Monday, January 9 top stories
It is Monday, January 9. Here are top stories from the weekend.
McCarthy finally becomes House Speaker
Kevin McCarthy finally became the Speaker of the House after midnight on Saturday after 14 failed rounds of voting and a struggle with a small group of very conservative Republicans. McCarthy became Speaker after the 15th vote.
There was drama on Friday night when Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL), a McCarthy ally, confronted Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), a detractor. Rogers had to be restrained. This was after the 14th round of failed voting. Rogers told Gaetz that he would regret his decision.
Rep. Marjorie Greene Taylor (R-GA) was seen talking on the phone with Donald Trump — her phone had the initials “DT” on its front screen — as she handed it to one of the conservative Republicans who had refused to support McCarthy. So Trump was involved in this battle, but remotely.
In the end, McCarthy and the Republican rebels reached an agreement to clear the path to the gavel with several conditions. I will share four of them.
Any single member of the House can call for a motion to vacate the speaker’s chair (similar to a no-confidence vote). Any individual member can start this process.
Any move to raise the debt ceiling must also be accompanied by spending cuts.
Establish a House select committee on the “weaponization of the federal government.”
A promise for a vote on several bills important to conservatives, such as those on abortion and border security.
Axios said the struggle for the Speaker seat “made history as the longest battle for the gavel of the post-Civil War era — and marked the first time in a century that it has taken the House more than one ballot to elect a speaker.”
In separate but related news, Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) is now officially in his role as the House Minority Leader, making him the Democratic leader in the House. He is the first Black person to lead a major party in Congress. He is 52 years old and has represented the 8th District of New York, which includes Brooklyn and Queens, since 2013.
6-year-old student shoots teacher
On Friday morning at an elementary school in Newport News, Virginia, a 6-year-old student who had a gun, shot at his first-grade teacher. The teacher had a life-threatening wound and was hospitalized. She is now in stable condition. Her name is Abby Zwerner and the school is Richneck Elementary School.
Police said it was not an accidental shooting and that the boy was taken into custody. Police are now investigating how the boy got ahold of the handgun. CBS News said Virginia law doesn’t allow 6-year-olds to be tried as adults and that a 6-year-old is too young to be put in juvenile custody. But the justice system has authority to take action against parents.
Brazilian protesters storm government
In Brazil, protesters who were supporters of its former president Jair Bolsonaro, who lost an election and saw his successor Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva take office last week, stormed the National Congress building.
Protesters were seen climbing into the Congress building’s roof, smashing several glass windows, and entering the buildings. News reports said the sprinkler system inside was turned on and it damaged furniture in the presidential palace and the Supreme Court building.
Brazilian police said over 1,000 people were arrested and that they cleared the government buildings from rioters on Sunday night.
Brazilian President Lula vowed to punish those who were involved.
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Customer with gun kills robber
A surveillance video in a Houston restaurant shows that on Thursday night, a customer who happened to be armed shot and killed a masked robber who was wielding a pistol and demanding money and wallets from customers. The armed customer waited until the robber had his back against him before he opened fire multiple times at point-blank range. The restaurant’s name is Ranchito Taqueria.
Police said the masked robber did not have a real gun, that it was an aero soft or a BB gun. Police said after the customer shot and killed the robber, he collected the stolen money and returned it to other customers before leaving.
The restaurant owner said the armed customer is a hero. Police said they wanted to talk with the customer. That customer recently retained an attorney and said they are ready to talk with police.
KHOU 11 News in Houston quoted several legal experts who said the armed customer’s actions can be considered justified under Texas law because people are entitled to self-defense if they feel that they are under deadly threat.
Rapper Young Thug on trial
Rapper Young Thug is on trial in Georgia on allegations that he participated in criminal street gang activity and violated the state’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act. Young Thug’s legal name is Jeffrey Lamar Williams.
ABC News said 13 other defendants are also on trial. Young Thug has pleaded not guilty to all of his eight counts.
Prosecutors, led by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, said Young Thug co-founded a gang that operated in southeast Atlanta and that he rented a car that was used to carry out the killing of a rival gang member in 2015. Prosecutors said that killing caused a back-and-forth of gun violence and murders involving over 50 people.
There was a second well-known rapper who was wrapped up in the case — Gunna, whose legal name is Sergio G. Kitchens. He pleaded guilty to a RICO charge.
One of the unique issues in this trial is whether lyrics that Young Thug used in his music can be used as evidence. Prosecutors said some lyrics had a function of maintaining the reputation of his group. Young Thug’s defense attorney is arguing that the lyrics are simply art and that it is racist and discriminatory to use lyrics as evidence of a crime.
The trial could take six to nine months.
California drenched by atmospheric rivers
California is now in a state of emergency due to a series of winter storms, flooding, and mudslides caused by several atmospheric rivers that are hitting the state today through Wednesday.
There are several areas in California that are experiencing massive power outages or facing flooding. The National Weather Service said there may be flash floods in areas from Sacramento to Southern California. There are avalanche warnings in the Sierra Nevada mountain area. USA Today reported that at least 12 people have died because of the storms.
One positive thing about the storms is that reservoir levels that have been dwindling due to drought may be replenished.
That is all the top stories for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light.
https://www.cnbc.com/2023/01/07/chaos-in-the-house-mccarthys-plea-and-begging-for-votes-.html
https://www.axios.com/2023/01/07/kevin-mccarthy-elected-house-speaker
https://www.axios.com/2023/01/08/kevin-mccarthy-house-speaker-vote-republicans
https://www.newsweek.com/pictured-marjorie-taylor-greene-perfect-phone-call-trump-1772041
https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/hakeem-jeffries-officially-becomes-first-153126906.html
https://www.newsweek.com/pictured-marjorie-taylor-greene-perfect-phone-call-trump-1772041
https://www.axios.com/2023/01/08/bolsonaro-supporters-storm-congress-brazil
https://abcnews.go.com/US/young-thug-faces-trial-rico-case-rap-lyrics/story?id=96131812
https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/rico-trial-young-thug-ysl-up-to-1-year-estimate
https://www.axios.com/2023/01/09/california-atmospheric-river-storm-flooding-winds