Google started rolling out a redesigned Gmail at the end of July, and as is the case with just about every interface change, not everyone loves it. I, for one, find the new colors distracting, the layout cramped, and the addition of more icons needless. If the new design hasn’t taken over your mail yet, it will any day now.
If you want to go back to the old Gmail look, you can do so in a few clicks.
Open Gmail and click the Settings icon in the upper right corner.
In the panel that appears, choose “Go back to the original view.”
Before you can reload the interface and get your inbox back to the way it used to look, you also get an opportunity to tell the Gmail team why you’re choosing the old look instead. (Below I have a few suggestions for what you can tell them.)
Once you either submit feedback or decline to give it by leaving the field blank and selecting Reload, your view refreshes and you’re returned to Gmail’s previous design.
What Do You Think of Gmail’s New Look?
So, what might you put into that feedback box?
For starters, the left sidebar now feels more cramped than it did before. The addition of new icons in the far left certainly doesn’t help. And the color palette seems poorly thought out, with multiple shades of blue that aren’t complementary to one another. Mentioning any or all of these would be helpful, in my opinion.
To make your Gmail even better, see our list of the best tips for Gmail and three ways to improve your Gmail inbox.
Social media is trying to provide a new way of testing the health of a relationship, but psychologists say there’s no validity to it.
Several months ago, TikTokers started promoting a theory that you could tell if a hetero relationship would last by drawing a green line over a posed picture of a couple.
In a nutshell, the theory goes: neither partner leaning means a long-lasting relationship; woman leaning in means sometimes a lasting relationship, and man leaning in means the relationship is doomed.
The green line test was coined by a Twitter account named @alpharivelino – which should tell you everything you need to know about the ‘theory’.
But instead of being laughed at and ignored, more and more TikTok videos testing the theory are popping up on my For You page and I need it to stop.
So I called in a qualified psychologist with a degree, training and knowledge, instead of relying on strangers on the internet who call themselves ‘alpha’.
What the experts say
“There’s no validity to it at all,” said Lysn psychologist Nancy Sokarno.
“I really don’t think photos can tell much at all about a relationship.
“I know the theory is based on body language cues but we have to bear in mind that there are so many other factors to consider.
“For example, if the photo is for paparazzi, do they feel comfortable posing for that photo? Or are they standing in front of a big group of people, are people filming the interaction, etc.”
So not only is the green line test busted, but Ms Sokarno also says that generally body language “shouldn’t be the determining factor as to deciding whether a relationship is good or bad”.
“Ultimately it comes down to how you treat each other. Factors like how you support each other emotionally, how you converse, how you resolve disagreements etc are way more important than a person’s body language,” she said.
“Obviously a level of physicality does come into play in a relationship. For example, if a person is closed off physically it is going to have an impact on the relationship, but body language overall shouldn’t be the determining factor.”
Further evidence the ‘test’ is bogus
The Twitter account that originally spouted this sexist drivel has zero credibility, given it has also shared such wisdom as “The definition of a sl*t: she can’t remember all the c**ks she has sucked”, “the tighter her clothes the looser her p**y” and “At their basest, women are cruel, petty & vindictive”.
Yet the same person saying all these things also tweeted that “finding love gets harder the older you get”. Not hard to see why in their case.
Users of the green line rule also love to post a photo of Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson where he is clearly the one leaning in to prove that they were always going to break up. However old mate Rivelino also features a photo of Michelle and Barack Obama where he’s leaning in – I think we can all agree they’re an incredibly solid couple.
TikToker @jackmacbarstool further explained the green line with several videos on the theory, but even his own followers seemed to turn against the Barstool Sports writer.
Several pointed out that “you do clearly draw the lines more favorably when it supports your point”.
Many others dismissed it as a serious reach, as people in love often lean in towards each other, and sometimes it’s necessary for the taller person to lean in.
“*shows 8 foot tall man leaning over to kiss someone much shorter than him* ‘SEE GUYS LOOK HE’S LEANING IN!!!’” one commenter said.
In short, don’t take relationship advice from random, sad singles on the internet.
The NRL community is in shock after premiership-winning coach Paul Green died at the age of 49.
Green played 162 first grade matches between 1994-2004, winning the prestigious Rothmans Medal in 1995 as the game’s best and fairest. He played State of Origin for Queensland and represented Super League’s Australian team in 1997.
Turning to coaching after his retirement, he was in charge of North Queensland from 2014-2020, leading the club to its first ever premiership in 2015.
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Green coached Queensland in last year’s State of Origin series.
His family released a statement on Thursday afternoon.
“Today we are devastated,” it read.
“We have lost a devoted husband, loving father and wonderful brother and son. We cannot find the words that would come close to expressing our feelings, however we would like to extend our thanks to those who have reached out to us with their love and support.
Queensland Maroons coach Paul Green (Getty)
“Paul was loved by so many and we know that this news will generate immense interest, however at this time we ask for privacy.
“Our family is still trying to understand this tragedy and we request space and time as we come to terms with this loss.”
Green led the Cowboys to premiership glory in 2015, his side beating the Broncos in one of the most thrilling and memorable grand finals in the game’s history.
“Paul first came to our club as a player in the late 90s and was the club’s first Origin representative, but his lasting legacy emanated from his seven-season tenure as head coach of the North Queensland Cowboys,” said Cowboys chairman Lewis Ramsay.
“Paul’s arrival as head coach transformed our club from finals contenders to an immediate premiership force, culminating in the historic 2015 grand final victory.
Green comments on Cowboys exit
“We will forever remember Paul as one of the greatest contributors in Cowboys history.”
Those thoughts were echoed by the Brisbane Broncos.
“We are deeply saddened at the tragic passing of Queenslander and former Bronco, Paul Green,” the club said in a social media post.
“A legend on and off the field gone far too soon.”
He made his first grade debut for Cronulla in 1994, and immediately made his mark at halfback.
“Green had a magnificent first year in the Winfield Cup, and by season’s end was being spoken of in most quarters as Allan Langer’s likely successor as the Queensland State of Origin halfback,” David Middleton wrote in his 1994 yearbook.
“I have finished second in the Norwich Rising Star voting and third in the Rothmans Medal, and impressed all with his courage, flair and skill.
“Perhaps if one moment best captured his season, it was a try scored against St George on a Friday night at Kogarah, when he ran from a scrumbase deep inside his own quarter, and when met by the cover defence, which included Saints captain Mark Coyne, a renowned defender, he simply stopped, changed tack, and sped away, leaving his rivals stumbling in his wake.”
Green was even better in 1995, taking out the Rothmans Medal in just his second year in the top grade, leading the Sharks to fourth on the ladder, the best result for the club since claiming the minor premiership in 1988. Inexperience cost Cronulla however, who were eliminated from the finals after giving up 12-point leads against both Manly and Newcastle.
A Super League grand final in 1997 against Brisbane was the high point of Green’s time at the club, a season that saw him represent the breakaway competition’s Queensland and Australian sides.
A shoulder injury ruined his 1998 season, after which he became something of a nomad, spending seasons with North Queensland (1999-2000), Sydney Roosters (2001-02), Parramatta (2003) and Brisbane (2004).
He transitioned into coaching almost immediately, in an assistant role to Wayne Bennett at the Broncos, before landing the head coaching role at the Cowboys in 2014.
He was at the helm in 2015 when the club memorably claimed its maiden premiership, and again in 2017 when the Cowboys went down to Melbourne in the decider. Green remained in the job until he stepped down midway through the 2020 season.
Paul Green in action for Cronulla during his playing days. (Craig Golding/Fairfax)
Appointed Queensland State of Origin coach for 2021, his position was quickly under scrutiny after a 50-6 loss in game one, and a 26-0 defeat in game two. A 20-18 victory in game three wasn’t enough to save Green, who was replaced by Billy Slater for 2022.
Former teammate Martin Lang, who played alongside Green at the Sharks, paid tribute to his friend on social media.
“This is so sad,” he wrote.
“Paul was a close mate, we moved to Sydney together in 1993….the beginning of an outstanding NRL playing/coaching career. My sincere condolences to Paul’s wife, children and his dear mum and dad. Rest In Peace mate.”
NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo said: “We are deeply saddened by this loss, and on behalf of the game, I’d like to extend our deepest condolences to Paul’s family, his friends, and those who have been inspired and mentored by him over the course of his long career.”
ARLC chairman Peter V’landys added: “Paul was a brilliant player, and then became one of the few to make a very successful transition into coaching.
“I had the pleasure of sitting on the NRL competition committee and found Paul to be a passionate, smart and witty individual. Our condolences go to his family and to his many friends.”
Paul Green with Allan Langer after a Queensland State of Origin win in 2001. (Simon Alekna)
The cause of death is not yet known.
“Police were called to a Wynnum residence just after 10am this morning after a 49-year-old was located unresponsive,” a Queensland police spokeswoman said.
“He was declared deceased by emergency crews a short time later.
“There are no suspicious circumstances. A report will be prepared for the coroner.”
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A new wave of development is ripping through downtown Detroit.
“Walking around Detroit in 2008 or 2009 is not the same as walking around in 2022,” said Ramy Habib, a local entrepreneur. “It is absolutely magnificent what happened throughout those 15 years.”
Between 2010 and 2019, just 708 new housing structures went up in the city of Detroit, according to the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments.
Much of the new construction traces back to the philanthropic wings of large local businesses. For example, Ford Motor is nearing completion of a 30-acre mixed-used development at Michigan Central Station. The station sat abandoned for years as the city fell into bankruptcy.
Detroit’s decline into insolvency formed amid 20th century globalization in the auto industry, according to economists. The city’s population fell from 1.8 million to 639,000 in the most recent but controversial count by the US Census. “With the population leaving, with the infrastructure staying in place, it meant strains on the city. Cumulatively, they started to mount over time,” said Raymond Owens III, a former senior economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond.
The 2007-08 Great Recession left another round of scars on the city as scores of homes fell into foreclosure. The US Treasury Department has since funded the removal of 15,000 blighted structures in the city. “A lot of Black people are leaving the city. So sometimes that identity can change and shift in certain communities,” said Alphonso Carlton Jr, a lifelong Detroit resident.
Local leaders have used tax and spending policies to advance economic development downtown. In July 2022, the Detroit City Council finalized a tax abatement for the real estate developer Bedrock to finance the $1.4 billion Hudson’s site project. The abatement could be worth up to $60 million over its 10-year span. Bedrock is in a family of companies controlled by billionaire investor Dan Gilbert, who moved several of his businesses from him downtown in 2010.
Bedrock told CNBC that decision was consistent with the council’s handling of other major developments, due to high local tax rates. One local analysis suggests that in 2020, Detroit’s effective property tax rate on homes was more than double the national average. Detroit’s new tax, spending and placemaking policies have drawn the interests of bond investors in recent years, providing another source of revenue for the local government.
Watch the video above to learn more about Detroit’s escape from bankruptcy.
An entire store of Starbucks workers have walked out of their cafe mid-shift, in support of a colleague they claim was “unjustly” terminated.
In a TikTok video which has been viewed more than 18.6 million times, a team of nine workers can be seen leaving the store in Buffalo, New York.
The protest occurred after barista Sam Amato – who is also a union leader – was reportedly fired on the week of his 13th anniversary with the company.
After the employees leave, a woman who appears to be the store manager can be seen talking on the phone. The on-screen caption in the video reads: “* manager realizes she she’s messed up *”.
In a previous video Mr Amato claimed he was pulled aside by two store managers and was told he was being let go because he “modified operations and closed the lobby” without getting his “store manager’s permission”.
“It is a BS reason. It’s because I’m a union leader,” claimed Sam.
“They failed to provide any details or give me any information. They wrote things that were not true.
“After 13 years they refused to give me any details why I was fired.”
In the comments, the majority of TikTok users supported the worker’s efforts.
“Starbucks really is hell bent on ruining their reputation aren’t they,” read one comment.
“Good on you guys. Stand together. Keep this energy going,” read another.
“Starbucks, I’m a loyal customer but trust me when I tell you. That can change real quick friend!” shared another.
Under United States labor laws, workers in all 50 states bar Montana are subject to at-will employment. This means employees can be fired without prior warning and without the need for the employer to establish a cause. However, employers can still be challenged on the grounds of wrongful termination – like discrimination.
While some states have exceptions – for example, workers in the public sector, or those under union agreements – the states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Maine, Nebraska, New York, and Rhode Island have no exceptions in regards as to why an employee may be terminated.
Since late 2021, Starbucks employees across the US’ 9000+ corporate-owned stores have attempted to unionize with Workers United. As of June 14, 143 stores have unionized, while 120 other outposts were petitioning for union elections, Guardian reports.
Workers United stated that the coffee giant has been systematically cutting employee hours in an effort to convince longtime employees to retire, before replacing them with workers who won’t unionise, the New York Times reports.
“Starbucks is also using policies that have not previously been enforced, and policies that would not have resulted in termination, as a pretext for firing union leaders,” the union said in a statement.
With around 33,833 stories in 80 countries, Starbucks is the world’s largest coffeehouse chain and is estimated to be worth A$140 billion.
Apex Legends Season 14: Hunted released this week and seems to have brought more with it than a new playable character and content updates. Players are reporting that the game is randomly giving their chosen character the abilities of other random players. For example, in the image below we can see Pathfinder using Wraith’s Dimensional Rift ultimate.
Image via Lone on YouTube
Other cases that have been discovered are Newcastle playing like Gibraltar and Ash getting Loba’s teleportation bracelet. Everything seems to be running just fine when the players use these abilities, even down to their character using the proper animation that the original person would use. The game seems to be doing a weird palette swap with its characters randomly when you choose at the beginning of the game. Even though you are choosing one character, the game is taking the kit, voice lines, and abilities from another and applying them to the skin you have equipped.
Unfortunately, no one seems to have found a way to make this bug happen; it is completely random after you choose your legend. Given the chaotic nature of choosing a character with particular abilities and getting something else, some players are enamored with this bug and are hoping Respawn Entertainment can spin it off into a unique limited-time mode for the future. Ideas thrown around seem to center on your player choice being a roulette of sorts, where you don’t really know who you are choosing.
Related: How to play Vantage in Apex Legends – best tips and strategies to win
Bugs are not entirely uncommon when it comes to big updates for season drops in live service games. Usually, the problems you run into can seem to stem from server issues, but this one just seems like a random one-off issue that happened in the update files. It is likely that Respawn will have the issue fixed sooner rather than later.
Her own best advertisement! Skincare entrepreneur Zoë Foster-Blake, 42, shows off her glowing complexion de ella as she enjoys an afternoon stroll with her eldest child Sonny in Sydney
By Jimmy Briggs For Daily Mail Australia
Published: | Updated:
Zoë Foster-Blake said last month that she had the ‘best’ birthday party ever in Italy and now the author is keeping things more laidback in Sydney.
The beauty mogul, 42, looked relaxed on Wednesday as she spent some precious mother-son time with eldest child Sonny on an afternoon walk around Vaucluse.
The mother-of-two dressed for comfort against Sydney’s chilly weather in a plain white jumper, black leggings and sneakers.
Beauty mogul Zoë Foster-Blake (pictured) looked relaxed on Wednesday as she spent some precious mother-son time with eldest child Sonny on an afternoon walk around Vaucluse
Zoë even pulled her sleeves down to cover her hands from the cold weather which exposed just a hint of her yellow sports bra.
She held hands with her eight-year-old as they took a stroll through the leafy Sydney suburb.
The Wrong Girl author had a determined look on her face as she powerwalked with the son she shares with her husband, Australian comedian Hamish Blake.
She held hands with her eldest child Sonny as they took a stroll through the leafy Sydney suburb
It comes after Hamish revealed the real reason he was invited on his wife’s birthday trip to Italy was to be a cameraman.
The comedian, 40, shared an Instagram snap of his beauty guru wife Zoë and a group of their friends standing in front of a stunning Italian backdrop.
In the selfie, Hamish clutched two phones and camera, while the group of women posed in the background.
Zoë dressed for comfort against Sydney’s chilly weather in a plain white jumper, black leggings and sneakers
‘I’m lucky enough to be on my wife’s belated 40th Girls Trip to Italy and don’t worry,’ he wrote.
‘I know exactly where I stand (off camera, 3 meters away with the sun behind me, taking at least 5 options per photo, per phone),’ he added.
Hamish shares two children with Zoë, they are Sonny, eight, and daughter Rudy, five.
She has recently been celebrating her 40th birthday in Italy where she was seen relaxing by the pool as she soaked up the sun
An institutional “culture of callousness” led The Angels County deputies and firefighters to shoot and share photos of the remains of Kobe Bryant and other victims of the 2020 helicopter crash that killed the Lakers star, his 13-year-old daughter, and seven others, a lawyer for Bryant’s widow told a jury Wednesday.
Vanessa Bryant’s attorney Luis Li told jurors in his opening statement in US District Court in her invasion of privacy trial against the county that the cell-phone photos shot at the crash scene by a deputy and a fire captain were “visual gossip” viewed “for a laugh,” and had no official purpose.
“They were shared by deputies playing video games,” Li said.
“They were shared repeatedly with people who had absolutely no reason to receive them.”
Adam Dergazarian, bottom center, pays his respects for Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gianna, in front of a mural painted by artist Louie Sloe Palsino in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File) (AP)Firefighters work the scene of a helicopter crash where former NBA basketball star Kobe Bryant died in Calabasas, Calif. Jan. 26, 2020. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File) (AP)
An attorney for the county defended the taking of the photos as an essential tool for first-responders seeking to share information when they thought they might still save lives at the chaotic, dangerous and hard-to-reach crash scene in the Calabasas hills west of The Angels
“Site photography is essential,” county lawyer J Mira Hashmall said.
Vanessa Bryant cried frequently during her lawyer’s presentation. She was still wiping tears from her eyes minutes afterward during a break.
Li told jurors that learning a month after the crash about the photos’ circulation not from the county but the Los Angeles Times compounded her still-raw suffering.
Life and times of former NBA star Kobe Bryant
Vanessa Bryant, the widow of Kobe Bryant, leaves a federal courthouse in Los Angeles, Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2022. Kobe Bryant’s widow is taking her lawsuit against the Los Angeles County sheriff’s and fire departments to a federal jury, seeking compensation for photos Deputies shared of the remains of the NBA star, his daughter and seven others killed in a helicopter crash in 2020. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) (AP)Vanessa Bryant and Kobe Bryant. (instagram)
“January 26th, 2020, was the worst day of Vanessa Bryant’s life. The county made it much worse,” Li said.
“They poured salt in an open wound and rubbed it in.”
Li played jurors security video of an off-duty sheriff’s deputy drinking at a bar showing the photos to the bartender, who shakes his head in dismay.
The lawyer then showed an image of the men laughing together later. Li described firefighters looking at the phone photos two weeks later at an awards banquet, and showed the jury an animated chart documenting their spread to nearly 30 people.
Li said the county failed to conduct a thorough investigation to make sure every copy of the photo was accounted for, and because of the fear that they will someday surface, and her surviving children may see them online, Vanessa Bryant “will be haunted by what they did forever.”
A bronze sculpture honoring former Los Angeles Lakers NBA basketball player Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna Bryant, and the names of those who died, is displayed at the site of a 2020 helicopter crash in Calabasas, California. (AP Photo/Ringo HW Chiu) (AP)
During the defense’s opening statement, Hashmall told jurors that the fact that the pictures have not appeared in more than two years showed that leaders in the sheriff’s and fire department did their jobs.
“They’re not online. They’re not in the media. They’ve never even been seen by the plaintiffs themselves,” Hashmall said.
She added, “That is not an accident. That is a function of how diligent they were.”
Sheriff Alex Villanueva and department officials immediately brought in all those involved and ordered them to delete the photos, rather than conduct a long official investigation that might harm the families further, she said.
“He picked what he viewed as the only option — decisive action,” Hashmall said. “He felt like every second mattered.”
Hashmall told the jury that the reason Li even had the video of the bartender to show, which she suggested was deceptively edited to show the men laughing together, was because the Sheriff’s Department had gotten it the same day they received a complaint from another bar patron who witnessed the photo sharing.
She said the deputy was struggling emotionally from the difficulty of dealing with the crash scene, and that the bartender was a longtime friend in whom he was confiding.
“He pulled out his phone, and that shouldn’t have happened,” she said.
“In a lapse, in a moment of weakness, he showed those photos, and he has regretted it every day of his life.”
A young LA Lakers fan looks up to the hill where NBA legend Kobe Bryant was one of nine people killed in a helicopter crash. (AP)
The defense attorney urged jurors to look past the grief of those who brought the lawsuit and focus on the matter before them.
“There is no doubt these families have suffered,” she said.
“It’s unspeakable. But this case is not about the loss from the crash. It’s about the pictures.”
Chris Chester, whose wife, Sara, and daughter Payton were also killed in the crash, is also a plaintiff in the lawsuit, which seeks unspecified millions.
The county already agreed to pay US$2.5 million to settle a similar case brought by two families whose relatives died in the January 26, 2020, crash.
Bryant and Chester declined to settle.
Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, and other parents and players were flying to a girls basketball tournament when their chartered helicopter crashed in the fog.
Federal safety officials blamed pilot error for the wreck.
So far, the Gov. Gretchen Whitmer kidnapping retrial is shaping up like the last case, if jury selection is any indication.
A jury was seated in one day, just like last time, with the judging handling of most of the questioning.
Most of the chosen folks don’t like the news, or pay much attention to it.
And they said they know very little about the high-profile case involving the state’s chief executive, militias and those groups’ disdain for Whitmer’s handling of the pandemic.
While several said they had heard about the case when it initially surfaced two years ago, they noted they have learned very little, if anything, about it since.
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What we know about the second Whitmer kidnap jury
A diverse jury was picked this time, whereas the last jury was all white. The panel of 10 women and eight men includes two Black women and one Hispanic male.
Twelve jurors and six alternates were picked to decide the fates of Adam Fox and Barry Croft Jr., who are being retried on charges they orchestrated a plot to kidnap the governor out of anger over her handling of the pandemic. Their first trial in the case ended in a hung jury, with two other defendants acquitted. Two others pleaded guilty early on and will testify in the retrial.
Seventeen of the 18 jurors picked in this sensational case are:
A chemist who said that he heard about the case in the past, and learned it was in the news again recently, but that “there’s more to the story than what you read.”
A female factory worker whose daughter-in-law got high with accused ringleader Adam Fox at a boat launch near Whitmer’s cottage. The woman disclosed during jury selection that her daughter-in-law had come into contact with the defendants at a boat launch, and she was questioned by the FBI about the encounter, but she did not remember anything because she was intoxicated. According to testimony from the last trial, Fox smoked pot with this woman on the day he went to scope out Whitmer’s vacation house. Now her mother-in-law is a juror in Fox’s case. She was initially an alternate juror, but replaced a regular juror who was dismissed on Wednesday due to illness. The new juror said that she had heard about the Whitmer case, but that she doesn’t watch the news and “doesn’t have strong political views.” When asked whether if she could be a fair and impartial juror she answered: “I feel like I could.”
A female accountant who says she doesn’t follow the news much.
A male underwriter for an insurance company who sort of follows the news.
A female interior designer who said she has no strong political views and tries not to listen to the news.
A male retiree who managed a trucking department and now goes fishing with his free time. “The news makes me angry,” he said, later adding: “My wife doesn’t want me watching the news.”
A Grand Rapids Community College student who also works at Menards as a forklift operator.
A female factory worker who makes plates for bumpers on F-150 pickup trucks, but said she’s a Chevy person. She doesn’t listen to the news, heard about the kidnapping case when it first happened, but nothing since. “I have no political views,” she said.
A male freelance graphic designer and illustrator who said he heard of the Whitmer case, but only got “broad strokes.” He said he can be fair.
A woman who works as an office administrator, doesn’t listen to the news, has a criminal justice degree and has heard about the case. “I respect both sides. I’m not biased,” she said.
A Grand Rapids woman who works at a gastronenterology office coordinating visits and referrals. She tries to avoid the news and said “I hate politics.” After she cleared the dismissal process, she disclosed that she didn’t like guns or violence, which raised concerns for the defense. But it was too late to excuse her from the case as the defense had already agreed to keep her on. She is an alternate. “I am against guns,” the woman said as the selection process was drawing to close, explaining that her mother’s husband had a psychotic breakdown and tried to kill her and her family. “I’m just against guns and violence.”
A female retiree who used to work at a plating factory running a hoist. “I just kind of lay around. … I read,” she said. “I don’t really have an opinion on the case. … I don’t really follow politics.” She said that she has strong political views on some things not tied to the case, and that she can be fair.
A Grand Haven man with no car or driver’s license who said he would need a ride to trial. He said he rarely follows the news and knows little about the case, other than hearing about it when it first happened.
A male mechanic who works with heavy equipment, including excavators. He follows mostly local news, enjoys hunting and trapping, owns a shotgun and a deer rifle.
A woman who works as a nutritionist and doesn’t really follow the news, but said that when she does she gets it from Facebook. She said she could be fair. The judge asked her whether she’d like to serve. She said yes.
A stay-at-home mom who is preparing to go on a “glamping” trip with her two sons.
This is the juror who was dismissed: A woman who works from home as an IT solution architect and said her husband has the news on constantly. She said she has some impressions about the case but she was willing to listen to the evidence and make an unbiased decision based on that. She said she has strong political views, but she did not disclose them and said she could set them aside and fairly decide the case.
The jurors are identified only by number, and descriptions of the remaining juror couldn’t be discerned from notes.
‘Only two things matter’
At the start of jury selection, Chief US District Judge Robert Jonker told the prospective jurors that the case is “potentially more challenging and potentially more interesting” than other trials, given its high profile.
“The victim is our sitting governor. There has been publicity. There have been earlier proceedings,” Jonker said, without disclosing that there was a previous trial that ended with no convictions.
Jonker stressed to the jury pool, however, that only two things matter:
“This is not a political forum. It’s not whether you like Gov. Whitmer or don’t like Gov. Whitmer. It’s not whether you think mask mandates were good policy or bad policy,” Jonker said. “Here in court… only two things matter: what the law is, and what the evidence is.”
mistrust in government
Mistrust in the government appeared to be a top priority during the jury selection process, based on Jonker’s questions and comments.
I have asked prospective jurors repeatedly about how they felt about the government, noting that the case is loaded with controversial issues: a sitting governor’s response to the pandemic, mask mandates, lockdowns and an FBI investigation into an alleged plot to kidnap her.
During jury selection in the last trial, the judge asked prospective jurors whether they could set aside their political views or any preconceived ideas about the case. But he didn’t focus as heavily on the topic of mistrust in the government as he did Tuesday, when multiple hands went up when asked whether they had reservations about being fair in this case due to mistrust of the government.
“I don’t like politicians or politics. I don’t personally trust them. … I just don’t particularly trust the government in general,” said one woman, a hairdresser. “It’s a very unpopular opinion to have to say out loud in federal court.”
Jonker told her she wasn’t alone.
“It may of course be one of the more popular opinions these days,” Jonker said before asking the woman whether she believes “the government has a bigger hill to climb.”
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“At this point in my life, I’m automatically distrusting, it’s always back there in my mind, I don’t trust authority,” the woman said.
Jonker replied:
“It’s not an isolated opinion. A lot of people have a mistrust of government,” Jonker said, before telling the jury pool the government is “entitled to a fair trial, just as the defendants are.”
Who was dismissed from the jury?
The cosmetologist was bounced from the jury pool. So were the following:
A woman who said she has multiple friends and family members who attended the Jan. 6 rally in Washington, DC, but were not part of the Capitol breach. She said they had a right to be there to express their opinions.
A woman who said she had family in the Elk Rapids area, the same city where Whitmer’s vacation home is located. “I don’t think I could be very fair,” she said.
A retired firefighter and self-described staunch conservative who said he has a strong bias against the defendants. “I hate to say that, but I feel if the case has gone this far and it makes it to court and they haven’t pleaded out, that they’re guilty. I’m sorry.”
A male security officer who said he reads the newspaper a lot, has read about the case, and would find it hard to set aside what he’s read. “I don’t think I’d be very fair at this point.”
Staking out Whitmer’s vacation home
Fox and Croft are being retried on kidnapping conspiracy and weapons of mass destruction charges. They are accused of, among other things, casing Whitmer’s vacation house and building explosives that would be used in the kidnapping plan.
Prosecutors said the pair and others plotted to blow up a bridge near Whitmer’s vacation house to slow down law enforcement.
According to trial testimony, Fox, while on his way to scope out Whitmer’s cottage, stopped at a bridge near her house, got out, and took a photograph of the bridge that would be an explosive target. But the defense maintains that an undercover informant came up with the idea of surveilling Whitmer’s home, planned the trip, found the address and convinced the others to make the trip. The defense also says it was the informant who suggested that Fox get out of the car and take a photo of the bridge.
The defense has long argued that the FBI tried to entrap the defendants in a kidnapping plot that was devised and run by FBI agents and informants looking to advance their careers.
The prosecution counters this is a case about violent extremists who wanted to do real harm to the governor because they disagreed with her decisions. And they didn’t just talk about it, they have argued, but took steps to make it happen, like casing her house, buying night vision goggles, building a “shoot house” that looked like her cottage for snatch-n-grab exercises and forming encrypted chat rooms to hide their plan from law enforcement.
If convicted, both men face up to life in prison.
Praise for the judge
After court was adjuurned, defense attorney Chris Gibbons said he was pleased with the jury that was empaneled, and that he would now shift his focus on convincing the jury of his long-standing claims: that the FBI orchestrated the kidnapping plot, and ran the whole show.
As for the juror who got on the panel after disclosing her dislike of guns, he said:
“It just is what it is,” Gibbons told reporters after court was added Tuesday.
“I think the judge did a nice job with voir dire today and he certainly did give us an opportunity to ask the questions we thought needed to be asked.”
Opening statements are scheduled for Wednesday morning.
With this new facility, plus Moderna’s under-development RNA plant in Victoria, Australia’s vaccine infrastructure has received a major shot in the arm.
The new biosecurity level-2 facility sits behind a series of airlocks; workers have to dress in full suits to go inside. “This place is cleaner than an operating theater,” said John Power, group leader of regulated biomanufacturing.
The lab makes protein and viral vector vaccines – the technologies used in Novavax and AstraZeneca’s jabs. The vaccines are grown by vast armies of cells housed in huge steel vats known as bioreactors.
The cells are given the genetic code for what needs to be produced: perhaps a viral protein, or even a whole antibody. They churn the product out en masse, before it is filtered out, purified, and filled into vials.
The genetically-modified cells arrive frozen in a tiny vial at Clayton; the team carefully thaw them and then grow them to up to 200 litres.
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The process is like tending to a plant – the researchers carefully tweak temperature and oxygen levels to get the cells to grow at their best.
When CSL was making the AstraZeneca vaccine, these processes hadn’t been perfected, leading to the first batch of vaccine being lower than was expected. CSIRO’s lab will specialize in perfecting that process before it goes into large-scale manufacture.
“If we get another pandemic, we should be in a much better place,” Nilsson said.
The facility also comes with machinery to fill vaccines into vials, ready for use in clinical humans.
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Facilities like this exist in Australia but are generally only for large runs.
“Facilities like this offer an opportunity for co-development, and that really high-quality manufacturing that is needed for clinical trials,” said Professor Trent Munro, one of the developers of the University of Queensland’s COVID vaccine and now program director for the internationally funded vaccine rapid response pipeline.
“All too often, researchers fail to understand just how complicated this early-stage manufacturing is. There’s a temptation to try to find ways to do it super-cheap and super-quick. We need all three – quick, cheap, and high quality.”
The facility can do both vaccines and drug therapies. It is already working on an antibody therapy for a university researchers declined to name.
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