Wednesday, January 22, 2025
It is Wednesday, January 22, 2025. Here are today’s top stories.
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Snow covers Southern states
Many people in Southern U.S. states got snowfall from a winter storm that is gripping the nation.
USAToday said snow records were broken in Southern regions. New Orleans International Airport got 8 inches of snow. Pensacola, Florida got at least 5 inches of snow. Mobile, Alabama got 7.5 inches of snow. The most snow is in Babbie, Alabama, with 11.5 inches of snow.
Although it must be eventful for residents, many local officials warned people against driving due to dangerous and icy conditions. Many Southern states do not have snowplows so people have to wait for the snow to melt.
The winter storm is blamed on at least seven deaths in Texas. Five people in an area west of San Antonio were killed in a crash during icy conditions. Two people died from cold exposure in Austin. There were another deaths in Alabama and Georgia from car crashes, a house fire, and hypothermia.
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School shooting in Nashville
Police in Nashville, Tennessee said a 17-year-old male student opened fire at a high school and killed a female student before turning the gun on himself.
This happened at the Antioch High School, which is about 10 miles away from downtown.
Police said there were two people who were injured who were hospitalized.
There was another school shooting in Nashville in 2023 that saw three students and three adults killed at a private Christian elementary school.
https://apnews.com/article/nashville-school-shooting-ba8173940b95e226c76fdeb89297ba54
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Elon Musk’s salute controversy
Elon Musk, during a speech in front of a crowd during a Trump inauguration event on Monday, thanked the audience for electing Trump and did this gesture twice.
[Video clip] Credit: X/Amoneyresists
That gesture looks similar to the Nazi salute. Many people accused Musk of doing the Nazi salute, but Musk said it’s not true and those accusing him of this are doing dirty tricks.
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), which is one of the largest and most well-known organizations that fights antisemitism, said it was not a Nazi salute but an awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm. The ADL said at this moment, all sides should give one another a bit of grace, perhaps even the benefit of the doubt, and take a breath.
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[Sponsored video from Sorenson: www.sorenson.com]
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Trump to lay off all federal DEI staff
AP News said the Trump administration directed all federal diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) staff to be put on paid leave and eventually be laid off. The administration also moved to end affirmative active in federal contracting.
AP said previous President Biden had a wide-ranging effort to embed diversity and inclusion practices in the federal workforce, but that is now gutted.
Trump said the DEI programs were discriminatory. His orders required federal agencies to cancel any DEI-related training and end any related contracts and warned that if federal agencies tried to rename their DEI programs to avoid detection, they would face adverse consequences.
AP said conservative critics have considered DEI programs and practices discriminatory against white men and non-minority groups. Many large corporations, such as Walmart and Facebook, have already reduced or ended their DEI programs.
https://apnews.com/article/dei-trump-executive-order-diversity-834a241a60ee92722ef2443b62572540
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Mr. Beast wants to buy TikTok
YouTube star Mr. Beast said he wants to buy TikTok as a part of a group of investors.
There is now less than 75 days for TikTok to divest itself from its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, after President Trump signed an executive order to delay a law that required it to be banned.
Mr. Beast said he met with several billionaires and they mean business.
CNN explained that ByteDance said it doesn’t want to sell itself to a new buyer, but things may change as time runs out.
News reports said other notable people have considered buying TikTok, such as Elon Musk or Shark Tank’s Kevin O’Leary.
TikTok could be worth at least $50 billion.
https://www.cnn.com/2025/01/21/business/mr-beast-buy-tiktok-ceo/index.html
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That is all the top stories for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light.