Federal officers arrested for hazing victims using 'rape table': Officials

Three Customs and Border Protection officers assigned to a specialized screening team at Newark Airport were arrested Wednesday for assaulting fellow officers, allegedly pinning the victims to what was known as a “rape table,” according to court records.

Tito Catota, Parmenio Perez and Michael Papagni are charged with forcibly assaulting, impeding, intimidating, and interfering with two men identified in court documents as “Victim One” and “Victim Two” while the victims were on duty as CBP officers.

The three officers and the alleged victims were part of the same unit that is involved in the identification and interception of passengers attempting to bring contraband into the United States or who might be associated with terrorist activity.

“The defendants, who were members of a unit responsible for identifying dangerous contraband and threats to national security, allegedly subjected their own colleagues to senseless physical abuse, all while on duty at Newark Liberty International Airport,” acting U.S. Attorney William Fitzpatrick said.

According to court records, the officers locked the victims in a secure room in Newark’s Terminal C and pinned them to a conference table that the CBP officers called their “rape table.” No clothing was removed but court records said the victims were subjected to “grinding” and the simulation of a sex act.

“This behavior would be abhorrent in any environment, especially one serving a critical law enforcement function,” Fitzpatrick said.

The Department of Homeland Security is conducting an investigation.

“DHS employees pledge to maintain the highest standards of conduct and the OIG ensures those employees are held accountable when they violate that obligation,” Special Agent in Charge Mark Tasky said.

The three officers appeared in Newark federal court Wednesday and did not enter pleas. They will be released on $100,000 bail. If convicted, they could face eight years in prison for each count.

CBP said it welcomed the indictments.

“We do not tolerate misconduct in our ranks and are committed to a safe workplace environment free of harassment or intimidation,” spokesman Anthony Bucci said. The agency first became aware of the alleged misconduct in January. At the time, 11 Newark employees, including three supervisors, were put on administrative duty and stripped of their access to guns, badges and sensitive information. The three supervisors have since been fired.

It was not immediately clear whether the accused had obtained lawyers.

Israeli PM's son under fire for anti-Semitic post

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli political leaders lashed out at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's eldest son Sunday for posting an anti-Semitic caricature aimed at his father's critics.

Yair Netanyahu's meme shows American Jewish billionaire George Soros and a figure that resembles Nazi depictions of world Jewry manipulating former Prime Minister Ehud Barak and two leaders of weekly protests calling on Netanyahu to step down over corruption allegations. The post was shared by former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke and other anti-Semites.

The opposition Labor Party's chairman Avi Gabbay told Army Radio the post "crossed every line imaginable," saying it was a "very sad" day for Israel and the Jewish people when the prime minister's son posts a cartoon that the leader of the Ku Klux Klan agrees with. Barak wondered on Twitter whether Yair Netanyahu, who enjoys a state-funded driver and bodyguard while living at the prime minister's official residence, absorbed such ideology at home.

"What is it, genetics or a spontaneous mental illness? It doesn't matter. In any case, we ought to pay for him to have a psychiatrist, not a bodyguard and a chauffeur," Barak wrote. Yair Netanyahu responded by calling Barak a drunk who needed geriatric care.

The 26-year-old Yair Netanyahu has drawn criticism for living a life of privilege at taxpayers' expense and for his crude social media posts.

The Netanyahu family is facing a slew of corruption allegations. The prime minister has been questioned about his ties to executives in media, international business and Hollywood. His associates have been engulfed in a probe relating to a possible conflict of interest involving a $2 billion purchase of German submarines. Israel's attorney general has said he intends to indict the prime minister's wife, Sara, for fraud over her bloated household expenses.

Yair Netanyahu, who has reportedly taken a leading role in his father's aggressive social media platform, has also been drawn into the scandals. Australian billionaire James Packer has reportedly lavished Yair with gifts that included extended stays at luxury hotels in Tel Aviv, New York and Aspen, Colorado, as well as the use of his private jet and dozens of tickets for concerts by Packer's former fiancee, Mariah Carey.

Police are trying to determine whether these constitute bribes, since Packer is reportedly seeking Israeli residency status for tax purposes.

The prime minister has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, portraying the accusations as a witch hunt against him and his family by a hostile media. He has resisted increasing calls to step down.

This Woman’s Flooded Store Looks Brand New After She Refused To Give Up Hope

Just a few days ago, Hanh Nguyen was waist-deep in water.

The water started rising at her store, Marie’s Seafood in Port Arthur, Texas, on Tuesday — the day that tropical storm Harvey dumped 26 inches of rain on the city, triggering flash flooding and causing thousands to evacuate.

HuffPost visited Nguyen’s store on Thursday, when the water was still up to her calves. She said she’s owned the place — which sells seafood and other food items — since 1999, and she has no flood insurance.

But Nguyen has not given up. She, her family and store workers were already tirelessly cleaning the place, using mops, towels, whatever they could find.

When we came back on Saturday afternoon — a day we saw no other open businesses in the immediate area — Marie’s Seafood looked as if nothing had ever happened. Customers had already started returning.

Employees said they worked tirelessly over the past three days to return the store to normal and serve the community. 

Joy-Anna Duggar announces pregnancy with baby bump photo

Another Duggar baby is on the way!
Joy-Anna Duggar, who wed Austin Forsyth earlier this summer, is already pregnant with her first child, the two announced Wednesday. Things are certainly moving quickly for the young couple: The two tied the knot in May, less than three months after they got engaged -- but they're nothing but excited.

“We’re so happy and thankful to announce that we’re expecting a baby!” Joy-Anna told People. “Every child is such a precious gift from God. I’m most looking forward to watching Austin as a dad and raising children together with him.”
Duggar and Forsyth married in Arkansas in front of family and friends before jetting off to Switzerland for their honeymoon. Not long later, they made their way to Israel to celebrate their first month as a married couple.
“I’m really looking forward to the journey of this pregnancy and all the different stages it will bring,” Forsyth said. “It’s really exciting and I feel so blessed to be a dad! We are beyond thankful!”
The "Counting On" star's rapid moves from fiance to wife to mother is nothing new for the Duggar family, where most of Joy-Anna's older siblings are already married with young children. Older brother Joseph is next in line for a family celebration -- he got engaged to Kendra Caldwell at Joy-Anna's nuptials after a few months of courting.

Taylor Swift Releases Apparent Kanye West Diss Song 'Look What You Made Me Do'

Taylor Swift's new song "Look What You Made Me Do" from 'Reputation' appears to comment on singer's long feud with Kanye West.
Taylor Swift is not ready to make nice on "Look What You Made Me Do," the biting lead single of her highly anticipated sixth album, Reputation. Jack Antonoff, who worked with Swift on her last album, 1989, co-wrote and co-produced the dance-pop song, which includes an interpolation of Right Said Fred's "I'm Too Sexy."

Neighbors Arrested, Newborn Baby Found Days After Woman, 22, Vanished While 8 Months Pregnant

The investigation into the disappearance of a young pregnant woman in North Dakota has led to a startling discovery.

Five days into their search for 22-year-old Savanna LaFontaine-Greywind, investigators reportedly found a newborn baby in her North Fargo apartment building on Thursday.

Family members told reporters the 2-day-old baby was healthy but taken to a hospital for tests. Police have not said conclusively whether the girl is LaFontaine-Greywind’s, though "our investigation thus far indicates the probability that this is Savanna Greywind’s child," they wrote in a statement.

The young woman remains missing.

"We do not have information that tells us where Savanna Greywind is," Fargo Chief of Police David Todd said in a Facebook video Thursday.

Todd said the baby was discovered while investigators executed a search warrant at "the suspects'" residence.

Those suspects have been identified as William Hoehn and Brooke Crews, who live in the same building as LaFontaine-Greywind.

Hoehn, 32, and Crews, 38, were detained and taken to the police department for interviews by detectives.

As further information was developed and evidence obtained, Hoehn and Crews were both arrested and charged with class A Felony Conspiracy to Commit Kidnapping.

Still, police said their investigation into the strange case continues.

US Secret Service crunched by Trump and family's travel

Washington (AFP) - The US Secret Service is facing a cash crunch because of the high cost of protecting President Donald Trump, his many homes and large family, its director said in an interview published Monday.

Randolph "Tex" Ailes, the service's chief, told USA Today more than 1,000 agents have already hit caps for the year on salary and overtime pay because of the crushing workload.