Latest news with #Sorrell
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Red state official recounts personal experience of being 'debanked' and why it 'has to be stopped'
EXCLUSIVE: Protecting Americans from being "debanked" has been a top priority for the State Financial Officers Foundation, and Fox News Digital spoke to a member of that organization, who said he was targeted himself, about the importance of that pursuit. "When I was initially debanked, I didn't realize I was getting debanked," Alabama Republican State Auditor Andrew Sorrell told Fox News Digital at the State Financial Officers Foundation conference in Orlando, Florida. "What happened was I just get a letter one day from our credit card company, from my gun store, Gold Guns and Guitars, and we get this curious letter in the mail, and it says that in 30 days, we're closing your account. And it didn't tell us why at all." Sorrell, 39, explained that at first he thought that his company had simply forgotten to pay their bills, but when he realized he was up-to-date, he switched credit card companies and did not think anything of it until he got another letter from his credit card processor notifying him he was being dropped. Red State Treasurer Reveals Why State Financial Officers Have 'Obligation' To Combat Esg, Dei "So we're doing about 2 million dollars in revenue, about a million and a half of that is done by credit card or debit card transactions, and I was really confused this time, because why would a credit card processor drop us?" Sorrell explained. Read On The Fox News App After that, Sorrell was told by his insurance company he was being dropped with "no explanation." "I called my insurance broker, and he said, 'Oh yeah, this is happening to all gun stores,'" Sorrell said. "He said insurance companies are dropping all gun stores. And then it hit me. Oh my goodness, I'm a victim of political debanking. I didn't even realize that that's what was happening to me." Debanking is the phenomenon in which a bank customer has their accounts canceled, often with no explanation. Conservatives have long alleged that banks were unfairly targeting them in the practice, with banks specifically going after companies with conservative messaging or principles, including gun stores. Here's What Can Be Done About Debanking, The Un-american Abuse Of Power By Regulators In an interview with "Sunday Morning Futures" anchor Maria Bartiromo, House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., said he had seen "numerous" examples of conservatives being debanked during the Biden administration. "Especially people that were involved in different energy-type businesses and things like that, as well as very well-spoken and outspoken conservative activists," Comer said in the interview. "So there are numerous instances, enough to open an investigation again. Is this [environmental, social and governance (ESG)] policy, which is discriminatory?" Sorrell told Fox News Digital he is "convinced this is happening to other people in Alabama," and that the problem doesn't stem from local community banks but from large national banks who were "pushed" by the Obama and Biden administrations. "I actually have some sympathy for these large banks, and I think passing debanking legislation at the state level might actually help some of these large banks, because they can go back, and they can say, I'm sorry, Alabama has now passed debanking legislation. We're just following the law, we don't wanna debank people anymore," Sorrell said. "This is un-American, and it has to be stopped." Since the Trump administration took office in January, pushing back against political debanking has become a more prevalent conversation in government, including in the form of a bill from GOP Sen. Tim Scott to address regulatory language that has prompted financial institutions to debank those involved in certain industries. "It's clear that federal regulators have abused reputational risk by carrying out a political agenda against federally legal businesses," Scott said. "This legislation, which eliminates references to reputational risk in regulatory supervision, is the first step once and for all."Original article source: Red state official recounts personal experience of being 'debanked' and why it 'has to be stopped'
1News
20-05-2025
- 1News
Data quizzed after cook's phone pinged near mushrooms
Mushroom cook Erin Patterson's legal team have grilled a phone data expert on the limitations of using cell data in connection with a person's movements. Patterson, 50, is facing the fourth week of trial in regional Victoria, where she stands accused of three murders by allegedly deliberately poisoning a beef Wellington she served to her former in-laws. Don and Gail Patterson, 70, and Heather Wilkinson, 66, all died in hospital days after eating the meal cooked by Patterson in July 2023. The fourth lunch guest, Heather's husband Ian Wilkinson, survived the meal and Patterson has been charged with his attempted murder. She has pleaded not guilty to all offences and claims the poisonings were a terrible accident. Digital forensic expert Matthew Sorrell gave evidence for a second day at the court in Morwell, Victoria's southeast, today. Yesterday, he told the jury his analysis of Patterson's phone records showed she was in the vicinity of the Gippsland towns of Outtrim and Loch on May 22, 2023. A post had been published on the iNaturalist science website on May 21, revealing that death cap mushrooms had been located on Neilson St, Outtrim, the jury was told earlier yesterday. Another post on April 18 stated the poisonous mushrooms had been spotted earlier that day at the Loch recreation reserve. Under cross-examination by Patterson's barrister Colin Mandy SC today, Sorrell admitted there were limitations to his analysis. He explained that he used two types of records to analyse Patterson's phone – call charge records and event-based monitoring data. "That data allows for the possibility of a visit?" Mandy asked. "It allows for the possibility of being in the area," Sorrell replied. "But it does not necessarily indicate there was a visit to those locations?" Mandy continued. "There's nothing to indicate there was a specific visit to an address," the expert said. Mandy probed whether it was easier to exclude that a phone was in a particular area than to confirm it was there, and Sorrell agreed. The defence barrister told the jury Patterson lived about 20 minutes' drive from Outtrim and half an hour from Loch. Mandy asked Sorrell whether a phone could switch cell towers at different locations from inside Patterson's Leongatha home, for example if she picked up her phone and walked to her door. "I accept that proposition," Sorrell said. "Even if you've only moved 20 or 30 metres?" Mandy continued. "Yes," Dr Sorrell said. Mandy listed other limitations of the analysis including that a visit to Outtrim might not be recorded if no SMS, phone calls or data had been accessed on the phone, to which Sorrell agreed. Evidence so far in the trial of Erin Patterson, the Australian woman accused of murdering three people with beef Wellingtons. (Source: 1News) One of the homicide detectives tasked with investigating the allegedly murderous lunch was called as a witness this afternoon. Detective Senior Constable Khuong Tran told the jury he obtained CCTV for the case, including from a BP petrol station in Caldermeade. In video shown to the jury, about 3.19pm on July 30 – the day after the mushroom meal – Patterson is seen getting out of a red vehicle and walking into the service station towards the bathroom. Patterson, wearing a grey top and white pants with a black crossbody shoulder bag and sandals, spends about nine seconds in the toilets and then takes an item from the fridge before paying and leaving. She said she had experienced stomach pain and diarrhoea the day after the beef Wellington and took herself to hospital on July 31, the jury was told previously. The trial before Justice Christopher Beale will continue tomorrow.
West Australian
19-05-2025
- West Australian
Erin Patterson trial: Phone placed in vicinity of Loch, Outtrim after death cap sightings
Accused killer Erin Patterson's mobile phone pinged cell towers near a location where death cap mushrooms had been spotted, a court has been told. Giving evidence at Ms Patterson's triple-murder trial on Monday, Digital Forensic Sciences Australia's Dr Matthew Sorrell told the court he sifted through more than four years of her phone records. Dr Sorrell said he was tasked with finding potential visits to the Loch and Outtrim areas — two townships near Ms Paterson's Leongatha home where the deadly mushroom had been observed. Earlier in the trial, two witnesses gave evidence they located death cap mushrooms in those towns and posted details including a precise location on citizen science website iNaturalist. Christine McKenzie said she posted the mushrooms on April 18, 2023, in Loch, while Dr Tom May posted a sighting of death caps in Outtrim on May 21 the same year. Dr Sorrell told the jury Ms Patterson's phone could have possibly visited Loch between 9.14am and about 10am on April 28. He said the records indicate movement out of Korrumburra, connecting to Loch and a return to Korrumburra, but there was an 'absence' of records for the middle of that period. 'While there is a potential visit, it doesn't definitely point to being in the Loch township,' he said. On May 22, Dr Sorrell said the phone records indicate potential visits to both Loch and Outtrim. He said Ms Patterson's phone connected with the Loch South base station 'every five minutes' from 9.19am until about 10am. Later the same morning, he said the records indicate support the opinion the phone could be in the northern section of Outtrim' between 11.24am and 11.49am. Dr Sorrell is expected to face cross-examination from Ms Patterson's defence when the trial resumes on Tuesday. Ms Patterson is facing trial after pleading not guilty to the murder of three of her husband's relatives and the attempted murder of one more. Simon Patterson's parents, Don and Gail Patterson, and his aunt Heather Wilkinson died from death cap mushroom poisoning in the week after eating a beef wellington at Ms Patterson's home on July 29, 2023. Heather's husband, Ian Wilkinson, recovered after spending a month and a half in hospital. Prosecutors allege Ms Patterson deliberately spiked the lunch with 'murderous intent', while her defence argues the case is a 'tragic accident'. The trial continues.
Perth Now
19-05-2025
- Perth Now
Phone pinged near deadly mushrooms: court
Accused killer Erin Patterson's mobile phone pinged cell towers near a location where death cap mushrooms had been spotted, a court has been told. Giving evidence at Ms Patterson's triple-murder trial on Monday, Digital Forensic Sciences Australia's Dr Matthew Sorrell told the court he sifted through more than four years of her phone records. Dr Sorrell said he was tasked with finding potential visits to the Loch and Outtrim areas — two townships near Ms Paterson's Leongatha home where the deadly mushroom had been observed. Dr Sorrell is expected to face cross-examination on Tuesday. NewsWire / David Geraghty Credit: News Corp Australia Earlier in the trial, two witnesses gave evidence they located death cap mushrooms in those towns and posted details including a precise location on citizen science website iNaturalist. Christine McKenzie said she posted the mushrooms on April 18, 2023, in Loch, while Dr Tom May posted a sighting of death caps in Outtrim on May 21 the same year. Fungi expert Dr Tom May said he found the death caps while visiting Outtrim. NewsWire/ David Crosling Credit: News Corp Australia Retired pharmacist Christine McKenzie said she spotted the mushrooms under an oak tree. NewsWire / David Geraghty Credit: News Corp Australia Dr Sorrell told the jury Ms Patterson's phone could have possibly visited Loch between 9.14am and about 10am on April 28. He said the records indicate movement out of Korrumburra, connecting to Loch and a return to Korrumburra, but there was an 'absence' of records for the middle of that period. 'While there is a potential visit, it doesn't definitely point to being in the Loch township,' he said. On May 22, Dr Sorrell said the phone records indicate potential visits to both Loch and Outtrim. He said Ms Patterson's phone connected with the Loch South base station 'every five minutes' from 9.19am until about 10am. Later the same morning, he said the records indicate support the opinion the phone could be in the northern section of Outtrim' between 11.24am and 11.49am. Ms Patterson has pleaded not guilty. Brooke Grebert-Craig. Credit: Supplied Dr Sorrell is expected to face cross-examination from Ms Patterson's defence when the trial resumes on Tuesday. Ms Patterson is facing trial after pleading not guilty to the murder of three of her husband's relatives and the attempted murder of one more. Simon Patterson's parents, Don and Gail Patterson, and his aunt Heather Wilkinson died from death cap mushroom poisoning in the week after eating a beef wellington at Ms Patterson's home on July 29, 2023. Heather's husband, Ian Wilkinson, recovered after spending a month and a half in hospital. Prosecutors allege Ms Patterson deliberately spiked the lunch with 'murderous intent', while her defence argues the case is a 'tragic accident'. The trial continues.
USA Today
17-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
A new image shows the severity of Texas A&M star outfielder's hand injury
A new image shows the severity of Texas A&M star outfielder's hand injury Texas A&M (28-24, 11-18 SEC) still has a fighting chance to make the NCAA Tournament, and after shutting out Georgia 6-0 behind junior starting pitcher Justin Lamkin's historic complete game shutout, tossing a career-high 15 strikeouts on Friday night, helped boost the Aggies' hopes if they can win the series on Saturday before the SEC Tournament next week. Texas A&M's injury issues continued to haunt the team, specifically the health of star outfielder Caden Sorrell, who, since his return to the team after recovering from a hamstring injury, had been one of the primary reasons for the Aggies' series wins over Tennessee, Arkansas, and LSU was Caden Sorrell's power at the plate, batting .337 while producing 32 hits and 12 home runs in 26 games. However, During Game 1 against Georgia on Thursday, Sorrell's three-run homer gave the Aggies an early 3-0 lead, but during his last at-bat, Sorrell's right hand was hit by a pitch, as he quickly left the game, and has been out ever since. He is assumed to have suffered a hamate injury, a bone located at the top of the hand, and thanks to a photo from an Aggie fan in attendance, it has been revealed that Sorrell is wearing a cast on his right hand. Without speculating, head coach Michael Earley has yet to provide an actual update regarding Sorrell's status, but this certainly does look like a potential season-ending injury given the time of the season. Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Cameron on X: @CameronOhnysty.
