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January 26, 2023

“I don’t care what they say. They are wrong and I’m right.”

Norma Thornton’s defiant message is clear: she isnt backing down anytime soon. Last year, Bullhead City police arrested the 78-year-old Arizona grandma for feeding the homeless in a public park a violation of a city ordinance.

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“As the day was just finishing up and everybody was pretty well gone, [the] last gentleman came up, I dished up his food and just as he was walking away, a couple of police officers drove up, and asked what I was doing,” Thornton told CBN’s Faithwire.

Then officers informed Thornton of her arrest, which was captured on video. She was placed in the back of a cop vehicle during the ordeal.

“Technically, Im supposed to be handcuffing you and everything, too, but Im not going to do that, because I dont think youre a hardened criminal,” an officer can be heard proclaiming. “I dont think youre out to hurt me.

Although the misdemeanor was later dropped, Thornton was reportedly told she would face jail time if found guilty of any future feedings in the park a claim that left her stunned.

Watch Thornton tell the story at the 8:48-mark:

Some might wonder what motivates Thornton’s kind gestures, and she wasted no time in crediting the Lord.

“The No. 1 motivation is my Savior, Jesus Christ,” Thornton said. “In His Father, we are told repeatedly: the first and most foremost commandment is love love thy neighbor, love your fellow man. He tells us several times, ‘What you do to the least of my people, you so do to me.’”

Some critics see the park preclusion as deeply troubling and unconstitutional. Diana Simpson, Thorntons attorney, said she initially found Thorntons plight hard to believe.

“It’s just it’s such a wild story,” Simpson said. “You think at first that, like, this can’t be real. It can’t be the case that a city is arresting someone for helping those in need and then you find out that it is the case. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what’s going on and that violates the Constitution.”

Simpson says her client is suing to stop the ordinance and win back the right to feed the homeless again in the park.

“We want to get Norma back to where she was,” the attorney said. “Before all of this started, serving folks in the park is really the best place that she’s found.”

Thornton, now feeding the poor in a private lot a few blocks away, is confident she’s doing what’s right.

“There is no reason under this earth that any human being should be hungry in this country that we live in actually, anywhere in the world,” she said. “There’s no reason for that. Our world is so full of food and luxuries. Why should anyone be hungry? I can’t understand.”

City officials say the ordinance is to ensure cleanliness in the park and safety for those being fed. As the battle continues, one thing is clear: Thornton isnt giving up anytime soon.

***As the number of voices facing big-tech censorship continues to grow, please sign up forFaithwiresdaily newsletterand download theCBN News app, developed by our parent company, to stay up-to-date with the latest news from a distinctly Christian perspective.***

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Counter-terror police investigating second Kneecap video

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Counter-terror police investigating second Kneecap video

Counter-terror police are “assessing” a second video of a Kneecap performance – after it allegedly saw the rap trio calling for the death of Conservative MPs.

The footage is believed to have been taken during one of the Northern Irish band’s concerts in November 2023.

One member of the group is alleged to have said: “The only good Tory is a dead Tory. Kill your local MP.”

On Wednesday the Metropolitan Police revealed its counter-terror unit was investigating another clip of a Kneecap performance over claims it showed one member shouting: “Up Hamas, up Hezbollah”.

That video was from a Kneecap gig at London’s Kentish Town Forum last November.

Hamas and Hezbollah are both proscribed as terrorist groups in the UK. Under Section 12 of the Terrorism Act 2000, it is an offence to express “an opinion or belief that is supportive of a proscribed organisation”.

Commenting on the second clip, a Met Police spokesman said on Sunday: “We were made aware of a video on April 22, believed to be from an event in November 2024, and it has been referred to the counter-terrorism internet referral unit for assessment and to determine whether any further police investigation may be required.

“We have also been made aware of another video believed to be from an event in November 2023.”

He added that the internet referral unit is “assessing” both clips to “determine whether further police investigation is required”.

In their statement in response to the previous Met investigation, Kneecap described it as a “coordinated smear campaign”.

They said they “use their shows to call out the British and Irish governments’ complicity in war crimes” and that their fans “see through the lies”.

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Two British MPs have been murdered in the past 10 years – Labour’s Jo Cox in 2016 and Conservative Sir David Amess in 2021.

A UK government spokesman commented: “We unequivocally condemn threatening remarks made towards any individual.

“Political intimidation and abuse must have no place in our society. We recognise the chilling effect that harassment and intimidation of elected representatives can have on our democracy.

“All reports of intimidation, harassment and threats are taken extremely seriously. We work with the police and Parliament to do everything in our power to crack down on threats to elected officials.”

Sky News has contacted Kneecap’s management for further comment.

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The cost of innovation — Regulations are Web3’s greatest asset

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The cost of innovation — Regulations are Web3’s greatest asset

The cost of innovation — Regulations are Web3’s greatest asset

Opinion by: Hedi Navazan, chief compliance officer at 1inch

Web3 needs a clear regulatory system that addresses innovation bottlenecks and user safety in decentralized finance (DeFi). A one-size-fits-all approach cannot be achieved to regulate DeFi. The industry needs custom, risk-based approaches that balance innovation, security and compliance.

DeFi’s challenges and rules

A common critique is that regulatory scrutiny leads to the death of innovation, tracing this situation back to the Biden administration. In 2022, uncertainty for crypto businesses increased following lawsuits against Coinbase, Binance and OpenSea for alleged violations of securities laws.

Under the US administration, the Securities and Exchange Commission agreed to dismiss the lawsuit against Coinbase, as the agency reversed the crypto stance, hinting at a path toward regulation with clear boundaries.

Many would argue that the same risk is the same rule. Imposing traditional finance requirements on DeFi simply will not work from many aspects but the most technical challenges.

Openness, transparency, immutability, and automation are key parameters of DeFi. Without clear regulations, however, the prevalent issue of “Ponzi-like schemes” can divert focus from effective innovation use cases to conjuring a “deceptive perception” of blockchain technology. 

Guidance and clarity from regulatory bodies can reduce significant risks for retail users.

Policymakers should take time to understand DeFi’s architecture before introducing restrictive measures. DeFi needs risk-based regulatory models that understand its architecture and address illicit activity and consumer protection. 

Self-regulatory frameworks cultivate transparency and security in DeFi

The entire industry highly recommends implementing a self-regulatory framework that ensures continuous innovation while simultaneously ensuring consumer safety and financial transparency. 

Take the example of DeFi platforms that have taken a self-regulatory approach by implementing robust security measures, including transaction monitoring, wallet screening and implementing a blacklist mechanism that restricts a wallet of suspicion with illicit activity. 

Sound security measures would help DeFi projects monitor onchain activity and prevent system misuse. Self-regulation can help DeFi projects operate with greater legitimacy, yet it may not be the only solution.

Clear structure and governance are key

It’s no secret that institutional players are waiting for the regulatory green light. Adding to the list of regulatory frameworks, Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) sets stepping stones for future DeFi regulations that can lead to institutional adoption of DeFi. It provides businesses with regulatory clarity and a framework to operate.

Many crypto projects will struggle and die as a result of higher compliance costs associated with MiCA, which will enforce a more reliable ecosystem by requiring augmented transparency from issuers and quickly attract institutional capital for innovation. Clear regulations will lead to more investments in projects that support investor trust.

Anonymity in crypto is quickly disappearing. Blockchain analytics tools, regulators and companies can monitor suspicious activity while preserving user privacy to some extent. Future adaptations of MiCA regulations can enable compliance-focused DeFi solutions, such as compliant liquidity pools and blockchain-based identity verification.

Regulatory clarity can break barriers to DeFi integration

The banks’ iron gate has been another significant barrier. Compliance officers frequently witness banks erect walls to keep crypto out. Bank supervisors distance companies that are out of compliance, even if it’s indirect scrutiny or fines, slamming doors on crypto projects’ financial operations.

Clear regulations will address this issue and make compliance a facilitator, not a barrier, for DeFi and banking integration. In the future, traditional banks will integrate DeFi. Institutions will not replace banks but will merge DeFi’s efficiencies with TradFi’s structure.

Recent: Hester Peirce calls for SEC rulemaking to ‘bake in’ crypto regulation

The repeal of Staff Accounting Bulletin (SAB) 121 in January 2025 mitigated accounting burdens for banks to recognize crypto assets held for customers as both assets and liabilities on their balance sheets. The previous laws created hurdles of increased capital reserve requirements and other regulatory challenges.

SAB 122 aims to provide structured solutions from reactive compliance to proactive financial integration — a step toward creating DeFi and banking synergy. Crypto companies must still follow accounting principles and disclosure requirements to protect crypto assets.

Clear regulations can increase the frequency of banking use cases, such as custody, reserve backing, asset tokenization, stablecoin issuance and offering accounts to digital asset businesses.

Building bridges between regulators and innovators in DeFi

Experts pointing out concerns about DeFi’s over-regulation killing innovation can now address them using “regulatory sandboxes.” These dispense startups with a “secure zone” to test their products before committing to full-scale regulatory mandates. For example, startups in the United Kingdom under the Financial Conduct Authority are thriving using this “trial and error” method that has accelerated innovation.

These have enabled businesses to test innovation and business models in a real-world setting under regulator supervision. Sandboxes could be accessible to licensed entities, unregulated startups or companies outside the financial services sector.

Similarly, the European Union’s DLT Pilot Regime advances innovation and competition, encouraging market entry for startups by reducing upfront compliance costs through “gates” that align legal frameworks at each level while upgrading technological innovation.

Clear regulations can cultivate and support innovation through open dialogue between regulators and innovators.

Opinion by: Hedi Navazan, chief compliance officer at 1inch.

This article is for general information purposes and is not intended to be and should not be taken as legal or investment advice. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed here are the author’s alone and do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Cointelegraph.

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