Friday, August 19 top stories
It is Friday, August 19. Here are today’s top stories.
Florida governor’s election police arrests 20 for voter fraud
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced that his Office of Election Crimes and Security, which CBS News calls the “election police,” will be arresting 20 felons for breaking the state’s election laws that prohibit those who are convicted of rape or murder from voting.
The governor said these 20 people did not go through any kind of process to get their voting rights restored and went ahead and voted while ineligible, so they are going to pay the price. CBS News said the potential penalty is up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine.
Critics of the program say the election police is just a plan to prevent minorities from voting and that the law is unnecessary. It’s controversial.
Human foot in shoe found floating in Yellowstone
An employee at the Yellowstone National Park found a partial human foot in a shoe floating in a hot spring named the Abyss Pool on Tuesday. The area was closed off and an investigation started. The area is now reopened and there is no new information on the foot.
The Abyss Pool is a 53-foot-deep hot spring. Its temperature is about 140 degrees F.
CEO Dan Price steps down amid allegations of sexual assault
Dan Price, who is a CEO that became famous several years ago for paying all of his employees at his Seattle-area company Gravity Payments a minimum salary of $70,000, was accused of raping a woman and of various acts of sexual misconduct or harassment against multiple women.
Price has denied the allegations and said he would step down from his company to focus on fighting back.
In January, a woman told Seattle police that Price tried to kiss her and after she pushed him away, he grabbed her by the throat. He was charged with misdemeanor assault and reckless driving, has pleaded not guilty, and the case is ongoing.
The New York Times said the “adulation” Price received from the public for paying his employees good money “helped to hide and enable his behavior.”
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Concerns at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant
Russian President Putin said in a call to French President Macron that there is a risk of a serious catastrophe at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and accused the Ukrainian military of shelling it constantly.
News reports said both Ukrainian and Russian forces and spokespersons have traded accusations about attacks around the power plant, but it is difficult to know what is really going on.
If the power plant is damaged and melts down, then there could be a nuclear disaster in the area and across neighboring countries.
CNN posted satellite photos of the power plant today and an analyst said the pictures show no signs of systemic shelling.
Turkish President Erdogan said he would hold talks with both Russian and Ukrainian leaders and discuss the nuclear plant issue.
Workers at the plant said they suspect that Russian forces want to disconnect the system from the Ukrainian power system.
World leaders are now making agreements to allow a team from the International Atomic Energy Agency to visit the power plant in early September. Putin has agreed to allow the team to come.
Lightning strike kills mother in Florida
In Florida, a lightning strike at a park near Orlando killed a mother and injured her child and dog.
Police said this happened on Thursday afternoon in Winter Springs. Police believe the lightning hit a nearby tree, which energized the area, striking the victims.
The mother, child, and dog were transported to get medical attention. The mother died at a hospital, while the child and the dog are doing okay.
ABC News said the total number of lightning-related fatalities in the U.S. this year so far is 14.
Apple warns of security flaw in devices
Apple said there are serious security vulnerabilities for iPhones, iPads, and Macs that could allow a hacker to get full admin access and take control of any software and impersonate the device’s owner.
Apple said users should update their devices. Apple did not reveal how they discovered this security flaw.
That is all the top stories for this week. I will be out of the studio next week but our team will still cover the news. See you on the 29th and stay with the light.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/florida-gov-ron-desantis-election-police-force-arrests-voter-fraud/
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ron-desantis-florida-republican-plan-election-police-force/
https://www.axios.com/local/seattle/2022/08/19/sexual-assault-allegations-dan-price
https://www.npr.org/2022/08/19/1118406888/apple-iphone-ipad-mac-security-updates