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Judge James Linn also sentenced him to 30 months of probation, and said the actor will have to pay restitution of $120,106 to the city of Chicago, along with paying a $25,000 fine. After delivering his decision, the judge asked Smollett if he had any questions. "I would just like to say to you, Your Honor, that I am not suicidal. That's what I would like to say," said Smollett. "I am not suicidal." Smollett's voice began to rise, saying once again, "I am not suicidal." "I am innocent, and I am not suicidal," the actor said. "If anything happens...

The Jussie Smollett saga has come to an end – for now. A Chicago judge sentenced the fallen star to 150 days in jail and 30 months of probation Thursday for lying to police more than three years after he asked two men to “fake beat him up” and shout racist and homophobic slurs at him in an elaborate scheme to raise his public profile. The judge asked Smollett if he had anything he’d like to say and he at first seemed to say no before a final outburst in which the former “Empire” actor proclaimed his innocence and seemed...

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WKRG/AP) — Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signed House Bill 272, known as the Constitutional carry bill or permitless carry bill, into law. The bill will go into effect on Jan. 1. “Unlike states who are doing everything in their power to make it harder for law abiding citizens, Alabama is reaffirming our commitment to defending our Second Amendment rights,” said Ivey in a news release on Thursday. “I have always stood up for the rights of law abiding gunowners, and I am proud to do that again today.”

Video with Full Send Podcast (Nelk Boys) interviewing Donald Trump about 1 hour.

Live feed. Speeches now.

President Joe Biden’s Wednesday executive order on cryptocurrency outlines a range of new policy objectives and measures, including language on the climate-related effects of cryptocurrencies and on the potential for a U.S. central bank digital currency (CBDC). “We must take strong steps to reduce the risks that digital assets could pose to … climate change and pollution,” the executive order states; “climate change and pollution” come at the end of a long list of prospective dangers. Section 5 of the EO, “Measures to Protect Consumers, Investors, and Businesses,” includes a subsection, (b) vii, telling the Director of the White House...

With Democrats on the ropes and Republicans divided, Mitt Romney should consider running for president. The year 2022 is shaping up to be a good year for the electoral prospects of the loyal opposition. Two years after losing the presidency — and then watching helplessly as Donald Trump’s petulance poisoned the Republican effort to win in Georgia and keep control of the Senate — the GOP is suddenly poised for a comeback in Congress.

[Catholic Caucus] Papal Nun SenseFrancis' synodal sisterPope Francis is using his Synod on Synodality to drive a wedge between Holy Orders and Church leadership roles. This, according to a French nun, whom Francis made the first woman to have voting rights in the Synod of Bishops.Church Militant's William Mahoney looks at her recent interview with one of America's most liberal newspapers.Sister Nathalie Becquart was featured this week in the New York Times in an article titled "The Nun Reshaping the Role of Women Inside the Vatican."Asked, "What kind of issues will you be voting on at the Synod [on Synodality]?"...

Facebook said Thursday that due to the invasion of Ukraine it has temporarily eased its rules regarding violent speech to allow statements like "death to Russian invaders," but not credible threats against civilians. "As a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, we have temporarily made allowances for forms of political expression that would normally violate our rules like violent speech such as 'death to the Russian invaders,'" Facebook's parent company Meta said in a statement. "We still won't allow credible calls for violence against Russian civilians," it added.

In the week following Russia’s indefensible invasion of Ukraine, more than 1 million people have fled the country. The lines of refugees at the Ukraine-Poland border stretch for miles. Children cry in the freezing cold as wait times reach 60 hours. Refugees discuss the relatives they had been forced to leave behind — sometimes without knowing whether their loved ones are alive or dead. And the United Nations predicts these refugees could be followed by millions more — potentially resulting in “the biggest refugee crisis this century.” As Ukrainians seek safe harbor, they fortunately have received an extraordinary outpouring of...

U.S. District Judge Brian Cogan of the Eastern District of New York on Wednesday agreed to move the sentencing dates for a pair of lawyers accused of firebombing a New York City Police Department vehicle during protests for racial justice in Brooklyn in May 2020 from March to late May.

CNN — Last year, Sen. Lisa Murkowski was one of just three Republicans who voted to elevate Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the second most important court in the country. Now, in the middle of an election year, she is faced with a new choice: Promoting her to the highest court in the land. Murkowski isn't yet sure what to do. "The difference is, you have nine people who sit on the highest court in the land, who are there for life, and it requires a level of review and scrutiny that is in line with the position," Murkowski told...

Meta Platforms will allow Facebook and Instagram users in some countries to call for violence against Russians and Russian soldiers in the context of the Ukraine invasion, according to internal emails seen by Reuters on Thursday, in a temporary change to its hate speech policy. The social media company is also temporarily allowing some posts that call for death to Russian President Vladimir Putin or Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in countries including Russia, Ukraine and Poland, according to internal emails to its content moderators. "As a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine we have temporarily made allowances for forms...

Jussie Smollet was sentenced to 30 months probation withn the first 150 days in the county jail.

This paper on Birthright Citizenship was brought to my attention by a researcher of citizenship law. Some key excerpts pointed out by him are herewith shared. You can get a copy and read the full paper via the link . PDF document p. 14: In McKay v. Campbell, the U.S. District Court for the district of Oregon considered whether the plaintiff could be deemed a U.S. citizen, and should be allowed to vote. The defendants argued that McKay was British, since he was the child of a British subject, and had been born at a point when Britain and the...

Was watching sentencing. No article yet but youtube stuff out there.

State Sen. Jerry Petrowski, a Republican from Marathon, said Thursday he will not seek re-election this fall to represent Wisconsin Senate District 29. His departure represents a trend toward fewer political moderates in the state Legislature. "I would say he was a reasonable person, a moderate and reasonable person," said Luther Olsen, a Republican who served in the state Senate from 2005 until leaving office in January 2021. Wisconsin residents are "losing a lot, a good guy. Jerry was a hard worker who took on a lot of causes and wrote lots of bills."

When Guy Reffitt became the first person to stand trial for storming the US Capitol, he had to face not only a judge and jury, but his own son on the witness stand. Those who know Reffitt say he is a big talker. So much so that his defence lawyer used it as his main argument for dismissing the case against Reffitt, who stood trial for bringing a handgun to the US Capitol during the 6 January riot. But it was the volume of evidence of this bragging - detailed in texts, videos and audio - that convinced jurors of...

The European Parliament has, by a large majority, adopted a resolution calling on the European Commission to begin action to withhold funds from member states that fail to respect the rule of law. The document names Hungary and Poland as particular violators. The resolution was condemned by Poland’s ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party, which unsuccessfully proposed an amendment calling for the rule-of-law mechanism not to be applied due to the war in Ukraine and the pandemic. It also called on the EU to immediately release Covid recovery funds that have been blocked over rule-of-law concerns.

The Islamic State group Thursday confirmed the death of its leader Abu Ibrahim al-Qurashi, more than a month after his demise, and named Abu Hasan al-Hashemi al-Qurashi as his successor. Little is known about the new leader, who will serve as the jihadist group's third chief since its inception. IS personnel have "pledged allegiance" to "Abu Hasan al-Hashemi al-Qurashi as an emir over believers and the caliph of Muslims," the group's spokesperson said in an audio recording released on its social media channels. The recording confirmed the death of the former IS chief along with the group's ex-spokesman. "Abu Ibrahim...