https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/06/30/oakland-tv-crew-robbery/

Filming outside of City Hall in downtown Oakland, Calif., on Monday, a TV news crew was interviewing a city official for a story about a recent spate of violent crime when the journalists became victims themselves.

“I think Oakland deserves better,” Guillermo Cespedes, the city’s chief of violence prevention, told the NBC Bay Area reporters just before two armed men interrupted the interview, knocking a camera to the ground.

The Oakland Police Department said a scuffle broke out as the robbers demanded the cameraman hand over his equipment, the East Bay Times reported. The news crew’s security guard pulled out his own gun and ordered the would-be robbers to leave. They left without stealing any equipment, police said.

“Our colleagues were conducting an interview at Oakland City Hall when they were approached by two armed individuals,” Liza Catalan, a spokeswoman for NBC Bay Area, told The Washington Post in an email. “Thankfully, our colleagues are safe and unharmed.”

https://www.sfgate.com/local/article/Target-San-Francisco-stores-reduced-hours-why-16284219.php

Nearly every Target in San Francisco — except for the one at Stonestown — has cut its operating hours to 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

That inflexibility makes it tough for the average nine-to-five, full-time worker to make a Target run on weekdays after work, let alone other individuals affected by constraints of time, access or ability to do some everyday shopping. It's unclear when these cut hours were rolled out.

The reduced hours ignited concerns on Reddit over an uptick in retail theft and labor shortages hitting San Francisco Targets. After all, one Target in San Francisco — the location on Ocean Ave. — just shuttered earlier this week.

While those two could very well factor into the reduced hours, neither of those answers are quite satisfactory.

https://lailluminator.com/2021/06/25/louisiana-governor-vetoes-bill-to-allow-people-to-carry-concealed-guns-without-a-permit/

Gov. John Bel Edwards vetoed legislation this week that would have allowed residents over the age of 21 to carry concealed guns without a permit and without training — a move that has heightened calls from Republican lawmakers for an unprecedented veto override session in July.

“I am a strong supporter of the Second Amendment, and an enthusiastic outdoorsman and hunter. But I simply cannot support carrying a concealed firearm without proper education and safety training — and I believe a majority of Louisianans agree with me,” Edwards said in a statement Friday. “Simply put, it is not too much to ask that a person who wishes to carry a concealed weapon in public be required to attend basic marksmanship and safety training so they understand the regulations associated with such an action.”

Senate Bill 118, sponsored by Sen. Jay Morris (R-West Monroe), would have amended Louisiana’s concealed carry permit law, which requires applicants to pass background checks and pass a nine-hour course that includes live-fire training in order to carry a concealed handgun in public spaces. Louisiana residents can already carry a gun openly in public — referred to as “open carry” — without any special permits as long as the firearm is in plain view.

Morris told reporters Friday that Edwards vetoed his legislation late Thursday night. The veto wasn’t a surprise. The Democratic governor said, back in April, that he would veto the bill if the Louisiana Legislature approved it.

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As noted later in the article, a special session to override the veto is a possibility.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Little_Bighorn

The Battle of the Little Bighorn, known to the Lakota and other Plains Indians as the Battle of the Greasy Grass and also commonly referred to as Custer's Last Stand, was an armed engagement between combined forces of the Lakota, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho tribes and the 7th Cavalry Regiment of the United States Army. The battle, which resulted in the defeat of U.S. forces, was the most significant action of the Great Sioux War of 1876. It took place on June 25–26, 1876, along the Little Bighorn River in the Crow Indian Reservation in southeastern Montana Territory.

The fight was an overwhelming victory for the Lakota, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho, who were led by several major war leaders, including Crazy Horse and Chief Gall, and had been inspired by the visions of Sitting Bull (Tȟatȟáŋka Íyotake). The U.S. 7th Cavalry, a force of 700 men, suffered a major defeat while commanded by Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer (formerly a brevetted major general during the American Civil War). Five of the 7th Cavalry's twelve companies were annihilated and Custer was killed, as were two of his brothers, a nephew, and a brother-in-law. The total U.S. casualty count included 268 dead and 55 severely wounded (six died later from their wounds), including four Crow Indian scouts and at least two Arikara Indian scouts.

Public response to the Great Sioux War varied in the immediate aftermath of the battle. Libbie Custer, Custer's widow, soon worked to burnish her husband's memory, and during the following decades Custer and his troops came to be considered iconic, even heroic, figures in American history. The battle, and Custer's actions in particular, have been studied extensively by historians. Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument honors those who fought on both sides.

Interesting. I didn't know exotic hunting in Texas was such a big business ($2 billion per year). A couple of friends of mine and I are planning to hunt wild boar in Texas this fall, but the cost will only be a tiny fraction of the costs associated with hunting exotics.

https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/us-senate-panel-vote-gun-control-advocate-lead-firearms-enforcement-agency-2021-06-24/

WASHINGTON, June 24 (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday split along party lines over whether to advance the nomination of gun control advocate David Chipman, President Joe Biden's choice to lead the Justice Department's Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

In the lead-up to the tie vote, Republicans vocally opposed Chipman's nomination, citing his history of advocating stronger gun regulations.

"Mr. Chipman wants to ban assault weapons," Ranking Republican Charles Grassley said on Thursday. "This nomination is like a Republican putting the NRA in charge of ATF," he said, referring to the pro-gun rights National Rifle Association.

The U.S. Senate is split evenly among Democrats and Republicans. The tie will require Senate Democrats to jump through some procedural hurdles to advance Chipman's nomination, but it is not an insurmountable roadblock.

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2021/jun/23/uk-to-ban-junk-food-advertising-online-and-before-9pm-on-tv-from-2023

The government is poised to announce a ban on junk food advertising online and before 9pm on TV from 2023, as Boris Johnson looks to deliver on his pledge to tackle the UK’s growing obesity crisis.

The new measures, which will be some of the toughest marketing restrictions in the world, will heavily impact the more than £600m spent by brands on all food advertising online and on TV annually.

The 9pm pre-watershed ban on advertising TV products deemed to be high in fat, salt and sugar (HFSS) could cost TV broadcasters such as ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5 and Sky more than £200m a year in revenue.

The online ad ban would affect all paid-for forms of digital marketing, from ads on Facebook to paid-search results on Google, text message promotions, and paid activity on sites such as Instagram and Twitter. It is estimated that more than £400m is spent on advertising food products online in the UK annually.

Source: Reuters

WASHINGTON, June 24 (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday split along party lines over whether to advance the nomination of gun control advocate David Chipman, President Joe Biden's choice to lead the Justice Department's Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

In the lead-up to the tie vote, Republicans vocally opposed Chipman's nomination, citing his history of advocating stronger gun regulations.

"Mr. Chipman wants to ban assault weapons," Ranking Republican Charles Grassley said on Thursday. "This nomination is like a Republican putting the NRA in charge of ATF," he said, referring to the pro-gun rights National Rifle Association.

The U.S. Senate is split evenly among Democrats and Republicans. The tie will require Senate Democrats to jump through some procedural hurdles to advance Chipman's nomination, but it is not an insurmountable roadblock.

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/us-senate-panel-vote-gun-control-advocate-lead-firearms-enforcement-agency-2021-06-24/

https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/559795-ny-museum-to-remove-roosevelt-statue



The statue of former President Theodore Roosevelt that sits in front of the the American Museum of Natural History will be taken down after officials voted unanimously to do so Monday.

The New York City Public Design Commission on Monday voted to relocate the statue to a cultural institution dedicated to Roosevelt's legacy, according to The New York Times.

The museum staff and city officials had agreed last year amid protests over racial injustice that the statue should be removed due concerns over its racist depictions. The statue shows Roosevelt on horseback leading an African man and a Native American man who are following on foot.

“The American Museum of Natural History has asked to remove the Theodore Roosevelt statue because it explicitly depicts Black and Indigenous people as subjugated and racially inferior,” New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said at the time. “The City supports the Museum’s request. It is the right decision and the right time to remove this problematic statue.”

https://www.macon.com/news/nation-world/national/article252286248.html

A 12-year-old boy is in protective custody after a homophobic attack that was filmed live on social media, according to Georgia authorities.

The child was removed from his mother’s home in Atlanta and is now in the care of officials with the Georgia Division of Family & Children’s Services, the Atlanta Police Department said Monday.

Authorities stepped in after social media video showed the boy being verbally and physically ridiculed, sparking outcry. The word “gay” also appeared to be shaved into the side of his head, according to clips of the video reposted by LGBTQ outlet Gaye Magazine. (Warning: video contains strong language)

Authorities are investigating reports that “the suspect in the case was the [boy’s] 18 year old sibling,” according to an incident report obtained my McClatchy News.

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So glad he's been removed from this abusive envirnoment.