Jimmy Carter says American democracy in peril
ATLANTA — On the one-year anniversary of the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol attack, former President Jimmy Carter, in a strongly worded op-ed piece for The New York Times, decried renewed efforts to thwart American democracy.
“Our great nation now teeters on the brink of a widening abyss,” Carter wrote. “Without immediate action, we are at genuine risk of civil conflict and losing our precious democracy. Americans must set aside differences and work together before it is too late.”
Carter wrote that each of the four former living presidents last January, including Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush and Barack Obama, condemned the actions of “a violent mob, guided by unscrupulous politicians” who “stormed the Capitol and almost succeeded in preventing the democratic transfer of power.”
“There followed a brief hope that the insurrection would shock the nation into addressing the toxic polarization that threatens our democracy,” Carter wrote. “However, one year on, promoters of the lie that the election was stolen have taken over one political party and stoked distrust in our electoral systems.”
—The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Sharpton will deliver eulogy for 14-year-old girl killed by LAPD stray bullet
LOS ANGELES — Civil rights leader Rev. Al Sharpton will deliver the eulogy at the funeral for 14-year-old Valentina Orellana Peralta, who was killed by a Los Angeles police officer’s stray bullet while shopping with her mother at a North Hollywood store.
Valentina and her mother, Soledad Peralta, had been shopping for dresses there on Dec. 23, and were in the changing room of a Burlington Coat Factory when a round fired by Officer William Dorsey Jones Jr. penetrated the wall and struck the girl.
She died in her mother’s arms. Jones was firing at a man who had assaulted customers with a bicycle lock chain and was holding the chain at the time of the shooting, according to police body camera video of the incident.
Valentina’s funeral will be Monday at the City of Refuge Church in Gardena.
Along with Sharpton, Refuge Senior Pastor Bishop Noel Jones and attorneys Ben Crump and Rahul Ravipudi, who represent her mother and father, will deliver what they term a “call to justice” in the child’s shooting.
—Los Angeles Times
Ghislaine Maxwell seeks new trial after juror says he was sex abuse victim and urged jury to convict
Ghislaine Maxwell’s legal team is calling for a new trial after one of the jurors who convicted her last week of five of six counts related to child sex trafficking told reporters that he was a victim of sexual abuse and had convinced other jurors to convict Maxwell.
Earlier, federal prosecutors who had presided over the case had asked U.S. District Judge Alison Nathan to conduct an inquiry into the juror’s statements and hold a hearing in a month. They also asked that the court ask the juror if he would like the court to appoint him a lawyer.
In a subsequent letter, members of Maxwell’s legal team requested that Nathan call for a new trial “without any evidentiary hearing,” writing that they believed the statements by the juror, the questionnaire and “other non-controverted facts,” should be deemed sufficient basis for a new trial.
“It is clear to Ms. Maxwell that based on this record alone a new trial is required,” wrote attorney Jeffrey Pagliuca.
If the issue were to be heard, Pagliuca requested that the hearing be held earlier than a month from now.
At issue is whether the juror had indicated that he was a victim of sexual abuse, as all potential jurors were asked on their juror questionnaire, under the penalty of perjury. During the jury selection process, prosecutors and defense attorneys can request to remove potential jurors that they believe would be biased.
—McClatchy Washington Bureau
France’s Macron says he wants to ‘p--- off’ the unvaccinated
French President Emmanuel Macron took Europe’s aggressive stance against the unvaccinated up a notch, saying he wants to “p--- off” people who don’t get their COVID-19 shot.
“We will continue to do this, to the end. This is the strategy,” he said in an interview with newspaper Le Parisien. He added that means “limiting as much as possible their access to activities in social life.”
The comments sparked an angry response from opposition politicians in France, and led to Parliament suspending a debate on new virus restrictions. The session is due to resume Wednesday afternoon, and some lawmakers are demanding that Prime Minister Jean Castex shows up to explain the remarks.
Targeted measures are already in action in a number of countries, where those who aren’t vaccinated are restricted when it comes to accessing bars, restaurants and other day-to-day activities. The drive to get more people inoculated has stepped up since the emergence of the omicron variant, which has sent cases surging at record rates across Europe.
But dividing the population between the vaccinated and unvaccinated has proved controversial, and there have been numerous protests against the policy.
—Bloomberg News
