December 8 top stories
It is December 8. Here are today’s top stories.
Hunter Biden charged with nine counts of tax crimes
The Department of Justice’s special counsel David Weiss brought nine tax-related charges against Hunter Biden, President Biden’s son. Hunter is accused of failing to pay $1.4 million in taxes from 2016 to 2020 while he earned millions of dollars from foreign entities. The special counsel said Hunter spent millions of dollars on an extravagant lifestyle, including payments to various women, clothing, and adult entertainment. Hunter’s attorney said the charges are a result of pressure from Republicans and that he is being targeted because he is a Biden.
Hunter faces up to 17 years in prison on the tax-related charges and this is on top of him being charged with firearms-related charges in September.
Woman arrested after allegedly pouring gasoline on MLK Jr.’s birth home
ABC News said a 26-year-old woman was arrested Thursday night in Atlanta on the allegation that she poured gasoline on the birth home of Martin Luther King, Jr. The home is owned and operated by the National Park Service. Police said they received a call that there was a vandalism in progress and when officers arrived at the home, the suspect was already detained by multiple citizens.
The suspect’s name is Laneisha Shantrice Henderson. It is not clear what the motive was.
The King Center said the suspect attempted to set fire to the historic property and that fortunately, the attempt was unsuccessful, thanks to the brave intervention of good samaritans and the quick response of law enforcement.
FDA approves 2 new gene therapies for sickle cell disease
The FDA announced it has approved the first CRISPR gene-editing therapy for sickle cell disease, Casgevy. The FDA also approved another gene therapy called Lyfgenia.
The FDA said the two therapies represent two milestone treatments for sickle cell disease, a genetic condition that affects about 100,000 Americans, the majority of them African Americans. Those affected have abnormal ‘sickle’-shaped red blood cells that can cause multiple health issues and a lower life expectancy.
A leading doctor and researcher said the treatment is a “functional cure” in that patients do not have any symptoms. The treatment allows the body to start making healthy red blood cells.
ABC News said the treatment is not an easy process for patients because it takes months of preparation and they will need to stay in the hospital for several weeks, but many volunteers who underwent clinical trials said they feel amazing and no longer experience pain.
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UNLV shooting victims were three faculty members
The three victims who were murdered in the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) shooting on Wednesday were three faculty members.
The first is Cha Jan Chang (64), who was a business professor. The second is Patricia Navarro Velez (39), who was an assistant professor in accounting. The third is Naoko Takemaru (69), who was an associate professor of Japanese studies. A fourth person was injured and is hospitalized — this person is also a faculty member but hasn’t been identified.
The suspected gunman was a 67-year-old man who applied for a college professorship at UNLV but was not hired. His name is Anthony Polito and he used a 9mm handgun that he purchased last year. He was killed by police officers. He had a list of people that he wanted to find but none of the victims were on the list.
Police said they are investigating what may have motivated the gunman to carry out the shooting.
US employers add 199k jobs in November
The Labor Department said U.S. employers added 199,000 jobs last month and the unemployment rate fell from 3.9% to 3.7%. Last month’s job gain had higher numbers because about 40,000 auto workers who were on strike returned to work. ABC News said the jobless rate has now remained below 4% for nearly two years, the longest such streak since the late 1960s. The economy seems to be moving back to pre-pandemic norms.
That is all the top stories for this week. Have a nice weekend and stay with the light.
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/special-prosecutor-files-9-tax-related-felony-charges/story
https://abcnews.go.com/US/woman-arrested-after-allegedly-pouring-gasoline-mlk-jr/story
https://abcnews.go.com/Health/fda-approves-new-gene-therapies-sickle-cell-disease/story
https://abcnews.go.com/US/unlv-suspected-shooter-identified-sources/story?id=105448262