While anybody even remotely familiar with the Epstein story knows that his actions were irredeemably heinous, there are other characters in Epstein's orbit - characters who may have participated in what appears to be a global sex-trafficking ring - who are more complicated.
One of those characters is a 32-year-old model named Nadia Marcinko. Marcinko, who was once described in court documents as Epstein's "in-house sex slave" was ferried out of Slovakia on Epstein's private jet when she was just 15, and lived with the billionaire for years after, Wired reports.
A reporter at Wired tried to look into Marcinko's past to parse whether she was a willing, or unwilling, participant in Epstein's crimes, and whether she was also one of his youngest victims. Some of Epstein's other victims told police that Marcinko pressured them to sleep with both her and Epstein. Though her history of flying with Epstein is harder to pin down due to Epstein's record-keeping practices (he only recorded the first names of underage girls in flight logs, if at all), but it's become clear that during her first decade in the country, from roughly 2000 to the beginning of Epstein's prison sentence, she frequently flew between Epstein's properties in New York, Palm Beach, Monterey, Columbus, Ohio and the Azores. A pilot who once worked for Epstein testified that she had flown with him hundreds of times.
Marcinko's relationship with Epstein presumably ended when she was given immunity from prosecution in 2008 after being named an accomplice. It's still not entirely clear how she came to live with Epstein. Was she 'sold' to him by family members in Bratislava? Or did she run away with him willingly, hoping for a more glamorous life?
Whatever happened, as Wired claims, Marcinko is part of a small group of people who are both victims of Epstein and possible abusers. Her testimony could again be useful. That is, if she ultimately avoids being implicated as a 'rape facilitator'.
In recent years, she has become a pilot, proficient with a number of planes, and made a career out of it, under the the name Gulf Stream Girl (until Gulf Stream sued her for trademark violation), and then Global Girl. A much more extensive story on her at The Twisted Flight Paths of ‘Global Girl’ and the Lolita Express
Given her start, I would be inclined to give her the best possible benefit of the doubt.
A map of the Chesapeake Bay as you’ve never seen it was on display at Baltimore’s Artscape festival this past weekend.
The six-feet-by-ten-feet 3D relief map of the entire Bay is made of roughly 225,000 plastic straws, weighs 500 pounds, and is equipped with a stunning LED light display.
Artist Kasey Jones has been working with the National Aquarium on environmentally-inspired art installations for the past six Artscape festivals, held in the shadow of Baltimore’s Penn Station and billed as the nation’s largest free arts festival.
Kasey Jones
It would be kind of cool in my basement.
This year, the piece titled A Ripple Effect was born from a partnership with Washington, D.C.’s Our Last Straw Coalition, a group that pushed for D.C.’s new plastic straw ban.
Using straws left over when the ban went into effect, Kasey cut each piece of plastic with a mini-band saw, and glued each one by hand in five varying lengths, to recreate the topography of the Chesapeake Bay region. The artist, a masters-degree graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) tells Bay Bulletin she used 40 pounds of hot glue to affix the straws to a wood frame that was outfitted with LED lights by a professional LED artist. The entire project was covered with a plexiglass layer, and had to be transported in two parts. The process took 200 work hours over the course of five weeks.
Kasey's Instagram here. She has some "interesting" projects.
Well now, at least that's 225,000 turtles we don't have to worry about.
The US and Guatemala signed a “safe third country” agreement Friday that would require asylum-seekers traveling through the Central American country to first seek protection there, the White House said, a deal that could dramatically limit asylum eligibility in the US to thousands of people.
The details of the agreement were not immediately released, but under the designation, thousands of asylum-seekers who travel through Guatemala, which shares a border with Mexico, from countries such as Honduras and El Salvador could be required to apply for asylum there before being able to do so in the US.
Speaking alongside President Donald Trump in the Oval Office on Friday, acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan told reporters that if asylum-seekers "arrive in the US not having availed themselves of that opportunity, they will be returned to Guatemala."
The agreement comes after Trump threatened Guatemala with tariffs after backing away from discussions on the designation, and Guatemala's high court said President Jimmy Morales couldn't sign a safe third country agreement without prior approval from its Congress. It was unclear if Friday's agreement would pass legal muster.
A split Supreme Court said Friday night that the Trump administration could proceed with its plan to use $2.5 billion in Pentagon funds to build part of the president’s wall project along the southern border.
The court’s conservatives set aside a lower-court ruling for the Sierra Club and a coalition of border communities that said reallocating Defense Department money would violate federal law.
Friday’s unsigned ruling came in response to an emergency filing from the administration during the court’s summer recess. The majority said the government “made a sufficient showing at this stage” that private groups may not be the proper plaintiffs to challenge the transfer of money.
The court’s action is a stay of the injunction issued by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit on a 2-to-1 vote, and the litigation continues. The administration wants to finalize contracts for the work before the fiscal year ends Sept. 30.
You can guess the split, but there was one surprise:
Justice Stephen G. Breyer proposed a compromise to which no one signed on: allow the government to finalize contracts for the project but not begin construction.
But with the conclusion of former special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s testimony on Wednesday, Trump has decisively repulsed the attempt to deny him the opportunity to win that vindication at the polls in November 2020. Indeed, the president is now obviously, and with a high probability of success, going on the offensive.
Rep. @tedlieu responds to Robert Mueller's clarification regarding guidance against indicting a President: “I don't know who got to him, I don’t know who talked to him, but that was very odd.” https://t.co/hKfyEFb7BCpic.twitter.com/kasLWHrjVu
The fallout from Wednesday’s disastrous performance by Robert Mueller in the Capitol includes a nearly 450-page report now in question. We don’t know who wrote it. We don’t know who really ran the investigation. We do know that several investigators on Mueller’s team were rabidly anti-Trump and pro-Hillary Clinton.
In fact, the Justice Department’s voluminous Inspector General report featured the political musings of the investigators. The Office of Inspector General, “Discovered text messages and instant messages between some FBI employees on the investigative team, conducted using FBI mobile devices and computers, that expressed statements of hostility toward then candidate Donald Trump and statements of support for then candidate Clinton.”
Members of the team attended Clinton events, donated to her campaign and even legally represented some of her associates.
Mueller himself bragged about his disinterest concerning such matters at the hearing Wednesday. “We strove to hire those individuals that could do the job,” he declared. “I’ve been in this business for almost twenty-five years and in those twenty-five years I have not had occasion once to ask somebody about their political affiliation. It is not done. What I care about is the capability of the individual to do the job and do the job quickly and seriously and with integrity.”
Pardon us if our faith in Mueller’s ability to read a person’s heart is diminished after witnessing his frail and inept appearances in front of those congressional committees this week.
At the upper levels of the pyramid, Washington D.C. is a pretty small place, and the major players know each other well personally and by reputation. He knew who they were before they hired him.
A day after Mr. Mueller’s appearance before Congress, described by some as “befuddled” and by others as a “disaster” for Democrats, the Florida Republican said the 74-year-old prosecutor’s health was a hot topic in prep sessions.
“There were some House Republicans in our prep sessions patting themselves on the back about that and feeling optimistic about assertions he might not be all there,” Mr. Gaetz told The Washington Times.
He said he didn’t believe those colleagues and warned them to expect a razor-sharp witness, but “it turned out the rumors we’ve been hearing about his condition seemed accurate.”
When he said he never asked his team their political views, I believe him.
It also signals that the most charitable conclusion you could reach was that Mueller had come of age in an era of professional responsibility and did not realize he now lived in an era of harsh, even vicious, partisanship.
My first reaction to his assertion that he did not ask the political opinions of his staff was that it was laughable that he could randomly assemble a group of hard-line, anti-Trump prosecutors without a single pro-Trump Republican lawyer in the room.
However, the more I watched him, the more I came to the conclusion that he must have been a figurehead. The tough, younger Trump-hating Democrats must have networked with one another and assembled a legal team dedicated to destroying President Donald Trump and protecting the Clintons.
Seen from this perspective, it is a tribute to Trump that despite their best efforts these deeply hostile prosecutors could not find evidence of serious wrongdoing. They could write innuendo—and huff and puff—but in the end the Trump wall of obeying the law withstood the best these smart, tough, widely experienced prosecutors could do.
Mary Chastain at LI, Mueller: Russians Also Tried to Help Hillary a widely overlooked point in the hearing, but I would say more correctly that the Russians wanted to cast doubt on our whole political system, and with the Democrats' help, have done impressive work.
James Comey has as much credibility as a frog has feathers. His efforts to frame the president are laughable. With two active DOJ investigations that both involve decisions made by Comey during his tenure as the director of the FBI, he may soon have to answer a set of questions not of his own making, and he won’t likely be laughing then.
He might be talking about this: that Durham has reached out to Misfud and his attorney for an interview, and that Misfud's lawyer has told Solomon that his client is prepared to admit that he was in fact acting as an agent of the FBI in setting up Papadopolous by offering him the silly bait of saying "The Russians might have Hillary's emails, you know" so that Papadopolous could then later be charged with espionage.
Here's the print article in which Solomon reports this.
. . .
And yet the Mueller Report -- I mean the Zebley/Weissman report -- dishonestly suggested that Misfud was a Russian agent by citing uninformed media reports, while suppressing the knowledge that they knew as a fact, that he was an FBI agent all along.
I can't even explain how huge that would be. It would prove that the Mueller Report begins with a lie, and that this was a dirty FBI entrapment operation from the start, not seeking evidence of a crime, but trying to concoct a fake crime, all for a pretext to spy on Trump.
They purloined false evidence, represented it to a court as if this was a real crime involving Russian agents, and defrauded the FISA court into giving them an illegally-procured warrant.
If Misfud does in fact admit this, people will have to go to jail.
If you're curious about Pandora, you've got every reason to be. Pandora's showrunner Mark A. Altman says the show "[Is] part space adventure, part college drama and there’s also a Game of Thrones/X-Files-like conspiracy that unfolds as well. I think that’s going to feel really unique and exciting for audiences when they watch the show this summer. This will hopefully be a family you want to invite into your home every week.” Since Priscilla is ostensibly the lead of the show she's obviously hoping that it's got legs and sticks around for a long, long time to come. The show also tips its hat to shows like Star Trek who often use their show to address common issues of the day in relatable ways.
After two episodes, I'm undecided over the continued value of the series, but I have no doubt as to Priscilla's continued success as a model and actress:
Being born and raised in Southern California, Priscilla was exposed to the world of show business nearly as early as she was exposed to the idea of altruism and of supporting your neighbors. She was in the right part of the world to support her burgeoning interest in the arts and eventually enrolled in film school. While she was there, she made connections that got her gigs working as a model. From there on out it wasn't long before she was booking commercials and then booking more prestigious work, like her roles in Traffik and Polaroid. If you recognize her face but haven't seen those flicks maybe you know her from the Showtime series,Masters of Sex which she has also appeared on.
So where does the culture of giving back come into play when you're also a young star on the rise? Priscilla has thoughts. “I think success in acting will be a way for me to build a platform to do even more. For the last three or four-ish years, I’ve been going to shelters to see what dogs are set to be put down and will bring them home to try and find them new homes. That was all out of my own pocket, but as a struggling model/actress, you don’t really have very deep pockets, right? So there was only so much I could do. But I figured a way to bring awareness to this was to get a name for myself and, in turn, hopefully be able to grow something incredible and something that’s unforgettable."
It was another pretty nice day, although the heat is starting to pick again. Skye and I took off for the beach shortly after lunch, and I found this Sleepy Orange butterfly on the roadside on the way down. I've only identified one before (although I think I've seen more)
When we got down to the beach, this Bald Eagle was circling and trying to pick something up off the water. I don't think it succeeded. Maybe it can find an Osprey to hijack.
A boat just out of the harbor, getting it's sails set.
A 14-year-old from Easton now holds the first ever state record for a warm water fish called the Florida pompano.
Scott Hartzell, Jr., caught the 3.375-pound fish on Stone Rock near Tilghman Island. The Florida pompano is usually found in warmer parts of the Atlantic Ocean as well as the Gulf of Mexico but occasionally ventures farther north.
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources said it has had a few more reports of the Florida pompano being caught in the Chesapeake Bay recently and expects to sees more.
Can Tarpon and Bonefish be far behind?
A few more Pompano, so you can know what one looks like if you catch one:
A Florida woman has become an internet sensation for her ability to catch large colorful fish while wearing increasingly skimpy and garish bikinis.
Vicky Stark, 32, who according to her Instagram biography, is a Florida girl and Miami made, has attracted a loyal following of more than 47,000 people on the internet.
She has been fishing since she was a young girl, but only began posting photographs of her bikini-clad exploits about 12 months ago.
Garish? No, bright!
She said: 'You have to be quiet. You have to push the boat really slowly so the fish don’t hear you. Going offshore is not as challenging I think, but still a lot of fun.'
She admitted she has been forced to block some of her followers over abusing comments and others who claim she is unable to fish. Her Instagram page has been attracting more loyal followers everyday who cannot wait for further updates from the Florida coast.
She added: 'I just love being on a boat, the thrill of not knowing what you’re gonna catch: the fight, the tug at the end of your pole, the energy and the excitement of being out there. I love everything about it.'
An interesting case of science reporting by press release. VIMS released it's annual report on the state of submerged aquatic vegetation in the Bay, and other outlets picked up the news. First, VIMS: Survey indicates slight decline in underwater grass abundance
Despite record-rainfall in 2018, underwater grass abundance remains strong
An annual survey led by researchers at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science mapped an estimated 91,559 acres of underwater grasses in the Chesapeake Bay and its tidal tributaries in 2018.
While this acreage is less than the previous year, it is likely that substantially more submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) grew in the Bay than the mapped acreage suggests: frequent rain, cloudy water, and security restrictions prevented researchers from successfully collecting aerial imagery over 22% of the monitored area, including the Potomac River near the Patuxent Air Base; portions of the Susquehanna Flats; Mattaponi, Middle, Choptank, and Honga rivers; and Fishing Bay.
In 2017, these unmapped portions of the Bay supported more than 17,401 acres of grasses. Adding this value to the 2018 estimate would bring the estimated total for 2018 to 108,960 acres—a 4% increase from 2017 levels and a 59% achievement of the Chesapeake Bay Program’s 185,000-acre 2025 goal. The 2017 total was the greatest amount of underwater grasses ever recorded by VIMS’ SAV Monitoring and Restoration Program, and the first time total grass abundance surpassed 100,000 acres. VIMS scientists began monitoring the Bay in 1979. . . .
The full impact of last year’s high flows on the Chesapeake’s underwater grasses, one of the Bay’s most critical habitats, remains murky as scientists try to assess the full impact of last year’s record rainfall.
But the full story is far from clear. Most of that survey was finished before unrelenting rains began in late July. The continual downpours flushed huge amounts of water-clouding sediment and nutrients into the Bay, which can be lethal to grass beds.The good news, according to the results of the 2018 aerial survey, is that underwater grass acreage increased overall from 2017 in areas where the survey was completed.
Scientists say grasses stressed by poor conditions last year may not bounce back this summer. As a result, the impact of those high river flows may not be known until after the 2019 survey is complete.
“Everyone is wondering what will happen in 2019 and how these plants will react,” said Bob Orth, the Virginia Institute of Marine Science researcher who has been overseeing the aerial survey since its inception in 1984. . . .
In 2018, an estimated 91,559 acres of underwater grasses were mapped in the Chesapeake Bay and its tidal tributaries.
While this acreage is less than the previous year, it is likely that substantially more submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) grew in the Bay than the mapped acreage suggests.
If the acreage of grasses that these unmapped portions of the Bay supported in 2017 is considered, the estimated total for 2018 could be as high as 108,960 acres.
This would be an increase from the previous total, which was the highest amount of underwater grasses ever recorded in the Bay since monitoring began over 30 years ago.
Experts believe it is likely that the actual expanse of underwater grasses in 2018 ranged between 91,559 and 108,960 acres.
The growth and survival of underwater grasses are sensitive to the impacts that extreme weather conditions have on Bay water quality. In the past, underwater grass populations have taken several years to recover from the effects of hurricanes or high-temperature events. . . .
What I saw yesterday (I managed the morning hearings intact, but the dog walk brought me back to the afternoon hearing about half way through), was an old man, probably hard of hearing, a little slow on the comprehension of questions, and with little command of the report he had nominally written. It certainly added weight to the charge that he was not really the person in charge of the investigation, and he admitted that "day to day" running of the team fell largely on his aide-de-camp Aaron Zebley, he who had defended the Clinton aide who destroyed computers and cell phones. He relied heavily on the "not in my purview" dodge, using it to deflect any questions regarding the origin of the investigation from Republicans, and agreed generally with any Democrat who read portions of his testimony damning to Trump, but, I think pointedly, declined to read passages himself, to avoid giving them soundbites for their campaign ads. His only really animated moments were when he defended his team from charges of bias. He didn't ask if they were Democrats when they hired him. He already knew. He also refused to be drawn into an conclusions about obstruction of justice charges. Democrats tried particularly hard in the case of McGahn allegedly being told to fire Mueller, perhaps an attempt to bait him into life.
The reviews suggest Democrats got the lump of coal. Republicans may have got Slinkys.
When covering the political beat you tend to wind up learning something new almost every day. Case in point… were you aware that singer Talyor Swift controls her own significant block of voters and their support in the Democratic presidential primary may be up for grabs? This voting block is presumably her fan base or at least the ones that are American citizens aged 18 or over who are active on social media.
Now they are fully engaged and they may be scratching Kamala Harris off their list of potential candidates. Was it because of her failure to articulate how she would pay for Medicare for All? Perhaps they’re collectively upset over Harris’ position on illegal immigration. Nope. As it turns out, they’re angry because Scooter Braun held a fundraiser for Harris in Los Angeles recently. And if you mentally paused just then to ask who the hell Scooter Braun is, trust me… you are not alone. (Deadline)
Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris may have put the Taylor Swift block vote in jeopardy, thanks to holding a fundraiser at Swift archrival Scooter Braun’s home in Los Angeles on Saturday night.
The Swifties recoiled at the news of the fundraiser at Braun’s Brentwood home. He’s been enmeshed in a feud with the singer over ownership of her back catalog, which he acquired by buying the Big Machine Record Group, which included her early albums. The singer’s fans have since demonized him, even though he insists he gave her opportunities to acquire the catalog.
Braun is a longtime supporter of Harris, and the fundraiser drew such notables as Katy Perry, Ariana Grande and Demi Lovato. Ironically, Swift herself has shown some support for Harris in the past, retweeting a few online comments by the senator.
So it seems that this Scooter character bought a music company that owns part of Taylor Swift’s early discography and she wanted to own it herself. That was followed by some he said, she said, blah blah blah and before you know it, Scooter is just the worst person ever. Or something like that. Anyway, by allowing Scooter to host a star-studded fundraiser for her, Harris is now painted with the same brush and Swift’s fans are having none of it.
Meet The Former Epstein 'Sex Slave' Who Helped Recruit Underage Girls For The 'Lolita Express'
