Monday, December 12 top stories
It is Monday, December 12. Here are today’s top stories.
Keystone Pipeline oil spill
The Keystone Pipeline had a rupture in Kansas over the weekend that leaked about 14,000 barrels of crude oil into a creek. It is not known what caused it to rupture.
About 250 federal and state environmental officials worked to try and control the impact of the spill. Officials said it is now contained.
Images show a huge black patch on land next to a creek and oil dripping into the banks of a creek.
The company that manages the pipeline is TC Energy. They said that there is no indication of adverse health or public concerns. TC Energy said they built a special kind of dam about four miles downstream to collect the oil and allow water to pass through.
World Cup semifinals; journalist deaths
There are four teams remaining in the World Cup heading into Tuesday and Wednesday’s semifinals. On Tuesday Croatia will play against Argentina and their star player Lionel Messi. On Wednesday the defending champions France will play against Morocco, the first African and Arab nation to reach the semifinals. Both games are at 2 pm ET.
In separate news, an American journalist who covered soccer news, Grant Wahl, suddenly and unexpectedly passed away on Saturday while covering a match. He was 49. He said a few days prior that he was feeling sick and had been overworking himself with very little sleep. Two weeks ago Wahl wore a rainbow T-shirt in support of LGBTQ rights and was denied entry into the U.S. vs Wales game by Qatari officials unless he changed his shirt. Wahl’s brother posted on Instagram that he believes Wahl was killed because he received death threats for the rainbow shirt. Wahl also published articles that were critical of Qatar’s government over the deaths of migrant workers who were a part of the stadium-building process. So there is speculation on Wahl’s death.
Today news reports said a second journalist covering the World Cup has died — a Qatari photojournalist named Khalid al-Misslam. A report said he “died suddenly.”
Judge dismisses Trump’s special master request
Here is an update on the Mar-a-Lago classified documents case. Judge Aileen Cannon formally dismissed Donald Trump’s request to bring in a special master to review documents the FBI seized. This means the Justice Department / FBI can have full access to review all the documents.
Cannon’s dismissal of Trump’s request came after an appeals court ruled that Cannon had no authority to be involved in the case. So this is a loss for Trump as he hoped to delay the investigation and prevent the DOJ from having access to certain files.
The DOJ’s investigation is now led by special counsel Jack Smith, who is looking at possible criminal activity in both the Mar-a-Lago and the Jan 6. Capitol attack cases.
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3 young boys die after falling into icy lake
In tragic news from England, three young boys died after they fell through the ice on a lake. The boys were aged 8, 10, and 11. They were pulled out by first responders and rushed to a hospital, but they couldn’t be revived.
A fourth boy who also fell into the water is hospitalized and there may be two other children who are missing.
Authorities in England issued a warning for adults and children to stay away from open water and not venture on ice regardless of how thick or safe they think it is.
Iran executes second protester
AP News reported that Iran executed a second prisoner who was convicted of crimes in relation to the nationwide protests over the death of a young woman who was not wearing her hijab correctly.
The execution was carried out using a construction crane. AP said it was a “gruesome warning to others.”
Iranian authorities said the man, Majidreza Rahnavard, stabbed and killed two members of an Iranian paramilitary force.
Activist organizations said at least 12 people have already been sentenced to death for actions related to the protests and that there is a concern about how fast the Iranian government is carrying out their executions.
Elon Musk booed by Dave Chappelle’s audience
On Sunday night in San Francisco, comedian Dave Chappelle was giving a show at the Chase Center and surprised the audience by bringing in Elon Musk. News reports said there were a few cheers with a “chorus of boos from the crowd.”
Chappelle joked that those who were booing were people that Musk fired and insulted by saying they had terrible seats in the stadium. Musk tweeted that it was the first time he’s experienced that in real life.
In other news, Musk tweeted over the weekend that he thinks Anthony Fauci should be prosecuted. He tweeted, “My pronouns are Prosecute/Fauci” in a clear mockery of many LGBTQ individuals’ preference to use certain pronouns such as “they/their.”
Astronaut Scott Kelly tweeted that Musk shouldn’t mock and promote hate towards the LGBTQ+ community and that Dr. Fauci is a dedicated public servant who is motivated by saving lives.
Musk replied that it is not good to force your pronouns upon others and that Fauci lied to Congress and killed millions of people. Musk tweeted this just a few days after Fauci said there were many threats made against his life and against his family. So it’s a big controversy.
That is all the top stories for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light.
https://apnews.com/article/iran-crime-government-and-politics-da53071412f8c3da9cd51945b7870780
https://twitter.com/ksadjadpour/status/1602175402075717635
https://abcnews.go.com/US/keystone-pipeline-oil-spill-investigators-search-cause-kansas/story
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/children-deaths-icy-lake-uk-babbs-mill-park/
https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/12/politics/judge-dismisses-special-master-trump/index.html
https://www.cnbc.com/2022/12/12/elon-musk-booed-by-crowd-at-dave-chapelle-comedy-gig.html
https://twitter.com/StationCDRKelly/status/1602099380625887233