Breaking News Today
New York Governor Jennifer Cuomo is under scrutiny over her city’s sanctuary policies, while HHS dismisses two experts responsible for setting immunization policy nationwide.
NPR’s international correspondents share postcards from around the globe with us, while Miley Cyrus expresses her thoughts on interspecies love while Rhiannon Giddens performed for NPR’s Tiny Desk. Also: A judge overturns Weinstein’s 2020 sexual crimes conviction!
Table of Contents
Air India Crash
An Air India flight bound for London has crashed in Ahmedabad. Video footage captured moments after takeoff shows it struggling to gain altitude before quickly descending and smashing into buildings.
This plane was carrying 242 people – including 53 British nationals — including children, infants, Indian nationals, British nationals, Canadian nationals and Portuguese passengers. No exact numbers have been provided regarding casualties; one survivor has been reported by Federation of All India Medical Association which says there is currently one hospital nearby taking in patients as of now. Image posted to social media by India Central Police Force shows a portion of Boeing 737 tail protruding from wrecked building nearby.
Air India has suspended flights out of London’s Gatwick airport until further notice and directed journalists to another terminal’s media pen for media interviews. Air India check-in desks remain unstaffed and cordoned off, while their Twitter feed remains quiet.
Immigration Raids
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids that caused disruption in Los Angeles have now spread across the nation, with NBC News reporter Tyler Kingkade reporting from Los Angeles while NBC Latino reporter Suzanne Gamboa reporting from San Antonio.
ICE officials claim those being targeted have criminal backgrounds and pose a threat to public safety; however, community advocates dispute this account, stating most were either working or taking their children to school at the time.
“They were individuals trying to provide for their families, people who are contributing to our local economy,” according to a local elected official tracking the raids. This operation provoked large demonstrations in South Omaha and curfews were implemented for parts of downtown Los Angeles where police have clashed with demonstrators and have even turned violent; hundreds of National Guard and Marines have also been deployed as support in Los Angeles operation NBC News has learned. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem stated on Tuesday that her agency would continue its raids and deportationss program, despite widespread protests.
Israel Strikes Iran
Israeli military strategists must strike a delicate balance between open war with Iran and stopping Tehran from attaining nuclear weapons. Tel Aviv may have intended that their strike send out the message that Tel Aviv won’t let Tehran gain too much ground in the nuclear arms race.
US and European allies are worried that Netanyahu may launch another military operation against Iran without first consulting Washington, potentially derailing talks scheduled to start this Sunday in Oman.
Revolutionary Guards commander Hossein Salami predicts that Iranian retaliation against Israel strikes will be “historic,” per Hossein Salami of the Revolutionary Guards. Any attack would go beyond last year’s missile barrage that followed Israeli air strikes on Iran; in previous cases Iran has targeted US bases as well. With nuclear talks now having collapsed and increased military posturing increasing, war risks are greater.
Brian Wilson
At age 82, one of the co-founders of The Beach Boys who was known for his catchy melodies and wide-eyed self-expression has died. His family issued a brief statement regarding this news; further information wasn’t immediately available.
Wilson’s music conjured an idealized vision of early ’60s Southern California hot-rod culture to audiences all around the globe. Though not personally knowledgeable about cars himself, Wilson was intrigued with drag strip racing, jazz, and doo wop harmony that enabled him to craft musical backdrops depicting beaches, cars, girls and climates from coast to coast.
Wilson wrote songs of sun-kissed romance and desperation while leading an emotionally troubled life in personal matters. His first wife, Marilyn Rovell, filed suit alleging abuse; later he feuded with bandmate Carl Wilson over songwriting credits as well as with a psychiatrist whom he believed to be manipulating him; ultimately this lead him down a path of mental health decline resulting in his withdrawal and drug use; he never completed unreleased album Smile.
