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TEXAS MOM ARRESTED AFTER POSING AS HER 13-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER AT MIDDLE SCHOOL
A Texas mom was arrested for allegedly posing as her 13-year-old daughter for nearly a whole day of middle school, according to a report Sunday. Casey Garcia, 30, allegedly slipped into the unnamed school in San Elizario dressed as the teen — complete with a hoodie, backpack and face mask — to prove a point about lax security, according to YouTube videos she posted. During the bizarre stunt, nobody noticed she wasn’t her daughter, Julie, until seventh period at the end of the school day, Garcia said in the videos, which were first reported by Insider. “I’ve been here all day, face to face with teachers,” she said in one of the videos. “Do I look like a seventh-grader? No? Cool. Awesome.” Footage shows her strolling through a school hallway in high-top sneakers — at one point greeting the principal, who appears to have no idea she’s a grown woman. At other points, she sits in classrooms, eats her lunch in a cafeteria and talks to faculty members. For most of the day, the only trouble she encountered was being scolded by a teacher for having her phone out, she said. But her safe schools crusade took an even weirder turn when she was caught, confronted by police and later arrested. She was charged with suspicion of criminal trespassing and tampering with government records, according to CBS 12. In a follow-up video, Garcia claimed the goal of breaching the school was to show tighter security was needed. “I don’t think it should have ever gotten this far,” she said. “I’m telling you right now we need better security at our schools — this is what I tried to prove.” She added, “This is about our children and the safety of our children,” she said. “That’s all I’m trying to do is prevent another mass shooting.” As of Friday, she was being held on a bond of $7,908. Garcia did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment.
[SOURCE: nypost.com / ENGAGEMENT: 10.52%]
PAUL LASTS THE DISTANCE AGAINST MAYWEATHER IN EXHIBITION
Floyd Mayweather Jr. outclassed YouTube personality Logan Paul but couldn’t stop him inside the distance. Mayweather and Paul boxed an eight-round exhibition Sunday night at Hard Rock Stadium. With the bout not being scored, no winner was declared. The 44-year-old Mayweather used the ring skills that propelled him to world titles in five divisions and a 50-0 career record to frustrate Paul with solid lead and counter shots. “You’ve got to realize I’m not 21 anymore but it’s good,” Mayweather said in the ring. “He’s better than I thought he was. Good little work. Tonight was a fun night.” Mayweather, who won titles in the super-featherweight, lightweight, super-lightweight, welterweight and super-welterweight divisions, has said he will not return to competitive boxing. Instead, he will continue to tap into the pay-per-view market with exhibitions like his event with Paul. After the fight, Paul celebrated the accomplishment of going the distance against Mayweather. Paul weighed 189 pounds for the exhibition and attempted to use his 34-pound advantage by leaning on the shorter Mayweather. But Paul’s lack of boxing skills left him open to Mayweather’s short left hooks to the head and rights to the body. Earlier, former Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chad Johnson boxed a four-round exhibition against multi-combat sport veteran Brian Maxwell. Like the Mayweather-Paul exhibition there was no scoring, but Johnson avoided a knockout loss after he was floored with an overall right to the head in the final round. Johnson, in his first boxing event, survived the remainder of the round. The 43-year-old Johnson scored with a solid right to the head in the opening minute of the bout and landed combinations to the head in the second round. But in the minute rest before the fourth round, Johnson breathed heavily and rested his arms on the ropes. Luis Arias won a split decision over former super-welterweight champion Jarrett Hurd and former super-middleweight titleholder Badou Jack stopped Dervin Colina in the fourth round.
[SOURCE: apnews.com / ENGAGEMENT: 9.91%]
CNN OBTAINS AUDIO OF 2019 GIULIANI CALL LINKED TO UKRAINE MEDDLING ALLEGATIONS
CNN on Monday reported that it had obtained a 2019 phone call in which Trump ally Rudy Giuliani can be heard pressuring a Ukrainian senior official to open an investigation into conspiracy theories about then-Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, appearing to imply that U.S.-Ukrainian relations would improve if such a request was granted. According to CNN, the 40-minute phone call took place in July 2019 between Giuliani, U.S. diplomat Kurt Volker and Andriy Yermak, a senior adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The call occured before Trump’s call to Zelensky later that month, which later became the center of his first impeachment. Giuliani can reportedly be heard saying in the phone call, “All we need from the President [Zelensky] is to say, I’m gonna put an honest prosecutor in charge, he’s gonna investigate and dig up the evidence, that presently exists and is there any other evidence about involvement of the 2016 election, and then the Biden thing has to be run out.” Giuliani repeatedly pressed for an investigation to be opened during the phone call, at one point appearing to suggest that a public announcement of an investigation would result in a U.S. visit for Zelensky and improved U.S.-Ukrainian relations. “That would clear the air really well,” Giuliani said, according to CNN. “And I think it would make it possible for me to come and make it possible, I think, for me to talk to the President [Trump] to see what I can do about making sure that whatever misunderstandings are put aside. … I kinda think that this could be a good thing for having a much better relationship.” Giuliani is currently under investigation by federal authorities for his connections to Ukraine. Authorities are looking to determine whether he failed to register as a foreign agent when he advocated on behalf of the country to the Trump administration. Giuliani has denied all wrong doing.
[SOURCE: newsbreak.com / ENGAGEMENT: 9.61%]
SERENA WILLIAMS LOSES AT FRENCH OPEN; ROGER FEDERER WITHDRAWS
Serena Williams turns 40 in September. Roger Federer hits that milestone the month before. No one knows how many more French Open appearances each will make, and this year’s tournament ended for both on Sunday. Williams fell way behind and could not put together a comeback against a much younger and less-experienced opponent in the fourth round at Roland Garros, losing 6-3, 7-5 to Elena Rybakina — who wasn’t even born when the American made her tournament debut in 1998. That defeat came hours after Federer withdrew, saying he needed to let his body recover ahead of Wimbledon after a long third-round victory that ended at nearly 1 a.m. on Sunday. Williams has won 23 Grand Slam titles and Federer has won 20. They are two of the sport’s greatest and most popular players, so it was quite a blow to the tournament, its TV partners and tennis fans to see both gone from the field one after the other — and a week after Naomi Osaka pulled out, citing a need for a mental health break. Williams has won the French Open three times. But the American hasn’t been past the fourth round in Paris since she was the runner-up in 2016.
[SOURCE: huffpost.com / ENGAGEMENT: 9.00%]
A 6-YEAR-OLD REQUESTED A BIRTHDAY CAKE SHOWING THE BEHEADING OF ANNE BOLEYN AND THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT SHE GOT
When Edmund Kingsley and his wife, Anna Morrissey, asked their 5-year-old daughter for suggestions on what her birthday cake should look like, her unique response didn’t entirely surprise them. “She said, ‘Well, my friend is getting unicorns, but I think what I’d really like is Henry VIII executing Anne Boleyn with Elizabeth I watching,” Kingsley told BuzzFeed News. The father of two explained that his daughter’s request was the product of a profound love of stories, and a recent interest in the Tudors after visiting Hampton Court around winter holidays. “They had an ice skating rink at Hampton Court. That was like our big Christmas treat. We took the children ice skating there,” said Kingsley. Morrissey, a theater and movement director with a history background, was able to share with their daughter the details of the royal family who once occupied the Hampton Court Palace. “I think that’s where the seed was sown, seeing that castle and having a really fun day there. She just got really into the story of his big, fat, horrible king who had six wives,” Kingsley said. With lockdown measures still in place, the couple hosted a small celebration in the park with some friends, in line with COVID restrictions. At the center of the celebrations was, as requested, a birthday cake capturing the execution of Anne Boleyn, former queen of England and second wife of King Henry VIII for whom he separated from the Catholic Church in order to marry — the drama of it all. Boleyn was beheaded in 1536 after being charged with adultery, incest, and treason. Also memorialized in fondant is a young Elizabeth I, Boleyn’s daughter who would later become Queen of England and Ireland in 1558. In the message posted on Twitter, Edmund wrote: “Tomorrow we’ll have a six year old, and like so many girls her age she insisted on a cake depicting the future Queen Elizabeth I witnessing the execution of Anne Boleyn by Henry VIII.” The couple, who are strong contenders for parents of the year, spent three days constructing the cake as a joint effort, with Anna taking lead on the design concept. Along with their own storytelling, Kingsley credited Horrible Histories, the BBC children’s program dedicated to retelling historic events with music and comedy, for encouraging their daughter’s interest in the subject. The cake prompted a lot of comments online. Kingsley acknowledged that it was far from a conventional cake, but while some may consider it strange, to the proud parents, “it sort of made perfect sense.”
[SOURCE: buzzfeednews.com / ENGAGEMENT: 6.88%]
ALZHEIMER’S DRUG FROM BIOGEN WINS US APPROVAL
Government health officials on Monday approved the first new drug for Alzheimer’s disease in nearly 20 years, disregarding warnings from independent advisers that the much-debated treatment hasn’t been shown to help slow the brain-destroying disease. The Food and Drug Administration approved the drug from Biogen based on study results showing it seemed “reasonably likely” to benefit Alzheimer’s patients. It’s the only therapy that U.S. regulators have said can likely treat the underlying disease, rather than manage symptoms like anxiety and insomnia. The decision, which could impact millions of Americans and their families, is certain to spark disagreements among physicians, medical researchers and patient groups. It also has far-reaching implications for the standards used to evaluate experimental therapies, including those that show only incremental benefits. The new drug, which Biogen developed with Japan’s Eisai Co., did not reverse mental decline, only slowing it in one study. The medication, aducanumab, will be marketed as Aduhelm and is to be given as an infusion every four weeks. Dr. Caleb Alexander, an FDA adviser who recommended against the drug’s approval, said he was “surprised and disappointed” by the decision. “The FDA gets the respect that it does because it has regulatory standards that are based on firm evidence. In this case, I think they gave the product a pass,” said Alexander, a medical researcher at Johns Hopkins University. The FDA’s top drug regulator acknowledged that “residual uncertainties” surround the drug, but said Aduhelm’s ability to reduce harmful clumps of plaque in the brain is expected to help slow dementia. “The data supports patients and caregivers having the choice to use this drug,” Dr. Patrizia Cavazzoni told reporters. She said the FDA carefully weighed the input of people living with the “devastating, debilitating and deadly disease.” Under terms of the so-called accelerated approval, the FDA is requiring Biogen to conduct a follow-up study to confirm benefits for patients. If the study fails to show effectiveness, the FDA could pull the drug from the market, though the agency rarely does so.
[SOURCE: sharonherald.com / ENGAGEMENT: 6.27%]
FALCONS TRADE JULIO JONES TO TITANS IN BLOCKBUSTER DEAL
Julio Jones is a Tennessee Titan. After weeks of speculation and a very publicized conversation with Shannon Sharpe, the Atlanta Falcons wide receiver has now been traded. The blockbuster deal was reported by NFL insider Ian Rapoport. The reported trade will not be official just yet, as the Falcons star still needs to pass a physical. But once everything is clear, Julio Jones will formally be the Tennessee Titans’ latest weapon, Rapoport clarified. “The deal may not be official for another few days — Julio Jones will have to take a physical. But the Titans are the landing spot.” The drama had been leading up to this point, and it just became a matter of when and no longer if. A trade had been brewing since the end of the 2020 NFL season, but it only really snowballed when Jones’ discontent with the Falcons became louder–which of course had the entire league buzzing. Julio Jones adds a devastating receiving threat to an offense buoyed by the ground game of running back and human bulldozer Derrick Henry. While the two-time All-Pro certainly had a down year last season, you could say that about the Atlanta Falcons franchise as a whole. Look for him to bounce back in a big way in his first year in a Titans uniform.
[SOURCE: clutchpoints.com / ENGAGEMENT: 6.07%]
DOJ SEIZES MILLIONS IN RANSOM PAID BY COLONIAL PIPELINE
The Justice Department on Monday announced it has successfully seized millions of dollars in cryptocurrency Colonial Pipeline paid to the cyber criminal group DarkSide following last month’s ransomware attack that led the pipeline to briefly shut down its operations, according to a seizure warrant unsealed Monday afternoon. “Earlier today, the Department of Justice has found and recaptured the majority of the ransom Colonial paid to the DarkSide network in the wake of last month’s ransomware attack. Ransomware attacks are always unacceptable — but when they target critical infrastructure, we will spare no effort in our response,” Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said at a news conference. “Today, we turned the tables on DarkSide,” she said. “By going after the entire ecosystem that fuels ransomware and digital extortion attacks, including criminal proceeds in the form of digital currency, we will continue to use all of our tools, and all of our resources to increase the cost and the consequences of ransomware attacks and other cyber-enabled attacks.” The Colonial Pipeline hack was carried out by DarkSide actors, the FBI said in brief statement days after the attack. At the time of the attack, President Joe Biden said the hackers were based in Russia, but were not part of the Russian government. Colonial transports approximately 45% of all fuel consumed on the East Coast. The company was up and running within days, but the slowdown meant delays still remained in the aftermath of the attack. In May, the company admitted it paid million ransom in Bitcoin cryptocurrency. The full amount of the seizure from DarkSide, DOJ officials said Monday, was 63.7 bitcoins valued at approximately $2.3 million.
[SOURCE: abcnews.go.com / ENGAGEMENT: 4.55%]
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