Young Thug: Prosecutors rest their case in Georgia’s longest trial

ATLANTA — After nearly a year’s worth of testimony from more than 175 witnesses, Fulton County prosecutors rested their case Tuesday in a gang and racketeering trial that has become the longest in Georgia history.

Missing was the trial’s star defendant; Atlanta rapper Young Thug, one of four members of “Young Slime Life” who pleaded guilty during the lengthy trial. The two remaining defendants, Shannon Stillwell and Deamonte Kendrick, rejected plea offers after more than a week of negotiations. Both face murder and other charges.

Neither Stillwell nor Kendrick will present evidence, their lawyers said, and they declined to testify in their defense.

Prosecutors alleged Young Thug was the leader of a street gang known as “Young Slime Life,” which was responsible for a spate of robberies and shootings, some of which were fatal. Defense attorneys maintain YSL is a record label.

In her opening statement last November, Deputy District Attorney Adriane Love described the alleged gang as a “pack.” And she said Young Thug, whose real name is Jeffery Williams, was the lead wolf.

But Williams is out on probation after pleading guilty Halloween. In addition to 15 years of probation, he was banished from metro Atlanta for the next decade.

Three others also pleaded guilty last month.

Jury selection in the case began nearly two years ago. Since then, it has been roiled by courtroom theatrics, delays and even a judge’s ouster.

—The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Will Texas students soon learn Christian stories in their public school lessons?

DALLAS — Texas elementary students are closer to having Christian stories weaved throughout lessons in a move that supporters say will raise the academic bar but that critics lambast as religious indoctrination.

Teachers, parents and advocates packed the State Board of Education meeting this week ahead of Tuesday’s 8-7 preliminary vote on state-crafted lesson plans, known as Bluebonnet Learning. The board is expected to take a final vote during its Friday meeting.

Members will decide whether to give the state’s seal of approval to Bluebonnet Learning and other instructional materials from a bevy of companies.

Textbook publishers have until Wednesday night to tweak proposed materials in response to community and board members’ concerns.

Temple ISD was among several districts that piloted the state-crafted lesson plans, with some positive results.

Teachers from the Central Texas district traveled to Austin to endorse the reading materials, saying they helped their students grow academically and helped them become better educators.

“The curriculum is for all diverse learners, flexible for various teacher expertise and inclusive for families,” kindergarten teacher Jomeka Gray told the board. “I’m confident that my students will continue to have positive outcomes as they move forward in their academic journey.”

But the infusion of Bible stories troubles many families from different religious backgrounds.

“From the lens of Jewish parents in our community, there is still a great deal of concern about their children being taught the Christian Bible concepts at a young age,” said Lisa Epstein, a leader with the Jewish Federation of San Antonio.

Some religious scholars who examined the proposed instructional materials found that the lessons lack religious balance, are inaccurate at times and appear to go out of the way to reference the Bible.

—The Dallas Morning News

A more severe form of mpox has been reported in US

The United States has reported its first confirmed case of the more contagious form of mpox, formerly known as monkeypox.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this week issued a health advisory, stating that while the country’s risk for the more severe form of mpox remains low, doctors should be on alert for patients with possible symptoms.

The health alert comes after California’s Department of Public Health on Nov. 15 confirmed a case of the more severe clade I mpox, just months after the World Health Organization declared a global health emergency as concerns mounted over the disease's spread in Central and Eastern Africa.

The CDC said the country’s first clade I mpox case is related to the outbreak in Central and Eastern Africa. The person had recently traveled from Eastern Africa and was treated shortly after returning to the U.S., according to the public health agency. The person is recovering at home and symptoms are improving.

“The risk of clade I mpox to the public remains low and there continue to be sporadic clade II mpox cases in the United States,” according to the CDC. Clade II mpox is considered to be a less severe form of the disease.

So far, the country has reported more than 3,000 mpox cases this year, federal and state data shows.

—Miami Herald

Iran eyes step toward curbing production of highly enriched uranium

VIENNA — Iran has taken a preparatory technical step toward curbing its production of highly enriched uranium, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, said on Tuesday, several days after his talks in Iran.

According to Grossi's nonpublic report, which has been seen by dpa, Iran has increased its stockpile of uranium with a purity level of almost 60% — which is nearly suitable for nuclear weapons — by around 18 kilograms to approximately 182 kilograms in recent months.

However, Iran took steps over the weekend to ensure that the amount does not increase any further, the report said.

Grossi proposed this step in view of the current tensions in the region, a high-ranking diplomat said in Vienna.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that a component of Iran's nuclear program was damaged in Israel's retaliatory strike against Iran in October.

Grossi met Iranian officials in Tehran last week in a bid to implement previous agreements and ensure transparency.

Under the 2015 international nuclear deal, Iran had agreed to curtail its nuclear program in return for the lifting of Western sanctions. However, after the United States unilaterally withdrew from the agreement in 2018 and imposed new sanctions, Iran started ignoring the terms of the agreement.

—dpa