The lockdown steps aren’t easy but saving life comes before everything,” he said during a press conference at the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem. “We’re at the height of an ongoing war.”

As he spoke, an amendment to the coronavirus laws that will allow the government to enact new sweeping limitations cleared its first Knesset vote. The proposal moved to committee ahead of the second and third readings at the plenum.

Meanwhile, Netanyahu fought against reports that he had pushed for the tighter lockdown measures in order to stop ongoing protests against him by anti-corruption activists, calling such claims “absurd.”

September 17, 2020. (Screen capture: YouTube)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday defended the government’s decision to significantly tighten the national coronavirus lockdown starting Friday, as Israel continued to cope with one of the world’s highest daily coronavirus infection rates.

“The lockdown steps aren’t easy but saving life comes before everything,” he said during a press conference at the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem. “We’re at the height of an ongoing war.”

As he spoke, an amendment to the coronavirus laws that will allow the government to enact new sweeping limitations cleared its first Knesset vote. The proposal moved to committee ahead of the second and third readings at the plenum.

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Meanwhile, Netanyahu fought against reports that he had pushed for the tighter lockdown measures in order to stop ongoing protests against him by anti-corruption activists, calling such claims “absurd.”

Coronavirus czar Roni Gamzu during a meeting with Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion at the Jerusalem city hall on August 12, 2020. (Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90)

A report on Channel 13 news Wednesday said coronavirus czar Ronni Gamzu has privately said the lockdown decision was all about stopping the protests, calling the move “terrible” and its motives “disgusting.”

The prime minister said many other countries besides Israel were dealing with resurgent outbreaks of the virus, some of whom have also tightened restrictions on gatherings and businesses. Israel last week became the first developed country to impose a second nationwide lockdown, which will now harden considerably.

Netanyahu blamed “populist politicians” for rising infections, accusing them of encouraging the public not to adhere to Health Ministry guidelines, and saying the easing of restrictions after the first lockdown caused Israelis to flout the rules.

He singled out opposition leader Yair Lapid, accusing him of “endangering the lives of Israeli citizens,” as well as Likud MK Yifat Shasha-Biton, who as head of the Knesset coronavirus committee overruled a limited number of government restrictions in parliament several months ago.

Lapid on Thursday said Netanyahu’s “failure” was responsible for Israel entering an avoidable new restrictive closure. “It could have been managed differently, it should have been managed differently,” he said.

Speaking before Netanyahu, Defense Minister Benny Gantz acknowledged the government’s failures in containing the pandemic.

“The decision on reopening the economy [after the first lockdown] came too quickly. The decision to move the contact tracing system to the military came too late,” he said in a televised statement from his home in Rosh Haayin.

“But all of this is less important right now. And what we must do now is take action,” added Gantz, who heads Blue and White.

More

https://www.timesofisrael.com/netanyahu-lockdown-unavoidable-claim-i-did-it-to-end-protests-is-absurd/

Balfour [Netanyahu’s residence]

Senator Josh Hawley Pushes Vote on Proposed Section 230 Big Tech Censorship Legislation — Democrats Immediately Block the Vote

Senator Josh Hawley took to the Senate floor today and pushed for a vote on preventing big tech censorship.

Hawley and fellow senators Rubio, Loeffler, Cramer and Hawley introduced legislation in June to target Big Tech’s shield.

Via Senator Hawley’s YouTube page.

The Democrats in the US Seenate immediately voted down the proposed legislation to rein in big tech.

The DOJ earlier earlier today released proposed 230 legislation.

Today, on behalf of the Trump Administration, the Department of Justice sent draft legislation to Congress to reform Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. The draft legislative text implements reforms that the Department of Justice deemed necessary in its June Recommendations and follows a yearlong review of the outdated statute. The legislation also executes President Trump’s directive from the Executive Order on Preventing Online Censorship.

“For too long Section 230 has provided a shield for online platforms to operate with impunity,” said Attorney General William P. Barr. “Ensuring that the internet is a safe, but also vibrant, open and competitive environment is vitally important to America. We therefore urge Congress to make these necessary reforms to Section 230 and begin to hold online platforms accountable both when they unlawfully censor speech and when they knowingly facilitate criminal activity online.”

“The Department’s proposal is an important step in reforming Section 230 to further its original goal: providing liability protection to encourage good behavior online,” said Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey A. Rosen. “The proposal makes clear that, when interactive computer services willfully distribute illegal material or moderate content in bad faith, Section 230 should not shield them from the consequences of their actions.”

The Department of Justice is grateful to all the experts, victims’ groups, academics, businesses, and other stakeholders that have and continue to engage closely with the department during this process. The draft legislation reflects important and helpful feedback received thus far. The department is also grateful to our colleagues in Congress for their support on Section 230 reform and looks forward to continued engagement moving forward.

The Department of Justice’s draft legislation focuses on two areas of reform, both of which are, at minimum, necessary to recalibrate the outdated immunity of Section 230.

Promoting Transparency and Open Discourse

First, the draft legislation has a series of reforms to promote transparency and open discourse and ensure that platforms are fairer to the public when removing lawful speech from their services.

The current interpretations of Section 230 have enabled online platforms to hide behind the immunity to censor lawful speech in bad faith and is inconsistent with their own terms of service. To remedy this, the department’s legislative proposal revises and clarifies the existing language of Section 230 and replaces vague terms that may be used to shield arbitrary content moderation decisions with more concrete language that gives greater guidance to platforms, users, and courts.

The legislative proposal also adds language to the definition of “information content provider” to clarify when platforms should be responsible for speech that they affirmatively and substantively contribute to or modify.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/09/senator-josh-hawley-pushes-vote-proposed-section-230-big-tech-censorship-legislation-democrats-immediately-block-vote/

Conservative CJ Pearson Films MANDATORY LECTURE at University of Alabama Equating US to Nazi Germany and Trump to Hitler

Young conservative and Trump supporter, C. J. Pearson, shared on Twitter a portion of a class he was mandated to endure at the University of Alabama.

This is unbelievable!

And this is a major southern university!!

Pearson shared the following:

I just listened to a mandatory lecture – sponsored by my University’s Student Government Association – in which the speaker, Jane Elliott, compared America to Nazi Germany, the President to Hitler, and called

@realDonaldTrump an “admitted racist and sexist”. I’m appalled.

This is outrageous.

American universities should be defunded as long as they promote this racist, Marxist garbage!

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/09/wth-conservative-cj-pearson-films-mandatory-lecture-university-alabama-equating-us-nazi-germany-trump-hitler-video/