President Joe Biden pardons son Hunter Biden
On Dec. 1, President Joe Biden issued a full presidential pardon for his son, Hunter Biden, excusing him of any crimes committed between Jan. 1, 2014, and Dec. 1, 2024. Hunter Biden had plead guilty to 12-gun, tax, and drug related crimes, and is facing a sentence of up to 42 years in prison.
Democrats and Republicans alike are furious at the president’s actions, since Biden had promised not to pardon his son in the past, but has since gone back on his word, stating that his son was unfairly targeted. “Raw politics has infected this process, and it led to a miscarriage of justice,” he said in his Dec. 1 statement.
Presidents pardoning family members is nothing new, with recent presidents like Bill Clinton and Donald Trump pardoning family members for similar crimes without reason. Regardless, the pardon has sparked much controversy, as many politicians claim Biden’s pardon was corrupt.
2 dead, 2 injured following shooting in Hollywood
A tragic shooting unfolded in Hollywood, Florida on Dec. 1 at around 1 a.m. The shooting, which took place at a late-night baby shower at Jaycee Hall, left two people dead and two people hospitalized. One person was pronounced dead immediately, and another sadly passed away after being rushed to Memorial Regional Hospital, where the other two hospitalized victims still reside.
So far, no culprit has been apprehended or discovered. The reason as to why the shooting occurred still remains a mystery, since there was no clear motive for anyone. Police are still investigating the killings.
P Diddy hit with new lawsuit
American rapper P Diddy, or Sean Combs, is facing yet another lawsuit related to abuse. Already facing over a dozen charges for rape, assault, sex trafficking, drugging people, and arson, this is just the latest allegation that Diddy is facing. This time, he’s facing an accusation of attempting to assault his former girlfriend, Bryana Bongolan, and then dangling her over a 17-story-high balcony.
Allegedly, Diddy entered her house enraged, found her on the balcony, then attempted to assault her. He apparently became more violent and held her off the side of the balcony, with only his hands to prevent her from falling 17 stories to the ground. After this, he threw her back onto the balcony. Should these charges prove true, Diddy is likely to serve even more jail time. He is currently being held in jail for several weeks as a result of prior charges.
South Korea lifts martial law
On Dec. 3, for the first time in 45 years of democratic rule, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, a member of the right-wing People Power Party, declared martial law late at night. His military forces surrounded the South Korean parliament, breaking through windows and arresting protesters.
They suspended all parliamentary activity under the justification of “anti-state behavior” occurring in the parliament. However, many believe this is a coverup for his true desires to suspend voting on a budget bill that’s plagued by investigations into his appointed Cabinet members and claims of corruption on President Yoon’s account.
Stunned protestors took to the streets to protest and were arrested en masse. Within 6 hours, the coup was disbanded, and martial law was suspended once more, at the vote of South Korea’s National Assembly, which was then enforced by the President’s Cabinet. He is now facing encouragement to step down, as many of his aides and Cabinet members have been doing over the week.
UnitedHealthcare CEO murdered
The CEO of UnitedHealthcare, Brian Thompson, was shot and murdered in broad daylight on the streets of New York City on Dec. 4. The CEO, famous for denying care to thousands of people (the exact number is unknown) for the profit of the company, while raking in $10.2 million in profit annually for himself.
Thompson was shot dead by an anonymous masked suspect. Police searched for a week, unable to discover the killer, until he was finally found in a McDonald’s with a bag that contained a silencer for the murder weapon, as well as a manifesto he wrote detailing the murder. The suspect, now in custody, is 26-year-old Luigi Mangione, a former top-student. Upon investigation of the scene, shell cases for the bullets had the words “delay, deny, depose” engraved on the side, along with a bag full of Monopoly money.
While the NCPD urged anyone with information to come forward, the public has been generally celebrating the masked killer as a hero — a sort of vigilante that brought death to a man that many see as a profiteer of tragedy, scamming people out of medical coverage.
The NCPD has faced scrutiny over the arrest, with many claiming that they have the wrong person, because the photos of the killer’s eyebrows and skin tone don’t match that of Mangione, and because of the fact that the story of the apprehension is very convenient. However, much of the story is yet to be revealed, and legal arrangements are being made.
