Good morning.
It's Monday, December 16th.
I'm Shemitah Basu.
This is Apple News today.
On today's show, a cancer causing chemical that's in so many everyday objects.
Why doctors in Boston are prescribing solar power to patients
and drones over Jersey.
What's up with all these mysterious unmanned aircraft sightings?
But first, to controversial pardons and clemency granted by President Joe Biden.
Last week, the president announced he was commuting the sentences of 1500 people and granting pardons to 39 more.
It was the biggest single day act of clemency for any president.
And now that we're learning more about who was on the list, some of those names are raising eyebrows.
Like Michael Conaham, a former judge in Lucerne County, Pennsylvania.
He was convicted in 2011 of accepting $2.8 million
in kickbacks in exchange for imposing harsh sentences on children
to help fill the cells of private for profit juvenile detention centers owned by a friend.
More than 2,300 kids, some as young as 8 years old,
were put behind bars by Conahan and another judge, Mark Chiverella.
The case got widespread attention.
It was nicknamed the Kids for Cash scandal and Conahan's role in it was seen as one of the worst judicial scandals in Pennsylvania history.