2000 FACTS

Published by Norman Weiss for Prime Timer Seth Rogen and Sarah Silverman's raunchy and satirical animated HBO Max tribute to the Rankin/Bass Christmas specials, created by Shrill's Alexandra Rushfield, "is proudly crude and immature without wholly abandoning the holiday spirit," says Daniel Fienberg. "Often that immaturity comes at the expense of Santa Inc. ever being nearly as subversive as it thinks it is, but I’m not sure anybody involved here is likely to take my wish that the series were a bit smarter and maybe a hair more refined seriously." Fienberg adds: "Still, Santa Inc. works on some traditional levels, especially when it comes to its ensemble. Silverman’s Candy even resembles her Wreck-It-Ralph character and she plays right into the sort of enthusiastic, high-energy dirtiness that has always been the comedian’s hallmark. Rogen’s Santa boasts the actor’s reliable well-intentioned bluster and Nicholas Braun’s Devin, a frat boy with

Published by Hannah Nathanson for The Washington Post : Matthew Hawn checked his phone to see if the wait was finally over. It had been five months since he was fired for teaching about white privilege at a high school in rural Tennessee. Two months since he had fought to regain his job at an emotional three-day hearing, becoming a symbol of the acrimonious debate over the way race, racism and history should be taught in America’s schools. Now - nothing. No announcements from the school district about his appeal effort. No messages from his lawyer. No texts from the friends and former colleagues who had sustained him through a lonely half-year of jobless limbo. Could he return to teaching in his hometown? Apparently, no one knew, although an independent hearing officer was supposed to deliver a verdict by the end of the week. It was now Friday, inching past 4:26 p.m. on an October afternoon. Hawn, 43, white and balding, sighed. Marloh, his German shepherd, started

Published by Cory Stieg for CNBC : Omicron is the unwelcome party guest at everyone’s holiday gatherings this year. Scientists are still trying to learn about the new Covid variant — including how transmissible it is, how well current vaccines work against it and where its biggest hotspots are. Many of those answers won’t be known for at least a couple weeks, just in time for Christmas. Without those answers, you may need to ask yourself a tough question: Is it safe to attend a holiday party? If you’re vaccinated and gathering with other vaccinated people, the answer is a simple “yes,” White House chief medical advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci said in a briefing last week. Ideally, every guest should be boosted, too. If anyone’s unvaccinated at your party — including small children who aren’t yet vaccine-eligible — or unwilling to share their vaccination status, your decision gets much harder. You’ll face a higher risk of getting sick or transmitting the virus to someone else, e

Members of the Sackler family on Monday said billions of dollars they collected from Purdue Pharma before the company filed for Chapter 11 in the United States was the result of extra cash, not part of a “secret plan” to abuse the bankruptcy system. In court papers, lawyers for the Sackler family members, who controlled Purdue Pharma, rejected US District Judge Colleen McMahon’s suggestion that the more than $10bn the company paid out in the years leading up to the 2019 bankruptcy could amount to an abuse of the Chapter 11 process. Around half of the money went to taxes or business investments, according to court documents. The Sacklers are alleged to have drained Purdue Pharma of cash over several years. When it eventually filed for bankruptcy in the face of lawsuits over the opioid epidemic, the company needed the Sacklers’ money to settle the billions of dollars of legal claims. In return, the Sacklers were able to demand protection from the lawsuits. The Sacklers rejecte

Published by Charlotte Pence Bond for The Daily Wire Democratic Governor of Wisconsin Tony Evers vetoed five pro-life bills on Friday, sharing photos of himself doing so on Twitter. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again today: as long as I’m governor, I will veto any legislation that turns back the clock on reproductive rights in this state—and that’s a promise. — Governor Tony Evers (@GovEvers) December 3, 2021 He was praised by Planned Parenthood Advocates of Wisconsin, which tweeted, “Thank you [Governor Evers] for vetoing these bills and protecting access to abortion & birth control!” Thank you @GovEvers for vetoing these bills and protecting access to abortion & birth control! https://t.co/caqLE4Zjvd — Planned Parenthood Advocates of Wisconsin (@PPAWI) December 3, 2021 Reproductive health decisions should be made by women and their doctors — NOT legislators. Thank you @GovEvers for your vetoes, it was an honor to join you this morning. #AbortionIsHealthcare

Jennifer and James Crumbley, the parents of an alleged shooting suspect, have been taken into custody after police found the couple inside a building in Detroit. Ethan Crumbley, their 15-year-old son, is suspected of having opened fire and killing four people at Oxford High School in Oxford, Michigan, on Nov. 30. The teen was charged as an adult a day later, with one count of terrorism causing death, four counts of first-degree murder, seven counts of assault with intent to murder, and 12 counts of possession of a firearm in the commission of a felony. Parents Jennifer and James were not available for their arraignment on Friday afternoon in Rochester Hills. By late Friday, the U.S. Marshals Service released wanted posters for the couple and offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to their arrests. Here on Bellevue, in between Lafayette and St. Paul, near where the Crumbleys were arrested. Law enforcement departing. Detroit Police Chief James E. White is supposed t

Published by Decision Magazine for Harbinger's Daily The day after the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, a new law restricting chemical abortions took effect in Texas. “Mail-order abortion drugs are now prohibited in Texas,” Texas Gov. Greg Abbott tweeted. “Earlier this year, the Biden Admin. temporarily lifted restrictions on abortion-inducing drugs allowing them to be delivered by mail. We will not allow that in Texas.” Mail-order abortion drugs are now prohibited in Texas. Earlier this year, the Biden Admin. temporarily lifted restrictions on abortion-inducing drugs allowing them to be delivered by mail. We will not allow that in Texas. Thank you @SenatorLucio & @StephanieKlick . pic.twitter.com/r5v0D8xxqr — Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) September 24, 2021 The law, known as SB 4 , specifies that “a manufacturer, supplier, physician or any other person may not provide to a patient any abortion-inducing drug by c