February 12 top stories
It is February 12. Hope your weekend was good. Here are today’s top stories.
Super Bowl 2024: Chiefs beat 49ers in OT
The Kansas City Chiefs toppled the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl 58 on Sunday night in Las Vegas, 25-22 in overtime.
The game began with a scoreless first quarter and eventually saw both teams exchanging field goals back and forth. Turnovers were the story of the game, with both sides making mistakes. The Chiefs’ wide receiver Mecole Hardman Jr. scored the winning touchdown, thrown by Patrick Mahomes.
The Chiefs have won three titles in the last half decade. And behind it all are the constants, coach Andy Reid and quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who took home his third career Super Bowl MVP award, becoming only the third player in NFL history to do so. He joined retired quarterback Tom Brady and Joe Montana as the only players ever to win the award three times.
Def. Sec. Austin hospitalized with bladder issue
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is back in the hospital at Walter Reed for an “emergent bladder issue,” and has transferred his powers to the deputy defense secretary, according to Pentagon officials.
They confirmed Austin was at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, adding that the deputy defense secretary, joint chiefs of staff, White House and Congress have all been notified.
Austin was expected to leave on Tuesday morning to travel to Brussels for the Ukraine Defense Contact Group on Wednesday and the NATO Defense Ministerial on Thursday.
It is too soon to tell if Austin will be able to travel, a senior U.S. defense official said, adding his doctors are assessing the secretary’s condition.
In December, Austin was admitted to Walter Reed and underwent prostate cancer surgery. He developed an infection a week later and was readmitted to the hospital. During those times, he did not inform President Biden of his hospitalization. Austin said after the hospitalization controversy, “I want to be crystal clear. We did not handle this right and I did not handle this right. I should have told the president about my cancer diagnosis. I should have also told my team and the American public, and I take full responsibility. I apologize to my teammates and to the American people.”
Marathon world record-holder Kiptum dies
The men’s marathon world record holder, Kenya’s Kelvin Kiptum, 24, has died in a road accident in his home country. He was killed alongside his coach, in a car on a road in western Kenya on Sunday.
Kiptum made a breakthrough in 2023 as a rival to compatriot Eliud Kipchoge – one of the greatest marathon runners.
Kiptum bettered Kipchoge’s record, clocking the 26.2 miles (42km) in two hours and 35 seconds in Chicago last October. Kiptum took 34 seconds off the world record.
Giving details of the crash, Kenyan police said Kiptum was driving and had “lost control of the vehicle and veered off-road entering into a ditch on his side.” He drove in the ditch before hitting a big tree.
The rise to fame for the father of two had been rapid – he only competed in his first full marathon in 2022.
The two athletes, Kiptum and Kipchoge, had been named in Kenya’s provisional marathon team for the Paris Olympics later this year. Just last week, Kiptum’s team announced that he would attempt to run the marathon in under two hours in Rotterdam, Netherlands in April – a feat that has never been achieved in open competition.
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Shooting at Pastor Joel Osteen megachurch
A woman who walked into a popular Texas megachurch Sunday afternoon with a long gun and a young child estimated to be between 4 to 5 years old opened fire, officials said.
Authorities are now probing the shooting at televangelist and pastor Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church – roughly 6 miles from downtown Houston.
The woman, estimated to be between 30 and 35 years old, entered the church shortly before 2 p.m. wearing a trench coat and backpack and opened fire, Houston Police Chief Troy Finner said in a Sunday afternoon news conference.
The shooter died at the scene after two law enforcement officers intervened and she was shot. The young child was hit during the shooting and is in the hospital in critical condition. It’s unclear who fired the shot that injured the child.
Police have not shared details about a possible motive in the shooting or said what the woman’s relationship with the child who accompanied her is. The injured man was shot in the leg and sought treatment at a hospital, Finner said.
Alex has an update on Israel’s war on Gaza. Here it is.
Israel rescues 2 hostages in special operation
Thanks, Callie.
The Israeli military said they freed two Israeli-Argentine hostages held by Hamas in the southern Gaza city of Rafah. They are 60 and 70 years old and were among the 250 hostages seized by Hamas on October 7.
The Israeli military said it rescued the hostages on the second floor of a building that it breached with explosives and that the raid included heavy exchanges of gunfire with surrounding buildings.
A reporter said the Israeli military destroyed many buildings, including a mosque, in the operation. At least 67 Palestinians were killed during the raid. Some civilians said bullets ripped through tents where Palestinaians were taking shelter and that children were wounded.
Gazan officials said most of the Palestinians who were killed were civilians, while the Israel military said most of them were Palestinian militants.
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said he would continue military pressure on Hamas despite international concerns about the staggering death toll in Gaza, which stands at over 28,000 people killed as of today.
Thanks for that update. That is all the news stories for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light!
Super Bowl 2024: Chiefs beat 49ers in OT:
Def. Sec. Austin hospitalized with bladder issue:
https://www.cnbc.com/2024/02/11/defense-secretary-lloyd-austin-hospitalized-bladder-issues.html
Marathon world record-holder Kiptum dies:
Shooting at Pastor Joel Osteen megachurch:
https://www.texastribune.org/2024/02/11/shooter-megachurch-joel-osteen-houston/
Israel rescues 2 hostages in special operation: