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Friday, December 10, 2021

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Jussie Smollett Found Guilty on Five Counts in Hate Crime Hoax

New York Times: A jury in Chicago found the actor Jussie Smollett guilty on Thursday of falsely reporting to the police that he had been the victim of a racist and homophobic assault in 2019, an attack that investigators presented as a hoax directed by the actor himself (NYT). From National Review: Smollett will remain free on bond. He could face up to three years in prison but could also be released on probation. The severity of the sentence will in part depend on whether Judge James Linn determines that Smollett perjured himself during his testimony, as the prosecution alleged (National Review). While on the campaign trail Kamala Harris tweeted: This was an attempted modern-day lynching. No one should have to fear for their life because of their sexuality or color of their skin. We must confront this hate (Twitter).

Russia Warns: Escalating Crisis in Ukraine Could Lead to Repeat of Cuban Missile Crisis

That warning came from Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov: “You know, it really could come to that,” Interfax news agency quoted him as saying. “If things continue as they are, it is entirely possible by the logic of events to suddenly wake up and see yourself in something similar”(JPost). President Biden is looking to allow Russia to take a portion of Ukraine. Ed Morrissey: Will this be Peace In Our Time, 2021 edition? Joe Biden plans to tell Ukraine to grant “autonomy” to its occupied Donbas territory as the price of getting Vladimir Putin to de-escalate, the Associated Press reports (HotAir). Jim Geraghty: This does not constitute ‘standing up to Putin’ … If the recent report from the AP is accurate, Biden is willing to reward Putin with Ukrainian territory in order to avoid a conflict, ignoring the fact that he’s just set up an incentive system for further aggression (NRO).

California School Bribes Students to Get Vaccinated on Campus Without Parental Consent

Guy Benson: A mother in the district is saying that her son unexpectedly came home from school with a COVID vaccine card—and when she inquired about it, he said that he was basically bribed with pizza, and encouraged not to tell his parents about it (Townhall). Hugh Hewitt: The liability risks are astronomical and unless self-insured, the district should be cancelled by the carrier (Twitter). NBCLA: The LAUSD has mandated a Jan. 10 vaccination for all students age 12 and above. Those who don’t get it and don’t have a legal exemption, will be forced back into virtual, online learning (NBCLA). Tom Elliot: Parents accuse Los Angeles’ Barack Obama Global Preparation Academy of vaccinating their children without their consent (Twitter).

Police Union Leader in Los Angeles Warns Tourists: Stay Away from the City

Police1: Jamie McBride, head of the L.A. Police Protective League, warned tourists against visiting. “We can’t guarantee your safety. It is really, really out of control,” McBride told CBS Los Angeles. “I said it to people before, it’s like that movie ‘Purge,’ you know, instead of 24 hours to commit your crime, these people have 365 days to commit whatever they want” (Police1). CBS: Recently, 14 people were arrested for smash-and-grabs, but most of them have already been released. During the pandemic, zero-bail policies were put in place for some crimes, like burglary. (CBSLA).

New York City Passes Resolution That Will Allow Non-Citizens to Vote for City Leadership

Washington Post: The city council here on Thursday approved a measure that will allow immigrants who are not U.S. citizens to vote for mayor and other key municipal positions. Approximately 1 million adult noncitizens live in New York City, which amounts to 20 percent of current registered voters (The Washington Post). From ABC 7: The measure will take effect on January 1 and will make New York the largest jurisdiction in the country to expand voting rights to non-citizens. Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel released the following statement regarding New York City allowing non-citizens to vote in municipal elections: “American citizens should decide American elections — full stop,” she said. “Today’s decision in New York is the product of a radical, power-hungry Democrat Party that will stop at nothing to undermine election integrity. Allowing our elections to be decided by foreign citizens is unacceptable, and the RNC is looking closely at our legal options as we continue our fight to protect your ballot” (ABC 7). Back in July, the New York Times published an article titled “There Is No Good Reason You Should Have to Be a Citizen to Vote,” which the author argues that citizenship should not be a prerequisite for voting (NYT).

Amidst Crime Spree, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot Blames Business Owners

From Fox 32: Lightfoot blamed retailers for not making safety a priority. “I will tell you, I’m disappointed that they are not doing more to take safety and make it a priority. For example, we still have retailers that won’t institute plans like having security officers in their stores, making sure that they’ve got cameras that are actually operational, locking up their merchandise at night. Chaining high-end bags, these purses seem to be something that is attracting a lot of attention on these organized retail theft units,” Lightfoot said (Fox 32). From Newsweek: The President and CEO of the Illinois Retail Merchants Association, Rob Karr, disputed these claims by Lightfoot. Speaking to Fox Business, he said: “The comments that retailers need to do more are sadly misinformed. I think it ignores the fact that retailers spent hundreds of millions of dollars every year on security (Newsweek).

Supreme Court Could Upend State Discrimination Against Faith-Based Schools

Wednesday’s hearing of Carson v. Makin looked at whether religious schools are eligible for a tuition-assistance program in Maine. The conservative justices were not sympathetic to Maine’s effort to prohibit participation of genuinely religious schools. Justice Kavanaugh: I think the lesson of some of the cases is discriminating against all religions versus secular is itself a kind of discrimination that the Court has said is odious to the Constitution at least in certain contexts (SupremeCourt). Albert Mohler summarizes Maine’s argument: The state of Maine is saying to the Supreme Court, “Now, wait a minute. We’re not discriminating against Christian schools. We’re not discriminating against religious schools. Those schools can be religious. They can be tied to a church. They can have even compulsory chapel attendance, but here’s the one thing they can’t do; they can’t seek to inculcate religious beliefs.” Now that’s an absolutely ludicrous argument. Basically, it is saying that a religious school can participate unless it’s too religious (AlbertMohler).

After Two Years of Covid Disruptions: A Surge in Student Misbehavior

Many students left in-person classes as 8^th graders and have returned as sophomores—with no time to acclimate. Wall Street Journal: Schools have seen an increase in both minor incidents, like students talking in class, and more serious issues, such as fights and gun possession. In Dallas, disruptive classroom incidents have tripled this year compared with pre-pandemic levels, school officials said (WSJ). Bethany Mandel: Think about how the average American child has lived over the course of the pandemic. Socialization was halted for a year and has only continued behind plexiglass, masks and distance…. The surgeon general also warned that conditions like ADHD are on the rise. After kids have been cooped up inside doing “distance learning,” of course they can’t sit still when they’ve finally been allowed back inside a classroom (NYPost).

After Diplomatic Boycotts, China Warns: Nations "Will Pay the Price for Their Mistaken Acts”

BBC: The US, UK, Australia and Canada will not send government representatives to the Games because of concerns over China’s human rights record…. “The United States, Britain and Australia have used the Olympics platform for political manipulation,” Wang Wenbin, a spokesperson at the Chinese foreign ministry, said (BBC). China Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian threatened: “If the U.S. side is bent on going its own way, China will take firm countermeasures” (FoxNews).

10.

Enes Kanter Freedom—the Center for the Boston Celtics—Writes of Why He Loves America

In the Atlantic: I was stranded. I had no family. I had no nationality. I had no home. That’s when America welcomed me with open arms. This country has given me all the opportunities in the world. Friends, teammates, journalists, politicians, and activists became my new family, united in our struggle for justice, equality, human rights, and democracy. When I started the process of becoming an American citizen, I realized that life is bigger than basketball. I decided to dedicate the power and privilege of my platform to the causes that matter—to be a voice for the voiceless…. I, Enes Kanter Freedom, am proud to be a citizen of the United States of America, the land of the free, and home of the brave (Atlantic). What woke him up?: I would say it all started back in 2013. There was a corruption scandal happening in Turkey, and President Erdoğan and his family were involved. That was the first time I said something. I saw the power of even one tweet (NewYorker).