Innocent Man Spends Almost 30 Years in Prison for Rape Before the Truth Is Revealed

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Mark Denny of Brooklyn was freed from prison Wednesday, after serving 30 years behind bars for a crime he did not commit.

Denny, 46, had been convicted of rape and robbery at a Burger King in 1987, but the only piece of admissible evidence against him was the eyewitness account of the worker who was attacked, according to NBC News.

Two men wearing ski masks surprised a male and female worker who were locking up around 2 a.m.

The men forced the male employee into the stock room and proceeded to rape the woman, with at least one other man joining in on the assault, NBC News reports.

Denny was later arrested in his cousin Raphael James’ car after James had robbed several Burger Kings with two friends.

James’ friends ended up taking plea deals, while Denny was tried and convicted alongside his cousin.

Denny never admitted guilt and had an alibi for when the crime was committed.

The victim originally stated only three men attacked her, but later left open the possibility for a fourth perpetrator after Denny was arrested, according to NBC News.

The Innocence Project took on Denny’s case and brought it to the attention of the Kings County District Attorney’s conviction review unit.

They later found Denny to be innocent and asked a judge to vacate his conviction.

“The crime was horrible and she did suffer tremendously,” Denny told NBC.

“I wish I could have been the hero that day that she needed, but unfortunately, I wasn’t there.”

Denny said he had contemplated suicide but was given hope when the Innocence Project stepped in to defend him.

“It made me look forward to this day. By the grace of God, I was able to make it through,” he told NBC News. (For more from the author of “Innocent Man Spends Almost 30 Years in Prison for Rape Before the Truth Is Revealed” please click HERE)

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Trump Issues Threat to United Nations

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U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley is taking a bold stand for President Trump’s recent recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel – warning that she will be “taking names” of nations that reject the president’s decision in a General Assembly vote scheduled for Thursday . . .

President Trump is threatening to cut off aid to the countries in Haley’s list of names that call for him to withdraw his recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

“They take hundreds of millions of dollars and even billions of dollars, and then they vote against us. Well, we’re watching those votes. Let them vote against us. We’ll save a lot. We don’t care,” President Trump said at the White House Wednesday. “This isn’t like it used to be where they could vote against you and then you pay them hundreds of millions of dollars and nobody knows what they’re doing.

“People are tired of the United States – people that live here that are great citizens that love this country – they’re tired of this country being taken advantage of. And we’re not going to be taken advantage of any longer.”

On behalf of the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation, Turkey and Yemen had requested an emergency meeting of the 193 nations. The request came in response to the U.S. veto of a draft resolution rejecting President Trump’s Dec. 6 Jerusalem declaration. Egypt introduced the draft, which was supported Monday by all 14 other Security Council members. It expressed “deep regret at recent decisions concerning the status of Jerusalem.” (Read more from “Trump Issues Threat to United Nations” HERE)

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Study: These Are the Healthiest and Least Healthy States in the US

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The United Health Foundation has released its annual report of the healthiest and least healthy states in the U.S.

According to the foundation’s website, “America’s Health Rankings” were based off of the World Health Organization’s holistic view of health.

“Health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity,” reads WHO’s definition.

“The model reflects that determinants of health directly influence health outcomes. A health outcomes category and four categories of health determinants are included in the model: behaviors, community & environment, policy and clinical care,” the United Health Foundation said.

The study looked at a variety of different factors affecting a population’s health, including lack of physical activity and obesity rates, smoking and drug deaths. It also explored environmental factors such as air pollution and the number of health care providers available across a state, according to CBS News.

The foundation said the top five healthiest states in the U.S. were Massachusetts, Hawaii, Vermont, Utah and Connecticut.

This year, Massachusetts knocked Hawaii out of the top spot due largely to the accessibility of health care in the state. The Bay State has not only the largest number of dentists and primary care physicians per capita, but also the highest concentration of mental health care providers, according to CBS.

Utah has apparently also shown one of the greatest improvements. Factors in that state’s rise include reduced air pollution and an increase in immunization rates among children.

Ranking in the bottom five were West Virginia, Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi.

Those five states have not budged much, as shown by past rankings. Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas and Louisiana all maintained their positions from last year, while West Virginia fell three places to number 46.

Alabama had the lowest number of mental health professionals — 85 per 100,000 people vs. 547.3 per 100,000 for Massachusetts.

After Utah, Florida was noted for making vast improvements. Ranking at number 32, the study found positive changes in childhood poverty rates and levels of mental stress in the state since last year.

Meanwhile, North Dakota saw the sharpest decline, falling seven places to number 18. The study noted ratings for smoking and Salmonella — as well as the amount of children being immunized in the state — as major factors.

The United Health Organization listed rising rates of premature deaths and an uneven concentration of health care providers across the country as a cause for concern. (For more from the author of “Study: These Are the Healthiest and Least Healthy States in the US” please click HERE)

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Vote Alert: Tax Cut for America

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Given our current political environment, there is no easy way to reform the base structure of our current progressive income tax. The GOP tax bill certainly will not solve the systemic problems with our tax code or system of governance. The bill does not make the code simpler, flatter, or fairer. Conservatives have long advocated for transformative tax reform and would have preferred a flatter tax that broadens the base so that everyone pays a fair, low rate.

This GOP tax bill does cut taxes for almost everyone, particularly for families with children. Additionally, this bill substantially lowers the ridiculously high business tax rate from 35 percent to 21 percent and significantly reduces the tax liability for “pass through” income of small business owners. But with the inclusion of an expanded refundable child tax credit, this bill increases the current progressive nature of the federal income tax by ensuring that even more individuals pay zero taxes and some others “earn” extra cash through the tax code. Simply put, this bill is a tax cut, not tax reform.

While conservatives would prefer that Congress cut spending to offset at least part of the tax cut, unfortunately, that was not an option on the menu. Neither Republicans nor Democrats have any interest in reducing the size of the federal government or even cutting waste in a meaningful way.

Ultimately, when faced with the final choice of spending into oblivion with a progressive tax code that cuts taxes for almost everyone who pays them (and gives money to many who don’t) vs. spending into oblivion without a tax cut and no chance for economic growth, the best thing for conservatives is to pocket the tax cut and continue fighting for more structural reforms to the code, more spending cuts, and entitlement reforms.

As an added bonus, this bill repeals the unconstitutional requirement to purchase medical insurance. To be clear, this is not a fulfillment of the GOP promise to repeal Obamacare. However, it is better than the status quo and will help consumers escape from the monopoly of the insurance cartel and create alternatives that will compete with the system.

The bill was approved by the Senate 51-48 on December 20, 2017, and the House of Representatives approved the bill 224-201 on December 20, 2017.

To see how your elected officials stack up or other votes that compose the Liberty Score, view our full scorecard here. (For more from the author of “Vote Alert: Tax Cut for America” please click HERE)

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A Record Number of Americans Are Expected to Travel This Christmas and New Year

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About 107.3 million Americans are expected to travel 50 miles or more this holiday season, a 3.1 percent increase from last year that can be explained in part by lower plane ticket prices and a growing economy.

The holiday travel season, according to a AAA report, will be the sixth consecutive record high in terms of number of travelers between Dec. 23 and Jan. 1.

Most of the travelers — 97.4 million — will be on U.S. roads driving to their destination.

“With record-level travelers hitting the road this holiday, drivers must be prepared for delays in major metros,” Dr. Graham Cookson, chief economist and head of research at INRIX. “Our advice to drivers is to avoid peak times altogether or consider alternative routes.”

AAA and INRIX, a global transportation analytics company, calculated the worst times to travel in 10 major U.S. cities. The most congestion is expected to occur during the week before the Christmas holiday in the early afternoon as people leave work and try to beat the traffic.

Those traveling by car will also find the most expensive year-end gas prices since 2014. Last week, average prices were $2.45 per gallon, a 9 percent increase from last year. AAA does expect the average to drop five cents by the end of the year.

“More expensive gas prices are not swaying holiday revelers to stay at home,” AAA senior vice president Bill Sutherland said.

Sutherland noted that travel across the board has increased “year-over year for every major holiday weekend” and the same is expected of this year-end holiday time frame.

“We’ve seen the strong economy and growing consumer confidence fuel holiday travel all year long,” he said.

Air travel is also up 4.1 percent this year, the fourth consecutive year of volume increase, with 6.4 million people flying to their holiday destinations. AAA reported that holiday airfare was almost 20 percent cheaper than it was last year, but rental car rates are more expensive.

The remaining 3.6 million people will travel by trains, buses, rails and cruise ships.

The top 10 year-end holiday destinations are Orlando, Florida; Anaheim, California; Cancun, Mexico; Honolulu, Hawaii; Kahului, Hawaii; Montego Bay, Jamaica; Punta Cana, Dominican Republic; Miami, Florida; Fort Lauderdale, Florida; and New York, NY. (Read more from “A Record Number of Americans Are Expected to Travel This Christmas and New Year” HERE)

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Dad Insists Son Is Healthy, 13 Surgeries Later Mother Behind Bars

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It usually goes without saying that parents want what’s best for their children, including keeping them away from the hospital and as healthy as possible.

However, that was not the case with Kaylene Bowen-Wright, the mother of Christopher Bowen, who has insisted since his birth that something isn’t quite right with her son — subjecting him to 323 hospital visits and 13 major surgeries.

“Christopher has trouble breathing so basically, his lungs — and body — doesn’t get the oxygen it needs, so he gets tired,” Bowen-Wright told CW33 TV during one of the many instances she raised money for his alleged sickness.

“He can’t play as long as the normal kids,” she added.

But it seemed the longer Bowen-Wright insisted on her son’s illnesses, the more doctor’s began to speculate that there was something else that was off — and it wasn’t Christopher.

The 34 year-old mother was arrested nearly a month after she brought Christopher to the hospital, claiming that the child had a seizure.

However, upon examining Christopher, medical staff found no proof of any such event, leading care providers to contact Child Protective Services, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

“I am very concerned that mother has moved from exaggerating symptoms to inducing symptoms,” Dr. Suzanne Dakil wrote in an affidavit to CPS. “If mother has given Chris something to induce a seizure, this is potentially fatal. At this point, I am very concerned for his welfare.”

It was the second report to be filed against Bowen-Wright, with the first being reported to CPS by a doctor back in 2015.

Authorities added that, at the time of Bowen-Wright’s arrest, Christopher had been on oxygen and even had a feeding tube and specific medication to regulate seizures, all of which doctors stated were unnecessary, according to CPS documents.

But there is one voice in this whole case that has been fighting on behalf of Christopher the entire time: his father Ryan Crawford.

For years, Crawford attempted to convince Dallas County judges that Christopher was healthy, yet they chose to believe the child’s mother, who would often break-down in tears before them and claim that their son was dying.

“It was always the same story: Christopher is dying. The father doesn’t need to be around because he doesn’t know to take care of him,” Crawford told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

“Every time I went to court,” he added, “they made me feel like I was the worst human ever.”

One particular judge even blocked Crawford from seeing Christopher in late 2012, when the boy was only 3 years-old.

Yet, the conditions Christopher had been subject to are found within the documents and occur even before he was three, ranging from being wheelchair-bound to his mother attempting to get his name on a lung transplant list, and even telling others that her son had cancer.

Suspected of Munchausens disease (where a guardian will induce and/or exaggerate an illness to garner attention or sympathy) Bowen-Wright is reportedly being charged with seeking unnecessary medical care and possibly causing bodily harm to her child.

She is currently being held at the Dallas County Jail on a $150,000 bond.

When speaking to Child Protective Services last month, however, she denied all allegations of abuse.

And Crawford hasn’t stopped fighting for his son, who has since been placed in foster care.

“Out of everything that has happened,” Crawford told the Star-Telegram, “the worst thing you can do is put my children in foster care with strangers.”

“I need my son in my life and my son needs me in [his] life.”

A GoFundMe page has been set up by Crawford’s friends and family, who are helping him to hire a new attorney. (For more from the author of “Dad Insists Son Is Healthy, 13 Surgeries Later Mother Behind Bars” please click HERE)

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Hollywood Producer Accused of (Homo)Sexual Misconduct by 8 Former Child Actors

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Following reports of sexual molestation from actor Anthony Edwards about his former mentor, Gary Goddard, seven more men have come forward with similar accusations stemming from their time traveling with the producer when they were young boys.

The Los Angeles Times published an article Wednesday in which it adds seven more people, most of whom chose to remain anonymous, to Edwards’ complaints. Goddard, 65, refused to be interviewed, but disputed the allegations through his publicist saying they were “full of innuendo and hearsay. . . .

Mark Driscoll claimed Goddard repeatedly sexually abused him over the course of three years, but declined to give more detail. Bret Nighman claims Goddard attempted to molest him four times before he was 16, culminating in an incident in which he rubbed the boy’s crotch and forced him to do the same to him. Linus Huffman, who acted in Goddard’s production of “Oliver!” at age 13, alleged he attempted to molest him as well.

According to others, Goddard would travel with the boys, specifically during the tour of “Peter Pan.” He would cause a rift between the boys and their parents while orchestrating close sleeping quarters that put the young boys within literal arms length during the night. Several people who worked with Goddard and Edwards on that production revealed, anonymously, that they witnessed the former “ER” and “Top Gun” actor’s assault in one way or another. Additionally, they all claimed to have their own stories about Goddard as well. (Read more from “Hollywood Producer Accused of Sexual Misconduct by 8 Former Child Actors” HERE)

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Accuser: Linda Sarsour Said Sexual Harassment ‘Doesn’t Happen to Someone That Looks Like You’

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Pro-Palestinian activist Linda Sarsour told an employee who claimed she was sexually harassed that “something like that doesn’t happen to someone who looks like you,” the accuser told Fox News Wednesday night.

Asmi Fathelbab also told “The Story with Martha MacCallum” that Sarsour warned her “that I will never work in New York City ever again for as long as she lives” if Fathelbab pressed her claims.

The alleged harassment occurred in 2009 while Fathelbab was working at the Brooklyn-based Arab American Association. Sarsour was executive director of the organization for 11 years before leaving her position earlier this year.

Fathelbab told The Daily Caller that Sarsour called her a liar and told her the man Fathelbab accused of harassing her “had the right to sue me for false claims” and “had the right to be anywhere in the building he wanted.”

Sarsour responded to The Daily Caller story Monday with a Twitter post calling it “a new low.”

(Read more from “Accuser: Linda Sarsour Said Sexual Harassment ‘Doesn’t Happen to Someone That Looks Like You'” HERE)

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US Commandos Train to Capture North Korean Nukes

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U.S. military forces reportedly trained earlier this month for a mission that would put them on North Korean soil, with the objective of “infiltrating” and “removing weapons of mass destruction,” according to foreign military sources.

Revealing photos of a recent exercise, dubbed Warrior Strike IX, show a U.S. military unit known as “The Black Jack Brigade” training alongside their South Korean counterparts at Camp Stanley, in Korea. The pictures were featured in a post on the unit’s Facebook page.

The images show soldiers training with night-vision equipment, armored vehicles and full-face protective gear, including gas masks. Descriptions of the event suggest soldiers practiced for eventualities such as transporting injured comrades and capturing combatants.

According to South Korea’s Yonhap news agency, which quoted anonymous military sources, the combined exercise was designed to simulate “infiltrating North Korea and removing weapons of mass destruction in case of conflict.” An Army spokesperson stationed in South Korea declined to comment.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has suggested repeatedly that one of his main goals in Korea was to avoid sending U.S. forces into North Korean territory. But he also seemed to concede last week that is a scenario that might need to be addressed. (Read more from “US Commandos Train to Capture North Korean Nukes” HERE)

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Professor: Princes in ‘Snow White,’ ‘Sleeping Beauty’ Sex Offenders

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Seemingly perfect for the current atmosphere of the “#MeToo” movement, a Japanese sociology and gender theory professor says that stories such as “Snow White” and “Sleeping Beauty” feature examples of sexual assault by the male protagonists.

Osaka University’s Kazue Muta, author of Sir, That Love is Sexual Harassment! which deals with workplace sexual harassment, “accused the princes in each story of sexual assault” in a December 11 tweet. She compared them to a “real incident in which a man in Wakayama was arrested for kissing a sleeping woman on the train” Sora News 24 reports.

The tweet’s translation says “When you think rationally about Snow White and Sleeping Beauty, that tell of a ‘princess being woken up by the kiss of a prince,’ they are describing sexual assault on an unconscious person. You might think I’m ruining the fantasy of it all, but these stories are promoting sexual violence and I would like everyone to be aware of it.”

From the story:

However, upon reading into these tales there is a little more going on. In the Grimm version of Snow White no kiss takes place at all. Instead the Prince just moves her glass coffin which jostles her, dislodges the poison apple, and wakes her up. Granted the fact that he wanted her corpse in the first place is suspicious, but not enough to condemn him outright.

(Read more from “Professor: Princes in ‘Snow White,’ ‘Sleeping Beauty’ Sex Offenders” HERE)

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