Welcome to RantCrush Top 5, where we take you through today’s top five controversial stories in the world of law and policy. Who’s ranting and raving right now? Check it out below:

Trump Loses One GOP Elector

On December 19, the electors will cast their votes to officially make Donald J. Trump the President-elect. Usually this process is just a formality, but this year, there’s talk of some electors defying their states’ wishes. One Texas elector, Christopher Suprun, penned an op-ed in the New York Times explaining why he will not be casting his vote for Trump. He offers many reasons–including Trump’s lack of experience–and makes some apt “Star Wars” references, saying:

He has surrounded himself with advisers such as Stephen K. Bannon, who claims to be a Leninist and lauds villains and their thirst for power, including Darth Vader. ‘Rogue One,’ the latest ‘Star Wars’ installment, arrives later this month. I am not taking my children to see it to celebrate evil, but to show them that light can overcome it.

Suprun finished up his piece by explaining that he hopes other electors will join him to support Ohio Governor John Kasich. We’ll have to see if Suprun’s argument gets any others to flip.

via GIPHY

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post RantCrush Top 5: December 6, 2016 appeared first on Law Street.

Welcome to RantCrush Top 5, where we take you through today’s top five controversial stories in the world of law and policy. Who’s ranting and raving right now? Check it out below:

Matt Lauer #LauerstheBar

Matt Lauer was the moderator last night for an open forum with Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. Lauer sat down for a 30 minute interview with each candidate, and the forum was broadcast live on NBC. But as the forum progressed, the audience had a lot of criticism for Lauer. Specifically, many were mad that Lauer didn’t press Trump on statements he made about the Iraq War:

Would be good, maybe, if Matt Lauer had done some ~basic~ research about Trump’s repeated lies before you know, doing an interview with him.

— Chris Geidner (@chrisgeidner) September 8, 2016

And a new hashtag, #LaueringTheBar was created to mock Lauer’s performance:

No one could have predicted that someone who normally does waterskiing squirrel stories would have failed at real journalism #LaueringTheBar

— Arthur Bannister (@NeverMetAMorph) September 8, 2016

Ouch!

Rant Crush

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The post RantCrush Top 5: September 8, 2016 appeared first on Law Street.

Charlie Sheen announced Tuesday during an exclusive interview with “Today Show’s” Matt Lauer that he is HIV positive and has been living with the virus for the past four years.

.@CharlieSheen‘s HIV announcement on TODAY: What it means for his health https://t.co/6mWjcXlKhX pic.twitter.com/ExxFXODIU3

— TODAY (@TODAYshow) November 17, 2015

The disclosure comes after several reports Monday speculated that the former “Two And a Half Men” and “Anger Management” star was set to disclose his HIV positive status after issuing a statement saying he would be “revealing a personal announcement” on Tuesday’s “Today.” During the interview with Lauer, Sheen said,

I have to put a stop to this onslaught, this barrage of attacks and of sub-truths and very harmful and mercurial stories that are about me, threatening the health of so many others that couldn’t be further from the truth.

Sheen was incredibly candid with Lauer, revealing that over the past four years he has paid upwards of $10 million to keep his illness a secret. Some of the individuals extorting him included prostitutes within his inner circle whom he hired for companionship during periods of depression. According to Sheen, one of these prostitutes even took photos of his anti-viral medication in his bathroom and threatened to sell it to the tabloids.

By announcing his status to the world, Sheen hopes to “claim back his freedom” and put his partying days behind him. In part of an open letter written by Sheen he declared,

I accept this condition not as a curse or scourge, but rather as an opportunity and a challenge. An opportunity to help others. A challenge to better myself.

Sheen received his HIV diagnosis after he sought treatment for a three-day cluster of “crushing headaches” he believed were signs of a brain tumor. Despite his diagnosis, his physician Dr. Robert Huizenga affirmed that the actor does not have AIDS, which is the advanced stage of the infection during which a person’s immune system is too weak to fight off many illnesses.

The revelation over the actor’s illness has many concerned that his history of reckless drug and alcohol abuse, combined with his highly-publicized sexual promiscuity, could have led him to carelessly infect others with the disease. Sheen, however, sees this possibility as “impossible.” He did admit to having unprotected sex with two people since the diagnosis, but insisted that both were informed ahead of time and have been under the care of his doctor.

His ex-wives Denise Richards and Brooke Mueller were both notified of his diagnosis when he found out. Now the actor plans to move forward by cleaning up his act and helping others. According to Sheen, his future will be one dedicated to philanthropy, saying,

My philanthropic days are ahead of me. Ernest Hemingway once wrote, ‘Courage is grace under pressure.’ I’ve served my time under pressure; I now embrace the courage, and the grace.

Watch Sheen’s Full Interview Below

Alexis Evans

Alexis Evans is an Assistant Editor at Law Street and a Buckeye State native. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and a minor in Business from Ohio University. Contact Alexis at aevans@LawStreetMedia.com.

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