Month: July 2023

An American nurse and her child were kidnapped near Haiti’s capital of Port-au-Prince on Thursday.  El Roi Haiti, a Christian humanitarian organization, has identified the woman as Alix Dorsainvil. Dorsainvi works for the nonprofit organization, and her husband and the child’s father, Sandro Dorsainvil, is the organization’s founder and director of operations in Haiti.

Dorsainvil, who hails from New Hampshire, lived and worked in Port-au-Prince as a nurse at the school run by El Roi Haiti.  The organization said that Dorsainvil and the child were kidnapped from the organization’s campus near Port-au-Prince on Thursday morning “while serving in our community ministry.”

El Roi Haiti “aims to expand access to affordable education and teaches a faith-based curriculum.”  Jason Brown, the president and co-founder of El Roi Haiti Outreach International, said in a statement shared to the organization’s website: “Our team at El Roi Haiti is grateful for the outpouring of prayers, care, and support for our colleague. We continue to work with our partners and trusted relationships to secure their safe return.” Brown said Dorsainvil is “a deeply compassionate and loving person who considers Haiti her home and the Haitian people her friends and family … Alix has worked tirelessly as our school and community nurse to bring relief to those who are suffering as she loves and serves the people of Haiti in the name of Jesus Thank you for your support and compassion during this on-going situation. We would request that no attempts be made. to contact the family for comment at this time.” Brown asked the public to “refrain from speculating on social media about this situation in order to protect Alix and her child during this time” and said that any updates will be shared to the El Roi Haiti website.

Federal officials in the United States said they are in contact with Haitian authorities, and a spokesperson for the State Department said in a statement: “The U.S. Department of State and our embassies and consulates abroad have no higher priority than the safety and security of U.S. citizens overseas. We are aware of reports of the kidnapping of two U.S. citizens in Haiti.  We are in regular contact with Haitian authorities and will continue to work with them and our U.S. government interagency partners. We have nothing further to share at this time.”

Editorial credit: SevenMaps / Shutterstock.com

Police in Gainesville, Florida confirmed that two people were killed after shots rang out in a crowd in nearby the University of Florida campus.

The Gainesville Police Department said police officers had been conducting crowd control in downtown Gainesville in the area of 900 West University Avenue – several blocks from the University of Florida campus – when they heard gunshots early Sunday. Police could not confirm how many people were shot, but reported two of the shooting victims later died from their injuries.

The Gainesville Police Department posted on social media that “anyone with information about this incident is asked to call 352-955-1818 or can remain anonymous by contacting the Alachua County Crime Stoppers at 352-372-7867,” and that additional information will be provided at a later time as it becomes available.

https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/people-killed-after-shots-fired-blocks-university-florida-101852976

Editorial credit: University of College / Shutterstock.com

In a new indictment filed by special counsel on Thursday, former President Donald Trump faces accusations that he and aides asked a staffer to delete camera footage at his Mar-a-Lago Florida estate in an effort to obstruct the classified documents investigations. The allegations in the updated grand jury indictment not only added new charges against Trump, it adds another defendant to the case.

The third defendant, maintenance official Carlos De Oliveira, was added to the court docket on Thursday in case against Trump and his aide Walt Nauta in connection with the handling of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago. The charges against De Oliveira were not immediately revealed Thursday. According to the indictment, Trump said to his lawyer: “I don’t want anybody looking, I don’t want anybody looking through my boxes, I really don’t. What happens if we just don’t respond at all of don’t play ball with them? Wouldn’t it be better if we just told them we don’t have anything here?”

Trump and valet Walt Nauta were charged last month by Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith in a 38-count indictment with conspiring to hide classified documents at Mar-a-Lago from government investigators who were demanding them back. The records were taken by Trump to the Palm Beach complex after he left the White House in January 2021. Trump and Nauta have pleaded not guilty to the charges they face; a trial has been set for May 2024.

A Trump spokesperson dismissed the new charges as “nothing more than a continued desperate and flailing attempt” by the Biden administration “to harass President Trump and those around him” and to influence the 2024 presidential race.

Editorial credit: Bill Perry / Shutterstock.com

Anheuser-Busch InBev, the company that owns Budweiser, is laying off about 350 corporate employees as the company deals with slumping sales of Bud Light in light of a continued conservative boycott after partnering with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney.

In a statement, Anheuser-Busch said it is eliminating close to 2% of workers “across every corporate function,” representing about 380 of AB InBev’s roughly 19,000 employees. The company didn’t give a timeline for when the layoffs will begin. Said Anheuser-Busch CEO Brendan Whiteworth: “While we never take these decisions lightly, we want to ensure that our organization continues to be set for future long-term success. These corporate structure changes will enable our teams to focus on what we do best — brewing great beer for everyone.”

In April, the company designed a marketing campaign with social media star and trans rights activist Dylan Mulvaney. The promotion with Mulvaney entailed an Instagram post by the social media influencer, in which she revealed a commemorative Bud Light can with her face on it, celebrating her “365 days of girlhood” series on her transition. The post sparked an outcry from some conservatives, who called for a boycott of the popular beer.

As a result of the backlash, Bud Light lost its longtime ranking in May as the nation’s best-selling beer.  In the month ending July 15, Bud Light’s U.S. sales were down 26.5%, while Modelo’s were up 13.5%. Bud Light held a 6.8% share of the U.S. beer market in that period, while Modelo held an 8.7% share. AB InBev sold $71.5 million worth of Bud Light during the week ending July 16, compared with Modelo Especial which generated $90.3 million in sales that same week.

The company said the layoffs will target about 2% of its corporate staff and wouldn’t affect workers in the breweries, employees such as truck drivers or salespeople in the field, or warehouse staff.

Editorial credit: Steve Cukrov / Shutterstock.com

The Federal Reserve announced Wednesday it had raised its key interest rates by another 0.25 points, increasing the federal funds rate range to a 22-year high of 5.25% to 5.5%, the highest level in 22 years. This is the 11th Fed interest rate increase since March 2022.

In a statement Wednesday afternoon, the Federal Reserve said that while consumer prices have declined for 12 straight months, consumer prices increased 3% year on year in June. Inflation remains elevated and job gains have been robust while unemployment has remained low. By raising its interest rates, the Federal Reserve hopes to make borrowing and investing more expensive, thereby reducing overall demand for goods, services and labor in the economy.  However, Wednesday’s rate increase will make it harder still for consumers and business to afford loans.

Fed Chair Jerome Powell affirmed after Wednesday’s interest rate announcement that the central bank no longer expects a recession to occur as a result of the increases, adding that it could bump up the key interest rate even further. The Federal Reserve’s statement said it “seeks to achieve maximum employment and inflation at the rate of 2 percent over the longer run. In support of these goals, the committee decided to raise the target range for the federal funds rate to 5-1/4 to 5-1/2 percent.”  As it continues to monitor inflation there’s a possibility of yet another interest rate hike ahead. the Fed said it will “continue to assess additional information and its implications for monetary policy.”

Editorial credit: Domenico Fornas / Shutterstock.com

President Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, pleaded not guilty to federal tax charges on Wednesday, after a plea deal fell through during the court hearing amid a dispute between the legal teams over a separate gun-related charge. Biden appeared in court with the intent of pleading guilty, as lawyers deliberated for more than three hours over the terms of the original deal. Back in June, Biden said he would plead guilty to two federal offenses connected with his taxes and businesses.

Presiding District Court Judge Maryellen Noreika questioned whether Biden would still agree to the terms of his plea arrangement if there was a potential for additional charges in the future. Biden said he would not plead guilty to the tax charges without a deal in place to avoid prosecution on the gun charge, but changed course after extensive negotiations between his lawyers and prosecutors while Noreika waited in her chambers. Biden’s lawyer Chris Clark said during the hearing that the deal was off: “As far as I’m concerned, the plea agreement is null and void.” The parties ultimately agreed that the deal would only grant Biden immunity on a limited set of tax, drug and firearm offenses.

Biden pleaded not guilty to charges of failing to pay taxes on more than $1.5 million in income in 2017 and 2018 despite owing more than $100,000, prosecutors allege. He did not enter a plea in a separate case where he is charged with unlawfully owning a firearm while addicted to and using a controlled substance, a felony. Biden also possessed a firearm in October 2018 despite “knowing he was an unlawful user of and addicted to a controlled substance,” a charge for which he had agreed to enter a pretrial diversion agreement to avoid prosecution.

The case marks the first time the Justice Department has brought charges against the child of a sitting president. If the issue isn’t resolved, Hunter Biden would face a court trial.

Editorial credit: Domenico Fornas / Shutterstock.com