Conor Lamb says John Fetterman’s afraid to debate, calling shotgun incident ‘a huge problem’
PHILADELPHIA — U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb issued a direct attack Thursday against Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, signaling a clear shift in Pennsylvania’s Democratic primary for Senate as it enters the final stretch.
Lamb accused Fetterman, the front-runner in the race, of dodging scrutiny on a controversial incident from his past that he said could “single-handedly” cost Democrats a Senate seat.
It’s the first time Fetterman’s been directly attacked, marking what could be a pivot in the tone and intensity of the race. For months, the incident — in which Fetterman chased a Black jogger and then pulled a shotgun on him to keep him from leaving — has loomed in the background. Lamb had never directly raised the incident before. State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, the only Black candidate in the race, has denounced Fetterman for vigilantism and called for an apology but not outright attacked him publicly.
Neither had so explicitly sought to inject the incident into the race.
The tweets Lamb posted Thursday night came after Fetterman said he would not attend the first Democratic debate Sunday, and as Lamb has struggled to make up ground.
—The Philadelphia Inquirer
Florida official says stronger laws may be needed after boy's death on Orlando Free Fall ride
ORLANDO, Fla. — As the state’s investigation into the death of 14-year-old Tyre Sampson on the Orlando Free Fall drop tower last week continues, Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried said Friday her department will look into changing Florida laws to ensure amusement park rides are safe.
Appearing in Orlando at news conference with Fried, state Rep. Geraldine Thompson, an Orlando Democrat, said she would help initiate any applicable “legislative action” needed to expand the division’s authority after the accident investigation concludes.
“I’m also here today to reassure Tyre’s family, friends, and all those impacted by this tragedy that we are fully committed to finding out what happened so we can better prevent such tragedies from happening in the future,” Fried said. “And that’s why we will not be jumping to any conclusions before the information is provided to us and we know all the facts.”
Under Florida’s current statutes, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services gives ride operators and manufacturers a lot of autonomy to oversee ride safety and operation themselves, Thompson said, and enhancing the agency’s authority could help fill those gaps.
—Orlando Sentinel
Trio trafficked Georgia farm workers in ‘modern-day slavery’ operation, feds say
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Three men accused of facilitating a “modern-day slavery” operation by trafficking workers for cheap labor on several South Georgia farms are headed to prison, according to federal authorities.
The accused — 24-year-old Javier Sanchez Mendoza Jr. of Jesup; 42-year-old Aurelio Medina of Brunswick; and 45-year-old Yordon Velazquez Victoria of Brunswick — were sentenced to prison on charges related to human trafficking and forced farm labor, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Georgia announced March 31.
Mendoza was handed a 30-year sentence while Medina was ordered to serve just over five years, according to a news release. Victoria was sentenced to 15 months in prison.
The cases, though separate, were charged as part of a larger federal investigation dubbed “Operation Blooming Onion.”
Prosecutors said Mendoza, Medina and Victoria all played a part in efforts to bring Central American farm workers into the U.S. “under fraudulent pretenses and to profit from their labor by underpaying the workers,” according to the release. They charged workers to get temporary H-2A work visas, then withheld their identification papers and threatened their families back home, prosecutors said.
—The Charlotte Observer
US man held hostage in Afghanistan seen alive for 1st time in 2 years in new video
An American man kidnapped by the Taliban in early 2020 was seen alive for the first time since then on Friday in a hostage video.
Mark Frerichs, 59, asked for his release in the video, which was sent to The New Yorker by an unidentified Afghanistan source. He appeared to be reading off a script and said the video was recorded on Nov. 28, 2021.
“I’d like to ask the leadership of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, please, release me,” he said. “Release me so that I may be reunited with my family.”
Frerichs is a Navy veteran and former civilian contractor. An Illinois native, he was living in Kabul in January 2020 when he was snatched off the street.
Family members remained convinced that Frerichs was alive despite no evidence before Friday’s video. He’s believed to be the last American hostage held by the Taliban.
—New York Daily News
