Texas shooting:Â Police in El Paso, Texas, report two people taken into custody following last night’s shooting at a shopping mall. One person was killed and three others injured. The mall is just across from a Walmart store where, in 2019, 23 people were killed in a mass shooting.
Chinese sanctions:Â China this morning imposed sanctions on U.S. companies Lockheed Martin and Raytheon for supplying weapons to Taiwan. Raytheon has a contract worth more than $400 million to upgrade Taiwan’s military radar. The dollar value of contracts Lockheed Martin has that would benefit Taiwan was not immediately known. The effects the Chinese sanctions would have may not be significant since the U.S. government already restricts business defense contractors can do with China.
NATO aid:Â The North Atlantic Treaty Organization has pledged aid to Turkey in its recovery from the earthquake, including sending tens of thousands of tents to help shelter those left homeless. The death toll in the earthquake passed 42,000 this morning with an estimated 50,000 buildings destroyed. The U.N. reports the death toll from the quake in Syria is more than 6,000.
Russian soldiers:Â It’s believed that up to 1,000 Russian soldiers have been killed in the Russian military’s failed attempt to capture the Ukrainian city of Vuhledar. The Russians have been trying without success to wipe out Ukrainian defenders of the city in what some believe to be a prelude to a new Russian offensive. The offensive would coincide with the Feb. 24 one-year anniversary of Russia starting the war against Ukraine.
Train wreck meeting:Â Many residents of East Palestine, Ohio, who attended a meeting last night about the train derailment complained that they were not being told the true story about hazards from the wreck, chemical spill and fire. Representatives of the Norfolk Southern railroad, operator of the train, did not attend the town hall meeting, which took place in a school gymnasium.
Raquel Welch:Â Actress Raquel Welch, who died yesterday at age 82, is being remembered not only as a movie and TV star and sex symbol, but also as a woman who was serious about her career. In 1987 she won a $10 million judgment against the MGM film studio after MGM dropped her from the cast of a movie.
Cover photo courtesy of 20th Century Fox
