Wipeout: Prof Learns Expensive Lesson for Erasing Students’ Message

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A health professor at California State University at Fresno who lashed out at members of a campus pro-life organization, insisting “college campuses are not free speech areas” and then wiping out the messages they had permission to chalk on sidewalks, has been ordered by a judge not to repeat his offenses.

Greg Thatcher also agreed to pay $17,000, $15,000 for lawyers’ fees for the Alliance Defending Freedom and $1,000 to each of the students involved in the sidewalk demonstration, and take two hours of free-speech training.

WND reported in May the lawsuit was filed against Thatcher in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California by students who had obtained permission for their sidewalk display.

Members recorded their encounter with Thatcher, who berated them for their pro-life expression, “claimed that they could only express themselves in a ‘free speech area’ (which the university eliminated two years ago), and then proceeded to scrub out their chalk messages on the sidewalk.”

Now ADF says a judge’s order was issued prohibiting Thatcher from “interfering with, disrupting, defacing, or altering any future legal expressive activities that Fresno State Students for Life or its members conduct.” (Read more from “Wipeout: Prof Learns Expensive Lesson for Erasing Students’ Message” HERE)

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California Mass Shooter Built His Own Legal Guns

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The deranged Northern California gunman built two of the four weapons he used in his bloody rampage himself, authorities said.

Kevin Janson Neal — who killed five people Tuesday before being gunned down by police — fashioned a pair of AR-15 semi-automatic rifles from parts he purchased, the Record Searchlight reported.

“These firearms were manufactured illegally, we believe, by him at his home,” Tehama County Assistant Sheriff Phil Johnston said Wednesday. “So they [the guns] were obtained in an illegal manner, not through a legal process. They are not registered.”

Cops said the crazed gunman had also used two handguns that were registered to someone else. (Read more from “California Mass Shooter Built His Own Legal Guns” HERE)

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New York Times Star Reporter Suspended After Sex Harassment Claim

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By Brian Blood. The New York Times has suspended star White House correspondent Glenn Thrush amid allegations he sexually harassed co-workers, and the journalist is blaming his bad behavior on the bottle.

Word of disciplinary action against Thrush, a frequent critic of President Trump who is also an MSNBC contributor, first came in an article detailing his alleged misconduct on the website Vox.

Thrush, who made a name for himself at Politico before joining the Times in 2016, has been portrayed on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” by Bobby Moynihan. He told Vox that he hasn’t had any alcohol since June when he “upset” one of his accusers after a night of “drinking heavily.”

“I have not taken a drink since June 15, 2017, have resumed counseling and will soon begin out-patient treatment for alcoholism. I am working hard to repair the damage I have done,” Thrush said.

Vox’s Laura McGann, who used to work with Thrush at Politico, broke the news and also accused Thrush of sexual misconduct when they were colleagues. She spoke with three other women who described “a range of similar experiences, from unwanted groping and kissing to wet kisses out of nowhere to hazy sexual encounters that played out under the influence of alcohol.” (Read more from “New York Times Star Reporter Suspended After Sex Harassment Claim” HERE)

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CBS, PBS Star Charlie Rose Suspended After Sexual Misconduct Claim: ‘I Am Greatly Embarrassed’

By Fox News. “CBS This Morning” co-host and longtime PBS star Charlie Rose has been accused by eight women of making unwanted sexual advances toward them and admitted to some of the misconduct in a statement, according to the Washington Post. Both PBS and CBS suspended him.

Rose’s alleged misconduct includes making lewd phone calls, walking around naked and groping the women’s breasts, buttocks or genital areas, according to the Post. Rose’s accusers were employees or “aspired to work for Rose at The Charlie Rose show’ on PBS from the late 1990s to as recently as 2011.”

“CBS This Morning” has been growing rapidly since it launched in 2012, but still struggles to match the viewership of rivals “Today” and “Good Morning America,” while Rose’s show on PBS has aired regularly since 1991. Rose’s PBS show is filmed at the Bloomberg LP headquarters, making three major media organizations tied up in the latest harassment scandal.

“PBS was shocked to learn today of these deeply disturbing allegations. We are immediately suspending distribution of ‘Charlie Rose,'” PBS said in a statement. (Read more from “CBS, PBS Star Charlie Rose Suspended After Sexual Misconduct Claim: ‘I Am Greatly Embarrassed'” HERE)

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Pastor Defends Family, Shoots Burglar in the Head

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A local pastor shot a burglar who was trying to break into his home early Thursday, according to the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office.

It was the dead of night — 2:40 a.m. — when police got a call about a burglary in progress at a home on Sante Fe Trail.

By the time officers arrived, 19-year-old Donavan Simmons was on the ground with a gunshot wound to his head.

According to police, the suspect tried to gain entry into the home through the basement when the homeowner shot in the general direction of the intruder.

Simmons was struck in the head. He was transported to the hospital and underwent surgery. He was listed in stable condition. (Read more from “Pastor Defends Family, Shoots Burglar in the Head” HERE)

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Campus Not ‘Safe’ for Conservatives, Public Records Reveal

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Campus radicalism and intolerance have become so virulent at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln that a former university official warned current administrators that the campus is no longer “safe” for conservatives.

Contrary to repeated assurances from university officials, internal emails show the UNL campus is not a welcoming environment for conservative students. When a records request submitted by Conservative Review threatened to make those emails public last week, school officials scrambled to address the anti-conservative bias of UNL faculty and staff and their hostility to free speech. That was almost three months after a campus incident captured national attention.

On August 25, the chapter president of a campus conservative group, Turning Point USA, was mercilessly harassed by professors. As Campus Reform reported, University of Nebraska-Lincoln sophomore Katie Mullen said at least two professors and a lecturer circled the group’s table yelling, “TPUSA Nazis” and “Fuck Charlie Kirk!” Kirk is the founder and executive director of Turning Point USA.

Turning Point USA captured video of lecturer Courtney Lawton, reportedly a member of the English department, holding a “Just say NO! to neo-fascism” sign, flipping off the camera, and yelling, “Neo-fascist Becky right here! Wants to destroy public schools, public universities, hates DACA kids.” “Becky” is slur with sexual connotations used against white women to mean “basic bitch.”

A second professor, Amanda Gailey, carried a sign that read “Turning Point: Please put me on your watchlist. Prof. Amanda Gailey.”

A later video shows Mullen being threatened with arrest by a school administrator for setting up her Turning Point USA table in an area that wasn’t a designated free speech zone.

Nearly three months later — when a Conservative Review public information request threatened to expose internal communications about the unsafe environment for conservatives on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln campus — school officials declined to release the documents promptly, citing “the extensive nature” of the request.

Instead, University of Nebraska President Hank Bounds preemptively sent copies of several damning internal emails to Gov. Pete Ricketts and the Nebraska legislature on Friday, Nov. 17. “These documents will be made public soon and I wanted you to receive them from me directly rather than hear about them from another source,” Bounds wrote in a letter to the governor.

Before the university fulfilled CR’s records request, copies of Bounds’ letter and some of the requested documents were news-dumped to local media in Nebraska. The resulting stories were published late Friday afternoon before Thanksgiving week. (For more from the author of “Campus Not ‘Safe’ for Conservatives, Public Records Reveal” please click HERE)

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Strangers Can Talk to Your Kids Through ‘Connected’ Toys

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A consumer group is urging major retailers to withdraw a number of “connected” or “intelligent” toys likely to be popular at Christmas, after finding security failures that it warns could put children’s safety at risk.

Tests carried out by Which? with the German consumer group Stiftung Warentest, and other security research experts, found flaws in Bluetooth and wifi-enabled toys that could enable a stranger to talk to a child.

The investigation found that four out of seven of the tested toys could be used to communicate with the children playing with them. Security failures were discovered in the Furby Connect, i-Que Intelligent Robot, Toy-Fi Teddy and CloudPets.

With each of these toys, the Bluetooth connection had not been secured, meaning the researcher did not need a password, pin or any other authentication to gain access. Little technical knowhow was needed to hack into the toys to start sharing messages with a child.

When switched on, the Furby Connect – on sale at Argos, Amazon, Smyths and Toys R Us – could be connected with any device within a Bluetooth range of 10 to 30 metres. (Read more from “Strangers Can Talk to Your Kids Through ‘Connected’ Toys” HERE)

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New Push to Drop Sex-Assault Charges for Genital-Mutilating Doctor

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The Michigan doctor who is charged with mutilating the genitals of several young girls could face up to life in prison if convicted, but her lawyers will appear in federal court Tuesday and argue that one of the most serious charges should be dropped.

Dr. Jumana Nagarwala, a devout Shia Muslim living in the Detroit area, is charged with conspiracy, genital mutilation, transporting minors with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, lying to a federal agent and obstructing an official proceeding.

Attorney Elizabeth Yore, international child advocate and head of the EndFGMToday initiative, says the charge of “transporting minors with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity” is significant, warranted and appropriate.

“Federal prosecutors correctly argue that FGM is sexual assault,” she said.

But, according to MLive.com, a Michigan news site, Nagarwala’s attorney, Shannon Smith, is seeking to have the sexual assault charges thrown out on the grounds that mutilating little girls’ genitals does not give sexual gratification to the perpetrator and therefore cannot be considered a sexual assault. (Read more from “New Push to Drop Sex-Assault Charges for Genital-Mutilating Doctor” HERE)

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Jill Duggar’s Husband Tweeted Transgenderism Is ‘a Myth’, Gets Booted From TLC Show

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“Jill and Jessa: Counting On” reality show star Derick Dillard has been blacklisted by The Learning Channel (TLC) because of his views on transgenderism.

TLC explained the network has cut off Dillard because of his critical analysis of Jared “Jazz” Jennings’ sex “change.” Dillard is married to Jill Duggar, whose family starred in the “19 Kids and Counting” reality show.

“We want to let our viewers know that Derick Dillard has not participated in ‘Counting On’ for months and the network has no plans to feature him in the future,” the network said in a statement. “We want to reiterate that Derick’s personal statements do not reflect the views of the network.”

In early August, Dillard commented on a promo tweet for the TLC show “I Am Jazz” by pointing out that show’s famous transgender star is actually male.

The next day, Jennings tweeted that Dillard is a “bully.” “Every day I experience cyber-bullying, but I keep sharing my story. Today was no different,” the transgender TV star wrote. (Read more from “Jill Duggar’s Husband Tweeted Transgenderism Is ‘a Myth’, Gets Booted From TLC Show” HERE)

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Woman Killed After Non-Impaired Driver Taking Breathalyzer Test Hits Her

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A Texas woman died Friday afternoon after being hit by a non-impaired driver who was taking a breathalyzer test while operating his vehicle.

Alexis Butler, 18, was backing her car out of a driveway on Nov. 10 when the passenger side of her car was hit by a pickup truck, KXAS reported.

An investigation by the Arlington Police Department didn’t find any track marks from the 31-year-old unidentified driver on the road that would indicate he tried to stop the car.

The driver reportedly told police that he couldn’t see Butler’s car because his eyes were off the road while performing a breathalyzer test on a court-ordered device “for three to four seconds.” Police said he was non-impaired at the time.

The ignition interlock device prevents a vehicle from starting if the driver is found to have been drinking. (Read more from “Woman Killed After Non-Impaired Driver Taking Breathalyzer Test Hits Her” HERE)

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As Biden Sat in Tent on Vets Day, Pence Grabbed Supplies and Cleaned Memorial Pences Pitch in

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Vice President Mike Pence and his wife, Karen, joined volunteer groups on Veterans Day and helped wash the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington.

The Pences joined Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke and a number of volunteers on Saturday cleaning the face of the 247-foot wall, which is engraved with the names of fallen soldiers, USA Today reported.

Pence reportedly showed up dressed in blue jeans, old cowboy boots and yellow gloves and spent about 40 minutes scrubbing the memorial.

This is quite a contrast to what former Vice President Joe Biden did in Delaware last year on Veterans Day, which was sit in a tent, deliver a speech, shake a few hands and be done.

There is nothing wrong with what Biden did, it’s just what politicians traditionally do. But the fact that Pence and his wife took time on a cold day to get dirty and clean the memorial shed some light on their character — and proves just how different the Trump administration is from the one that preceded it. (Read more from “As Biden Sat in Tent on Vets Day, Pence Grabbed Supplies and Cleaned Memorial Pences Pitch in” HERE)

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