February 7 top stories
It is February 7. Here are today’s top stories.
Over 6,300 killed in Turkey and Syria earthquakes
The death toll from the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria has tragically surpassed 6,300 people. The first earthquake was a magnitude of 7.8 that hit an area near the Turkish and Syrian border early Monday morning. A second earthquake of almost equal power struck on Monday afternoon. Over 21,000 people were injured. There were over 1,000 aftershocks and over 5,000 buildings collapsed.
News images show many destroyed buildings in a “pancake effect” with concrete floors on top of one another among other crumbled debris.
There is one inspiring story — The Sun reported that rescuers pulled out a newborn infant that was still tied by her umbilical cord to her mother, who was killed. The report said the baby was born under the rubble and that the baby is okay.
Axios said the “earthquake is a crisis within multiple crises” for millions of people who have been displaced by the civil war in Syria. News reports said there are several voice messages and phone calls from people trapped under the buildings.
The U.S. and many other countries have pledged support in the search for survivors. The USAID has sent a crew of 79 members and six dogs as a part of the Virginia Task Force 1 to help.
An ancient castle that was built over 2,200 years ago was damaged. Its name is Gaziantep Castle and it was built during the Roman Empire.
Train carrying toxic materials derails in Ohio
A freight train carrying toxic materials derailed near the Ohio-Pennsylvania state line on Friday night. Several of the cars were carrying a dangerous chemical called vinyl chloride. Authorities were concerned that the cars would explode and send shrapnel and debris into a neighborhood and have ordered evacuations of residents who lived nearby.
Authorities used small explosives to release chemicals from the train into a trough and conducted a controlled burn of the materials, which is still dangerous because the chemicals in the air can cause very adverse health effects.
AP said residents in East Palestine, Ohio and those across the state line in Pennsylvania were seen packing bags and loading their pets into cars on Sunday night through Monday morning. The area is cordoned off.
Authorities have urged those living near the derailment site to keep their windows closed and stay indoors as much as possible.
Police release new footage of double amputee
Police in Huntington Park, California have released a new video of the double amputee who was shot and killed while holding a knife on January 26.
The new video shows that prior to the shooting, the double amputee, Anthony Lowe, stabbed an innocent passerby from behind near a gas station. The victim was injured and stumbled on the street into traffic.
That’s why the police were called. Videos show that responding officers had their guns pointed at Lowe while he was hobbling away, but when Lowe turned around and seemed like he would throw his knife toward them, the officers shot and killed Lowe.
Police said they tried to use tasers twice but it didn’t work. The knife was 12 inches long.
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Pentagon admits it failed to detect previous Chinese balloons
A top U.S. general who is responsible for protecting U.S. airspace explained in a news briefing on Monday that there were previous incidents of Chinese spy balloons floating above America but they failed to detect it.
General Glen D. VanHerck, the NORAD commander, said there were at least five times that China sent a balloon above the U.S. in recent years, flying above places such as Texas, Florida, Hawaii, and Guam.
The general said they realized it after getting information from the U.S. Intelligence community but did not provide more information. He admitted that there was a “domain awareness gap” and said they would have to figure it out.
The earlier balloon flights, some of which occurred during the Trump administration, may have been mislabeled as “unidentified aircraft phenomena.” The Biden administration said they are reaching out to the previous administration’s officials to try and figure out more information on the balloons.
Two arrested for plotting to destroy Baltimore
The FBI said it arrested two people for plotting to shoot up energy facilities in the Baltimore area with the goal to cause so much chaos that the city would be destroyed.
The two people are Sarah Clendaniel, a 34-year-old woman who lived in the Baltimore area, and Brandon Russell, a 27-year-old man who is a neo-Nazi leader in Florida.
The FBI had a source who was able to pose as a supporter of the plot who found that Sarah believed she had a terminal illness and wanted to do something big before June.
The FBI said if the duo were successful in their planned attack, it would have left thousands of Marylanders in the cold and dark.
The two face up to 20 years in prison if convicted of the charge of conspiracy to destroy an energy facility.
Biden to deliver State of the Union tonight
President Biden will deliver his State of the Union address tonight.
We will see the new House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif) sitting behind the president, replacing the seat that was occupied by Nancy Pelosi in 2018. Vice President Kamala Harris will be on the other seat behind Biden.
NPR said the key issues that Biden is expected to talk about are “China, climate, Covid-19 and health, education, economy, gun violence, immigration, opioids, policing, reproductive rights, and Ukraine.”
Several of the special guests attending the speech include RowVaughn and Rodney Wells, the parents of Tyre Nichols, Brandon Tsay, the California man who disarmed the Lunar New Year shooter, Paul Pelosi, and the Ukrainian Ambassador Oksana Markarova.
I will give a recap of Biden’s address on tomorrow’s news.
That is all the top stories for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light.
https://abc7.com/huntington-park-officer-involved-shooting-anthony-lowe-double-amputee/12778258/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2023/02/06/chinese-balloons-failed-detection/
https://apnews.com/article/ohio-train-derailment-updates-bf5a60de2243cd6f7f730096aa33294c
https://www.axios.com/2023/02/06/magnitude-78-quake-hits-turkey-near-syria-border
https://www.the-sun.com/news/7328185/pregnant-woman-gives-birth-earthquake-rubble-syria/
https://www.cnn.com/middleeast/live-news/turkey-syria-earthquake-updates-2-7-23-intl/index.html
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/earthquake-in-turkey-today-damages-ancient-gaziantep-castle/
https://www.npr.org/2023/02/07/1152540265/biden-2023-state-of-the-union-what-to-watch-for-key-issues