Wednesday, February 24 top stories

It is Wednesday, February 24. Here are today’s top news stories.

The FDA has endorsed another Covid-19 vaccine as effective and safe — the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which only requires one shot. Studies found it to be 66% effective in preventing severe or critical Covid-19 cases 14 days after vaccination. The J&J vaccine does not need to be stored in very low temperatures, making it easier to distribute.

Tiger Woods is awake and recovering in a hospital room after undergoing surgery on his right leg and ankle. He rolled and crashed his SUV yesterday morning in Southern California. A statement from the Woods team said his right lower leg was broken in several places with open wounds and surgeons had to insert a rod, pins, and screws to stabilize his leg and foot and ankle. Before Woods crashed, he was speeding on his way to a golf course to meet two NFL quarterbacks for a photo shoot. Many people posted messages of support for Woods, including former presidents Trump and Obama.

The FBI has accused a retired New York police officer, Thomas Webster, of participating in the attack on the U.S. Capitol. Prosecutors said Webster wore a bulletproof vest, carried a Marine Corps flag, and used the flagpole to attack a Capitol police officer. He was also accused of pulling down the Capitol police officer’s mask, causing him to choke. Webster’s attorney said he went to the Capitol to protest and did it at the urging of President Donald Trump.

The family of a 30-year-old man in Northern California named Angelo Quinto, who died in police custody while undergoing a mental health episode, claims in a lawsuit that police officers kneeled on his neck for almost five minutes. The incident was on December 23. Quinto’s mother and sister said on that day, Angelo was acting out and they called the Antioch Police Department because they were afraid he would hurt them, but when police officers arrived, they quickly grabbed Angelo and detained him. He passed out and was taken to a hospital, where he died three days later. There is a video of police officers standing above Angelo, who is motionless and handcuffed. The family said the officers did the same thing that Minneapolis police officers did when they killed George Floyd. CNN said the police department hasn't released a press statement or responded to requests for comment. Angelo was a Navy veteran.

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Last night in Rochester there were protests after a grand jury decided to not indict police officers who were involved in the death of Daniel Prude, a Black man who died in police custody last March. Prude was under the influence of PCP and having a mental health breakdown and was wandering naked on streets and breaking windows while temperatures were freezing. Police officers placed a spit hood over his head, pushed his head down on the street and pinned his body. He was on life support for a week and died. The New York Attorney General Letitia James said the death was an “unjustified killing.” Attorneys for the police officers and a police union said the officers used approved techniques in restraining Prude. There may be a federal investigation.

A federal judge in Texas said President Joe Biden couldn’t carry out his wish for a 100-day moratorium on most deportations because it violated federal law and might cause Texas to spend more money than they already do. AP News said the Biden administration has an ambitious agenda on immigration that includes a plan to grant 11 million undocumented immigrants to live here legally, and because there is opposition from Republicans, there is likely to be a years-long legal fight on immigration, going back and forth, just like when Trump was president.

Lindsey Boylan, a former aide to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D), wrote an essay in which she accused Cuomo of sexually harassing her and other female staffers. Boylan said in 2016, Cuomo invited her to his office in Albany and showed her a box of cigars that he said he got from Bill Clinton. She said in 2018, Cuomo invited her again to his office in New York City and kissed her on the lips without consent. She resigned later that year. Boylan first accused Cuomo of harassment in December and Cuomo denied that it was not true. This is yet another scandal that Cuomo is facing, as he is accused of covering up Covid-19 related nursing home deaths.

That’s all the top stories for today. Check out our other videos. See you tomorrow and stay with the light.

https://www.axios.com/johnson-fda-analysis-33162951-9b5d-41e5-8d74-3c9bfdebd87f.html

https://www.axios.com/tiger-woods-crash-facts-25aec9bd-0295-4b6f-bbde-2835ed654ccf.html

https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2021/02/23/us/angelo-quinto-antioch-police-department-death-trnd/index.html?__twitter_impression=true

https://heavy.com/news/angelo-quinto/

https://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/news/2021/02/23/daniel-prude-protests-rochester-ny-black-man-killed-police-not-charged/4565299001/

https://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/news/2021/02/23/daniel-prude-rochester-ny-grand-jury-letitia-james-results/4481788001/

https://news.yahoo.com/judge-bans-enforcement-bidens-100-071402779.html

https://twitter.com/LindseyBoylan/status/1364593495957262350