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Over A Third Of California Bar Exams Flagged For Possible Cheating

Over A Third Of California Bar Exams Flagged For Possible Cheating

More than 1/3 of California bar exams taken online in October were flagged for possible cheating, the state bar reported after the testing software program alerted authorities.

California Bar’s Committee of Bar Examiners is "currently reviewing 3,190 applicants" out of 9,301 who took the exam, according to a Dec. 4 statement by state bar official Tammy Campbell. According to Bloomberg Law, test takers were flagged based on several rules infractions, including having cell phones or other electronic equipment during the test, as well as gazing off-screen or having food.

The inquiry, first reported by the ABA Journal, puts test takers flagged by the system at risk of being required to retake the exam, which is typically required before a law school graduate is allowed to work as an attorney in the state. Any review that substantiates widespread cheating also could give critics of bar exams in California and other states further ammunition to promote alternatives like diploma privilege, which allows law school grads to get licensed without taking an exam. –Bloomberg Law

"We believe there were multiple factors that contributed to the number of flagged videos, including the unprecedented nature of this first-ever online remote bar exam and the large and diverse population who took it in California," said state bar spokeswoman Teresa Ruano, adding "We will continue to refine and improve this process based on learnings from this first online exam."

Attorneys for several flagged test-takers say the allegations are preposterous and an overreaction. Georgia-based lawyer Megan Zavieh who has offices in California is representing over two-dozen of the applicants who were contacted by the CA Bar, and said that some of her clients received letters accusing people of moving their eyes out of camera range at the wrong moment.

"It’s not only, ‘no, I didn’t do that.’ It’s, ‘I have no idea what you’re talking about," she said.

California shifted to an online bar exam in October due to the pandemic. Most states which have done so are using Dallas-based ExamSoft to provide software. The company uses AI proctors who are logged into test takers’ computers, including web cams, to monitor behavior.

So-called “Chapter 6 Notices” of potential violations were sent to numerous test takers after ExamSoft video-file software flagged the conduct to the Bar, according to ABA Journal.

That spurred students to hire lawyers like Zavieh and Pasadena, Calif.-based ethics attorney Erin Joyce.

Joyce said her clients are concerned because of the impact the notices they’ve received might have on their ability to gain permanent or even provisional law licenses—even if they’re ultimately exonerated. “They’re frightened and they’re angry,” she said. “They put a lot of effort and expense into the test.”

Chapter 6 Notices contain allegations that are either “disputable” or “indisputable,” according to a list of frequently-asked questions the Bar posted on its website. A dozen types of alleged infractions are disputable and thus eligible for a hearing, according to a state bar Chapter 6 “Decisional Matrix.”

Indisputable allegations include those in which the test taker possessed notes or other study aids, or electronic devices like cell phones or digital watches. Disputable allegations, which can be contested by a hearing, include having radios or stereos, or “food or beverages, including but not limited to coffee and water,” in exam rooms during a remote-proctored exam.-Bloomberg Law

The allegations of cheating comes fresh on the heels of a similar online cheating scandal at West Point, where over 70 cadets were accused of cheating on a calculus exam last spring.

Fifty-nine of the cadets admitted to cheating on the test, which was taken remotely rather than on academy grounds due to the pandemic, according to West Point officials. Two of the cases were dropped for lack of evidence, four cadets resigned, and eight cadets face honor code hearings which could result in their expulsion, according to public affairs director Lt. Col. Christopher Ophardt.

"The honors process is working as expected, and there have been no exceptions to policy for any of these cases," said Ophardt, adding "Cadets are being held accountable for breaking the code."

Tyler Durden
Wed, 12/23/2020 – 20:40

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UPDATE: Nets Cover-Up Police Video of Warnock’s Domestic Dispute

Tuesday night, NewsBusters asked if the broadcast networks would care to cover the newly revealed police body camera video featuring Georgia Senate candidate Raphael Warnock (D) as they responded to a domestic dispute. Despite the alleged incident being contemporaneous and including video from the police response, ABC, CBS, and NBC omitted the story from their flagship morning and evening news programs in the 24 hours since the story broke on the Fox News Channel’s Tucker Carlson Tonight.
There’s no doubt that if either of the Republicans running in the Georgia Senate race (Senators Kelly Loeffler and David Purdue) were involved in a domestic dispute, it would be the media’s new flavor of the week to use against them.
Luckily, Fox News spent Wednesday repeatedly highlighting the body camera video. “I’ve tried to keep the way he acts under wraps for a long time, and today he crossed the line. So, that is what is going on here. He is a great actor, he is phenomenal at putting on a really good show,” Ouleye Warnock can be heard saying to the Atlanta police officer.
Political correspondent Jonathan Serrie had some new details to share about the alleged incident during an appearance on Outnumbered Overtime:
The alleged incident took place during a verbal argument that Warnock was having with his then strained wife, Ouleye, over a combination of divorce papers, and also a document she wanted him to sign that would allow her to take their children out of the country to attend a funeral.
 
 
According to Raphael’s statement to the officer, their kids were in the car when she started screaming about him running over her foot.
“Yeah, Warnock said he didn’t believe it at the time and medical professionals found no evidence of injury,” Serrie added. “Police filed no charges. Warnock spoke with local media about the incident back in March shortly after it happened.”
And in the Warnock campaign’s official response to the video, spokesperson Michael J. Brewer did some mental gymnastics to claim it was a new attack from Loeffler, against his family. As reported by Serrie:
And while the video that recently surfaced raises no new allegations, Republicans are hoping it raises doubts about Warnock less than two weeks away from his runoff against Senator Kelly Loeffler. A Warnock campaign spokesperson tells Fox News, “This is desperate and shameful. Kelly Loeffler has spent her entire campaign attacking Reverend Warnock and has now stooped to a new level of attacking his family."
Instead of reporting on this, the broadcast networks continued to bash President Trump’s opposition to the COVID relief bill; mischaracterizing his critiques and completely omitting the wasteful spending on foreign counties and liberal pet projects.
The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
Fox News Channel’s Outnumbered Overtime
December 23, 2020
1:15:05 p.m. Eastern
MOLLY LINE: We’re learning brand-new details about a domestic dispute between Senate candidate Raphael Warnock and his ex-wife. With those high stakes and runoffs in Georgia just around the corner. Take a listen.
OULEYE WARNOCK: I’ve tried to keep the way he acts under wraps for a long time, and today he crossed the line. So, that is what is going on here. He is a great actor, he is phenomenal at putting on a really good show.
LINE: Jonathan Serrie is live in Atlanta with the details on this. Jonathan?
JONATHAN SERRIE: Yeah, good afternoon to you. The alleged incident took place during a verbal argument that Warnock was having with his then strained wife, Ouleye, over a combination of divorce papers, and also a document she wanted him to sign that would allow her to take their children out of the country to attend a funeral.
RAPHAEL WARNOCK: I start to move slightly, thinking she’s here. I’m thinking she is clear, and I barely moved. And all of sudden she’s screaming, that I ran over her foot. I don’t believe it.
SERRIE: Yeah, Warnock said he didn’t believe it at the time and medical professionals found no evidence of injury. Police filed no charges. Warnock spoke with local media about the incident back in March shortly after it happened.
And while the video that recently surfaced raises no new allegations, Republicans are hoping it raises doubts about Warnock less than two weeks away from his runoff against Senator Kelly Loeffler. A Warnock campaign spokesperson tells Fox News, “This is desperate and shameful. Kelly Loeffler has spent her entire campaign attacking Reverend Warnock and has now stooped to a new level of attacking his family."
(…)

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‘I wasn’t expected to be alive today’: Rush Limbaugh delivers message of gratitude in final show of the year

Conservative talk radio icon Rush Limbaugh delivered an emotional message of gratitude opening his final show of the year on Wednesday, thanking his listeners and family for their support during his ongoing battle with lung cancer.

Limbaugh disclosed that according to the prognosis he received following his Stage IV diagnosis, he "wasn’t expected to be alive today"— and shared what he has learned through the experience.

What are the details?

The host told his audience that he was "shocked" when he learned his fate in late January, revealing that he went through an initial period of denial but has experienced an overwhelming outpouring of support that has put him in a place of utter gratitude.

He reflected on receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Donald Trump in February, reminding his listeners that around that time he had shared that he gained "a little bit of understanding of something that had perplexed me for a lot of my life, and that was Lou Gehrig," the legendary professional baseball player whose ALS diagnosis cut short his record-breaking career in the 1930s.

Limbaugh explained:

"On the day that Lou Gehrig announced that he had his disease that was forcing him to retire from Major League Baseball, he said to the sold-out Yankee Stadium, ‘Today I feel like the luckiest man on the face of the earth.’

I didn’t understand that. I mean, here’s a guy who’d just been diagnosed with the most terminal of terminal diseases, and I said, ‘This can’t be real. He can’t really think he’s the luckiest guy in the world. This is just something that he’s saying because it will play well.’ I don’t mean to be insulting Lou Gehrig; don’t misunderstand. I’m just saying, how in the world if you’re being honest can you feel like you’re the luckiest man on the face of the earth?"

The radio giant said that now he understands, telling his listeners, "Well, when I got my diagnosis…I began to receive all of the outpouring of love and affection from everywhere in my life from so many of you in so many ways and from my family."

He added, "because I have outlived the diagnosis, I’ve been able to receive and hear and process some of the most wonderful, nice things about me that I might not have ever heard had I not gotten sick. Again think, how many people who pass away never hear the eulogies, never hear the thank-yous? I’ve been very lucky, folks, in I can’t tell you how many ways."

Fox News pointed out that Rush Limbaugh’s program, which began in 1988, is the most listened-to in the United States.

The outlet reported:

He’s a five-time winner of the National Association of Broadcasters Marconi Award for "Excellence in Syndicated and Network Broadcasting," a No. 1 New York Times bestselling author and a member of the Radio Hall of Fame and National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame. He also was named one of Barbara Walters’ 10 Most Fascinating People in 2008 and one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People in the World in 2009.

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Roger Stone Thanks President Trump for Pardon that Completely Erases the Criminal Conviction Which He “Was Subjected in a Soviet-Style Show Trial on Politically-Motivated Charges”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Stone@StoneColdTruth.com
Statement of Roger Stone
December 23, 2020

On behalf of my family and myself, I wish to praise God and give my deepest thanks to President Donald J. Trump for his extraordinary act of justice in issuing me a presidential pardon, completely erasing the criminal conviction to which I was subjected in a Soviet-style show trial on politically-motivated charges, further corrupted by egregious, illegal misconduct by the Jury Forewoman in the case.

Just weeks ago, when the US Department of Justice released the last remaining redacted sections of the ‘Mueller Report’ that pertained to my case, the Special Counsel admitted that there was no “factual” evidence whatsoever of coordination, collaboration or collusion between me, any Russians, WikiLeaks or publisher Julian Assange. Additionally, they found no “factual” evidence that I had advance knowledge of the precise timing, source or content of any of WikiLeaks’ 2016 disclosures, including the release of John Podesta’s apparently purloined emails.

Even more incredibly, the ‘Mueller Report’ concludes that even if they had found evidence that I had received data from WikiLeaks and disseminated it to anyone, these were perfectly legal, constitutionally-protected actions under the First Amendment. In short: Mueller’s intrusive, lawless, malicious multimillion-dollar witch hunt could find no prosecutable crime against me, other than what they managed to fabricate.

Why am I not shocked that only BuzzFeed, whose lawsuit won release of this material, the Washington Examiner and ZeroHedge reported this shocking news? Perhaps it’s because the Justice Department released it at midnight of election day – the busiest news day of the year – in other words, they wanted it buried deep. Or perhaps media outlets like the Washington
Post, the New York Times, CNN, MSNBC, NBC, the Business Insider, Politico and others who gleefully reported lie after lie about me, my case and the purported “evidence” against me. In fact, the media jackals reported nothing.

I have no doubt that the unhinged radical left, who despise both President Trump and me, will now recycle the entirely-false and now thoroughly debunked narrative that I “maintained my silence” regarding misconduct by the President in return for the commutation of my sentence and a pardon. Hillary Clinton has said it, Jerry Nadler has said it, Adam Schiff and Hakeem
Jeffries have said it and Eric Swalwell, the communist Chinese-compromised Congressman, echoed it. It’s a lie.

This canard is based on a conversation I had with Howard Fineman that he later misreported on MSNBC. Fortunately, I have Fineman’s text message reaffirming that I never said I ‘knew of criminal misconduct’ by the President or ever said that I maintained my silence to protect him, but rather that I merely repeated what I had said on multiple occasions after the commutation of my sentence, namely that I refused to bear false testimony against the President when the Mueller prosecutors approached my attorneys seeking my “cooperation” in return for a recommendation for leniency in my
sentencing.

Claims falsely made by Michael Cohen and Rick Gates that they overheard conversations between candidate Trump and myself discussing WikiLeaks are not only totally-uncorroborated, but also materialized only after the the Special Counsel’s legal operators’ induced the two with favorable plea bargains for their other crimes. These manufactured claims are unsupported by any phone records or witnesses and their sworn testimony is contradicted by their FBI 302 documents released by the Justice Department.

I was charged with “lying to Congress,” even though any misstatements I made to partisan Democrat inquisitors on the House Intelligence Committee concealed nothing material either to their investigation or regarding any underlying crime, because there was none. Rod Rosenstein testified to the Senate Judiciary Committee that he did not approve the investigation into my affairs. His statement is belied by his own signed scope-memo authorizing the Special Counsel’s expansion. In other words, Rosenstein lied to Congress under oath.

More recently, the Washington Post reported that three top senior nonpolitical career prosecutors denied claims made by Assistant US  Attorney Aaron Zelinsky in sworn testimony to the House Judiciary Committee that they told him they were being pressured by the White House and top administration officials regarding my sentencing, specifically to “go easy on Stone in their sentencing recommendation.” In other words, both Rosenstein and Zelinsky lied to Congress. When will they be prosecuted?

Lastly, I want to particularly thank Rev. Franklin Graham for his spiritual guidance, as well as Rev. Randy Coggins, Pastor Mark Burns, Pastor Darrel Scott, Pastor Rod Parsley, Reverend Rodney Howard-Browne, David Clement, Eric Metaxas, Father Michael J. Grady of St. Anthony’s Parrish in Fort Lauderdale, and other men of God who convinced me that  reaffirming my faith in Jesus Christ and confessing my sins would bring God’s grace in delivering me from my persecutors. How right they were. The injustice done to me does not stand alone. Other good Americans have been victims of a corrupt system made to serve venal power-seekers, rewarding deceit and manipulation, rather than reason and justice. President
Trump can be the purveyor of justice over the vile machinations of wicked pretenders to the mantle of public service. I hope the president will consider granting full and unconditional pardons to Julian Assange, Edward Snowden, Marcus Garvey, and Former Secret Service Agent Abraham W. Bolden, Sr.

(TGP sends its congratulations and Merry Christmas to Roger Stone and his family.)

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Pro-Israel Group Torches Warnock in New Ad

The political arm of the largest pro-Israel membership group in the United States launched an ad campaign Wednesday targeting Rev. Raphael Warnock, the Democratic candidate for Senate in the Georgia runoff.

The 30-second spot from Christians United for Israel Action Fund takes aim at both Warnock’s record of statements critical of Israel and his recent attack on evangelical Christians, traditionally a staunchly pro-Israel denomination.

The ad calls him "Radical Raphael Warnock" and says he is "preaching a gospel of hate." The voiceover says "Warnock demonized Christians who stand with Israel," a reference to his sermon after the opening of the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem in 2018 in which he accused "mealy-mouthed evangelical preachers" of being "responsible for the mess that we found ourselves in … misquoting and misinterpreting the Scripture, talking about peace."

A spokesperson for the group said the ad is backed by a six-figure digital and social media buy targeting pro-Israel voters in Georgia, where the organization has approximately 500,000 members, according to the spokesperson.

Last month, Pastor Jay Bailey, CUFI’s Georgia state director, published an op-ed criticizing Warnock’s "condemnations of Israel" as "disgusting."

The organization announced this week it had reached 10 million members.

Warnock is locked in a tight race with incumbent senator Kelly Loeffler (R.). The runoff election will take place on Jan. 5.

The post Pro-Israel Group Torches Warnock in New Ad appeared first on Washington Free Beacon.

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Unexplained explosion and fire destroy world’s second largest pharmaceutical factory producing precursors for hydroxychloroquine


Prepare for supplies to tighten for the cheap, effective therapeutic treatment for early stage Covid-19 infection, hydroxychloroquine (HCQ). Just as the medical establishment in the US is relaxing its absurd and lethal suppression of the cheap, generic drug, following President Trump’s endorsement of it early in the pandemic, HCQ’s continued availability may suffer.  The world’s second largest pharmaceutical facility producing the precursors for HCQ has been destroyed by an explosion and fire.

Taiwan English News reports:   

An explosion at a pharmaceutical factory in Taoyuan City left two injured and caused a fire early this afternoon, December 20.

People as far as Tamsui District in New Taipei City reported hearing the massive blast shortly after noon. Immediately after the blast, thick black smoke could be seen pouring out of the SCI Pharmtech factory. (snip)

The cause of the explosion is currently under investigation.

Liberty Times reported that the factory produces hydroxychloroquine APIs [active pharmaceutical ingredients – TL], and is the world’s second largest HCQ raw material supplier.

 

Photo via Taiwan English News

A subsequent report indicates that one of the injured workers, a Filipino guest worker who suffered third degree burns over 90% of his body, has died.  The explosion broke out around noon and set off subsequent explosions in volatile substances nearby.

The Taipei Times reports that company spokesmen state, “… it would take at least six months to rebuild the plant, as most production lines were damaged by the fire….”

Supplies may be tight, as the SCI Pharmtech had already expanded production and sales of HCQ APIs to meet growing demand:

The company reported cumulative revenue of NT$2.61 billion in the first 11 months of this year, up 18.19 percent from NT$2.21 billion in the same period last year, thanks to steady shipments of APIs for hydroxychloroquine

The cause of the fire is under investigation. Given the explosive character of some of the ingredients, there may well be a perfectly innocent explanation for the fire. But a six-month delay in resuming production may delay HCQ supplies to early stage Covid-19 patients, who could otherwise treat their affliction with it, combined with zinc and an antibiotic like azithromycin.

I’ve been to Taoyuan and visited industrial facilities there. It is very close to Taipei Taoyuan International Airport, the major international airport serving Taipei and Taiwan, and also to Hsinchu Science Park, a high-tech mecca, housing over 400 companies. This area is highly sophisticated and prosperous, not at all some third world backwater.

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BREAKING: President Trump Vetoes $740 Billion Defense Bill

President Trump vetoed a sweeping defense spending bill after repeatedly threatening to do so unless it addressed certain changes to regulations governing big tech corporations. Trump issued the veto on Wednesday, setting up Congress to vote to override Trump and pass the bill without presidential approval. The bill passed both chambers of Congress with veto-proof […]

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Despite COVID-19 restrictions, 500 Missouri church volunteers find way to pack more than 40,000 meals during Sunday’s morning services

They were not going to let a pandemic get in the way of providing for the less fortunate — especially during the Christmas season.

That’s what was going through the hearts of some 500 volunteers at a church in Joplin, Missouri, over the weekend.

What did they do?

Members of Hope City Church gathered for a different style of worship service Sunday morning, the Christian Post reported. Instead of the usual time of music, prayer, and sermons, the church’s entire morning services — at 9:45 and 11:15 a.m. — were reserved for packing meals for a local charity.

Lead Pastor Cody Walker told the Post that the teams of hundreds packed 40,218 meals for Watered Gardens Ministries, an organization the church has worked with for years now.

What about the pandemic? Walker said they took the appropriate precautions, knowing that it would take extra effort to complete their mission.

"We had about 525 individuals pack the meals. Everyone was required to wear a mask, hair net, and gloves," the pastor told the Post. "Every volunteer was stationed with a small team of about 10 in a specific spot while they packed the meals."

It was worth the effort because the church was focused on the desire to "give our people an opportunity this season to impact our local community."

"In a season where it can be easy to give our attention and focus to things, we wanted to focus on people. Instead of having a typical worship gathering, we spent most of our time packing meals that will help feed hungry families," Walker said. "We know everyone needs two things: food and hope. We hope these meals will be able to provide both for people who need to know they are not forgotten or alone. Our people at Hope City know we are all in the same boat and serving others is at the heart of the Gospel."

Watered Gardens Ministries told the Post that Hope City Church filling an ongoing need for an item that runs out regularly and shared that the meals will be passed out at their Mission Market and their Outreach Center.

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UPDATE: The Friday Night Oval Office Meeting Was EVEN MORE EXPLOSIVE Than We Thought – GENERAL FLYNN Saved the Day!

Overstock founder Patrick Byrne went on UncoverDC on Monday to further discuss the explosive meeting at the White House on Friday night.

During the interview Patrick Byrne described how General Michael Flynn took control and confronted the naysayers on President Trump’s advisory team.

According to Patrick Byrne, “General Flynn stood on his feet [in a calm, measured and professional manner] and gentlemanly asked “Do you think the President won? Can you say that you think the President won?”the question … not a single one would answer the question”.

Byrne further states that he told President Trump that “within 30 minutes” he could produce 3 people who could confirm that his own leadership has been trying to convince others to get him to concede.

General Flynn was the man of the hour.
This was a pivotal moment in American history.

Democrats must not get away with stealing the largest landslide of a sitting president in US history.
This cannot stand!

Here is the Patrick Byrne interview with UncoverDC.

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