February 15 top stories
It is February 15. Here are today’s top stories.
More Americans watching streaming over traditional TV
A report from AFP says that for the first time ever, U.S. adults will spend more time this year watching digital video on platforms such as Netflix, TikTok and YouTube than viewing traditional television.
An analyst said people are spending more time watching videos on their biggest and smallest screens, whether it is a streaming TV show or a viral clip on social media.
Netflix and YouTube are the top two leaders for digital video. Adults in the U.S. watch both platforms for about 33 minutes daily. TikTok is in third place.
Buffalo shooter sentenced to life in prison
The Buffalo supermarket mass shooter, 19-year-old Payton Gendron, appeared in a courtroom today for a sentencing hearing.
A family member of one of the victims suddenly lunged at Gendron, causing chaos with multiple police officers intervening to stop the family member and whisk Gendron away. The judge said she understands that there are emotions and anger but that we cannot have that in the courtroom.
WTOP said Gendron, who killed 10 people on May 14, was motivated to shoot up the supermarket due to racist conspiracy theories he read online. He purposefully picked the Buffalo supermarket because it was in a predominantly African-American neighborhood. All of the 10 people who died were black.
A family member of one of the victims said to Gendron that “You’ve been brainwashed. You don’t even know Black people that much to hate them. You learn this on the internet, and it was a big mistake.”
WTOP said Gendron cried during some of the testimony and apologized in a brief statement.
The judge sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Gendron is also facing hate and domestic terrorism charges in federal court.
Pilot held hostage in Papua, Indonesia
A pilot from New Zealand is now being held hostage in Indonesia’s Papua region by a group of armed separatists. The rebels have burned the plane and are demanding that the Indonesian government acknowledge Papuan independence before they will release the pilot.
The rebels’ group name is the West Papua National Liberation Army and the pilot’s name is Philip Mehrtens.
Al Jazeera explained that the pilot dropped off five passengers who were Indigenous Papuans and was supposed to pick up 15 construction workers. Rebels said they would keep the pilot safe as long as the Indonesian government does not use its arms.
CNN explained that separatists in eastern Papua have been demanding independence since the region was brought under control of the Indonesian government in 1969.
The New Zealand government said it is aware of the situation but would not be commenting. The Indonesian government said it is making every effort to persuade the rebels to release the pilot.
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One of 12 boys rescued from Thai cave passes away
In tragic news, one of the 12 boys who were rescued from a flooded cave in Thailand in 2018 has passed away in the U.K. His name was Duangphet Phromthep and he was 17.
CNN said he was enrolled in a soccer academy in England and died after being rushed to a hospital on Sunday. BBC said he was found unconscious in his dorm. The Thai government said he died due to an accident, but did not explain further.
Phromthep was the captain of the “Wild Boars” youth soccer team that explored a cave with their coach and became trapped due to rising waters. There was a three-week international rescue effort to rescue all the boys and the coach.
Nikki Haley announces presidential run
Nikki Haley, the former UN Ambassador during the Trump administration and the former South Carolina governor, announced she is running for the Republican nomination for the presidency in 2024. She is the second Republican to officially run with the first being former president Donald Trump.
Haley is 51 years old and said President Biden and other politicians are past their prime — saying that they are too old. She suggested that there should be mandatory mental competency tests for politicians over 75. Trump is 76. Biden is 80.
Haley made other campaign promises that she would enact term limits for members of Congress and crack down on illegal immigration.
Two 15-year-olds charged with murdering UK transgender teen
CBS News reported that in England, a 16-year-old transgender girl named Brianna Ghey was stabbed to death on Saturday. She was found dead on a path in a park.
UK police said they have arrested two 15-year-olds, a boy and a girl, and charged them with murdering Brianna. Police said they are investigating whether the killing was an anti-transgender hate crime.
CBS said Brianna was popular on TikTok and that there were candle-lit vigils across the country by those who mourned her death. Brianna’s family said she was beautiful, witty, and fearless.
CBS said recent data in the US shows that the number of trans people who were murdered in the US nearly doubled between 2017 and 2021. In 2021, 56 transgender individuals were killed. About 70% of these victims were Black trans women, so this group is the most at-risk.
That is all the top stories for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light.
https://abcnews.go.com/US/buffalo-mass-shooter-payton-gendron-set-sentenced-life/story
https://news.yahoo.com/digital-video-viewing-top-traditional-110405586.html
https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/15/europe/duangphet-phromthep-thai-cave-dies-intl/index.html
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-64646039
https://www.axios.com/2023/02/15/nikki-haley-2024-president-run
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/brianna-ghey-killed-boy-girl-charged-murder-transgender-teen/
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/transgender-community-murder-rates-everytown-for-gun-safety-report/