South African court postpones Zuma case against state prosecutor - Reuters

CAPE TOWN, Jan 31 (Reuters) - Former South African President Jacob Zuma's appeal in a case to remove the lead prosecutor in an arms deal corruption trial was postponed to mid-February when a ruling is expected, the presiding judge said on Monday.

In October, Pietermaritzburg High Court Judge Piet Koen dismissed a "special plea" by Zuma to have prosecutor Billy Downer taken off the case after accusing him of bias, among other complaints.

Zuma, who was ousted from the ruling African National Congress in 2018 after nearly two decades as president, has pleaded not guilty to charges of corruption, money laundering and racketeering in the long-running case over the $2 billion arms deal in the 1990s. read more

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The deal case has dogged Zuma since he was sacked as deputy president of the country in 2005. He said he was the victim of a political witch-hunt.

Koen told the court the appeal had been adjourned to Feb. 16 to when he hopes to be "in a position to give judgment".

Zuma is also facing incarceration in a separate criminal matter, where he is appealing a decision from June last year sentencing him to 15 months in prison for contempt of court, after ignoring instructions to participate in a corruption inquiry. read more

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Reporting by Wendell Roelf; Editing by Alison Williams

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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ACC grants 'partial consolation' in EPCOR rate case | News West Publishing - Mohave Valley News

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Lowndes County Sheriff addresses closing of 2013 Kendrick Johnson death case - WFXL FOX 31

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Lowndes County Sheriff addresses closing of 2013 Kendrick Johnson death case  WFXL FOX 31 Article From & Read More ( Lowndes County Sheriff addresses closing of 2013 Kendrick Johnson death case - WFXL FOX 31 )
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La. state senator, Ronald Greene's mother monitoring case developments - WAFB

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - Louisiana State Senator Cleo Fields says he will, “wait and see”  what other developments come out of a federal probe into the 2019 death of Ronald Greene.

“There’s a lot that is yet to be known,” said Fields, who also serves on a state senate committee formed for Louisiana State Police (LSP) oversight. “Quite frankly, I’m going to wait and see what else comes out, if anything.”

Fields spoke to WAFB one day after reporters revealed a text message sent to Governor John Bel Edwards (D-LA), just hours after Greene died in police custody.

The text comes from a contact saved with the first name Kevin and the last initial R. At the time, Kevin Reeves served as superintendent for Louisiana State Police.

“A violent, lengthy struggle took place,” states the message. It also shows someone responding, “Thank you” from Edwards’ phone.

For nearly two years, investigators said Greene’s death happened because his car crashed in a high-speed chase. But, the text appears to show they knew that account was possibly untrue.

The governor is now in the spotlight because he did not publicly refute those claims from investigators.

RELATED: Text messages show Gov. Edwards knew of Ronald Greene’s in-custody death, but stayed silent

A spokesperson in Edwards’ office told the Associated Press, “the governor does not direct disciplinary or criminal investigations,” and said it would not be appropriate for him to do so.

Fields said it is the responsibility of state leaders to do what they can to get the case resolved.

“Obviously the governor has a responsibility, and we as lawmakers have a responsibility, but more importantly we all hold a deep responsibility to this family,” said Fields. “This mother was told that her child was killed by a single-car accident and we all now know that was not the case. This family needs closure. This mother has suffered long enough.”

Greene’s mother spoke to WAFB Friday, Jan. 28. She said the latest developments fueled feelings that the case was being brushed aside to prevent negative press.

“There’s no way you can pretty up these words. It was horrific. It was known by all. By all,” said Mona Hardin, Greene’s mother. “I tend to go back to when I first met the governor and all Louisiana officials. I just remember how they received me. This was at the viewing of Ronnie’s video, and how they were so sorry, they were going to do their best to uncover and because things are in the beginning stages of the investigations, all those words popped up. But, I knew it was a lie. I knew it back then. It wasn’t heartfelt, I felt that.”

At the time, in 2019, Edwards was in the middle of a close re-election race.

Eugene Collins, an advocate working with Greene’s Family, said he hopes to hear Edwards confirm that his political agenda didn’t motivate his initial silence surrounding the case.

“The way this state has treated that family, it’s just downright disrespectful,” said Collins. “Just looks like the governor chose politics over transparency in this case. That is what it seems like. If that’s not the case, I really want to hear from our governor what it was.”

Edwards later acknowledged missteps taken by LSP during the deadly encounter.

The Associated Press reported that FBI agents questioned people about how much Edwards knew about the case, citing unnamed law enforcement sources.

“Investigators have focused in part on an influential lawmaker saying the governor downplayed the need for a legislative inquiry,” according to the report. The report goes on to say agents wanted to know more about a conversation between Edwards and Louisiana House speaker Clay Schexnayder (R-LA).

RELATED: THE INVESTIGATORS: LSP calls release of body camera video in Ronald Greene case ‘premature’

“Schexnayder said this week that the governor told him there was no need for further action from the legislature because ‘Greene died in a wreck.’ The speaker said he never moved forward with the investigation to avoid interfering with the federal probe,” the report states. “The governor’s spokesperson acknowledged he briefed the legislative leadership on his “understanding of the Greene investigation” and said his remarks were consistent with his public statements.”

Schexnayder did not return attempts to verify that reporting. A spokesperson for the U.S. Justice Department also could not be reached for comment.

A spokeswoman for Edwards’ office told WAFB the text message was a “standard communication. She also said Edwards is not under investigation by the FBI.

The U.S. attorney who oversaw part of a civil rights probe into the case said Edwards never tried to influence the investigation.

Greene’s death occurred in May of 2019. Officials said he refused to pull over for a traffic stop and led troopers on a chase across northern Louisiana.

The chase ended when Greene’s vehicle crashed into a tree, documents state.

Video of the encounter with law enforcement after Greene was restrained, was withheld for more than two years.

It shows members of law enforcement beating, kicking, and dragging a handcuffed Greene while he was face down on the ground.

At one point Greene is hit with a stun gun and threatened that he would get more if he did not cooperate.

“I’m scared. I’m scared,” yelled Greene.

The beating was so brutal that some of the troopers can be heard on the video complaining about it as they cleaned blood from their hands.

The new head of LSP, colonial Lamar Davis, says he’s committed to resolving the case and disciplining any troopers who operated outside of LSP’s policies.

Several probes are underway into the troopers involved in Greene’s arrest. It’s unclear when findings from the case will be presented to a federal grand jury.

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NFC Championship: Best and Worst Case Scenarios - Sports Illustrated

Here we are again.

The San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams face off for the third time this season and the second time in three weeks. Not much has changed. The 49ers Faithful are on track to take over Sofi Stadium or Levi’s South as it’s being called. The Rams are still favored to win the game and the matchups on the field remain largely unchanged.

What can be different? Well, here’s what to watch for on Championship Sunday.

Best Case Scenario: The 49ers continue the momentum they built in the second half of the Rams Week 18 matchup and have carried throughout the postseason.

Let’s face it, the 49ers game plan comes down to Deebo Samuel, Elijah Mitchell and the offensive line. Passing is, and should be a footnote for the 2022 49ers and it's finally time for Kyle Shanahan to prove he’s learned this is how they must play. Mitchell and Samuel will dominate the time of possession for the 49ers behind their physical offensive line with or without All Pro Trent Williams.

The backfield combo should go off for more than 150 rushing yards and Jimmy Garoppolo will do his best impression of his 2019 NFC Championship performance. While Garoppolo will likely throw more than eight passes in this game, they will be easy throws in his comfort zone.

The Rams have not figured out how to put pressure on Garoppolo regardless of their front four talent and that won’t change in three weeks. In addition to the 49ers dominance in the run game, too many playmakers on the outside render Jalen Ramsey, the Rams only stud secondary player, ineffective.

Matthew Stafford will turn the ball over multiple times in this game. He lacks the patience to be a game manager and will eventually press when falling behind or facing pressure. The 49ers have forced 17 turnovers since Week 10 and they will capitalize on Stafford's lack of patience this week.

Worst Case Scenario: This is short and simple, Jimmy Garoppolo.

The Rams only path to victory in this game is if Garoppolo turns the ball over more than twice. The 49ers must win the turnover battle and I’m chalking Stafford up to contribute two turnovers, so if Garoppolo has a Bad Jimmy performance, it could be close.

The only way the Rams defense stops the 49ers offense is turnovers. Not much else to the story.

Chuy’s Prediction: The 49ers have the mental edge, physical edge and coaching edge in this ball game. They are simply the better team and they will show it in all phases of the game.

The 49ers will run the ball over 30 times in this game and will gain well over 150 rushing yards. Given this success, Garoppolo will throw less than 20 passes in this game and that is the 49ers’ recipe for success. It doesn’t matter who catches the 15 or so completions from Garoppolo, the tandem of Deebo and Mitchell in the backfield will be the difference in the game.

The 49ers defense must limit the big plays to every player other than Cooper Kupp. Now, I understand Kupp is the focal point of the Rams offense but he alone cannot beat the 49ers, he’s tried twice this season and has come up short despite having breakout performances. The Rams must get big contributions from someone other than Kupp to win and unfortunately they will lose the time of possession battle and have no rhythm on offense. Translation is they will hit a few big plays to Kupp and that will be their entire offense.

The 49ers defensive line is relentless, the linebackers are the best unit in the league and the secondary is anchored by veterans who don’t make a lot of big mistakes anymore.

This boils down to the 49ers being the better team across the board and have advantages in every phase of the game. The Rams simply don’t have enough paths to victory and even with a perfect scenario, they still likely lose a close game.

Final Score Prediction: 49ers 33 - Rams 20

Remember to tune in at Halftime to our YouTube channel: Chuy and Alejandra to chime in and give your thoughts on the first half. Follow us on Twitter: chuy_alejandra to stay updated on 49ers news. Enjoy the game! 

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Libel case against Sidney pastor moved to Great Falls - KXLF Butte News

HELENA — A case accusing a conservative Sidney pastor of libeling a transgender activist will be tried in Great Falls, because the pastor has tainted the local jury poll in Richland County with repeated “inflammatory” public comments, a judge has ruled.

State District Judge Elizabeth Best of Great Falls issued the order Thursday, granting a request from Adrian Jawort to move the case and trial out of Sidney and Richland County. Jawort, an activist and lobbyist from Billings, is suing pastor Jordan “J.D.” Hall for libel, saying he printed false and defamatory statements last year about her in Hall’s online publication, the Montana Daily Gazette.

Best noted that since the lawsuit was filed last September, Hall has repeatedly used social and other media to talk about the case, the jury pool and the trial, including comments that are “inflammatory and (have) suggested violence against Jawort’s counsel.”

Best said she doesn’t think Richland County residents “are inherently biased,” but that Hall’s “media blitz against Jawort and her attorneys will likely result in a large number of potential jurors having deeply held opinions about the case and parties.”

Also last Thursday, Jawort’s attorneys asked Best to sanction Hall for what they said are repeated public threats of violence against them and Jawort.

Best has yet to rule on that request.

Hall, the founder of the Montana Daily Gazette, posted an article last spring that said Jawort had confronted a state senator in the halls of the Capitol during the 2021 Montana Legislature and that the senator had to be escorted to safety at the Senate’s sergeant-at-arms.

Jawort said the exchange never happened and sued Hall last September for libel. Since then, Hall has said or posted many public statements challenging Jawort and her lawyers, including Raph Graybill of Helena, a Democrat who ran unsuccessfully for attorney general in 2020.

Among other things, Hall has posted a picture of Graybill’s name taped next to wall-mounts of animal horns and said “he’s next,” and posted a picture of himself holding a rocket-propelled grenade with the words “Democrat lawyers go after JD Hall – JD Hall goes on statewide tour going after them back” superimposed on the photo.

Hall also has been public challenging and criticizing the judge on the case, calling Best “the most liberal (judge) in the state” and saying he will refuse to wear a face-mask in court or refer to Jawort with a feminine pronoun.

Hall also has said his lawyer, Matthew Monforton of Bozeman, warned him to tone down his public comments about the case, but that he is refusing to do so.

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Secukinumab Successfully Treats AGEP in Case Study - AJMC.com Managed Markets Network

A patient with medication-induced severe acute generalized exanthematous pustulosis responded to treatment with secukinumab after unsuccessful courses of topical and systemic steroids.

Acute generalized exanthematous pustulosis (AGEP) is typically treated with a systemic corticosteroid and clears quickly, but other systemic therapies are sometimes necessary in severe or persistent cases. A case study published in Frontiers in Medicine reported that secukinumab could be a potential therapeutic option for stubborn cases of AGEP.

AGEP is usually a drug-related condition and is severe, with rapid onset of skin redness accompanied by small non-follicular pustules. In this case, a 41-year-old male patient with a history of psoriasis developed confirmed AGEP that appeared 1 day after treatment with a quadruple antituberculosis drug.

“Prior to clinical admission to our department, the patient was misdiagnosed as active tuberculosis and was sequentially prescribed isoniazid, rifampicin, ethambutol, and pyrazinamide in lazaretto,” the authors wrote. “At admission, active tuberculosis was excluded based on clinical symptoms and results of repeated chest computed tomography. We confirmed that the patient only had latent tuberculosis infection.”

He presented with widespread redness, pustules, lesions, and a fever. Further tests and examination showed a high white blood cell count and C-reactive protein, subcorneal pustules, spongiosis, and lymphocyte and eosinophils infiltration in the skin. Approximately 80% of his body surface area was affected, with pinpoint pustules and erythema multiforme-like lesions diffusely spread over the upper arms and palms.

Topical and systemic corticosteroids were ineffective after 4 days of treatment, but secukinumab therapy — typically used to manage moderate to severe plaque psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis — led to remission and was safe without increased infection risk. The patient received 300mg of secukinumab, after which pustules faded and fever decreased at day 3.

The patient was treated with secukinumab for 1 month, and subsequent follow-ups for 2 years showed no changes in lung pathology. Overall, the study authors suggested secukinumab warrants more research as a possible treatment for AGEP.

“The underlying mechanism of action of secukinumab on AGEP is related to interleukin (IL)-17,” they wrote. “AGEP has been classified as a T cell-related sterile neutrophilic inflammatory response with a predominant T-helper (Th) 1 cell and Th17. Th17 cells release IL-17, which affects neutrophil recruitment. Therefore, the IL-17 pathway is a potential therapeutic target shown to be implicated in AGEP.”

While secukinumab therapy holds promise in treating AGEP, more research is needed to confirm its safety and effectiveness in this disease setting.

Reference

Zhang L, Xu Q, Lin T, et al. Case report: successful treatment of acute generalized exanthematous pustulosis with secukinumab. Front Med (Lausanne). Published online December 16, 2021. doi:10.3389/fmed.2021.758354

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New coronavirus case numbers, hospitalizations continue steep drop as omicron surge subsides: Weekly COVID ro - cleveland.com

The COVID-19 patient count in the state's Northeast Ohio region has dropped dramatically, from a high of 1,754 patients on Jan. 5 to 732 on Wednesday. This region consists of Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake and Lorain counties. The other Northeast Ohio region that includes Medina, Portage and Summit counties also has experienced a drop in patients, according to daily surveys by the Ohio Hospital Association.Rich Exner, cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio – The trend of declining coronavirus case numbers and daily COVID-19 hospitalizations continued for the third consecutive week, as the surge caused by the omicron variant appears to be subsiding in Ohio.

The daily COVID-19 patient count in Ohio hospitalizations dropped every day this past week. The number of patients has made its way out of the 5,000 range and has inched closer to leaving the 4,000 range too. Week-over-week, the count was lower on Saturday (4,173) than it was on Jan. 22 (5,362); that’s a decrease of 1,189 patients.

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Here's the bull case for Robinhood's stock, but it's not an ideal scenario for everyone - MarketWatch

Court docket: Gang case delayed 60 days; murder suspect granted bond, 2 others denied - The Augusta Chronicle

Alaska's COVID-19 case rate is again the highest in the nation as hospitalizations tick up - Anchorage Daily News

Vehicle wait in line at the Capstone Clinic drive-thru COVID-19 test site at the Alaska Airlines Center parking lot on the UAA Campus on Monday, Jan. 10, 2022. (Bill Roth / ADN)

Alaska reported rising virus hospitalization numbers Friday and the highest case rate in the nation as the omicron variant continues to snarl staffing at health care facilities that have had to adapt to the ups and downs of the pandemic.

The state on Friday reported 5,897 cases of COVID-19 over the past two days and a seven-day case rate of 2,360.4 cases per 100,000 — higher than any other U.S. state, according to a CDC tracker.

Meanwhile, cases and hospitalizations in many other states and countries continued to fall. Alaska’s omicron surge began a few weeks after other states, which is likely why cases here have not yet begun to slow, Dr. Anne Zink, Alaska’s chief medical officer, said Thursday during a call with reporters.

“Alaska, Oklahoma and Washington are currently leading the pack,” she said, while “many of the East Coast states such as Maryland and Washington, D.C., have really started to come down significantly after these large peaks. So just different places at different times with this virus.”

The latest case count included 5,699 cases among Alaska residents and 198 among nonresidents in the state.

[Coronavirus Q&A: Facts and tips for Alaskans as omicron drives up case counts]

Around the world, omicron surges have been marked by less severe disease in many cases, along with fewer hospitalizations and deaths. However, in Alaska, a combination of staff shortages and rising patient counts are continuing to strain the state’s health care system.

By Friday, there were 156 COVID-positive patients hospitalized — up from 129 reported Wednesday and 139 reported Monday, but still well below the more than 230 hospitalizations reported during a peak last fall. About 15% of all hospitalizations in the state involved people with COVID-19.

At Providence Alaska Medical Center, the state’s largest hospital, there were somewhere between 80 and 100 staff members who had called out on Friday due to illness or possible exposure, according to Mikal Canfield, hospital spokesman. Just one ICU bed remained available by Friday at noon.

One hopeful sign, Canfield said, was that it appeared as though staff callouts at the hospital had somewhat plateaued by the end of week — they were neither decreasing or increasing.

At Alaska Native Medical Center, “our COVID inpatient numbers have gradually increased, but we do have beds available,” said Fiona Brosnan, a hospital spokeswoman. She said that staffing continued to be challenging with high numbers of callouts.

Despite the surge in cases and hospitalizations, Zink said she thinks that in some ways, Alaska’s pandemic response feels smoother this time around.

“Unfortunately, we had a bad delta surge here in this state, and what happened was the team got really good at being able to record a lot of cases quickly. The health care sector started to meet on a regular basis,” she explained. “We figured out how to get additional nurses.”

[At-home COVID-19 tests that freeze in transit are likely still usable — just make sure they’re thawed out]

Other states hit less hard by delta are now “very underwater trying to figure out how to respond” during omicron, she said. “So I think we just have to use a lot of caution when we look directly at state-to-state comparisons, to have a full sense of what’s happening.”

Public health officials continue to emphasize vaccination, as well as social distancing and masking, as the best ways to combat the omicron variant. As of Friday, just over 61% of residents over 5 and military members or veterans had completed their primary series of vaccinations. Only about a quarter of eligible residents had received booster shots.

The national average for fully vaccinated people is 63%. Alaska ranks 33rd among states for its vaccination rate.

Alaska on Friday also reported four more deaths from the virus, all involving Anchorage residents: three men in their 40s, 60s and 70s, respectively, plus a woman in her 70s.

Since March 2020, there have been 1,052 COVID-19 deaths among Alaska residents and 33 nonresident deaths.

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Moses Storm and the Case for Pretentious Modern Stand-up - The New York Times

In his new special, the comic claims he has no agenda, but his jokes and stories about poverty cohere into trenchant commentary. Why are themes out of fashion?

Surely you’ve heard the grumbles, the sighs and the outright complaints about self-serious comedians making points instead of punch lines, pandering for applause, creating specials that are more like solo theater shows or, the unkindest cut of all, TED Talks.

Eye-rolling over comedy getting tragically serious started among hard-core fans and comics, migrated to podcasts, and now has made its way to specials themselves. Witness “Trash White” (now streaming on HBO Max), a promising if schematic debut from Moses Storm. After opening with a topic sentence (“Crazy will always beat scary”) and a story about growing up poor, he assures the audience that he’s not making a “modern-day comedy special.”

In case you’re not clued in to this critique, which reached its zenith in the backlash to Hannah Gadsby’s “Nanette,” he dismissively mentions TED Talks. “I have nothing of educational value to add to your night,” he says. “I have legitimately no agenda.”

Here’s the funny part: None of this is true.

Storm, whose Timothée Chalamet hair stylishly clashes with his white outfit, has actually made a quintessentially modern comedy special, hitting on every trendy trope, from eccentric camerawork (it opens with a swirling bird’s-eye view of the stage) to documentary elements and theatrical design, including a pointedly cluttered and abstract set. Unless I’m missing the sarcasm, his statement that “The idea of upward mobility in this country is a lie” sure sounds like an agenda.

Storm is trying to have his cake and make fun of those who say “Let them eat cake,” too. But one gets the sense that his anxiety about coming off as smarter than funny is an impediment here. What distinguishes this special is not the quality of its jokes, which range from fair to middling, but how they are woven into a thematically and formally coherent show that has something to say about poverty in America today.

Storm is hardly the first comic to make jokes about being broke. In fact, there may be no more common subject. In his recent Netflix half-hour, Dusty Slay illustrated his level of poverty as a kid by describing the ice cream his mother offered. “My mom would pour milk into a bowl,” Slay explained. “Then when we’d show up, she’d say, ‘You’re too late.’” Storm also has a bit about the ice cream his family could afford.

Dusty Slay talked about growing up poor in his recent special.Clifton Prescod/Netflix

In a raucous special that comes out next month on Netflix, the stand-up Ms. Pat has some superb material on what her family did to save money, including eating “water sandwiches” and cooking in the fireplace.

There’s an entire other universe of comics who find humor in currently being poor. Kyle Ayers has a great bit about how he drives for Uber to support his stand-up and once took home two of his five audience members. During the ride, one asked, “How’s it going?” and he shot back, “I think we both know ‘how it’s going.’”

And yet class does not seem to be as prominent a subject in stand-up as race or gender. That’s because by the time comics becomes famous enough to make really popular specials, they tend to be too well-off to want to talk about money. (Though an exception might be Gary Gulman’s next special, judging by his current tour.)

Storm, a 31-year-old actor and stand-up, digs into the subject from many angles, telling jokes that pinpoint cultural double standards. (When it comes to dyslexia, he explains, the rich get Adderall and the poor are just considered dumb.) Other bits unpack euphemisms in the tradition of George Carlin. He singles out the term “food insecure household” because it makes a serious issue “sound adorable.”

The most fascinating part of the special is when Storm discusses his mother’s attempts to win $10,000 from “America’s Funniest Home Videos,” the TV series (hosted by the late Bob Saget) that showcased footage of mishaps in the kitchen or someone getting a baseball to the groin in the front yard. His mother was determined to manufacture an accident with her five children that would win the top prize. The plan was for Moses to drop an egg onto his sister’s face. And using videotape from his childhood, he shows what happened. (You’ll have to watch the special to see if they won.)

What begins as a farcical series of mistakes turns into something darker (more “Gypsy” than “Noises Off”) as his mother gets flustered at her small children for botching a comic bit. There’s something uncomfortable about the scene but also poignant. The context of her fury is clarified by Storm’s point that being short of money makes you afraid and desperate. This is the theme Storm works on best, the distorting cycle of poverty, the complex ways being poor keeps you poor.

But the portrait of his mother feels unfinished, as if there’s more to say but he hasn’t figured out how to do it. The nuance of character can be funny and interesting, but too often it’s sacrificed for thin quips. “We were living in this terrible part of Florida called Florida,” he says, before fake laughing and adding, “No one’s ever made that joke before.” If it’s so hack, why keep it?

The difference between solo shows and stand-up sets is not just the number of jokes, but also the expectations for plot and theme. Stand-up can get away with being a disconnected collection of setups and punch lines, but aiming for more should not be considered some kind of gimmick or affectation. It’s evolution. In a healthy comedy scene, there are many kinds of humor, some more dense with punch lines than others. Comedians like Mike Birbiglia have proved that not only do you not need to choose between stories and punch lines, but one can also support the other, although pulling it off isn’t easy. A joke can hit harder if there’s something behind it beyond a clever misdirection.

Unlike Storm, I am happy to admit that I have an agenda. I want comics to make the best versions of the shows they set out to make, and that includes using words with precision. It also means fleshing out ideas without apology and sometimes challenging the audience. There is no one way to do comedy, but complexity, passion and ambition are always welcome. There’s much more to say on this, but for that, you will have to wait for my TED Talk.

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HP wins multibillion-dollar fraud case over Autonomy sale - BBC News

Reuters

Hewlett Packard (HP) has won a multibillion-dollar fraud case over its acquisition of a British software company.

Cambridge-based Autonomy was sold to the US tech giant for $11bn in 2011.

HP sued its founder and former chief financial officer, claiming they "artificially inflated Autonomy's reported revenues, revenue growth and gross margins".

Mr Justice Hildyard said HP had "substantially won" its case.

• 'UK extradition treaty doesn't rely on any facts'
• Autonomy ex-finance boss sentenced to jail
• Autonomy boss in 'deliberate fraud'

His conclusions, read out at the High Court in London, come more than two years after the start of what was believed to be the UK's biggest civil fraud trial, which was heard over nine months in 2019.

The judge said the amount of damages to be paid would be dealt with at a later date.

He has circulated his full ruling on the civil claim by HP to the parties and their legal teams, but it has not yet been published and remains strictly under embargo.

Home Secretary Priti Patel is also due to make a decision about whether Autonomy founder and entrepreneur Mike Lynch should be extradited to the US, where he faces fraud charges in a separate criminal case.

US authorities claim Dr Lynch, who denies all charges against him, deliberately overstated the value of his business, which specialised in software to sort through large data sets.

On Wednesday, Ms Patel was given until midnight on Friday to decide on his extradition, after a High Court judge ruled against Dr Lynch's legal challenge over a previously set deadline.

Ms Patel had wanted to consider Mr Justice Hildyard's ruling on the High Court civil claim before making an extradition decision.

Dr Lynch, from Suffolk, argued the technology giant was trying to make him "a scapegoat for their failures".

His former chief financial officer Sushovan Hussain was convicted in April 2018 in the US of wire fraud and other crimes related to Autonomy's sale and was jailed for five years.

In the separate criminal proceedings in the US, Dr Lynch faces charges of securities fraud, wire fraud and conspiracy in a federal court over the sale of Autonomy.

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Poss homicide case set for Feb. 15 trial | Local News - Crossville Chronicle

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Is Ben Roethlisberger a Hall of Famer? The case for, against Steelers QB being enshrined in Canton - Sporting News

Ben Roethlisberger's career has come to an end. The long-time Steelers starter has officially called it quits after playing all but one game for the team during the 2021 NFL season. He helped lead the team to a 9-7-1 record, but they were eliminated in the first round of the 2022 NFL playoffs at the hands of the Chiefs, 42-21.

Roethlisberger was the primary starter for the Steelers for 18 seasons. He began his career as a backup but quickly entered the fray for the Steelers and posted an undefeated 13-0 regular-season record as a rookie. From there, he rose to become one of the NFL's best, most consistent quarterbacks and led the Steelers to two Super Bowl wins.

The last few seasons haven't been pretty for Roethlisberger, as injuries and age have sapped him of his once high-level skill set. As such, he's riding into the sunset having racked up more wins than any other quarterback in Steelers history.

Roethlisberger has collected plenty of awards and accolades during his NFL career. Will he get one more by being elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame? We won't know officially until at least five years from now, but the case for him to do so looks strong.

GREER: Looking at Big Ben's all-time great passing numbers

The case for Ben Roethlisberger making the Hall of Fame

If you break down Roethlisberger's Hall of Fame case just by looking at how he compares to the average Hall of Fame quarterback, he looks like a shoo-in.

Of course, the NFL has become a much more pass-happy league since Roethlisberger was drafted in 2004. However, even accounting for that statistical inflation, his achievements still line up with the average gold jacket quarterbacks.

Player	Completion %	Passing yards	Pass TD	Interceptions	Super Bowl wins	Pro Bowls	All-Pro
Ben Roethlisberger	64.4	63,844	417	210	2	6	0
Average HOF QB	59.1	38,166	260	195	2	7	2

Minus the lack of an All-Pro nod, Roethlisberger certainly looks like a Hall of Famer. That argument is only bolstered when looking at him int comparison to a handful of the Hall of Famers at his position.

Ben Roethlisberger stats

Pro Football Reference has a handy metric called "similarity scores" that determines how similar a player at any position's career was to another player at that position. When looking at some of the players paired with Roethlisberger, it's easy to envision him as a Hall of Fame-type player.

John Elway; Dan Marino, Joe Montana; Terry Bradshaw. These are just a few of the names thrown around when looking at Roethlisberger's career. And as you can see, he compares favorably to all four of the Hall of Famers.

Player	Record	Completion %	Passing yards	Pass TD	Rating	Interceptions	Super Bowl wins	Pro Bowls	All-Pro
Ben Roethlisberger	164-81-1	64.4	63,844	417	93.6	210	2	6	0
Dan Marino	147-93-0	59.4	61,361	420	86.4	252	0	9	3
John Elway	148-82-1	56.9	51,475	300	79.9	226	2	9	0
Joe Montana	117-47-0	63.2	40,551	273	92.3	139	4	8	3
Terry Bradshaw	107-51-0	51.9	27,989	212	70.9	210	4	3	1

Roethlisberger may not have the same All-Pro accolades as these passers, but his stats and wins speak for themselves. It's also worth noting that he was frequently up against the likes of Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers, all current or future Hall of Famers, so his competition was fierce.

Some may scoff at the notion of comparing Roethlisberger to those legends because he played in a far more passing driven NFL than they did. That's a fair argument to make, so it's important to look at him in the context of his more current Hall of Fame peers.

There are three current Hall of Famer quarterbacks that played after the year 2000. They are Manning, Brett Favre and Kurt Warner. Here's how Roethlisberger stacks up against those three passers.

Player	Record	Completion %	Passing yards	Pass TD	Rating	Interceptions	Super Bowl wins	Pro Bowls	All-Pro
Peyton Manning	186-79-0	65.3	71,940	539	96.5	251	2	14	7
Brett Favre	186-112-0	62	71,838	508	86	336	1	11	3
Ben Roethlisberger	164-81-1	64.4	63,844	417	93.6	210	2	6	0
Kurt Warner	67-49-0	65.5	32,344	208	93.7	128	0	4	2

Again, you can certainly claim that Roethlisberger comes up short in terms of accolades, as he is the only member of the group not to notch multiple All-Pro appearances. Additionally, each of the other quarterbacks has won MVP at least twice — Warner has two, Favre has three and Manning has five. Roethlisberger doesn't even have a Super Bowl MVP to his name.

That said, Roethlisberger's passer rating and total wins are comparable to his high-end peers, and he ranks top-10 all-time in touchdown passes and top-five in total passing yards. He also has set numerous NFL records, including the league record for most 500-yard passing games (four). As such, his numbers are worthy of getting a Hall of Fame nod even if he comes short in the All-Pro and MVP category.

The case against Ben Roethlisberger making the Hall of Fame

When looking at the numbers as a whole, Roethlisberger is a pretty clear-cut Hall of Famer. However, there are two factors that could keep him from getting votes during the early stages of his Hall of Fame eligibility.

Roethlisberger has regressed during the final three years of his NFL career. He has still been able to deliver passes accurate to his receivers, but his ability to throw deep passes and stretch the defense has been almost non-existent. That's largely due to an elbow injury from which he never truly recovered after suffering it early in the 2019 campaign.

Roethlisberger	Passing yards per game	Air yards per attempt	Rating
Before injury (15 seasons)	260.2	7.7	94.2
After injury (3 seasons)	239.1	6.4	89.6

Late-career regression is nothing new for quarterbacks that stay in the league 15-plus years, but Roethlisberger's has been particularly notable, as the Steelers' offense has slumped and stalled since their 11-0 start to the 2020 NFL season. The lasting image of Roethlisberger throwing checkdowns, suffering sacks and looking immobile could cause some Hall of Fame voters to consider other players ahead of Roethlisberger despite his career-long accomplishments. Chalk that up to recency bias, which can have an impact on voters.

Ben Roethlisberger rape case

The other part of this equation has to do with the off-the-field incidents that followed Roethlisberger during the early stage of his career. Most notably, he was accused of sexual assault in Milledgeville, Ga. in 2010. The victim, then a 20-year-old student at Georgia College & State University, alleged that Roethlisberger raped her in a nightclub bathroom after he had invited her and her friends to the VIP area of the club.

Roethlisberger denied the incident — though he admitted that he had been in contact with the woman in question — and a rape kit performed on the victim didn't provide enough male DNA to create a profile. Ultimately, district attorney Fred Bright announced that charges would not be filed against Roethlisberger, a move partly influenced by the victim stating that she did not want to go through an "intrusive" trial experience.

What is obvious in looking forward is that a criminal trial would be a very intrusive personal experience for a complainant in the situation, given the extraordinary media attention that would be inevitable. The media coverage to date and the efforts of the media to access our client have been unnerving to say the least.

Though the victim asked for there to be no trial, she did not recant her accusation.

The NFL suspended Roethlisberger six games for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy. It was later reduced to four games.

Though Roethlisberger was not charged or found guilty of rape of sexual assault, some voters may still consider this incident in evaluating Roethlisberger's Hall of Fame case. The Pro Football Hall of Fame doesn't have strict guidelines for Hall of Fame eligibility or a morality clause that would prevent Roethlisberger from being inducted, so voters will make their own decision about how to evaluate Roethlisberger's checkered history off the field.

MORE: Who might be the Steelers' QB of the future?

Will Ben Roethlisberger be a Hall of Famer?

Odds are that Roethlisberger will eventually be enshrined in Canton, even if some voters choose not to vote for Roethlisberger because of his off-the-field issues. The real question is whether he will get in when he is first eligible to be enshrined in 2027.

But because of the lacking presence of a morality clause, voters will eventually give Roethlisberger the nod. He has the numbers needed to be a Hall of Famer and his on-field achievements are among the best of the last 20 years. So, it seems likely that the Steelers great will someday find his way to Canton.

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Colorado confirms 1st case of omicron subvariant - 9News.com KUSA

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Fantasy basketball daily notes for Wednesday - Joel Embiid making an MVP case - ESPN

9:45 AM ET

• 

  Eric MoodyESPN

While Stephen Curry is currently dealing with the worst field goal percentage of any calendar month in his career, Joel Embiid, who was second in MVP voting last season, continues to make a case for eventually winning the trophy outright.

On Tuesday night, the Philadelphia 76ers center scored 42 points and grabbed 14 rebounds to go along with four assists and blocked four shots in a victory over the New Orleans Pelicans. This was Embiid's fourth straight game with at least 35 points and 10 rebounds, making him only the fourth player with such a streak since the merger.

Over the last two seasons, Embiid was only able to play in 51 total games. However, it certainly looks like he's made the necessary changes heading into this season to pay huge dividends for those fantasy managers who selected him on draft day.

Tobias Harris also shined for the 76ers, scoring 33 points and pulling down 11 rebounds in 39 minutes of play. Philadelphia continues to use him as one of their top offensive options behind Embiid, and he's rewarded them by scoring 17-plus points in seven of his last eight games.

---

Tuesday recap

Highlights

Gary Trent, Toronto Raptors: 32 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal

OG Anunoby, Toronto Raptors: 24 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 1 block

Lowlights

Marcus Smart, Boston Celtics: 0 points, 3 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal

Spencer Dinwiddie, Washington Wizards: 5 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals

Tuesday takeaways

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1 Related

• Dejounte Murray scored 19 points, with 10 assists, five rebounds, and three steals in 24 minutes for the San Antonio Spurs in a blowout win over the Rockets. He has been a leading all-around player in the league this season, with three triple-doubles and five double-doubles in January. Jakob Poeltl added 18 points, nine rebounds, three assists, and two blocks in just 21 minutes for the Spurs.

• With his 33 points last night against the Nets, LeBron James now has 18 consecutive 25 point games, tied for the fifth longest streak in Los Angeles Lakers history. Anthony Davis returned to the floor after missing 17 games due to a sprained left knee. He scored eight points in just 25 minutes and held the Nets to 2-of-10 from the field when he contested a shot.

• Jonathan Kuminga prospered in the Golden State Warriors' blowout win over the Mavericks, accumulating 22 points, five rebounds and four 3-pointers in only 18 minutes of play. That said, due to his inconsistent minutes even with Draymond Green out, Kuminga is not someone you should rush to add to your roster. Klay Thompson's sore knee didn't stop him from playing. He scored 15 points, adding two rebounds and six assists. The good news? Thompson shot better than 50% from the field for the first time this season.

• Minnesota's Karl-Anthony Towns scored 17 points and grabbed 17 rebounds with four blocked shots, but it was Jarred Vanderbilt who really impressed with 13 points, 13 rebounds and six assists. It was his sixth double-double of the season. Vanderbilt (available in 79.5% of ESPN leagues) should be picked up immediately. Speaking of double-doubles, Jusuf Nurkic of the Portland Trail Blazers now has six consecutive games where he has reached that bar. On Tuesday against the Timmberwolves, he scored 20 points and added 14 rebounds in just 32 minutes.

• On Tuesday, Denver's Nikola Jokic had 28 points, 21 rebounds and nine assists against the Pistons. He joined Wilt Chamberlain and Oscar Robertson as the only players in league history to have 150 points, 70 rebounds, and 50 assists over a five-game span. For Detroit, Cade Cunningham had a career game, scoring 34 points with eight rebounds, eight assists, two steals, four blocks, and six 3-pointers. The rookie became just the third player in the last 40 years to lead his team in all six of those statistical categories in the same game.

• Amir Coffey of the LA Clippers bounced back from Sunday's subpar game with 29 points, five rebounds and two steals in 37 minutes against the Wizards. Coffey (available in 96% of ESPN leagues) should be picked up with Paul George potentially out for the season.

Injuries of note

Early in his game, Tim Hardaway Jr. of the Mavericks fractured his left foot's fifth metatarsal. He will be out for a while, but Jalen Brunson will benefit immediately. Brunson is averaging 15.7 points, 3.8 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 1.0 steals per game. For those in deeper formats, look at Dorian Finney-Smith, who has averaged 10.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 13 games this month.

DFS discussion

Jalen Smith, Phoenix Suns: With Deandre Ayton (ankle), Jae Crowder (wrist) and JaVale McGee (knee) all having been ruled out, Smith has a chance to succeed against the Jazz. Although he is only averaging 14.0 minutes per game this season, Smith has managed to produce 19.0 points and 15.7 rebounds per 40 minutes, so the expected extended minutes should help his numbers tonight.

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Home prices surged in November, but at a slower rate than in October, S&P Case-Shiller says - CNBC

A "For Sale" sign is seen outside a home in New York.

Shannon Stapleton | Reuters

Even as the housing market entered its traditionally slower season in November, home prices showed big gains from a year ago.

Prices rose 18.8% year over year on the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller National Home Price Index. Yet that was a slower rate than the October pace, which was a 19% annual gain.

The 10-city composite climbed 16.8% annually, down from 17.2% in the previous month. The 20-city composite grew 18.3%, down from 18.5% in October.

"Despite this deceleration, it's important to remember that November's 18.8% gain was the sixth-highest reading in the 34 years covered by our data (the top five were the months immediately preceding November)," noted Craig Lazzara, managing director at S&P DJI.

Some markets are posting some stunning gains. Phoenix, Tampa, Florida, and Miami saw the highest year-over-year gains among the 20 cities in November, with increases of 32.2%, 29.0% and 26.6%, respectively.

Chicago, Minneapolis and Washington, D.C., showed the smallest annual gains, although they were all still up around 11%.

Eleven of the 20 cities reported higher price increases in the year ended November 2021 versus the year ended October 2021.

Mortgage rates didn't move much in October and November, holding between 3% and 3.25% for the average on the popular 30-year fixed. While that was slightly higher than the early summer levels, it was still historically low and considerably lower than where rates are now. Rates are now about 75 basis points above year-ago levels. Low rates over the last two years have given buyers more purchasing power and consequently fueled today's sky-high prices.

"We should soon begin to see the impact of increasing mortgage rates on home prices," added Lazzara.

A recent report from Realtor.com found that 14 out of the top 50 largest U.S. cities experienced listing price declines over the prior year in December.

Correction: Craig Lazzara is managing director at S&P DJI. An earlier version misspelled his name.

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COVID-19 case numbers peak, Central Texas health leaders eye new Denmark variant - KXAN.com

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Utah Jazz: The case for the Jazz to keep Danuel House - Deseret News

PHOENIX — The Utah Jazz are clearly in need of wing players whose effort and determination shine through on the court.

They might be able to find something on the trade market, they might be able to make a move to bring someone in, but the Jazz have two open roster spots and there is a player that’s standing right in front of them, making a very good case for keeping him around.

Danuel House originally signed a 10-day hardship deal with the Jazz when COVID-19 finally made its way onto the roster this season. Then they signed him to a standard 10-day deal on Jan. 18 that will expire on Friday (the Jazz play in Memphis on Friday.)

“They believe in me, because they gave me another one,” House said. “I’m just gonna ride the wave and make sure I get better.”

The Jazz could sign House to a second standard 10-day deal before they have to make a longterm decision. So that means that they could sign him to another 10-day deal that would take him to Feb. 8, just before the NBA trade deadline (Feb. 10). The Jazz could continue to keep him around and see if he can be an impactful player.

But, based on the small sample that we have of him with the Jazz so far, he’s shown that he has a lot of the traits that the Jazz are looking for.

“Just intensity and competitiveness,” Jazz head coach Quin Snyder said of House after the Jazz’s 115-109 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Monday night. “I think playing hard is as much a skill as anything else and you saw a guy who’s hungry and played hard.”

House started for the Jazz on Monday as the team was without all five of its regular starters as well as Joe Ingles. He played an impressive 42 minutes, 38 seconds and finished the night with an even more impressive 14 points, seven rebounds, four assists, two steals, two blocks, just a single turnover and he got to the free-throw line a game-high nine times.

The sample size is not large. House has played in just five games during his time with the Jazz. But his production in limited opportunities has been great and his per-36 numbers would lead anyone to believe that House is good enough for a roster spot.

With steals, blocks, deflections, loose balls recovered and contested shots House has had a uniquely high impact in his minutes. Even more than that, he’s shown through his scoring, passing and playmaking that he’s not just a defensive or shooting cog, but that he can be useful at every level.

None of this is to say that House will be cracking the rotation on a nightly basis or that he is the answer to the Jazz’s many issues that need addressing. But he’s a very useful player who can be trusted and who would make this Jazz team deeper and as it stands right now there’s no risk in keeping him around on another 10-day deal, just a small financial cost.

But outside of what he’s been able to do on the court, there’s a hunger and appreciation from House that is important for a team. It’s clear that House has felt slighted at times in his NBA career, but he’s felt something new and different with the Jazz and it’s making him want to fight even more to earn a spot on this roster.

“They welcomed me with open arms, accepted me, no one has ever turned me down, they always ask me if I need anything, they always make me comfortable,” House said. “So especially being a guy that has been accustomed to a certain way for years, and then you come over here and to be welcomed — it makes you really enjoy the process and everything.”

House is right that the Jazz believe in him. Snyder wouldn’t be asking House what he sees on the court, trying to correct him, give him feedback continuously throughout the game, during dead balls and timeouts, if Snyder didn’t see something in House that he liked. And House was already a fan of Snyder after being around him less than 24 hours.

“He’s passionate about it,” House said of Snyder. “We’re all passionate about it, obviously, so of course that’s going to bring chemistry. But not only that, he’s a great dude off the court. He’s a great dude. And to me, that’s before basketball.”

So, you’ve got a hungry, gritty wing player who can defend and is willing to make hustle plays and can score and play make and is unselfish and you can keep him around through Feb. 8 with no strings attached. The Jazz should do that, and then really think about giving him one of the open roster spots.

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SCOTUS to hear WOTUS case - National Hog Farmer

The U.S. Supreme Court has decided to hear a case involving “waters of the United States” that stems from a 2004 order from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency stopping Michael and Chantell Sackett from building on their land because of the presence of “wetlands.” The Idaho couple were told they needed a Clean Water Act permit to build a home on their private property, even though the lot they were building on lacked a surface water connection to any stream, creek, lake or other water body.

In Sackett vs. EPA, the U.S. Supreme Court will be determining whether the 9th Circuit used the proper tests in determining whether wetlands were “waters of the United States” under the Clean Water Act.

In 2004, the Sacketts bought a vacant lot near Priest Lake, Idaho, and obtained local permits to build a home. But when the Sacketts started the construction process, the EPA suddenly ordered them to stop work, and, months later, sent the Sacketts a compliance order claiming the property contained a wetland that could not be filled without a federal permit.

EPA prohibited the Sacketts from constructing their home, demanded costly restoration work, and required a three-year monitoring program, during which the property was to be left untouched. The agency also threatened the Sacketts with fines of up to $75,000 per day if they didn’t obey the order.

The order denied the Sacketts the right to use their property, and the agency argued that they had no right to challenge the order in court. Represented by Pacific Legal Foundation, the Sacketts argued that it was unlawful to deny them a judicial hearing. They were vindicated when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in their favor in 2012, confirming their right to contest the order.

American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall welcomed the court's decision to offer additional clarity on what constitutes a "waters of the U.S." under the Clean Water Act. "Farmers and ranchers share the goal of protecting the resources they’re entrusted with, but they shouldn’t need a team of lawyers to farm their land. We hope this case will bring more clarity to water regulations," Duvall says.

Duvall also adds, in light of the action, AFBF called on EPA to "push pause on its plan to write a new WOTUS rule until it has more guidance on which waters fall under federal jurisdiction." EPA currently has a comment period open until February 7 on its proposed rule. 

For nearly a decade since, the Sacketts have been in court battling with the EPA over their interpretation of the Clean Water Act, PLF says.

In a 2006 PLF case, Rapanos v. United States, the Supreme Court ruled to limit EPA’s regulatory power, but the agency has attempted to sidestep the ruling by issuing guidance documents and creating new rules, like the 2015 Waters of the United States rule and the 2020 Navigable Waters Protection Rule. Each change has also been met with lawsuits, and courts have applied the 2006 case unevenly.

“The result is a confusing patchwork of regulations that are inconsistent across the country,” PLF says.

Now the Sacketts have asked the Supreme Court to clarify what EPA can regulate under the clean water act and what it cannot.

“Although EPA withdrew its compliance order and its past threats of massive fines, it maintains that it has the power to regulate the Sacketts’ property. If the Sacketts’ property can be regulated by the federal government, so too can the properties of other homeowners, farmers, and businesses that are engaging in non-harmful activities,” PLF says.

Rapanos ruling impact

Back in 1989, Michigan developer John Rapanos was simply clearing his property to build homes and a shopping mall when he became so ensnared in a regulatory quagmire, it took the U.S. Supreme Court to resolve.

In 1995, a U.S. District Court jury convicted John of destroying federally regulated wetlands. His punishment came three years later; $185,000 in fines and a sentence of three years’ probation and 200 hours of community service.

Represented by PLF, Rapanos battled all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, where he won in 2006. In their divided decision, a majority ruled that the EPA’s and the Army Corps’ regulations defining “navigable waters” were illegal and ordered the case back to the lower courts, which ultimately reached a settlement with him.

While the Rapanos ruling established limits to federal authority over non-navigable waters, it fell one vote short of a definitive guideline for what the EPA and the Corps can—and cannot—regulate under the CWA.

Four Justices issued a new, clear and reasonable regulatory standard for navigable waters that requires a continuous surface water connection between wetlands and a regulated water. Justice Kennedy, however, devised a vague and broad “significant nexus” test. The inclusion of a “significant nexus” was included in the 2015 Obama rule, and again appears to be part of the discussion in the Biden administration’s attempt to rewrite the rule.

PLF explains with lower courts left to decide what to do, Rapanos has led to much confusion and continued agency overreach; neither the lower courts, nor the agencies, nor the regulated public can agree on what the rule of Rapanos is, much less on how to apply any such rule efficiently and consistently.

The Sacketts of Idaho became one of the EPA’s earliest post-Rapanos enforcement targets in 2007 and have been fighting the government ever since. On behalf of the Sacketts, PLF has asked the Supreme Court to vindicate their property rights and restore with finality the proper judicial application of the Rapanos win.

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