US Army charges Wisconsin man who defected to North Korea with desertion and soliciting child pornography: Report



The U.S. Army has charged the soldier who defected to North Korea in July with desertion, solicitation of child pornography, and various other crimes, according to documents obtained by Reuters.

Pvt. Travis King, 23, joined the Army in January 2021 and served as a cavalry scout with the Korean Rotational Force in South Korea.

Reuters reported that he was accused on more than one occasion of assault. He ultimately pleaded guilty to one charge of assault and to damaging a police car during a profanity-laced rant against South Koreans.

After he did a one-month stint in a South Korean jail, the U.S. Army sent him packing to the airport on July 18 so that he could face disciplinary measures stateside. King apparently had no intention of facing accountability back at Fort Bliss, Texas.

He reportedly left the customs checkpoint, fled the airport, then joined a civilian tour of the Joint Security Area on the border between the two Koreas. King then ran across the Demilitarized Zone into North Korea.

The Army officially declared King AWOL but had not gone so far as to label him a deserter. Possible penalties for going AWOL include military jail time, a dishonorable discharge, and/or a forfeiture of pay.

The communist regime used the defection as a propaganda opportunity, claiming the 23-year-old was seeking refuge because of "inhuman maltreatment and racial discrimination" in America, adding that "he also expressed his willingness to seek refugee in the DPRK or a third country, saying that he was disillusioned at the unequal American society."

After a two-month stay, King was returned to the U.S. on Sept. 27. Sweden had acted as the primary interlocutor between the U.S. and North Korea in securing the defector's release.

King has since undergone medical exams, psychological assessments, and debriefings, reported NPR.

The private now reportedly faces at least eight distinct charges under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. The private has been accused of:

  • desertion;
  • possessing child pornography and attempting to get a Snapchat user in July 2023 to "knowingly and willingly produce child pornography";
  • insubordination for leaving his base after curfew and flouting Army regulations concerning the consumption of alcohol;
  • attempting to escape from U.S. military custody in October 2022; and
  • various other improprieties, including kicking and punching other officers last year.

According to the 2023 Manual for Courts-Martial United States, any member of the armed forces who "without authority goes or remains absent from his unit, organization, or place of duty with intent to remain away therefrom permanently" is guilty of desertion.

"Desertion with intent to remain away permanently is complete when the person absents himself or herself without authority from his or her unit, organization, or place of duty, with the intent to remain away therefrom permanently," says the manual. "A prompt repentance and return, while material in extenuation, is no defense."

If found guilty of desertion, then King could face a dishonorable discharge, forfeiture of all pay and allowances, and jail time.

Possible penalties for desertion during wartime include death. As the Korean War is technically not over — as the 1953 armistice between the United Nations Command and both China and North Korea was never formally signed by the South Korean government — it is unclear precisely how high the stakes are in the forthcoming court-martial.

King's mother, Claudine Gates, said that she loves her son "unconditionally" and asks that her "son be afforded the presumption of innocence," reported ABC News.

"The man I raised, the man I dropped off at boot camp, the man who spent the holidays with me before deploying did not drink," Gates said in a statement. "A mother knows her son, and I believe something happened to mine while he was deployed. The Army promised to investigate what happened at Camp Humphreys, and I await the results."

Travis King charges youtu.be

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Fact or Fiction: 'UFO of God' | Chris Bledsoe | Ep 171

Fact or Fiction: 'UFO of God' | Chris Bledsoe | Ep 171

Travis Tritt drops Anheuser-Busch from tour — and makes key observation about who now owns the company



Country music legend Travis Tritt announced Wednesday that he is dropping all Anheuser-Busch products from his tour.

"I will be deleting all Anheuser-Busch products from my tour hospitality rider. I know many other artists who are doing the same," Tritt revealed on Twitter.

\u201cI will be deleting all Anheuser-Busch products from my tour hospitality rider. I know many other artists who are doing the same.\u201d
— Travis Tritt (@Travis Tritt) 1680739134

According to Tritt, other country music artists are taking the same action as he is, but they aren't announcing it publicly "for fear of being ridiculed and cancelled." But Tritt declared, "I have no such fear."

Tritt even offered a suggestion as to why Anheuser-Busch felt it was a good idea to sponsor Mulvaney: because the company is now owned by a European company.

"In full disclosure, I was on a tour sponsored by Budweiser in the 90’s. That was when Anheuser-Busch was American owned," he said. "A great American company that later sold out to the Europeans and became unrecognizable to the American consumer. Such a shame."

The announcement comes after Bud Light sponsored trans activist Dylan Mulvaney, igniting a firestorm of controversy resulting in a mass boycott of Bud Light and Anheuser-Busch. The company not only sponsored Mulvaney, but celebrated his gender transition with custom packs of beer to mark his "365 Days of Girlhood."

The company that owns Bud Light is officially known as Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV; it is based in Belgium. The company boasts more than 600 beer brands in its portfolio across 150 countries. Anheuser-Busch was purchased by InBev in 2008.

What has AB said?

Anheuser-Busch responded to outrage on Monday, defending its sponsorship of Mulvaney.

The statement said:

Anheuser-Busch works with hundreds of influencers across our brands as one of many ways to authentically connect with audiences across various demographics and passion points. From time to time we produce unique commemorative cans for fans and for brand influencers, like Dylan Mulvaney. This commemorative can was a gift to celebrate a personal milestone and is not for sale to the general public.

Anheuser-Busch, however, has not responded to the growing number of celebrities dumping their associations with Bud Light and other Anheuser-Busch products over its sponsorship with Mulvaney.

Rock artist Kid Rock also made headlines this week when he shot cases of Bud Light beer to demonstrate his displeasure with Anheuser-Busch's sponsorship.

"F*** Bud Light, and f*** Anheuser-Busch," Kid Rock said in a video. "Have a nice day!"

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Meghan Markle's father blasts California as more racist than the Brits as he suggests she's lying about racism accusations



Meghan Markle's estranged father, Thomas Markle, said this week that California is more racist when compared to those people living in the United Kingdom.

His remarks come following his daughter's revelation that members of the royal family reportedly were concerned at one point that her then-unborn son's skin would be too dark. Markle's mother is black, and her father is white.

Markle, American-born Duchess of Sussex, shares 1-year-old son Archie with Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex. The family reportedly lives in Montecito, California.

What are the details?

Thomas Markle, 76, told Reuters on Tuesday that California is racist — not Britain — and pointed out that he doesn't believe that the royal family is racist, either.

"I think Los Angeles is racist," he said. "California is racist, but I don't think the Brits are."

He continued, "The thing about what color the baby will be, or how dark the baby will be. I'm guessing and hoping it's just a dumb question from somebody, you know, it could just be that simple. It could be somebody asked a stupid question. Rather than being a total racist."

Thomas added, "This whole thing about color and how dark the baby is is bulls**t."

Reuters reported, "Markle and his daughter have been estranged since her marriage to Prince Harry in 2018. Markle, a former lighting director for U.S. TV soaps and sitcoms, pulled out of the wedding days beforehand after undergoing heart surgery.He said his daughter had let him down while he was ill."

"I was in a hospital bed the last time we talked, and I never heard from them again," he added. "They didn't care if I died."

He also said that the interview was "way over the top," and said that the couple should have postponed delivering such an interview, perhaps out of respect.

“They should have waited considering the queen's age and Philip's age," Thomas insisted.

You can read more on the Duchess' accusations here.

Anything else?

In a Tuesday statement from Buckingham Palace, Queen Elizabeth on behalf of the royal family expressed surprise at what Meghan Markle said was her experience in the U.K.

The statement read, "The whole family is saddened to learn the full extent of how challenging the last few years have been for Harry and Meghan. The issues raised, particularly that of race, are concerning. While some recollections may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family privately. Harry, Meghan, and Archie will always be much loved family members."

#BREAKING: Statement from the Queen #HarryandMeghanonOprah https://t.co/j6Q0lprrXD
— Travis Dhanraj (@Travis Dhanraj)1615310904.0

Oreo cookie ridiculed for 'pandering' tweet about trans people: 'Stunning and brave'



In the political arena, transgender topics made headlines Thursday. The House voted to pass the Equality Act, which would add sex, gender identity, and sexual orientation to the 1964 Civil Rights Act. However, critics argue that the bill puts biologically female student-athletes at an unfair disadvantage and could even be potentially dangerous for young girls.

Also on Thursday, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) grilled President Joe Biden's nominee for assistant secretary of health, Dr. Rachel Levine, over children undergoing life-altering sex change operations.

Oreos, the creme-filled cookie, decided it was necessary to enlighten the world with its stance on transgendered individuals.

The official Twitter account for Oreo cookies, which has nearly 1 million followers, tweeted: "Trans people exist."

Trans people exist.
— OREO Cookie (@OREO Cookie)1614285631.0

The tweet from the snack brand quickly went viral, racking up over 400,000 likes since it was posted on Thursday afternoon. Soon "Oreos" was trending on Twitter under the topic of "politics."

The algorithm is on fire tonight. @oreo (yes, Oreo) is trending under politics (yes, politics). https://t.co/Mt4YlKjAHH
— Jake Williams (@Jake Williams)1614309078.0

The cookie brand received backlash for spouting identity politics, many ridiculing Oreos for being "stunning and brave."

BlazeTV personality and host of "The News and Why It Matters" Sara Gonzales simply wrote, "You're a cookie."

You’re a cookie. https://t.co/O9GjLM1Qyw
— Sara Gonzales (@Sara Gonzales)1614347748.0

Twitter users dunked on the cookie company for its woke tweet by insisting that the brand "Just make cookies, please."

One user asked, "When did y'all start double-stuffing your politics down our throats?"

Others suggested that the cookie brand make donations to trans charities if it is truly concerned about transgendered people.

Fox News Channel contributor Lisa Booth reacted by saying, "Why even take a political stance on this? This is why America is so divided. Even cookies have to be divisive."

Conservative activist Melissa Tate responded, "Thanks captain obvious. Their existence is not in question. The question we are asking is should biological men be displacing women & girls like in sport, trampling on our rights & our existence as women."

Journalist Michael Tracey posted, "Evidently a Zoom meeting was held where somebody said something to the effect of: 'Our emerging customer base wants their gender identities validated by a mass-produced cream-filled cookie product.'"

Commenters said the company was "using trans rights as marketing" and accused the brand of "pandering."

Political cartoonist Stonetoss Comics lampooned the tweet, while another posted a meme with fellow cookie company Pepperidge Farm.

@Oreo https://t.co/VVey15bpzC https://t.co/NsDQHhGZN6
— stonetoss comics (@stonetoss comics)1614289971.0
@Oreo https://t.co/MqceS7DXbG
— Travis Wines (@Travis Wines)1614296553.0

Many users noted that Oreos is owned by snack food behemoth Mondelez International, which has enjoyed making at least $26 billion in profits every year since at least 2008. Some noted that the human rights group International Rights Advocates filed a federal class-action lawsuit against Mondelez and six other big-name chocolate makers in 2019, alleging the corporations were complicit in child trafficking and forced child labor. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of eight Malian men who claim they were forced to harvest cocoa in the Ivory Coast after being trafficked as children.

Many of the biggest chocolate companies in the world signed a pledge in 2001 to eradicate "the worst forms of child labor" from their West African cocoa suppliers. Mondelez did not sign the pledge.

"Other companies that were not signatories, such as Mondelez and Godiva, also have taken such steps, but likewise would not guarantee that any of their products were free of child labor," the Washington Post reported in 2019.

Mondelez said it is committed to eliminating child labor with several initiatives, including a strategy to "empower communities to advocate for their own development" and "empower women at household and community level."

Other Twitter users pointed out that the environmental activist group Greenpeace accused Oreos of not doing enough to curb deforestation in 2018.

"The makers of Oreo, Mondelez, still buys its palm oil from the world's largest and dirtiest palm oil trader in the world: Wilmar," a statement from Greenpeace read. "Its palm oil is associated to several of the suppliers linked to forest destruction and human right abuses in Indonesia."

Mondelez responded to the Greenpeace accusations by announcing plans to address deforestation in Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire, and Indonesia with a program called "Cocoa Life."

"Our plans to combat deforestation in cocoa include a commitment to map 100% of the farms that supply Mondelēz International's Cocoa Life program by the end of 2019," said Cedric van Cutsem, Associate Director, Operations, Cocoa Life. "Mapping and monitoring farms will give us a deeper understanding of farmers' needs so we can help drive effective change. In addition, our plans include financial incentives that will encourage farmers and communities to protect and renew forest areas."

Others highlighted the fact that Hydrox created its chocolate sandwich cookie with a creamy center in 1908, by what was Sunshine Biscuits at the time, four years before Oreos made its copycat cookie.

Alyssa Milano slammed as #MeToo 'hypocrite' for fundraising for Raphael Warnock, who was involved in domestic dispute



Actress Alyssa Milano has been a vocal #MeToo advocate, but some are claiming that the Democratic activist's morals appear to waver when it comes to the Georgia Senate runoffs.

During Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearings in 2018, Milano was extremely critical of Kavanaugh, and welcomed all of the allegations against him without questioning them. She wore a sash with the words "BELIEVE WOMEN" on it during Kavanaugh's hearing. She also sat behind Kavanaugh and held up a booklet that read: "I BELIEVE SURVIVORS."

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

"I wasn't there with any political agenda. I was there to support a survivor of sexual assault," Milano told The Hollywood Reporter in 2018. "As a survivor, it literally is all of our worst nightmares come true. This is exactly the reason why we don't come forward, or we don't report. Because of the scrutiny. Because a man's word will always mean more than our word. And it's disgusting."

But now, people are pointing out that Milano has a much different approach when it comes to the broad strokes of "I believe survivors" and "believe women." Milano is raising money for Democratic Senate candidate Raphael Warnock, who was allegedly involved in a domestic dispute.

Warnock is alleged to have run over the foot of his ex-wife Oulèye Ndoye during an altercation that police responded to. Police bodycam footage shows the aftermath of a verbal altercation between the couple, who got divorced in November 2019.

"This man's running for the United States Senate and all he cares about right now is his reputation," Ndoye told police. "I work at the mayor's office and this is a big problem. I've been trying to be very quiet about the way he is for the sake of my kids and his reputation."

"I've tried to keep the way that he acts under wraps for a long time and today he crossed the line," she continued. "So that is what is going on here and he's a great actor. He is phenomenal at putting on a really good show."

The wife claimed that Warnock ran over her foot with a car, but medical examiners found no physical damage.

In an incident from 2002, Warnock "repeatedly disrupted a 2002 police investigation into child abuse at a church-affiliated summer camp, interfering with interviews and discouraging counselors from speaking with investigators," according to two Maryland State Police reports obtained by the Washington Free Beacon.

Despite the problematic allegations, #MeToo champion Milano is proudly supporting Warnock. Milano has been working the phone banks for Warnock and fellow Georgia Democratic Senate candidate Jon Ossoff.

🚨ALL HANDS ON DECK🚨We need to win those 2 senate seats in Georgia! Phone bank with me next Wed! You can do this… https://t.co/9cBgu9rn0F
— Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa Milano)1607108113.0

On Dec. 16, Milano asked Warnock on Twitter, "How's our fundraising goal looking?"

Some online commentators pointed out the hypocrisy of Milano raising money for someone who has accusations against him by his ex-wife.

One Twitter used asked, "Where's the Me too movement now?"

Another user responded, "#MeToo is an exclusive club now? To only woman you agree with."

Someone said, "#MeToo was a complete lie."

Another person wrote, "Do you see a hypocrite when you look in the mirror @Alyssa_Milano Asking for a friend #metoo #timesup." The reply included a Rose McGowan tweet, where the actress torched Milano and called her a "fraud" for her silence about the sexual accusations against Joe Biden by former Senate staffer Tara Reade.

"You are a fraud. This is about holding the media accountable. You go after Trump & [Supreme Court Justice Brett] Kavanaugh saying Believe Victims, you are a lie. You have always been a lie. The corrupt DNC is in on the smear job of Tara Reade, so are you. SHAME," McGowan wrote in April.

https://t.co/yM2hZqWDomDo you see a hypocrite when you look in the mirror @Alyssa_Milano 🥸Asking for a friend 😉… https://t.co/GPGJyI1OkH
— Travis Aaron Wade (@Travis Aaron Wade)1609432968.0

Georgia's two runoff elections for U.S. Senate take place on Jan. 5.

Man loses his job after pulling a gun on protesters in Louisville. Police posted video showing a protester pointing a gun at him.



A man seen pulling a gun on protesters in a viral video soon lost his job, but police posted another video showing that a protester pulled a gun on him as well.

The incident happened during a protest on Friday in Louisville, Kentucky.

A screenshot from the video went viral on social media as people condemned the man according to the misleading and incomplete information provided.

A Trump supporter attempted to run over peaceful protestors in Louisville. They then pulled out a gun and threatene… https://t.co/X86EbAD1mF
— Travis Allen 🇺🇸 (@Travis Allen 🇺🇸)1600639241.0

There was no evidence provided to confirm the claim that the man was a Trump supporter.

The man was eventually identified as Jim Geisler and he lost his job at American Air Filter Co., which released a statement explaining the decision.

"AAF Flanders supports the right to peacefully assemble as an expression of free speech," said a spokesperson for the company.

"In our view, the actions of this individual show poor judgment and are inconsistent with the core values of our company," they added. "As such, this individual is no longer with the company."

Louisville Metro Police declined to file charges against the man despite the demands from many on social media, and posted an explanation on their Facebook page.

"Yesterday, during the protest activity in the Hurstbourne/Shelbyville Rd area, individuals were observed surrounding and inflicting damage on a vehicle at the traffic light on Hurstbourne Pkwy. During this event, a woman who was participating in the protest pointed a handgun at the occupant of the vehicle, placing him and others in extreme danger," the post read.

"Fortunately, officers were able to move the crowd away and took her into custody a short time later without incident," they added.

"His gun was specifically for me"

Protesters say that that is also an incomplete video about what happened.

"I wasn't even thinking about my life, in that moment, I was thinking about everyone else that was around, which is why I drew my weapon back," said Robin Ash, the woman who was arrested, to WHAS-TV.

"His gun was pointed, I mean, directly at me, it was like I walked up and his gun was specifically for me, was the way I felt at that moment," she told the outlet.

David Mour, an attorney for Ash said he was going to sue the police department for defamation and slander over what he termed a malicious prosecution. She was charged with wanton endangerment, criminal mischief and for being a convicted felon in possession of a handgun, but she argues that a governor's pardon in 2015 restored her civil rights.

"He was forced to protect himself"

In a GoFundMe campaign page set up for Geisler, a friend of the family gives his version of the events.

"On Friday, 9/18, Jim Geisler was on his way home from work, and was confronted by protesters on Hurstbourne Parkway in Louisville, KY. While at a stoplight, Jim's car was approached by the menacing group. They gathered around his car while causing considerable damage to his car. A female protester pointed a gun at Jim," the post explained.

"Jim's personal safety, and the integrity of his vehicle/property were at stake," it added. "He was forced to protect himself. He raised and pointed his firearm at the group in an attempt to ward Them off."

The campaign has raised more than $8,000.

Here's a local news report about the incident:

Protesters push back on LMPD video showing demonstrations in East Louisvillewww.youtube.com