2 Arrested Pa. Teens May Have Planned School Shooting, Police Say

Authorities say they believe two teenagers arrested on conspiracy and other charges after a trespassing incident at a western Pennsylvania high school may have been planning a shooting at the school.

A 17-year-old Conemaugh Township youth and a 16-year-old Upper Yoder Township youth were charged in Cambria County with conspiracy to commit terrorism and aggravated assault, District Attorney Greg Neugebauer said. The older teen is also charged with attempted aggravated assault and the younger with conspiracy to commit criminal trespass and a firearms count, he said.

Chief Donald Hess of the Upper Yoder Township police department said five weapons were seized at the home of the younger teen — one pump-action rifle and four AR-15-style semi-automatic rifles that were untraceable “ghost guns" not made by a manufacturer and without serial numbers.

Authorities allege that the younger teen, a Westmont Hilltop High School student, allowed the older teen, a former student, into the building Tuesday. The older teen had been barred from the school by a court order after an alleged prior threat “to shoot up" the high school, Hess said. The younger teen is accused of having posted a picture of him inside with what Hess described as a “kind of ominous-like” message about his return.





https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/national-international/2-arrested-pa-teens-may-have-planned-school-shooting-police-say/2777405/?_osource=SocialFlowTwt_LABrand

Half of Chicago Bulls roster now in COVID-19 protocol

Half of the Chicago Bulls’ roster is now in COVID-19 protocol after an outbreak on the team was first detected earlier this month.

Zach LaVine and Troy Brown Jr. both entered COVID-19 protocol on Sunday, marking the eighth and ninth players to be sidelined because of the virus, The Chicago Tribune reported, citing tweets from ESPN Senior NBA Insider Adrian Wojnarowski.

Players are put into COVID-19 protocol if they test positive for the virus, have an inconclusive test or have been exposed to someone who tested positive.

Bulls player Coby White tested positive for COVID-19 on Dec. 1, marking the beginning of the outbreak that would end up benching half of the team’s roster. At least one player on the team has entered protocol every two days since White’s positive test, according to the Tribune.

Ayo Dosunmu, Stanley Johnson, DeMar DeRozan, Matt Thomas, Derrick Jones Jr., LaVine, Brown Jr. and White are all in protocol, according to CBS Sports.




https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/585480-half-of-chicago-bulls-roster-now-in-covid-19-protocol

Bonus Tweet of the Day

CNN is hiring Trump staffer Alyssa Farah, whose father founded WorldNetDaily

Israel to remove security detail for Netanyahu family

JERUSALEM -- An Israeli parliamentary committee voted Sunday to stop providing personal security for former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu's wife and adult sons, six months after the longtime leader was ousted from power.

The decision, which goes into effect Monday, came despite pleas from Netanyahu that his family is regularly subjected to threats on their lives.

Netanyahu was unseated from the prime minister's office in June after a constellation of political parties united in their opposition to him succeeded in forming a government without his long-ruling Likud party. The one-time leader, who served as prime minister for 12 consecutive years, is now the opposition leader and continues to have a state-issued security detail.

Under standard procedures, security and a chauffeured vehicle are granted to the family of a former prime minister for the first six months after he leaves office. But in January, at Netanyahu's insistence, that limit was extended by a ministerial committee to one year.




https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/israel-remove-security-detail-netanyahu-family-81704690?cid=social_twitter_abcnp

SD: Are you proud, Kristi Noem?

Pelosi will stay around to lead House Democrats through the next election -- and perhaps beyond

(CNN)Speaker Nancy Pelosi will stay until at least after the midterm elections, extending her nearly 20-year run as the House's top Democrat after she turns 82 and, perhaps, beyond.

She is planning to file and run for reelection in her San Francisco district next year -- at least for now -- in keeping with her pattern of deciding about staying in Congress after the elections, when she likely will have won an 18th full term.

And sources familiar with Pelosi's thinking say she isn't ruling out the possibility of trying to stay in leadership after 2022, despite her original vow to leave as the top House Democrat. She'll devote much of next year to raising money for Democrats as they try to hold their narrow majority, those sources tell CNN, adding to the nearly $1 billion her office calculates she has already raised for Democrats in her time as leader.

The months of tortuous negotiations over President Joe Biden's legislative initiatives are inspiring a contradictory mix of emotions. Many House Democrats are more eager than ever to see the California Democrat go and give way to younger leadership. But even many of those same lawmakers are terrified that, without her, they will be consumed by squabbling instead of fighting back against House Republicans at a moment when the fundamentals of American democracy appear to be on the line.

"Where do we go from here?" one member said, expressing the stress. "I don't know."



https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/12/politics/nancy-pelosi-house-democrats-leadership-2022/index.html

Tweet of the Day

Extra Bonus Tweet of the Day

Deadly Collapse at Amazon Warehouse Puts Spotlight on Phone Ban

An Amazon.com Inc. warehouse collapse on Friday night that killed at least six people has amplified concerns among its blue collar workforce about the return of the internet retailer’s mobile phone ban in work areas.

The warehouse in Edwardsville, Illinois, near St. Louis, was reduced to rubble when a string of tornadoes ripped through six states, leaving a trail of destruction that stretched more than 200 miles. Emergency responders expect recovery efforts to continue into next week.

Amazon had for years prohibited workers from carrying their phones on warehouse floors, requiring them to leave them in vehicles or employee lockers before passing through security checks that include metal detectors. The company backed off during the pandemic, but has been gradually reintroducing it at facilities around the country.

Five Amazon employees, including two who work across the street from the building that collapsed, said they want access to information such as updates on potentially deadly weather events through their smartphones -- without interference from Amazon.

The phones can also help them communicate with emergency responders or loved ones if they are trapped, they said. “After these deaths, there is no way in hell I am relying on Amazon to keep me safe,” said one worker from a neighboring Amazon facility in Illinois. “If they institute the no cell phone policy, I am resigning.”




https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-12-12/deadly-collapse-at-amazon-warehouse-puts-spotlight-on-phone-ban