Latest news with #Amish
Yahoo
18 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
MAGA Ripped Apart by ‘Grifter' Attacks After Musk Feud
In the wake of the extraordinary bust-up between Donald Trump and Elon Musk, another bitter feud has erupted between other darlings of the MAGA movement over accusations of grift, deception and betrayal. Right-wing influencers Scott Presler and Brandon Straka were once good friends, rising up MAGA ranks to become well known social media identities with millions of followers and fans between them. Presler, with his trademark long brown hair, cowboy boots and towering frame is well known in Republican circles for his voter registration drives, targeting everyone from frat boys and farmers to hunters and the Amish. Last year, his PAC, Early Vote Action, also scored a $1 million donation from Musk, helping to wrest the battleground state of Pennsylvania from Democrats. Straka, meanwhile, came to Republican fame through his campaign #WalkAway, which was launched ahead of the 2018 midterms to encourage disenchanted Democrats to leave the party. Both are gay, outspoken, and lay claim to bringing new demographics into the GOP. But according to a new report in the Wall Street Journal, things between the pair soured last month, after Straka accused Presler of being a phony who faked his voter registration success and, in turn, weakened the party's get-out-the-vote efforts. The allegations, contained in a series of social media posts as well as an audio chat posted on X last month, have divided MAGA acolytes on both sides of the tiff. 'For anybody who doesn't understand why I am calling out Scott Presler- I get it. TRULY. He duped me, too. And he duped everybody,' Straka wrote in a Facebook post on May 4. 'He blatantly lied about registering 50,000 voters in PA. He lied about 'delivering' the Amish to the polls. He raised millions of dollars based on these lies–but worst of all–he has made people believe that he has a magic formula for 'flipping' states red. 'This deception just contributed significantly to costing the Wisconsin Supreme Court election a few months ago and a Pennsylvania Senate seat that Republicans have held for 136 years. Scott told everybody he had flipped these states. It was never true.' The Daily Beast has reached out to both men, whose brawl is not the only one causing deep divisions among the MAGA movement. Straka's tirade generated thousands of responses online, many of which backed Presler or urged the pair to cast their differences aside for the good of the party. 'We need you to be reunited to fight our mutual enemy,' one woman wrote. 'I think kindness might be a better way,' wrote another. 'We need everyone on board.' Amid the Musk-Trump fallout last week, Infowars host Alex Jones also set off angry MAGA backlash by calling for Trump to address Musk's explosive allegation that the president's name appears in the Epstein files. 'Catturd,' a pro-Trump influencer with 3.7 million X followers, hit out at Jones, describing him as a 'fraud' and 'sellout' for amplifying Musk's claims. And in other corners of the internet, conservative activist Laura Loomer has been trading blows with health care entrepreneur Calley Means, the brother of Trump's pick for US surgeon general, Casey Means. Tensions spilled over last month, around the same time the Straka-Presler feud erupted, when Calley Means took to X to accuse Loomer of 'taking money from industry to scuttle President Trump's agenda.' Loomer, a conservative firebrand known to have the president's ear, fired back in a lengthy post saying Means was 'full of s–t' and a 'Never Trumper'. She also made a series of allegations against both siblings, including the suggestion that Means was paying right-wing podcasters to back his sister for surgeon general 'despite her lack of qualifications.' 'You are a PR spin master (funny how you never talk about your career in PR and crisis management) and you are threatened by my access to President Trump and the fact that White House officials called me to discuss the posts I made about your sister,' she wrote.
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Yahoo
Trial begins for man accused of murdering pregnant Amish woman
The trial for the man accused of killing a pregnant Amish woman in Sparta Township in early 2024 is set to begin this week. Shawn Cranston, 53, of Corry, is facing charges of criminal homicide for the death of both 23-year-old Rebekah Byler and her unborn baby. According to court paperwork, the trial of 53-year-old Shawn Cranston was delayed after it was expected to start in March, citing new information in the case. The Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office will be prosecuting the case at the Crawford County courthouse. Monday, we heard testimony from Andy Byler, Rebecca's husband, along with the first trooper on scene and a forensic state trooper. During opening statements, we also learned a possible motive of burglary. Andy Blyer testified that when he came home from work on February 26, 2024, his two children, ages 2 and 3 came running out outside to tell him someone had killed their mom. Andy said he didn't believe them… until he walked up to the door and saw Rebecca's white hat on the floor next to her legs. The jury was then shown a crime scene photo of Rebecca on the floor. Those photos were not shown to the courtroom . Andy said that after discovering Rebecca's body, his driver, Julie, stayed with his kids while he drove Julie's truck to the neighbors to tell them what happened. He then drove back to his house and stayed in the driveway until state police arrived. He never went inside his house. Andy was then asked about a strange incident. He said two weeks before Rebecca's murder, someone came to the house around 10 or 11 o'clock at night. Andy said he got out of bed and went to the door with a flashlight and saw a white man with a bald head and beard walking up to the door. The man said he wanted to buy the Byler's house, but he'd be back the next day. He never came back. When asked if that person was in the courtroom, Andy said, 'I think he's sitting over there,' referring to 53-year-old Shawn Cranston. Andy told the court that after the murder, he noticed his safe was missing from the house. The first Trooper on the scene told the jury about walking into the Bylers' home and finding Rebecca on her back, with a large laceration to her throat, a wound near her hairline and her head in a pool of blood. The Forensic Trooper testified about finding Rebecca's body in the living room area with a bullet hole in her left temple and a suspected knife wound to the neck. He also testified about other evidence, like shoe prints and tire impressions found at the crime scene, along with a small piece of a latex glove found in the Byler's trash. Tuesday, Julie Warner, Andy Byler's driver, is expected to take the witness stand. We're being told the jury will hear the recording of the 911 call she made to report Rebecca's murder. Related Stories: Trial for man accused of killing pregnant Amish woman pushed to 2025 2024 Amish murder case transferred to Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office New information takes center stage in Rebekah Byler murder trial Daughter of arrested suspect reacts to pregnant Amish woman murder case List of seized items released in pregnant Amish woman homicide case Murdered Amish woman suffered injuries to head, neck: investigators Community remains in shock following Amish woman's death, Corry man's arrest Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
a day ago
- Health
What we know about measles during pregnancy
The death of an Ontario infant (new window) born prematurely and infected with measles through the mother is raising questions about how the virus is transmitted during pregnancy. On Thursday, Ontario health officials announced the death of a baby (new window) who was infected with the virus while in the womb. It was the first fatality in the provincial outbreak that began on Oct. 28 last year and includes 2,009 probable and confirmed cases. While measles may have been a contributing factor in both the premature birth and death, the infant also faced other serious medical complications unrelated to the virus, Dr. Kieran Moore, Ontario's chief medical officer of health, said in a statement released Thursday. Measles is a respiratory infection with symptoms that include fever, a blotchy rash, a cough and red, watery eyes. In May 2024, a child under five died of measles in Hamilton (new window) , but before that, there were no measles deaths in the province in more than a decade. Measles-infected baby dies in southwestern Ontario (new window) Moore has previously said the current outbreak was traced to a Mennonite wedding in New Brunswick, and is spreading primarily in Mennonite and Amish communities where vaccination rates lag. The majority of those cases are in southwestern Ontario. WATCH | Death of a measles-infected baby in Ontario: Début du widget Widget. Passer le widget ? Fin du widget Widget. Retourner au début du widget ? Measles-infected baby dies in southwestern Ontario An infant born prematurely and infected with measles in the womb through their mother has died, Ontario's Chief Medical Officer Dr. Kieran Moore announced Thursday. It is the province's first recorded death from the current outbreak that started in October of last year. Health officials stress that anyone who isn't vaccinated is vulnerable to measles and they encourage everyone to ensure they are up to date on their Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccines. I urge everyone, but especially those who may become pregnant, to ensure they have received two doses of the MMR vaccine, which will protect both a parent and baby, said Moore. What is known about measles transmission during pregnancy? Dr. Jacqueline Wong, a pediatric infectious diseases specialist at McMaster Children's Hospital, says transmission of measles during pregnancy is rare. If the baby does contract measles from the mother in utero, Wong says the impact varies depending on how far along the pregnancy is. Your risk of transmitting the infection to the baby varies during the different trimesters because of the development of the fetus, the development of the placenta and the blood flow. What are the risks during pregnancy? Dr. Sheryl Choo, a maternal-fetal medicine specialist at Royal Alexandra Hospital in Edmonton, says there are serious complications that can result if people who are pregnant become infected with measles. For instance, she says pregnant people infected with measles can develop lung infections like pneumonia at almost double the rate of those who are not pregnant. If people become infected with measles during pregnancy (new window) , Choo notes it can also increase the risk of serious complications including miscarriage and premature birth. According to Moore, the MMR vaccine has been safely used for over 50 years and is highly effective. Two doses provide nearly 100 per cent protection, he said in a statement Thursday. What about risks to the baby? Babies born to those infected with measles can face complications related to premature birth, such as low birth weight and breathing issues, which can result in stays in the neonatal intensive care unit, Choo said. This is all on top of the symptoms of a measles infection itself, she said. Much rarer complications of measles can include subacute sclerosing panencephalitis, or SSPE (new window) . It is almost always fatal and generally develops seven to 10 years after an initial measles infection (new window) , even if the person appears to have fully recovered. It can be dormant in the brain for years and may eventually flare up, causing brain inflammation and resulting in children or young adults losing the ability to move and speak. According to the Public Health Agency of Canada, SSPE occurs in between four and 11 out of every 100,000 measles cases. Health officials say it strikes between seven and 11 years after an initial infection and the highest rates are among children who contract measles before the age of two. If I'm pregnant can I get the measles vaccine? No, the measles vaccine is not recommended to be administered to people who are already pregnant. If you want to take the measles vaccine, it has to be before you're pregnant, Choo said. That's because the measles vaccine contains a live strain that is a weakened form of the virus, which is not recommended during pregnancy. Choo says that's because there is a theoretical risk that the measles virus contained in the vaccine can be passed to the baby. In contrast, vaccines that contain inactivated viruses can be given during pregnancy. The flu vaccine is one example. Is there treatment for pregnant people exposed to measles? If you're pregnant and you think you may have been exposed to measles, health officials advise you to contact your local health authority. They can determine if exposure occurred and direct patients to seek appropriate care without contributing to further spread. If measles exposure is confirmed, Choo says there is an injectable medication option called IVIg (new window) . Depending on when the exposure occurred, the medication may be used to help protect against infection or reduce severity of the illness. However, health officials and doctors agree that the best way to protect against measles is immunization. The most important recommendation or advice I can give … is to make sure you're up to date with all the immunization if you're starting that journey of becoming pregnant, Wong said. CBC News with files from CBC's Alison Northcott and Christine Birak
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
State park closed by Helene sets reopening date
Chimney Rock State Park has announced that it will reopen before the end of June. The park has been closed for nine months, recovering after Hurricane Helene hit western North Carolina. READ: Amish group brings volunteers to help rebuild Chimney Rock The park announced that it will be reopening on Friday, June 27. 'Thank you for all your love and support during our closure,' they said on Facebook. 'We're incredibly grateful to everyone who has worked tirelessly behind the scenes to make this reopening possible. It's been a long road, but we're excited to have you back on the trails with us soon.' Reservations are required for all guests, including annual passholders, with limited space being available as the park works to return to full function. The park will be open Monday through Friday. Reservations can be made on the park website. WATCH: Amish group brings volunteers to help rebuild Chimney Rock
Epoch Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Epoch Times
$38,000 Fines Waived for Ontario Amish Families Convicted for Not Using ArriveCan App
Over $38,000 in fines have been waived and convictions set aside for a group of people from an Ontario Amish community who were convicted for not using the ArriveCan app during COVID-19 lockdowns. Lawyers with The Democracy Fund (TDF) won the case after seven months of negotiations and multiple court appearances on behalf of the group known to avoid modern technology due to their faith.
