May 1 top stories
It is May 1. Here are today’s top stories.
Biden jokes about age, mocks Fox News
80-year-old President Biden made jokes about his own age and mocked Fox News during his speech at the annual White House Correspondents Dinner on Saturday night.
Biden joked that he was so old that he is friends with “Jimmy Madison” — James Madison, who wrote the Constitution in 1787.
[Clip] Credit: Washington Post
Biden mocked Fox News by saying they were “owned” by Dominion Voting Systems. He said Fox News reporters were here because they couldn’t say no to a free meal after the $787 million settlement.
[Clip] Credit: Washington Post
Texas gunman kills 5 neighbors
On Friday night in San Jacinto County, Texas, a 38-year-old man named Francisco Oropeza allegedly shot and killed five of his neighbors, including an 8-year-old child. There is a manhunt for him that has lasted into its third day today.
News reports said prior to the shooting, Oropeza was drinking alcohol and practicing shooting at targets in his yard with his AR-15 rifle. It was around 11:00 p.m. Neighbors asked him to stop shooting because they had a young baby that was trying to sleep. Oropeza refused to stop. The neighbors told him they would call the police.
Oropeza then walked to the neighbors’ front door and shot and killed a 25-year-old woman that was standing at the front door, Sonia A. Guzman. He then entered the house and killed two women, Diana V. Alvarado (21) and Julisa M. Rivera (31). He also killed Jose J. Casarez (18) and Daniel Laso (8).
There were three child survivors from the scene who were found under the bodies of Alvarado and Rivera. The children were covered in blood but not physically injured. The four adult victims were all from Honduras.
Oropeza fled the scene on foot or on a bicycle and later abandoned his cell phone and some clothes. State and federal law enforcement are searching for him and have issued a warning to the public that he is armed and dangerous. There is a $80,000 reward for information leading to his capture.
CNN reported that he entered the U.S. illegally and had been deported at least four times.
Tornadoes hit Florida and Virginia
On Friday night, a small tornado hit Boynton Beach, Florida and caused roof damage on an apartment complex.
On Saturday afternoon, a stronger tornado hit the Palm Beach Gardens area. A video shows a car stopped at an intersection being lifted and flipping several times on the street. A parking lot at an apartment complex had several cars piled on top of each other. Local police said they do not have reports of major injuries or fatalities.
On Sunday, a tornado briefly touched down near Virginia Beach, damaging over 50 homes.
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Epstein had meetings with current CIA director Burns
The Wall Street Journal reported that according to a review of Jeffrey Epstein’s private calendar, he had several meetings scheduled with William Burns, who is the current director of the CIA.
The report said Epstein also had meetings with Kathryn Ruemmler, who was a White House counsel during the Obama administration. The report named other prominent people such as philosopher and linguist Noam Chomsky and the Bard University president.
The WSJ said it couldn’t confirm whether all the scheduled meetings took place. WSJ pointed out that the meetings were scheduled after Epstein had served jail time for a sex crime involving a minor.
The CIA said through a spokesperson that Director Burns did not know anything about Epstein and only met with him for business advice. The WSJ said Burns first met with Epstein in D.C. in 2014 and then met with him a second time at Epstein’s townhouse in New York.
Epstein was arrested in 2019 and charged with a sex-trafficking conspiracy and committed suicide in jail while awaiting trial.
“Vampire straw” leads to arrest at airport
Last Sunday, a 26-year-old man at Boston Logan International Airport was arrested after TSA agents found a “vampire straw” in his carry-on bag. The “vampire straw” is made of titanium and one of its edges is pointed. The company that sells the straws said it is designed as both a straw for drinks and as a tool for self-defense. They cost $85 each. The straws are supposedly able to deflate tires or be used as a dagger.
The TSA said Massachusetts State Police charged him with traveling with a banned item. TSA allows many sharp objects in checked travel bags, but not in carry-on bags.
First Republic Bank crisis
The First Republic Bank in San Francisco went through a crisis after it reported that it lost more than $100 billion in deposits during the quarter that ended in March. The losses happened because its mostly-wealthy customers withdrew their deposits out of fears of a banking collapse like the Silicon Valley Bank and the Signature Bank.
The bank was seized by federal regulators and it is now being sold to JP Morgan Chase. The federal government gave Chase $50 billion in financing. CNBC said this is the third failure of an American bank since March.
That is all the top stories for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light.
https://www.axios.com/2023/04/30/cleveland-texas-mass-shooting-what-we-know
https://abc13.com/cleveland-texas-shooting-5-dead-in-san-jacinto-county-child-killed/13195094/
https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/01/us/cleveland-texas-neighbor-shooting-monday/index.html
https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2023/05/01/tornadoes-palm-beach-florida-virginia-beach/
https://apnews.com/article/florida-tornado-palm-beach-gardens-9679d01e7d92b371156d3771d9d62cd3
https://apnews.com/article/first-republic-bank-silicon-valley-fdic-5ab48702b7136d42f73ac13e0a20955d