All posts tagged: accountability

Country star Bailey Zimmerman takes ‘full accountability’ after allegedly trashing hotel room and facing criminal charges

Country star Bailey Zimmerman takes ‘full accountability’ after allegedly trashing hotel room and facing criminal charges

Get the inside track from Roisin O’Connor with our free weekly music newsletter Now Hear This Get our free music newsletter Now Hear This Get our free music newsletter Now Hear This Country singer Bailey Zimmerman has apologized after he allegedly left his New Mexico hotel room trashed while on his Different Night Same Rodeo tour. Zimmerman, 26, is accused of causing more than $16,000 in damage to a hotel room at Sandia Resort and Casino in Albuquerque after he canceled his May 27 show that was scheduled at the resort, according to court documents filed in Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court and obtained by The Independent. A warrant was issued for Zimmerman’s arrest last Thursday, though he has not been taken into custody. He faces two charges: felony criminal damage to property and falsely obtaining services, which is a misdemeanor. The “Backup Plan” artist has since issued a statement regarding his alleged behavior, saying, per TMZ: “First things first, I want to apologize to the Pueblo of Sandia and to everyone at Sandia Resort & …

Country star Bailey Zimmerman takes ‘full accountability’ after allegedly trashing hotel room and facing criminal charges

Country star Bailey Zimmerman takes ‘full accountability’ after allegedly trashing hotel room and facing criminal charges

Get the inside track from Roisin O’Connor with our free weekly music newsletter Now Hear This Get our free music newsletter Now Hear This Get our free music newsletter Now Hear This Country singer Bailey Zimmerman has apologized after he allegedly left his New Mexico hotel room trashed while on his Different Night Same Rodeo tour. Zimmerman, 26, is accused of causing more than $16,000 in damage to a hotel room at Sandia Resort and Casino in Albuquerque after he canceled his May 27 show that was scheduled at the resort, according to court documents filed in Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court and obtained by The Independent. A warrant was issued for Zimmerman’s arrest last Thursday, though he has not been taken into custody. He faces two charges: felony criminal damage to property and falsely obtaining services, which is a misdemeanor. The “Backup Plan” artist has since issued a statement regarding his alleged behavior, saying, per TMZ: “First things first, I want to apologize to the Pueblo of Sandia and to everyone at Sandia Resort & …

10 Phrases People Who Act Like A Victim In Every Situation Usually Say

10 Phrases People Who Act Like A Victim In Every Situation Usually Say

Narcissists are prone to blame-shifting and painting themselves as victims. They can’t help it. They need to seek pity from others when they can’t get the validation or attention they need to feel secure in their own identity. In some cases, people who act like a victim in every situation aren’t operating from narcissism, but from insecurity or trauma. The phrases and excuses they use in casual conversations come from fear, rather than superiority or indecency. If someone acts like a victim in every situation, they usually say these phrases in conversation 1. ‘You made me do this’ Dragana Gordic | Shutterstock Blame-shifting is a classic tactic for people with a victim mentality. They’d prefer to paint someone else as the perpetrator of a mistake or misbehavior because it makes it easier for them to control the narrative. Even when they’re placing the blame on someone they’ve actively hurt, they’d rather do that than own up and apologize. “You made me do this” removes them of their responsibility and autonomy, but it also seems to …

People Who Refuse To Take Accountability Use 11 Tired Excuses For Their Bad Behavior

People Who Refuse To Take Accountability Use 11 Tired Excuses For Their Bad Behavior

We all make mistakes, but there are people who would rather blame others than take accountability for their mistakes. This does enormous harm to their relationships, often just to protect their ego.  These people are motivated by fear and anxiety, grasping at shallow and even aggressive tactics to make sure they come out on top. To spot these people, keep an eye out for these common phrases.  People who refuse to take accountability use 11 tired excuses for their bad behavior 1. ‘You didn’t need to get offended’ NDAB Creativity | Shutterstock If you know someone who refuses to take accountability, you’ve definitely heard this excuse before. It’s a classic counter-attack with blame-shifting to avoid having to be accountable for what they said or did. According to a student dissertation from Brigham Young University, people who feel judged in the face of a disagreement or argument may rely on phrases like this one to shift blame and deny accountability. They “counter-attack” the person expressing their needs or calling out misbehavior trying to paint themselves as the …

Congress Has Taken on Epstein. but Lawmakers and Survivors Are Still Searching for Accountability

Congress Has Taken on Epstein. but Lawmakers and Survivors Are Still Searching for Accountability

WASHINGTON (AP) — For nearly a year, public demand and increasingly outspoken calls from the survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s sexual abuse have driven Congress to mostly set aside party politics and search for accountability. Yet even after interviews with some of the highest-ranked officials to ever appear before a congressional investigation, including a former president, lawmakers have little to show in terms of criminal culpability for Epstein’s crimes or a definitive acknowledgment of government failure. Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of California, who sponsored legislation to force the release of case files on Epstein, told The Associated Press he is still asking, “Why there has not been a single investigation of people who have allegedly abused or committed financial crimes?” Lawmakers hoped to get some answers to those questions during a transcribed interview Friday with Pam Bondi, President Donald Trump’s former attorney general who oversaw the release of the files. But the interview left Democrats fuming at Bondi’s decision to defend the Trump administration’s handling of that material, as well as her refusal to answer questions …

Congress must choose accountability and human dignity over more ICE funding

Congress must choose accountability and human dignity over more ICE funding

(RNS) — There’s a crisis of accountability in Washington — one in which the administration pushes the boundaries of executive power while Congress increasingly declines to exercise its constitutional responsibilities. This comes as Congress prepares to advance another massive reconciliation bill in early June that would lock in billions more for immigration enforcement while bypassing the kind of bipartisan negotiation and public accountability our democracy is supposed to require. The bulk of the $72 billion measure would go toward funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection through 2029. Rather than using the appropriations process to negotiate reforms, safeguards or oversight, congressional leadership is once again turning to a partisan fast-track process that requires only majority-party votes. Last year was one of the deadliest in ICE custody, and the U.S. is already on track to break that record in 2026. It begs the question why most members of Congress endorse a payday for unchecked immigration enforcement riddled with aggressive force, abuse, civil rights violations, denial of medical care, restrictions on spiritual care …

Von der Leyen, Hillary Clinton back new push to childproof AI – POLITICO

Von der Leyen, Hillary Clinton back new push to childproof AI – POLITICO

Von der Leyen has made online child safety a core priority of her second mandate as head of the EU executive. The institute will be presented in Copenhagen on Tuesday, with von der Leyen scheduled to give a speech. Other big-ticket names backing the institute include former European Commissioner Margrethe Vestager and AI “godfather” Yoshua Bengio. Experts at the Youth AI Safety Institute will test AI products to inform parents and policymakers on potential harms for children, the organizers told POLITICO. The initiative is run by U.S.-based non-profit Common Sense Media, which already tests movies, series, books and games to provide age ratings. “The first set of standards and evaluations we will publish will be focused on the most severe harms” such as “suicide and self harm, eating disorders, dangerous advice,” said Bruce Reed, head of AI at Common Sense Media who previously advised former President Joe Biden on AI policy.  Danish politician Vestager, who ran digital policy at the European Commission during its last mandate, said in an interview that “this is really a …

EU parties misspent €1.5M in European election campaign, documents show – POLITICO

EU parties misspent €1.5M in European election campaign, documents show – POLITICO

This accounting trick was repeatedly mentioned in last year’s audits, and this year the Parliament’s administration urged organizations in several meetings “to discontinue the practice,” the report says. “There could have been an attempt to fraudulently use public money,” said Louis Drouneau, founder of the European Democracy Consulting, an organization that tracks political party donations and expenditure. “And since there is so little transparency regarding the expenses of European parties … this decreases the ability of civil society and the press to keep a watchful eye on party expenses,” he said. “This is noticeably different from the level of transparency enacted in many member states.” “Any suspicion of illegal activity, fraud or corruption must be reported” to the anti-fraud office or the European prosecutor, the Parliament said in a statement.  It could not confirm how many cases were referred to these authorities over 2024 misspending. Of the €1.5 million, only €130,453 is properly accounted for in the Parliament’s report, with the reasons given for the misspending and those responsible: the Patriots, the Green European Foundation, the Institute of European Democrats and …

Keir Starmer’s stack of unfinished business – POLITICO

Keir Starmer’s stack of unfinished business – POLITICO

What happens next will hinge on two reviews: one by ex-minister Alan Milburn into the rise of under-25s not in employment, education or training, and a separate review by Disability Minister Stephen Timms into Personal Independent Payments (PIP) for sick and disabled people regardless of whether they work. Government officials insist they are still committed to reforming both systems before the next general election due in 2029. Milburn’s review is due to report back at the end of this summer and Timms’ is due in the fall. That means welfare reform is unlikely to be given a fixed bill in the May 13 king’s speech, but will be on the agenda all the same. Tension will be felt between the Treasury, Department for Work and Pensions and Starmer’s MPs, who all have ideas about the best way to balance spending cuts against reform.  People protest ahead of the budget in Downing Street, London, on Nov. 25, 2025. | Kymberley Apiro/Getty Images Chancellor Rachel Reeves initially hoped for nearly £10 billion of savings from the welfare …

why Whitehall is the worst of all worlds when it comes to accountability

why Whitehall is the worst of all worlds when it comes to accountability

Keir Starmer’s decision to appoint Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the US keeps coming back to haunt him. It has now emerged that Mandelson was granted security clearance by the Foreign Office, despite concerns raised during the vetting process. Top Foreign Office civil servant Olly Robbins was sacked over these revelations. Mandelson was controversial long before Starmer appointed him in 2024. A New Labour figure known as the “prince of darkness” due to his reputation as an adept but often ruthless and underhand political operator, Mandelson had already been embroiled in a number of scandals involving allegations of corruption. He was also known to have had a close relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, as well as close business links in China. Starmer fired him in September 2025 after emails were released showing Mandelson offering supportive messages to Epstein, who faced charges of soliciting a minor at the time. Further emails released by US officials suggested that Mandelson might have passed privileged and market-sensitive information to Epstein during the fallout of the financial crisis. …