Paradise News

Category: Metro

  • Judicial Watch Sues for Records on FBI Payments Referenced in ‘Twitter Files’

    (Washington, DC) – Judicial Watch announced today that it filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Justice for records of any payments made by the FBI to Twitter (now known as X) (Judicial Watch v. U.S. Department of Justice (No. 1:23-cv-03004)). The payments were disclosed in internal Twitter documents (the “Twitter Files”) made available by Elon Musk to journalists.

    In a December 19, 2022, report on “Twitter Files,” independent journalist Michael Shellenberger reveals an email which states the FBI paid Twitter nearly $3.5 million of U.S. taxpayer money as “reimbursement for the time spent processing requests from the FBI” from October 2019 to February 2021.

    Judicial Watch filed the lawsuit after the FBI failed to respond adequately to a December 24, 2022, FOIA request for:

    All records documenting any payments made to Twitter, Inc. and/or any employee thereof by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. This request includes, but is not limited to, all related purchase orders, expense requests and approvals, and similar records.

    All contracts or similar records documenting the purpose or basis of any payment described in part one of this request.

    In a January 30, 2023 letter, the FBI claimed that it could “neither confirm nor deny the existence of records responsive to your request pursuant to FOIA Exemption (b)(7)(E),” which refers to investigation techniques.

    In his December 19, 2022, report, Shellenberger reveals an email dated February 10, 2021, in which an unidentified Twitter employee tells then-Twitter Deputy General Counsel Jim Baker and then-General Counsel Sean Edgett that “we have collected $3,415,323 since October 2019!”

    The email explains that Twitter’s Safety, Content & Law Enforcement (SCALE) division instituted a “reimbursement program” in exchange for devoting staff hours to “processing requests from the FBI.”

    Baker and Edgett were fired after Elon Musk bought the social media platform in October 2022. (Prior to joining Twitter, Baker had been the FBI’s top lawyer under James Comey.)

    “The notorious relationship between the FBI and Twitter includes millions in taxpayer cash,” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. “The Justice Department’s and FBI’s cover-up of this collusion show they have something to hide.”

    Judicial Watch has produced a four-part documentary, “Censored and Controlled,” that details the coordinated effort by the FBI and other government agencies and Big Tech to censor and suppress information on topics such as Hunter Biden’s laptop, COVID-19, and election debates.

    Judicial Watch has been in the forefront of uncovering government efforts to censor free speech and suppress opposition to its unconstitutional actions, including the U.S. Government’s dissemination of its own disinformation.

    Recently, Judicial Watch sued the U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) for records concerning censorship of social media users.

    In April 2023, Judicial Watch filed two lawsuits against the U.S. Department of Justice and other federal agencies for communications between the agencies and Facebook and Twitter regarding the government’s involvement in content moderation and censorship on the social media platforms.

    In June 2023, Judicial Watch sued DHS for all records of communications tied to the Election Integrity Partnership. Based on representations from the EIP (see here and here), the federal government, social media companies, the EIP, the Center for Internet Security (a non-profit organization funded partly by DHS and the Defense Department) and numerous other leftist groups communicated privately via the Jira software platform developed by Atlassian.

    In February 2023, Judicial Watch sued the U.S. Department Homeland Security (DHS) for records showing cooperation between the Cybersecurity and Information Security Agency (CISA) and social media platforms to censor and suppress free speech.

    Judicial Watch in January 2023 sued the DOJ for records of communications between the FBI and social media sites regarding foreign influence in elections, as well as the Hunter Biden laptop story.

    In September 2022, Judicial Watch sued the Secretary of State of the State of California for having YouTube censor a Judicial Watch election integrity video.

    In May 2022, YouTube censored a Judicial Watch video about Biden corruption and election integrity issues in the 2020 election. The video, titled “Impeach? Biden Corruption Threatens National Security,” was falsely determined to be “election misinformation” and removed by YouTube, and Judicial Watch’s YouTube account was suspended for a week. The video featured an interview of Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. Judicial Watch continues to post its video content on its Rumble channel (

    In July 2021, Judicial Watch uncovered records from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which revealed that Facebook coordinated closely with the CDC to control the COVID narrative and “misinformation” and that over $3.5 million in free advertising given to the CDC by social media companies.

    In May 2021, Judicial Watch revealed documents showing that Iowa state officials pressured social media companies Twitter and Facebook to censor posts about the 2020 election.

    In April 2021, Judicial Watch published documents revealing how California state officials pressured social media companies (Twitter, Facebook, Google (YouTube)) to censor posts about the 2020 election.

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  • City lawyer sues Sainsbury’s after security guard wrongly accuses him of shoplifting 

    Wants £25k

    A London-based lawyer is reportedly seeking £25,000 in damages, claiming he was falsely accused of shoplifting in front of a crowd of 50 people.

    Andrew Jonathan Milne, who runs law firm Andrew Milne & Co, has brought a claim for defamation against supermarket giant Sainsbury’s following an incident in one of its stores in Merseyside.

    The experienced solicitor, who grew up not far from the store, alleges that a security guard told him: “You are a thief, you are a shoplifter, you should be in jail’, in front of fellow shoppers.

    Milne says he paid for the items and was walking back to his vehicle when the alleged incident occurred, the Mail Online reports. He also argues that it was “highly likely that many who witnessed the incident recognised him”.

    Milne’s barrister, 5RB’s William Bennett KC, reportedly said: “The man shouted the following words which defamed [Mr Milne], ‘Stop, thief. You are a thief. You are a shoplifter. You should be in jail. I am arresting you for shoplifting. You are a thief… you are stealing my bag… you have stolen goods in your bag. I am arresting you, thief’”.

    “The volume of the man’s shouting and the nature of the accusations he was making against [Milne] attracted the attention of approximately 50 people who were in the vicinity of the doors to the store and the car park and within earshot of the man,” the top silk added.

    Bennett KC argued that the words allegedly used by the security guard had implied that Milne had committed a criminal offence and so caused “serious harm” to his reputation.

    The 2024 Legal Cheek Firms Most List

    But Sainsbury’s lawyers deny the claim, arguing that it is “bound to fail” because Milne has suffered “no real harm or damage”. They also argue the guard had “a social, legal and/or moral duty…to prevent theft” and as result, should be protected from any potential legal action”.

    5RB’s Lily Walker-Parr, for Sainsbury’s, reportedly accepted Milne had paid for his items but that the security guard was only doing his job.

    The barrister said the store’s security alarm was triggered after Milne had exited the store. “The security guard approached [Milne] and asked [him] to accompany him back to the store,” she said. “However, [Milne] refused and tried to walk away, at which point the security guard asked [him] again to return to the store.”

    “The words complained of and the circumstances of the alleged publication are not admitted,” she continued.

    Walker-Parr also argued that the security guard was an employee of a “third-party company” and was therefore representing his employer rather than Sainsbury’s.

    The barrister said “there is unlikely to be any continuing reputational harm, if there ever was, and that “the words were allegedly spoken over one year ago to individuals who likely did not know” Milne.

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  • Quinn Emanuel to invite artists to share office space with lawyers

    Cash to splash after stellar financials

    How it might look: A photoshopped image of an artist painting an AI generated picture of Quinn Emanuel founder John Quinn

    The London office of hyper-profitable US litigation firm Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan is looking for young artists to work alongside its lawyers.

    The Los Angeles-headquartered firm, which is consistently ranked ‘most feared’ in legal directories, showered junior lawyers with £27k bonuses this year amid soaring financials. In London Quinn Emanuel managed to generate a staggering 71% profit margin, with the firm’s Holborn office making £95 million profit on a £133.6 million turnover

    What to do to celebrate? Well, the firm — led by eccentric founder John Quinn — has had an interesting idea.

    It’s inviting struggling artists to share its swish central London office space.
    Following similar philanthropic initiatives in its Los Angeles and New York offices, the litigation powerhouse announced today that it will commence an ‘Artist-in-Residence’ programme in the UK.

    Citing huge rental price inflation in big cities, the firm’s London-based partner Leisl Fichardt said: “[a]rtists simply cannot afford centrally located studio space in cities such as Los Angeles, New York and London. By allowing them to share our space we can afford artists a unique opportunity that, as we have seen, can provide a significant boost to their careers.”

    The 2024 Legal Cheek Firms Most List

    The firm’s intention is for the programme is to focus on inviting young emerging or mid-career artists who live in or around London but who do not have city studio space to work in. Artist residency will last for four months with two artists being selected for each cycle who will work alongside the firm’s lawyers and staff. At the end of each cycle, an external exhibition will be held and hosted in conjunction with an undisclosed London gallery. And they get paid, with Quinn Emanuel directing some of its chunky profits to paying their artists £3,000 a month over the course of four months plus an allowance of up to £1,000 for purchase of art materials.

    Are artists and corporate lawyers a natural fit as office buddies? Fichardt seems to think so: “[a]s lawyers, we work in a stimulating environment where we share ideas and have ongoing intellectual interaction. At the same time, we can make a meaningful contribution to our communities by sharing that space with artists and by us supporting them for a period in an interactive environment.”

    Head honcho John Quinn agrees: “Someone said that artists are the antennae of the human race. We have the extra space and we are very excited to use that space to learn what contemporary artists are telling us now. The world is changing faster than ever before and who better than artists to give us insights into what those changes are and what they portend?”

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  • Suspect confesses to murder of missing teen; Prosecutors recharge Alec Baldwin — TCD Sidebar

    In this episode of True Crime Daily The Sidebar Podcast: Donte Mills joins host Joshua Ritter to break down the biggest cases making headlines across the nation. They discuss Joran van der Sloot’s confession in Natalee Holloway’s slaying, an appeals court ruling in Alex Murdaugh’s favor, and a pending grand jury indictment for Alec Baldwin in the fatal “Rust” shooting.

    Tweet your questions for future episodes to Joshua Ritter using the hashtag #TCDSidebar.

    YouTube: Suspect confesses to murder of missing teen; Prosecutors recharge Alec Baldwin — TCD Sidebar

    TRUE CRIME DAILY: THE PODCAST covers high-profile and under-the-radar cases every week. Subscribe to our YouTube page for podcasts, exclusive videos, and more, and don’t forget to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.



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  • Foot Anstey launches vac scheme for underrepresented BME students 

    Guaranteed assessment centre spot


    Law firm Foot Anstey has launched a new vacation scheme for aspiring lawyers from underrepresented Black and minority ethnic backgrounds.

    The spring programme, dubbed Achieve, will see candidates spend a week discovering what life is like as trainee at the firm in either its Bristol, Exeter or Southampton offices.

    Lawyer hopefuls will take part in a series of “masterclass sessions” to develop key legal skills and commercial knowledge as well as contribute to live cases.

    The firm says the scheme is specifically designed for underrepresented groups within the UK workforce as identified by the government. This includes individuals from: Bangladeshi, Black, Pakistani and Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities.

    The 2024 Legal Cheek Firms Most List

    Felix Hebblethwaite, group HR director at Foot Anstey, commented:

    “We are excited to introduce our new Achieve vacation scheme, which reflects our ongoing commitment to improve access to legal careers. We understand the importance of gaining hands-on experience in the legal field, and this scheme has been carefully crafted to provide participants with a real taste of what it’s like to work in a law firm. Foot Anstey is dedicated to fostering diversity and inclusion within the legal profession and we encourage candidates to apply.”

    At the end of the scheme, candidates will go through the firm’s assessment centre and those who are successful will be offered a training contract.

    The Legal Cheek Firms Most List 2024 shows Foot Anstey takes on around 12 trainees each year on starting salary of £37,000. It also runs a separate spring vac scheme, dubbed Aspire, which is open to all eligible candidates.

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  • Mass. man on the run after allegedly fatally shooting his wife in the face

    GARDNER, Mass. (TCD) — Investigators are searching for a 33-year-old man they allege shot and killed his wife in their home over the weekend because she reportedly wanted to move away with their four children.

    On Sunday, Oct. 22, at approximately 9:15 a.m., Gardner Police responded to a disturbance call at 42 Cherry St. and found 30-year-old Breanne Pennington deceased inside. Worcester County District Attorney Joseph Early identified the suspect as Aaron Pennington and said he was last known to be driving a white 2013 BMW 320. Early said Pennington is considered armed and dangerous.

    Gardner Police went to the home after the couple’s four children went to a neighbor’s house for help. The children, who are reportedly 2, 5, 7, and 9 years old, are in DCF custody.

    On Tuesday, Oct. 24, Early announced a hunter found Pennington’s BMW in the woods and said investigators are treating the situation “like he is alive and would be somewhere in the woods.” Officials searched the surrounding area for Pennington but did not locate him.

    Early said he might have come to the woods “sometime Sunday.”

    According to court documents cited by the Gardner News, Breanne and Aaron Pennington had issues in their marriage “for quite some time,” and she reportedly wanted to relocate to Texas. The affidavit says Aaron Pennington deals with “mental issues and had threatened suicide” in the past.

    Mass Live, which also cites court records, reports the four Pennington children ran to their neighbor’s house Sunday morning and were “scared because they could not find their father and their mother was in her bedroom crying.”

    When police went inside the home, they found Breanne Pennington in her bed with “obvious signs of death from an apparent gunshot wound to the face.”

    Pennington reportedly works for defense contractor Raytheon as a senior supervisor for manufacturing and operations. Pennington is a U.S. Air Force veteran.

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  • Las Vegas woman allegedly broke into sugar daddy’s hotel room, stole over $50,000 during a date

    LAS VEGAS (TCD) — A 27-year-old woman was arrested last week after she reportedly ditched her date at a U2 concert, broke into his hotel room, and stole thousands of dollars from his safe.

    According to an arrest report cited by KLAS-TV, on Oct. 15, a man in his 50s contacted the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department to report cash and casino chips had been stolen from him. The victim, who was not publicly identified, reportedly told police he met Hailey McNally on the dating site “Seeking Arrangement” about five weeks before the incident. He reportedly admitted to being a “sugar daddy” and that he agreed to pay McNally $2,500 in exchange for her spending the weekend with him at Caesars Palace.

    KLAS reports McNally and the man met Friday, Oct. 13, and the two spent the evening at dinner and at the pool. McNally reportedly put the man to bed after he got drunk, then met up with him again the next morning. He allegedly handed her $400 for gambling, and she ended up winning over $3,000.

    The Las Vegas Review-Journal, which also cites the report, says McNally asked the victim if she could put her purse in his safe, so he “verbally gave Hailey the combination number.”

    The next night, the victim and McNally went to the U2 concert at the newly opened Sphere. She reportedly left during the show because she said she had to use the restroom. After McNally did not return for several minutes, the victim reportedly texted her, “Are you okay?”

    McNally allegedly did not respond, so the victim went back to his hotel room and realized his $50,000 cash and $7,000 worth of gambling chips disappeared. He contacted police, who identified McNally as the suspect.

    Las Vegas Metro Police reportedly located McNally on West Sahara Avenue and took her into custody Oct. 17. Police obtained a search warrant for her apartment and discovered $11,700 in cash and $5,200 in Caesars Palace casino chips.

    Las Vegas court records show McNally is being charged with residential burglary and grand larceny over $25,000 but less than $100,000. She posted bond Oct. 18.

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  • Georgia mother accused of fatally stabbing her child who was found in apartment fire

    GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. (TCD) — A 23-year-old mother faces murder and arson charges in connection with the stabbing death of her 6-year-old son.

    On Thursday, Oct. 19, shortly before 8 a.m., the Gwinnett County Police and Fire departments responded to an apartment fire at 4900 Springs Lane in Peachtree Corners, where they could hear an alarm going off from a unit on the first level of the building. The initial call to dispatchers came from someone on a higher story in the complex.

    Police said they entered the unit and found 6-year-old Jayveon Pruitt suffering from multiple stab wounds. The boy, who was the only occupant inside the apartment at the time, was transported to a local hospital and pronounced dead.

    At around 9:15 a.m., police located a shoeless female behind the building wearing only a single sock and wet clothes. Officers took the woman, A’zaria Burton, into custody in order to “determine her involvement in this criminal investigation.” Police said Burton lived in the apartment where the fire broke out.

    Police booked Burton, Jayveon’s mother, into the Gwinnett County Jail on Friday, Oct. 20, at approximately 9:30 p.m. on charges of malice murder, felony murder, first-degree arson, aggravated assault, tampering with evidence, possession of a knife during the commission of certain crimes, and first-degree cruelty to children.

    Burton remains held without bond. Police said the motive is under investigation.

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  • Woman acting 'bizarre' arrested in California for allegedly kidnapping her 8 children from Arkansas

    ANDERSON, Calif. (TCD) — Police rescued eight children over the weekend who had reportedly been kidnapped from their foster homes in Arkansas and driven to Northern California with their biological mother, who no longer had custody of them.

    According to the Anderson Police Department, just after midnight on Saturday, Oct. 21, a “concerned citizen” called 911 and asked officers to conduct a welfare check on a group of six children who were with a woman “displaying bizarre behavior.” Police went to the location the person provided and found the woman, Trista Fullerton, and the kids in a parking lot.

    Police determined Fullerton, 36, was driving a Dodge pickup truck with Arkansas plates and learned she had a warrant for her arrest for allegedly abducting eight children. Anderson Police shared photos of the pickup truck, which was strewn with trash bags, empty bottles, pieces of food, and clothing. There also appeared to be furniture filed in the truck bed.

    Officers took her into custody and learned the other two children were at a house in Cottonwood. Shasta County Sheriff’s Office deputies assisted Anderson Police by going to the home and picking up the other two juveniles.

    Anderson Police said the eight children were put into custody of Shasta County Children and Family Services until they could be reunited with their families. All eight were reported as abducted from Arkansas with protective custody warrants.

    Police learned Fullerton is the biological mother of all eight children, but she no longer had custodial rights. All the victims were reportedly taken from their respective foster placements.

    Fullerton was booked into the Shasta County Jail on a fugitive from justice warrant.

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  • Man allegedly beat relative with baseball bat and dumped his body in rural Oklahoma

    HARRAH, Okla. (TCD) — A 30-year-old man stands accused of killing his 59-year-old relative and dumping his body off a dead-end road in a rural area.

    On Friday, Oct. 20, the Harrah Police Department notified the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) regarding the “suspicious disappearance” of Terry Hause.

    According to KOCO-TV, on Thursday, Oct. 19, a family member went to Hause and Chuck White’s apartment building and noticed a pool of blood on the floor. Hause and his relative White allegedly argued often.

    The family member questioned White about Hause’s whereabouts, to which he replied, “The problem is gone,” KOCO reports.

    Harrah Police Chief Marty Burns told the news source that officers were unable to confirm what had happened in the apartment complex, but officials listed Hause as a “missing and endangered person.”

    According to the affidavit, investigators determined based on evidence that someone tried to clean up the scene before officers got there.

    Investigators reportedly tracked Hause and White’s phones to a dead-end road in rural Lincoln County, where state agents and Harrah Police officers located Hause’s body. The Office of the Oklahoma Chief Medical Examiner will determine his cause and manner of death.

    According to OSBI, officials identified White as a person of interest and interviewed him “based on the evidence gathered during the investigation.” During questioning, White reportedly confessed to getting into a dispute with Hause and hitting him in the face with a baseball bat numerous times.

    White was booked into the Oklahoma County Detention Center on charges of first-degree murder and desecration of a human corpse.

    In a statement obtained by KOCO, Hunter McKee, the public information officer at OSBI, said, “There’s still more pieces we’re trying to put together with this investigation.”

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