Airplane accident: All 379 people on board a Japan Airlines Airbus A350 escaped when the airplane burst into flames after being in a collision with an airplane operated by Japan’s Coast Guard at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport. The Coast Guard’s Bombardier Dash-8 airplane was being used for earthquake relief. The collision took place on a runway. The pilot of the Coast Guard plane escaped but five other crew members were killed.
Earthquake aftermath: Officials in Japan said this morning that at least 48 people were killed in the earthquakes that hit Japan’s western coast. The main quake measured 7.8 on the Richter scale. Japanese news reports said that thousands of buildings were destroyed. Tsunami warnings were issued but only small waves came ashore. Japan’s nuclear power plants were reported to have been unaffected by the earthquakes.
Russian attacks: Russia today staged missile and drone attacks on Ukraine’s capital city Kyiv and the northeastern city Kharkiv. Officials said at least five civilians were killed and dozens injured. Numerous buildings were reported damaged. This was the third day of stepped up Russian attacks on Ukrainian civilian targets following a Ukrainian air attack on the Russian city of Belgorod. Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed to retaliate for the Ukrainian attack.
Israeli Supreme Court ruling: Israel’s Supreme Court has thrown out a plan by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his supporters that would have limited the power of Israel’s courts by stripping the Supreme Court of its power to review government actions. The vote was eight to seven to allow what is known as the reasonableness clause to remain in effect. It allows the Supreme Court to determine whether a government action was reasonable or unreasonable.
New poll: A poll released this morning by The Washington Post and the University of Maryland this finds that 62% of Americans believe that Joe Biden was legitimately elected president, a drop from the 69% who felt that way in 2021. The change apparently reflects the success of continued false claims alleging fraud in the election made by Donald Trump and his supporters. According to the poll, 55% of Americans believe the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol was “an attack on democracy that should never be forgotten.” Only 24% of Republicans feel that way, according to the poll.
Jackpot winner: There was a winner in yesterday’s $842.2 million Powerball jackpot. The winning ticket was sold in Grand Blanc, Michigan. The winner did not immediately claim the prize. The jackpot was the fifth largest in Powerball’s history. Yesterday was the first time since Powerball was started in 1992 that someone hit the jackpot in a drawing on New Year’s Day.
