Wednesday, December 28 top stories
It is Wednesday, December 28. Here are today’s top stories.
Stories of Buffalo blizzard victims
A woman from Buffalo, New York is in the news after she helped to rescue a man who was stranded outside during blizzard conditions on Christmas Eve. The woman, Sha’Kyra Aughtry, was at home when she heard a person screaming outside. She saw a man and brought him inside. The man, named Joe White, had developmental disabilities and was living in a group home. He may have become disoriented when he left the group home that morning and got lost in the storm. Sha’Kyra used a hair blow dryer to melt ice on the man’s hands and used a tool to cut off his rings. She said she called emergency personnel for help, but was told that she was on a “list” because first responders couldn’t come due to the storm. She went on Facebook Live to ask for help and advice and became increasingly concerned, saying the man’s body was changing rapidly.
Fortunately, some who saw the livestream had a snowplow and decided to come to the house and bring the man to a hospital. The man is now recovering from fourth-degree frostbite, which is the most severe form of frostbite. The family of the man said Sha’Kyra saved his life and she is now considered family.
It just shows how dangerous the blizzard in Buffalo was. At least 34 people died in western New York from the storm.
Another story that has recently emerged is the death of a 22-year-old woman named Anndel Taylor. She was only six minutes away from her home when she became stuck in the blizzard. She texted her sisters who lived out of state about her situation. She called 911 and waited for first responders but they never came. She stopped responding to her family after the night and others found her body in the car. Her family is grieving and wants to understand why the city of Buffalo was unable to help her. A city official said most of its snow-clearing equipment got stuck in the storm so they couldn’t help those who needed it.
Former Pope Benedict health worsening
Pope Francis said the former Pope Benedict XVI is very sick and that his health is worsening due to advanced age. Benedict is now being cared for by medical staff at a facility at the Vatican. Benedict is 95 years old. In 2013, he resigned from the papacy, making him the first pope to resign in 600 years. He said he resigned due to declining health.
George Santos controversy
George Santos, who was just elected to become a Republican member of Congress representing some of New York’s Long Island and Queens areas, is now in hot water because he admitted to making up several things about his past. He previously said he graduated from Baruch College in New York but after the college said they had no record of his attendance, he admitted he never went to the college or any other institution of higher learning. Santos previously said he was Jewish, but admitted that he lied and meant he was “Jew-ish.” Santos also previously said he worked for major investment firms Citigroup and Goldman Sachs but admitted that he lied about that too, explaining that he worked for a company that did business with both investment firms. Santos said his sins are embellishing his resume and that he is sorry. He said he would deliver on his promises during his campaign about the people’s concerns.
Democrats in Congress have called on him to resign, but Republican leaders have been quiet about the controversy.
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Supreme Court upholds Trump-era border policy
The Supreme Court voted 5-4 to keep in effect a policy from the Trump administration that allowed the U.S. to quickly expel asylum-seekers at the border due to concerns with the coronavirus. The policy is called Title 42 and it was set to expire now, but now it’s extended. 19 Republican-led states asked the Supreme Court to intervene and they did. NBC News said the Title 42 policy would remain in effect at least until the end of June.
Conservative justice Neil Gorsuch sided with three liberal judges who dissented, saying the current crisis at the border is not a Covid-19 crisis. He said courts shouldn’t allow a policy that is aimed at a particular emergency to be applied to a different emergency.
NBC said without the policy in place, those at the border seeking asylum would be allowed to enter the U.S. and could wait for years in the country for their immigration court dates. But authorities at the border can refuse entry based on concerns about the coronavirus.
The White House said they would comply with the Supreme court’s decision and would make preparations on how to manage the border when Title 42 eventually lifts.
Racist incident at In-N-Out restaurant
On Christmas Eve in San Ramon, California, two Asian friends were eating at an In-N-Out restaurant and filming themselves for a TikTok video. A man was heard off-screen mocking the duo for filming themselves and then escalated by using both homophobic and anti-Asian slurs. When the male friend, Elliot Ha, fired back with a clever comment, the man became angry and threatened them by saying, “see you outside.” The female friend, Arine Kim, was visibly nervous and implored Elliot to stop talking to him. The duo decided to stay at the restaurant until it was closed and had restaurant employees escort them to their cars. The man was not there anymore.
When the video went viral, the San Ramon police chief posted on social media asking for help to identify the racist. The suspect was eventually arrested and identified as a 40-year-old man from Denver named Jordan D. Krah. He was charged with violating California’s hate crime laws. Police said they received similar complaints in the past about the man.
Two more sentenced in governor kidnapping plot
Axios reported that two of the leaders of the plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer were sentenced today and Tuesday to long prison terms. On Tuesday, Adam Fox was sentenced to 16 years. Today Barry Croft, Jr. was sentenced to over 19 years. Both were convicted in August of conspiring to abduct and conspiring to obtain a weapon of mass destruction. Both were members of a far-right militia group called the Three Percenters. So far at least seven men were convicted and sentenced for their roles in the plot to kidnap the governor at her vacation home and use weapons to hinder law enforcement’s response. One of the motives for kidnapping Whitmer is displeasure with her leadership during Covid-19, which included lockdowns and restrictions on businesses.
That is all the top stories for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light.
https://edition.cnn.com/2022/12/27/us/buffalo-woman-saves-man-frostbite-facebook/index.html
https://www.axios.com/2022/12/28/pope-benedict-health-worsening-vatican
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/george-santos-admits-to-lying-about-his-past-new-york-post/
https://www.axios.com/2022/12/28/barry-croft-whitmer-kidnapping-sentence