—PRAYER IN TIME OF DISTRESS

A grand jury has reached a decision on whether to indict Darren Wilson, the white Ferguson, Mo., police officer whose fatal shooting of an unarmed black teenager sparked days of turbulent protests, sources close to the process said.

Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon (D) and the county prosecutor’s office are expected to hold news conferences later Monday, and prosecutors have notified the family of Michael Brown — the teen who Wilson killed — that the grand jury’s decision will be announced Monday night, family attorney Benjamin Crump said.

Crump and other sources gave no indication of whether Wilson, 28, will face state charges in the August shooting death of Brown, 18, which triggered a frank conversation about race and police interaction with African Americans.

A police officer secures an area around the Buzz Westfall Justice Center in Clayton, Missouri, on November 24, 2014. (Jewel Samad/AFP/Getty Images)

By Wesley Lowery, Kimberly Kindy and Sarah Larimer November 24 at 3:06 PM http://platform.twitter.com/widgets/follow_button.9102a02e4157727d5d33e448662f9063.en.html#_=1416865234564&id=twitter-widget-0&lang=en&screen_name=WesleyLowery&show_count=false&show_screen_name=true&size=m http://platform.twitter.com/widgets/follow_button.9102a02e4157727d5d33e448662f9063.en.html#_=1416865234568&id=twitter-widget-1&lang=en&screen_name=kimberlykindy&show_count=false&show_screen_name=true&size=m http://platform.twitter.com/widgets/follow_button.9102a02e4157727d5d33e448662f9063.en.html#_=1416865234570&id=twitter-widget-2&lang=en&screen_name=slarimer&show_count=false&show_screen_name=true&size=m

ST. LOUIS — A grand jury has reached a decision on whether to indict Darren Wilson, the white Ferguson, Mo., police officer whose fatal shooting of an unarmed black teenager sparked days of turbulent protests, sources close to the process said.Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon (D) and the county prosecutor’s office are expected to hold news conferences later Monday, and prosecutors have notified the family of Michael Brown — the teen who Wilson killed — that the grand jury’s decision will be announced Monday night, family attorney Benjamin Crump said.Crump and other sources gave no indication of whether Wilson, 28, will face state charges in the August shooting death of Brown, 18, which triggered a frank conversation about race and police interaction with African Americans.

[Timeline of events after the death of Michael Brown.]

The grand jury’s decision is the latest turn in a case marked in the national consciousness by the stunning images of clashes between protesters and police wearing riot gear and deploying tear gas in the days after Brown’s death. Details of the grand jury’s deliberations have leaked out in recent weeks, angering the Brown family and protesters who saw it as a signal that no charges would be filed.

As Ferguson, Mo., prepares for a grand jury to announce whether Officer Darren Wilson will be charged in the shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Brown, here is a look back at the events leading up to that decision. (Gillian Brockell and Sarah Parnass/The Washington Post)

Although a parallel federal civil rights investigation of the shooting is continuing, federal investigators have all but concluded that they do not have a case against Wilson, law enforcement officials have said. Federal investigators are also conducting a broader probe” of the Ferguson Police Department.

via Grand jury reaches decision in case of Ferguson officer – The Washington Post.

PRAYER IN TIME OF DISTRESS

I don’t think Chuck Hagel had much of a chance of getting it right as secretary of defense. He was under orders from a man (Obama) who wanted “weak leadership and little independence.”

How Do You Spell Scapegoat? H-A-G-E-L | The Weekly Standard.

So Chuck Hagel has been fired as defense secretary. We were critical of his appointment, and opposed his confirmation by the Senate. But let’s be clear: Hagel has done what he was asked and what was expected of him at the Pentagon. To the degree he has deviated from the Obama White House line, he’s been more right than wrong (e.g., on the threat the Islamic State poses).

So why has he been fired? Because the Obama White House needs a scapegoat. President George W, Bush fired Don Rumsfeld in connection with a change in strategy (the surge) and to bring in someone of independent stature. That’s not the case today. President Obama continues to want a Pentagon with weak leadership and little independence. There’s therefore no reason to expect the next two years of Obama foreign and defense policy to be any better than the past two.