Society's ChildS


Gavel

Jury finds that CNN committed defamation against Navy veteran, awards punitive damages

Brian Flood and Joseph A. Wulfsohn
Fox News
Fri, 17 Jan 2025 19:53 UTC
U.S. Navy veteran Zachary Young
© Jessica CostescuU.S. Navy veteran Zachary Young alleged that CNN smeared him by implying he illegally profited when helping people flee Afghanistan on the "black market" during the Biden administration's military withdrawal from the country in 2021
A jury found that CNN committed defamation against U.S. Navy veteran Zachary Young and is responsible for punitive damages on Friday after more than eight hours of deliberation.

Young alleged that CNN smeared him by implying he illegally profited when helping people flee Afghanistan on the "black market" during the Biden administration's military withdrawal from the country in 2021. Young believes CNN "destroyed his reputation and business" by branding him an illegal profiteer" who exploited "desperate Afghans" during a November 11, 2021, segment that first aired on CNN's "The Lead with Jake Tapper."

The decision comes after three-plus years of litigation and a wild, sometimes chaotic, eight-day trial. 14th Judicial Circuit Court Judge William S. Henry, who presided over the trial in Bay County, Florida, previously ruled that Young "did not act illegally or criminally" despite what the network reported on air.

Tapper first teased the 2021 segment at the center of the suit by warning CNN viewers of "desperate Afghans still trying to escape the country being preyed on by folks demanding that they pay up big time to get out."
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Vader

Biden admin plows ahead with 11th hour nanny state plan to effectively ban cigarettes

Emma Colton
Fox News
Wed, 15 Jan 2025 19:48 UTC
cigarettes
© Matt Cardy/Getty Images
The Biden administration's Food and Drug Administration (FDA) took a significant new step on Wednesday that would effectively ban cigarettes currently on the market in favor of those with lower levels of nicotine.

"Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a proposed rule that, if finalized, would make cigarettes and certain other combusted tobacco products minimally or nonaddictive by limiting the level of nicotine in those products. If finalized, the United States would be the first country globally to take such a bold, life-saving action to prevent and reduce smoking-related disease and death," the FDA said in a statement on Wednesday.

"The FDA first announced its intent to propose such a rule in 2018, and today's announcement is an important next step in the rulemaking processExternal Link Disclaimer. The agency intends to seek input on the proposal, including through public comment and the FDA's Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee," it added.

The "Tobacco Product Standard for Nicotine Level of Certain Tobacco Products" cleared a regulatory hurdle earlier this month. The rule is not yet published or finalized.
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Revolver

Armed residents patrol LA neighborhoods in defiance of evacuation orders

Tyler Durden
ZeroHedge
Fri, 17 Jan 2025 18:55 UTC
warning sign looters los angeles fire
© via KTLA5Reinforced by a dangling skeleton, a sign in an LA County home warns looters to move on
With police forces overwhelmed by the enormous scope of devastation in Los Angeles County, residents are starting to take matters into their own hands, defying mandatory evacuation orders to instead guard their homes and their neighbor's property with firearms.

As we reported yesterday, losses from the wildfires in Los Angeles county are poised to reach $250 billion or more. Property isn't only being destroyed -- it's also being stolen by brazen looters. The neighbor of one LA county resident gave a disturbing description of what was going on on their street: "There were like a hundred people that came up on scooters and were trying to get into any and all houses on this street."

In response, LA County Sheriff Robert Luna has imposed a curfew, saying, "We're not screwing around with this; we don't want people taking advantage of our residents that have already been victimized." Of course, strong words are little defense against looters determined to prey on vulnerable innocents. Much as the bad guys ignore strong words, so too are plenty of good guys and gals who are opting to defy evacuation orders so they can secure their own property.
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Truck

California pulls back EPA requests for approval to phase out diesel-powered trains and big rigs

Sophie Austin
AP
Tue, 14 Jan 2025 09:13 UTC
LA trains
© Damian Dovarganes/AP/fileLos Angeles skyline • Union Pacific LATC Intermodal Terminal
California's efforts to limit pollution from diesel-powered trains and big rigs were stalled in anticipation of pushback from the incoming Trump administration.

The California Air Resources Board said Tuesday it withdrew its requests for federal approval to implement stricter emissions rules for locomotives and semi-trucks because the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency had yet to approve them. The decision came just days before Democratic President Joe Biden leaves office.

During his first administration, Trump attempted to thwart various California climate efforts, including rules to cut down on greenhouse gas emissions from transportation sources.

One of the rules California pulled after the EPA failed to approve it would have phased out the sale of new diesel-powered semi-trucks and buses by 2036. The Air Resources Board passed the regulation in 2023. Another rule, which the agency approved the same month, would have banned locomotive engines more than 23 years old by 2030 and increased the use of zero-emissions technology to transport freight from ports and throughout railyards.

Both rules were opposed by industry as costly mandates that would be difficult to implement.
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X

Johnson removes Mike Turner as House Intelligence chair

Meredith Lee Hill, Daniella DIaz, Donnor O'Brian
Politico
Wed, 15 Jan 2025 05:33 UTC
MikeTurner
© Francis Chung/PoliticoRep. Mike Turner walking to a meeting in the office of the House speaker • US Capitol • Dec 6, 2024
Speaker Mike Johnson removed Rep. Mike Turner as chair of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence on Wednesday, saying he wanted to give the panel a "fresh start" in a new Congress and with a new president.

But conservative hard-liners in the House and other Republicans loyal to President-elect Donald Trump had been pressing Johnson for months to remove the Ohio Republican. Johnson cited Trump as a reason for the ouster when the speaker met with Turner Wednesday night, according to a person familiar with the conversation who was granted anonymity to describe it.

Turner told CBS News' Margaret Brennan that Johnson had cited "concerns from Mar-a-Lago" as the reason for the decision.

First named to lead committee Republicans in 2022 by then-Leader Kevin McCarthy, Turner has made enemies on the MAGA right over his handling of key intelligence matters, including a major internal battle over renewing certain surveillance authorities last year. He has also been an outspoken advocate for Ukraine funding and other hawkish national security stances.

Commenting to reporters, Johnson deflected blame away from the returning president, saying, "This is not a President Trump decision; this is a House decision." He also said the decision was "no slight" to Turner, who had "performed valiantly in a difficult time under difficult circumstances."
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Cardboard Box

'Abuse, corruption, dark dealings': Pope Benedict handed scandal documents to Francis

Angela Giuffrida
The Guardian
Mon, 13 Jan 2025 19:01 UTC
Popes
© Vatican Pool/Getty ImagesPope Francis (R) Pope Benedict (L) at the papal summer residence with what is believed to be the box of scandal documents.
Pope Francis says in his autobiography he received a 'large white box' relating to 'difficult and painful situations'. He inherited a box full of documents related to various scandals faced by the Catholic church when he took over from his predecessor.

The pontiff makes the revelation in his much-anticipated autobiography, "Spera" ("Hope"), which is published on Tuesday.

Francis became pope in 2013 after the shock resignation of Benedict XVI, a decision that meant the Argentinian was in the almost unprecedented position of being able to have an in-person handover when he started.
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Guinness

Labour's pub banter crackdown: Landlords could 'ban drinkers from talking about controversial topics that bar workers think are offensive'

Jason Groves Political Editor, Tom Midlane, and Emily Jane Davies
Daily Mail
Tue, 14 Jan 2025 11:55 UTC
Keir Starmer
© Getty ImagesLabour's proposed workers' rights charter, expected to come into force next year, has so far proved controversial
Pubs could ban customers from talking about topics such as transgender rights if landlords think they are harassing staff under Labour's new workers' rights charter.

The proposed legislation, which is expected to come into force next year, puts a duty on employers to prevent workers from being harassed by third parties such as customers.

That could prove difficult from employers to enforce, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has warned, when it applies to more philosophical debates in venues like pubs, The Times reported.

The controversial charter risks becoming 'an adventure playground for employment rights lawyers', according to a leading industry voice.

The legislation will scrap anti-strike laws brought in by the last Conservative government and introduce a string of new employment rights championed by the trade unions.

The government's own impact assessment found the legislation was likely to cost business up to £5 billion a year, but many business leaders fear the damage will be far greater.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission has warned that it could 'curtail' freedom of expression and be applied to 'overheard conversations'.

If staff hear punters discussing religious views, transgender rights or women's rights in a 'contentious manner', the customers could be handed a ban.

Comment: With the potential that this has for curbing free expression, one has to wonder if that's not what this proposed legislation is really about.

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Fire

The Mafia's Adjustments

Eric Peters
EricPetersAutos.com
Fri, 17 Jan 2025 16:09 UTC
California Burning
© EricPetersAutos.com
Who is going to pay for the losses - probably in the billions - incurred in California as a result of the fires fueled by incompetence and malice as much as Santa Anna winds?

It won't be the insurance mafia.

Which is a mafia in a literal as well as rhetorical sense because it makes people offers they cannot refuse. They face repercussions - enforced by the state - if they fail to hand over money for . . . protection.

The latter often being declined once damages are incurred. People who thought they were or would be "protected"
The Godfather
© EricPetersAutos.com
discover they're not. And just in the nick of time, too. See also the recent dirty business in Western North Carolina after the hurricane-related flooding that thousands of homeowners have discovered wasn't "protected" (that is, "covered") and never mind the years and even decades of paying for it.

But thats only part of the worst of it. The other part will be arriving in the mailboxes of millions of people who don't live in California or North Carolina - in the form of "adjustments" (which always means an increase) in the cost of what they're obliged to pay for their - ahem - "policy" (as if this were a civilized transaction) to offset the losses incurred by the mafia in those and other places.

You didn't think really the mafia would absorb those losses - at the expense of its profits . . . ?

Just the same as people who do not own more expensive to repair and replace (as well as fire-prone) battery powered devices or homes burned down by them have had the cost of their protection summarily jacked up - by about 25 percent, on average.

The car insurance mafia can do this because it can.
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Heart - Black

Israel 'single largest perpetrator' of killing, maiming civilians in 2024


The Cradle
Wed, 15 Jan 2025 00:00 UTC
Benjamin Netanyahu/X
© Benjamin Netanyahu/X
The US-backed Israeli genocide in Gaza accounted for almost 40 percent of total civilian casualties around the world

According to a new report from the UK-based conflict monitor Action on Armed Violence (AOAV), Israel has been identified as "the single largest perpetrator of civilian harm in 2024," responsible for 55 percent of "all civilian casualties from explosive weapons" worldwide.

AOAV also noted a 67 percent increase in civilian casualties resulting from "explosive violence" since the start of the Israeli genocide of Palestinians in Gaza.

"The report attributes 33,910 reported deaths and injuries to Israeli actions, primarily in Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria. This also marks a 139% increase in civilian harm caused by Israel compared to 2023, when it accounted for 39% of global civilian casualties," a press release from AOAV states.
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Jet5

Germany moves to shoot down 'mysterious drones', points to Russia as culprit behind alarming incidents

Tim McMillan
The Debrief
Wed, 15 Jan 2025 00:00 UTC
Jets
© Christian Timmig/Bundeswehr
Mysterious drone incursions continue to raise alarms across Europe, with German authorities recently reporting multiple sightings near sensitive military installations. In response, Germany has openly suggested that Russia may be behind these incursions and has taken unprecedented steps to strengthen its drone defense measures.

The latest incidents and similar unexplained activity over NATO facilities and critical infrastructure have heightened concerns about potential efforts involving espionage or sabotage.

On Sunday, January 12, German authorities reported that nearly a dozen mysterious drones had been seen near Manching Air Base in Bavaria, close to Ingolstadt. Bavarian State Police said in a statement:
"The police officers deployed were able to detect up to ten drones flying over the area. Despite intensive search measures, including the involvement of a police helicopter, the person or persons responsible could not be identified."
Officials added that throughout mid-December, multiple other drone incursions occurred over Manching Air Base and a German armed forces (Bundeswehr) site at Neuburg an der Donau.

Similar unexplained drone incursions were also reported over the U.S. Ramstein Air Base in southwestern Germany and at facilities belonging to German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall and chemicals giant BASF.

Comment: Biased assessments reduce to flawed conclusions. It is less scary (and more useful) to believe they are Russian.

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