Tuesday, April 30, 2024

4/30 WAKE-UP CALL: 4 Officers Dead, 4 Wounded After Shootout


Four law enforcement officers, including three on a U.S. Marshals Task Force, were killed and four other officers were injured Monday after being shot while attempting to serve a warrant in Charlotte, North Carolina, authorities said. Around 1:30 p.m., members of the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force were attempting to serve a warrant for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon at a suburban home in Charlotte, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) Chief Johnny Jennings said during a news conference. The suspect opened fire at the officers with a "high-powered rifle" as they approached the residence, according to Jennings.

Officers returned gunfire and struck the suspect, who was later pronounced deceased in the front yard of the residence, Jennings said. A second person inside the residence then fired on officers. After a "long standoff," Jennings said officers cleared the residence and took two people inside the home, including a 17-year-old, into custody for questioning. Jennings said it is believed that at least one of the two had fired on the officers.

"Today is an absolute tragic day for the city of Charlotte and for the profession of law enforcement," Jennings said during the news conference. "Today we lost some heroes that are out there simply trying to keep our community safe." Three members of the U.S. Marshals task force were pronounced dead, according to Jennings. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police later confirmed that the officer critically wounded in the shooting died at the hospital. 

COLUMBIA STARTS SUSPENSIONS:  Columbia University's administration said Monday it has begun suspending students hours after demonstrators defied a deadline for clearing the “Gaza Solidarity Encampment” at the center of campus, which fueled similar protests on campuses across the nation. Spokesperson Ben Chang said the university had notified students they would be suspended if they didn’t vacate the encampment by 2 p.m. ET, after the sides failed to reach an agreement earlier in the day. The site, he said, has created an unwelcoming environment for many Jewish students and faculty, and it has been noisy at the center of campus.  Protest organizers note that many demonstrators in their space are Jewish, including several of the 100-plus arrested when the university asked police to break up a smaller encampment April 18.


➤MUSK SCORES VICTORY FOR TESLA: Elon Musk’s less-than-24-hour visit to China scored a crucial victory for Tesla. Chinese officials told the carmaker that Beijing has tentatively approved the company’s plan to launch its “Full Self-Driving” software feature in the country, people familiar with the matter said. Tesla will deploy its autonomous driving services based on mapping and navigation functions provided by Chinese technology giant Baidu. The electric-vehicle maker’s stock surged 15% today, helping the market extend its rally. Meanwhile, U.S. auto-safety regulators have launched an investigation into the safety of Ford’s hands-free driving system, following a pair of recent crashes that left three people dead.

➤BLINKEN STARETS HIGH-STAKES TRIP:  U-S Secretary of State Antony Blinken began a high-stakes Middle East trip. The White House’s immediate goal is to secure a cease-fire that would delay an Israeli invasion of Rafah, the city in southern Gaza where more than a million displaced Palestinians are sheltering. Blinken is also seeking to advance talks with top Saudi officials over an ambitious postwar plan that would lead to the establishment of diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel, lay the groundwork for an Arab force to stabilize Gaza, and define a pathway to the creation of a Palestinian state. The intense diplomatic effort comes as the conflict in the Gaza Strip takes a heavy toll on civilians, inflames anti-Israel sentiment in the U.S. and complicates President Biden’s path to re-election.

➤ISRAEL FEARS CRIMINAL WARRANTS: Israeli officials are growing concerned the International Criminal Court could issue criminal warrants against their top officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, opening up the possibility they could be arrested if they travel to other countries. Israel's foreign minister, Israel Katz, singled out "rumors" that the ICC will issue arrest warrants against high-ranking government and Israel Defense Forces officials in a statement late Sunday. In anticipation, Katz said he instructed all Israel embassies across the world to "immediately prepare for the outbreak of a severe anti-Jewish and anti-Israeli antisemitic wave in the world." The ICC is investigating Hamas' Oct. 7 attack as well as Israel's brutal seven-month war in Gaza aimed at defeating Hamas. The ICC, based in The Hague, can prosecute individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and aggression.


CHIEFS' TRAVIS KELCE GETS NEW DEAL: The Chiefs and Kelce have agreed to terms on a two-year extension. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because they aren’t authorized to discuss the extension, which adds another two years and $34.25 million to Kelce’s existing contract. The new deal makes him the highest-paid tight end in the NFL and ties Kelce in Kansas City through the 2027 season. Kelce elevated himself to Kansas City’s top pass catcher and arguably the best tight end in the NFL since the club drafted him in the third round of the 2013 draft. The nine-time Pro Bowler has caught a pass in 158 straight games, the longest streak in franchise history.


⚾ANGELS 6 PHLLIES 5: Taylor Ward, Brandon Drury, Ehire Adrianza and Zach Neto had two hits each to help the Los Angeles Angels earn a 6-5, come-from-behind win against the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday in the opener in their three-game series at Anaheim, Calif. Jo Adell homered and Luis Rengifo doubled and scored for Los Angeles, which had lost four in a row and nine of 10. Angels starter Griffin Canning allowed four runs and three hits in five innings. He struck out one and walked five.

Hunter Strickland, Adam Cimber (2-0) and Matt Moore each threw a scoreless inning of relief before Carlos Estevez gave up a run on a sacrifice fly by Alec Bohm in the ninth before closing out his fifth save. Bohm also had a two-run single in the three-run first and Trea Turner had two hits and scored twice for Philadelphia, which had won four in a row and 11 of 13.

Phillies starter Cristopher Sanchez gave up four runs and seven hits in five-plus innings. He fanned one and walked two.

⚾MLB SCORES:

  • Angels 6 Phillies 5
  • Rays 1 Brewers 0
  • Orioles 2 Yankees 0
  • Athletics 5 Pirates 1
  • Mariners 2 Braves 1
  • Reds 5 Padres 2
  • Dodgers 8 D-Backs 4
  • Rwins 3 White Sox 2
  • Cubs 3 Mets 1
  • Blue Jays 6 Royals 5
  • Nationals 7 Marlins 2
  • Cardinals-Tigers PP
🏀NBA SCORES:
  • Nuggets 108 Lakers 106
  • Thunder 97 Pelicans 89
  • Celtics 102 Heat 88
🏒NHL SCORES:
  • Stars 4 Golden Knights2
  • Panthers 6 Lightning 1
➤SEVERE WEATHER AND RECORD HEAT: States along the Gulf Coast were under severe weather threats Monday as a storm system that spun up ferocious tornadoes across the central U.S. over the weekend – killing at least four people and inflicting widespread damage – moved over the region. Elsewhere on Monday, record heat was possible along the East Coast, forecasters said, as high temperatures soared into the upper 80s and mid-90s in the mid-Atlantic, with one spot reaching a scorching 96 degrees. Powerful thunderstorms rolled across southeast Texas and southwest Louisiana through the morning and into the afternoon, raising the threat of damaging wind gusts, large hail and flash floods with up to 2 to 3 inches of rain falling every hour in some areas, according to the National Weather Service.

➤TUESDAY'S WEATHER:





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