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Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz cannot be called an 'animal' or any other derogatory names during trial, judge rules

Prosecutors and witnesses in the future trial of Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz will not be allowed to use derogatory words to refer to the defendant, according to a ruling by a Florida judge.

It would not be feasible, Broward County Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer said, to create "an exhaustive list of words," that should not be used to describe Cruz, who faces 34 counts of premeditated and attempted murder for the February 2018 shooting at a South Florida high school that left 17 people dead. But the use of terms like "animal" or "that thing" would not be permitted during the trial, Scherer said.

However, Scherer's ruling, issued Friday, said the defense had also asked some words not be used -- like "school shooter," "murderer" or "killer" -- were not derogatory, but "normal words or terms that may be used to describe particular facts."

That thinking also applies to words that reference the shooting itself, Scherer said, like "massacre," which describes a "particular circumstance" and is not, "in and of itself," a derogatory word.

Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for Cruz, who previously confessed to the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School that spawned a massive national protest movement against gun violence in American schools. He has pleaded not guilty, but his attorneys previously said he would plead guilty in exchange for a life sentence without the possibility of parole. A date for the trial has not been set.

The ruling comes after attorneys for Cruz on Wednesday argued in support of two motions to keep state prosecutors and witnesses from referring to Cruz or the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in an "inflammatory manner."

Nationals VP Bob Boone Resigns Over Team's COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate

Bob Boone, the Washington Nationals' longtime vice president and senior adviser to general manager Mike Rizzo, will leave the organization following his refusal to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

The Nationals mandated vaccines for all non-playing employees Aug. 14 and gave them until Sept. 15 to comply. Boone, 73, is one of an undisclosed number of employees to part ways with the team as a result.

Two scouts have also been told their contracts will not be renewed because of their vaccination status. More staff changes are expected, according to Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post.

A catcher with the Philadelphia Phillies, California Angels and Kansas City Royals from 1972 to 1990, Boone has remained in baseball since his playing days ended. He managed the Royals from 1995 to 1997 and did the same for the Cincinnati Reds from 2001 to 2003.

After Pink criticized the parents of a 14-year-old YouTuber who was pictured in a bikini, the girl said the swimsuits aren't sexual unless you 'view us that way'

The singer Pink accused a 14-year-old YouTuber's parents of having "exploited" their daughter by allowing her to be photographed in a bikini.

Piper Rockelle, who has over 8 million subscribers on YouTube, where she's known for participating in pranks and challenges, disputed the claim in a statement to Insider.

"My mom doesn't make me do anything," Piper told Insider in an emailed statement provided by a representative. "In terms of me in swimsuits, it's summer! My friends and I live in the water."

Pink, whose real name is Alecia Beth Moore, asked her 31 million Twitter followers in a Sunday tweet: "How many kids like Piper Rockelle are being exploited by their parents?"

"And at what point do the rest of us say … 'this isn't okay for a 13 yr old to be posing in a bikini whilst her MOTHER takes the photo?'" she added, citing an incorrect age for Piper.

The singer appeared to be referring to a series of bikini photos Piper shared on Instagram, where she has 4.8 million followers, on August 14. The account's bio says the page is "managed by Family."

Piper's YouTube content includes videos like letting Instagram followers control what she does for 24 hours. The Los Angeles social-media star also makes pop music and has more than 220,000 monthly listeners on Spotify.

Piper told Today Parents that she didn't think Pink had "ever seen one" of her videos. "Pictures of teenagers in bikinis having fun are not sexual," she said. "They're only sexual if you view us that way."

On Saturday night, Florida conservative talk radio show Marc Bernier, an outspoken opponent of masking and vaccines to combat Covid-19, died of Covid-19. Earlier in the day, Caleb Wallace, a prominent opponent of masks as a means to slow the spread of Covid-19, died of Covid-19.

Wallace was 30 years old. Bernier was 65.

The two deaths are simply the latest in a string of incidents in which crusaders against mask-wearing and vaccines have died -- or been hospitalized -- after being diagnosed with Covid-19.

Bernier, in fact, was the third conservative talk radio host who opined against masks and expressed skepticism about the vaccine to die from Covid-19 in recent weeks. Earlier this month Dick Farrel, a Florida-based talk radio host, passed away from the coronavirus. Just last week, Nashville-based host Phil Valentine, 65, died from the virus.

These deaths didn't have to happen. The three Covid-19 vaccines have each proven incredibly effective at lessening -- and almost eliminating -- hospitalizations and deaths of people who get the virus. The vaccines have been readily available for months, with many states and localities offering incentives -- financial and otherwise -- for those willing to get the shots.

I'm sure most people are familiar with this album cover. The complete picture shows the baby's penis. Now the grown child is suing for being "sexually exploited." Do you agree with this? He says that because there is money in the picture, his baby self was being treated as an underage sex worker and he has suffered decades of trauma. VOTE!
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