Back to Alaska, one libel case later…

Happening in the World: At a news conference on Monday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau vowed to invoke the Emergencies Act as a crack-down measure while anti-vaccine mandate protests enter their third week in Ottawa. Mr. Trudeau noted that the Emergencies Act would give police “more tools” to imprison or fine protesters and would also allow banks to freeze the personal accounts of anyone involved in the protests. Mr. Trudeau added that the measures would be “time-limited” and would not see the military deployed. (BBC)

Happening in the US: Yesterday, US District Judge Jed Rakoff said that he will dismiss the libel lawsuit that former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin filed against the New York Times in a claim that the newspaper damaged her reputation with an editorial that falsely linked her campaign rhetoric to a mass shooting event. Although the jury is still deliberating on the New York City trial in case Rakoff’s decision is reversed on appeal, Judge Rakoff said that Palin failed to show that the Times had acted out of malice, a required component of libel lawsuits with public figures. (AP)

Happening in NYC: Mayor Adams announced yesterday that 1,430 city workers, less than 1% of the city’s workforce, were fired on Friday for failing to comply with the city’s vaccine mandate. Currently, all city workers are required to receive one dose of the vaccine, and new hires must get two doses if they received a vaccine that includes a second dose. In his announcement, Mayor Adams also noted that about 95 percent of the city’s workers had received at least one vaccine dose, up from 84 percent in October. More city workers still may face termination—about 9,000 more workers are still unvaccinated, but are seeking exemptions or working with unions to avoid termination. (NYT)

Happening in Our Community: Today at 7 pm, join the Barnard and Columbia Architecture department for a talk on Nick R. Smith’s new book, The End of the Village: Planning the Urbanization of Rural China. Alongside an interdiscipinary panel of professors, Smith will explore the rapid implementation of urbanization in the municipality of Chongqing. Register here for this virtual event on the transformation of China’s urban-rural relations.

Sarah Palin via Bwog Archives