Palestinian-Americans sue US regime over failure to evacuate them from Gaza

Source: Times of Israel [Palestine]

“Nine Palestinian Americans sued the United States government on Thursday, alleging that it had failed to rescue them or members of their families who were trapped in Gaza after the Hamas invasion of Israel on October 7 2023, and Israel’s ensuing war against Hamas. The lawsuit accuses the State Department of discriminating against Americans of Palestinian origin by abandoning them in a war zone and not making the same effort that it would to promptly evacuate and protect Americans of different origins in similar situations.” (12/19/24)

https://www.timesofisrael.com/palestinians-sue-us-over-failure-to-evacuate-american-citizens-from-gaza/

Thomas L. Knapp

Russian cosmonauts install X-ray detector, jettison trash on spacewalk outside ISS

Source: Space.com

“A Russian cosmonaut took a short ride at the end of a robotic arm to jettison spent equipment that he and a crewmate collected during a spacewalk outside the International Space Station today (Dec. 19). Expedition 72 flight engineer Alexey Ovchinin secured his feet at one end of the European Robotic Arm (ERA) toward the end of his and Ivan Vagner’s seven-hour extravehicular activity (EVA) today. Fellow Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexsandr Gorbunov controlled the 37-foot-long (11.3 meters) arm’s movement from inside the space station. At the desired point, Ovchinin tossed the bundle of no longer needed electrical connectors, covers and an experiment boom overboard such that it would no longer come in contact with the orbiting laboratory before burning up while reentering Earth’s atmosphere.” (12/19/24)

https://www.space.com/space-exploration/international-space-station/russian-cosmonauts-install-x-ray-detector-jettison-trash-on-spacewalk-outside-iss

Thomas L. Knapp

Former top aide to New York City’s mayor pleads not guilty in bribery case

Source: Associated Press

“The New York City mayor’s former chief adviser, her son and two real estate investors were indicted Thursday on bribery and conspiracy charges that came as the mayor himself fights a separate corruption case. Ingrid Lewis-Martin, who until recently was one of the most powerful people in city government, was brought into a Manhattan courtroom in handcuffs. She, her son Glenn D. Martin II — a DJ who once performed at City Hall — and real estate investors Raizada Vaid and Mayank Dwivedi pleaded not guilty. … Prosecutors said Lewis-Martin — who resigned Sunday — and her son raked in over $100,000 and got other help in exchange for her speeding approvals for construction projects. Lewis-Martin’s lawyer said outside court that she simply helped a constituent cut through the Big Apple’s thick red tape.” (12/19/24)

https://apnews.com/article/nyc-mayor-adams-new-york-ingrid-e1192ec98da8ed56f7c6c2bebad534ea

Thomas L. Knapp

From Golden Fleece® to Gold Star: How the California DMV Cut Red Tape and Improved Customer Satisfaction

Source: Independent Institute
by Kristian Fors

“Before the California DMV’s recent transformation, the department was a mess. Wait times were beyond reasonable, with some customers standing in line for five to six hours. Nearly one-third of DMV employees did not show up for work on time. One employee slept on the job for years with no disciplinary action. In 2018, the DMV mismanaged 23,000 voter registrations. In the same year, the Department of Homeland Security revealed that the DMV failed to properly comply with federal REAL ID regulations when it issued nearly 2.5 million REAL IDs. … In July 2019, Steve Gordon was selected to be the new director of the DMV, an individual with an extensive background in technology and the private sector. A recent Stanford case study of Gordon’s leadership has highlighted the many ways he has been able to streamline DMV’s operations during his tenure.” (12/19/24)

https://blog.independent.org/2024/12/19/from-golden-fleece-to-gold-star-how-the-california-dmv-cut-red-tape-and-improved-customer-satisfaction/

Thomas L. Knapp

Where Does The Aggression Really Begin?

Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone

“New York prosecutors have charged Luigi Mangione with ‘murder as an act of terrorism’ in his alleged shooting of health insurance CEO Brian Thompson earlier this month. This news comes out at the same time as a Haaretz report titled ‘No Civilians. Everyone’s a Terrorist: IDF Soldiers Expose Arbitrary Killings and Rampant Lawlessness in Gaza’s Netzarim Corridor.’ The report contains testimony from Israeli troops that civilians are being murdered in Gaza and are then being retroactively designated as terrorists to justify heir execution. ‘We’re killing civilians there who are then counted as terrorists,’ a recently discharged officer told Haaretz. These two stories together say so much about the way the label ‘terrorist’ is used under the US-centralized power umbrella. The guy who shot the health insurance CEO is a terrorist, but the people systematically slaughtering civilians in Gaza are not terrorists.” (12/19/24)

https://caitlinjohnstone.com.au/2024/12/19/where-does-the-aggression-really-begin/

Steve Trinward

GA: Court disqualifies Willis from disgraced president-elect’s state prosecution

Source: Semafor

“A Georgia appeals court disqualified Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis from prosecuting US President-elect Donald Trump’s state election interference case. The court did not dismiss the indictment, which means another prosecutor will likely be appointed who may or may not decide to continue the prosecution — most political pundits agree that the latter scenario, where the case is dismissed, to be almost entirely certain. Willis could also move to appeal the ruling, which would further delay any trial.” (12/19/24)

https://www.semafor.com/article/12/19/2024/fulton-county-da-fani-willis-disqualified-from-donald-trumps-georgia-election-interference-case

Thomas L. Knapp