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USC's silenced valedictorian Asna Tabassum releases commencement speech – sort of

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USC's silenced valedictorian Asna Tabassum releases commencement speech – sort of

Asna Tabassum, USC’s Class of 2024 valedictorian who was barred from speaking at the university’s commencement ceremony, called attention to her silencing by releasing a largely redacted version of the speech that she would have delivered on Friday.

The document was published by Annenberg Media and the Daily Trojan, the university’s student-run newspaper.

“This speech is published as was written and shared by Tabassum. Annenberg Media and the Daily Trojan did not write, edit or change the speech or its presentation,” the university’s media center noted on Instagram.

Asna Tabassum, a graduating senior at USC, was selected as valedictorian and offered a traditional slot to speak at the 2024 graduation. (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

“President Folt, Provost Guzman, faculty, staff, families and fellow Class of 2024,” the speech begins, “It is my honor to stand before you today as your Valedictorian. I am filled with gratitude to have the privilege of” – followed by 10 paragraphs of redactions.

The speech ends with “Congratulations, Class of 2024. Thank you.”

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USC’s commencement ceremony was scheduled to take place Friday morning. However, the event was canceled after a series of steps, or missteps, related to the selection of Tabassum, a Muslim, as valedictorian.

In mid-April, the private university first announced Tabassum would no longer speak at commencement due to unspecified safety concerns after pro-Israel groups accused her of being antisemitic. They pointed to her Instagram account, which shared a link to another account calling for the abolishment of the state of Israel.

Tabassum is graduating with a bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering and a minor in resistance to genocide.

After her cancelation, USC announced that all outside commencement speakers, including tennis legend Billie Jean King and filmmaker Jon M. Chu, would no longer speak.

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators converged on USC’s campus, setting up an encampment and erecting banners in violation of school policy to protest Tabassum’s silencing and Israel’s military offensive in Gaza.

Campus security, with the help of the Los Angeles Police Department, cleared the encampment on April 24, arresting nearly 100 people. Smaller demonstrations have also been dispersed.

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Campus safety officers try to confiscate tents from pro-Palestinian demonstrators at USC on Wednesday, April 24, 2024 in Los Angeles, CA.
Campus safety officers try to confiscate tents from pro-Palestinian demonstrators at USC on Wednesday, April 24, 2024 in Los Angeles, CA. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

USC later replaced its main graduation ceremony with a series of private events, including one at the LA Memorial Coliseum.

USC’s Academic Senate, the body that represents the school’s faculty, voted to censure university President Carol Folt and Provost Andrew Guzman Wednesday over what they said was the mishandling of the issues leading up to the cancellation of commencement, according to multiple reports.  

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Los Angeles, Ca

Rupert Murdoch ties the knot for the 5th time at his Los Angeles vineyard

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Media magnate Rupert Murdoch, 93, has married for the fifth time, his corporation, News Corp, confirmed Sunday.

Murdoch and Elena Zhukova, a 67-year-old Russian-born retired molecular biologist, wed Saturday in a ceremony at his vineyard estate in Los Angeles’ ritzy Bel Air neighborhood.

Photographs of the newly married couple were released by News Corp; the couple had announced their engagement in March.

Murdoch was most recently married to model and actor Jerry Hall. They were wed in 2016 and divorced in 2022.

Zhukova is the ex-wife of Alexander Zhukov, a billionaire energy investor and Russian politician. Their daughter, Dasha, was previously married to Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, who used to own the Premier League soccer club Chelsea.

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Last fall, Murdoch stepped down as leader of both Fox News’ parent company and his News Corp media holdings. His son, Lachlan, took his place in a media empire that spans continents and helped to shape modern American politics.

In 1952, Murdoch inherited a newspaper in his native Australia from his father. Over decades, he built a news and entertainment enterprise that became prominent in the United States and Britain, including ownership of such notable newspapers as The Times of London and The Wall Street Journal.

Fox News Channel, the 24-hour network founded in 1996, has profoundly influenced television, becoming a popular news source among many conservative U.S. audiences and politicians.

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Los Angeles, Ca

Are California shoppers legally required to stop for receipt checkers at store exits?

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Are California shoppers legally required to stop for receipt checkers at store exits?

Retailers all over California have employees placed at store exits to check receipts as a person leaves as proof of purchase for merchandise. But are shoppers legally required to stop?

Most notably, Walmart has asset protection associates, formerly known as door greeters, at every entrance and exit of its stores. While some people choose to wait in line to get their receipts verified before leaving the store, others will breeze by without stopping.  

“It helps prevent theft,” said Caroline Falconer in response to a FOX40 social media post. “I don’t steal so I don’t have a reason to hide anything or avoid being checked.”

Falconer said she stops for employees because they have reason to check receipts against items in a person’s cart or bags, however, some other shoppers disagree.

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“As soon as I give you money those items are now mine,” said David Mickelson. “Get a search warrant. And for those of you that say all this checking without a reason is just how it is, you are part of the problem.”

According to California penal code 490.5, also known as the “shopkeeper’s privilege law,” shoppers may not have to stop at exits to have their receipts checked.

The law states, “A merchant may detain a person for a reasonable time for the purpose of conducting an investigation in a reasonable manner whenever the merchant has probable cause to believe the person to be detained is attempting to unlawfully take or has unlawfully taken merchandise from the merchant’s premises.”

So, unless a store suspects that a person has committed a crime, they cannot legally force a person exiting a store to present a receipt.

What about Costco and Sam’s Club?

Retailers who offer memberships usually require a person to give consent to have their receipts and other personal property checked upon request.

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The Costco terms and conditions for membership state, “Costco reserves the right to inspect any container, backpack, briefcase, or other bag, upon entering or leaving the warehouse and to refuse entry to anyone at our discretion.”

In addition, Costco’s terms for membership state, “To ensure that all members are correctly charged for the merchandise purchased, all receipts and merchandise will be inspected as you leave the warehouse.”

“We do this to double-check that the items purchased have been correctly processed by our cashiers,” Costco said on its website. “It’s our most effective method of maintaining accuracy in inventory control, and it’s also a good way to ensure that our members have been charged properly for their purchases.”

Sam’s Club uses the near-exact same verbiage as Costco in their membership general policies:

For merchandise, “Sam’s Club reserves the right to inspect any container, backpack, briefcase or other bag of any person upon entering or leaving any Sam’s Club location and to refuse entry to anyone at our discretion.

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For receipt-checking, the Sam’s Club policy reads, “To ensure that you are charged correctly for the merchandise you have selected, Sam’s Club may inspect or electronically scan your merchandise and electronic/phone or paper copy receipt(s) when you exit any Sam’s Club location.”

Not stopping to get a receipt or bag checked at Costco or Sam’s Club is not illegal, however, it would be a violation of the store’s policy and could result in membership being revoked.

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Los Angeles, Ca

Orange County parolee caught in stolen car with thousands in counterfeit cash: police

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Orange County parolee caught in stolen car with thousands in counterfeit cash: police

An Orange County parolee was arrested after police spotted him in a stolen car filled with counterfeit cash and stolen credit cards.

The suspect was identified as Johnny Lucero Berlino, 31, of Huntington Beach, according to the Irvine Police Department.

On May 23, officers at the Irvine Spectrum shopping mall contacted the police after spotting the suspect’s car with a license plate that was reported lost/stolen.

Authorities arrived at the parking lot, spotted Berlino and took him into custody.

During the arrest, police discovered over $2,700 in counterfeit money, stolen mail and stolen credit cards belonging to other people inside Berlino’s car. 

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Police confirmed the car was stolen and said the suspect had allegedly purchased the car with counterfeit cash.

  • The suspect was arrested  outside the Irvine Spectrum on May 23, 2024. (Irvine Police Department)
  • Police found over $2,700 in counterfeit money along with stolen mail and credit cards inside the suspect's stolen car. (Irvine Police Department)

Berlino was on parole for auto theft at the time.

He was arrested at the scene and booked at the Orange County Jail on multiple felony charges.

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