Thursday, March 18, 2021

Wake-Up Call: Shooting Suspect Claims 'Sex Addiction'


The 21-year-old suspect in the attacks at three Atlanta-area massage parlors was charged Wednesday with killing eight people. Police said that Robert Aaron Long told them that even though six of the eight victims were women of Asian descent, the Tuesday attacks weren't racially motivated. He claimed instead to have a "sex addiction," and attacked the massage parlors as places of temptation for him. Officials also said he was heading to Florida when he was apprehended to attack, quote, "some type of porn industry." 


Robert Long
Cherokee County Sheriff's Captain Jay Baker told reporters, "He apparently has an issue, what he considers a sex addiction, and sees these locations as something that allows him to go to these places, and it’s a temptation for him that he wanted to eliminate." Baker was criticized for saying that Long allegedly carried out the killings after he'd had, quote, "a really bad day." Despite Long claiming the attacks weren't racially motivated, they've struck fear in the Asian American community, which has been targeted by increased assaults during the coronavirus pandemic. President Biden tweeted yesterday in response to the attack, "We don’t yet know the motive, but what we do know is that the Asian-American community is feeling enormous pain tonight. The recent attacks against the community are un-American. They must stop."


➤TWO JURORS DISMISSED FROM TRIAL OF OFFICER IN GEORGE FLOYD CASE OVER $27 MILLION SETTLEMENT NEWS: The judge in the trial of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer charged with murder in the death of George Floyd, yesterday dismissed two jurors who'd been selected due to concerns they'd been tainted by the news last week that the city had reached a $27 million settlement with Floyd's family. At the request of Chauvin's attorney, Judge Peter Cahill questioned seven jurors who'd been seated before the settlement news broke, asking what they knew about it and whether it would affect their ability to serve, ultimately dismissing two of them. Cahill said he'll rule Friday on the defense request to delay or move the trial because of the settlement news. Meanwhile, two more jurors were chosen yesterday, bringing the total selected so far back up to nine. A total of 12 jurors and two alternates will need to be chosen.

➤INTELLIGENCE REPORT: VIOLENT EXTREMISTS POSE 'ELEVATED THREAT' TO U.S.: An unclassified intelligence report released yesterday said there is a, quote, "elevated threat" to the U.S. from violent extremists motivated by different ideologies and racial biases. Weeks after the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol, President Biden assigned intelligence officials to evaluate the threat from extremists. A classified report was given to the White House and Congress, and an unclassified summary released publicly yesterday. Intelligence officials said in the report that the deadliest threat is from racially-motivated violent extremists and militia groups. They also said that developments like anger over conditions related to the pandemic and belief in the false claim that the November presidential election was fraudulent, quote, "will almost certainly" spur more violence this year.
 

➤BIDEN DEFENDS NOT PUNISHING SAUDI CROWN PRINCE FOR KHASHOGGI MURDER: President Biden yesterday defended not punishing Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salmon for the October 2018 murder of Saudi Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who was killed and dismembered at the Saudi embassy in Istanbul, Turkey. U.S. intelligence has concluded in a report released last month that bin Salman authorized the team that killed Khashoggi. Biden said in an ABC News interview, "We held accountable all the people in that organization -- but not the crown prince, because we have never that I’m aware of, when we have an alliance with a country, gone to the acting head of state and punished that person and ostracized him." However, AP noted the U.S. doesn't have a treaty binding it to Saudi Arabia and it isn't designated as a major non-NATO ally. In speaking about holding people accountable, Biden was referring to the U.S. having imposed penalties and visa restrictions on the Saudi agents who killed Khashoggi.


➤EXPERTS...POST-LOCKDOWN LIFE WON’T BE AS ROSY AS YOU THINK DUE TO SHIFTING FRIENDSHIPS AND VALUES:   If you think post-lockdown life is going to be sweet, you might not want to get your hopes up too high. Dr. Lora Bourke is principal lecturer in psychology at Liverpool Hope University, and says when restrictions are lifted things won’t necessarily be rosy. She explains that friendship groups are likely to have shifted dramatically, leading to new tensions when groups meet up again. There’s also the potential for family fights to be reignited, as well as the realization that returning to the workplace is quite a mundane experience. Bourke says, “If your life wasn’t making you happy before the pandemic, the same complex troubles and concerns will be there once more when restrictions are lifted. For me the danger is in mentally building an imaginary, post-pandemic false utopia.” She adds, “Whenever there’s a crisis, there’s usually a reassessment of re-evaluation of values and beliefs. We’ve all been forced into thinking about what really matters to us. We’ll likely see big shifts in these values and beliefs across a number of areas.”


➤WHY ALLERGIES MIGHT BE ZAPPING YOUR ENERGY: If you’ve been constantly tired it could be due to allergies. Dr. Catherine Monteleone, an allergist-immunologist, says, “Seasonal allergies can make you feel less energized.” There are a few reasons for this: you’re not breathing well (your body has to work a little harder to operate normally, which is tiring), the immune response is tough on your body (allergies cause inflammation, which means your body needs more energy to create the immune response, plus the release of histamines can make you feel tired), you’re having trouble sleeping (due to nasal congestion), and your medication is wiping you out (certain allergy medications can make you feel tired.) To avoid all of this, the experts advise you get tests to find out what you’re allergic to so you can avoid it, and then consider taking an allergy medication that is non-drowsy. If you’re really struggling with allergies, be sure to see a doctor to see about your options.


➤DISNEYLAND WILL REOPEN ON APRIL 30TH AT LIMITED CAPACITY, REQUIRE GUESTS TO MAKE RESERVATIONS: Last March, Disneyland in California made the decision to close down amid the coronavirus pandemic, and now the park finally has a reopening date. Disneyland has confirmed its parks will be reopening on April 30th. However, there are some restrictions: guest attendance will be limited to 15 percent, and visitors will need to make reservations ahead of time. Guests will also likely be expected to wear face coverings the whole time they’re in the parks, though that has yet to be confirmed.


🏀'MARCH MADNESS' BEGINS TODAY: The "March Madness" NCAA men's basketball tournament gets underway today with the First Four games, one year after 2020's tournament was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. Even though it is being played this year, the pandemic is still affecting the tournament, with players, coaches and staff under tight restrictions about where they can go, although they're not calling it a "bubble," and with daily Covid testing. Additionally, nearly all the games are being played in the Indianapolis area because of Covid, with limited fan attendance. There's been just seven positives out of 6,900 coronavirus tests analyzed as of yesterday, and all 68 teams selected for the tournament have been cleared to play.

🏈49ERS REACH SIX-YEAR, $138 MILLION DEAL WITH LEFT TACKLE TRENT WILLIAMS: The San Francisco 49ers have reached a six-year, $138.1 million deal keeping left tackle Trent Williams, according to his agent, the highest-priced contract ever for an offensive lineman. Williams was traded to the 49ers before last season from the Washington Football Team, with whom he'd sat out the entire 2019 season over a dispute with the front office.

➤TWO MORE LAWSUITS AGAINST WATSON ALLEGE SEXUAL ASSAULT: One day after Houston attorney Tony Buzbee announced a lawsuit against Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson alleging sexual assault of a woman giving him a massage, Buzbee announced two more lawsuits Wednesday. The second lawsuit also alleged inappropriate conduct during a massage, and while Buzbee didn't give details about the third suit, he said it was, quote, "the most egregious" so far. Watson denied the initial allegation on social media Tuesday night. The Texans issued a statement Wednesday that said, in part, "We take accusations of this nature that involve anyone within the Houston Texans organization seriously. We will await further information before making any additional statements on this incident."

🏀HEAT TRADE LEONARD IN WAKE OF ANTI-SEMITIC SLUR: The Miami Heat traded center Meyers Leonard to the Oklahoma City Thunder yesterday and a second-round pick in the 2027 draft for Trevor Ariza. The Thunder, however, don't plan to keep Leonard, saying he, quote, "will not be an active member of the organization." They may trade him or choose not to pick up his option for next season. The trade comes after Leonard used an anti-Semitic slur while livestreamaing a video game last week, for which he apologized. The NBA fined him the maximum $50,000 and suspended him for one week, and also required him to participate in a cultural diversity program.

🏒SABRES FIRE HEAD COACH KRUEGER: The Buffalo Sabres fired head coach Ralph Krueger yesterday, with the team in the midst of a 12-game winless streak. Krueger was in the second year of a three-year contract, after his first season was cut short by the pandemic, with the Sabres losing out on a playoff berth. Assistant coach Don Granato will take over on an interim basis.
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