Tuesday, February 21, 2023

Wake-Up Call: Fresh Quake Hits Part Of Turkey


A new 6.4-magnitude earthquake on Monday killed three people and injured more than 200 others in parts of Turkey laid waste two weeks ago by a massive quake that killed tens of thousands, authorities said. More buildings collapsed, trapping some people, while scores of injuries were recorded in neighboring Syria too.

Monday’s earthquake was centered in the town of Defne, in Turkey’s Hatay province, one the worst-hit regions in the magnitude 7.8 quake that struck on Feb. 6. It was felt in Syria, Jordan, Cyprus, Israel and as far away as Egypt, and followed by a second, magnitude 5.8 temblor. Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said three people were killed and 213 injured. Search and rescue efforts were underway in three collapsed buildings where six people were believed trapped.

➤BIDEN, PUTIN  TO DELIVER WAR OF WORDS: Russian President Vladimir Putin was due to make a speech on Tuesday setting out aims for the second year of his invasion of Ukraine, a day after U.S. President Joe Biden walked the streets of Kyiv promising to stand with Ukraine as long as it takes. Following his surprise visit to Kyiv, Biden flew to Poland and on Tuesday will give a speech on how the United States has helped rally the world to support Ukraine and stress American support for NATO's eastern flank.

China, which in public has remained neutral despite signing a "no limits" friendship pact with Russia weeks before the invasion, said on Tuesday it was "deeply worried" that the Ukraine conflict could spiral out of control. Hours later and 800 miles away, President Biden is scheduled to deliver an address in Warsaw, the capital of neighboring Poland, a day after a brief but dramatic visit to Kyiv that highlighted the American commitment to supporting Ukraine.

➤DeSANTIS RIPS BIDEN VISIT: Ron DeSantis tore into Joe Biden for visiting Ukraine on the anniversary of Russia invading instead of focusing on securing the southern border from what some have classified as an 'invasion' there. President Biden made an unannounced, surprise trip to Kyiv on Monday to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as the war persists. Meanwhile, DeSantis was traveling the northeast United States on Monday for a Law and Order Tour touting hard-on-crime policies and support for law enforcement as he presented his 'blueprint for keeping communities safe.'

➤BORDER PATROL NEEDS AGENTS ON THE NORTHERN BORDER: US Border Patrol officials have issued an appeal for agents to volunteer for redeployment to part of the northern border that is being overwhelmed by an increase of migrants illegally entering from Canada. Border Patrol is seeking volunteers from both the northern and southern border to provide backup in the Swanton Sector, which covers New Hampshire, Vermont, and part of eastern New York. The memo says Swanton Sector is 'experiencing an increase in illegal entries,' primarily due to 'Mexican migrants with no legal documents to enter the United States,' and requests volunteers from other sectors to bolster enforcement.

➤HUMBLE PIE FOR LEMON: Embattled CNN anchor Don Lemon will return to CNN This Morning on Wednesday - but has to undertake formal training after his litany of problematic on-air comments. The 56-year-old anchor was absent from the show with co-hosts Poppy Harlow and Kaitlan Collins on Friday and Monday following the remarks he made on Thursday about Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley being 'past her prime.'


Female staffers 'not happy: Furious female staffers at CNN have threatened to quit if Don Lemon stays on-air following his sexist comments last week that Nikki Haley and women in their 40s are 'past their prime'. 'People are hurt by his actions and are not going to let this go. It is like every woman over 50 in America has taken this as a personal insult. The female staffers at CNN definitely have. He needs to make his vacation a permanent one.'

Nikki Haley on Monday night held the first of two town halls in Iowa this week where she said Hawkeye State residents should vote for her over Trump because she doesn't think 'you have to be 80 to be in D.C.' Since throwing her name into the 2024 GOP primary last week, Haley has been asked during cable news appearances - and now a town hall - to differentiate herself from the only other candidate in the race so far: former President Trump. Each time the former ambassador and South Carolina governor's answer has been light on policy differences and focused on the fact that she is a younger, fresher face who can help move the party forward. 'Because I don't think you have to be 80 to be in D.C.,' Haley, a 51-year-old mother of two, responded Monday evening to a question from the crowd in Urbandale, Iowa.

➤TWITTER FACING LAWSUITS: Twitter is facing multiple lawsuits from landlords, consultants, and vendors who claim that the San Francisco-based company has not yet paid them; the bills total over $14 million. Elon Musk, who became the company's CEO in October 2022, has taken a more frugal approach towards spending at the company in an attempt to reduce costs. One lawsuit relates to Twitter's acquisition deal with Musk over a $7,000 bill issued by Twitter's marketing department for a gift box for Musk that has still yet to be paid.


➤1 DEAD, 13 HOSPITALIZED FOLLOWING FIRE, EXPLOSION AT METAL FACTORY NEAR CLEVELAND: Thirteen people were taken to local hospitals after an explosion at a metal factory near Oakwood, Ohio, according to Captain Brian DiRocco with the Oakwood Village Fire Department. The explosion was at the I. Schumann & Co. building, a metal alloy factory. Several people have burn injuries and all staff have been accounted for. One additional person was treated at the site, DiRocco said.

➤ARREST MADE IN BISHOP'S MURDER: Police have named a handyman as the prime suspect in the murder of a Catholic bishop, who was found shot to death inside his Los Angeles home over the weekend. Carlos Medina, 65, was arrested on Monday morning, after police surrounded his home in Torrance and convinced him to surrender following a multi-hour standoff, said Los Angeles Sheriff Robert Luna. He faces charges in the murder of Auxiliary Bishop David O'Connell, who was found dead with a gunshot wound to his upper torso in the bed of his Hacienda Heights home on Saturday, and was pronounced dead at the scene. Police say Medina's wife had worked as a housekeeper for O'Connell, and that Medina recently made 'irrational' comments about the bishop owing him money after doing occasional handyman work around his house.

➤AUSTIN'S ANTI-COP POLICIES BLAMED FOR WILD STREETS: Prominent voices blamed liberal, anti-cop policies for chaos in the city over the weekend after street racers took over city intersections, attacking law enforcement and setting people on fire in wild scenes which were caught on video. “Austin voters wanted a Mayor, City Council, and [George] Soros [funded] DA who treat cops as criminals and criminals as victims,” tweeted the National Police Association, referring to the left-wing billionaire, who is said to have funded Travis County District Attorney Jose Garza. “This was not only predictable, it was predicted,” they added.

The public statement from the law enforcement organization came after one officer was injured, following four separate street racing incidents Saturday night into Sunday morning in the Texas state capital, Austin police said. Reckless drivers blocked off intersections, doing donuts, terrorizing other motorists, throwing glass bottles, setting off fire works and starting fires. One Austin cop was hospitalized after being hit with rocks and bottles, but has since been released.

➤HUNDREDS OF UNINVITED TEXAS TEENS TRASH FAMILY'S HOME DURING 'MANSION RAGER' PROMOTED ON SOCIAL MEDIA: Hundreds of uninvited teenagers broke into a Texas family's home for a "mansion rager" party that they promoted on social media without the homeowners' knowledge. "We started receiving numerous phone calls from our neighbors that there were kids on our water tower on our property, there were cars up and down the street, and kids were hopping over the front of our fence," the Austin homeowner told Fox 7, saying the shindig caused thousands of dollars in damages. The unidentified homeowner said he rushed home last Saturday night and found "car after car after car just trying to flee the scene." The party was reportedly promoted on the social media app SnapChat, where it was described as a "mansion rager." The homeowner said this wasn’t a case of local students knowing a classmate’s parents weren’t home for the weekend, the family only has a toddler who isn’t in the local school system yet.

➤COVID DEATH TOLL AMONG SENIORS RISES: The U.S. has dodged a major wintertime Covid-19 surge as the pandemic continues to recede into the background. But the death toll is still growing. The U.S., which recently topped 1.1 million Covid-19 deaths since the pandemic began, continues to record several hundred more each day, death-certificate data show. The people who are dying remain old, often with underlying health issues such as heart and lung ailments, the data indicate. These deaths are the consequence of a virus that continues to transmit easily, allowing it to reach vulnerable people, even though built-up immune protection from vaccines and prior infections have lowered the risks for most others, according to doctors and public-health experts. A lagging booster rate is also leaving vulnerable people exposed, they said.

✞BARBARA BOSSON DIES AT 83: Hill Street Blues actress Barbara Bosson passed away on Saturday (February 18th) at the age of 83. Her son, Jesse Bochco, confirmed the news in an Instagram post. “More spirit and zest than you could shake a stick at. When she loved you, you felt it without a doubt. If she didn’t, you may well have also known that too. Forever in our hearts. I love you Mama. Barbara “Babs” Bosson Bochco 1939-2023,” he wrote. Bosson played Fay Furillo on Hill Street Blues from 1981 to 1986, and she was nominated for five Emmy Awards for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series during that time. Her other roles include Richie Brockelman, Private Eye, Hooperman, and Cop Rock. She also appeared on shows such as Mannix, Crazy Like a Fox, L.A. Law, and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

➤CHARGE AGAINST BALDWIN DROPPED: Prosecutors have downgraded the involuntary manslaughter charges against Alec Baldwin, significantly reducing the possible prison time for the actor, who was holding the gun that discharged on the “Rust” movie set, killing the film’s cinematographer. Baldwin’s lawyers argued this month that the Santa Fe County district attorney had incorrectly charged the actor under a version of a New Mexico firearm law that was passed months after the fatal shooting in October 2021. If convicted under that law, called a firearm enhancement, Baldwin would have received a minimum prison sentence of five years. Instead, he now faces a maximum of 18 months in prison.

🏀RUSSELL WESTBROOK PLANS TO SIGN WITH LA CLIPPERS, AGENT SAYS: After completing a contract buyout, nine-time All-Star guard Russell Westbrook plans to sign with the LA Clippers, according to his agent, Jeff Schwartz of Excel Sports. With Westbrook and the Utah Jazz finalizing the buyout on the remaining $47 million owed on his expiring deal, the former NBA MVP will return to Los Angeles, this time with the Clippers. He was officially waived by the Jazz on Monday afternoon, the league announced.



⚾FORMER ALL-STAR JASON KIPNIS ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT: Two-time All-Star second baseman Jason Kipnis, who played nine of his 10 seasons in Cleveland, officially announced his retirement Monday. Kipnis, 35, last played in the majors in 2020 with the Chicago Cubs. The Chicago-area native was a second-round draft pick by the Cleveland franchise in 2009 and made his debut two years later.

⚾RELIEVER MICHAEL FULMER FINALIZES 1-YEAR, $4M DEAL WITH CUBS: The Chicago Cubs added Michael Fulmer to their bullpen on Monday, finalizing a $4 million, one-year contract with the right-hander. Fulmer played for the Detroit Tigers and Minnesota Twins last season, going 5-6 with 3.39 ERA in a career-high 67 appearances. He began the season with the Tigers and was traded to the Twins in August.

🏀FREE AGENT GUARD PATRICK BEVERLEY FINALIZING DEAL WITH BULLS: Free agent guard Patrick Beverley is finalizing a deal with the Chicago Bulls, according to his agent, Kevin Bradbury.  The deal is expected to be completed as soon as Tuesday, when the Bulls are expected to waive a player to create a roster spot for Beverley.

🏈INDIANAPOLIS COLTS EXPECTED TO HIRE JAGUARS' JIM BOB COOTER AS OC: The new Indianapolis Colts head coach, Shane Steichen, is expected to name veteran NFL assistant Jim Bob Cooter as the team's offensive coordinator. Steichen and Cooter have some recent history together, as Cooter served as an offensive consultant for Steichen with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2021.

➤MAJOR WINTER STORMS SWEEPING ACROSS THE U-S: A major winter storm is set to hit swaths of the U.S. this week, with possible heavy snow and blizzard conditions potentially disrupting travel from coast to coast. Millions of people are expected to experience icy conditions, with weather warnings in place from the West Coast, through the northern Plains and into the Midwest and parts of the Northeast, the National Weather Service said. “A major multiday winter storm will affect areas from the West Coast through the Upper Midwest Monday through Thursday with heavy snow and considerable impacts,” the NWS said. “Snow, sleet, and freezing rain may spread into the Great Lakes and Northeast later this week.” 

“This looks to be a long duration storm, with things starting to pick up in the North West tonight and into the day Tuesday,” Rich Otto, a forecaster at the NWS, said. “Lots of snow is expected for the western U.S. that will spread across to the east,” he added. “It’s essentially a coast to coast winter storm that’s going to continue through Friday.”



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