U.S.ReutersU.S. congressman posts family Christmas picture with guns, days after school shooting
A U.S. congressman on Saturday posted a Christmas picture of himself and what appeared to be his family, smiling and posing with an assortment of guns, just days after four teenagers were killed in a shooting at a Michigan high school. Ethan Crumbley, 15, on Tuesday carried out the deadliest U.S. school shooting this year, the latest in a decades-long series of mass shootings at U.S. schools. Massie, who represents a solidly Republican district, posted the picture of himself and six others holding firearms resembling an M60 machine gun, AR-15 semi-automatic rifle and a Thompson submachine gun.
WorldThe Daily BeastSwitzerland Approves Assisted ‘Suicide Capsule’
Switzerland has just legalized a new way to die by assisted suicide. The country's medical review board has just given authorization for use of the Sarco Suicide Pod, which is a 3-D-printed portable coffin-like capsule with windows that can be transported to a tranquil place for a person's final moments of life. Conventional assisted-suicide methods have generally involved a chemical substance.
U.S.Business InsiderRealtor who took a private jet to the Capitol riot says she plans to practice yoga, detox from alcohol, and lose 30 pounds in prison
A woman who flew in a private jet to Washington before the Capitol riot is preparing for prison. Jenna Ryan said in a TikTok on Sunday that she planned to practice yoga and lose weight in prison. The Texas realtor said that if she loses weight, "it will be worth going to prison."
WorldAssociated PressJapan's military, among world's strongest, looks to build
Dozens of tanks and soldiers fired explosives and machine guns in drills Monday on Japan's northern island of Hokkaido, a main stronghold for a nation that is perhaps the world's least-known military powerhouse. Just across the sea from rival Russia, Japan opened up its humbly named Self Defense Force's firing exercises to the media in a display of public firepower that coincides with a recent escalation of Chinese and Russian military moves around Japanese territory. The drills, which foreign journalists rarely have a chance to witness, will continue for nine days and include about 1,300 Ground Self Defense Force troops.
U.S.Atlanta Black Star‘This Must be Stopped’: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Plans to Establish a Militia That Answers Solely to Him
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis introduced a budget proposal on Thursday that includes plans to establish a militia that would answer solely to him. Unlike the Florida National Guard, the Florida State Guard wouldn't receive federal funding or embark on federal missions. DeSantis wants to use $3.5 million of the $100 million budget proposal to fund the state guard he said will “not be encumbered to the federal government.”
PoliticsHuffPostDavid Letterman Immediately Shreds Donald Trump At Kennedy Center Honors
David Letterman wasted no time in ripping former President Donald Trump at the rejuvenated Kennedy Center Honors on Sunday, Deadline reported. The annual Washington arts and culture event, which was repeatedly snubbed by Trump, and delayed and downscaled by the pandemic, was presided over by President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden. Tonight, it is quite nice, very nice, to see the presidential box once again being occupied,” Letterman said to cheers that turned into a standing ovation for Biden.
PoliticsAssociated PressTurning outrage into power: How far right is changing GOP
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy appears to have settled on a strategy to deal with a handful of Republican lawmakers who have stirred outrage with violent, racist and sometimes Islamophobic comments. The path to power for Republicans in Congress is now rooted in the capacity to generate outrage. The alarming language, and the fundraising haul it increasingly produces, is another example of how Donald Trump, the former president, has left his mark on politics, changing the way Republicans rise to influence and authority.
U.S.CBS NewsWas a young girl adopted from Russia capable of murder?
Troy Roberts: That's why you have to get help. Dr. Brian Kennedy: She is a risk to the family members. Dr. Brian Kennedy was one of the psychiatrists who saw Caralee.
- WorldDr. Phil CBS
Woman Says She Has Night Terrors About Father Who Molested Her As A Child Until He Was Shot And Killed
Viccy was 6 years old the night her father, Vincent, was shot and killed by her older brother, Christopher Bennett. I remember being abused earlier in the night. I don't remember the gunshot,” Viccy says.
U.S.Associated Press2 Louisiana insurance companies fail after Hurricane Ida
Insurance companies operating in Louisiana will be charged at least $100 million to pay the claims of two failed property insurers who went belly up in Hurricane Ida's aftermath. But the cost of dealing with the insolvent insurers ultimately will fall on the state after companies recoup the dollars through a series of tax credits. The Advocate reports that the board of the Louisiana Insurance Guaranty Association — a state-sponsored safety net for policyholders -- voted for the first time since 2004 to charge insurers 1% of their net written premiums to help fill its coffers.
WorldBusiness InsiderThe Omicron variant appeared to spread between two fully vaccinated people in separate hotel rooms in Hong Kong, early research suggests
Omicron appears to have infected two fully vaccinated men who were staying in separate rooms in a Hong Kong quarantine hotel. Researchers published the early findings in a letter in the Emerging Infectious Diseases journal. "Airborne transmission across the corridor is the most probable mode of transmission," they wrote.
U.S.Atlanta Black StarSouth Carolina Woman Awarded $10 Million After Stepping On Rusty Nail In Walmart That Forced An Amputation: ‘Sent a Message’
April Jones of Florence, South Carolina, was recently awarded $10 million after she had to get her leg amputated after stepping on a rusty nail in a Walmart retail store roughly six years ago. “The jury sent a message to Walmart that if you come into Florence County and injure one of their own, they will make sure that person is taken care (of),” Roy Willey, one of Jones' attorneys from the Anastopoulo Law Firm, said in a news release.” “We are forever grateful,” he added. The incident occurred on June 26, 2015, while Jones was shopping in the store's central aisle, when she saw several pallets, her 2017 lawsuit stated.
WorldReutersUkraine marks army day with US hardware and vow to fight off Russia
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Ukraine's armed forces were capable of fighting off any attack from Russia as the country marked its national army day on Monday with a display of U.S. armoured vehicles and patrol boats. U.S. President Joe Biden has pledged his "unwavering support" to Ukraine in its standoff with Moscow and will hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday to try to defuse the crisis. Ukraine has accused Russia of massing tens of thousands of troops near its border in preparation for a possible large scale military offensive, raising the prospect of open war between the two neighbours.
U.S.BuzzFeedPeople Are Sharing Things That Are Illegal, But Aren't Ethically Wrong And Some Are Controversial
On Friday, Reddit user u/bleachspot asked, "What is something that is illegal but isn't wrong ethically?" People had some incredibly interesting responses. Here's what people shared: 1.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderTrump responds to report that he tested positive for COVID before debate, says 'Biden goes around coughing on people all over the place'
"Biden goes around coughing on people all over the place," Trump added. In a statement Monday morning, former President Donald Trump denied revelations from his own former chief of staff's book on the updated timeline of his COVID-19 infection from October 2020. "The Fake News continues to push the false narrative that I had Covid prior to the first debate," Trump said, in response to former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows' account of the then-president first testing positive for the virus on Sept. 26.
U.S.Associated PressCOVID outbreak on cruise ship approaching New Orleans
Ten people aboard a Norwegian Cruise Line ship approaching New Orleans have tested positive for COVID-19, officials said Saturday night. The Norwegian Breakaway had departed New Orleans on Nov. 28 and is due to return this weekend, the Louisiana Department of Health said in a news release. Over the past week, the ship made stops in Belize, Honduras and Mexico.
U.S.The Daily BeastWhite Supremacists Stage Bizarro Rally in Downtown D.C., Find Themselves Stranded
WASHINGTON, D.C.—A group of white supremacists stormed through downtown Washington, D.C. on Saturday evening, bearing American flags and mildly menacing plastic shields while marching to the beat of a snare drum down the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. But after chanting aggressively about their plans to “reclaim America,” their intended show of force stalled spectacularly when they lost their ride. While the group had marched through the city with threatening chants about their plan to “reclaim America,” by the end of the night it was not even clear how they intended to reclaim their U-Haul.
U.S.Raleigh News and ObserverFirefighter seriously hurt after fire truck tire ‘exploded’ in NC, officials say
A firefighter was hospitalized after a fire engine tire “exploded,” leading to a crash in Eastern North Carolina, officials said. The truck was leaving a Christmas parade when it became “uncontrollable” and hit a pipe on Saturday, Dec. 4, according to the Hubert Volunteer Fire Department. “We had taken the back roads around to avoid the delay of the rest of the parade since we were very near the front,” firefighters wrote in a Facebook post.
WorldReutersRussia sends new tanks to base in Tajikistan, practices missile defence
Russia said on Monday it was reinforcing its military base in Tajikistan with 30 new tanks and that its forces at the facility had carried out exercises with missile defence systems, highlighting Moscow's concern about turmoil in Afghanistan. The possibility of Islamist militants in Afghanistan infiltrating Tajikistan and other former Soviet republics in Central Asia is a worry for Moscow, which views the region as a defensive buffer to its south. Russian forces on Monday practiced repelling an enemy aerial attack on military facilities using its S-300PS systems, the Interfax news agency cited the Defence Ministry as saying.
BusinessFX EmpireShiba Inu to Burn Some Coins and Enter the Metaverse Space
Shiba Inu is one of the leading cryptocurrencies in the world, following its rally since the start of the year. Shiba Inu, one of the leading meme coins in the world, is expected to undergo a massive burn in the coming weeks. The burn is expected to reduce the total number of SHIB coins in circulation.
U.S.HuffPostLocked-Up 'Sullen' Crumbley Family Showing No Remorse After School Shooting, Says Sheriff
Suspected Michigan school shooter Ethan Crumbley along with his parents, who were arrested early Saturday while hiding in a warehouse, have expressed “no remorse,” after an attack that killed four high school students, Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said on MSNBC. “We've not seen any remorse” from James and Jennifer Crumbley and their 15-year-old son, said Bouchard, who described the family as “obviously sullen,” adding: “Not a lot of conversation.” “I don't know whether the sullenness is from being caught or whether it's from other emotions that are going on, but they haven't expressed it to us,” Bouchard told host Alex Witt hours after the parents were arrested.
- ScienceAssociated Press
Norwegian archaeologists find late Iron Age longhouses
Norwegian archaeologists said Monday they have found a cluster of longhouses, including one of the largest in Scandinavia, using ground-penetrating radar in the southeastern part of the country — in an area that researchers believe was a central place in the late Nordic Iron Age. The longhouses — long and narrow, single-room buildings — were found in Gjellestad, 86 kilometers (53 miles) southeast of Oslo near where a Viking-era ship was found in 2018 close to the Swedish border. We have found several buildings, all typical Iron Age longhouses, north of the Gjellestad ship.
- ScienceStoryful
Snowfall Coats Northern Washington
Residents of Lynden, Washington, woke up to snowfall on December 6, as a winter band moved across Whatcom County. An inch of snow was recorded in Lynden on Monday morning, the National Weather Service (NWS) reported, while nearby areas to the west and east saw 2.5 and 3.4 inches, respectively. Local news reports said school openings in Lynden were delayed by two hours.
BusinessBusiness InsiderTrump's new social media company is under investigation by the US Securities and Exchange Commission
The SPAC has seen investment from 2 Republicans in Congress, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene. The deal between a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) and former President Donald Trump's new social media company is being investigated by the US Securities and Exchange Commission and other regulators, according to a report filed with the SEC that was first reported by the New York Times.
WorldAssociated PressPope says he removed Paris archbishop because of gossip
Pope Francis said Monday he accepted the resignation of the archbishop of Paris because the monsignor could no longer govern effectively thanks to the “gossip” about his relationship with a woman a decade ago. Francis was asked en route home from Greece about the surprise decision, which came only days after Archbishop Michel Aupetit put his fate in Francis' hands following French media reports about what he said was an “ambiguous” relationship with a woman. Responding to a question from a French reporter, Francis said there had been some “lapses” with Aupetit involving sexual sins.
“I know it doesn’t feel like it, but inflation is both a feature and a bug of a normalizing economy.”
“What is not going to work, and hasn’t worked, is trying to talk people out of the lived reality of higher prices.”
“When inflation expectations rise, actual inflation tends to follow.”
“The Fed must acknowledge that its monetary policy has been a source of inflation, and that it will need to raise interest rates.”
“The supply chain logjams are the core of the problem right now, and that should work itself out over time.”