promoearn: Did a mobster ruin Rascal Flatts restaurants?

Wednesday, March 13, 2019

Did a mobster ruin Rascal Flatts restaurants?

Wednesday, March 13

Rascal Flatts restaurants failed nationwide. Did a Mafia soldier pull the strings?

Did a mobster ruin Rascal Flatts restaurants?

From Trump grounding planes to Paul Manafort's bad day, here's Wednesday's news.

Trump grounded a plane, a "Full House" star posted $1 million bail and a mobster maybe ruined a chain of Rascal Flatts restaurants. What a Wednesday. I'm Ashley. It's Short List.

But first, this 💩: A goat sworn in as mayor of Fair Haven, Vermont, on Tuesday, started her term by immediately defecating on the ground. We love a politician with candor.

That Boeing is barred, Trump says

The Boeing plane model involved in Sunday's crash that killed 157 people won't fly above the USA for now. President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he signed an emergency order grounding the Boeing 737 Max 8 planes involved in recent catastrophic crashes. American pilots voiced concern about perceived safety problems with the aircraft in recent months. Two pilots reported that their aircraft unexpectedly pitched nose down after they engaged the autopilot after departure. The United States was the last nation to ground the Boeing 737 planes Wednesday. On Tuesday, the Federal Aviation Administration stood by the safety of the Boeing 737.

Relatives react at the scene where the Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 crashed shortly after takeoff on Sunday killing all 157 on board, near Bishoftu, south of Addis Ababa, in Ethiopia Wednesday, March 13, 2019.

Mulugeta Ayene, AP

Internet to celebrity's daughter: 'Expel this cheater'

There is so much tea to spill (I wrote this in all caps originally) on this college admissions scandal. A quick recap: 33 rich parents and nine college coaches are caught up in America's largest college admissions bribery case. According to prosecutors, the elaborate conspiracy involved "enormous" bribes from parents to get kids into schools plus SAT and ACT cheating schemes. Here's all the latest:

•	"Full House" star Lori Loughlin was released from custody on $1 million bond after allegedly paying $500,000 in bribes. She can fly to Canada for work.
•	Her husband, fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli, on Tuesday posted a $1 million bond after his arrest.
•	"Desperate Housewives" star Felicity Huffman was released from custody Tuesday on $250,000 bail after an alleged bribe to aid her daughter.
•	"Expel this cheater": Loughlin's daughter is being trolled online over the case.
•	Trump's son-in-law faces renewed scrutiny over his acceptance to Harvard.
•	Wealthy and influential parents routinely use their privilege to game the college admissions process. And it's all perfectly legal.

Actress Felicity Huffman is accused of participating in a college admissions scam.

DAVID MCNEW, AFP/Getty Images

Paul Manafort's very bad day

Paul Manafort, who helped guide Donald Trump to the presidency, was sentenced to 73 months in prison Wednesday over two conspiracy charges. He'll serve most of that on top of a 47-month sentence imposed last week tied to tax- and bank-fraud charges. His total sentence: about 7.5 years. Making matters worse for Manafort, he was hit with new charges in a 16-count New York indictment over more than $1 million he allegedly received to submit false financial statements when applying for a loan. The new charges landed about an hour after Manafort received his latest prison sentence.

After being sentenced to prison, Paul Manafort faces more charges.

Jim Lo Scalzo/epa-EFE

Tucker Carlson joked about a 17-year-old's sexual activity

Tucker Carlson made some choice comments about the 2007 Miss Teen USA contestant from South Carolina in a newly unearthed recording, joking about sexual activity and the intelligence of the then-17-year-old . The recordings, released by the media watchdog group Media Matters on Tuesday, feature Carlson calling the teenager, Caitlin Upton, "appealing" and speculating whether the pageant's host, Mario Lopez, had sexual relations with her. This is the third batch of Carlson's former remarks – including homophobic comments and talk of child rape – released by Media Matters this week. Carlson refused to apologize for his statements, saying he will never bow to the leftist "mob."

Tucker Carlson says he won't bow to the left.

USAT

Real quick

•	A "bomb cyclone"? Yup, a powerful storm hitting the USA is officially called that.
•	The Chevrolet Corvette's new engine is so powerful that it's reportedly warping the car's frame.
•	A brain infection developed after a man lost a cotton swab in his ear.
•	Me to Facebook: "U up?": Facebook and Instagram went down around the world.
•	Vice President Mike Pence lost office space in the Capitol.
•	British lawmakers ruled out leaving the EU without a formal exit deal.

Was a mobster behind failed Rascal Flatts restaurants?

A New York Mafia turncoat walked out of prison and became an Arizona businessman. Frank Capri was later involved in a chain of Rascal Flatts restaurants that collapsed across the country, according to an Arizona Republic investigation. And the money to pay for the construction? Gone. Is a mobster in the Witness Protection Program behind the restaurants' demise?

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