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Daily Mail
20-07-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
ICE raid sparks pandemonium as cops batter agitators blocking major bridge
Dozens were arrested, and one cop was placed on administrative duty after violent clashes broke out during an anti-ICE protest on an interstate bridge. Demonstrators protesting the immigration detention of former hospital chaplain Ayman Soliman blocked the Roebling Bridge that carries traffic between Ohio and Kentucky on Thursday. Approximately 100 people crossed the bridge from the Ohio side, but fights broke out after protesters were met by nearly 50 officers from Covington, Kentucky, reported Shocking footage showed one officer punching a protester several times as police wrestled him to the ground. Covington Police Chief Brian Valenti claimed the protester, Brandon Hill, had tried to disarm an officer carrying a pepper ball gun. However, Hill, who was left covered in scratches and bruises and with his arm in a sling, insisted he was just trying not to get shot. 'It's all very traumatic, and I'm still trying to recover from this, honestly,' Hill told WCPO. 'If anything like that happened, it's because a random gun was pointed in my face.' Covington police placed the officer who arrested Hill on administrative duty with pay while the investigation is ongoing. Body camera footage from the unidentified officer showed him chasing Hill as he was running along the sidewalk before the cop grabbed him near the ledge of the bridge. Hill can be heard on other officers' body cams yelling 'ow' and 'stop' as he got hit in the head. In the officer's use-of-force report, he wrote: '[Hill] continued to physically resist, actively concealing his hands... fearing that [he] might be attempting to access a weapon, and that the surrounding crowd opposed a threat to my safety, I delivered additional closed fist strikes.' Another video from the protest showed people wearing neon-colored vests pushing against a black SUV on the bridge. Police arrested 15 people during the protest, including two journalists, after police said they had refused to comply with orders to disperse. Covington police said in a statement that officers who initially attempted to talk with the protest's organizer were threatened and met with hostility. 'While the department supports the public's right to peaceful assembly and expression, threatening officers and blocking critical infrastructure, such as a major bridge, presents a danger to all involved,' the police said. Among the charges filed against those arrested were rioting, failing to disperse, obstructing emergency responders, criminal mischief and disorderly conduct. Reporter Madeline Fening and photo intern Lucas Griffith were charged with felony rioting and several other charges, said Ashley Moor, the editor in chief of CityBeat. A judge on Friday set a $2,500 bond for each of those arrested. The arrests happened during a protest in support of Ayman Soliman, 51, an Egyptian immigrant who worked as a chaplain at Cincinnati Children's Hospital. He was detained last week after he showed up for a routine check-in with ICE officials at their office near Cincinnati. According to his lawyers, he was granted asylum in 2018 based on past persecution for his work as a journalist in Egypt during the Arab Spring uprising. His lawyers say he was jailed and tortured for reporting on the intense political conflict.
Straits Times
17-07-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
Is it acceptable to talk about money on the first date?
Mr Brandon Hill and Ms Alexandria Ang experienced tensions as old ideas about who should provide clashed with their reality of Mr Hill earning less money than Ms Ang. Four years ago, fresh out of law school, Ms Blessing Akinsilo was excited about her first real date in years. She had drinks with her match at a bar in Los Angeles, and the conversation felt easy. Things were going well – until he asked what she did for work. They started guessing each other's salary. He was an aspiring actor juggling part-time gigs. She was working in entertainment law. When her date assumed she was making more money than he was, she laughed and admitted that she had six figures of student loan debt. His face twisted in surprise. Ten minutes later, they were splitting the cheque and saying awkward goodbyes. She never heard from him again. Months later, Ms Akinsilo and a man she had matched with on the dating app Hinge were messaging and joking about student loans. She figured it was safe to tell him how much she owed on her loan, thinking he would relate. But when he learnt that her level of debt dwarfed his – he owed a quarter of what she did – the messages dried up fast. They never made it to a first date. 'I wish I could go back in time and tell myself, 'Don't bring up these student loans and other things,'' said Ms Akinsilo, now 31 and still navigating the dating scene. For generations, couples have danced around conversations involving money in the early stage of a relationship. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Driverless bus in Sentosa gets green light to run without safety officer in first for S'pore World US strikes destroyed only one of three Iranian nuclear sites, says new report Business 5 things to know about Kuok Hui Kwong, tycoon Robert Kuok's daughter and Shangri-La Asia head honcho Asia Air India probe into Boeing 787 fuel control switches finds no issues Singapore Man charged over manufacturing DIY Kpods at Yishun home; first such case in Singapore Singapore Sex first, then you can sell my flat: Women property agents fend off indecent proposals and harassment Singapore Two women jailed for submitting fake university certificates to MOM for employment passes Singapore Fatal abuse of Myanmar maid in Bishan: Traffic Police officer sentenced to 10 years' jail Whether out of discomfort, fear of being judged or simply not knowing when or how to bring it up, many people avoid talking about how much they earn, how much they owe or how they like to spend their money. More Americans feel comfortable discussing politics or religion than conversing about their finances, according to a 2024 Bankrate report. This reluctance is evident in pop culture. In the film Materialists, a romantic comedy written and directed by Celine Song that debuted in June, Dakota Johnson plays a matchmaker named Lucy who makes a point of learning about the finances of the men she meets and takes on as either clients or lovers. One of these prospects, a man named Harry who works in finance (played by Pedro Pascal), is taken aback when Lucy asks him what his salary is. He declines to give an exact figure. Things have shifted in recent years. A 2023 survey by Northwestern Mutual found that more than 70 per cent of Americans believed that a conversation about money should occur 'well ahead of marriage or living together'. Many financial experts agree that such conversations should happen sooner rather than later. Job insecurity and mass layoffs during the pandemic also pushed money to the centre of everyday conversations. Economic pressure is leading many people to ask questions about finances earlier in their relationships, sometimes even on the first date, said Ms Aja Evans, a financial therapist in New York City and the author of Feel-Good Finance. 'Two things can be a deal-breaker for people in relationships: kids and money,' Ms Evans said. The first date Ms Lori Powell did not hold back anything on her first date with Mr Dave Powell, who is now her husband. She laid out everything: divorced with two children, not a fan of sweaty outdoor activities, high heels over sneakers. She also said she was debt-free. Mr Powell told her that he had three daughters, that he had a steady job running a non-profit and that half his salary went to his former wife. But it was not until things got serious between the couple that he revealed he had about US$15,000 in credit card debt. It was a shock but not a deal-breaker, Ms Powell said. Before they married in 1997, she said, she sold a piece of property in Tampa, Florida, for about US$40,000 and paid off the debt so they could start fresh. Thirty years later, they are still together, living in Lakeland, Florida, and still working. Mr Powell, 75, works in sales, and Ms Powell, 66, runs what she calls a vintage market. They have a combined income of US$200,000 (S$255,000) a year. The couple credit their long-lasting marriage to the tough money conversations they had at the beginning. 'No secrets is imperative to a happy relationship,' Ms Powell said. 'You can have a private life, but not a secret life.' Ms Daphney Poyser, a matchmaker and relationship coach at Fern Connections, said she agreed with the Powells. She recommended asking questions about career goals, money and lifestyle habits by the third date, before things get too serious, so surprises do not pop up. Getting on the same page Ms Alexandria Ang and Mr Brandon Hill, both 25, did not waste time talking about money – once they actually had some. They began dating during their freshman year at Macalester College in St Paul, Minnesota, and landed jobs soon after graduating. Mr Hill, a part-time music teacher chasing his music dreams, and Ms Ang, a social media manager, knew that she would have to carry a bigger financial load early on, because she made more money. But once they moved into a one-bedroom apartment in Minnesota's Twin Cities, Mr Hill wrestled with not being 'the provider'. 'When we graduated college, reality hit us like a truck,' Ms Ang said. 'We were like, 'Oh, my God, we can't depend on dorm life and school any more.'' For over a year, Ms Ang covered the rent while Mr Hill paid for groceries and household basics. But tension built as old ideas about who should provide clashed with what worked for them in reality. After some tough conversations, Mr Hill shifted to a full-time manager-in-training role at a gym so he could contribute to bigger bills, and the couple started weekly budget meetings. They now live in a two-bedroom town house and are engaged. They believe that once your relationship is exclusive, conversations about money also need to include discussing what feels fair, comfortable and sustainable for both partners. Reading between the lines Ms Kiana Brooks, a senior buyer at a luxury fashion brand who is in her late 20s, has no idea how much her girlfriend makes, and she said she was perfectly fine with that. After nearly a year of dating long-distance, racking up frequent-flier miles between New York and Los Angeles, the couple said they cared less about the numbers on their pay cheques and more about whether their lifestyles clicked. Ms Brooks loves to travel. To celebrate their one-year anniversary, she and her girlfriend, Ms Nia Gaines, are headed to Paris, the city where they made things official. They are splitting hotel costs, paid separately for their airfare and are paying alternately for meals. The way they spend, the couple said, reveals more than any spreadsheet or bank statement could. Ms Brooks thinks people should inquire more about someone's lifestyle and daily habits than about their finances. 'We always say long distance works as long as you're not broke,' she said. 'If she's like, 'I can't come to see you,' I don't have to hear her say she can't afford it. You can read between the lines.' NYTIMES
CBS News
25-06-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Maryland residents appeal approved property access for controversial power line project
Maryland residents in the path of the controversial Piedmont Reliability Project are appealing after a federal judge granted surveyors access to their properties. The project aims to build nearly 70 miles of overhead power lines through three counties. On June 20, New Jersey-based developer PSEG Renewable Transmission was granted permission for surveyors to be on properties to assess the project. The power lines would go through Baltimore, Carroll, and Frederick counties. The project would construct 500,000-volt overhead power lines that would connect to an existing transmission line in parts of Maryland. According to PSEG, Maryland will face an increased energy deficit and power grid congestion if capacity does not increase. Filing submitted to survey properties In April, despite pushback from Maryland property owners, PSEG submitted a court filing that would force residents to allow surveyors onto their land. The developer said surveying must be complete before proceeding with the construction. PSEG's Temporary Right to Entry filing asked the court to allow the surveying of 91 properties for the project. Maryland property owners fight back Landowners and lawyers say the proposed project could have negative environmental impacts and would impede personal property. "It's going to start at the top of my hill, take out that forest there, which is an old-growth oak forest," landowner Brandon Hill said. "It's going to cut across my field here, render this whole field here not usable." "For a project that really doesn't help the grid, that really impacts their properties without great benefit to Maryland," added attorney Susan Euteneuer. Some residents told WJZ that the power lines would cut through family-owned farms. A faith-based youth camp and outdoor education center in Carroll County said the project would jeopardize the camp experience that they provide to guests, since the transmission line would go through their property. Hereford resident Janet Stratton said her farm, which has been passed down for six generations, is in the path of the proposed transmission line. "I realized my childhood dream 30 years ago," Stratton said. "To have it taken away would be devastating." The Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) said the project poses risks to the bay's habitat and water quality. The CBF found that the project has the potential to damage protected forests, nutrient-rich wetlands, and sources of clean water.
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Yahoo
Elementary School Girl Got a Haircut So Her Teacher Wouldn't Recognize and 'Touch Her.' Now, He Faces a Child Cruelty Charge
A former elementary school teacher is accused of inappropriately touching two young female students at a school in Georgia Police said Brandon Hill rubbed the students' hair, back and shoulders on multiple occasions throughout March, and one girl even had her hair cut so the educator would 'think she wasn't in the class anymore, so as to not touch her" Hill now faces a first-degree felony child cruelty charge, as well as one count of simple batteryA Georgia teacher faces child cruelty and battery charges for allegedly touching at least two elementary school students inappropriately — including one who got a haircut in the hopes that the educator would not recognize her anymore. Brandon Hill, a teacher at Trip Elementary School in Grayson, Ga., lost his job over the alleged incidents, which occurred throughout March, according to Atlanta's ABC affiliate WSB-TV. In an arrest affidavit obtained by WSB-TV, police state that Hill, 29, rubbed the hair, head, back and shoulders of a female student on six different occasions. The teacher allegedly told her 'not to use her voice' and that it 'was quiet time while he was touching her," police said. The student even had her hair cut, so Hill would 'think she wasn't in the class anymore, so as to not touch her,' the affidavit states. Another student also accused the teacher of stroking her hair and rubbing her back and shoulders on multiple occasions, per a second affidavit, which also states that the student attempted to stand up for herself. "The victim told him to stop on several different occasions,' police said. 'However, the accused didn't stop stroking the victim's hair when told to stop by the victim.' Hill was arrested and charged with a first-degree felony child cruelty charge, as well as one count of simple battery, a misdemeanor, WSB-TV reported. He was charged with child cruelty because, one affidavit states, he 'maliciously' caused one of the underage victims 'cruel or excessive physical pain or excessive mental pain.' Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. In a statement to WSB-TV, a spokesperson for Gwinnett County Public Schools said, 'The safety and well-being of our students and staff is — and will always be — the district's top priority. As soon as we became aware of the allegations, we acted swiftly and followed all state and district-mandated protocols.' The spokesperson also stated that following the allegations, Hill 'was promptly removed from the classroom and did not return to the school.' The Gwinnett County Police Department and Gwinnett County Schools Police Department did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment, nor did Gwinnett County Public Schools. It is not immediately clear if Hill has retained legal representation to comment on his behalf. According to WSB-TV, Hill was released after posting a $6,000 bond and is currently awaiting his first court appearance. If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages. Read the original article on People
