Wednesday, February 2, 2022 Top Stories
It is Wednesday, February 2. Here are today’s top stories.
——
Two officers shot and killed at Virginia college
On Tuesday afternoon at the Bridgewater College campus in Virginia, a gunman shot and killed two campus police officers. The gunman was arrested and is charged with murder.
The officers’ names were John Painter and J.J. Jefferson. They were responding to a call about a suspicious individual when they were shot.
Many in the Bridgewater College community are mourning the officers’ deaths. The two were close to each other. The college president said “John was J.J.’s best man in his wedding this year.”
——
Whoopi Goldberg suspended over Holocaust remarks
ABC News said it would suspend “The View” host Whoopi Goldberg for two weeks over her comments on Monday morning in which she said the Holocaust was “not about race.” She said it was about man’s inhumanity to man because it was was two groups of white people.
Whoopi made the remarks as a part of a discussion on a Tennessee school district’s decision to ban the graphic novel “Maus,” which is about the Holocaust.
Several Jewish organization leaders directed criticism towards Whoopi, who apologized the next day to say that she “stands corrected” and understands that it is “about race because Hitler and the Nazis considered Jews to be an inferior race.”
There is now a separate controversy on the internet on the two-week suspension and whether it is excessive.
——
Biden to deploy 3,000 troops to Eastern Europe
President Biden announced he approved the deployment of 3,000 troops to support NATO positions in Eastern Europe in response to Russia’s massive troop presence at the border of Ukraine.
2,000 U.S. troops based in North Carolina will be sent to Germany and Poland, while 1,000 U.S. troops currently in Germany will be sent to Romania.
A U.S. military spokesperson said they are sending a signal that they stand ready to support their NATO allies and deter and defend against any aggression. The military spokesperson said “Putin’s intentions are unclear.”
Putin gave public remarks yesterday in which he said it is the U.S. who is trying to pull Russia into a war. He said the West hasn’t responded to Russia’s demands to have influence over Eastern Europe.
Putin said he is very concerned that if Ukraine becomes a NATO member, it could use NATO military resources to take back Crimea.
So this conflict is continuing to escalate.
Winter Olympics competitions begins
Curling competitions in the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing have started ahead of the opening ceremony on Friday. It is typical for some Olympic competitions to start early to fit everything within the approximate two-week schedule. The U.S. Mixed Doubles curling team defeated Australia 6-5. China defeated Switzerland 7-6.
–
[Sponsored Video from Sorenson: www.sorenson.com]
—
CNN president resigns over workplace relationship
CNN’s president Jeff Zucker announced he is resigning because he had a relationship with a subordinate that he failed to disclose in accordance with company policy. Zucker said he “was wrong and as a result, I am resigning.” Zucker has led CNN since 2013.
Former Dolphins coach sues NFL alleging racial discrimination
Former Miami Dolphins coach Brian Flores filed a lawsuit against the NFL and three teams — the Dolphins, Broncos and the Giants — alleging that the clubs discriminated against him based on his race during hiring processes for coaching positions. Flores was the head coach of the Miami Dolphins for three years before he was fired after the end of this regular season.
One of the key pieces of evidence that Flores presented is text messages he received from the New England Patriots Coach Bill Belichick. He mistakenly sent him texts saying he heard that he got the head coaching job with the New York Giants. Brian Flores was confused because he was supposed to have an interview with the Giants in three days and he asked Bill Belichick to confirm that he was texting him, not Brian Daboll, another coach. Bill Belichick realized his mistake and apologized, saying he thinks that Daboll got the job. Flores went ahead with the interview with the Giants and eventually it was announced that Daboll got the head coaching job. The lawsuit had various allegations against the Dolphins and Broncos teams that outlined a pattern of disrespect or intimidation from ownership and executives.
At the heart of the lawsuit is the Rooney Rule, a policy in the NFL for team owners and top executives to interview at least one minority candidate for coaching and GM positions. Flores’ attorneys allege that the Giants’ interview was a sham so they could check off that requirement. Flores said he knows he’s not the only one that has experienced the Rooney Rule being misused.
Flores is seeking class-action status to represent all Black head or top assistant coaches and Black GMs and candidates.
The NFL issued a statement saying it would defend itself against the claims in the lawsuit, calling them “without merit.”
The NFL currently has only one Black head coach. It has been an ongoing issue of concern with the NFL, especially because 70% of the players are Black.
——
That’s all the top stories for today. Check out our other videos. See you tomorrow and stay with the light.
https://www.whsv.com/2022/02/01/reports-active-shooter-bridgewater-college-campus/
https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/01/media/whoopi-goldberg-the-view-suspended/index.html
https://www.axios.com/biden-us-troops-eastern-europe-nato-ukraine-b2c0bb1e-5bc9-400d-860f-5013584c2d71.html
https://www.cnbc.com/2022/02/01/putin-the-west-has-ignored-russian-security-concerns-on-nato-ukraine.html
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/brian-flores-nfl-lawsuit-racist-hiring-coaches/
https://twitter.com/WigdorLaw/status/1488612644533719042
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/01/us/whoopi-goldberg-holocaust.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBTXMFrW_zU
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/02/02/sports/olympics-winter-beijing
https://www.axios.com/cnn-boss-jeff-zucker-resigns-9707aaf5-aa44-4d96-b32b-83f235cefcce.html