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Thursday, January 5, 2023

Wake-Up Call: Murder Suspect Back In Idaho


Accused college student slayer Bryan Kohberger arrived back in Idaho Wednesday night on a cross-country flight from Pennsylvania after he waived his extradition. Kohberger, who has been charged with killing four University of Idaho students, landed at the Pullman-Moscow Regional Airport around 6:30 p.m. local time. He was shackled and wearing a red jumpsuit with a jacket as he was escorted off the plane by three law enforcement officers.

Soon after, a police motorcade, including a silver truck from the Latah County Sheriff’s Office believed to be carrying Kohberger, drove directly to the Latah County Jail, entering through an underground entrance. By 6:44 p.m., he was booked into the lockup on four murder charges and one count of burglary, records show. Kohberger is expected to make an initial appearance before the Latah County Magistrate Court Judge on Thursday. At the hearing, he will be read his rights, the charges against him and will also be appointed an attorney — which sources told The Post will be public defender Anne Taylor.

A Federal Bureau of Investigation surveillance team tracked Idaho quadruple murder suspect Bryan Kohberger and his father on a cross-country road trip from Washington State to Pennsylvania and asked Indiana police to pull him over, a law enforcement source told Fox News. The law enforcement source told Fox News that the FBI surveillance team was seeking video images of Kohberger as well as his hands. Bryan Kohberger and his father were pulled over twice in Indiana on Dec. 15 while making the cross-country trip. The law enforcement source said that investigators were still building their case on Dec. 15 to make an arrest, but added that genealogy played a major role.

➤McCARTHY LOSES AGAIN AD AGAIN: The House gaveled back into session on Wednesday night after taking a lengthy pizza break — only to quickly adjourn until Thursday as the lower chamber’s quest for a speaker remains elusive.  The motion to adjourn, approved 216-214, was made by Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.) — a supporter of Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s embattled bid for House speaker. Four Republicans sided with Democrats against adjourning: Andy Biggs, Lauren Boebert, Brent Crane, and Matt Gaetz.

The House will now reconvene at noon on Thursday for yet another session beginning without a speaker.

➤AMAZON LAYOFFS: Amazon said Wednesday it will cut over 18,000 jobs, a bigger number than the e-retailer initially said it would be eliminating last year.  The Wall Street Journal reported on the cuts earlier, which Amazon said preempted its planned announcement.  “We typically wait to communicate about these outcomes until we can speak with the people who are directly impacted,” CEO Andy Jassy wrote in a memo to employees that the company published on its blog. “However, because one of our teammates leaked this information externally, we decided it was better to share this news earlier so you can hear the details directly from me.”

Tech companies are picking up in 2023 where they left off last year, preparing for an extended economic downturn. Salesforce said on Wednesday it would reduce headcount by 10%, impacting over 7,000 employees. Both Amazon and Salesforce admitted that they hired too rapidly during the pandemic.


➤'22 BAD YEAR FOR AUTO INDUSTRY:   The U.S. auto industry posted its worst sales year in more than a decade in 2022 as supply-chain snarls and poorly stocked dealerships dented results for many car companies. With few exceptions, auto makers on Wednesday reported sales declines for the year. General Motors Co. was one of the few to report an increase, after recovering from factory shutdowns that were caused by parts shortages. The Detroit auto maker retook its U.S. sales crown from Toyota Motor Corp. after losing the top spot in 2021 for the first time in decades, an upending of the traditional pecking order that largely occurred because of supply constraints.  Industrywide, U.S. auto sales totaled 13.7 million vehicles in 2022, the lowest figure since 2011 and an 8% decrease from the prior year, according to the research firm Wards Intelligence. Sales had topped 17 million vehicles for five straight years before the Covid-19 pandemic struck in 2020, unleashing supply-chain problems that have bogged down deliveries ever since.


➤POWER OUTAGES IN CALIFORNIA:
More than 170,000 are without power in California as the state experiences heavy rain and high wind gusts. Peak wind gusts are hitting up to 85mph in Central California, with many areas seeing gusts as low as 50mph. The bomb cyclone is expected to bring up to one to seven inches of rain across the state and flood warnings have been issued throughout the state. The bomb cyclone has yet to hit peak intensity as it barrels along the coast, causing 45-foot waves out at sea. The wind is so strong a Valero gas station in San Francisco bowed under the weight of it and fire crews had to rescue residents due to flooding. Governor Gavin Newsom has already declared a state of emergency and some evacuations have been issued.

➤911 CALL REVEALES JEREMY RENNER WAS 'COMPLETELY CRUSHED' BY SNOWPLOW: A 911 call log reveals that Jeremy Renner was “completely crushed” after a snowplow ran him over earlier this week. According to an emergency log obtained by TMZ, Renner could be heard moaning in the background of the call and was experiencing heavy bleeding from his head. The log notes also said that after the Hawkeye star was run over by the snowcat, his chest collapsed, and his upper torso was crushed. In the leadup to the accident Sunday (January 1st), the Avengers actor was removing snow from his driveway so that members of his family could leave. He was also clearing snow from a neighbor’s driveway and helping a stranded motorist. Renner is currently in the intensive care unit of a Nevada hospital, recovering from two surgeries for “blunt chest trauma and orthopedic injuries.”

➤FAILED TERRORIST HELD WITHOUT BAIL IN NEW YORK: A teenager from Maine is being held without bail in New York after launching a one-man terrorist attack on police at the Times Square New Year’s Eve celebration. Trevor Bickford is charged with attacking two police officers with a machete before being shot in the shoulder by another officer. Both officers are recovering.

➤MOTIVE FOR ELECTRIC GRID ATTACK REVEALED: A motive has been suggested for the attack on four substations in Washington State that cut power to thousands of homes on Christmas Eve. The U.S. Attorney’s Office believes that the attackers were disrupting the system to cover a planned burglary nearby. Two men are to appear in a court in Tacoma on related charges. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has warned that the U.S. power grid is vulnerable to domestic terrorism.

➤NEW COVID VARIANT IS SPREADING FAST: The World Health Organization is warning that the latest variation of the coronavirus is the most contagious yet, although the symptoms do not appear to be more severe. This version is called the XBB.1.5 omicron variant, but some are calling it the “kraken variant.” It is already the dominant strain of the virus in new cases in the U.S.

➤BRIDGE WORK UNDERWAY: Some of the nation’s creakiest bridges are getting a major upgrade. A total of $40 billion of a federal infrastructure bill passed in 2021 is being devoted to bridge upgrades. President Joe Biden yesterday launched the project with a visit to one of the most notorious bridges now scheduled for a redo. The Brent Spence Bridge, which crosses the Ohio River, linking Kentucky and Ohio, has been in bad shape since at least 2008.

➤CALIFORNIA REPAYS DESCENDANTS OF SEIZED BEACHFRONT: A large parcel of beachfront property that was seized from a black couple in 1924 and returned to their descendants last year is being sold back to the state of California for about $20 million. Willa and Charles Bruce ran a popular resort for black people before their land was seized by local officials, who said it was needed for a public park but left it vacant for decades. The owners of “Bruce’s Beach” were paid $14,500 at the time.\


🏈DAMAR HAMLIN SHOWING ‘SIGNS OF IMPROVEMENT’: Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin remains in critical condition but is showing some signs of improvement, according to a statement from the team. Hamlin collapsed during the first quarter of Monday night’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals. Concerned fans have shown their support by contributing upwards of $6 million to a GoFundMe campaign he set up to buy toys for kids in his hometown of McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania.


⚾RAFAEL DEVERS FINALIZING DEAL WITH RED SOX: Third baseman Rafael Devers is finalizing a deal to stay with the Red Sox for a reported 11-year, $331 million contract extension. It’s the biggest deal ever for a third baseman. Devers would have been a free agent this year.

🏈COMMANDERS SEND ROOKIE HOWELL OUT AGAINST COWBOYS: Rookie quarterback Sam Howell will start for the Washington Commanders in their Sunday game against the Dallas Cowboys, with Taylor Heinicke as backup. Carson Wentz has been benched again.

🏈PETERMAN STARTS FOR THE BEARS: Chicago Bears backup quarterback Nathan Peterman will start in Sunday’s Week 18 game against the Minnesota Vikings. Justin Fields is resting a strained hip.

🏈DOLPHINS IN A DITHER OVER A DISLOCATED PINKIE: The Miami Dolphins have signed Mike Glennon to their practice squad as a bit of added insurance in case Teddy Bridgewater’s dislocated pinkie finger doesn’t heal by Sunday. Rookie Skylar Thompson might be picked to start against the New York Jets in Week 18, with Glennon as backup. That’s if Bridgewater can’t throw a football by then, which, as of yesterday, he couldn’t do, according to Yahoo! Sports. It’s a lot of fuss about a pinkie finger, but Miami needs to win this Sunday if it hopes to make the playoffs.

🏀DONOVAN MITCHELL’S JAW-DROPPING GAME: Donovan Mitchell’s 71-point performance for the Cleveland Cavaliers in their game against the Chicago Bulls on Monday night was such a jaw-dropper that the league gave him a drug test hours later. The substance abuse tests are supposed to be random, but really. Mitchell appeared to be amused but justifiably suspicious of the timing.

🏒NHL SCORES:
  • Devils 5 Red Wings 1
  • Wild 5 Lightning 1
  • Ducks 2  Stars 0

🏀NBA SCORES:
  • Cavaliers 90 Suns 88
  • Magic 126 Thunders 115
  • 76ers 129 Pacers 126
  • Grizzlies 131 Hornets 107
  • Knicks 117 Spurs 114
  • Bucks 104 Raptors 101
  • Pelicans 119 Rockets 108
  • Bulls 121 Nets 112
  • Pistons 122 Warriors 119
  • Lakes 112 Heat 109
  • Hawks 120 Kings 117


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