Month: October 2020

Judge Approves $800M Payout Plan for Vegas Shooting Victims

The Associated Press

A court on Wednesday approved a total of $800 million in payouts from casino company MGM Resorts International and its insurers to more than 4,400 relatives and victims of the Las Vegas Strip shooting that was the deadliest in recent U.S. history.

The action makes final a deal announced earlier this month and settles dozens of lawsuits on the eve of the third anniversary of the shooting that killed 58 people and injured more than 850 at an open-air concert near the Mandalay Bay resort.

Read More

Nine People Cited For McCloskey Home Standoff Won’t Face Charges, St Louis Officials Say

Minnesota Sun Staff

The nine people who were cited for allegedly trespassing on Mark and Patricia McCloskey’s property during a June standoff will not be prosecuted, St. Louis officials announced Tuesday.

The group was issued summonses during the beginning of September, but City Counselor Michael Garvin said “prosecution is not warranted” and the arrestees would not have to face criminal proceedings, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Read More

Kamala Harris Dodges Court Packing Question Following Debate

Minnesota Sun Staff

Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris dodged questions about whether or not her party would seek to add Supreme Court justices if Republicans were to confirm a justice before the November election.

“There should be consideration to adding seats to the U.S. Supreme Court,” CNN’s Jake Tapper said following the first presidential debate on Tuesday. “Neither you nor Joe Biden are willing to give a straight answer as to whether or not you’re willing to entertain that idea.”

Read More

Campus Survey: 42 Percent of Students Say Their College Doesn’t Empower Free Speech

Minnesota Sun Staff

Conservative students on college campuses across the U.S. are more likely to self-censor than their more liberal classmates out of fear of backlash or retribution, according to a first-of-its-kind student survey commissioned by RealClearEducation and the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE).

The survey is the largest of its kind – canvasing 20,000 students at 55 U.S. colleges and universities about their experiences with free speech on campuses. Conducted by College Pulse, the survey ranks schools according to how open and tolerant students say they are, among several other criteria, and includes numerous student comments about their experiences.

Read More

Commentary: The Third Worlding of America

Minnesota Sun Staff

Whether it is forest fires caused by decrepit infrastructure, the use of intelligence agencies to target domestic political opponents, growing inequality, or a rejection of our political traditions, America more and more feels like a third world country.

First, consider what it meant to be a first world country. This has always been a small club: the United States, Canada, Western Europe, Japan, and, more recently, Singapore and South Korea made the cut. 

Read More

Adidas Touts Donations to Minnesota Freedom Fund, Which Bailed Out Convicted Domestic Abusers, Man Accused of Sexually Penetrating Child

Minnesota Sun Staff

Athletic apparel giant Adidas is still touting its donations to the Minnesota Freedom Fund, which bailed out a lengthy list of alleged violent criminals, including multiple convicted domestic abusers and a man accused of sexually penetrating a child.

Adidas ran a Twitter advertisement Tuesday that linked to a page on its website showcasing Adidas’s efforts to create “meaningful and lasting change” on the issue of racial justice, which includes matching employee donations to the Minnesota Freedom Fund by 200%.

Read More