January 2 top stories
It is January 2. Here are today’s top stories.
Japan Airlines plane collision
At an airport in Tokyo, Japan, a Japan Airlines passenger plane with 379 people on it, as it landed on a runway, collided with a Japanese Coast Guard plane that was on the runway. It caused a huge explosion. All 379 people on the passenger plane survived. On the Coast Guard plane, which had five crew members and a pilot, the five members died and the pilot survived. There was a huge fire. It is not clear what happened but it seems like a bad miscommunication by airport officials that contributed to the collision. The Coast Guard plane was supposed to provide aid to an area affected by the earthquake in western Japan. The earthquake is quite severe and it has killed at least 48 people and damaged thousands of buildings.
Deadly Rochester crash investigated as domestic terrorism
In Rochester, New York, there was a New Year’s Eve concert and as people were leaving, one motorist seemed to intentionally plow into another car, killing two. There was then a huge blaze that took firefighters almost an hour to extinguish. After an investigation, it seems like the driver – the FBI said it is a potential domestic terrorism case – because the driver was carrying over 10 gasoline canisters. They caught on fire. The driver also left a suicide note in his hotel room. The suspect’s name is Michael Avery and he is from Syracuse. The suspect survived the collision and he was hospitalized. Police said they are investigating.
Russian missiles strike Ukrainian cities
In Ukraine, two of their largest cities, Kyiv and Kharkiv, were hit by a barrage of missiles from Russia this morning. At least four people were killed and over 100 were injured. Ukrainian President Zelenskyy said Russia fired about 100 missiles and that Ukrainian defenses intercepted about 70 of them. News images showed destroyed buildings and first responders carrying injured people. The war there is still going on and nearing its two-year mark.
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South Korean politician stabbed
In South Korea, a popular political leader, Lee Jae-myung, who ran for the presidency in 2022 and narrowly lost an election by less than 1%, was visiting a city in Busan when a man that was about 67 years old approached him for an autograph. The man ended up pulling out a knife and stabbing Lee in his neck. He was hospitalized and went through a two-hour surgery. He seems to be okay and is recovering. The 67-year-old suspect was arrested.
New laws in 2024
There are several new state and federal laws that will take effect in the new year.
Almost half of all states will increase their minimum wage. The highest is in Washington state with $16.28.
Gender-affirming care, which benefits transgender and nonbinary people, is now banned for minors in Idaho and Louisiana.
In Maryland, it is the opposite, as there is a law protecting gender-affirming care for all ages. The state also requires Medicaid to provide gender-affirming coverage.
In California, a new shield law is in effect that protects local healthcare clinics who provide abortion services to any out-of-state patients who came from certain states that have abortion bans. If the patients get abortion services and the “other” states end up suing the person or the clinic, California's new law shields them from litigation.
Another law in California requires major retailers such as Walmart or Target to include gender-neutral toy sections. If there’s a “boys toys” and “girls toys” sections, there has to be a neutral section.
New York state will now ban pet stores from selling baby dogs, cats and rabbits in an aim to stop “puppy mills.” Concerns of abuse and mistreatment led to the bans.
In Michigan, there will be several new laws aimed at reducing gun violence. Two of them are stricter background checks and a ban on those convicted of domestic violence from buying, owning or transporting firearms for eight years.
CFP Final set: Michigan vs Washington
The College Football Playoff National Championship is set with Michigan and Washington to play for the championship next Monday. Both teams are undefeated. The game will be at the NRG Stadium in Houston.
That’s all the top stories for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light.
https://apnews.com/article/plane-fire-japan-793607548e45a80b8ccc8721fb3c5016
https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/31/politics/new-laws-2024/index.html
https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/01/us/kodak-center-new-york-car-crash/index.html
https://apnews.com/article/south-korea-opposition-leader-attacked-47eb0b444b1f9620704d7087d1f8ffd7
https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-kharkiv-kyiv-2b23b1163c859a645b485d5c38035369