DL Open Thread: Thurs., June 13, 2024

Cop Predators-State By State:

They served in police departments big and small. They were new recruits and seasoned veterans, patrol officers and chiefs of police. They understood the power of their guns and badges. In many cases, they used that very power to find and silence their victims.

A Washington Post investigation has found that over the past two decades, hundreds of law enforcement officers in the United States have sexually abused children while officials at every level of the criminal justice system have failed to protect kids, punish abusers and prevent additional crimes.

Police and sheriff’s departments have enabled predators by botching background checks, ignoring red flags and mishandling investigations. Accused cops have used their knowledge of the legal system to stall cases, get charges lowered or evade convictions. Prosecutors have given generous plea deals to officers who admitted to raping and groping minors. Judges have allowed many convicted officers to avoid prison time.

All the while, children in every state and the District of Columbia have continued to be targeted, groomed and violated by officers sworn to keep them safe.

Great investigative reporting. Yes, you can look up Delaware’s cop miscreants in the database.

The True Referendum On Musk’s Pay.  Bottom line: He’s not worth what he’s paying himself:

Late on Wednesday, Mr. Musk claimed victory in a social media post, saying that votes in favor of his pay package were leading by “wide margins,” giving Tesla’s stock a boost. But even before the official results are announced on Thursday, Tesla’s flagging stock price shows that investors have plenty of doubts about Mr. Musk and the electric carmaker’s outlook.

Tesla’s shares are down nearly 30 percent this year, even as the broader stock market is up 14 percent. At its peak in 2021, the stock market value of Tesla was $1.2 trillion, putting it in the company of tech giants like Microsoft, Apple and Google. Its worth has since plunged to around $576 billion, ranking it alongside less racy companies like Visa and Walmart.

“They’ve really struggled to grow,” said Toni Sacconaghi, a stock analyst at Bernstein who covers Tesla. “And part of the reason they’ve struggled to grow is they have no new models.”

Tesla’s profit in the first quarter fell 55 percent, to $1.1 billion, from a year earlier, while revenue fell 9 percent, to $21.3 billion. The company disclosed plans to lay off 10 percent of the work force, or 14,000 people.

Which reminds me:

The shareholders of Tesla, currently incorporated in Delaware, will determine late Thursday whether the electric car company will leave the First State and re-incorporate in Texas.

Shareholders will also decide whether to reinstate a pay package for the Tesla CEO that was previously valued at $56 billion.

A Delaware judge voided that compensation package in January after some stockholders sued. The pay deal, described as the largest “ever observed in public markets,” was ruled by Court of Chancery Judge Kathaleen McCormick to be excessive, not to shareholders’ benefit and riddled with conflicts of interest.

They gone.

Clarence Thomas’ ‘Son’ In Jail: Now that he’s no longer part of Thomas’ self-created mythology, they want nothing to do with him:

Martin told Business Insider that he enjoyed a privileged childhood, traveling to more than 20 countries and spending summers wakeboarding or waterskiing. He also remembers babysitting Crow’s son when their families went on vacation together. But Martin said that when he began high school, Clarence and Ginni Thomas “just didn’t have time to deal with” him anymore and sent him away to boarding schools. After his freshman year of high school began, Martin said he rarely saw his great-uncle and great-aunt.

According to Martin, he was expelled from Randolph-Macon Academy after his junior year for failing a drug test, and he said the Thomases then sent him back to his mother’s house in Georgia. He said he has rarely heard from them since. Last year, Martin was arrested and charged with drug trafficking and weapons possession. According to Business Insider, Martin’s car was stopped as part of a juvenile-sex-trafficking investigation, but he doesn’t face any charges related to that.

Martin also faces charges pending from 2021 on allegedly trafficking meth and heroin, Business Insider reported, citing arrest records. Martin faces at least 25 years in prison over the drug charges and five more years for illegal gun possession.

Yet Another Plague Visited Upon Florida.  And it’s not even hurricane season yet.  Just don’t mention climate change.  It’s against the law to do so:

Numerous roads remained flooded and impassable for vehicles. On major artery Interstate 95 in Broward county, southbound traffic was being diverted around a flooded section and contractors were on their way to pump the drainage system, the Florida Highway Patrol said in an email. The interstate wouldn’t reopen until after water is drained, the agency said.

The Miami weather service office issued increasingly dire warnings.

“Life-threatening flooding is now ongoing,” the service said on the social platform X. “Please stay off the roadways and get to higher ground.”

Mayors in Fort Lauderdale and Hollywood declared a state of emergency for their cities on Wednesday afternoon. Later Wednesday the Florida governor, Ron DeSantis also declared a state of emergency for five counties – Broward and Miami-Dade on Florida’s Atlantic coast and Collier, Lee and Sarasota counties on the state’s west coast.

What do you want to talk about?