3,200 prisoners released prematurely
Governor Inslee announces that over the past 13 years, an estimated 3,200 convicted felons were released early from Washington state prisons because of errors in calculating good time credit. The median number of days that inmates were mistakenly released early is 49 days. The governor has hired two retired federal prosecutors to conduct an independent review of how the error occurred and why it took 13 years to resolve.
That this problem was allowed to continue for 13 years is deeply disappointing to me, totally unacceptable and, frankly, maddening.
Demands Clinton apology
Trump demands an apology from Clinton over her remarks that he is being used for ISIS recruitment.
I demand an apology from Hillary Clinton for the disgusting story she made up about me for purposes of the debate. There never was a video.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 21, 2015
Join to save whales
Cyrus and Anderson join together at Cyrus’s last show on her Milky Milky Milk Tour, holding signs saying “Save The Whales!”
Clinton’s comments ‘terrifying’
In response to Clinton’s debate comments about tech and national security:
I would hope that, given the extraordinary capacities that the tech community has and the legitimate needs and questions from law enforcement, that there could be a Manhattan-like project — something that would bring the government and the tech communities together to see they’re not adversaries, they’ve got to be partners…Maybe the backdoor is the wrong door, and I understand what Apple and others are saying about that. I know that law enforcement needs the tools to keep us safe.
Snowden says:
Aaaaaaaaand Hillary just terrified everyone with an internet connection. #DemDebate
— Edward Snowden (@Snowden) December 20, 2015
Calls Clinton a liar
In an interview on Meet the Press, Trump calls Clinton a liar.
It’s just another Hillary lie. She lies like crazy about everything — whether it’s trips where she was being gunned down in a helicopter, or an airplane. She’s a liar and everybody knows that.
Later he tweets:
Hillary Clinton lied when she said that "ISIS is using video of Donald Trump as a recruiting tool." This was fact checked by @FoxNews: FALSE
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 20, 2015
Says Trump is ‘ISIS best recruiter’
During the Democratic presidential debate Clinton says Trump is hurting the U.S. fight against terrorism with anti-Muslim rhetoric.
He is becoming ISIS’ best recruiter.They are going to people, showing videos of Donald Trump insulting Islam and Muslims in order to recruit more radical jihadists…The first line of defense against radicalization is in the Muslim American community — people who we should be welcoming and working with…I worry greatly that the rhetoric coming from the Republicans, particularly Donald Trump, is sending a message to Muslims here in the United States and literally around the world that there is a clash of civilizations, that there is some kind of Western plot or war against Islam, which then, I believe, fans the flames of radicalization…If you’re going to put together a coalition in the region to take on the threat of ISIS, you don’t want to alienate the very countries and people you need to be part of the coalition.
Putin praises Trump
During an annual news conference with reporters, Putin comments on Trump’s standing in the race.
He is a bright and talented person without any doubt. [He] is an outstanding and talented personality. [He is] the absolute leader of the presidential race.
Trump responds:
It is always a great honor to be so nicely complimented by a man so highly respected within his own country and beyond. I have always felt that Russia and the United States should be able to work well with each other towards defeating terrorism and restoring world peace, not to mention trade and all of the other benefits derived from mutual respect.
May raid gave US ISIS intelligence
A U.S. military raid in May allowed the U.S. to gain intelligence that helped them attack ISIS oil targets.
With that raid we got this enormous amount of information that was very detailed as to how they operated their energy sector and allowed us to learn more about the operation and how to attack it or address it. It enabled the U.S. to put together the picture of the most effective way to attack the group’s oil infrastructure in Syria. We were able to, starting this past summer, look more strategically at which assets in Syria are a better-value target.
Tells Orange County to keep nativity
Abbott encourages Orange County to keep nativity scene in front of city hall after it is removed after an an atheist organization requested the city hang a banner wishing people “happy holidays” next to the scene.
As the U.S. Supreme Court has continually held, public acknowledgement of our religious heritage is entirely consistent with the Constitution. The Constitution commands accommodation of religion rather than hostility towards it.
CNN debate
At the CNN Republican debate in Las Vegas, NV, Carson asks for a moment of silence for the victims of the San Bernardino shootings. Later, he responds to a question from Hewitt:
We’re talking about ruthless things tonight. Carpet bombing, toughness, war, and people wonder, could you do that? Could you order airstrikes that would kill innocent children, not scores but hundreds and thousands. Could you wage war as a commander in chief?
Carson:
Well, interestingly enough, you should see the eyes of some of those children when I say to them, We’re going to have to open your head up and take out this tumor. They’re not happy about it, believe me. And they don’t like me very much at that point. But later on, they love me. Sometimes you—I sound like him. Later—you know, later on, you know, they really realize what’s going on. And by the same token, you have to be able to look at the big picture and understand that it’s actually merciful if you go ahead and finish the job, rather than death by a thousand pricks.
Hewitt:
So you are OK with the deaths of thousands of innocent children and civilian. It’s like—
Carson:
You got it. You got it.
Trump’s plan ‘full of hatred’
Malala speaks in Birmingham, UK, about Trump’s plan to ban Muslims from entering the U.S.
Well, that’s really tragic that you hear these comments which are full of hatred, full of this ideology of being discriminative towards others.
She later criticises the media:
I have to say that whether it’s Western media or Eastern media, if they only blame 1.6 billion Muslims for terrorists attacks then terrorism can’t be defeated, that just leads to creating more anger in people and leads to producing more terrorists.
Debate: Cruz vs. Rubio
At the GOP debate, Cruz and Rubio spar over immigration, with Rubio saying his view on immigration was the same as Cruz’s. Cruz responds:
I led the fight against his legalization and amnesty like suggesting the fireman and the arsonist have the same record because they were both at the scene of the fire…I have never supported legalization, and I do not intend to support legalization.
On national security, Cruz:
One of the problems with Marco’s foreign policy is he has far too often supported Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama undermining governments in the Middle East that have helped radical Islamic terrorists,” Mr. Cruz said. “We need to focus on killing the bad guys, not getting stuck in Middle Eastern civil wars that don’t keep America safe.
Rubio responds that while President Obama and Hillary Clinton wanted to “lead from behind,” Cruz was suggesting “not to lead at all.”
GOP debate: Responds to boos
After Rand Paul says Trump’s plan to shut down the internet, would be “getting rid of the First Amendment” Trumps says that if ISIS kills Americans, Americans should be able to kill ISIS and infiltrate their networks.
ISIS is recruiting through the internet. ISIS is using the internet better than we are using the Internet and it was our idea. What I wanted to do is I wanted to get our brilliant people from Silicon Valley and other places and figure out a way that ISIS cannot do what they’re doing…We’re not talking about closing the Internet. I’m talking about parts of Syria, parts of Iraq. Where ISIS is. Spotting it. Now, you could close it. What I like even better than that is getting our smartest and getting our best to infiltrate their Internet.”
Trump appears to be surprised by audience members booing.
I just can’t imagine somebody booing. These are people that want to kill us, folks. And you’re objecting to us infiltrating their conversations? I don’t think so.
Criticises Rubio in Breitbart interview
In an interview with Breitbart, Cruz criticizes Marco Rubio over the “Gang of Eight” amnesty bill. Cruz:
Border security is national security. No candidate who has advocated amnesty, who has advocated leaving our border unsecured, who has advocated giving President [Barack] Obama the ability to bring in tens of thousands of Syrian refugees with no background checks can plausibly claim to be an effective leader on national security. An unsecured border and millions coming into this country illegally with the promise of amnesty—with no background checks whatsoever—is fundamentally inconsistent with keeping America safe. Each of us in public office makes a choice, makes a choice of where you stand…A great many of us, including me and including Sen. Rubio, had promised the men and women who elected us that if you sent us to the Senate we would fight tooth and nail against amnesty. In 2013, I made the decision to honor that promise. Sen. Rubio made a different decision. He chose to stand with Barack Obama and Chuck Schumer and the establishment Republicans and push the most massive amnesty program in the history of our country—push legislation that would not secure the border, push legislation that would grant citizenship to over 12 million people here illegally, push legislation that would give President Obama a blank check for admitting Middle Eastern refugees with no background checks. I made a very different decision…So on the question of amnesty, Sen. Rubio stands with the Washington elites—I stand with the working men and women of America.
GQ Interview: Colonize Mars before WWIII
In an interview with GQ, Musk says a Mars mission is important to help ensure the long term survival of mankind. He says he will announce detailed plans of the Mars Colonisation Transport programme in 2016.
You back up your hard drive…. Maybe we should back up life, too? I think we need to acknowledge that there’s certainly a possibility of a third World War, and if that does occur it could be far worse than anything that’s happened before. Let’s say nuclear weapons are used. I mean, there could be a very powerful social movement that’s anti-technology. There’s also growth in religious extremism. Like, I mean, does ISIS grow…?
Announces Israel $6M research center
Texas A&M is launching a $6M marine research center in Israel to study along the Mediterranean Sea. Spokesperson:
There really is a remarkable amount of research and innovation occurring in Israel. There’s just so much going on there and we wanted to be a part of that.
Releases medical records
Trump’s doctor, who has been his personal physician since 1980, releases his medical records. He says Trump has a blood pressure reading of 110/65, has lost 15 pounds over the last year, takes 81 mg of Aspirin each day, and a small dose of statins.
Over the past 39 years, I am pleased to report that Mr. Trump has had no significant medical problems, If elected, Mr. Trump, I can state unequivocally, will be the healthiest individual ever elected to the presidency. Mr. Trump has suffered no form of cancer, has never had a hip, knee or shoulder replacement or any other orthopedic surgery. [He has] no history of ever using alcohol or tobacco products.
In a statement Trump says he is “blessed with having great genes”.
Ellipsis interview
The band is interviewed by Ellipsis before their performance in Liverpool. About Cavalcade:
On the first album, some of the tracks came from a previous incarnation of ours, a band called Omerta that Jim and I used to be in, so the first album was written over a much longer period than this one…The songs stood up but a lot of the first album felt quite old, to us anyway, but the second album, that was written over… maybe two years, I don’t know…Two years, around day jobs and things, and we had a really good working relationship with the producer – not that we didn’t on the first one, but I think he got a little bit more out of us, and it was a little bit closer to what we wanted…We’ve got more of our own sound on this one, maybe, whereas on the first album we were trying out a few different things, sort of big string-symphonic melancholy stuff, synth-driven stuff. We’ve the same on the second album but less… less orchestration, I guess.
Evening Times interview
The band are interviewed in advance of their appearance at the Classic Grand in Glasgow:
We’re really looking forward to playing the Classic Grand. We have great fans in Scotland and Glasgow is a great city. It feels a lot like Manchester actually. Glasgow crowds seem to be well up for a good night and won’t just stand there stroking their chins. We had a warm welcome the last time we played there at Stereo. We’re very proud of Cavalcade and glad it’s been well received. Word seems to be spreading as gigs are getting busier and busier. We’ve just played a sold out show at Manchester Gorilla and that blew us away.
Serial interview
Bergdahl is interviewed on the Serial podcast.
All I was seeing was basically, leadership failure to the point that the lives of the guys standing next to me, were, literally, from what I could see, in danger of something seriously going wrong and somebody being killed.
When the interviewer calls his actions a “gutsy move”:
Gutsy, but still stupid…Twenty minutes out, I’m going ‘good grief. I’m way over my head’… suddenly it really starts to sink in. I really did something bad. Well, not bad, but I really did something serious.
He says it took the Taliban about a day to find him.
I couldn’t do anything against six or seven guys with AK-47s, and they pulled up and that was it.
On captivity:
To the point where you just want to scream, and like I can’t scream. I can’t risk that, so it’s like you’re standing there, screaming in your mind.
