There are a lot of reasons for why someone might want to commit a crime. Rage, passion, jealousy, and revenge are common acquaintances of evil doings. Mental illness is often involved, as are delusions and paranoia, and inscrutable demons dwelling upon the psyche, among others. We have proved that as a species we are capable of some grim, inhuman acts, and for as long as we have had a semblance of a legal system there have been those who have tried to dodge the guilt that has been thrust upon them. From voices in the head, to sleepwalking, to being possessed by literal demons, but in recent years there has been a rather odd defense that has been claimed from time to time, one based on a very prominent movie that has generated quite a bit of speculation on our reality.

In 1999, the science fiction film The Matrix was released. Directed by the The Wachowskis and starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving, and Joe Pantoliano, the movie depicted a future in which human beings were encased in cocoons so that their life-force could be harnessed to power the sentient machines that ruled the earth. Within this dystopian future, these enslaved humans go about their lives within an artificial simulated reality in order to keep them under control, which they wholeheartedly believe and accept to be their reality. The movies, which span three films, including The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions, tells the saga of a humble computer programmer who realizes that reality is not what it seems, and manages to tear free from his enforced dream-world into the real world in order to wage a war against the machines.

The movies, especially the first of the series, were widely praised for their daring special effects work and deep rumination on such philosophical issues as the meaning of existence and the nature of reality, but for some it was all more than just a movie. In recent times there have emerged a series of high profile, gruesome crimes committed by people who actually seem to believe that the world of The Matrix films is literally real, that it fueled their bloodlust, and that their crimes have taken place within this false reality, even going so far as to use this as a defense in court. It is a phenomenon now known as "The Matrix Defense," and it is every bit as bizarre as it sounds.

The US Department of Education is replacing the Obama-era guidance on investigating campus sexual assault with interim instructions that allow universities to decide which standard of evidence to use when handling complaints.

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos has said repeatedly the Obama-era rules denied due process rights to students accused of sexual assault.

"This interim guidance will help schools as they work to combat sexual misconduct and will treat all students fairly," DeVos said in a statement on Friday. "Schools must continue to confront these horrific crimes and behaviors head-on. There will be no more sweeping them under the rug. But the process must be fair and impartial, giving everyone more confidence in its outcomes."

When all logic and reason is void of a decision - as in many decisions made by the state - authorities often turn to their only option, threats of extortion backed with force. The bureaucratic iron fist of Miami-Dade county is under fire this week, after providing an example of these threats, for their decision to issue notices of violations to residents for damage on their hurricane-wrecked properties.

One resident, Celso Perez, decided to speak up about a warning he received for his downed fence, only hours after the storm.

The Monday after the storm, Perez was outside with his neighbors cleaning up the damage when a Miami-Dade County vehicle pulls up.

"And we thought he was here to help us or offer some type of assistance with the trees, maybe he was going to bring us ice or something," said Perez. But there was no help to be given - only threats.

Instead of help, Perez said, "He said he would have to cite me for having my fence down."

The IDF is attempting to wipe out smoking among troops and has decided to implement recommendations put forward by the Medical Corps. The move comes as a response to recent studies showing that 4 out of 10 IDF soldiers start smoking by the time they finish their mandatory service.

According to the new plan, the IDF will ban selling cigarettes at 56 bases from where soldiers return home every night and is also considering extending the ban to bases where soldiers sleep for extended periods of time.

The IDF will also significantly limit the designated smoking areas on bases and will enforce a strict disciplinary policy for those caught smoking anywhere else. Soldiers smoking in non-designated areas can expect harsh consequences, such as restricting leave.

A breaking report from America First Media Group appears to show that payments made to private cyber security firm Crowdstrike coincided with the dates of two mysterious deaths, including the unsolved murder of Seth Rich and the death of process server Shawn Lucas.

Disobedient Media previously reported on Shawn Lucas' death, which occurred shortly after he attempted to serve former DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz with papers regarding the DNC Fraud Lawsuit. Attorneys for the plaintiffs in that case later sought protection from the court, and in doing so had cited both Seth Rich and Shawn Lucas' deaths, as well as that of Beranton Whisenant Jr. and others.

In their report, America First Media Group shows that the first payments made were preemptive measures on May 5th, 2016. They add that the next payment to Crowdstrike, totaling $98,849.84, took place on July 11th.

Their report specifically stated that:

"The relationship to this date happens to be the day after DNC Data Director of New Voter Registration Seth Rich was murdered."

The report indicates: "The final payment to date is August 3rd, 2016. This coincides with another murder in the District of Columbia. Shawn Lucas, who died on August 2nd of last year, was the DNC Process Server and close friend of Seth Rich."

That Lucas and Rich were friends is an extremely important and noteworthy detail, and may provide some connection between their deaths which has not previously been considered. If true it is an extremely new detail in the context of their deaths and the political furor surrounding both men.

Rules banning smoking outside Victoria's public hospitals could be reviewed because health workers are being attacked and abused while trying to police the policy.

Calls for an audit of the ban are being led by the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation, which is concerned nurses are being put in danger.

"We're hearing that the policing of the ban actually leads to violence and aggression against our members," union state secretary Lisa Fitzpatrick said.

The calls come after the death of Melbourne heart surgeon Patrick Pritzwald-Stegmann, who was allegedly punched in the head in the foyer of Box Hill Hospital after expressing concern about people smoking near the hospital entrance.

Last month two patient transport officers were reportedly assaulted outside Dandenong Hospital after refusing a request for a cigarette.

Yesterday, the news broke that the now-infamous Detroit doctor (Dr. Jumana Nagarwala, pictured) who performed female genital mutilation on young Muslim girls has been released from jail while awaiting trial. Per local news:

(Nagarwala) originally was denied bond because a judge considered her to be a flight risk. However, on Tuesday Nagarwala's attorneys offered this new $4.5 million bond proposal which was accepted by the judge.

If Nagarwala violates the terms of her bond or fails to appear for court, she and her husband would face the forfeiture of their Northville home and the 17 individuals who are guaranteeing her bond would be required to satisfy the remainder of the bond.

An attorney for Nagarwala admitted to her doing the procedures, but she insists that it is nothing more than a religious practice for Muslim families and that she has done nothing wrong.

The $4.5 million bond is believed to be the largest ever set in the U.S. District Court for Eastern Michigan.

Here we go again. Islam is not the problem, I get it, we don't have to paint the entire Muslim community because of the actions of a few bad apples. So what about Dr. Jumana Nagarwala? You remember her? She is the Detroit Emergency Room Physician who directed and participated in the Female Genital Mutilation of over 100 minor girls. Well, she is free on bond.

Dr. Jumana Nagarwala was held for the last six months on $4.5 million dollar bail for her role in the Female Genital Mutilation case. She is facing life in prison. Normally, a judge would never let a person out on bond (for those unaware, a bail bond is when the accused posts 10% of the cash necessary to secure their release and the rest is secured through property or cash of others). U.S. District Judge Bernard Friedman said he agonized over whether to let her out on bond, saying:

"I spent a lot of time reviewing the people who have come forward" to help Nagarwala and the money they are putting up are "very substantial."

What makes this more disturbing is that it seems to be unprecedented.

Modesto parents are upset that their 5-year-old son's "pretend play" resulted in him being suspended from school, and said they want the disciplinary action removed from his permanent record.

Jackson Riley attends the Great Valley Academy public charter school in Modesto and was suspended for a day for making terrorist threats, TV station Fox 40 reported.

The incident occurred Aug. 31, Jackson's father, Ian Riley, told The Bee. He got a call from the school saying the kindergartner had refused to take off his backpack and, when asked why, said there was a bomb in it that would explode if he did so.

Riley said he was asked to pick up Jackson, who would be given a one-day suspension. "I said, I'll come get him, but I'm not sure what a suspension will do for a 5-year-old. They said, 'It's what we have to do.'"

Riley said Jackson loves his teachers, as do he and his wife, Michelle. "We have two kids there and the teachers are amazing," he said. "Our issue is with the administration's knee-jerk reaction."

The school initially sent the Rileys a letter saying their son was suspended for his intent to "threaten, intimidate or harass others." The family was told that was the school code violation that best fit what happened, Ian Riley said.

Spanish police on Wednesday seized millions of ballot papers in Catalonia due to be used for an independence referendum which has been banned by Madrid, a source close to the case said.

The source, who requested anonymity, told AFP that officers were currently counting them again, but that the number of ballots confiscated in Bigues, about 45 kilometres (28 miles) north of Barcelona, could reach nine million.

The seizure comes as thousands took to the streets in Barcelona on Wednesday over the detention of 13 Catalan government officials as the wealthy northeastern region presses ahead with preparations for the October 1 vote.