March 23 top stories
It is March 23. Here are today’s top stories.
TikTok CEO testifies at Capitol
TikTok’s CEO Shou Zi Chew testified before a House committee today.
TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, is based in China, and there have been concerns from U.S. lawmakers that the Chinese government could use TikTok to spy on Americans.
There are about 150 million Americans who use TikTok. But the app is banned on federal government devices and a number of state governments have also imposed a ban on their devices.
CEO Chew told the committee that the company is building a “firewall” to seal off U.S. data from foreign access.
The Biden administration wants to see ByteDance sell TikTok to a new owner that wouldn’t be based in China. The Chinese government said they are opposed to this idea.
There are some members of Congress who disagree that TikTok is a threat, pointing out that it is very helpful to many Americans who have seen their businesses rise in popularity.
Denver high school shooter found dead
Police in Colorado said the suspected student shooter who wounded two East High School administrators on Wednesday morning before fleeing the scene was found dead in a wooded area about an hour away on Wednesday night. The cause of death has not been revealed.
The student’s name was Austin Lyle and he was 17 years old. CBS News said he was “already on probation for a ‘ghost gun.’” He was under a “safety plan” which required him to be patted down every day and during a search yesterday morning, a gun was found and the shooting happened.
One of the two wounded administrators was released from the hospital but the other remained in a hospital overnight and is listed in serious condition.
Denver police said the school will have two armed officers posted there for the rest of the school year.
Uganda legislature supports bill criminalizing LGBTQ identity
Uganda’s legislature has advanced a bill that would punish people who identify as LGBTQ by sending them to prison for up to 20 years. The proposal would also impose the death penalty for some “aggravated homosexuality” crimes.
The legislator who introduced the bill said his aim is to “protect our church culture” and the “religious and traditional family values of Ugandans.” Videos show many lawmakers cheering the bill’s passage.
There is a legislator that has spoken out against the bill, saying it unfairly limits the rights of LGBTQ persons.
CNN said the bill is expected to go to Ugandan President Museveni for assent and that he has spoken out against LGBTQ people in the past.
Officials from the U.S. have criticized the bill. The United Nations said if the bill is signed into law, it would cause “LGBTQ+ people in Uganda to be criminals simply for existing, for being who they are.”
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2 escaped inmates found at an IHOP
On Tuesday, law enforcement in Virginia said they found two inmates who escaped from a jail at an IHOP several hours later. Their names are John Garza and Arley Nemo. They escaped by digging a hole through a wall using a toothbrush and a metal object. They then found rebars in the wall and used them to continue to dig out and escape their cell. They then scaled a wall and escaped from the facility. But a few hours later they were at an IHOP and police got a tip, and they were arrested. The local sheriff’s office said they are working on fixing the jail’s weaknesses.
6 road construction workers killed by car crash
Six road construction workers in Baltimore County, Maryland were tragically killed when a speeding car collided with another car and spun out of control into a median where there was a construction zone. There were protective barriers but the car happened to go through a gap. This happened after noon on Wednesday on I-695.
The workers’ ages ranged from 31 to 52. The NTSB said it would help with the investigation.
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said his heart goes out to the victims and families affected by the tragic crash.
The Washington Post said nationwide, in 2020, about 860 people were killed in work zone crashes and more than 44,000 were injured. The top causes of crashes are speeding, distracted driving and following too closely.
Manhattan DA says Trump created false expectation of arrest
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office said in a letter addressed to House Republicans that Donald Trump misled people to expect that he would be arrested this week and that Republican members of Congress were pulled into interfering with their investigation on a hush money payment to Stormy Daniels.
There have been no indictments and no arrests. But the Manhattan DA’s office said they are looking into allegations that Trump violated New York State law.
House Republicans have pressured the Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg to provide information about its investigation. The DA’s office said House Republicans are doing an “unlawful incursion into New York’s sovereignty.”
Reuters said the grand jury investigating the case would not meet again until next week.
That is all the top stories for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light.
https://www.cbsnews.com/colorado/news/austin-lyle-park-county-bailey-county-road-east-high-shooting/
https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/21/africa/uganda-lgbtq-law-passes-intl/index.html
https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/22/africa/uganda-lgbtq-bill-condemned-intl/index.html
https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/uganda-passes-bill-banning-identifying-lgbtq-2023-03-21/
https://twitter.com/UNHumanRights/status/1638509135812542464/photo/1
https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/21/us/inmates-captured-ihop-newport-news
https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2023/03/22/maryland-workers-killed-crash-work-zone-beltway/