February 8 top stories
It is February 8. Here are today’s top stories.
Highlights of Biden’s SOTU
Here are some highlights from President Biden’s State of the Union address last night. In the beginning, Biden honored Nancy Pelosi.
[Clip 1]
Biden said the largest corporations in America should pay a minimum tax of 15% instead of zero.
[Clip 2]
When Biden said there were some Republicans who wanted to see an end to Social Security and Medicaid, there were multiple Republicans who shouted objections and said it was not true. Biden then seized the moment to say that now we are all in agreement to not touch Social Security and Medicare.
[Clip 3]
Biden took a solemn moment to honor the parents of Tyre Nichols, who died after he was severely beaten by Memphis police officers.
[Clip 4]
Biden called on Congress to do something on police reform.
Biden honored Brandon Tsay, the man who disarmed the Lunar New Year shooter and then used that moment to call for stricter gun legislation.
[Clip 5]
Biden condemned Russian President Putin for his invasion of Ukraine last year and said he is committed to continuing the fight against his aggression.
[Clip 6]
Biden closed his speech by saying that he’s served in D.C. for a long time and that he is very optimistic about our future.
[Clip 7]
These are the highlights of Biden’s SOTU address.
Turkey and Syria quake victims surpass 11,000
AP tragically reported that there are now over 11,000 people who died in the Turkey and Syria earthquakes on Monday. It is considered the world’s deadliest earthquake in the past decade. 8,500 are dead in Turkey and 2,600 are dead in Syria.
AP said there are search teams from over 20 countries that have joined tens of thousands of local emergency personnel on the ground, but that many people are still waiting for help because thousands of buildings fell and the destruction is spread over a wide area.
Searchers are racing against time because the first 72 hours after a disaster are considered the most critical.
LeBron James breaks NBA scoring record
LeBron James broke the NBA’s scoring record last night by scoring his 38,388th point in the third quarter of a home game for the Los Angeles Lakers. He broke a record previously held by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who was in the building.
The game was stopped to mark the moment. Kareem and the NBA commissioner walked onto the court to honor LeBron, who was visibly emotional and had tears.
After the game, LeBron held a paper with the number 38,390 written on it, which is the new record. LeBron is sure to continue adding to that number as he’s still playing in the NBA.
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[Sponsored Video from Sorenson: www.sorenson.com]
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Bus crashes into daycare, killing 2 kids
In tragic news from Quebec, Canada, a city bus crashed into a daycare north of Montreal and killed two children and sent six other children to hospitals. This happened this morning.
A person who lives near the daycare said the bus driver, a 51-year-old man, stepped out of the bus after the collision, removed all of his clothing and started screaming. People believe the driver intentionally crashed the bus. He was later arrested and charged with careless driving and homicide.
The six children who are injured do not have life-threatening wounds. News images show parents picking up their children from the daycare. Witnesses said it was a horrible scene. There is an investigation into the incident.
Memphis cop texted photo of Tyre Nichols after beating
KIRO 7 News reported that a Memphis police officer took a picture of Tyre Nichols after he was battered by police officers and sent it to at least five people. The image showed Tyre propped up against a police car with handcuffs on.
One of the five officers who were fired and charged with second-degree murder, Demetrius Haley, admitted to sending a photo.
In separate but related news, city officials in Memphis said seven more cops may face discipline in connection to Tyre’s death.
700 pounds of acorns found in home wall
A homeowner in Santa Rosa, California noticed that there were maggots and mealworms coming out of a wall and contacted a pest control company.
A pest control worker thought there may be a dead animal stuck inside the wall and when he cut a hole to look inside, he was shocked to see thousands of acorns.
The worker said there were about 700 pounds of acorns in total that were stored by woodpeckers who put them in a chimney stack. The worker said he had to cut three more holes to get all the acorns out, which filled eight garbage bags. He then repaired the holes in the chimney and added screens to cover wood sections on the home’s exterior and believes that the issue is taken care of.
An expert on woodpeckers said a common species of bird on the West Coast is the acorn woodpecker. They typically drill small holes and hoard food to keep female woodpeckers stay fed through the winter so they can continue to breed.
That is all the top stories for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzcBTUvVp7M
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/08/us/politics/biden-state-of-the-union-transcript.html
https://apnews.com/article/science-turkey-syria-earthquakes-8fc4e52f5f261edce7b05d0b06601d3a
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/bus-crashes-canadian-day-care-8-hurt-96979925
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2023/02/07/acorns-woodpeckers-california-house/