Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
Dial H For Hero
Dial H For Hero's Journal
Dial H For Hero's Journal
January 12, 2022
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- A driver pulled out a gun and fired after coming face-to-face with an armed teenage carjacking suspect in the Fairmount section of Philadelphia.
In an exclusive interview with Action News, the driver described how he made the split-second decision when the 18-year-old male suspect pointed a gun at him.
"I saw the gun and I thought he was going to shoot me and take the car, so I retaliated as fast as I could. And just to see another day, I had to shoot the guy," the victim said.
"I was shaken up at first and the police calmed me down a lot and they made me feel real comfortable."
(excerpt)
I do like message the victim had for his would-be carjacker: "Stay in school. Don't play with guns. Don't rob people. Work for what you want."
Driver shoots armed teenage carjacking suspect in Philadelphia 1 of 3 carjacking incidents overnight
https://6abc.com/philadelphia-carjacking-driver-shoots-carjacker-fairmount-west-kensington/11452980/PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- A driver pulled out a gun and fired after coming face-to-face with an armed teenage carjacking suspect in the Fairmount section of Philadelphia.
In an exclusive interview with Action News, the driver described how he made the split-second decision when the 18-year-old male suspect pointed a gun at him.
"I saw the gun and I thought he was going to shoot me and take the car, so I retaliated as fast as I could. And just to see another day, I had to shoot the guy," the victim said.
"I was shaken up at first and the police calmed me down a lot and they made me feel real comfortable."
(excerpt)
I do like message the victim had for his would-be carjacker: "Stay in school. Don't play with guns. Don't rob people. Work for what you want."
January 10, 2022
It's a CO2 powered airgun, firing a 17 grain .50 rubber ball at 350 feet per second. To put that into perspective, it has roughly 8% of the power of the .25 ACP (an extremely weak cartridge used in tiny pocket pistols).
In this video review, it won't consistently penetrate a cardboard box:
New UK-legal .50 revolver marketed as "top of the line" home defense, with "enormous" muzzle energy.
https://www.umarex.com/products/product-universe/defense/t4e/2.4757.htmlIt's a CO2 powered airgun, firing a 17 grain .50 rubber ball at 350 feet per second. To put that into perspective, it has roughly 8% of the power of the .25 ACP (an extremely weak cartridge used in tiny pocket pistols).
In this video review, it won't consistently penetrate a cardboard box:
January 8, 2022
Walgreens executives say the drugstore chain is losing about 50% more money due to loss and theft
than it did prior to 2020
https://www.yahoo.com/news/walgreens-executives-drugstore-chain-losing-202606404.html
Walgreens lost more income to theft and damaged items in 2021 than it did in 2020 and is " absorbing a 52% increase in shrink."
That's according to Walgreens Boots Alliance CFO James Kehoe. On a January 6 call with investors, Kehoe said that Walgreens' shrink rate, or the loss of inventory attributed to theft, fraud, and damage, is currently about 3.25%. The company's shrink rate had been a little over 2% 10 years ago, he added.
Kehoe said organized crime has played a part in driving shrink up 40% to 50% "over the last two years."
"This is not petty theft," he said on a January 6 call with investors. "It's not somebody who can't afford to eat tomorrow. These are gangs that actually go in and empty our stores of beauty products. And it's a real issue."
(Excerpt)
January 7, 2022
Thursday brought more frustrating news for airlines and their customers with more than 2,100 U.S. flight cancellations as carriers continued efforts to restore flight networks hobbled by bad weather and staffing shortages brought on by coronavirus infections.
Southwest Airlines, United Airlines and regional carrier SkyWest Airlines continued to be among the hardest-hit, according to data provided by FlightAware, a website focused on aviation data. The elevated number of cancellations showed no signs of easing two weeks after emerging on Christmas Eve.
Southwest had canceled 646 flights, about 21 percent of scheduled departures. United, which had shown improvement in recent days, canceled 236 flights, about 11 percent of the carrier’s scheduled departures. SkyWest canceled 264 flights, about 11 percent of flights scheduled for the day. The Utah-based carrier, which partners with United, Delta Air Lines and American Airlines to carry passengers on smaller routes, has struggled for days.
After nearly two years of pandemic-related turmoil, airlines were hoping for a strong finish to 2021. After forgoing holiday celebrations in 2020, Americans were eager to reunite with loved ones. With travel volumes expected to reach near pre-pandemic levels, airlines scrambled to hire workers, offering bonus pay to ensure adequate staffing levels. The surge of the omicron variant around Thanksgiving upended those plans.
(Excerpt)
More than 2,100 flights canceled Thursday after two weeks of disruption
https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/news/more-than-2000-flights-canceled-thursday-after-two-weeks-of-disruption/ar-AASvfecThursday brought more frustrating news for airlines and their customers with more than 2,100 U.S. flight cancellations as carriers continued efforts to restore flight networks hobbled by bad weather and staffing shortages brought on by coronavirus infections.
Southwest Airlines, United Airlines and regional carrier SkyWest Airlines continued to be among the hardest-hit, according to data provided by FlightAware, a website focused on aviation data. The elevated number of cancellations showed no signs of easing two weeks after emerging on Christmas Eve.
Southwest had canceled 646 flights, about 21 percent of scheduled departures. United, which had shown improvement in recent days, canceled 236 flights, about 11 percent of the carrier’s scheduled departures. SkyWest canceled 264 flights, about 11 percent of flights scheduled for the day. The Utah-based carrier, which partners with United, Delta Air Lines and American Airlines to carry passengers on smaller routes, has struggled for days.
After nearly two years of pandemic-related turmoil, airlines were hoping for a strong finish to 2021. After forgoing holiday celebrations in 2020, Americans were eager to reunite with loved ones. With travel volumes expected to reach near pre-pandemic levels, airlines scrambled to hire workers, offering bonus pay to ensure adequate staffing levels. The surge of the omicron variant around Thanksgiving upended those plans.
(Excerpt)
January 6, 2022
Trump lashes out at Biden over Jan. 6 speech
Source: The Hill
Former President Trump on Thursday responded to President Biden's fiery speech on the anniversary of the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, saying the remarks alluding to Trump's role in the riot deepened political divides in the country.
Trump, in a statement released just as Biden wrapped up his speech in Statuary Hall, called the remarks "political theater."
"This political theater is all just a distraction for the fact Biden has completely and totally failed," Trump said.
Trump said that Biden "used my name today to try to further divide America." While Biden indirectly blamed Trump for the insurrection and referred to the former president multiple times during the speech, he did not call Trump out by name.
Read more: https://www.google.com/amp/s/thehill.com/homenews/administration/588539-trump-lashes-out-after-biden-speech-used-my-name-today-to-try-to%3famp
January 6, 2022
Mark and Patricia McCloskey, the couple who famously pointed guns at protesters passing their house in the summer of 2020, are suing to get their seized guns back after the pair was pardoned last year.
The lawsuit was filed by Mark McCloskey last year against the city, sheriff and state to get their guns back, and a hearing was held Wednesday, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
The couple agreed to forfeit the weapons as part of a guilty plea to the several misdemeanors they were charged with last June, weeks before they were pardoned by Republican Gov. Mike Parson.
Robert Dierker of the City Counselor's Office, which is representing the police and sheriff's departments, said in the hearing that it's rather unexpected that the guns have not yet been disposed of.
(Excerpt)
The City Counselor's Office is contending that while the pardon eliminated the conviction, it did not do so to the plea agreement in which McCloskey forfeited the guns. I'm not overly familiar with the ins and outs of gubernatorial pardons, so I'm curious if that's how it normally works.
McCloskeys, Who Waved Guns at Protesters, Ask for Weapons Back After Governor's Pardon
https://www.newsweek.com/mccloskeys-who-waved-guns-protesters-ask-weapons-back-after-governors-pardon-1666156Mark and Patricia McCloskey, the couple who famously pointed guns at protesters passing their house in the summer of 2020, are suing to get their seized guns back after the pair was pardoned last year.
The lawsuit was filed by Mark McCloskey last year against the city, sheriff and state to get their guns back, and a hearing was held Wednesday, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
The couple agreed to forfeit the weapons as part of a guilty plea to the several misdemeanors they were charged with last June, weeks before they were pardoned by Republican Gov. Mike Parson.
Robert Dierker of the City Counselor's Office, which is representing the police and sheriff's departments, said in the hearing that it's rather unexpected that the guns have not yet been disposed of.
(Excerpt)
The City Counselor's Office is contending that while the pardon eliminated the conviction, it did not do so to the plea agreement in which McCloskey forfeited the guns. I'm not overly familiar with the ins and outs of gubernatorial pardons, so I'm curious if that's how it normally works.
January 6, 2022
Manhattan’s new district attorney began this week to adopt the lenient policies he campaigned on, setting the stage for potential conflict inside and outside his office as he tries to change the way criminal justice is administered in the borough.
The district attorney, Alvin Bragg, told prosecutors in his office in a memo that they should ask judges for jail or prison time only for the most serious offenses — including murder, sexual assault and economic crimes involving vast sums of money — unless the law requires them to do otherwise.
The crimes he instructed prosecutors to avoid seeking jail time for include certain robberies and assaults, as well as gun possession. He also directed that they no longer request prison sentences of more than 20 years absent “exceptional circumstances.”
Mr. Bragg’s goal is to reduce the harm the criminal justice system does to defendants, an aim he seeks to balance with the need to keep the public safe.
(Excerpt)
Manhattan D.A. Acts on Vow to Seek Incarceration Only for Worst Crimes
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nytimes.com/2022/01/06/nyregion/alvin-bragg-manhattan-da.amp.htmlManhattan’s new district attorney began this week to adopt the lenient policies he campaigned on, setting the stage for potential conflict inside and outside his office as he tries to change the way criminal justice is administered in the borough.
The district attorney, Alvin Bragg, told prosecutors in his office in a memo that they should ask judges for jail or prison time only for the most serious offenses — including murder, sexual assault and economic crimes involving vast sums of money — unless the law requires them to do otherwise.
The crimes he instructed prosecutors to avoid seeking jail time for include certain robberies and assaults, as well as gun possession. He also directed that they no longer request prison sentences of more than 20 years absent “exceptional circumstances.”
Mr. Bragg’s goal is to reduce the harm the criminal justice system does to defendants, an aim he seeks to balance with the need to keep the public safe.
(Excerpt)
January 6, 2022
SEATTLE — Seattle police say an officer shot and killed a man suspected of burglary after the man stabbed a police dog.
The Seattle Police Department said on their online blotter that a South Seattle resident called 911 at about 2:45 p.m. Wednesday about a man with a knife breaking into their home.
An officer with a police dog responded, saw the person suspected in the incident and started chasing him on foot, police said.
The police dog engaged with the person on the 6700 block of Swift Avenue South, police said. The suspect fatally stabbed the dog and injured an officer in an ensuing struggle, the police narrative said. Another officer arrived and fatally shot the suspect, police said.
(Excerpt)
Seattle officer fatally shoots man who stabbed police dog, authorities say
https://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/2022/01/seattle-officer-fatally-shoots-man-who-stabbed-police-dog-authorities-say.htmlSEATTLE — Seattle police say an officer shot and killed a man suspected of burglary after the man stabbed a police dog.
The Seattle Police Department said on their online blotter that a South Seattle resident called 911 at about 2:45 p.m. Wednesday about a man with a knife breaking into their home.
An officer with a police dog responded, saw the person suspected in the incident and started chasing him on foot, police said.
The police dog engaged with the person on the 6700 block of Swift Avenue South, police said. The suspect fatally stabbed the dog and injured an officer in an ensuing struggle, the police narrative said. Another officer arrived and fatally shot the suspect, police said.
(Excerpt)
January 5, 2022
A Lyft driver shot and injured two people who were attempting to steal his vehicle, Philadelphia cops say.
The incident occurred around 2:45 p.m. Monday, Jan. 3, in West Philadelphia, where officers were dispatched for reports of a carjacking, according to a police report.
The 38-year-old Lyft driver was rear-ended by a driver in a Honda Accord, causing him to exit his Infiniti, police say. A person in the Accord who was armed with a shotgun then took the Lyft driver’s car, according to police.
As his car was being taken, the Lyft driver with a concealed carry license used his own gun and shot the would-be carjacker in the chest, police say. A second suspect driving the Infiniti tried striking the Lyft driver, who proceeded to shoot the person in the rib cage, according to police.
(Excerpt)
Lyft driver with concealed carry license shoots two would-be carjackers, PA cops say
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/lyft-driver-with-concealed-carry-license-shoots-two-would-be-carjackers-pa-cops-say/ar-AASqBPx?ocid=uxbndlbingA Lyft driver shot and injured two people who were attempting to steal his vehicle, Philadelphia cops say.
The incident occurred around 2:45 p.m. Monday, Jan. 3, in West Philadelphia, where officers were dispatched for reports of a carjacking, according to a police report.
The 38-year-old Lyft driver was rear-ended by a driver in a Honda Accord, causing him to exit his Infiniti, police say. A person in the Accord who was armed with a shotgun then took the Lyft driver’s car, according to police.
As his car was being taken, the Lyft driver with a concealed carry license used his own gun and shot the would-be carjacker in the chest, police say. A second suspect driving the Infiniti tried striking the Lyft driver, who proceeded to shoot the person in the rib cage, according to police.
(Excerpt)
January 5, 2022
A nuclear-powered U.S. aircraft carrier deployed on Monday for the first time with a woman in command.
The USS Abraham Lincoln departed from San Diego on a regularly scheduled deployment under the command of Capt. Amy Bauernschmidt, who is the first woman to lead one of the Navy's 11 nuclear-powered aircraft carriers.
"These Sailors are incredible professionals who have trained exceptionally hard to ensure they are ready for any operational obligations required of us on deployment," Bauernschmidt said in a statement on the deployment.
"They are absolutely prepared for today's deployment, and I have no doubt they will represent our nation proudly as we defend our national interests," she continued.
(Excerpt)
Nuclear-powered US aircraft carrier deployed for first time with female captain
https://www.google.com/amp/s/thehill.com/policy/defense/navy/588141-nuclear-powered-us-aircraft-carrier-deployed-for-first-time-with-female%3fampA nuclear-powered U.S. aircraft carrier deployed on Monday for the first time with a woman in command.
The USS Abraham Lincoln departed from San Diego on a regularly scheduled deployment under the command of Capt. Amy Bauernschmidt, who is the first woman to lead one of the Navy's 11 nuclear-powered aircraft carriers.
"These Sailors are incredible professionals who have trained exceptionally hard to ensure they are ready for any operational obligations required of us on deployment," Bauernschmidt said in a statement on the deployment.
"They are absolutely prepared for today's deployment, and I have no doubt they will represent our nation proudly as we defend our national interests," she continued.
(Excerpt)
Profile Information
Member since: Mon Apr 20, 2020, 11:25 AMNumber of posts: 2,971
