“Ukraine’s latest drone raid has struck a critical air base close to the border that serves as a key location for the launch of Russian missiles into Ukraine, Kyiv reported. The Millerovo area, located in Russia’s Rostov Oblast, was hammered by UAVs on Monday evening, Rostov Regional Governor Yury Slyusar posted to Telegram. Slyusar said about a dozen drones had been intercepted during the overnight raid and that no casualties had been confirmed. According to Ukrainian officials, however, the drones successfully struck Millerovo air base, situated a few miles from the occupied regions of Ukraine. The Ukrainian outlet Censor.net reported that local residents heard explosions near the airfield, while independent Russian newspaper the Moscow Times, citing eyewitnesses on social media, reported fires breaking out on the streets of Millerovo and damage to the Millerovo Cossack Cadet Vocational College.” (12/24/24)
“President Biden on Monday commuted the sentences of nearly all prisoners on federal death row, sparing the lives of 37 men just a month before Donald J. Trump will return to the Oval Office with a promise to restart federal executions. Those affected by Mr. Biden’s action, all of whom were convicted of murder, will serve life imprisonment without the possibility of parole instead of facing execution. Only three men, who each carried out notorious mass killings, will remain on federal death row. The president campaigned in 2020 on ending the federal death penalty. Although proposed legislation to that effect failed to advance in Congress during his administration, Mr. Biden directed the Justice Department to issue a moratorium on federal executions. Thirteen prisoners on federal death row were put to death during Mr. Trump’s first term.” (12/23/24)
“Luigi Mangione, the suspect in the shooting death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, pleaded not guilty to state murder and terror charges Monday. Mangione, 26, replied ‘not guilty’ as he was presented the 11 charges in connection with the shooting, including first-degree murder in furtherance of terrorism, two counts of second-degree murder, two counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree, and four counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree. If convicted of the state charges, Mangione faces life in prison without the possibility of parole. The Manhattan District Attorney’s office said he has been working with federal authorities to make the arraignment happen even though a time has not been set.” (12/23/24)
“A federal judge has struck down as unconstitutional two provisions of a state law aimed at criminalizing the furnishing of obscene materials to minors at public libraries and bookstores. The law was challenged by the American Civil Liberties Union of Arkansas and others on behalf of a coalition of public libraries, booksellers, patrons of bookstores, boookseller associations and author associations. … Plaintiffs argued the law was vague and contained undefined terms that could subject the librarian and bookstore plaintiffs to a credible fear of prosecution, as they are uncertain what lengths they must go to in order to comply with the law. [U.S. District Judge Timothy L.] Brooks said it also follows that to avoid criminal prosecution, librarians and booksellers would have no other choice but to burden older minors’ and adults’ access to books that contain even a modicum of sexual content.” (12/23/24)
“The office of French President Emmanuel Macron presented a new government under new Prime Minister Francois Bayrou on Monday, almost three weeks after the collapse of the previous administration. This is France’s fourth government in 2024.” (12/23/24)
“Honda and Nissan have formally agreed to hold talks over the next six months on a possible merger, a deal that would create the world’s third-largest automaker and give them more resources to compete with a growing threat from Chinese carmakers. A third, smaller Japanese automaker, Mitsubishi, which is already in an alliance with Nissan, will also participate in the talks. The combined company, should it be created, would trail only Toyota (TM) and Volkswagen in global sales.” (12/23/24)
“The mother of a 16-year-old who was shot by SWAT police during a no-knock, predawn raid in Alabama, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the police officers involved and the city of Mobile, alleging the teenager was ‘killed in cold blood.’ Randall Adjessom, 16, was sleeping in his childhood home when SWAT police used a battering ram to break down his front door … The warrant was executed as part of an investigation into Adjessom’s older brother for suspected marijuana possession and distribution, according to the complaint. The 16-year-old was not a suspect; his older brother was not there and didn’t live at the home. … Adjessom came out of his bedroom with a gun that he pointed at the officers, but then subsequently retreated with his hands up once he realized he was confronting law enforcement, the complaint said citing sealed body-camera footage. An unnamed officer shot Adjessom four times within 11 seconds of entering his home.” (12/23/24)
“A judge who agreed to dismiss election-interference charges against Donald Trump is allowing a convicted Jan. 6 rioter to skirt his bail restrictions and go to DC for the president-elect’s inauguration. DC federal Judge Tanya Chutkan on Thursday approved Eric Peterson’s request to travel to the country’s Capitol again to be on hand for inauguration day Jan. 20 — despite the fact that Peterson pleaded guilty last month to joining hoards of insurgents who broke inside the Capitol building Jan. 6, 2021, court records show. … Peterson’s lawyer, Michael Bullotta, last week asked Chutkan to allow his client to attend the festivities, noting Peterson wasn’t accused of any violence or vandalism during his eight minutes in the Capitol. The lawyer claimed his client wasn’t aware that others were carrying out assaults and property damage at the time.” (12/23/24)
“Greenland’s elected leader said the gigantic Arctic island is not for sale after Donald Trump once again raised the issue of ‘ownership and control’ of the vast territory that has been part of Denmark for more than 600 years. ‘Greenland is ours. We are not for sale and will never be for sale. We must not lose our long struggle for freedom,’ Greenland’s prime minister, Múte Egede, said in a written comment. The US president-elect on Sunday announced that he had picked Ken Howery, a former envoy to Sweden, as his ambassador to Copenhagen, and commented on the status of Greenland, a semi-autonomous part of Denmark. ‘For purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity,’ Trump wrote on Truth Social.” (12/23/24)
“Mauritius’s deputy prime minister has hinted that negotiations with the UK over the future of the Chagos Islands are being held up over the amount of money involved. Under the terms of the original agreement, which was announced in October, the UK would relinquish sovereignty to Mauritius over the archipelago but maintain a 99-year lease for Diego Garcia, home to a major UK-US military airbase. As part of the deal, the UK said it would provide a package of financial support to Mauritius, including annual payments and infrastructure investment, but neither side has said how much is involved. However a new government in Mauritius, elected since the agreement was first made, has said it wants to see some changes. The proposed deal has also attracted criticism in the UK, with the opposition Conservative party calling it a ‘monumental failure of statecraft.'” (12/23/24)
