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Monday, July 18, 2022

Wake-Up Call: Law Enforcement Cited For Poor Uvalde Response

An investigative report released Sunday said that there was, quote, "egregiously poor decision-making" in the law enforcement response to the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, on May 24th that left 19 students and two teachers dead, leading to more than an hour of chaos before the gunman was confronted and killed. The report from a Texas House of Representatives investigative committee criticized both state and federal law enforcement, not just the local Uvalde force. Despite 376 officers responding, including nearly 150 U.S. Border Patrol agents and 91 state police officials, the report said, "responders failed to adhere to their active shooter training, and they failed to prioritize saving innocent lives over their own safety." It stated, "There is no one to whom we can attribute malice or ill motives. Instead, we found systemic failures and egregiously poor decision making." Among the failures: the commander of a Border Patrol tactical team waited for a bullet-proof shield and master key for the classroom, which may have not even been needed, before entering the classroom; no one assumed command; and an Uvalde officer said it was his understanding that officers on one side of the building knew there were victims trapped inside, but no one tried to breach the classroom.

➤THREE KILLED IN INDIANA MALL SHOOTING: Three people were killed and two others injured yesterday evening in a shooting at a mall in Greenwood, Indiana, a suburb of Indianapolis. Police said an adult male entered the Greenwood Park Mall with a rifle and several magazines of ammunition and opened fire in the food court. He was shot and killed by a legally-armed civilian. Greenwood Police Chief Jim Ison said they'd confiscated a suspicious backpack that was in a bathroom near the food court. Authorities said more information would be released Monday.

 
➤UKRAINE PREZ FIRES SECURITY CHIEF, PROSECUTOR GENERAL: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy fired his state security chief and prosecutor general yesterday, citing hundreds of criminal proceedings into treason and collaboration with the invading Russians by people in their departments and other law enforcement agencies. Zelenskyy said in his nightly address to the nation, "In particular, more than 60 employees of the prosecutor’s office and the [state security service] have remained in the occupied territory and work against our state," saying it raises "very serious questions about their respective leaders." Meanwhile, Russian missiles hit industrial facilities in Mykolaiv, a key shipbuilding center in in the south, and as they pressed their offensive in the eastern Donestsk region, the Ukrainian military’s General Staff said Ukrainian troops had thwarted Russian attempts to advance toward Sloviansk, the key Ukrainian stronghold in Donetsk, and other attacks in the region.


➤JAN. 6TH COMMITTEE'S THURSDAY HEARING TO FOCUS ON TRUMP'S ACTIONS DURING ATTACK: The House committee investigating the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol will focus in their primetime public hearing this Thursday on then-President Donald Trump's actions during the attack, with members of the committee saying Sunday that it will show evidence of what Rep. Elaine Luria said on CNN's State of the Union was his, quote, "dereliction of duty." Another committee member, Rep. Adam Kinzinger, said on CBS' Face the Nation, "This is going to open people’s eyes in a big way. The president didn’t do anything." Thursday's hearing will be the first in prime time since the initial one on June 9th, and is expected to be the last of the public hearings. However, the committee says it continues to receive new evidence every day, and isn't ruling out additional hearings or interviews with other witnesses.

➤WOMAN AWAKES FROM COMA AFTER TWO YEARS, NAMES BROTHER AS ATTACKER: A West Virginia woman awoke from a coma after two years, and identified her brother as being the person whose brutal attack had left her in that condition. The West Virginia Metro News reported that Wanda Palmer had been in a long term care facility, and that facility contacted authorities last week to let them know that she'd come out of her coma. Palmer was beaten in her Martinsville home in June 2020, and despite suffering brain damage from the attack, she was able to speak enough to identify that it was her bother who'd assaulted her. Her brother, Daniel Palmer, was subsequently arrested on charges of attempted murder and malicious wounding. Officials said they believed he allegedly used a machete or a hatchet in the attack.


🎥‘THOR’ SEES SIGNIFICANT DROP DURING SECOND WEEKEND AT DOMESTIC BOX OFFICE: The magic of Thor: Love and Thunder seems to be wearing off. The Marvel film saw a 68% drop in ticket sales during its second weekend at the domestic box office, pulling in just $46 million. Deadline speculates that it's due to the movie’s B+ CinemaScore and three-and-a-half-star rating.

Box Office Numbers from Friday through Sunday:

1. Thor: Love and Thunder, $46 million
2. Minions: The Rise of Gru, $26 million
3. Where the Crawdads Sing, $17 million
4. Top Gun: Maverick, $12 million
5. Elvis, $7.6 million
6. Paw of Fury (Par), $6.25 million
7. The Black Phone, $5.3 million
8. Jurassic World: Dominion, $4.95 million
9. Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris, $1.9 million
10. Lightyear, $1.3 million


➤SUIT CLAIMS SKITTLES 'UNFIT FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION': A new lawsuit claims that a chemical used in Skittles makes the multi-colored candy "unfit for human consumption." The suit was filed by consumer Jenile Thomas over the use of titanium dioxide, which produces Skittles' vibrant colors. Mars, which makes Skittles, said in a statement, "While we do not comment on pending litigation, our use of titanium dioxide complies with FDA regulations." The use of titanium dioxide is allowed for coloring under federal regulations as long as it doesn't exceed one percent of the food's weight. Thomas is seeking class-action status for all U.S. consumers of Skittles, saying they are, quote, "at heightened risk of a host of health effects for which they were unaware stemming from genotoxicity -- the ability of a chemical substance to change DNA."

🏌CAMERON SMITH WINS BRITISH OPEN FOR FIRST MAJOR: Australian golfer Cameron Smith won the British Open on Sunday, nabbing his first major victory with the best closing round ever at the Old Course at St. Andrews in Scotland. Smith was four shots behind at the start, but ended up the final round with a 8-under 64, and finished the tournament at 20-under 268, also a record for the Old Course and matching the lowest score to par in any major. Finishing just one shot behind was American Cameron Young, and two shots back was Rory McIlroy in third.

 
⚾HOME RUN DERBY TONIGHT IN LOS ANGELES: MLB sluggers will be taking part in the Home Run Derby tonight at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles ahead of the All-Star Game on Tuesday. The New York Mets' Pete Alonso will be trying to become the first player to win the Derby three straight times. He'll face Ronald Acuna Jr. in the first round. In the other pairings, Kyle Schwarber will face Albert Pujols, Juan Soto against Jose Ramierz and Julio Rodriguez against Corey Seager.

⚾BOSTON ACE SALE HAS BROKEN PINKIE FINGER: Boston Red Sox ace Chris Sale has a broken pinkie finger on his pitching hand, and his return is uncertain, with manager Alex Cora not ruling out that he'll be back this season. Sale was injured when his hand was hit by a line drive by the New York Yankees' Aaron Hicks Sunday in the first inning of the Yankees' 13-2 win. Sale said he knew it was broken "immediately," and he ran off the field holding up his finger. Sale was making just his second start since returning from a fractured rib.

🏎DIXON TIES ANDRETTI IN SECOND PLACE FOR INDYCAR CAREER WINS: Scott Dixon won the Honda Indy Toronto on Sunday for his 52nd career win, tying Mario Andretti for second on IndyCar's career wins list. They are behind only A.J. Foyt, who has 67 wins. Dixon finally tied with Andretti after a 22-race winless streak.

📺FOX SPORTS APOLOGIZES FOR PUTTING GRAPHIC OVER 9/11 MEMORIAL SHOT: Fox Sports apologized Sunday after showing a Baseball Night in America graphic over a shot of the 9/11 Memorial in lower Manhattan during its broadcast of the New York Yankees-Boston Red Sox game at Yankee Stadium Saturday night. The National September 11 Memorial features two large pools at the approximate sites where the Twin Towers destroyed in the attack once stood. The broadcast imposed the logos of the Yankees and Red Sox over the two memorial pools, drawing immediate backlash. A Fox Sports spokesperson told USA Today, "During last night's telecast, we used poor judgment on the use of a graphic. We sincerely apologize and regret the decision."



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