By GABRIELA SÁ PESSOA and MAURICIO SAVARESE, Associated Press SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil’s federal police said Thursday they indicted former President Jair Bolsonaro and 36 other people for allegedly attempting a coup to keep him in office after his defeat in the 2022 elections. Police said their findings were being delivered Thursday to Brazil’s Supreme Court, which must decide whether to refer them to Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet, who will either formally charge Bolsonaro and put him on trial, or toss the investigation. The former right-wing president has denied all claims he tried to stay in office after his narrow electoral defeat in 2022 to his rival, leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Bolsonaro has faced a series of legal threats since then. Police said in a brief statement that the Supreme Court had agreed to reveal the names of all 37 people who were indicted “to avoid the dissemination of incorrect news.” The 700-page police document likely will take several days for the court to review, Supreme Court justice Alexandre de Moraes said. Dozens of former and current Bolsonaro aides also were indicted, including Gen. Walter Braga Netto, who was his running mate in the 2022 campaign; former Army commander Gen. Paulo Sérgio Nogueira de Oliveira; Valdemar Costa Neto, the chairman of Bolsonaro’s Liberal Party; and his veteran former adviser, Gen. Augusto Heleno. The investigation started last year. On Tuesday, four military men and one federal police agent were arrested as part of the same probe . Other investigations focus on Bolosnaro’s potential roles in smuggling diamond jewelry into Brazil without properly declaring them, and in directing a subordinate to falsify his and others’ COVID-19 vaccination statuses. Bolsonaro has denied any involvement in either. Another probe found that he had abused his authority to cast doubt on the country’s voting system, and judges barred him from running again until 2030. The far-reaching investigations have weakened Bolsonaro’s status as a leader of Brazil’s right wing, said Carlos Melo, a political science professor at Insper University in Sao Paulo. “Bolsonaro is already barred from running in the 2026 elections,” Melo told the The Associated Press. “And if he is convicted he could also be jailed by then. To avoid being behind bars, he will have to convince Supreme Court justices that he has nothing to do with a plot that involves dozens of his aids. That’s a very tall order,” Melo said. On Tuesday, the federal police arrested four military and a federal police officer accused of plotting to overthrow the government following the 2022 elections, including alleged plans to kill Lula and other top officials.The Miami Heat and Milwaukee Bucks meet for the first time of the season in a TNT doubleheader. Miami is 7-7 on the season and playing its second game in eight days. Miami beat Dallas 123-118 in OT on Sunday thanks to a Jimmy Butler dunk that sent the game into OT. Butler scored 33 points and had back-to-back 30-point games for the first time all season. Milwaukee is 8-9 this year and has four straight wins over Houston, Chicago, Indiana, and Charlotte. Giannis Antetokounmpo has led the Bucks in scoring with three straight games of 32 or more points but faces his toughest test against a Miami team that he averages 19.0 career points per game against. With that said, let’s dive into the matchup and offer some information and possibly a sweat or two. We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on how to catch the opening tip, projected lineups, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts. Listen to the Rotoworld Basketball Show for the latest player news, waiver claims, roster advice and more from our experts all season long. Details & how to watch Bucks @ Heat ● Date: Tuesday, November 26, 2024 ● Time: 7:30 PM ET ● Site: American Airlines Arena ● City: Miami, FL ● TV/Streaming: TNT Never miss a second of the action and stay up-to-date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day MLB schedule page , along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game with every out. Game odds for Milwaukee @ Miami The latest odds as of Tuesday afternoon: ● Moneyline: Milwaukee Bucks (+115), Miami Heat (-135) ● Spread: Miami -2 (-110) ● Total: 222.5 Bet the Edge is your source for all things sports betting. Get all of Jay Croucher and Drew Dinsick’s insight on weekdays at 6AM ET right here or wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Probable starting lineups for Milwaukee and Miami · Milwaukee Bucks (8-9) PG Damian Lillard SG Andre Jackson SF Taurean Prince PF Giannis Antetokounmpo C Brook Lopez · Miami Heat (7-7) PG Tyler Herro SG Duncan Robinson SF Jimmy Butler PF Haywood Highsmith C Bam Adebayo Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Bucks @ Heat Milwaukee is 6-10-1 ATS this season, ranking tied for seventh-worst. Miami is 7-7 ATS this season and 2-4 at home, ranking 8th-worst. Milwaukee is 1-2 ATS as a road underdog and 2-5 ATS as a road team overall, ranking third-worst. Milwaukee is 10-7 to the Under, ranking fifth-best. Miami is 8-6 ot the Over this year. Giannis Antetokounmpo scored at least 32 points in three straight games. Jimmy Butler has 30 and 33 points in the last two games. Notable Player Props for Bucks @ Heat Highest Point Props Giannis Antetokounmpo O/U 30.5 Points Damian Lillard O/U 23.5 Points Tyler Herro O/U 21.5 Points Jimmy Butler O/U 20.5 Points Bam Adebayo O/U 17.5 Points Highest Rebound Props Giannis Antetokounmpo O/U 11.5 Points Bam Adebayo O/U 10.5 Rebounds Bobby Portis O/U 7.5 Rebounds Highest Assist Props Damian Lillard O/U 7.5 Assists Giannis Antetokounmpo O/U 5.5 Assists Tyler Herro O/U 4.5 Assists Expert picks & predictions for Bucks @ Heat Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700. NBC Sports Bet Best Bet Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports) likes the Miami Heat to go UNDER the first-quarter Team Total of 29.5: “These teams know each other real well having played each other in the 2022-23 postseason and three teams last year, so I expect a competitive and fun Cup Game between the Bucks and Heat. I am going Under 29.5 first-quarter points for Miami in this spot. Lately, Miami has struggled in the first quarter with 25.0 1Q PPG in the past five (29th in Offensive Efficiency). Overall, Miami ranks 24th in the NBA with 26.8 first-quarter points per game (22nd in off eff) and 14th with 29.2 at home (14th in off eff). When they met last year, Miami scored 28, 22, and 40 first-quarter points. The Heat are coming off an OT game and this will be the second game in eight days for Miami, which isn’t always a great equation to fast starts.” Here are the best bets our model is projecting for the Bucks and the Heat: · Moneyline : NBC Sports finds confidence in taking Miami on the ML (-135) · Spread : NBC Sports has strong confidence in Miami -2 on the spread · Total : NBC Sports has low confidence towards a play on the Total OVER 222.5 points Want even more NBA best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the EXPERT NBA Predictions page from NBC Sports for money line, spread and total picks for each of the games on today’s calendar! Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff: · Jay Croucher (@croucherJD) · Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper) · Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports) · Brad Thomas (@MrBradThomas)
Indore: SGSITS Receives Rs 1 Crore Support Form Startups, HAL Collab To Boost Innovation'Positive shift' as Aussies turn to zero-alcohol drinks over holidays
Itron SVP Donald Reeves sells $27,182 in common stock
UK’s rising inflation may subdue spending this Christmas, says Asda/CEBRBiomanufacturing might appear to be centered around the cell line, which does enjoy a certain pride of place, ensconced as it is in the bioreactor, where conditions are carefully monitored and exquisitely controlled. Yet the cell line exists to generate a product. So, one might argue that biomanufacturing is in fact centered around the product, whether it is an antibody, a recombinant protein, or a vaccine. Admittedly, the product suffers various indignities during downstream processing, such as being transferred from one unit operation to the next, enduring capture, intermediate purification, and polishing. But in its own way, the product is quite as pampered as the cell line. The product must not be unduly diminished in quantity—and certainly not in quality, not at all. The product’s integrity must be preserved. To accommodate the product, biomanufacturers can take advantage of tools, such as chromatography columns and membrane filters, that can smooth the product’s downstream processing journey. Choosing the appropriate columns and filters can expedite purification, improve recovery, and increase productivity. Other tools include design of experiment (DOE) studies, which can improve the management of processing parameters, either through a traditional trial-and-error approach or through machine learning, which can predict how specific parameters may affect the entire process at different times under various conditions. Finally, the product may follow the usual downstream itinerary, a series of synchronized steps, or it may have the luxury of a single, integrated, end-to-end process—or something in between. So, let the cell line have its bioreactor throne. The product may soon travel the royal road of purification on the way to fill and finish. To see how the product’s path is becoming smoother and more continuous, read about the advances discussed in this article, which conveys the insights of a retinue of downstream processing experts. Large biotherapeutic molecules originate from a variety of sources—plasma, supernatant, or cell lysate, for example—with differing requirements for chromatographic separation. Size matters. But so do factors such as hydrodynamic radius, sensitivity to shear stress, propensity to aggregate or fragment, and the presence of closely related impurities, to name but a few. However, all of them, “suffer from slow diffusion and mass transfer kinetics and, as a result, low binding capacity,” Artur Stanczak, application specialist, process chromatography, Bio-Rad Laboratories, said in a recent webinar. This need not always be the case. Dealing with large molecules requires modern resins that are fit for purpose. Stanczak discussed aspects of Bio-Rad’s Nuvia resin family members, such as a narrow distribution range, optimized ligand density, and rigid hydrophilic phase matrix. For example, he said that with Nuvia resins, even high flow rates “won’t impact DBC [dynamic binding capacity] dramatically because of the rigid polymer structure.” The idea is to reduce nonspecific binding and free up some binding sites. Some of the resins, such as Nuvia HP-Q, offer properties such optimized pore structure and surface extenders. These allow for high DBC at high flow rates, and thus an improved recovery of the target product and an increase in productivity. DOE studies should be conducted to determine ideal conditions, including testing factors such as pH and conductivity. Understanding critical process parameters is also important for optimizing the filtration process. For example, parameters such as concentration, crossflow, and transmembrane pressure (TMP) determine transmembrane flux, which directly impacts filter performance. Ordinarily, these parameters are assessed via TMP excursions, which involve measuring volume flow through a membrane at specific time points. “This approach, however, only provides snapshots; it’s not predictive,” explains Mark Duerkop, PhD, CEO of Novasign. “The current setup relies heavily on trial and error, lacking a straightforward, systematic method.” Novasign’s intuitive software studio leverages machine learning to derive insights from an automated TMP excursion. From that training run, it automatically builds a model to simulate various scenarios in silico, guiding operators on optimizing their chosen parameters—whether the operators are interested in minimizing production time or managing diafiltration volume, pH, and excipient concentration. “Our digital twin tells you how to set up your process at laboratory scale and how to transition smoothly to pilot or manufacturing scale,” Duerkop asserts. The smart machine learning tool removes the need for repeated validation runs for each parameter change by simulating different scenarios digitally. It assists in decisions about membrane selection and optimal operation, indicating the ideal switching points between ultrafiltration, diafiltration, and a second ultrafiltration stage. It also provides insights into performance within continuous single-pass tangential flow filtration. According to Duerkop, the studio delivers significant savings in time, labor, and product compared with traditional trial-and-error or DOE approaches. Chromatography and filtration steps in a downstream process are employed to separate the desired product from host cell proteins and other process-related impurities. During process development, each step is optimized for removal of impurities, typically by quantifying them via affordable and easy-to-use commercial kits. The end goal is the serial diminution of impurities through the purification process until they are undetectable, or at least within acceptable limits. One exception has been the presence of viruses, which should not be detectable in the first place except as a contaminant. Instead, during scaled-down process validation, viruses are spiked in at each stage of the process and their removal tracked. This is typically carried out by a contract research organization using live virus under BSL2/3 conditions, which is expensive and can have long turnaround times. Regulatory agencies require data demonstrating the efficacy of the process to remove viruses before the product can be introduced into humans during clinical trials and commercial release. There is an option to disrupt that paradigm, says David Cetlin, senior director, R&D, MockV products, Cygnus Technologies. “The MockV approach replaces live viruses with noninfectious particles that mimic the same properties of that original virus,” he says. “They’re physiochemically similar, meaning that analyses can be straightforward. For example, the data you generate from a MockV MVM [minute virus of mice] kit should align pretty well with the data that you would generate from a live MVM study.” “Historically our customers were applying the kits predominantly for process development, resin screening, process optimization, and things like that,” Cetlin points out. But he adds that newly revised regulatory guidelines “enable customers to use our RVLP [retrovirus-like particle] kit product to actually validate their process and put that data into a regulatory submission.” At most biomanufacturers, downstream processing is performed one step at a time, with deliberate transfers of the product from one intermediate stage, accomplishing tasks such as protein A affinity purification and viral inactivation. But at some biomanufacturers, downstream processing is semicontinuous or even continuous. “Typically, end users connect different chromatography and filtration systems to get all steps of the process running at the same time,” says Joanna Pezzini, CEO, PAK BioSolutions. “And to do that, you need to build automation to have the different steps talk to each other, to make sure that they’re running at the same rate.” PAK BioSolutions offers a continuous end-to-end solution at three different scales from process development to commercial scale, allowing for purification of 2 to as many as 20,000 L per day. The company can connect multiple different steps of a biopharmaceutical purification process in a single system. “We can do diafiltration, chromatography, virus inactivation, inline concentration and filtration,” Pezzini remarks. “You can perform up to four unit operations simultaneously on a single system, and inline process analytical control technology assures that they run at the same rate.” “If you can do four different purification steps at the same time, you can produce four times more product or run four times faster,” she adds. The other benefit she touts is resin savings: “We run a lot of chromatography cycles on very small columns instead of a few chromatography cycles on very big columns, so you’re purchasing smaller volumes of resin for products that only require a few batches each year.” According to Pezzini, some companies that offer continuous manufacturing provide individual systems that perform one step in the process and leave it to the end user to build the automation that connects these different systems together. She says that unlike those companies, PAK BioSolutions is “creating a turnkey solution.” Upstream and downstream processes can be connected to form an end-to-end continuous platform as well, helping to bring down manufacturing costs along the way. Such platforms have been constructed by Enzene Biosciences, a contract development and manufacturing organization focused on biologics production. Enzene Biosciences has set out to reduce the cost of goods for innovative biologics manufacturing, aiming to reach $40 per gram by 2025. Until recently, the predominant technology for developing biologics has been—and largely remains—a fed-batch process. “With fed-batch, the only way to lower costs is by achieving a higher-titer clone or using an exceptionally large bioreactor,” explains Russell Miller, vice president of sales and marketing, Enzene Biosciences. “But even that may not be enough. We knew we needed to explore a different, more innovative technological basis.” “The EnzeneX platform is a fully connected, continuous manufacturing platform from start to finish,” Miller asserts. Specifically, the “start” is a bioreactor step that incorporates perfusion technology, and the “finish” is the step just before nanofiltration. The company’s website indicates that the Enzene platform “harnesses the power of intensified perfusion using alternate tangential flow and automated multicolumn chromatography to achieve continuous production of biologics.” Miller elaborates, “When you take the perfusion technology and you’re able to couple it with the elimination of hold tanks and run the process continuously [for 30 days], you enhance the opportunity to maximize productivity, which gives a commensurate reduction in cost of goods.” The company has facilities in Pune, India, and in Hopewell, NJ, and it has started a phased rollout of its EnzeneX 2.0 technology. Among the innovations is an enhanced cell line capable of producing a titer of 8–10 g/L—double the previous cell line’s titer. According to Miller, the new technology will enable Enzene to scale up the bioreactor to 1,000 L. The next phase will bring online artificial intelligence–powered process analytical technology, with the final phase centered around optimization of culture media to further boost productivity and efficiency.
Former Virginia guard Jalen Warley is transferring to Gonzaga, according to several reports Monday. Gonzaga appeared to confirm the transfer by reposting the news on social media. Warley, who has 96 college games (58 starts) under his belt, will use a redshirt this year and spend 2025-26 in Spokane, Wash. Warley played three seasons at Florida State before transferring to Virginia before the 2024-25 season. He was allowed to enter the transfer portal again following the surprise retirement of coach Tony Bennett just three weeks before the season. With the Seminoles, Warley averaged 6.0 points, 2.9 assists, 2.5 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game. His junior year was his best, as he put up 7.5 points, 2.8 assists, 2.6 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game over 33 appearances (32 starts). --Field Level MediaBRYANT 97, TENNESSEE STATE 85
(The Center Square) – As the Washington State Attorney General’s Office continues work on a pilot project for a hotline to report “bias incidents,” it has separately started a task force focused on “extremism and mass violence” from a public health perspective, the first of its kind in the nation. However, concerns have already been raised as to the true purpose of the group and the intent of its members regarding the impact to private citizens’ right to express their views without fear of government retaliation. Speaking during the task force’s first meeting on Friday, Sharon Damoff told the task force that “too often, the government goes after citizens they disagree with politically, such as parents speaking at school board meetings and prolife citizens, these people have been falsely labeled domestic extremists.” “Meanwhile, those committing actual violence, such as Antifa anti-Semitic demonstrators and trans activists are allowed to damage property and assault and threaten others,” she added. “Domestic extremism is a problematic concept.” Parents protesting at local school board meetings was among the activities included in an Anti-Defamation League presentation to the state Legislature last year regarding white supremacy. The presentation also included the following as “conspiratorial” narratives “motivating extremists”: Election Fraud Narratives Anti-Critical Race Theory Narratives Anti-Mask and AntiVaccine Narratives AntiLGBTQ+ “Grooming” Narratives The presentation was in support of House Bill 1333 sponsored by Rep. Bill Ramos, D-Issaquah. The bill failed to clear the Legislature, but this year’s operating budget included a $250,000 proviso funding the task force and directing it to “provide recommendations to establish a comprehensive public health and community-based framework to combat extremism and mass violence.” However, the proviso also explicitly denies the task force the authority to alter “any aspect of criminal law, create new criminal penalties, or increase criminal law enforcement.” Ramos told the task force that “a few years ago, I got involved with a number of people in the community asking for protection from police officers and sheriff's departments and so forth. They weren't being responded to. Law enforcement was not responding to them to protect them from others.” He added that he’s “tired of hearing ‘thoughts and prayers.’” When The Center Square reached out to the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs for comment on Ramos' remarks, Executive Director Steve Strachan wrote that "Representative Ramos’ comments, if accurately reported, are very serious allegations. If Representative Ramos has any information that a Washington law enforcement officer committed or attempted to commit a criminal act, or that any Washington law enforcement agency refused to respond because the accused was a law enforcement officer, Representative Ramos should immediately report his accusation. If Representative Ramos needs assistance in reaching the appropriate law enforcement agency, WASPC is here to facilitate." One of the questions not yet answered for the task force is what constitutes “extremism,” a term not defined in the state budget proviso, and how it relates to the task force’s prime objectives. Thurston County Auditor Mary Hall told the task force “we really need to take a deep dive into how we protect our communities from the incoming administration.” In the AGO 2022’s report, State Attorney General Bob Ferguson wrote that “domestic violent extremism” was a term that “encompasses various forms of extremist and political violence like threats, coercion, and intimidation, online disinformation, extremist recruitment and government infiltration efforts, and the general spread of extreme white supremacism and anti-government ideologies.” Consulted for that report was Cynthia Miller-Idriss, a professor at American University’s School of Public Affairs and Director of the Polarization and Extremism Research Lab who participated in the Nov. 22 task force meeting. Miller-Idriss is also a member of the task force. PERIL’s website states that they “use a public health approach to design, test, and scale-up evidence-based tools and strategies that effectively reduce the threat of radicalization to harmful online and offline content including conspiracy theories, mis/disinformation, propaganda, and supremacist ideologies. As an alternative to security-based approaches that rely on surveillance, censorship, and incarceration, our work takes a multidisciplinary and pre-preventative approach to address hate, bias, and radicalization before they manifest into violent extremism.” Yet some testifying during public comment expressed fears of future censorship or biased policymaking. Lisa Templeton with Informed Choice Washington warned of “the potential for this task force to make recommendations possibly based on political motives rather than actual safety motives that could violate medical and religious freedom, parental rights and free speech of all kinds.” “It's not that we in any way support criminal violence, quite the opposite,” she said. “We support law and order, and we peacefully work towards scientific integrity and public health policy and the protection of our civil liberties.” Several others testifying that expressed concerns with the task force included Rebecca Faust, who noted that “when folks set up an unauthorized encampment on a university campus, block pedestrian traffic, harass and effectively discriminate against Jewish students ... instead of being penalized, they are rewarded with concessions from the university that incentivizes bad behavior.” She added that “it is not the government's place to tell people what to think or say. It is the responsibility of government to protect people from violence and from violations of their basic rights. I support enforcing laws and regulations against harm to person or property, but [also] respecting free speech and freedom of thought.” CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER Initiative sponsor Tim Eyman also spoke during public comment, arguing that “we're talking about regular citizens being investigated and interrogated not for some illegal act, but for their views, associations and friends, and there is no judicial oversight, no public viewing. This offers zero confidence of basic constitutional rights like freedom of association and freedom of expression will not be trampled, and it will all be done in private." He added that regular citizens should not be deterred from getting together and associating and communicating with one another, for fear of being investigated ... and possibly jailed.”We're back to where we were last season with the Steelers backfield with no clear-cut Fantasy starter between Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren. And that stinks heading into Week 13 at Cincinnati. Harris has been solid for most of the season, scoring at least 13.3 PPR points in five of his past nine games, including three games over that span with at least 102 yards rushing. But Warren is getting hot, and he might be ready to take over. Warren has two games in his past three outings with at least 11 carries, and he scored a season-high 15.4 PPR points in Week 12 at Cleveland. He has seven catches on nine targets in his past two games, and hopefully, his role in the passing game will continue to grow. He also played a season-high 57 percent of the snaps against the Browns, while Harris played a season-low 39 percent, which is something to monitor. I don't expect that to be the norm, but we'll see what happens in Week 13 at Cincinnati. This isn't a great matchup against the Bengals, who are No. 8 in fewest Fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs. Harris will likely need to score a touchdown to help his Fantasy value, and he's only done that three times this season. And the Bengals are No. 4 in fewest receptions allowed to running backs and No. 1 in fewest receiving yards. They also haven't allowed a receiving touchdown to a running back, so Warren isn't safe in the passing game in Week 13. For now, consider Harris and Warren just flex options at best. We'll see what happens moving forward, but it's frustrating that we can't get a must-start running back in Pittsburgh with the Fantasy playoffs on the horizon.ATLANTA (AP) — Deliberations are underway in Atlanta after a year of testimony in the gang and racketeering trial that originally included the rapper Young Thug. Jurors are considering whether to convict Shannon Stillwell and Deamonte Kendrick, who raps as Yak Gotti, on gang, murder, drug and gun charges. The original indictment charged 28 people with conspiring to violate Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. Opening statements in the trial for six of those defendants happened a year ago . Four of them, including Young Thug, pleaded guilty last month. The rapper was freed on probation. Stillwell and Kendrick rejected plea deals after more than a week of negotiations, and their lawyers chose not to present evidence or witnesses. Both seemed to be in good spirits Tuesday morning after closings wrapped the previous night. Kendrick was chatting and laughing with Stillwell and his lawyers before the jury arrived for instructions. The jury started deliberating Tuesday afternoon and was dismissed at 5 p.m. Jurors are expected to resume deliberations Wednesday morning. If they don’t reach a verdict by 3 p.m. Wednesday, the judge will send them home for the Thanksgiving weekend and they will return Monday morning. Kendrick and Stillwell were charged in the 2015 killing of Donovan Thomas Jr., also known as “Big Nut,” in an Atlanta barbershop. Prosecutors painted Stillwell and Kendrick as members of a violent street gang called Young Slime Life, or YSL, co-founded in 2012 by Young Thug, whose real name is Jeffery Williams. During closings on Monday, they pointed to tattoos, song lyrics and social media posts they said proved members, including Stillwell, admitted to killing people in rival gangs. Prosecutors say Thomas was in a rival gang. Stillwell was also charged in the 2022 killing of Shymel Drinks, which prosecutors said was in retaliation for the killing of two YSL associates days earlier. Defense attorneys Doug Weinstein and Max Schardt said the state presented unreliable witnesses, weak evidence and cherry-picked lyrics and social media posts to push a false narrative about Stillwell, Kendrick and the members of YSL. Schardt, Stillwell's attorney, reminded the jury that alleged YSL affiliates said during the trial that they had lied to police. Law enforcement played a “sick game” by promising they would escape long prison sentences if they said what police wanted them to say, Schardt said. He theorized that one of those witnesses could have killed Thomas. The truth is that their clients were just trying to escape poverty through music, Schardt said. “As a whole, we know the struggles that these communities have had,” Schardt said. “A sad, tacit acceptance that it’s either rap, prison or death.” Young Thug’s record label is also known as YSL, an acronym of Young Stoner Life. Kendrick was featured on two popular songs from the label’s compilation album Slime Language 2, “Take It to Trial" and “Slatty," which prosecutors presented as evidence in the trial. Weinstein, Kendrick’s defense attorney, said during closings it was wrong for prosecutors to target the defendants for their music and lyrics. Prosecutor Simone Hylton disagreed, and said surveillance footage and phone evidence supported her case. “They have the audacity to think they can just brag about killing somebody and nobody’s gonna hold them accountable,” Hylton said. The trial had more than its fair share of delays. Jury selection took nearly 10 months , and Stillwell was stabbed last year at the Fulton County jail, which paused trial proceedings. Judge Paige Reese Whitaker took over after Fulton County Superior Court Chief Judge Ural Glanville was removed from the case in July because he had a meeting with prosecutors and a state witness without defense attorneys present. Whitaker often lost patience with prosecutors over moves such as not sharing evidence with defense attorneys, once accusing them of “poor lawyering.” But the trial sped up under her watch. In October, four defendants, including Young Thug , pleaded guilty, with the rapper entering a non-negotiated or “blind” plea, meaning he didn't have a deal worked out with prosecutors. Nine people charged in the indictment, including rapper Gunna , accepted plea deals before the trial began. Charges against 12 others are pending. Prosecutors dropped charges against one defendant after he was convicted of murder in an unrelated case. ___ Kramon is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow Kramon on X: @charlottekramon Charlotte Kramon, The Associated Press● To commemorate the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women on Nov. 25, Stouffville raised a “Stop Violence, End the Silence” flag up the Town’s community flagpole. ● The Civic Square Clock Tower was also lit in purple, helping to mark the start of this year’s 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaign. ● The recognition was driven by advocacy from members of the Markham-Unionville and Aurora-Newmarket CFUW Clubs, formally known as the Canadian Federation of University Women. ● CFUW members joined Mayor Iain Lovatt, Town Staff, Stouffville Fire and Emergency Services, and York Regional Police (YRP) for the flag-raising ceremony. ● Fifty-nine femicides have been reported in Ontario over the past year, and YRP calls related to domestic violence continue to rise. ● Bullet Point News recently spoke with Rhonda Seidman-Carlson and Barbara Bernabe, Co-Chairs of the Issues and Advocacy Committee for CFUW Markham-Unionville. The color purple has been chosen to show support for action on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. CFUW members attending the flag raising wore purple scarves, gloves, and other clothing to raise awareness of gender-based violence in Canada. “Whether we call it domestic violence, intimate partner violence, or gender-based violence, the end result is always the same,” Bernabe stated during the ceremony. “Current statistics show that domestic violence is on the rise in our society and needs to be addressed now.” According to Statistics Canada, women and girls account for 68% of family violence victims and 78% of intimate partner violence victims. Data from 2023 showed a 3% increase in police-reported family violence compared to 2022, with more than 139,000 total individuals affected. Intimate partner violence also rose by 1% year over year, resulting in 123,319 confirmed victims aged 12 and older. “In York Region alone, the police have reported an increase in dispatched calls for domestic related violence from 8,684 in 2019 to 10,083 in 2023,” Bernabe added. Based on data from the Ontario Association of Interval and Transitional Houses (OAITH), 59 femicides occurred in Ontario between Nov. 26, 2023, and Oct. 31, 2024. OAITH defines femicide as the “gender-based killing of a woman, child, trans woman, Two-Spirit person, or gender-nonconforming individual where a male has been charged in relation to the death.” Since 1990, Ontario has recorded more than 1,080 femicides. CFUW, founded in 1919, has more than 6,600 members and 94 local clubs across every Canadian province. Its vision is to empower women and girls through education to create transformative change throughout the world. The organization’s mission focuses on achieving educational and economic equality and promoting social justice through ongoing learning and advocacy. The Markham-Unionville CFUW Club, now in its 40th year, has 157 members. Barbara Bernabe and Rhonda Seidman-Carlson serve as co-chairs of the Club’s Issues and Advocacy Committee, which focuses on nonpartisan activism and advocating for women’s and children’s issues at all levels of government. “The Issues and Advocacy Committee of every chapter is really the core of what CFUW does,” Seidman-Carlson told Bullet Point News. She emphasized that their efforts to recognize the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women are vital for raising awareness and sparking dialogue about an ongoing and horrific problem. “We want to open up avenues for people to have safe conversations around gender-based violence,” Seidman-Carlson said. “We want victims to know they are not alone, and that dialogue can have a ripple effect leading to larger impacts.” “This has been a very silent problem. The people who are going through it are ashamed; they don’t want to talk about it,” Bernabe added. “So, I think the most important thing is to make more people aware that it’s out there, and that they need to be vigilant and look for signs. If you see something, say something, and let us share the responsibility of keeping everyone safe.” CFUW actively participates in the international 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaign. Additional commemorative days include International Women Human Rights Defenders Day on Nov. 29 and the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women on Dec. 6, which marks the anniversary of the 1989 École Polytechnique massacre of 14 women. The campaign provides tools and encourages individual actions to address violence against women, such as writing to elected officials to raise awareness, supporting victim services through donations and volunteering, and calling out gendered violence. “We, as well as other Clubs, also continue to push for government declarations stating that violence against women is an epidemic, as statistics clearly show it fits that definition,” Seidman-Carlson said. “Sadly, not every community is willing to do so.” In her view, declaring intimate partner and gender-based violence an epidemic would trigger a public health-based response: “There would be an ability to access further funding and resources because of it, and I don’t think that everybody—at the council or provincial level—understands that.” While frustration boiled over in the Ontario Legislature during Monday’s Question Period debate over delays in making a Provincial declaration, York Region acknowledged the epidemic in September 2023. Regional Council committed to providing additional supports and published a list of available resources for victims in York Region. They also vowed to continue advocacy for further funding from other levels of government. Stouffville has yet to make the declaration. However, Mayor Iain Lovatt told Bullet Point News he would support a motion declaring intimate partner violence an epidemic in 2025. Councillor Sue Sherban also confirmed her intention to put forward the resolution. “Eliminating violence against women is not something that can be shouldered by any single individual or group. It’s a collective effort that requires involvement from all of us,” Lovatt said before raising the flag on Monday. “From individuals to communities, institutions, and government organizations, we must all come together to create a world where women are free from harm.”
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