Monday, November 11, 2024
It is Monday, November 11, 2024. Here are today’s top stories.
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18-year-old forest ranger dies responding to NY wildfire
An 18-year-old forest ranger volunteer tragically died on Saturday while battling a wildfire near the New York-New Jersey border. His name was Dariel Vasquez. He was killed by a falling tree.
A GoFundMe for Vasquez said he was a community hero taken too soon.
CNN said the fire there is one of several blazes in the mid-Atlantic and Northeast this weekend amid an ongoing drought, dry air and high winds.
There are millions of people in the Northeast who are under “red flag warnings,” which is an alert that current conditions may bring dangerous wildfires.
https://www.cnn.com/2024/11/10/us/new-york-wildfire-death/index.html
https://www.gofundme.com/f/celebrate-dariel-vasquez-a-true-community-hero
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Deadly shooting at Tuskegee University
Police in Alabama said they arrested a 25-year-old suspect on suspicion of fatally shooting a 18-year-old person and injuring 16 others at Tuskegee University during homecoming celebrations overnight Saturday night-Sunday morning.
Police said the suspect, Jaquez Myrick (25), had a handgun with a machine gun conversion device. The shooting happened at a parking lot.
The 18-year-old who died was Latavion Johnson. He was not a student at the university
Tuskegee officials said classes are canceled today and grief counselors would be provided.
https://www.npr.org/2024/11/10/nx-s1-5185988/tuskegee-university-shooting-homecoming-alabama
https://www.wsfa.com/2024/11/10/1-dead-16-injured-mass-shooting-tuskegee-university/
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Trump picks Tom Homan as “Border Czar”
President-elect Donald Trump announced he would appoint Tom Homan again as the director of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The ICE head is an important figure in the Trump administration because Trump campaigned that he would conduct the largest deportation operation in American history.
Homan said he would conduct a “mass deportation operation” that would target the “worst of the worst,” such as those who pose criminal or national security threats. Homan promised that it would be a humane operation.
Homan was the acting director of the ICE during Trump’s first presidency and came up with the idea of separating families (parents and children) if they came into the country illegally.
https://www.axios.com/2024/11/11/trumps-border-czar-deportation-plan
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France and UK pledge continued support for Ukraine
The prime ministers of France and the UK said they would support Ukraine as long as necessary as they continue to defend themselves from Russia’s invasion.
The two leaders’ remarks are important because it is unknown whether the U.S. will continue to support Ukraine after Donald Trump takes over the presidency in January.
A news report said Trump phoned Russian President Putin over the weekend and asked him to not escalate the war. Trump and Putin are somewhat close.
BBC News said Russia and Ukraine’s militaries launched extensive drone attacks against each other over the weekend.
So, the war is still “hot,” Ukraine can count on European allies for support in the future, and we’ll see what Trump is thinking on how he’ll deal with the war.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ce8dz0n8xldo
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Extreme weather cost world $2 trillion over decade
A report issued at an UN climate summit called COP29 said climate-related extreme weather cost the global economy more than $2 trillion over the past decade. The report said the U.S. was the worst-affected nation with over $900 billion worth of damage.
Axios said the report’s researchers examined about 4,000 events that happened over the past decade. The costliest damage happened over the past two years with a global toll of $451 billion.
The report said poor communities and developing countries around the world are at a serious risk of facing economic ruin if a disaster hit them.
https://www.axios.com/2024/11/11/extreme-weather-economic-cost-climate-change-cop29
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That is all the top stories for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light.