Tuesday, July 27 top stories
It is Tuesday, July 27. Here are today’s top stories
Today four U.S. Capitol Police officers testified before a House select committee tasked with investigating the January 6 attack on the Capitol.
Sgt. Aquilino Gonell said former President Donald Trump helped to create this horror. He said he had to undergo surgery from injuries he sustained in the attack and said he felt more afraid on that day than he did when he was deployed to Iraq when he was with the U.S. Army.
Officer Harry Dunn said when he tried to stop the rioters from entering the building, they said that Trump invited them to the Capitol and that “nobody voted for Joe Biden.” Dunn said he challenged them by saying that he voted for Joe Biden and asked if his vote counted. The rioters then called him the N-word.
D.C. Metropolitan Police Department Officer Michael Fanone said lawmakers who downplay the violence at the Capitol are betraying their oath of office.
D.C. Metropolitan Police Department Officer Daniel Hodges called the mob “terrorists” and that he felt confused when he saw rioters carrying the “thin blue line flag” because he was an officer but he was attacked.
Lawmakers on the committee asked what the officers wanted them to investigate.
Fanone said he hoped the “Stop the Steal” rally hosted by Trump before the attack would be probed.
Dunn said if a mob hired a hitman to kill a man, not only does the hit man go to jail, but also the person who hired him.
The House Republican Conference Chair Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) tried to deflect blame to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi during an outside press conference. She said Nancy Pelosi bears responsibility for the tragedy that occurred on January 6th because she was aware of potential security threats but failed to act.
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Simone Biles withdrew from the gymnastics team competition on Tuesday. Biles had an awkward landing on the vault prior to dropping out and the team reported that she had a medical issue.
The Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) then came out ahead to win the gold medal in team competition. The U.S. got the silver medal and Great Britain got the bronze.
At a post-match press conference, Biles said she was not injured but was just mentally not in the right place to compete. She said she didn’t want to do something silly and decided to let the girls take over so she could focus on herself. Biles is still eligible to compete in the individual competitions, but we’ll see if she wants to compete or remain on the sidelines.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is recommending vaccinated Americans to wear masks indoors in public spaces in areas with high Covid-19 infections to help prevent the spread of the Delta variant. The CDC is also recommending all teachers, staff, and students in schools to wear masks regardless of vaccination status. The CDC is reversing its announcement on May 13 that vaccinated people could shed their masks indoors. There is sure to be criticism towards the CDC for changing its recommendations. However, in May, the Delta variant was not widespread in the U.S. and cases were on the decline. The opposite is happening right now with new Covid-19 cases sharply rising. The Washington Post said top health officials saw new data that showed vaccinated people infected with the delta variant carry the same viral load as unvaccinated people, but are unlikely to become severely ill. They still could transmit the Delta variant to others, which didn’t happen with previous variants.
The final missing victim from the Surfside, Florida condo collapse has been identified. She is a 54-year-old woman named Estelle Hedaya. She lived on the sixth floor of the 12-story condo. The death toll stands at 98 people. The search at the condo site has ended, but there is debris relocated by truck from the condo collapse site to a secured lot at the Miami International Airport. Hedaya’s remains were found in the lot. Investigators are still searching for human remains and personal effects of the victims. Miami-Dade Mayor Cava said she prays that we can begin the long process of healing.
Tokyo reported its highest number of new Covid-19 cases on Tuesday, exceeding a previous record on January 7. It is likely linked to the Olympic Games and the thousands of athletes, coaches, and support staff who are in town from all over the world. The Japanese prime minister said there is no need to consider a suspension of the Olympics, but urged people to avoid non-essential gatherings. There are concerns that the highly contagious Delta strain could drive up infections in the Tokyo area in the next coming days and weeks.
Robert Aaron Long, who shot and killed six Asian women and two others during a shooting rampage of three Atlanta-area spas, was sentenced to four life sentences in prison without parole by a Cherokee County judge. Four of the victims died in Cherokee County. The sentencing came after Long pleaded guilty. Prosecutors said they did not find evidence of racial bias.
Axios said Long faces another trial in Atlanta, where the remaining four victims died. Three of them were Asian women, and Long faces a hate crime enhancement on top of his murder charges.
That is all the top stories for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light.
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/07/27/sports/gymnastics-olympics-results
https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2021/07/27/cdc-masks-guidance-indoors/
https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/27/politics/cdc-mask-guidance/index.html
https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/miami-beach/article253036578.html
https://www.npr.org/2021/07/27/1019736664/jan-6-insurrection-hearing-police-nancy-pelosi-committee
https://apnews.com/article/sports-health-tokyo-coronavirus-pandemic-6ddfc869a57ec6823ffc2162b4c7a263
https://www.axios.com/atlanta-spa-shooting-pleads-guilty-cc183f44-11b9-4c9f-8a9e-d3c17f4957d9.html