Tuesday, December 6 top stories
It is Tuesday, December 6. Here are today’s top stories.
Kirstie Alley dies at 71
Actress Kirstie Alley, who became famous for her role in the TV show “Cheers” and appeared in multiple films, passed away on Monday after a private battle with cancer. She was 71.
Alley’s children said she was surrounded by her family and that she was an amazing mother and grandmother.
Suspect in Colorado LGBTQ bar shooting charged
The suspect in the mass shooting at a Colorado LGBTQ nightclub that killed five people about two weeks ago, Anderson Lee Aldrich, was charged today with 305 criminal counts that include first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, and hate crimes.
Aldrich appeared in a courthouse today. The district attorney, in this case, said this is probably the most charges they have ever filed in a single case. The judge wants there to be a preliminary hearing on February 22. The actual jury trial could take place at the end of 2023 or 2024.
NBC News said Aldrich is nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns. It is not clear what the motive is for the shooting. NBC said hate crime charges would require proving the shooter was motivated by bias.
Russia and Ukraine trade attacks
AP News said the Russian government claimed that Ukrainian drones struck two air bases on Russian territory. One of these airfields housed Russian bombers capable of carrying nuclear weapons.
AP said Russian forces unleashed a massive missile barrage in Ukraine that struck homes and buildings and killed civilians. Several regions in Ukraine lost power and access to water and heating.
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Jan. 6 committee plans criminal referrals
The Jan 6. House Committee said it plans to make criminal referrals to the Justice Department based on its investigation, but did not say who they would refer to for wrongdoing. The most obvious person that may face legal action is former president Donald Trump, who was the focus of the committee.
The committee plans to publish its final report by Christmas. The committee will likely be dissolved when Congress starts its new term in 2023 with Republicans in control.
Trial in death of Atatiana Jefferson begins
The murder trial over the death of Atatiana Jefferson, a Black woman who was shot and killed inside her home in 2019 by a white police officer who was outside of her window, started on Monday. The former officer’s name is Aaron Dean. This happened in Tarrant County, Texas.
In October 2019, Dean responded to a call from a neighbor that there was a home with a front door that was left open. Dean and another officer, when they arrived at the home, did not identify themselves as police officers.
Atatiana was playing video games with her nephew, who was 9 years old at the time. The nephew, who is now 11, testified in court that Atatiana pulled out a gun because she heard noises behind the house. Atatiana’s side said she thought the cops were intruders. The front door was open to let the smoke out from overcooked hamburgers.
Dean’s side claims that he opened fire after seeing the silhouette of Atatiana holding a gun and a green laser sight pointed at him. But prosecutors said the evidence would prove otherwise, that Atatiana never raised her gun to point at the officer and that the officer never saw Atatiana’s gun.
The jury is composed of 8 men and six women and the majority of them are white.
Georgia Senate runoff election
Today voters in Georgia went to the polls on the final day of the Senate runoff between incumbent Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock and his Republican challenger Herschel Walker.
Democrats already control the Senate based on victories in the 2022 midterm elections, but if they win this race, then Democrats would have 51 seats in the Senate and have better control over committees and would not have to depend on Vice President Kamala Harris to break ties in voting.
Warnock had the edge in the November elections and we’ll see if he is able to keep his lead in popularity over Walker. Over 2 million people have already voted in early voting. We may find out who won by tonight. I’ll provide an update on this race tomorrow.
That is all the top stories for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light.
https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/kirstie-alley-dead-star-cheers-011545744.html
https://news.yahoo.com/january-6-committee-criminal-referrals-justice-department-173200958.html