December 6 top stories
It is December 6. Here are today’s top stories.
Taylor Swift is Time’s 2023 Person of the Year
Time magazine has honored musician Taylor Swift as the 2023 Person of the Year. Time said they selected Swift because she found a way to give people around the world hope during dark times. Her “Eras Tour,” which had 66 performances across sold-out stadiums in the Americas, grossed over $2 billion in ticket sales and helped to boost local economies. It was so popular that it caused Ticketmaster to crash. Her film about her concerts earned nearly $100 million in the box office. Time said Swift has incredible skill and power.
Father sentenced to 4 years after child videotapes him beating mother
ABC News reported that a California father, Miguel Lazaro-Castillo, was sentenced to four years in prison on charges of felony domestic violence after his 9-year-old child took a video of him beating and injuring his wife and the mother of the child.
The report said on October 9, police in Yuba County received a 911 call from one of Lazaro-Castillo’s children. When police arrived, they found the wife/mother lying face-down on the floor surrounded by bloody napkins. The father was sitting on top of her and there were three minor children present, ages 15, 14, and 9.
Police said Lazaro-Castillo initially denied striking his wife but police discovered that the 9-year-old videotaped the beating. The father was arrested.
The district attorney’s office said Lazaro-Castillo did not have a prior criminal record but received the maximum sentence of four years based on the brutality of his actions and his utter disregard for his children.
U.S. to ban Jewish settlers who attack Palestinians
The U.S. government said it would impose travel bans on Jewish settlers in Israel if they committed acts of violence against Palestinians in the West Bank.
The U.N. said since October 7, it has recorded 314 attacks that have resulted in Palestinian casualties, damage to Palestinian-owned property or both with at least 8 Palestinians dying. Almost half of these attacks were accompanied or actively supported by Israeli forces.
The Biden administration said they have pushed for the Israeli government to do more to hold accountable “extremist settlers.” They said they would also continue to seek accountability on Palestinian attacks against Israelis in the West Bank and Israel.
Texas gunman kills six
Police in Austin, Texas said a 34-year-old man named Shane James carried out a shooting rampage across central Texas on Tuesday that killed six people and injured three people, including two police officers.
James is accused of killing two people in San Antonio sometime on Tuesday morning. He then went to Austin and shot a police officer in the leg at the Northeast Early College High School. James then allegedly killed a man and a woman at a home in south Austin, near the school. Later that afternoon, James allegedly shot at a cyclist in southwest Austin. Two hours after that, police received a 911 call that there was a burglary in progress and encountered James, who shot at them. One officer received multiple injuries. James fled in a vehicle and later crashed and was arrested. Officers found two people dead inside the residence where the burglary took place. So that is a total of six people killed.
Police said they are investigating what connections James has with the murders. It is not clear why James targeted specific homes, a high school, and a cyclist in the region.
———
Sponsored video by Sorenson: www.sorenson.com
———
Eight Air Force members killed in Osprey crash
The Air Force said eight crew members on an Osprey aircraft tragically perished when it crashed off the coast of Japan last Wednesday. One person was found dead after the crash and five bodies were discovered yesterday along with the Osprey’s main fuselage. Two bodies are still missing. The ages of the members ranged from 25 to 36.
News reports said Osprey aircraft, which is a hybrid aircraft that has both helicopter-like and plane-like capabilities, have been involved in a number of fatal crashes in recent years.
Kevin McCarthy to resign from Congress
Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif), who was ousted from his Speaker of the House position by rival Republicans in October, said he would resign at the end of the year.
Axios said this would leave House Republicans with an even slimmer majority until a special election to fill his seat can be held.
That is all the top stories for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light.
https://time.com/6342806/person-of-the-year-2023-taylor-swift/
https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/06/media/taylor-swift-time-person-of-the-year/index.html
https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/rare-action-israel-us-extremist-west-bank-settlers-105393589
https://abcnews.go.com/US/man-jailed-after-6-minute-video-emerges-beating/story
https://www.axios.com/2023/12/06/kevin-mccarthy-congress-retire-speaker
https://www.axios.com/2023/12/04/japan-osprey-crash-remains-found-us-military
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/texas-shootings-austin-suspect-locations-timeline-rcna128323