The Week In News
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DECEMBER 16, 2021
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group’s co-founder promise not to give up even “an inch” of the land. According to Arab media, at the massive rally, Hamas co-founder Mahmoud al-Zahar said, “The participation of thousands in these marches commemorating the launch anniversary [of Hamas] confirms that the Palestinian individual cannot give up his right and refuses to forfeit not an inch of his land.” Hamas terrorists often chant, “From the [Jordan] River to the [Mediterranean] Sea, Palestine will be free.” The terror group does not recognize Israel’s right to exist. Speaking at the rally, Hamas official Mushir al-Masri promised to keep Jerusalem at the center of the terror group’s conflict with Israel. In a statement released by Hamas, al-Masri said Jerusalem “is a red line, and defending it is a sacred duty.”
B A LT I M O R E J E W I S H H O M E . C O M
A Sobering Statistic
David Flamm
O 410-616-9186 C 718-404-5598 david@flammins.com
www.flammins.com
On Monday, the United States reached a grim milestone when it was reported that more than 800,000 Americans have died from Covid-19 since the pandemic was declared. There have been at least 800,156 confirmed deaths traced to the coronavirus, according to a rolling tally by NBC News. That’s more deaths reported than in any other nation. Thirty-three states and the U.S. Virgin Islands have seen an increase in deaths over the last 14 days. According to the most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the seven-day death average in the U.S. was 1,092, a 27.8 percent increase from the week be-
fore. The first known Americans to have died from coronavirus passed away in February 2020. Dr. Vin Gupta, a critical care pulmonologist and affiliate associate professor at the University of Washington, expects the U.S. death toll to reach 1 million at some point in 2022. “That’s just the reality of the situation,” he said. “The same people who didn’t get an initial shot won’t get boosters. It’s a lot of preventable death.” In total, the U.S. has recorded nearly 50 million cases of the virus since the pandemic began.
Smollett Found Guilty
On Thursday, actor Jussie Smollett was found guilty of five felony counts of disorderly conduct. The sixth count was of making a false police report that he was the victim of aggravated battery. According to one juror, it was the sixth count that caused jurors to struggle. In the end, according to the juror who spoke with the Chicago SunTimes, they “all thought we were doing Jussie a favor.” Smollett had told police in January 2019 that he was the victim of a racist crime. He said that two Trump-loving bigots beat him up, tied a noose around his neck, and doused him in bleach on a freezing night. But after a quick investigation, police found that Smollett fabricated the attack. He had hired brothers Abimbola and Olabinjo Osundairo, whom he knew from his TV show, to stage the attack to garner attention. It took jurors almost ten hours to come to their verdict, which Smollett’s lawyer said they would appeal. For now, it is likely that Smollett will be sentenced to probation, given his lack of criminal history.
