Extra, Extra
Peru Pall: “The declaration suspends the rights of assembly and freedom of movement and empowers the police, supported by the military, to search people’s homes without permission or judicial order. Otarola said it had not been determined whether a nightly curfew would be imposed.” Peru’s new government declares police state amid protests.
+ The Way of the Gun: “Since the horrific murders at Sandy Hook Elementary a decade ago, America has seen hundreds more mass shootings, a sharp rise in gun deaths generally, and an alarming turn toward gun-glorifying political extremism. Yet we still depend on hundreds of laws that keep guns out of crowded public places, stop teenagers from buying handguns, and prohibit criminals from arming themselves with assault rifles. Now, because of a recent Supreme Court ruling, many of these remaining regulations are in danger of being dismantled. As bad as America’s gun-violence problem is, it could be about to get much worse.” The Atlantic: One Nation Under Guns. Plus, NYT: Childhood’s Greatest Danger: The Data on Kids and Gun Violence.
+ Night Moves: “That trip was the first time I’d heard of the secretive units, which I’d soon learn were funded, trained and armed by the CIA to go after targets believed to be a threat to the United States. There was something else: The Afghan soldiers weren’t alone on the raids; U.S. special operations forces soldiers working with the CIA often joined them. It was a “classified” war, I’d later discover, with the lines of accountability so obscured that no one had to answer publicly for operations that went wrong.” ProPublica: The Night Raids.
+ Liberate Michigan: The men convicted of supporting a plot to kidnap Gretchen Whitmer just got lengthy prison sentences. Now what about those who motivated them? Remember, this all started with Trump tweeting, “Liberate Michigan” and the Operation Gridlock protest, that included honking cars, traffic jams, Trump supporters, small business owners calling for the quarantine rules to be relaxed, and of course, plenty of armed militia members. Also familiar were the chants of “Lock her up.” It was like a Kid Rock concert, but with better music.
+ No Ryan Buy In: A lot of celebrities found themselves swept up by the crypto craze. Not Ben McKenzie. He’s long been calling the crypto market “the largest Ponzi scheme in history.”
+ Twitch Response: At first I wasn’t sure if the passing of Stephen Boss (better known as tWitch) was big enough news to cover here. My wife and I loved him during the early days of So You Think You Can Dance. It turns out everyone on the web seems to know him and everyone is similarly saddened by the news. tWitch’s legacy of kindness makes his loss all the more tragic.
+ Queens Gambit: “He’s a lifelong New Yorker who was raised in Borough Park. He’s Jewish, so didn’t have much to do with Santa until his secretary suggested, in the months after 9/11, that dressing as Santa might be a way to give back to the families of first responders. A natural performer, Friedman found that he enjoyed the role, and even went to a Santa class to learn the basics. Now he juggles over 100 bookings per season alongside his actual job.” Curbed: The Hardest-Working Santa in Northeastern Queens.
