April 27 top stories
It is April 27. Here are today’s top stories.
Jerry Springer dies at 79
Jerry Springer, who is famous for being the host of the Jerry Springer Show, passed away at the age of 79 after a brief illness.
Before the show, Springer was the mayor of Cincinnati in 1977 and 1978.
Springer said in an interview in 2019 that his show gave a platform to the people who make up the country — instead of catering to upper-middle-class white people. He said he was proud that it was a successful show but that the show was always a “circus.”
A spokesperson for the Springer family said “his loss hurts immensely, but memories of his intellect, heart and humor will live on.”
Woman who accused Emmett Till dead at 88
CNN reported that the white woman who, in 1955, accused a 14-year-old Black teenager named Emmett Till of flirting with her at a grocery store in Mississippi has passed away at 88 years of age. Her name was Carolyn Bryant Donham.
The accusation against Till made Bryant’s husband and his half-brother angry and they brutally murdered Till.
Till’s body was brought back to his hometown of Chicago, where his mother decided to have an open-casket funeral to show the world what happened to her son.
The husband and his half-brother later went on a trial for Till’s murder, but they were found not guilty by an all-white jury. Later on, the two men confessed to murdering Till and sold their story to a magazine. They couldn’t face a murder trial again because of double jeopardy laws.
Historians consider what happened to Till as a key catalyst of the civil rights movement. The Montgomery bus boycott with Rosa Parks happened a year after Till’s death.
In recent years, the U.S. Justice Department and a grand jury in Mississippi investigated Carolyn for possibly lying during her testimony to the FBI or on manslaughter charges, but she was never prosecuted. Now she is dead at 88.
Till’s final resting place is at a cemetery near Chicago. The grocery store in Mississippi is now dilapidated but there is a marker at the site.
Bed Bath & Beyond begins clearance sales
Bed Bath & Beyond said it is beginning clearance sales on all of its items at stores nationwide as it shuts down. The company also owns the Buy Buy Baby brand and these stores will also be selling everything.
You can buy things at a discounted price online or go in person to stores.
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Montana Republicans censures Rep. Zephyr
Republicans in Montana voted to censure Rep. Zooey Zephyr, a Democrat and the state’s first transgender state legislator. There was controversy after Zephyr told Republicans that they would have “blood on their hands” if they voted in favor of a law that would restrict gender-affirming care for minors.
The Montana House voted 68-32 to censure Zephyr. NBC News said she will keep her position but will be barred from physically participating on the House floor. She can vote, but only remotely for the rest of the legislative session, which ends May 5.
Zephyr said in a speech before the censure vote that she believes that legislators do have blood on their hands when they take actions against the LGBTQ community, explaining that she had friends who committed suicide because of these types of bills. She said she refuses to be silent.
Republicans said Zephyr incited protests and assaulted democracy.
Nikki Haley: Biden likely to die in 5 years
Nikki Haley, a Republican presidential candidate and the former governor of South Carolina, said she believes that President Joe Biden will likely die within the next five years and then his supporters would have to count on Vice President Kamala Harris if Biden wins re-election next year.
Haley said he doubts that Biden, who is now 80, would make it until 86 years old.
NBC News said Haley previously said politicians over 75 should be required to take a mental competency test, which targets both Donald Trump and Biden.
So, suppose Haley wins the Republican nomination, she may face Biden in a debate and they may be debating how many years he has left to live. Biden has previously told reporters who asked him whether he can handle the presidency at his age to “watch me.”
Parrots making video calls to other parrots
Researchers at several universities announced that they have taught parrots to make video calls to other parrots using tablets and smartphones. The parrots then initiated calls on their own and seemed to enjoy it. Researchers said the parrots learned new social skills from their “friends,” such as new vocalizations or flying skills. Researchers said the parrots used the same type of vocalizations that parrots use in the wild to make “calls and responses,” to tell other birds that they were here. So it seems like parrots are just like deaf people — we like video calls.
That is all the top stories for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light.
https://news.northeastern.edu/2023/04/21/parrots-talking-video-calls/
https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/27/us/carolyn-bryant-donham-emmett-till