Lawmakers condemn vandalism of California Hindu temple thought to be hate crime (thehill.com)
Lawmakers are condemning a recent defacement of a Hindu temple in Newark, Calif., that local authorities are looking into as a possible hate crime....
How the anti-vaccine movement is gaining power in statehouses (www.washingtonpost.com)
A wave of lawmakers who oppose vaccine requirements are winning elections for state legislatures amid a national drop in childhood vaccination rates and a resurfacing of preventable deadly diseases....
New York will set up a commission to consider reparations for slavery (apnews.com)
New York state will create a commission tasked with considering reparations to address the persistent, harmful effects of slavery in the state, under a bill signed into law by Gov. Kathy Hochul on Tuesday....
Deputy AG says GOP attacks on DOJ have contributed to an ‘unprecedented rise’ in threats (www.nbcnews.com)
Former President Donald Trump has repeatedly disparaged Lisa Monaco and other Justice Department officials involved in the various legal cases against him....
The Race to Put Brain Implants in People Is Heating Up (www.wired.com)
In September, Elon Musk’s brain-implant company Neuralink announced the much-anticipated news that it would start recruiting volunteers for a clinical trial to test its device. Known as a brain-computer interface, or BCI, it collects electrical activity from neurons and interprets those signals into commands to control an...
Police fatally shoot Black woman who called 911 for domestic violence (www.theguardian.com)
A Los Angeles county sheriff’s deputy shot and killed a 27-year-old woman who had called 911 to report that she was under attack by a former boyfriend, police officials and lawyers for the victim’s family said on Thursday. Records show the deputy had killed another person in similar circumstances three years ago....
Prosecutors Refuse to Drop Charges Against Texas 11-Year-Old Put in Solitary Confinement (themessenger.com)
Timothy Murray lost his father earlier this year and had been asking his principal for counseling when she called in the police
‘God is under the rubble in Gaza’: Bethlehem’s subdued Christmas (www.japantimes.co.jp)
The Israel-Hamas war has cast a pall over the birthplace of Jesus.
Florida man goes fishing in Bass Pro Shops pond, flees with live 50-pound tarpon (nypost.com)
A passenger hid bullets in a baby diaper at New York's LaGuardia Airport. TSA officers caught him (apnews.com)
It was a loaded diaper, but not like you would think....
Supreme Court rejects Jack Smith’s request for justices to quickly hear Trump immunity dispute (www.cnn.com)
The Supreme Court on Friday rejected a request by special counsel Jack Smith to fast-track arguments on whether Donald Trump has any immunity from federal prosecution for alleged crimes he committed while in office – a move that will likely delay his trial....
Most Americans trying to stay within their means as they buy gifts this holiday season — CBS News poll (www.cbsnews.com)
As conflicts rage abroad, a fractured Congress tries to rally support for historic global challenges (apnews.com)
As the Senate wrapped up its work for the year, Sen. Michael Bennet took to the floor of the nearly empty chamber and made a late-night plea for Congress to redouble support for Ukraine: “Understand the stakes at this moment.”...
The premise of Black Santas caused a fuss 10 years ago — now, they're everywhere (www.nbcnews.com)
Megyn Kelly went viral when she declared Santa Claus “just is white,” but a decade later the idea of what St. Nick can look like has only expanded....
North Dakota lawmaker made homophobic remarks to officer during DUI stop, bodycam footage shows (apnews.com)
A North Dakota lawmaker who serves on a panel that handles law enforcement legislation made homophobic and anti-migrant remarks to a police officer who arrested him on a charge of driving drunk, body camera footage shows....
Prices finally fell last month after 3.5 years of increases (www.nbcnews.com)
New government data showed prices notching a monthly decline for the first time since April 2020, adding to an improving picture on inflation as the new year looms....
Cruise passengers return to South Carolina, find cars totaled from flooding (thehill.com)
Recreational marijuana sales continue to skyrocket in Maryland (www.fox5dc.com)
Teen GTA VI hacker sentenced to life in a secure hospital (www.theverge.com)
The 18-year-old Lapsus$ hacker who played a critical role in leaking Grand Theft Auto VI footage has been sentenced to life inside a hospital prison, according to a report from the BBC. A British judge ruled on Thursday that Arion Kurtaj is a high risk to the public because he still wants to commit cybercrimes....
Body Cameras Were Sold as a Tool of Police Reform. Ten Years Later, Most of the Footage Is Kept From Public View. (www.propublica.org)
At least 1,201 people were killed in 2022 by law enforcement officers, about 100 deaths a month, according to Mapping Police Violence, a nonprofit research group that tracks police killings. ProPublica examined the 101 deaths that occurred in June 2022, a time frame chosen because enough time had elapsed that investigations...
Ukraine Accuses Senior Defense Official of Embezzling $40 Million (www.nytimes.com)
The Ukrainian police have arrested a senior Defense Ministry official on suspicions that he embezzled nearly $40 million as part of a fraudulent purchase of artillery shells for Ukraine’s military....
Obamacare Enrollment Sets Another Record Even As Trump Threatens The Law Yet Again (www.forbes.com)
A record 19 million Americans are expected to purchase individual coverage, also known as Obamacare, via the health insurance marketplace under the Affordable Care Act for the 2024 coverage year....
It’s Going to Be a Long Winter at New York City's Floyd Bennett Field for Migrants (www.curbed.com)
Residents of the 2,000-bed shelter, which opened in November to house migrant families after the Adams administration said hotels and shelter space had hit capacity, were bracing for more long nights. The complex, four massive tents divided into private pods where families sleep on cots, is heated and fortified with ballasts...
More than 1,100 officers under investigation for sexual or domestic abuse in England and Wales (www.theguardian.com)
As one in seven accused of offences keep working, Lib Dems call on home secretary James Cleverly for ‘radical overhaul’ of vetting