Monday, December 6 top stories
Monday, December 6 top stories
It is Monday, December 6. Hope your weekend was good. Here are today’s top stories.
Michigan school shooting suspect’s parents jailed
On Friday, the parents of the Michigan high school shooting suspect, James and Jennifer Crumbley, were searched by law enforcement after they couldn’t be located following their charges of involuntary manslaughter. The couple was found and arrested by Detroit police early Saturday morning at a commercial building. Now all three people — the parents and their son Ethan, the suspected shooter who killed four students at Oxford High School last Tuesday, are detained at the same jail. The parents were charged because the Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald said they allowed Ethan to have access to the gun that was used in the shooting. The gun was purchased only four days prior by the father as an early Christmas present. On the day before the shooting, school officials saw Ethan viewing images of ammunition on his phone and the mother reacted by texting Ethan, “Lol. I’m not mad at you. You have to learn not to get caught.” On Tuesday morning, the day of the shooting, one of Ethan’s teachers saw him making violent drawings that involved a gun and bullet. School officials called the parents to come in for a meeting, and it appears that the parents didn’t take the time to ask Ethan about whether he brought the gun or not. Now the parents are being held in jail on a $500,000 bond each. Both have pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter. Jail officials said the three Crumbleys are not able to communicate with each other in jail — Ethan is in isolation and James and Jennifer would be in separate areas according to their gender.
The Oakland County prosecutor also said she is concerned about how school officials at the high school failed to search Ethan’s backpack and locker after a teacher found his violent drawings. The prosecutor said she hasn’t ruled out charging school officials.
Bob Dole passes away at 98
Bob Dole, who was a Republican U.S. Senate leader from Kansas and a candidate for the presidency, passed away on Sunday at the age of 98. He was a World War II veteran who was seriously injured fighting Nazi Germany and lost use of his right hand. He became a U.S. Congressman in 1961 and became a Senator in 1969 and would later serve 11 years as the Senate Majority Leader. He was the Republican nominee for the presidency in 1996 but lost his campaign against Bill Clinton, who was re-elected for his second term. Dole is recognized as a disability rights advocate, being credited as a key influence on the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Bob was diagnosed earlier this year with stage 4 lung cancer and passed away in his sleep Sunday morning. He leaves behind his long-time wife, Elizabeth and a daughter from his first marriage, Robin.
Man tries to use fake arm to get vaccine certificate
A 50-year-old man in Italy was accused of trying to use a fake, silicone arm to get the Covid-19 vaccine so he could get a “green pass” to enter bars, restaurants, and other indoor venues. A nurse said when she was about to inject the man, he noticed that his arm had a different color compared with his face or other hand. The nurse said he thought the man had a prosthesis and felt bad that she was about to inject the wrong arm, but that the man admitted he was trying to avoid getting the vaccine. A local government official condemned the man, saying what he did is harmful to the region’s health system.
Fauci says omicron may not be as dangerous as delta
Dr. Anthony Fauci, who is President Biden’s chief medical advisor, said studies of the omicron variant of the coronavirus suggest that it is less dangerous than delta. Fauci said hospitalization rates in South Africa, where omicron was first identified, has not increased at alarming levels. Fauci said he hopes that the U.S. ban on travel from countries in the southern part of Africa will be lifted in a “reasonable period of time.”
AP News explained that omicron has been detected in about a third of U.S. states as of Sunday. The latest states to report cases are Wisconsin, Missouri, and Louisiana. But delta is still the dominant variant and is responsible for 99% of cases in the U.S.
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Covid-19 cases spiking
Covid-19 cases in the U.S. are now spiking. We’re now at about 20% more cases compared with two weeks ago — we are seeing an average of 109,000 cases a day. We are still losing many people to the coronavirus, as on Sunday, 1,178 people died. That figure is about 5% more than two weeks ago. The three states that have the most cases per capita are New Hampshire, Michigan, and Minnesota. Those who are unvaccinated are dying at 13 times the rate as those who are vaccinated. Health officials are encouraging those who are fully vaccinated to go ahead and schedule their booster shots.
CNN fires Chris Cuomo
On Saturday evening, CNN fired its star host Chris Cuomo for his role in helping his brother, the then-governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo deal with sexual harassment accusations. Cuomo was suspended last week, and is now terminated. Cuomo said on Twitter that it is not how he wanted his time with CNN to end and that he has already explained why he helped his brother.
In related news, a woman has come forward with a new allegation of sexual harassment against Chris when he was with ABC News. Cuomo joined CNN in 2013, so the alleged incident was before that. The woman is anonymous and has an attorney representing her. Cuomo has denied the new allegation.
White House’s diplomatic boycott of Winter Olympics
The Biden administration announced that it will do a diplomatic boycott of the Winter Olympics in Beijing, China that is set to kick off in February. A diplomatic boycott means that no U.S. officials will attend the opening or closing ceremonies, but American athletes would still compete. Multiple lawmakers in the U.S., both Republican and Democratic, have raised concerns with human rights in China, such as the treatment of Uyghur Muslims or more recently concerns with the tennis player Peng Shuai. A Chinese government official said they would do firm countermeasures if there is a boycott.
That is all the top stories for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light.
https://www.theoaklandpress.com/2021/12/06/detectives-to-interview-metro-detroit-artist-monday-in-connection-with-crumbleys-hiding-out/
https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/06/us/michigan-oxford-high-school-shooting-monday/index.html
https://apnews.com/article/crime-shootings-education-michigan-school-shootings-a734bfa163d0e761b1eac3031ba0569a
https://www.newson6.com/story/61aceed5dac6980c1be7f386/former-us-senator-presidential-nominee-bob-dole-dies-at-98
https://time.com/5510675/bob-dole-disability/
https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/03/europe/italy-man-silicone-arm-vaccine-intl-scli/index.html
https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-joe-biden-lifestyle-health-travel-ef7c250c58b90b9835a972d7ebd9556b
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/us/covid-cases.html?
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/cnn-fires-chris-cuomo-suspension-rcna7245
https://www.axios.com/chris-cuomo-sexual-misconduct-allegation-785c3bb3-b8c0-4195-bf5a-6b747987b150.html
https://nypost.com/2021/12/06/white-house-announcing-diplomatic-boycott-of-winter-olympics-report/