“The Superior Court of the District of Columbia issued a ruling on Wednesday denying a motion from the Libertarian National Committee and its Chair, Angela McArdle, to dismiss a derivative lawsuit brought against them earlier this year by former Region 7 Representative Beth Vest. The case will now proceed to the next stage of litigation. … Vest originally filed the lawsuit in May while she was still representing Region 7, accusing McArdle of multiple breaches of fiduciary duty, including mismanagement of party resources, self-dealing, and failure to uphold the organizational mission. The complaint details allegations that McArdle diverted party assets, allowed non-transparent decision-making processes, interfered with state affiliates’ autonomy, and excluded LNC members, including Vest, from key decisions. The filing further claims that McArdle appointed her life partner, Austin Padgett, as Fundraising Director without proper processes, despite his lack of experience.” [editor’s note: As a “derivative” lawsuit, is not “against” the LNC, but rather an attempt to defend the LNC from the illicit actions of some of its members – TLK] (12/19/24)
“A U.S. citizen who helped the Chinese government set up a secret, illegal ‘police station’ in Chinatown to track and harass dissidents has pleaded guilty to federal charges. Chen Jinping, 61, could face anywhere between no prison time and five years behind bars as well as the possibility of losing his U.S. citizenship after admitting his role in the brazen Chinese spying scheme. He will be sentenced in Brooklyn Federal Court on May 30. Jinping, of Manhattan, and Lu Jianwang, 61, of the Bronx, were busted last year as federal authorities also charged dozens of officials with China’s Ministry of Public Security, or MPS, with running online operations to harass and troll dissidents and disrupt their Zoom meetings.” (12/18/24)
“White House aides covered up President Biden’s apparent mental decline from Day 1 of his presidency, shielding the aging commander-in-chief from the public and even rearranging his schedule after scatterbrained performances, an explosive report revealed Thursday. The lack of access to the nation’s oldest-ever president has been well known in Washington — with Biden hosting the fewest large press conferences in modern history and frequently descending into gaffes at the podium when he appeared — but how much the White House made up for the haziness had until now been hidden, according to aides, Democratic lawmakers and donors who spoke with the Wall Street Journal. Presidential staff formed a tight shell around Biden, 82, right after he took office amid the COVID-19 pandemic, with staff immediately limiting his in-person interactions in January 2021.” (12/19/24)
“A series of intense airstrikes shook Yemen’s rebel [sic]-held capital early Thursday, shortly after a Houthi missile targeted central Israel. It wasn’t immediately clear who launched the strikes on Sanaa, which the Iranian-backed Houthis have held for over a decade. Houthi-controlled media reported the strikes, but offered no immediate information on casualties nor damage. American forces have launched a series of strikes on the Houthis over nearly a year due to Houthi attacks on shipping in the Red Sea corridor. … But on Thursday, a U.S. military official said the attacks weren’t carried out by the Americans, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing strikes.” (12/19/24)
“Federal and state officials have declared the eradication of the so-called murder hornet from the United States, five years after the invasive species was first detected in the country. The eradication of the northern giant hornet, formerly known as the Asian giant hornet, was announced in a remote press conference Wednesday by the Washington State and U.S. departments of agriculture, which said there has not been a sighting of the insect in three years. … According to officials, had the hornets been able to establish their presence in the country, honey bees, pollinators and other native insects would have been put at significant risks. They also pose a threat to humans, as their sting is more dangerous than that of a honey bee, they said.” (12/19/24)
“A former Bay Area high school sports coach was arraigned on Tuesday afternoon on charges that he paid two teenage boys to produce sexually explicit materials for later sale online. Todd Baldwin, who was employed as a sports coach at Valley Christian High School in San Jose, was charged on Oct. 10 with enticing a minor and receiving child pornography. He surrendered to authorities on Oct. 28, the United States Attorney’s Office in the Northern District of California said in a Tuesday news release. Baldwin, 44, is accused of paying two students to create child pornography between December 2022 and August 2023, which he sold on Reddit, according to a criminal complaint. The two students were 16 and 17 years old at the time. The first teenager, a 17-year-old, began to provide images and photos in December 2022, sending via Snapchat and Gmail, after Baldwin allegedly persuaded him, the complaint said.” (12/19/24)
“A court in France on Thursday sentenced the ex-husband of Gisele Pelicot to a maximum 20 years of imprisonment for drugging and raping her and allowing other men to rape her while she was knocked out, in abuse that lasted nearly a decade. The sentence against Dominique Pelicot was declared after he was found guilty of all charges against him. At age 72, it could mean that he spends the rest of his life in prison.” (12/19/24)
“Police were called to a home in the 700 block of South Scenic Highway in Polk County after the resident called to report the intrusion. Upon arrival, LWPD said they found Cameron McGuire, 34, with a gunshot wound in his leg. The homeowner told LWPD that he had awoken to the sound of his dog barking and discovered McGuire inside the home. He told McGuire to ‘freeze,’ but the suspect ignored him and continued to walk toward him until he fired one time, hitting McGuire the leg. In their investigation, police said they discovered that the suspect had entered the home through a kitchen window.” (12/18/24)
“U.S. and Arab mediators are working round-the-clock to hammer out a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, sources close to the talks said, while in the Gaza Strip medics said Israeli strikes had killed 13 Palestinians on Thursday. The mediators, at talks in Egypt and Qatar, seek to forge a deal to pause the 14-month-old war in the Hamas-ruled enclave that would include a release of hostages seized from Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, along with Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. Mediators had managed to narrow some gaps on previous sticking points but differences remained, the sources said. In Gaza, medics said at least 13 Palestinians were killed overnight in separate Israeli airstrikes, including on two houses in Gaza City and a central camp.” (12/19/24)
“With only days to spare until funds run out, President-elect Donald Trump and his allies have pressured Republicans in the United States to ditch a short-term spending bill designed to avert a government shutdown [sic]. The United States Congress faces a Friday deadline to pass a budget for the 2025 fiscal year, or else face the shuttering of nonessential government functions. But on Wednesday, a volley of statements and social media posts from Trump and his incoming administration threw a bipartisan deal into chaos, increasing the likelihood of a shutdown.” [editor’s note: Good on them. If a function is “non-essential,” why is the government doing it in the first place? And are there really any “essential” functions? – TLK] (12/19/24)
