An Annual Battle: Keeping New Year’s Resolutions   

USA – Voice of America 

A new year is around the corner. And many use this time to make New Year’s resolutions. Why do people do that, you might ask?

“It’s a new calendar year,” said Mandy Doria, a certified counselor at the University of Colorado, speaking with The Associated Press. ‘We have a chance to leave behind all of the old stuff, good and bad, from the previous year and move forward and start to make new plans, new goals, and we may feel excited and recharged by that.”

That feeling of hope can dissipate amid day-to-day stressors but there are ways to set goals without feeling like you’re setting yourself up for failure, said Doria.

“There is a concept called smart goals,” she said. “So smart goals should be specific. They should be measurable. They should be attainable. And they should be reliable as well as time-based. So, for example, I might want to move my body more, and so I might start by going to the gym or going to yoga once a week. And then after three weeks, maybe I build on that so I can make time specific goals as well. And then it’s measurable and it’s specific.”

Knowing why helps

Christine Whelan, a clinical professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and the author of an Audible Original 10-lecture series called “Finding Your Purpose,” said if people know why they’ve set goals, they’re more likely to reach them.

“Why is it that you want to make a change?” she asked. “These are questions of purpose and values and meaning. So maybe you do want to go to the gym and lose a couple of pounds. But why? And if you can get to that core reason for why, research finds that you are much more likely to actually follow through on your goals and make it happen.”

Whelan said there are other ways to start the new year by making it more of a reflective exercise rather than an intimidating to-do list.

“Rather than New Year’s resolutions, one thing that I’ve loved to do over the years is write a letter to myself at New Year’s — the next year (2023),” said Whelan. “And in that letter, what I do is I think about where I want to be, where I am right now, the things that are important to me, my values and purpose statement, my hopes and goals for the year ahead.”

A goal is a process

In an interview with the AP, Edward Hirt, a professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Indiana University, said to be successful at sticking with a New Year’s resolution, one must understand that pursuing a goal is a process.

“Because I think most of the time in many goal pursuit situations, we are really hard on ourselves if we don’t get what we anticipate we should be,” said Hirt. “If we can kind of break down the goal pursuit process into sub-stages, sub kind of goals along the way and can sort of see ourselves meeting those things and take pride in accomplishing those pieces of the larger process, it’s much more reinforcing to us.”

Hirt said people should also reflect on their progress to see how far they’ve come rather than only focusing on the endpoint.

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Roberts calls for judicial security in year-end report while avoiding mention of ethics reform or abortion draft leak



CNN
 — 

Chief Justice John Roberts urged continued vigilance for the safety of judges and justices in an annual report published Saturday, after a tumultuous year at the US Supreme Court.

“A judicial system cannot and should not live in fear,” Roberts wrote.

While drawing attention to judicial security, however, the chief justice bypassed other controversies, including calls for new ethics rules directed at the justices, and an update on an investigation launched eight months ago into the unprecedented leak of a draft abortion opinion last spring that unleashed nationwide protests.

Avoiding direct mention of any specific controversy, Roberts praised judges who face controversial issues “quietly, diligently and faithfully,” and urged continued congressional funding devoted to security.

Roberts said that while there is “no obligation in our free country” to agree with decisions, judges must always be protected.

“The law requires every judge to swear an oath to perform his or her work without fear or favor, but we must support judges by ensuring their safety,” he wrote.

Besides his duties on the high court, Roberts presides over the Judicial Conference, a body responsible for making policy regarding the administration of the courts, and he releases a report each New Year’s Eve on the state of the judiciary.

Some critics of the court were hoping that Roberts would use his annual report to concretely address other concerns that arose over the last several months.

The report comes as public opinion of the court has reached an all-time low. The justices, who are on their winter recess, took on blockbuster cases this fall concerning the issues of voting rights and affirmative action. In the second half of the term, they will discuss issues such as immigration and President Joe Biden’s student loan forgiveness program.

Roberts made no direct mention, for instance, of the status of an ongoing investigation into the leak last May of the draft opinion overturning Roe v. Wade.

The disclosure – and the eventual opinion released the following month – triggered protests across the country, including some staged outside of the justices’ homes. In June, a man was arrested near the home of Justice Brett Kavanaugh and later charged with attempted murder of a Supreme Court justice. According to court documents, the man, Nicholas Roske, told investigators that he was upset over the leaked draft opinion overturning Roe.

In addition, the court building was surrounded by 8-foot security fences that were only brought down ahead of the new term at the end of August.

In May, Roberts launched an investigation into the leak, but has not provided any public updates.

Roberts did not bring up ethics reform in the year-end report, but others had hoped he would use it to address the ongoing calls for a more formal code of ethics directed at the justices.

“There is no doubt that judicial security is paramount,” said Gabe Roth, the executive director of a group called Fix the Court, which is dedicated to more transparency in federal courts. Roth said he thought Roberts should have done more this year to shore up the public’s faith in the ethics of the court.

“As things stand now, there is no formal code of conduct for the Supreme Court and justices themselves get to decide how they conduct themselves both on and off the bench without any formal guiding principles,” Roth said.

Back in 2011, Roberts dedicated his year-end report to the issue of ethics, addressing such criticism.

“All Members of the Court do in fact consult the Code of Conduct in assessing their ethical obligations,” Roberts at the time. He noted that the justices can consult a “wide variety” of other authorities to resolve specific ethical issues including advice from the court’s legal office.

Federal law also demands a judge should disqualify himself if his “impartiality might reasonably be questioned.”

Roth said that this year the court’s integrity has been tested in ways it rarely has in the past, between the leaked opinion and the activities brought to light concerning Virginia “Ginni” Thomas – a long-time conservative activist and the wife of Justice Clarence Thomas.

In March, the House select committee investigating the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol had in its possession more than two dozen text messages between Ginni Thomas and former Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows.

The text messages, reviewed by CNN, show Thomas pleading with Meadows to continue the fight to overturn the 2020 presidential election results.

Roth and others say that Justice Thomas should have recused himself – including from a January case in which the high court cleared the way for the release of presidential records from the Trump White House to the committee. Thomas was the sole dissenter.

“Federal law says that recusal is required when a justice’s impartiality could be reasonably questioned, and that was clearly the case here,” Roth said.

Ginni Thomas ultimately voluntarily testified before the committee, but she was not mentioned in the panel’s final report released last week.

Thomas told the committee that she regretted the “tone and content” of the messages she was sending to Meadows, according to witness transcripts the panel released on Friday, and that her husband only found out about the messages in March 2022.

Thomas said she could “guarantee” that her husband never spoke to her about pending cases in the court because it was an “ironclad” rule in the house, according to the transcript. Additionally, she said that Justice Thomas is “uninterested in politics.”

Ginni Thomas’ lawyer, Mark Paoletta, released a statement last week saying she was “happy to meet” with the committee to “clear up misconceptions” but that the committee had “no legitimate reason to interview her.”

He called her post-election activities after Trump lost in 2020 “minimal.”

“Mrs. Thomas had significant concerns about potential fraud and irregularities in the 2020 election, and her minimal activity was focused on ensuring that reports of fraud and irregularities were investigated,” Paoletta said.

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Multiple NYPD officers stabbed with machete near Times Square

Latest & Breaking News on Fox News 

Multiple New York City Police officers were stabbed by a suspect wielding a machete just blocks away from the New Year’s Eve celebrations in Times Square.

The incident occurred around 10 p.m. at West 52nd Street and 8th Avenue on Saturday, a source from the New York Fire Department confirmed to FOX News.

At least two officers were stabbed in the incident, including a rookie cop on his first day on the job. 

The rookie officer, who graduated Friday, was struck in the head but is expected to recover, according to statements during a NYPD Press Conference early Sunday morning. Another officer was also hit by the weapon but was not seriously injured. Both officers were taken to the hospital for treatment.

BLOODY NEW YORK CITY NEW YEAR’S EVE ‘GANG RELATED’ STABBING IN TIMES SQUARE SENDS MAN TO HOSPITAL

The suspect was identified as 19-year-old Trevor Bickford of Maine, according to the New York Post. He was shot in the shoulder by police after the stabbings and was transported to the hospital.

Police said at a news conference that the suspect approached the officers unprovoked. The incident remains under investigation, with the assistance of federal law enforcement.

“I want to be clear that the FBI, through the Joint Terrorism Task Force, is working very closely with [NYPD] to determine the nature of this attack,” the FBI’s Michael Driscoll said at the news conference. “And we will run every lead to ground. I also want to be very clear, as you’ve heard said tonight previously, this is very much an ongoing investigation so our ability to talk about specifics is limited.”

NEW YORK CITY ALLEGED SUBWAY SHOOTER TO PLEAD GUILTY TO SHOOTING 10 PEOPLE IN APRIL: PROSECUTORS

Another officer was hit by a police car while attempting to move the barricades to allow responding officers access to the suspect.

“The three officers were attacked today, they were doing their jobs,” mayor Eric Adams said at the news conference. “The jobs that members of the New York City Police Department and other first responders in law enforcement officers do every day.” 

“And as we do a preliminary review of the body cam video, we see how well these officers executed the plan that was put in place by the New York City Police Department in ensuring we protect those who came here to bring in a new year,” he continued.

All three officers are in stable condition, Adams said. He also emphasized that there is no longer an active threat.

 

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It’s 2023. Remember that God always gives you a chance to start fresh

Latest & Breaking News on Fox News 

The new year is here, and you have a second chance! Whatever has gone wrong, you get a do-over.

Christianity is a religion of second chances. It starts in the Old Testament, where God sends prophets again and again to remind his people how to live. And over and over, the people reject the prophets. Still, God never gives up on his people. He continues to invite people to a more loving way of living.

Jesus Christ also gave second chances generously. Scandalizing the people of his day, he spoke and dined with notorious sinners. And he challenged those sinners to change, to start over.

AFTER A MEDICAL CRISIS, I AM GRATEFUL TO BE ALIVE

Christianity also teaches us to give others second chances. One time Jesus has asked how many times we need to forgive others, and he said we should someone who sins against us 77 times (Matthew 18:22). Some translations even say it’s seventy times seven!

Jesus was not suggesting we should walk around with little notebooks and stop forgiving on the seventy-eighth offense. Rather, he was telling us that we should forgive people again and again.

So what do second chances have to do with the new year?

The new year is a natural time to take stock and to try to live differently. I love that the church provides its own times for taking stock and starting over. Lent is a really good times for this. But since our religion is about second chances, there’s never a bad time to take stock. Now is as good a time as any.

SCOTT GUNN: HOW TO FIND SERENITY IN DIFFICULT TIMES

It’s pretty common around now for people to make resolutions — things they’ll do to improve themselves in the new year. People sometimes strive to eat differently, or use a treadmill more, or something else that relates to physical health or personal appearance.

Maybe you’re one of those people. If so, I’m not here to criticize you. But I would invite you to think bigger. One time Jesus was asked about the most important commandment. Quoting the Old Testament, he said we should love God and love our neighbors (Matthew 22:34-40).

If Jesus said those are the most important commandments, maybe it’s good if we try our best to keep them. This year, what can you do to love God and love your neighbor more fully?

I don’t know what’s right for you, but maybe you’ll work on loving God by reading scripture more or spending more time in prayer. Maybe you’ll love your neighbor by helping those who are in need or giving companionship to those who might be lonely. You’ll know what’s right for you.

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If you make a resolution and fail, don’t worry! Remember, Christianity is a religion of second chances. You can always start over and try again.

The amazing truth is that we don’t have to get our resolutions right or do anything else for God to love us. God already loves each of us more than we can imagine. The reason to try again isn’t to get on God’s good side, but rather to live out our gratitude for God’s love. He loved us first, so let us love others.

The year 2022 was an eventful year for me. After a serious health crisis and a major surgery, it feels like a great chance to reassess and start over. 

In 2023, I’m planning to spend more of my prayer time in gratitude and more of my social media time proclaiming God’s love for us all, you and me and everyone else.

So, by all means, get out that treadmill if that’s your thing. But I hope you’ll also join me in this new year. Let’s try to get better at the most important things — it’s all about love. And when we inevitably fall short, let’s give thanks that our God is always ready to give us a second chance or a third chance or a millionth chance.

Happy new year! Happy fresh start!

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM SCOTT GUNN

 

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America’s ‘most dangerous law’ goes into effect

Latest & Breaking News on Fox News 

Illinois law enforcement is preparing new ways to best serve and protect law-abiding citizens as the state’s new sweeping criminal justice reform bill takes effect Sunday, a local sheriff said. 

“We’ve spent a lot of time trying to prepare for what’s coming,” Franklin County Sheriff Kevin Bacon told Fox News. “Trying to sift through a thousand pages to determine where our role is and what’s going to change and how we can best serve the citizens that we protect has been first and foremost for us.”

Illinois’ Safety, Accountability, Fairness and Equity-Today (SAFE-T) Act, which went into effect Jan. 1, overhauled Illinois’ justice system with provisions like limiting when defendants can be deemed flight risks and allowing defendants under electronic monitoring to leave home for 48 hours before they can be charged with escape. It was also supposed to eliminate cash bail, but the state’s Supreme Court stayed that portion hours before the law was set to take effect.

WATCH MORE FOX NEWS DIGITAL ORIGINALS HERE

In a previous interview, Orland Park Mayor Keith Pekau told Fox News: “When I said that this is the most dangerous law I’ve ever seen, I believe that.” 

Bacon, who was elected sheriff in November, said he has sat through “what feels like hundreds of hours of training and discussion” on the new reforms. “And there’s just so many questions that still exist.” 

“My focus has been to ensure that the people that commit certain crimes, that they can remain in jail,” he told Fox News. “We work very hard to provide the best services we can, and sometimes we feel like we’re paddling upstream.”

Concerned Illinoisans like Bacon received a win Thursday when Circuit Judge Thomas Cunnington ruled in favor of the plaintiffs in a lawsuit brought by several prosecutors and sheriffs around the state. The class-action lawsuit, which dozens of counties across the state signed onto, argued the pre-trial release and bail reforms in the SAFE-T act are unconstitutional.

JUDGE RULES ILLINOIS LAW ELIMINATING CASH BAIL IS UNCONSTITUTIONAL

“Today’s ruling affirms that we are still a government of the people, and that the Constitutional protections afforded to the citizens of Illinois – most importantly the right to exercise our voice with our vote – are inalienable,” Kankakee County State Attorney Jim Rowe, one of the lead plaintiffs in the suit, said in a statement.

Illinois’ high court, as a result, blocked the elimination of the cash bail as the state appeal’s the decision, though the rest of the bill remains in effect.

The SAFE-T Act also dropped trespassing from a Class A misdemeanor to Class B. As result, police won’t be able to arrest non-violent trespassers and can instead only issue them a citation. 

“If someone’s trespassing on your property, we’re going to remove them from your property,” Bacon said. “Maybe we can’t arrest them, maybe we can’t place them in the county jail, but we’re not going to leave them there.” 

SAFE-T ACT: ILLINOIS SHERIFF WARNS PROSECUTORS NOT TO BE ‘OVERZEALOUS’ TARGETING VICTIMS STOPPING CRIMINALS

The sheriff said that while officers will continue to work within the requirements of the law, “there is also common sense and discretion, and we’re going to utilize that.”

“Law enforcement officers — their loyalty remains to victims of crime,” he added. 

Franklin County, located in southern Illinois with a population of roughly 37,000, experiences high numbers of drug-related burglaries, the sheriff said. 

“It’s nonstop,” Bacon told Fox News. “Everyday.”

The sheriff said from what he can tell of the SAFE-T act, “there’s not a drug offense other than one involving a firearm or a high-level drug offense that is detainable.”

As a result, he fears that not only will the high volume of these crimes continue, but low-level criminals abusing drugs may also not receive opportunities to get clean if they’re released immediately after being arrested. 

“It’s a snowball effect if the drug issue leads to these deaths and burglaries that we experience,” Bacon said. “They are a struggle for rural departments to keep up with.”

“Simply booking someone and sending them out before they’re even sober, I don’t see a great benefit,” he told Fox News. “I hope I’m wrong, but it’s concerning.”

 

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3 Chicago police officers died by suicide in one week, total of 7 in 2022: Experts react

Latest & Breaking News on Fox News 

This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

Three Chicago police officers died by suicide in the final weeks of 2022, adding to a troubling trend over the past few years which several experts told Fox News Digital must be more seriously addressed in 2023.

A 51-year-old off-duty Chicago police officer took his own life on the morning of Dec. 22, marking the seventh police officer suicide of 2022 and the third since Dec. 15, WLS-TV reported.

On the morning of Dec. 20, a female Chicago police officer in her 30s was found dead in her home from suicide, and a 58-year-old female officer was found dead of an apparent suicide on Dec. 15.

DEFUNDING POLICE, VILIFYING THEM ‘AT EVERY TURN’ CONTRIBUTING TO OFFICER SUICIDES, EXPERTS SAY

Over the past four years, 20 Chicago police officers are believed to have died from suicide and a 2017 Justice Department research study concluded that officers in the Chicago Police Department are 60% more likely to die from suicide than officers in the average police department.

It’s a tragic trend that’s been going on for years,” retired Chicago Police Department Chief of Detectives Eugene Roy told Fox News Digital, explaining that city leaders have engaged in a policy of “benign neglect” that is “costing people their lives.”

What we have here is we have a failure of two things,” Roy said. “We have a failure of management and, more importantly and more critically, we have a failure of leadership.”

Roy pointed to multiple examples of how leadership can make improvements, including what he says is a public waiting room where officers visiting the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) office do not have privacy if they wish to seek help for mental health issues. Additionally, Roy said that the department sent an email to every sworn officer on the day of one of the suicides telling them of the open complaints against them.

“Is that looking out for the best interests of our people?” Roy asked. “They’re already down in the gutter. They’ve been kicked. Another friend, partner, coworker has taken their life, and you’re going to just remind everybody of that? That shows a lack of sensitivity. That shows a lack of leadership skills and ability.”

5TH SAN ANTONIO POLICE OFFICER DIES FROM SUICIDE IN LAST 7 MONTHS, EXPERTS WEIGH IN: ‘STOP THE DEMONIZATION’

Tania Glenn, a trauma therapist in the Austin, Texas, area for 30 years and president of Tania Glenn and Associates, which specializes in providing mental health services to first responders and veterans, told Fox News Digital that Chicago police officers face a “multifaceted” set of circumstances and problems.

“Chicago is a very, very hectic, busy, violent city, so officers are exposed to a lot of crime and criminal elements and critical incidents and then there is the staffing shortage,” Glenn explained. “I know, especially in Chicago, all the prolonged shifts have been a real issue, as well as working a lot of overtime.”

Fox News Digital exclusively reported in April that staffing levels in the Chicago Police Department had reached their lowest in recent history at the same time the city was experiencing a surge in crime.

AUSTIN POLICE PAST AND PRESENT SOUND ALARM ON RIPPLE EFFECTS OF DEFUNDING POLICE: ‘IT’S CRUSHING MORALE’

“When you take people who are exposed to high stress and you also expose them for very long periods of time, what happens is, of course, they’re in this constant state of fight or flight and their cortisol is pumping,” Glenn said. “And when they are off, it takes so long to decompress from that constant engagement of fight or flight but even when they are off, they don’t sleep well.”

The low staffing levels have contributed to scheduling issues where officers have had days off canceled, along with long hours where some officers have resorted to sleeping in their cars between shifts.

“We’re also adding on the fact that there is a lack of sleep because they are working those really long shifts and they’re working a lot of overtime, and so it gets to the point where when human beings don’t have enough sleep, we are not rational, our mental health completely suffers,” Glenn told Fox News Digital. “And what happens over time is when people don’t have enough sleep, then it throws fuel on the fire for things like depression and anxiety and when the depression hits, it’s so cruel — it basically convinces you to just take your own life and it convinces you that no one will care, and that couldn’t be further from the truth.

“So it’s like this perfect storm of trauma, stress, fatigue, lack of sleep, all converging together, and that is what that police department in Chicago is facing.”

Roy told Fox News Digital that outreach from supervisors that interact with police on a daily basis is critical to addressing the problem and leadership to send a “loud and clear” message to supervisors who are in charge of hundreds of staff members that they are responsible for and owe it to officers to look out for their emotional and mental health as well as their physical safety.”

ARRESTS IN CHICAGO PLUMMET TO HISTORIC LOWS AS CRIME RISES AND POLICE ADMITTEDLY PULL BACK: ‘NO WAY’

Roy also suggested that leaders, from the police superintendent on down, make a point of visiting the different precincts where these suicides have taken place and publicly show support.

“Go on a tour,” Roy said. “Go visit his people starting with the units where people have died and work backwards from the most recent ones where people are still hurting and just go work his way backwards, and gradually he’s got to go see everybody. That’s the way that you show people you’re sincere, you’re legit, and you have their best interests at heart.”

Glenn expressed a similar sentiment to Fox News Digital and explained that one of the biggest hurdles officers face is overcoming the stigma attached with asking for help and the embarrassment associated with reaching out to superiors for help, which makes effective and discreet therapy even more essential.

“I think every officer who gets good help wants to tell other officers to get that help, and if we can multiply how many officers get really good care, they’re going to be the biggest influencer for other officers to go get help,” she said.

DEFUND THE POLICE PUSH, LIBERAL POLICIES DRIVING CHICAGO BUSINESS EXODUS, HURTING POOR THE MOST: EXPERTS

Chicago Alderman Anthony Napolitano, who represents Chicago’s 41st ward and served as a Chicago police officer for five years and as a Chicago firefighter for 10 years, told Fox News Digital that the city can do more to provide healthcare resources to officers, including a path for officers suffering from PTSD to access “stellate ganglion block” and ketamine treatments, which he has been pushing for

“I hope to bring this procedure to the city of Chicago to help combat the ongoing battle with suicide among first responders as well as all city workers,” Napolitano said, explaining that there are measures the city can take to make the treatment, known as the “God shot,” as well as other treatments more readily available and affordable to officers. 

CHICAGO POLICE STAFFING THE LOWEST IN RECENT HISTORY AS DEPARTMENT REELS FROM ‘GENERATION RESIGNATION’

“I was both a police officer and firefighter for the city of Chicago. I was elected to fight for people and I won’t stand by idle,” Napolitano said.

Following the recent officer suicides, CPD Superintendent David Brown released a statement in which he said “the men and women of the Chicago Police Department are everyday heroes who serve and protect with great honor and courage.”

REPORTER BANNED BY LORI LIGHTFOOT SLAMS NEW ‘ORWELLIAN’ CENSORSHIP: ‘CHICAGOANS WILL DIE’ FROM THIS

“Each day, they make the choice to put their own safety at risk to protect the people of our city. Our officers repeatedly respond to traumatic incidents and are not immune to the pain and cruelty surrounding these incidents. They do this while balancing their own personal lives and difficulties. This is why it is crucial we strengthen and expand the resources and support systems for our officers,” he said.

Fox News Digital reached out to Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s office for comment and did not receive a response by time of publication.

The Chicago Police Department directed Fox News Digital to an email sent out by EAP to officers outlining the various resources at their disposal if they need mental health counseling.

“These resources are here to ensure you have the support you need whether you’re having a bad day, have had a bad call, or feel in crisis,” the email stated. “Our goal is to ensure every officer is aware of resources they can turn to for support. Please remember you are never alone — make the call.”

 

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Chief US Justice: Judges’ Safety ‘Essential’ to Court System

USA – Voice of America 

With security threats to Supreme Court justices still fresh memories, Chief Justice John Roberts on Saturday praised programs that protect judges, saying that “we must support judges by ensuring their safety.”

Roberts and other conservative Supreme Court justices were the subject of protests, some at their homes, after the May leak of the court’s decision that ultimately stripped away constitutional protections for abortion. Justice Samuel Alito has said that the leak made conservative justices “targets for assassination.” And in June, a man carrying a gun, knife and zip ties was arrested near Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s house after threatening to kill the justice, whose vote was key to overturning the court’s Roe v. Wade decision.

Roberts, writing in an annual year-end report about the federal judiciary, did not specifically mention the abortion decision, but the case and the reaction to it seemed clearly on his mind.

“Judicial opinions speak for themselves, and there is no obligation in our free country to agree with them. Indeed, we judges frequently dissent — sometimes strongly — from our colleagues’ opinions, and we explain why in public writings about the cases before us,” Roberts wrote.

Polls following the abortion decision show public trust in the court is at historic lows. And two of Roberts’ liberal colleagues who dissented in the abortion case, Justices Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor, have said the court needs to be concerned about overturning precedent and appearing political.

After the leak and threat to Kavanaugh, lawmakers passed legislation increasing security protection for the justices and their families. Separately, in December, lawmakers passed legislation protecting the personal information of federal judges including their addresses.

The law is named for the son of U.S. District Judge Esther Salas, 20-year-old Daniel Anderl, who was killed at the family’s New Jersey home by a man who previously had a case before her.

Roberts thanked members of Congress “who are attending to judicial security needs.” And he said programs that protect judges are “essential to run a system of courts.”

In writing about judicial security, Roberts told the story of Judge Ronald N. Davies, who in September 1957 ordered the integration of Little Rock Central High School in Arkansas. Davies’ decision followed the Supreme Court’s Brown v. Board of Education ruling that segregated schools were unconstitutional and rejected Arkansas Gov. Orval Faubus’ attempt to stop school integration.

Davies “was physically threatened for following the law,” but the judge was “uncowed,” Roberts said.

“A judicial system cannot and should not live in fear. The events of Little Rock teach about the importance of rule by law instead of by mob,” he wrote.

Roberts noted that officials are currently working to replicate the courtroom Davies presided over in 1957. Roberts said the judge’s bench used by Davies and other artifacts from the courtroom have been preserved and will be installed in the re-created courtroom in a federal courthouse in Little Rock “so that these important artifacts will be used to hold court once again.”

Before that happens, however, the judge’s bench will be on display as part of an exhibit at the Supreme Court beginning in the fall and for the next several years, he said.

“The exhibit will introduce visitors to how the system of federal courts works, to the history of racial segregation and desegregation in our country, and to Thurgood Marshall’s towering contributions as an advocate,” Roberts said. Marshall, who argued Brown v. Board of Education, became the Supreme Court’s first Black justice in 1967.

The Supreme Court is still grappling with complicated issues involving race. Two cases this term deal with affirmative action, and the court’s conservative majority is expected to use them to reverse decades of decisions that allow colleges to take account of race in admissions. In another case, the justices could weaken the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965, the crown jewel of the civil rights movement.

The justices will hear their first arguments of 2023 on Jan. 9.

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Santos campaign finances show dozens of expenses just below FEC's threshold to keep receipts



CNN
 — 

Records that Rep.-elect George Santos’ campaign filed with the Federal Election Commission show 37 expenditures, on office supplies, hotels, ride-share app Uber, restaurants and more, for the exact same amount: $199.99.

Campaign finance experts say those expenditures the New York representative-elect reported stood out for a key reason: They are one penny below the dollar figure above which the FEC requires campaigns to keep receipts.

Those expenditures are among a number of oddities contained in the FEC reports of Santos, the Republican who won a seat in Congress in November and in recent days has faced scrutiny over a series of false claims about his family history, work history, education and more.

Santos’ FEC reports contain a number of unusual expenditures, including exorbitant expenses on air travel and hotels, particularly in Miami, and $10,900 in what are listed as rent payments to the company Cleaner 123. The company’s address is a house on Long Island, and The New York Times, which first published a story on Santos’ campaign finance filings, reported that a neighbor said Santos had been living there for months.

The expenditures, and particularly the $199.99 payments to Uber, Walgreens, Walmart, Best Buy, Delta Airlines, Il Bacco Restaurante and more, “definitely stood out to me,” said campaign finance expert Paul S. Ryan, the deputy executive director of the Funders’ Committee for Civic Participation.

He said the payments could reflect an effort to skirt FEC requirements for campaigns to keep receipts for expenditures over $200. The FEC encourages candidates to keep receipts below that threshold, but only mandates them for payments over $200.

However, Ryan said, the consistent appearance of $199.99 charges effectively shows that Santos knew about the threshold he was attempting to skirt – potentially inviting Justice Department scrutiny and criminal penalties.

“My view is a bunch of expenditures right below legal requirement for the committee to keep receipts is evidence that he knew what he was doing,” Ryan said. “If in fact he did misuse campaign funds, this was a blatant effort to evade detection.”

Dozens more expenditures are close to, but just under, the $200 threshold, FEC records show.

“The only time during which money was being unwisely spent by the campaign was by a firm that was fired approximately one year before Election Day and a new team was brought in,” Joe Murray, a lawyer for Santos, said in a statement to CNN on Saturday.

“Campaign expenditures for staff members including travel, lodging, and meals are normal expenses of any competent campaign. The suggestion that the Santos campaign engaged in any unlawful spending of campaign funds is irresponsible, at best,” he added.

The biography that Santos touted as a candidate appears to be at least partly fictional. Santos, in interviews with WABC radio and the New York Post earlier this week, admitted to lying about attending Baruch College and New York University as well as misrepresenting his employment at Goldman Sachs and Citigroup but claimed he hadn’t committed any crimes.

Federal prosecutors in New York are investigating Santos’ personal finances, a source familiar with the matter told CNN, amid questions about his sudden wealth and loans of more than $700,000 that he made to his campaign.

CNN confirmed reporting from The New York Times that Santos was charged with embezzlement in a Brazilian court in 2011, according to case records from the Rio de Janeiro Court of Justice. However, court records from 2013 state that the charge was archived after court summons went unanswered and they were unable to locate Santos.

In the interview with the New York Post, Santos denied that he had been charged with any crime in Brazil.

“I am not a criminal here – not here or in Brazil or any jurisdiction in the world. Absolutely not. That didn’t happen,” Santos said.

Still, Santos flipped a Democratic-held seat, helping Republicans win a narrow House majority. And he is set to take office on January 3.

House Republican leaders have not acknowledged the controversy swirling around Santos. House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy, who has not returned CNN’s requests for comment about Santos, has been focused on trying to secure the votes for the speakership next month. That task became harder after Republicans won a narrower majority than he had hoped, a slim margin that will empower the conference’s most extreme members. Asking Santos to step down could cost him a vote in his already tenuous quest to reach 218.

Amid the avalanche of revelations of ways in which Santos lied about his biography, many of those who voted for him in his Long Island-based New York 3rd Congressional District say they would not support him again.

Jack Mandel, a Jewish community leader who voted for Santos after meeting him twice and believing he was a kind, fresh face, said he “couldn’t in good conscience” vote for Santos again if he had to do over.

He pointed to Santos misrepresenting himself as Jewish and falsely claiming his grandparents were Holocaust survivors.

“Once someone lies to me, I can never trust that individual again,” he said. “The Holocaust is something that touches the heart of every Jew and someone that would use that as a talking point as a vote getter, I think is wrong.”

Teodora Choolfaian, a Nassau County mother, said she voted for Santos in part because of his positions on Covid-19 measures in schools. But this week she attended a rally organized by state Democrats to call on him to resign. She said Santos is a “fraud.”

“The whole person that he created and the ability to deceive us is just so troubling,” she said. “This man should not be allowed to be in office and we all know it. I want to assure you the Republicans know it too.”

However, some Republicans in New York said they were not dropping their support for Santos.

Tom Zmich, a former congressional candidate in the neighboring 6th District, said Santos is a friend of his and “hasn’t done anything wrong, as far as legality wise.”

“He admitted he lied. And most Christian people believe in forgiveness. Maybe not forget, but move on,” he said. “Let’s see what happens.”

Santos campaign donors also described feeling shocked and betrayed by the revelations in recent days.

One significant campaign donor, who requested anonymity to speak freely about his experience with Santos, told CNN on Thursday that he had been connected with Santos after GOP Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York introduced them. “She asked me to talk to him when he first ran,” he told CNN.

This donor plans to speak with both Santos and Stefanik.

“I liked George,” he told CNN, but “I’ve got to confront him – I don’t need any skeletons in my closet.”

Stefanik’s office did not respond to CNN’s request for comment.

Although the donor initially “sensed” that Santos came across as an “embellisher,” the donor believed that Santos’ “heart was in the right place.” Santos allegedly told this donor that he worked at Goldman Sachs and would “always talk about the big deals he’d done.”

Another person who interacted with Santos at fundraising events told CNN that when he met Santos, he “thought he was a little fake-it-till-you-make it guy. … He was making these claims like he was a financial whiz.”

This person, who also requested anonymity to speak freely about Santos, told CNN he has been in contact with the representative-elect, and shared text messages from December 22 in which Santos claimed he has been in touch with the Office of Congressional Ethics.

“I’ve been in touch with the office of congressional ethics and anything they want they have,” Santos told the person in a text message shared with CNN.

It is unclear whether Santos has been in touch with the Office of Congressional Ethics, and if so, who initiated the contact. Santos made the comment in an exchange in which he appeared to be trying to assuage a concerned donor.

CNN has reached out to the OCE requesting confirmation. The office investigates complaints from the public and could refer the matter to the House Ethics Committee – potentially the first step toward a congressional investigation of Santos.

Santos’ office has not responded to CNN’s repeated requests for comment.

Another campaign donor, who similarly requested anonymity to speak freely, told CNN on Friday that she “of course is shocked” following the news of the congressman-elect’s alleged deception and feels “betrayed and lied to.”

The donor explained that she had supported Santos because he was the frontrunner in her local race, and, “I had no reason to think that he would have done what he did.”

“I usually have fairly good instincts, but he was just good at this!” she told CNN.

She said she doesn’t understand why he would make up these claims.

“It is one thing to embellish, and the work experience alone doesn’t disturb me as much,” she said. “But to make up heritage – that is unspeakable.”

This story has been updated Saturday with a statement from Santos’ attorney.

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Thirteen bison killed in traffic accident near Yellowstone Park



CNN
 — 

Multiple bison died near the western entrance of Yellowstone National Park in Montana on Wednesday after being struck by a semi-truck, according to police.

“Thirteen bison were killed in this traffic accident, with some of the bison needing to be euthanized due to severe injuries,” said the West Yellowstone Police Department in a news release posted to Facebook on Friday.

The accident took place on Highway 191 near mile marker 4. Bison tend to frequent the 191 corridor between town and the Highway 287 junction. During the winter months, they can often be found “near paved roadways and snowmobile trails due to these areas being easier for them to travel,” according to the release.

“This often puts them near or on the highway and in the path of vehicles,” police said. “We deal with wildlife being struck and killed on the roadways in our area on a regular basis due to the abundance of wildlife in our area and our close proximity to Yellowstone National Park. We are always saddened by any of these incidents, particularly when so many animals are lost.”

Police used the incident to remind drivers to “slow down” and take proper precautions based on road and weather conditions.

“Although speed may not necessarily have been a factor in this accident, road conditions at the time would dictate traveling below the posted speed limit,” police said. “Please do not drive faster than you can stop within the distance that your headlights project.”

Officials initially thought multiple vehicles were involved, but after “further and thorough investigation,” police determined that all 13 bison were struck by the semi-truck. An official investigation into the accident is underway, according to the release.

Yellowstone National Park is home to a population of bison that fluctuates from between 2,300 to 5,500 animals, according to the National Park Service. The park is the only place in the United States where bison have continually lived since prehistoric times, says the service. The large mammals were hunted to the brink of extinction by the early 1900s.

The species, named the national mammal in 2016, is now flourishing in Yellowstone National Park after dedicated conservation, breeding, and reintroduction efforts. The Yellowstone bison are managed through a federal-state agreement that seeks to protect the population while also preventing them from spreading a bacterial infection called brucellosis to Montana cattle.

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These 4 behaviors will raise 'red flags' on a first date, according to Tinder and Hinge users. Here's how to avoid them

If you’ve been swiping on the dating apps recently, you’ve probably noticed that the bios of your potential matches are littered with the red flag emoji – this year it was one of the most frequently used emoji in Tinder bios, according to the app’s data. 

Some red flags are pretty specific to the person (think: “don’t love dogs!”) but others are commonly held.

And all of them can thwart your attempt at a long-term partnership — something many singles expressed wanting this year — before it even begins.

In 2022, 50% of singles said they would’ve been happier over the last year if they’d been in a relationship. In 2021, 35% had the same response. 

Here are four red flags that might cost you a potential match, according to dating app data.

Getting drunk on a first date

Three-in-four singles don’t want to get drinks on a first date, according to Hinge’s data.

Of those surveyed, 45% said they prefer sober dates because they are prioritizing their mental health and 55% said it helps them get to know the other person better.

What should you do instead? 

Well, 17% of daters on the app would rather meet for coffee. About 11% would rather see a show or go to a museum and 14% would rather go for a walk.

Being ‘too into’ Instagram 

Those who are “too into” Instagram or Snapchat come off as self absorbed, according to Hinge users.

That’s why 74% of said don’t want to date someone who is constantly using social networking apps. 

While on a date, it’s probably best to keep the phone face down. 

Not knowing about politics or social issues 

Being in the know about social and political issues is a huge plus for daters, according to Tinder data. 

A whopping 75% of singles were looking for a match who respected or were invested in social issues. 

And almost half, 47%, of singles said that finding out the person they are dating is a non-voter is a “deal breaker.” 

This doesn’t mean your views have to totally align with those of a potential partner. Only 24% of users said they want to date someone who thinks exactly as they do and 46% said they would date someone who has different political views. 

Bringing up trauma 

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