Lehigh University has revoked an honorary degree that President Trump held for more than 30 years. The Pennsylvania school's board of trustees held a special vote this week after Trump incited an insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

"The decision came after a special session of the Executive Committee on Thursday and was fully affirmed earlier today," student newspaper The Brown and White reported.

Numerous petitions had previously sought to rescind the honor for Trump, who was awarded the degree when he spoke at the school's commencement ceremony in 1988.

Three years ago, one such effort garnered nearly 80,000 signatures. That petition drive also presented a point-by-point argument that accused the president of falling short of the university's values.

"This individual should reflect the goals and values of Lehigh University," the petition noted, quoting the school's official policy for commencement speakers, who are routinely awarded honorary degrees. "Nominees should be someone whose work and achievements reflect our value system at Lehigh."

A US Capitol Police officer has died from events stemming from Wednesday's riot at the Capitol, three sources confirmed to CNN.

The police officer is now the fifth person to die as a result of the day's violence. One woman was shot and killed by Capitol Police as the crowd breached the building and three others suffered medical emergencies that proved fatal.

Rioters on Wednesday breached the Capitol building and the Senate chamber, ransacked the offices of Pelosi and other Capitol offices, and a laptop was stolen from the office of Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley.

It is not clear how long Paul Davis, who questioned election results in his Instagram story, served as associate general counsel at Goosehead Insurance.

An in-house attorney at Westlake, Texas-based Goosehead Insurance was fired from the company Thursday, after he posted a video on Instagram while standing outside the U.S. Capitol building in a crowd of demonstrators, on the same afternoon that a mob of Trump supporters attacked the building.

Conspiracy Theories, Political Divides, & Misinformation

Virtual CLE on Thursday January 7th, 2021 at 12 PM
Course Number: 174108815
Approved for 1 hour MLCE including .25 ethics.
University of Miami Political Science Professor Joseph Uscinski will discuss why conspiracy theories are a part of the human condition. Everyone believes at least one, but given the number of conspiracy theories, it is more likely that everyone believes a few. Some people have a worldview defined by them. Conspiracy theories are just another reminder that people disagree about many things, including truth. These disagreements have always existed and always will. We have to live with conspiracy theories and with the people who believe them. The only way to do this is have compassion and tolerance for others, and to hold our own beliefs to high standards. His first book, The People’s News: Media, Politics, and the Demands of Capitalism (New York University Press, 2014) addresses how audience demands drive news content. His second book, American Conspiracy Theories (Oxford University Press, 2014) coauthored with Joseph Parent, examines why people believe in conspiracy theories. It is a must read for anyone interested in political misinformation in general, and American conspiracy theories in particular. His latest book, Conspiracy Theories - A Primer (Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2020) introduces students to the research into conspiracy theories and the people who propagate and believe them. In doing so, it addresses the psychological, sociological, and political sources of conspiracy theorizing.
Uscinski will be joined in his presentation by Terry O'Rourke, Special Assistant Harris County Attorney and Head of the Harris County Election Security Committee. Terry will discuss the October 2020 HVAC repairman assault in Houston and the alarming details of the story behind it and the conspiracy theory that motivated it. Their discussion will include the ethical duties of lawyers dealing with conspiracy theories and misinformation.

Register in advance for this webinar:
https://us02web.zoom.us/.../reg.../WN_WxNxlapVRDeG-Q3ZFpIiPg
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