Hong Kong leader says 'patriots' are in control

HONG KONG ( Associated Press) — Outgoing Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said Monday that Chinese "patriots" are now firmly in control of the city after the election of their new leader, who ran unopposed in a controlled process. from start to finish in Beijing. Lam made his comments a day after an electoral committee, mostly pro-Beijing, voted overwhelmingly in favor of John Lee, a hardline security chief who oversaw a crackdown on Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement. The crackdown led to Beijing imposing a sweeping National Security Law and reshuffling the regional legislature. Subsequently, the Chinese government offensive jailed political…