Friday, December 10 top stories
It is Friday, December 10. Here are today’s top stories.
On Thursday, actor Jussie Smollett was found guilty by a jury of five felonies related to falsely reporting a hate crime to Chicago Police in 2019. At that time, Smollett said he was attacked by two men who were wearing MAGA hats, but Chicago Police concluded three weeks later that Smollett staged the attack. The trial began at the end of November. Two brothers who were close to Smollett testified that he paid them to injure him so Smollett would have more attention with the public. The prosecutor in the trial said Smollett continued to lie about the attack during his testimony. After Smollett was found guilty, the judge released him on bond while he waits for his sentencing. He faces up to three years in prison, but legal experts explained to Chicago NBC 5 News that due to Smollett’s lack of criminal history and the fact that nobody was seriously injured, it is unlikely he will serve jail time and only receive probation and community service.
Meteorologists said there may be a heat wave in December that will blanket most of the lower 48 states over the next two weeks. This means several places may see new records for the warmest December ever. This map is showing a forecast of warm temperatures on December 15. Axios said there is “virtually zero chance of a white Christmas in cities including St. Louis, Kansas City, Columbus, New York City, Boston, Washington D.C., and points south.”
Former NFL wide receiver Demaryius Thomas passed away at the age of 33 at his home in Georgia last night. Police said they found him dead in a shower at his home. A family member said Thomas had been suffering from seizures for over a year and that they believe Thomas had a seizure when he was showering. Thomas was a key player in the Broncos’ Super Bowl championship in 2015 and had just retired in June. There were many messages of shock and grief on social media over the news of his passing.
Former president Donald Trump said in an interview that he hasn’t spoken to former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ever since Netanyahu congratulated President Joe Biden on his election victory. Trump said, “F*** him” and that Netanyahu was disloyal. Netanyahu responded to that today, saying Israel’s alliance with the U.S. meant it was important for him to congratulate the incoming president.
[Sponsored Video from Sorenson: www.sorenson.com]
[Advertisement from Disaster Distress Helpline] After a disaster, you may be at risk for emotional distress. The Disaster Distress Helpline offers a 24/7 direct videophone option. Dial 1-800-985-5990 or go to disasterdistress.samhsa.gov.
In southern Mexico, there was a tragedy on Thursday when a cargo truck carrying about 200 migrants crashed into a bridge. At least 55 people were killed and many were injured. AP News said the “migrants inside the trailer were tossed and crushed in a pile of both the living and the dead.” Most of the migrants were from Guatemala and Honduras. Some survivors said they paid about $3,000 to be brought to a certain location in Mexico, where they expected to be brought to the U.S. border. The Mexican President Obrador said news about the crash was very painful.
The Supreme Court said lawsuits that challenge Texas’ new law banning abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy can proceed. The Texas law is left alone for now, but the Supreme Court’s ruling means that abortion providers can file lawsuits so the courts can decide if the law is constitutional.
The Labor Department said prices of food, energy, and other items are up 6.8% compared with the same last year. This is the largest increase in inflation in 39 years. Gas prices are up almost 60% compared with a year ago. AP News said the price increases are due to several factors: all the government stimulus from the pandemic, low loan rates, supply shortages at factories, heavy customer demand for goods, and overwhelmed ports and freight yards. Businesses have also offered higher wages for employees and boosted prices of their goods and services to offset these costs. European countries are also experiencing high levels of inflation.
That is all the top stories for today. Have a good weekend and stay with the light.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/09/arts/television/jussie-smollett-guilty.html
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/demaryius-thomas-dead-33-denver-broncos-star/
https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1469182648937418752/photo/1
https://www.axios.com/netanyahu-responds-trump-fuck-him-a6911b17-2d2b-4287-874b-ca75c43a5f1e.html
https://apnews.com/article/mexico-accidents-smuggling-4a101767083046f872999fe26c788c47
https://apnews.com/article/latest-inflation-numbers-consumer-prices-616055db3bf67691b4fdc0015fc00783