Tuesday, January 25 top stories
It is Tuesday, January 25. Here are today’s top stories.
Biden calls Fox News reporter “Son of a b****”
On Monday afternoon, President Biden was caught on a live microphone calling a Fox News reporter “son of a b****.” Biden didn’t realize the microphone was hot.
The reporter’s name is Peter Doocy, who is the White House correspondent for Fox News. Doocy was with a group of other reporters covering brief remarks by the president and as they were being ushered out, Doocy shouted a question, “Do you think inflation is a political liability in the midterms?” Translation: Do you think the increasing cost of living will hurt Democrats in the 2022 elections?
Biden, thinking the microphone was off, said sarcastically, “It’s a great asset. More inflation. What a stupid son of a b****.”
After the clip made its rounds on the internet, Doocy said on Monday night that Biden called him on his phone and that the two cleared the air.
Georgia pastor accused of locking 8 disabled people
A married couple in Griffin, Georgia has been accused of locking eight people with mental and physical disabilities in the basement of their home and of controlling their finances, medications, and public benefits.
The man’s name is Curtis Bankston and he is a pastor of a church. His wife’s name is Sophia Simm-Bankston. Their church website shows the couple doing typical pastoral work at a church.
Authorities found out about the basement on January 13 when first responders went to the home after they received a call about a patient having a seizure. They noticed that the basement’s doors had two deadbolt locks and notified police.
An investigation by the Griffin Police Department found that the couple used the basement as a “personal care home for the individuals” and that because the basement was locked at certain times, the individuals were “imprisoned against their will.” The individuals’ ages ranged from 25 to 65. They are now in state custody.
The couple was arrested and charged with false imprisonment charges.
The pastor has denied the allegations and said his group home is registered with the state and everyone in the basement was free to come and go as they pleased.
Pfizer clinical trials for Omicron vaccine
Pfizer announced today they have started clinical trials for a modified vaccine that would be focused specifically on protection against the Omicron variant of Covid-19. Pfizer said their vaccines currently provide a high level of protection against severe disease and hospitalization, but it needs to be prepared for the future. The trial will have up to 1,420 participants divided in three groups. One of the groups will get two doses of Pfizer’s regular Covid-19 vaccine, the second group will get two regular doses and a regular booster dose, while the third group will get the Omicron-specific vaccine.
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Two mass casualty events in Cameroon
In Cameroon, at least eight people died and dozens were injured in a crowd crush outside of a soccer stadium in the capital city, Yaounde on Monday night. Witnesses said the chaos started just before the game started when workers closed the gates leading into Olembe Stadium due to capacity. Many people wanted to find a way in and many pushed towards the gates, trampling people underfoot.
In separate news, there was another serious mass casualty event in Cameroon on Sunday night when at least 16 people died in a nightclub that caught fire. There were fireworks inside of the venue that caused the ceiling to burn up and trigger explosions of cooking gas canisters. There was a panic and a stampede that caused the deaths.
The U.S. has seen similar incidents in the past: The Station nightclub fire in Rhode Island in 2003 and more recently the Astroworld festival tragedy in Texas.
Milwaukee murders update
Here is an update on the six bodies that were found in a home in Milwaukee on Sunday and Monday. Police said the victims had gunshot wounds. The victims’ ages ranged from 23 to 49. Fox 6 News showed some images of the victims. Two of them were a married couple who lived in the home, Michelle and Donta Williams.
Police said they do not know the motive and any information regarding any involved suspects. They have not said if the suspected shooter is among the dead, but they said there is “no threat to the community.” They are still investigating and are asking the public to help with any information.
Athletes avoiding virus before Beijing Olympics
The 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics is set to begin next Friday, February 4th. That’s 10 days away. Axios reported that athletes around the world are now focused on avoiding a Covid-19 infection because of strict rules with entry in Beijing’s Olympics bubble. Athletes must test negative twice within 96 hours of their flight to China and test negative again when they arrive in Beijing. If they test positive, they will have to either stay home or undergo a long isolation period in China. Those who are unvaccinated will have to quarantine for 21 days in Beijing. Some Olympic teams and athletes are sequestering themselves or avoiding events or have already started quarantine in Beijing.
That is all the top stories for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light.
https://onestepoffaithministriesinc.com/about-us
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/24/business/media/biden-peter-doocy-fox.html
https://twitter.com/mygtvsports/status/1485750957212418051
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/23/world/africa/cameroon-nightclub-fire.html
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/1/23/cameroon-nightclub-fire-more-than-a-dozen-killed
https://www.fox6now.com/news/6-dead-milwaukee-home-investigation-multiple-homicides