February 26 top stories
It is February 26. Hope your weekend was good. Here are today’s top stories.
Trump wins GOP primary in Haley’s home state SC
Former President Donald Trump won a victory in South Carolina’s GOP presidential primary on Saturday, continuing a winning streak through each Republican nominating contest so far. It also put him in position to potentially clinch the party’s presidential nomination within the next month.
Defeat for former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley is a blow in her home state. A total of 50 delegates were on the line in Saturday’s contest, and Trump’s dominant performance throughout the state allowed him to win nearly all of them. Though Haley grabbed three delegates.
Haley made clear that a loss in her home state on Saturday would not be pushing her out of the race any time soon, pledging to campaign through the Super Tuesday, March 5, contests next month.
Ariz. teen is 1st girl to win boys state wrestling title
Audrey Jimenez, a senior high school wrestler at Sunnyside High School in Tucson, Arizona, made history last week as she became the first girl to win the state’s top title while competing against boys.
Jimenez won the Division I title at 106 pounds against male competitors, defeating four opponents to help the team win its seventh straight boys’ team championship.
Jimenez, who won three straight girls individual championships, filed an appeal with the Arizona Interscholastic Association to wrestle on the boys' side this year. She and another female wrestler of another high school were given the go-ahead to compete against boys.
She said: “Either way, wrestling against the boys or the girls, I am happy to represent Sunnyside.”
Mexico City’s water shortages reach dangerous levels
Multiple sources reported that Mexico City, a sprawling metropolis of nearly 22 million people and one of the world’s biggest cities, is facing a severe water crisis as a tangle of problems – including geography, chaotic urban development and leaky infrastructure – are compounded by the impacts of climate change.
Mexico City and some surrounding areas could run out of water by August 26 if reservoirs are not replenished or consumptions are not cut significantly.
Years of abnormally low rainfall, longer dry periods and high temperatures have added stress to a water system already straining to cope with increased demand. Authorities have been forced to introduce significant restrictions on the water pumped from reservoirs.
Around 60% of Mexico City’s water comes from its underground aquifer, but this has been so over-extracted that the city is sinking at a frightening rate – around 20 inches a year. And the aquifer is not being replenished anywhere near fast enough.
The rest of the city’s water is pumped vast distances uphill from sources outside the city, in an incredibly inefficient process, during which around 40% of the water is lost through leaks.
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Widow, aides indicted in assassination of Haitian president
A judge in Haiti responsible for investigating the July 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse has indicted his wife, Martine Moïse, ex-prime minister Claude Joseph, the former chief of Haiti’s National Police, Léon Charles, and among others.
The indictments are expected to further destabilize Haiti as it struggles with a surge in gang violence and recovers from a spate of violent protests demanding the resignation of current Prime Minister Ariel Henry.
Charles, who was police chief when Moïse was killed and now serves as Haiti’s permanent representative to the Organization of the American States (OAS), faces the most serious charges: murder; attempted murder; possession and illegal carrying of weapons; conspiracy against the internal security of the state; and criminal association.
See Alex for the update on Israel’s war on Gaza. Here you go.
Israel-Gaza war updates
Thanks, Callie. Here are several updates.
Nearly 30,000 people have been killed from Israeli attacks on Gaza since October. A Palestinian official told a UN panel that 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza are becoming victims of disease, pandemic, hunger and thirst. Israel is continuing its bombardment on Gaza in its fight against Hamas.
An active-duty member of the Air Force set himself on fire outside of the Israeli embassy in D.C. on Sunday in an apparent act of protest against Israel. The airman said he would no longer be complicit in genocide and shouted, “Free Palestine” after he set himself on fire. Police put out the fire and the airman was hospitalized, but he passed away from his injuries. His name was Aaron Bushnell and he was 25.
An organization in Israel said it’s gathered evidence that many women in southern Israel were raped by Hamas gunmen during the October 7 attack. The organization also said information from released hostages shows that sexual abuse has occurred and continues to happen in captivity. Hamas has denied the allegations.
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu told CBS News that America, if it faced the equivalent of 20 9/11s, with 50,000 Americans killed in one day, would be doing a hell of a lot more. Netanyahu said he would keep on with the military campaign until he reaches total victory.
The Israeli government said it plans to build over 3,000 new homes in settlements in the Israeli-occupied West Bank in response to a shooting by three Palestinian gunmen who fired on cars, killing one Israeli and wounding five.
The Biden administration said it is disappointed to hear of the Israeli announcement because it wants to see a future where there is Palestinian governance and eventually Palestinian statehood.
That’s all the updates for now.
Thanks for that update. That is all the news stories for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light!
Trump wins GOP primary in Haley’s home state SC:
https://www.politico.com/news/2024/02/24/south-carolina-takeaways-trump-haley-00143177
Ariz. teen is 1st girl to win boys state wrestling title:
Mexico City’s water shortages reach dangerous levels:
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/world/video-mexico-city-teeters-on-unprecedented-water-shortage/
Widow, aides indicted in assassination of Haitian president:
Israel-Gaza war updates:
https://abcnews.go.com/International/live-updates/israel-gaza-hamas-war/?id=107535302
Sexual violence: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-68365284
Air Force: https://taskandpurpose.com/news/man-sets-self-fire-israeli-embassy-air-force/