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Drunken driver who plowed into Minnesota restaurant patio, killing 2, pleads guilty to murder

Drunken driver who plowed into Minnesota restaurant patio, killing 2, pleads guilty to murder

Independent07-05-2025

A man who was driving drunk when he crashed into a patio at a popular Minnesota restaurant, killing two people and injuring nine others, pleaded guilty to murder and other charges Wednesday.
Under the terms of his plea deal, Steven Frane Bailey, 56, of the Minneapolis suburb of St. Louis Park, agreed to a sentence of 25 to 30 years. His sentencing is scheduled for July 28.
Prosecutors say Bailey already had five drunken driving convictions on his record but got his license back before he drove into the crowded patio at the Park Tavern in St. Louis Park on Sept. 1. His blood-alcohol level was more than four times the legal limit.
Bailey pleaded guilty to two counts of third-degree murder in the deaths of restaurant employee Kristina Folkerts and hospital worker Gabe Harvey, as well as three counts of criminal vehicular operation. He admitted in court that he knew he was drunk when he drove to the tavern. He tried to flee after striking another vehicle while trying to park, he acknowledged, but plowed into the patio instead.
The incident prompted calls for stricter drunken driving laws. The Minnesota Senate on Wednesday voted unanimously for a bill that includes stricter license revocation rules for people with multiple drunken driving convictions, and measures to encourage the use of ignition interlock devices. The bill now goes to a conference committee to resolve minor differences with a version that passed the House last week.

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Secret CIA file exposes agency's playbook for turning government protests into violent riots
Secret CIA file exposes agency's playbook for turning government protests into violent riots

Daily Mail​

time21 minutes ago

  • Daily Mail​

Secret CIA file exposes agency's playbook for turning government protests into violent riots

A damning classified document has been uncovered that reveals how the CIA plans out and set off riots which destabilize governments. In a 92-page 'playbook' written in 1983, officials mapped out how they would pay criminals and other 'agitators' to ramp up anger among ethnic minorities and students with the goal of having them riot in the streets. This declassified document was recently brought to light on social media, amidst claims that protesters in Los Angeles were being paid thousands of dollars to riot against the Trump Administration. Several people on X have posted images of Craigslist ads promising to pay between $6,500 and $12,500 for 'tough bada--es' to enter the city during the protests. The CIA guide entitled 'Psychological Operations' served as a manual for starting antigovernment movements in other countries, although conspiracy theorists have claimed that those tactics are being used against the White House as well. However, no evidence has been revealed that directly connects CIA operatives with triggering violence during protests here in the US. Originally, the CIA used this strategy of teaching guerrilla fighters how to influence people's minds to take down the Nicaraguan government, which the US viewed as a communist ally of the Soviet Union and Cuba. The document specifically detailed how the agency would hire criminals and train professional protesters in order to make mass riots look like spontaneous uprisings against an allegedly unpopular government. In a 92-page 'playbook' written in 1983, CIA officials mapped out how they would pay criminals and other 'agitators' to ramp up anger among ethnic minorities and students The CIA document, declassified in 2023, explained how agents would take control and organize mass gatherings and steer them towards violence against governments believed to be acting against the interests of the US intelligence community. 'The control of mass meetings in support of guerrilla warfare is carried out internally through a covert commando element, bodyguards, messengers, shock troops (incident initiators), poster carriers (also used to give signals), and slogan shouters, all under the control of the external commando element,' CIA officials wrote. Intelligence officials broke down this plot into several steps, starting with a 'front organization.' Guerrillas infiltrate groups like labor unions or student organizations, secretly controlling them to push anti-government ideas. Next, guerrillas used 'armed propaganda,' acting friendly, helping communities, and showing that their weapons protect the people, not control them, in order to gain their trust. Slogans and speeches would then provide simple, emotional sayings to excite crowds and focus their anger on the government. The manual then suggested using small groups of trained agitators to stir up crowds at protests, making it look like a big, spontaneous movement. This could also involve paying criminals to march along with normal protesters. These instigators would provoke violence and create 'martyrs' in the crowd to turn people against the government the CIA was hoping to bring down. In the 1980s, the goal of this plot was to weaken the Nicaragua's Sandinista government by turning the public against it. By winning people's hearts and minds using these tactics, the CIA hoped to create chaos through protests that undermined government control. The guerrillas would then aim to overthrow the regime and replace it with a government friendly to US instead of the Russians. The CIA rioting manual was aimed at the general population, especially peasants, workers, and students, pushing them to rally them against the government while avoiding being seen as terrorists. 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According to Gentile, approximately 110 civilians throughout Italy were killed between the 1960s and 1980s in a scheme designed to create opposition against communist Russia in case they ever invaded Europe. As for civil unrest here in the US, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem claimed on Monday that demonstrators in Los Angeles were being paid and that the ongoing riots were part of a professional operation. 'These are organized. These are people that are being paid to do this. You can follow how they behave, the signals they give to each other in these crowds and these protests to instigate violence,' Noem told Fox News. Noem claimed the Trump Administration now has evidence that the Los Angeles riots are an organized plot against the US government but did not reveal what they had found out.

Mike Johnson suggests Gavin Newsom should be ‘tarred and feathered'
Mike Johnson suggests Gavin Newsom should be ‘tarred and feathered'

The Guardian

time34 minutes ago

  • The Guardian

Mike Johnson suggests Gavin Newsom should be ‘tarred and feathered'

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Beauty queen strangled to death by longtime family friend after he revealed shocking secret
Beauty queen strangled to death by longtime family friend after he revealed shocking secret

Daily Mail​

time35 minutes ago

  • Daily Mail​

Beauty queen strangled to death by longtime family friend after he revealed shocking secret

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