January 18 top stories
It is January 18. Here are today’s top stories.
Arnold Schwarzenegger detained at airport
Arnold Schwarzenegger, the actor and former California governor, was detained for over two hours at an airport in Munich, Germany on Wednesday because he failed to declare that he had a luxury watch to customs officers.
Schwarzenegger was traveling to his home country of Austria, where there is a planned dinner event and auction for his climate-related charity tonight.
He told customs officers that the watch was to be sold for charity. The watch was worth more than 430 euro and according to rules, it had to be declared, even if it is for charity purposes.
Schwarzenegger was eventually allowed to leave the airport with the watch, but he will have to deal with a tax-related charge in the future.
Husky dog hailed as hero
A husky dog in Philadelphia is hailed as a hero for saving his neighborhood from a dangerous gas leak that could have exploded.
The dog, named Kobe, dug a large hole in his front yard. His owner knew this was not his typical behavior. She checked the hole with a gas detection device that she already had due to a previous gas leak issue and discovered that there was gas coming from the hole. The owner contacted authorities and inspections revealed that there was indeed a gas leak at the owner’s home and three other leaks in the neighborhood caused by aging pipes. It took workers over three days to repair the leaks and install new pipes. The owner said she’s very thankful to have Kobe.
Golden State Warriors assistant coach dies from heart attack
NBA team Golden State Warriors’ assistant coach Dean Milojević unexpectedly passed away from a heart attack. He was attending a private team dinner in Salt Lake City on Tuesday night and was hospitalized. He died on Wednesday morning. He was 46. He is from Serbia and joined the Warriors staff in 2021. Warriors Head Coach Steve Kerr said the team is absolutely devastated by Dejan’s sudden passing and grieve for his wife and their two children.
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DOJ report criticizes Uvalde massacre response
The Department of Justice released a report on the Uvalde school shooting that killed 19 students and two teachers in May, 2022. It said the response to the shooting (by law enforcement) was a “failure” because it took 77 minutes from when the shooter entered the school until he was stopped in a classroom. The DOJ said the officers should have recognized the incident as an active shooter scenario and moved and pushed forward immediately and continuously toward the threat until the room was entered, and the threat was eliminated. A family member of one of the student victims told CNN that what the families want the most is accountability. Many believe that some of the victims could have survived had officers entered the classroom sooner. CNN explained that several officers lost their jobs, but nobody has been criminally charged.
Pakistan and Iran exchange deadly attacks
AP News said Iran launched an airstrike in Pakistan on Tuesday that targeted militant groups at their border. Today, Pakistan’s Air Force launched retaliatory airstrikes targeting the same militant groups in Iran, killing at least nine. AP News said both countries accuse each other of providing safe haven to the militant groups. Iran and Pakistan share a 560-mile border.
E. Jean Carroll defamation trial against Trump updates
The trial to determine how much money in damages Donald Trump must pay E. Jean Carroll for making defamatory statements about her sexual assault allegations is going on right now. Carroll, who accused Trump of raping her in a store in the mid-1990s, is seeking more than $10 million in damages after Trump said in 2019, while he was president, that it was a false story and she was just trying to make money. Carroll sued Trump and a judge found Trump liable for defamation. Now a jury will determine how much money Trump has to pay. Trump attended the trial yesterday and the judge, at one point, threatened to kick Trump out because of his disruptive statements. Trump may testify next week in his defense.
This case is separate from another defamation case in which Trump was ordered to pay Carroll $5 million based on different comments he made in 2022.
That is all the top stories for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/18/world/europe/arnold-schwarzenegger-detained-munich-watch.html
https://people.com/hero-husky-dog-saves-block-detects-gas-leak-8423792
https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/18/us/attorney-general-garland-uvalde-victims-thursday/index.html
https://apnews.com/article/pakistan-iran-air-force-strikes-638f2ee4ccfb1a56d26e8f28f7e91699
https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/trump-defamation-trial-e-jean-carroll-01-18-24/index.html
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-e-jean-carroll-trial-what-to-know/