NBA players accused of fraud
Eighteen former NBA players have been accused of attempting to defraud the NBA Health and Welfare Benefit Plan. Terrence Williams, Alan Anderson, Anthony Allen, Shannon Brown, William Bynum, Ronald Glen Davis, Christopher Douglas-Roberts, Melvin Ely, Jamario Moon, Darius Miles, Milton Palacio, Ruben Patterson, Eddie Robinson, Gregory Smith, Sebastian Telfair, Charles Watson Jr., Antoine Wright and Anthony Wroten are being charged with defrauding NBA health plan out of four million dollars. Many are accused of falsifying invoices to support their claims. NBC News stated that “the scheme was uncovered, in part, because of the sloppy work of the defendants.” NBC News provided one example about Smith who had filed claims for a root canal and IV Sedation on Dec. 18 in Beverly Hills. His travel records showed that during that week he was in Tiawan playing professional basketball.
Facebook whistleblower testifies to the senate
According to NBC News, former employee of Facebook and whistleblower, Frances Haugen, argued that the social network lacks accountability. “I believe that Facebook’s products harm children, stoke division, weaken our democracy and much more,” Frances Haugen said to the senate commerce subcommittee on consumer protection. Haugen, a product manager for Facebook, believed that the social media company is lacking transparency. She testified at the senate that Facebook had added safeguards going into the 2020 election but turned them off right afterwards. Facebooks CEO Mark Zuckerberg publicly argued the company is being mischaracterized.
Ernest Johnson executed despite questions over his intellectual capacity
Missouri performed the execution of Ernest Johnson who was convicted of three murders almost three decades ago. According to NBC News, Johnson’s legal team determined that IQ test showed he had the intellectual capacity of a child. “This Court has said states simply cannot execute the intellectually disabled,” Johnson’s attorneys wrote, referring to a 2002 Supreme Court ruling.” NBC News also stated, “Johnson’s execution was the first by Missouri prison officials since May 2020, as the pandemic put a hold on states’ death chamber operations before Texas jump-started the practice this year.”
Senators reach out to Levine about mental health services for LGBTQ+ children
According to NBC News, a group of senators have reached out to Rachel Levine, the assistant secretary to the Department of Health and Human Services and the country’s first transgender federal official, to help make guidelines to aid mental health needs for transgender and nonbinary adolescents. In the letter written to Levine the senators talked about the ongoing discrimination these children face. NBC News stated, “Advocates have also warned of an uptick in transgender and nonbinary youth seeking help for their mental well-being in states advancing anti-trans bills.”
