March 11 top stories
It is March 11. Ready or not, daylight saving time for 2024 is here, which means we lost an hour of sleep overnight. Here are today’s top stories.
2024 Oscars recap
Here is a recap of last night’s Academy Awards (Oscars).
“Oppenheimer” dominated the Oscars with seven wins, including best picture, best director for Christopher Nolan–his first ever Oscar win, best actor for Cillian Murphy, best supporting actor for Robert Downey Jr., best cinematography, best film editing and best original score.
“Poor Things” won four Oscars, including best actress for Emma Stone and three craft wins in best costume design, production design and makeup and hairstyling.
Da’Vine Joy Randolph won best supporting actress for her role in “The Holdovers.”
“20 Days in Mariupol” won the award for best documentary.
Comedian and late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel returned to host the Oscars for the second year in a row and his fourth time overall.
2 dead, 4 injured in Arkansas in mass shooting
According to law enforcement officials, two people were killed and four others were wounded in a shooting in Jonesboro, Arkansas. The alleged shooter is dead, police say.
Just before 5 a.m. Sunday, officers responded to a neighborhood where they found multiple victims with gunshot wounds.
The shooting took place during a private party at an abandoned building in the city northeast of Little Rock. Police described the incident as a domestic shooting.
The suspect knew the male and female victims who were killed, as well as another female victim who was wounded. The two female victims were sisters.
Three other people were wounded and the male shooter was connected to one of the female victims.
Police did not specify how the suspect died. Police are continuing to investigate.
According to the Gun Violence Archive, they define a mass shooting as one in which at least four people are shot, excluding the shooter.
Program admitting 30k migrants into US monthly upheld by judge
A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit led by GOP states seeking to stop the Biden administration’s migration program that has granted hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans, Cubans, Haitians and Nicaraguans legal entry into the U.S.
The parole program allows as many as 30,000 people from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela to enter the U.S. by plane each month. They are vetted and required to have sponsors in the U.S, they are provided protection from deportation and work permits for two years.
The number of Venezuelans, Cubans, Haitians and Nicaraguans illegally crossing the border plummeted after the policy was implemented.
Judge Drew Tipton wrote in the ruling that the court finds that Texas has not proven that they have suffered an injury and therefore do not have standing to maintain this suit, dismissing the lawsuit.
It is an important win for President Biden and his signature border effort and a loss for Texas and other GOP-led states.
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Houston police chief apologizes for not investigating 264K cases
Houston’s police chief, Troy Finner, pledged on Thursday to restore public trust in his department following revelations that more than 264,000 cases, including over 4,000 involving sexual assault, were dropped in the past eight years due to a lack of personnel.
The figure represents about 10% of the 2.8 million incident reports filed in the past eight years.
Finner said at a Thursday news conference, “I apologize to victims, their families and our citizens. This is not the trauma-informed, victim-centric services they deserve.”
Finner’s news conference took place a day after Mayor John Whitmire announced that he will appoint an independent panel to review police handling of the dropped cases, saying the public “wants answers and accountability.”
See Alex for a report on the talks between President Biden and Prime Minister Netanyahu.
Dispute Over Gaza War Heats Up Between Biden and Netanyahu
Thanks, Callie.
On Saturday night, President Biden criticized Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu for the civilian death toll in Gaza. Biden said Netanyahu’s actions were hurting Israel more than helping Israel. Biden said he wants to see a cease-fire and that there cannot be 30,000 more Palestinians dead.
Netanyahu fired back on Sunday night by saying Biden is wrong. He said his war against Hamas is supported by the majority of Israelis. He said he is trying to prevent a repetition of the October 7th attack in southern Israel.
The Israeli military may begin a ground operation into Gaza’s southernmost city, Rafah. An estimated 1.5 million Palestinians are sheltering in Rafah. There is concern about their safety. Netanyahu said there are many Hamas fighters in Rafah.
Biden said if Israel invades Rafah, it would cross a “red line,” but Biden said he would still support Israel’s right to defend itself. So there’s no real progress towards a cease-fire or the release of Israeli hostages.
Thanks for that report. That is all the top stories for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light!
2024 Oscars recap
2 dead, 4 injured in Arkansas mass shooting
Program admitting 30k migrants into US monthly upheld by judge
Houston police chief apologizes for not investigating 264K cases
Dispute Over Gaza War Heats Up Between Biden and Netanyahu
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/10/world/middleeast/biden-netanyahu-gaza.html
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/live-blog/israel-hamas-war-live-updates-rcna142717