Month: December 2023

Ousted Speaker of the House, Rep. Kevin McCarthy, announced on Wednesday he will resign from office at the end of this month. McCarthy has not gone into detail about what his next move will be after his resignation takes effect.

McCarthy, R-Calif., wrote about his resignation in an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal, stating: “No matter the odds, or personal cost, we did the right thing. That may seem out of fashion in Washington these days, but delivering results for the American people is still celebrated across the country. It is in this spirit that I have decided to depart the House at the end of this year to serve America in new ways. I know my work is only getting started. I will continue to recruit our country’s best and brightest to run for elected office. The Republican Party is expanding every day, and I am committed to lending my experience to support the next generation of leaders.”

McCarthy also posted about his retirement announcement with a video on X, with the caption: “As the son of a firefighter from Bakersfield, my story is the story of America. For me, every moment came with a great deal of devotion and responsibility. Serving you in Congress and as the 55th Speaker of the House has been my greatest honor.” McCarthy cites a list of achievements that he’s proud of in the video on social media: “Today I sit here having served as your whip, leader and as the 55th speaker of the House. We kept our government operating and our troops paid while wars broke out around the world. … I have faith in this country. Now, it is time to pursue my passion in a new arena.”

McCarthy was ousted as speaker on Oct. 3, by eight Republicans, led by Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., who forced out the speaker midsession for the first time in history.

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Police in Texas said that a suspect was taken into custody after 6 were killed and 3 injured in a series of homicides and shootings across two Texas communities.  Four people were killed and two police officers shot in Austin on Tuesday, and the suspect, identified on Wednesday as Shane James, was also linked to the deaths of two people near San Antonio. Authorities said that James will be charged with capital murder.

Interim Austin Police Chief Robin Henderson told reporters that the “series of violent incidents” began on Tuesday morning “and extended into the evening,” adding that her department “and other law enforcement had not determined these incidents were connected to the last incident that occurred tonight when the male suspect was taken into custody.”  James was arrested after he crashed his vehicle while speeding away from a shootout with a police officer that left them with “multiple gunshot wounds.” Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said at a separate news conference that the deaths of two more people were being investigated in connection with the shootings in Austin, and that the suspect was linked to a residence near San Antonio where authorities found “two apparent victims,” both “believed to be in their 50s.”

José Garza of the Travis County District Attorney’s Office said in a statement: “Our hearts break for the shooting victims, injured officers, their families, and our communities impacted by yesterday’s senseless and tragic gun violence.”  Garza adde that it is expected that the suspect will remain in custody pending trial.

Gov. Greg Abbott thanked law enforcement on social media, and said that “violence will never be tolerated …Texans grieve for the loved ones of the six Texans who were murdered by a hardened criminal who must never see the light of day again. The State of Texas will provide all resources necessary to impose the full weight of law on this criminal for his despicable crimes.”

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According to a new lawsuit, Panera Bread’s highly caffeinated ‘Charged Lemonade’ is now being blamed for a second death. The suit, which was filed in Delaware (where Panera is incorporated) alleges that 46-year-old Dennis Brown of Fleming Island, Florida, drank three Charged Lemonades from a local Panera on Oct. 9, and later suffered a fatal cardiac arrest on his way home. The suit, filed on behalf of Brown’s mother, sister and brother, says that Brown had an unspecified chromosomal deficiency disorder, a developmental delay and a mild intellectual disability but lived independently, and frequently ate at Panera after his shifts at a supermarket. According to  wrongful death lawsuit, due to hypertension (high blood pressure), Brown did not consume energy drinks. Brown had consumed Charged Lemonades in the days leading up to his death.

The new lawsuit comes less than two months after Panera was hit with a separate lawsuit regarding Sarah Katz, an Ivy League student with a heart condition who died in September 2022 after she drank a Charged Lemonade. That lawsuit called the beverage a “dangerous energy drink” and argued that Panera failed to appropriately warn consumers about its ingredients, which include the stimulant guarana extract. It is unclear whether Brown knew how much caffeine and other stimulants were in the drink, which at the time of his death was available in self-serve dispensers and “offered side-by-side with all of the store’s non-caffeinated and/or less caffeinated drinks.”

Panera has advertised its Charged Lemonade as “plant-based and Clean with as much caffeine as our Dark Roast coffee.”  However, the 390 milligrams of caffeine in one large, 30-fluid-ounce Charged Lemonade contains more caffeine in total than any size of Panera’s dark roast coffee. One large Charged Lemonade contains more than the caffeine content of standard cans of Red Bull and Monster energy drinks combined, plus the equivalent of nearly 30 teaspoons of sugar, according to the lawsuits.

Panera said that it expressed “our deep sympathy for Mr. Brown’s family” but stood by its products safety: “Based on our investigation we believe his unfortunate passing was not caused by one of the company’s products. We view this lawsuit, which was filed by the same law firm as a previous claim, to be equally without merit. Panera stands firmly by the safety of our products.” Panera put more detailed disclosures in all of its restaurants after the first lawsuit and on its website warning customers to consume the Charged Lemonade in moderation, stating that ‘it is not recommended for children, people sensitive to caffeine or pregnant or nursing women.’

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A Texas prosecutor dropped most of the indictments against more than 20 Austin police officers over tactics used during the 2020 protests that followed George Floyd’s killing. Travis County District Attorney Jose Garza, who was elected months after the protests and said he would hold police accountable for their actions, said he would dismiss indictments against 17 officers but still move forward with prosecuting four others.

The indictments followed nationwide protests in 2020 over racial injustice and police brutality; in Austin, police officers fired beanbag rounds in the crowd, critically injuring one teenager. Austin Mayor Kirk Watson said: “This has been a difficult chapter for Austin. I look forward to turning the page. These announcements will allow police officers, whose lives were upended by the indictments, to return to their services to our community.”

In a statement, Garza did his office “would continue to hold law enforcement who break the law accountable,” and in a letter to the Justice Department, Garza asked prosecutors to review Austin police’s use of force for crowd control during the protests. The City of Austin has paid out more than $18 million to settle lawsuits brought by protesters injured during the protests, including a college student who suffered brain damage after an officer shot him with a beanbag round. Eight other lawsuits are still pending, according to the city.

Austin Police Association President Michael Bullock said prosecutors had yet to prove any case where any officer committed wrongdoing: “Our officers were faced with incredible and unprecedented challenges. In those extremely difficult times they acted within the law and upheld their oath to keep our city safe.”

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Police in Philadelphia have arrested a suspect in a deadly stabbing that left one security guard dead and another injured on Monday morning at the city’s historic Macy’s department store in Philadelphia, located in the 1300 block of Market Street in Center City.

Interim police commissioner John Stanford said on Monday that the incident began around 10:45 a.m. when a man allegedly attempted to steal multiple hats from the store. After the man was stopped by security, there was a  confrontation and the security guards retrieved the stolen merchandis, with the man allowed to leave – only to return about 15 minutes later.  The suspect headed toward one of the security guards, then ran toward a second security guard with a knife out and began to stab him, at which point he suffered several slash/stab wounds. Stanford said one security guard, a 30-year-old male, was stabbed in the neck and died from his injuries. The second security guard, 23, was stabbed in the arm and face and was listed in stable condition.

Philadelphia police said transit law enforcement apprehended the suspect at the SEPTA’s rapid transit train Somerset Station. Authorities have yet to release the identify of the suspect or victims.

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73-year-old Manuel Rocha, a former American diplomat who served as U.S. ambassador to Bolivia, has been arrested in a long-running FBI counterintelligence investigation. Rocha, who is accused of secretly serving as an agent of Cuba’s government, was arrested in Miami on Friday on a criminal complaint.

Rocha’s 25-year diplomatic career was spent under both Democratic and Republican administrations, much of it in Latin America during the Cold War. His roles included a stint at the U.S. Interests Section in Cuba during a time when the U.S. lacked full diplomatic relations with Fidel Castro’s communist government.

Born in Colombia, Rocha was the top U.S. diplomat in Argentina between 1997 and 2000. During his time as ambassador to Bolivia, he intervened directly into the 2002 presidential race, warning weeks ahead of the vote that the U.S. would cut off assistance to the poor South American country if it were to elect former coca grower Evo Morales. Rocha also served in Italy, Honduras, Mexico and the Dominican Republic, and worked as a Latin America expert for the National Security Council.

Following his retirement from the State Department, Rocha began a second career serving as the president of a gold mine in the Dominican Republic partly owned by Canada’s Barrick Gold. He’s also held senior roles at XCoal, a Pennsylvania-based coal exporter; Clover Leaf Capital, a company formed to facilitate mergers in the cannabis industry; law firm Foley & Lardner and Spanish public relations firms Llorente & Cuenca.

Attorney General Merrick Garland said on Monday, “This action exposes one of the furthest reaching and longest-lasting infiltrations of the U.S. government by a foreign agent.” Rocha’s initial appearance in court took place Monday, and he will be arraigned later this month.

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