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Tuesday, July 19, 2022

Wake-Up Call: Motive of Indiana Mall Shooter Unknown

Daily Mail 7/19/22

Police said Monday that they don't yet know the motive of a 20-year-old man who opened fire at a shopping mall in Greenwood, Indiana, on Sunday evening, killing three people and wounding two, before a legally armed shopper fatally shot him. However, Greenwood Police Chief James Ison said at a news conference that relatives told them Jonathan Sapirman had recently received a notice that he'd been evicted from his apartment, and resigned from a warehouse job in May. Ison said Sapirman entered the Greenwood Park Mall and went into a bathroom, where he remained for about an hour before he came out and opened fire, with investigators believing he spent that time readying and possibly assembling a rifle he'd brought disassembled in a backpack Ison said he used an AR-15 style rifle in the shooting, and another one was found in a bathroom. He also had a handgun. He was fatally shot by 22-year-old Elisjsha Dicken, and Ison called his actions "nothing short of heroic," saying "many more people would have died . . . if not for a responsible armed citizen." Those killed were a married couple, 56-year-old Pedro Pineda and 37-year-old Rosa Mirian Rivera de Pineda, and a 30-year-old man named Victor Gomez.
 
➤TEXAS STATE POLICE TO CARRY OUT INTERNAL REVIEW OF UVADLE RESPONSE: One day after a damning report from a Texas House of Representatives investigative committee on the law enforcement response to the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, that left 19 children and two teachers dead, Texas state police on Monday announced an internal review into the actions of dozens of troopers who had responded to the shooting. While the local police force in Uvalde had been getting most of the blame for the more than one-hour of inaction against the gunman, the report showed there had been problems at all levels of law enforcement, including the local force, state police, and federal U.S. Border Patrol agents, and that Border Patrol agents and state troopers made up more than half of the 376 law enforcement officials who rushed to the scene on May 24th.

➤PROSECUTOR GIVES OPENING STATEMENT IN TRIAL TO DETERMINE IF PARKLAND SHOOTER GETS DEATH PENALTY: The prosecutor delivered his opening statement yesterday  in the trial to determine whether Nikolas Cruz, who pled guilty to killing 17 people in a mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, in February 2018, will receive the death penalty or serve life in prison without parole. Among his remarks to the jury, prosecutor Mike Satz spoke about how Cruz shot each of the 14 students and three staff members who died, including returning to shoot some of them again and finish them off. Cruz pled guilty in October to murder and attempted murder. Cruz’s lawyers announced that they had made the unusual decision to not give their opening statement until it is time to present their case.

➤UKRAINIAN FIRST LADY IN U.S., WILL MEET WITH JILL BIDEN: Ukrainian First Lady Olena Zelenska is visiting the U.S., where she'll have a series of high-profile appearances, including with U.S. First Lady Jill Biden. Zelenska met with Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday, her first announced event, with the State Department saying Blinken had assured her of the U.S. commitment to Ukraine as it fights the invading Russian forces. Zelenska also met yesterday with Samantha Power, head of the U.S. Agency for International Development, which has given millions of dollars to support Ukraine’s government and for humanitarian needs there. Zelenska, who isn't traveling as an official representative of her husband President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's government, will meet with Jill Biden at the White House today, and will speak in the congressional auditorium at the Capitol to lawmakers on Wednesday.


➤TWO TRUMP WHITE HOUSE AIDES TO TESTIFY AT JAN. 6TH COMMITTEE HEARING THURSDAY: Two aides who served in former President Donald Trump's White House are expected to testify at the House January 6th committee's prime-time hearing on Thursday, CNN first reported yesterday. Matthew Pottinger, former deputy national security adviser, and Sarah Matthews, a former press aide, are expected to testify, according to the reports, both of whom resigned immediately after the January 6th attack on the Capitol. Thursday's hearing will look at what Trump did and didn't do during the hours of the Capitol assault.

➤MUSK PLANS TO COUNTERSUE TWITTER:  Elon Musk plans to countersue Twitter afer the social media giant sued him for trying to back out of his $44 milLion agreement to buy the company, the New York Post reported yesterday, citing a "source close to the case." The Tesla and SpaceX CEO's attorneys are pushing for a judge to give them more time and power to gather information about bots on Twitter, Musk's stated reason for wanting to scrap the deal. The report also said a long legal battle could potentially drag down Twitter's stock, giving Musk more leverage to renegotiate a sale price for the company. Twitter wants the court to force Musk to buy Twitter at the price he agreed to, while blasting him the suit, accusing him of entering the deal to buy the site, and then trying to, quote, "trash the company, disrupt its operations, destroy stockholder value, and walk away."\

📺‘LATE SHOW’ STAFF WON’T BE PROSECUTED FOLLOWING U.S. CAPITOL ARRESTS: According to The Hollywood Reporter, the nine Late Show with Stephen Colbert staffers who were arrested at the U.S. Capitol in June won’t be prosecuted. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia released a statement on Monday that reads: “After a comprehensive review of all of the evidence and the relevant legal authority, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia has determined that it cannot move forward with misdemeanor charges of unlawful entry against the nine individuals who were arrested on June 16, 2022 at the Longworth Office Building.”


➤FAUCI PLANS TO RETIRE BY END OF BIDEN'S TERM IN 2025: Dr. Anthony Fauci said yesterday on CNN that he plans to retire by the end of President Biden's current term in January 2025. However, the 81-year-old, who is also Biden's chief medical adviser, said he doesn't have a specific date in mind and hasn't started the process. The nation's top infectious disease specialist, who was appointed director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in 1984, had advised seven presidents, and has led research in HIV/AIDS, respiratory infections, Ebola, Zika and the coronavirus. Fauci said his decision to eventually leave his role was unrelated to politics.

➤SNAPCHAT LAUNCHES WEB VERSION: The popular messaging app Snapchat announced Monday that it's launching a web version that will let users send snaps and have video calls on their desktops. Just as with the app, messages will disappear after 24 hours. Snapchat for Web is for now only available for Snapchat+ subscribers who pay $3.99 a month. A Bitmoji will appear with a laptop during chats to show others that you're using the web version.

➤TOYS R' US PLANS A COMEBACK: Five years after it filed for bankruptcy and a year-and-a-half after it closed its last two physical stores in the U.S. of what had once been some 900 locations, iconic toy retailer Toys R' Us will be making a comeback in time for the holiday season. Toys R' Us and Macy's announced Monday that Toys R' Us will open shops inside every Macy's store in the U.S. by mid-October, part of a rollout that began last year. The in-store shops will range in size from 1,000 square feet to 10,000 square feet, and will feature a life-size Geoffrey Giraffe sitting on a bench for families to take picture with him. Toy sales have shot up during the pandemic, driven in part by the stimulus checks people received from the federal government.

⚾NATIONALS' JUAN SOTO WINS HOME RUN DERBY: Washington Nationals outfielder Juan Soto won the Home Run Derby for the first time last night, on the eve of today's MLB All-Star Game. Soto beat Seattle Mariners rookie Julio Rodrigo 19-18 in the final at Dodger Stadium, after they made it through the previous rounds that involved eight competitors in all. Soto hit a total of 53 homers, beating each of his three opponents -- including also Jose Ramirez and Albert Pujols -- by one home run. Rodriguez beat two-time defending Derby champion Pete Alonso and Corey Seager.

 
⚾DODGERS KERSHAW, RAYS MCCLANAHAN TO START ALL-STAR GAME, HR DERBY WILL DECIDE IF TIE AFTER NINE INNINGS: L.A. Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw will start for the National League in tonight's MLB All-Star Game at Dodger Stadium, and the Tampa Bay Rays Shane McClanahan will be starting for the American Leauge. The Los Angeles Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani will lead off for the AL as the designated hitter, but he won't be pitching this year. There is a new twist to the All-Star Game starting this year, with a rule change that says if the score is tied after nine innings, a home run derby will determine the winner. Three players from each league would take three swings each.

⚽U.S. WOMEN BEAT CANADA 1-0 FOR CONCACAF W CHAMPIONSHIP: The U.S. women's soccer team defeated Canada 1-0 last night in the CONCACAF W final to win the championship in Monterrey, Mexico. Alex Morgan scored the game's only goal with a penalty late in the second half. The win gives the U.S. a guaranteed spot in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. Jamaica beat Costa Rica 1-0 in the third place match. The U.S., Canada, Jamaica and Costa Rica all secured spots in the 2023 World Cup by reaching the semifinals of the CONCACAF W Championship.

🏃DATES FOR THE 2028 LOS ANGELES OLYMPICS ANNOUNCED: The 2028 Los Angeles Summer Olympics are still six years off, but the dates it will be held were officially revealed yesterday, with International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach on hand for the announcement. The opening ceremony will be on July 14th, and competition will run through July 30th. The Paralympic Games will be from August 15th to 27th. Los Angeles previously hosted the Olympics in 1932 and 1984.

🏌9/11 FAMILIES SLAM TRUMP FOR HOSTING SAUDI-BACKED GOLF TOURNAMENT: A group of family members of September 11th victims are blasting former President Donald Trump for hosting a tournament on the new Saudi-backed LIV golf tour at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminister, New Jersey, starting July 29th. The family members in the 9/11 Justice group, who charge Saudi Arabia helped the terrorists who carried out the 9/11 attacks, said in a letter to Trump Sunday (July 17th) that they felt, quote, "extreme pain, frustration and anger" over Trump hosting the tournament. They also cited Trump himself blaming the Saudis in a 2016 Fox News interview, when he said, "Who blew up the World Trade Center? . . . it was Saudi. Take a look at Saudi Arabia. Open the documents." The Saudi government has denied any involvement in the attacks.



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