Kansas City shooting: One person is dead and more than 20 injured following a shooting at the end of a parade and rally in Kansas City celebrating the Super Bowl victory of the Kansas City Chiefs. Police said that three people were in custody in connection with the shooting. There were more than 800 police officers on duty but that didn’t deter the shooters from opening fire in what may have been a personal dispute. Many of the victims were children. Kansas City schools were close for the day so children could attend the celebration.
Special Council makes Supreme Court filing: Special Counsel Jack Smith late yesterday filed his answer to Donald Trump’s request that the Supreme Court take action that would delay the start of his trial on charges growing out of the attempted Jan. 6 coup. Smith told the court not to reward Trump by going along with his request to continue blocking the trial from moving forward. Smith said that the crimes with which Trump is charged strike at the very heart of the U.S. democracy.
Russian anti-satellite system: CNN reports that U.S. intelligence officials have briefed Congressional leaders about a new nuclear-powered anti-missile system being developed by the Russians. The system would be capable of taking out any satellites in orbit. House Speaker Mike Johnson, attempting to calm growing fears on Capitol Hill, said he already knew about the Russian system and it did not pose an immediate threat to the U.S.
Taylor Swift again: A poll by Monmouth University finds that about one-third of Republicans believe that musical star Taylor Swift is part of a government-controlled conspiracy to help President Biden win reelection. Right-wing conspiracy theorists have been pushing their claims since before the Super Bowl. They said that the romance between Swift and Kansas City player Travis Kelce was part of a psychological warfare scheme. Donald Trump warned Swift not to endorse President Biden in the 2024 election as she did in 2020.
Japan slips: Japan is now the world’s fourth leading economy, with Germany replacing Japan in the number three slot. The U.S. remains as the world’s leading economy followed by China. Last year, Japan’s economy had $4.2 trillion in activity, compared with $4.4 trillion for Germany. The economic figures were released in Tokyo today by the Japanese government, which also reported economic growth of 1.9% for 2023.
Israel skips talks: Israel says it is pulling out of peace talks about the war with Hamas until Hamas softens its demands. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Hamas of being delusional in its demands. Netanyahu has refused to send a delegation to Cairo for a new round of talks. Hamas wants Israel to completely pull out of Gaza and release all Palestinian prisoners in exchange for releasing the hostages it still holds.
