Friday, January 6 top stories
It is Friday, January 6. Here are today’s top stories.
New omicron subvariant XBB.1.5
The World Health Organization (WHO) said there is a new omicron subvariant that is the most transmissible strain to date. It is called XBB.1.5.
The CDC said Covid-19 hospitalizations rising in the Northeast and that the XBB.1.5 subvariant makes up about 75% of the new cases.
ABC News said very little is known about this new subvariant but some early research shows that it may be more immune to vaccines and more contagious than previous omicron variants.
El Chapo’s son arrested
There was violence in northern Mexico on Thursday after authorities arrested the son of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, the notorious drug lord. The son’s name is Ovidio Guzmán.
The arrest sparked hours of fighting between suspected members of a drug cartel and military personnel. At least 29 people were killed in total. News images showed vehicles on fire.
Gunfire hit two planes at an airport, causing passengers to throw themselves down on the floor in panic. Over 100 flights were canceled.
Reuters reported that Ovidio was extracted by helicopter from the house where he was caught and flown to Mexico City before being taken to a maximum security prison.
U.S. President Biden plans to visit Mexico next week. U.S. authorities have accused Ovidio of conspiracy to traffic cocaine, meth, and marijuana into the U.S.
El Chapo is currently serving a life sentence at a federal prison in Colorado.
Positive report on the U.S. economy
The U.S. economy continues to show positive signs. The Labor Department said the economy added 223,000 jobs in December and that the unemployment rate has fallen to 3.5%.
Axios said this is the “latest sign that the economy is holding up despite recession fears.”
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Veteran surfer dies in Portugal
A veteran Brazilian surfer named Marcio Freire died on Thursday while surfing on the giant waves in Nazaré, Portugal. He was 47. Support staffers on jet skis brought him to the beach, but emergency attempts to wake him up failed.
Reuters explained that Freire was one of the three Brazilian surfers who became known as the “Mad Dogs” who were featured in a 2016 documentary named Mad Dogs in which they surfed giant waves in Hawaii.
Many in the surfing community posted tributes for Freire.
“Real Housewives” star is sentenced to prison
NBC News reported that Jen Shah, who was one of the stars featured in “Real Housewives of Salt Lake City,” was sentenced to 6.5 years in federal prison for running a telemarketing scheme that defrauded elderly people out of thousands of dollars.
Prosecutors said Shah’s scheme caused thousands of elderly people to lose tens of millions of dollars. She and her team would make calls to people and promise them financial security if they made payments for business services. Many victims maxed out their credit cards.
Shah’s defense attorney said she regrets the mistakes she has made and is profoundly sorry to the people she has hurt.
Jan 6. attack anniversary
Today is the two-year anniversary of the Jan 6. attack on the Capitol by a pro-Trump mob who wrongly believed that the election was rigged. As of today, over 950 people have faced charges for their role in the attack. Over 350 of them have been sentenced with about 200 incarcerated.
The longest prison sentence so far is 10 years for a retired NYPD officer who assaulted police officers outside the Capitol with a flagpole.
There are still many people who are currently behind bars in the D.C. area to answer for charges related to the attack on the Capitol.
The most serious cases are those who are charged with seditious conspiracy. Two leaders of the Oath Keepers group have already been found guilty and are awaiting sentencing. Some leaders of the Proud Boys are soon due in court for trials on charges of seditious conspiracy.
Special Counsel Jack Smith is now leading the Department of Justice’s investigation into Donald Trump and his role in the Jan 6. attack. The DOJ said their work is far from over.
That is all the top stories for today. Have a nice weekend. Stay with the light.
https://abcnews.go.com/Health/siounds-alarm-new-covid-variant-transmissible/story
https://www.axios.com/2023/01/06/mexico-arrest-el-chapo-son-deadly-violence-sinola