Rittenhouse takes stand in own defense in murder trial – National & International News – WED 10Nov2021

Rittenhouse breaks down while taking stand in his own defense. Consumer prices rising at fastest rate in three decades. COP26: Negotiators seek stronger short-term carbon targets.

NATIONAL NEWS

Kyle Rittenhouse breaks down while taking stand in his own defense

Today, Kyle Rittenhouse, 18, took the stand to defend his actions at a protest last year, during which he shot and killed two men and seriously wounded a third with his AR-15. Rittenhouse, then 17, traveled from Illinois to Kenosha, WI, with a group of armed militia members who claimed they were there to defend businesses during unrest over the shooting of Jacob Blake, a black man, by a white cop. At the time, Rittenhouse was too young to legally possess the AR-15, which was purchased for him by a fellow militia member.

Early in his testimony, Rittenhouse sobbed as he claimed that the men he shot were threatening to kill him, forcing a recess. Rittenhouse claimed that the first man he fatally shot, Joseph Rosenbaum, had threatened to kill him. He also claimed Rosenbaum was carrying a steel chain. Accounts differ on this point. A fellow militia member who was with Rittenhouse claimed he’d not seen Rosenbaum carrying any weapon, but a police detective said Rosenbaum had been seen carrying a chain “at different points” throughout the night.

Rittenhouse’s retellings of the subsequent shootings also differ with accounts from various witnesses, including the lone survivor, Gaige Grosskreutz. Prosecutors say that Rittenhouse lied to fellow militia members, saying he was an EMT, which he is not. Rittenhouse also claimed he had been asked by the owners of a car dealership to defend their property, but the owners say differently.

Dominick Black, who purchased Rittenhouse’s gun and accompanied Rittenhouse at different times, took the stand last week. Black, who was also armed, testified that he at no point felt the need to use deadly force, despite the chaos of the night.

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Consumer prices rising at fastest rate in three decades

New data shows that consumer prices rose 6.2% between October 2020 and October 2021. This is the steepest year-on-year climb in three decades, outpacing even September’s year-on-year rise of 5.4%. According to the Bureau for Labor Statistics, the sharpest rises were in prices for housing, food, fossil fuels and new and used vehicles. Gasoline prices are at a seven-year high.

A combination of factors have contributed to the price hikes, including supply chain issues, rising consumer demand and labor shortages. As a result, nearly every consumer sector has seen some rise in prices.

Pressure has been growing for the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates to counteract the inflation. But the Fed has for months been taking the position that the current rise in prices is “transitory”. The thinking goes that the higher prices are a temporary reaction to the reopening of the economy and the resulting spike in consumer demand. Some economist believe that the rise in prices will eventually flatten demand and that the inflation drive will correct itself. 

But some observers think that the rise in wages to lure employees back to workplaces could prolong the inflation. Many employees are also seeking higher-paying jobs due to the rise in cost of living. Social security recipients will also soon be receiving the highest cost of living adjustment in years. 

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INTERNATIONAL NEWS

COP26: Negotiators seek stronger short-term carbon targets

Negotiators representing participating countries at the COP26 talks in Glasgow, Scotland, have released drafts of a tentative deal outlining how nations can achieve the climate pledges made by their respective leaders last week. The draft reflects the participants’ “alarm and concern” over climate disasters that are already afflicting parts of the world. The draft calls on participating countries to adopt more ambitious near term carbon-cutting targets. For example, the draft calls for countries to drastically reduce their use of coal for power generation by the end of 2022.

Meanwhile at the UN, the U.S. and China have agreed to boost their cooperation on climate initiatives. This may be a hopeful sign of a much-needed thaw in increasingly frosty relations between the two powers. President Biden and others have criticized Russia and China for not turning up to the COP26 talks last week.

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