Pro-Hamas demonstrators blocked several New York City bridges and a tunnel at the height of rush-hour on Monday to demand an immediate ceasefire in the three-month-old Israel-Hamas conflict. But unlike in Toronto‚ where the police hand out cups of coffee to the Muslim thugs‚ the NYPD arrests them. Washington Free Beacon Dozens of demonstrators sat […]

Yechiel Jacobs. Find him at @jacobsyechiel on Instagram!

If you’re a small business owner and you forget to take care of a new paperwork mandate‚ you could go to prison for two years. A bill once introduced by Carolyn Maloney called the Corporate Transparency Act or CTA‚ is included in the National Defense Authorization Act. That’s the military budget Congress has to pass […] The post Small Businesses Have to Do Paperwork for the Financial Crimes Network appeared first on www.independentsentinel.com.

Later this month‚ a hearing is set to be held in South Carolina to determine whether convicted murderer Alex Murdaugh received a fair trial. At issue is whether Colleton County Clerk of Court Becky Hill had improper communications with jurors during Murdaugh’s trial last year‚ and if she did‚ whether those communications created a bias or prejudice that influenced the outcome of the trial‚ KATU 2 reported. South Carolina state prosecutors and Murdaugh’s defense attorneys will meet on January 29 to present their arguments in the case. Murdaugh’s attorneys‚ Dick Harpootlian and Jim Griffin‚ filed a pre-trial brief last Wednesday arguing that they don’t have to prove that Hill influenced the jury into finding Murdaugh guilty of killing his wife‚ Maggie‚ and youngest son Paul. “Mr. Murdaugh does not need to show actual bias on the part of any juror to obtain a new trial.” his attorneys wrote‚ according to the New York Post. “If Mr. Murdaugh proves his allegation that Ms. Hill communicated with the jury about the evidence presented by the defense during his murder trial‚ South Carolina and federal law require that Mr. Murdaugh receive a new trial‚ irrespective of whether the court believes the outcome of the trial would have been the same had Ms. Hill’s jury tampering not occurred.” State prosecutors‚ however‚ argued in their own pre-trial filing that Murdaugh’s defense attorneys do have to prove the jury was swayed by Hill’s communications. Murdaugh’s defense team also accused Hill of presenting false information to the judge to get a juror kicked off the panel because Hill thought that juror wouldn’t vote guilty. The defense team also alleged that Hill discussed Murdaugh’s guilt with jurors in an attempt to secure a conviction so she could get a book deal. Specifically‚ the defense team argued that Hill falsely told Judge Clifton Newman that the female juror’s ex-husband had accused the juror in a Facebook post of getting drunk and talking about the case – even telling people she planned to vote not guilty. That juror was kicked off the panel on February 28‚ just before jury deliberations began. Hill wrote about the incident in the book she published. Hill has denied the allegations. CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP A jury found Murdaugh guilty of murder on March 2‚ and he was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences. The decision came after just a few hours of deliberation and a six-week trial where more than 70 witnesses testified. Murdaugh has maintained his innocence‚ suggesting his son Paul was the main target for the murders due to his involvement in a 2019 boat crash that killed 19-year-old Mallory Beach. Murdaugh spent nearly two days testifying in his own defense at his trial and immediately admitted to lying for years about his whereabouts on the day his wife and son were murdered. Murdaugh also pleaded guilty in September to 22 counts of financial fraud and money laundering and was sentenced to 27 years in prison for those crimes.

The 81st Golden Globes aired Sunday night‚ and with that came some expected outcomes along with a few surprises. Viewers expected “Oppenheimer” to own the night after the blockbuster biopic was nominated in eight categories. The Christopher Nolan drama was indeed a big winner‚ taking home five awards‚ including Best Drama and Best Director. On the opposite end of the spectrum‚ Yorgos Lanthimos’ science fantasy black comedy “Poor Things‚” which was inspired by “Frankenstein‚” was the surprise winner over “Barbie” in the Best Comedy or Musical category. “Barbie” made more than $1.4 billion worldwide‚ but that didn’t translate into wins at the Globes. The Greta Gerwig-directed project was nominated in nine categories but only had two wins in minor categories: Cinematic and Box Office Achievement and Best Original Song for Billie Eilish’s “What Was I Made For?” One of the biggest surprise upsets for “Barbie” was losing Best Screenplay to “Anatomy of a Fall.” This decision comes on the heels of the Academy ruling that “Barbie” must compete in the Oscars later this year under the Adapted Screenplay category rather than as an Original Screenplay‚ which they petitioned for. Because “Barbie” nabbed the Box Office Achievement award‚ it left Taylor Swift high and dry with zero wins. Her “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” film‚ which smashed records in the concert film genre‚ was only nominated in that single category.  Other big success stories of the night included the HBO comedy-drama “Succession‚” which earned four wins‚ including Best Drama. “Beef‚” a Netflix limited series exploring the fallout of a road rage incident‚ also won in three categories. CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP Lily Gladstone won Best Female Actor in a Drama for her portrayal of an Osage woman in “Killers of the Flower Moon.” Emma Stone won Best Female Actor in a Comedy for “Poor Things.” Paul Giamatti was named Best Actor in a Comedy for “The Holdovers” while Cillian Murphy won Best Actor in a Drama for “Oppenheimer. “Succession” stars Kieran Culkin and Sarah Snook won Best Male Actor and Best Female Actor in a TV Drama. Best Actor in a TV Musical or Comedy went to Jeremy Allen White for “The Bear” while Best Actress was awarded to Ayo Edibiri for her work on the same series. The Globes had some drama several years ago pertaining to alleged sexism and racism. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association was dissolved in the wake of the crisis‚ which led to the new show moving from NBC to CBS as the production fought to reclaim its place as the third-biggest award show of the year following the Oscars and Grammys. 

President Joe Biden reportedly has no intention of having Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin leave his administration over a secretive hospital stay. Senior administration officials told POLITICO the president would not accept the defense secretary’s resignation if offered. “Austin’s going nowhere‚” one of the sources said. The report follows a White House official telling Reuters that Biden has “full confidence” in Austin and is “looking forward to him being back at the Pentagon.” The Department of Defense (DoD) announced on Friday that Austin had been admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for “complications following a recent elective medical procedure” a week ago. While the Pentagon press corps immediately expressed outrage over being kept in the dark‚ news reports followed disclosing that lawmakers‚ White House officials‚ and even top DoD brass were not informed of Austin’s health scare for days — including the deputy who temporarily assumed some of the defense secretary’s responsibilities. There have been some calls among congressional Republicans and former President Donald Trump for Austin to resign or be fired. Others just want more answers. A U.S. official told ABC News that Biden was exasperated by the lack of transparency and that there would be a review of the episode. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said on Monday‚ “There is no plans or anything other than for Secretary Austin to stay in the job and continue in the leadership that he’s been demonstrating‚” according to CNN. As of Sunday night‚ Austin remained hospitalized but had resumed his duties. He was admitted to Walter Reed’s intensive care unit after experiencing “severe pain” more than a week after undergoing an undisclosed elective procedure‚ officials told The Wall Street Journal. Fox News reported on Monday that Biden and Austin authorized a strike in Baghdad on January 4 before Austin was hospitalized. The DoD said the “self-defense strike” on that day killed a terrorist leader from an Iran-backed group. CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder pinned the late notification to the White House on Austin’s chief of staff‚ Kelly Magsamen‚ also being ill‚ according to The Washington Post. Ryder reportedly claimed to have no information when asked why no one else sent out word about Austin’s hospitalization. In other comments to the press‚ Ryder has said Austin was placed in the intensive care unit “due to his medical needs‚ but then remained in that location in part due to hospital space considerations and privacy.” And Ryder has insisted that Austin “has no plans to resign.” Austin said in a statement over the weekend that he was on the mend and conceded that he could have “done a better job ensuring the public was appropriately informed.” He added‚ “I commit to doing better. But this is important to say: this was my medical procedure‚ and I take full responsibility for my decisions about disclosure.”

The Indiana Supreme Court will hear arguments this month to determine whether the man suspected of killing two Delphi‚ Indiana‚ teenagers should have his original attorneys reinstated and whether the judge in the case should be removed. Richard Allen‚ 51‚ is accused of murdering 13-year-old Abby Williams and 14-year-old Libby German on a hiking trail back in 2017. On January 18‚ the state Supreme Court will determine whether to remove special Judge Fran Gull from the case and whether Allen’s original defense attorneys‚ Andrew Baldwin and Bradley Rozzi‚ should be reinstated. Allen himself will not be attending the hearing‚ WTHR reported. Attorney Cara Wieneke – who was appointed as Allen’s attorney after Baldwin and Rozzi were removed – provided the outlet with a statement saying: “From our position as it stands right now‚ Mr. Allen will NOT be attending the hearing‚ and we will NOT be asking for him to attend the hearing. My understanding from Supreme Court Services is that the Court will not be‚ on its own‚ entering an order to transport him either. I suppose the State of Indiana‚ through the Attorney General or through Mr. Guttwein‚ could file a motion asking to have him transported. But I don’t see why the State would want him there.” The state Supreme Court will review the circumstances of Baldwin and Rozzi’s removal after the attorneys alleged that during a closed-door meeting with Gull‚ the judge threatened to harm the attorney’s reputation by accusing them of “gross negligence” in open court unless they withdrew from the case. The attorneys withdrew but filed a petition to represent Allen pro bono. Judge Gull then barred them from representing Allen in any capacity. The transcript‚ first obtained by WTHR‚ shows the judge planned to remove the two attorneys prior to her public announcement they had withdrawn. At the meeting‚ which included Carroll County Prosecutor Nicholas McLeland‚ the group discussed a leak of documents from Baldwin’s office‚ but Judge Gull stated that was not the only reason she wanted the attorneys removed from representing Allen. Gull said the attorneys “potentially” violated the Rules of Professional Responsibility. She told Baldwin he was “grossly negligent” for sending a sensitive email to a “Brad” who was not Rozzi‚ and questioned whether the two attorneys had fully cooperated with a gag order she had filed. She also said she had evidence the attorneys “left materials all over a conference-room table‚ accessible to anyone.” “It pains me to say this‚ but the totality of these circumstances demonstrate gross negligence and incompetence on the part of the defense team‚” Gull said. “I am unsatisfied with your representation of Mr. Allen. I am gravely concerned about his rights to have competent‚ non-negligent representation. He currently doesn’t have that right now.” Gull then said she told them this information privately but would say it in open court if they didn’t withdraw. From the transcript: Rozzi: “So basically‚ what you’re saying is ‘You guys either quit on your own accord or you make me fire you?’ That’s what-“ Gull: “No. I’m saying to you that this is my this is what [I] plan to say in court on the record when we convene at two o’clock.” Rozzi: “Well‚ so are – is the culmination of that that you’re removing us from the case?” Gull: “I will‚ based on what I’ve just shared with you.” A little later in the conversation‚ Rozzi told Gull she had “ambushed” him and Baldwin into a “forced resignation” without giving them a real opportunity to prepare for the meeting. CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP “The options I’ve been given without any notice [from] the Court really are either I withdraw or I’m gonna be publicly shamed‚” Rozzi said‚ “And that’s the way I see this. And I think that public shaming is not only – there’s not only a professional element to that‚ I think there’s a personal element too.” The state Supreme Court will also determine whether Judge Gull should be removed following alleged bias against the defense.

Israel is considering launching a major military operation against Hezbollah after months of harassment and threats from the terror group‚ alarming some U.S. officials. Hezbollah has threatened Israel on its northern border from Lebanon for months since Hamas terrorists invaded Israel from the Gaza Strip on October 7‚ murdering roughly 1‚200 people and taking hostage hundreds more. Warnings from Israel that it intends to put a stop to Hezbollah’s threats have alarmed the Biden administration‚ which fears a growing Middle East conflict‚ according to The Washington Post. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has warned in recent days that Israel’s patience for Hezbollah is wearing thin and that a major military operation may be launched soon. Since Hamas’ October 7 invasion‚ Israel has evacuated tens of thousands of Israelis from its northern border with Lebanon over the threat posed by Hezbollah. “The priority isn’t to get into a war” with Hezbollah‚ Gallant told The Wall Street Journal in an interview published Monday. “Eighty-thousand people need to be able to go back to their homes safely.” “We are willing to sacrifice‚” he continued. “They see what is happening in Gaza. They know we can copy-paste to Beirut‚” the capital of Lebanon. The Biden administration is reportedly warning Israel against taking significant action against Hezbollah‚ warning that a U.S. intelligence assessment found that if Israel were to expand its military operations to Lebanon as well as Gaza‚ success would be difficult for Israel to achieve. Biden administration officials believe Israel’s signals against Hezbollah may be a result of political pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Netanyahu may push military action against Hezbollah in order to recover politically from the fallout over a failure to prevent the invasion of October 7‚ according to Biden administration concerns shared with the Post. CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP Gallant has characterized October 7 as a turning point in Israeli national security and military policy. “October 7 was the bloodiest day for Jewish people since 1945‚” Gallant told WSJ. “The world needs to understand. This is different.” According to the Israeli defense minister‚ Israel is facing more than Hamas. Israel is facing a network of militant terror groups backed by Iran‚ and the fight to secure Israel’s borders from terrorists may be much larger than Gaza and go on much longer than many expect. “My basic view: We are fighting an axis‚ not a single enemy‚” Gallant said. “Iran is building up military power around Israel in order to use it.”