A collision between two military helicopters in Alaska has left three Army soldiers dead. And Ticketmaster is once again in the hot seat over its latest ticket sale debacle. These stories and more highlight the daily rundown for Friday, April 28, 2023.
3 U.S. soldiers killed after Army helicopters collide
Two U.S. Army helicopters collided and crashed in Alaska, Thursday, April 27, while returning from a training flight. Three soldiers were killed.
Two of the soldiers died at the scene of the crash and a third died on the way to a hospital. Another soldier was injured and is in the hospital.
Each of the helicopters had two people aboard.
The Army said the cause of the crash is under investigation.
This is the second crash involving military helicopters in Alaska this year where two soldiers were injured in a rollover accident.
It also follows the deadly crash of two U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopters which killed nine soldiers in Kentucky last month.
Pence testifies in 2020 presidential election probe
Former Vice President Mike Pence appeared before a grand jury investigating the aftermath of the 2020 election and the actions of then-President Donald Trump and others.
The vice president testified for more than seven hours on Thursday, April 27.
It marks the first time in modern history a vice president has been compelled to testify about the president he served beside.
Russia fires barrage of airstrikes on Ukraine, killing 12
Russia fired a barrage of more than 20 cruise missiles and two explosive drones at Ukraine, killing at least 12 people. The deadliest strike of many launched Friday, April 28, was a missile that tore into an apartment building. Ten people died as a result. The timing of the airstrike came as residents were asleep.
The capital of Kyiv, also came under attack, for the first time in about two months. Officials said there were no casualties there as the country’s air defenses were able to intercept 11 missiles and two drones.
The head of the United Nations says each civilian killed constitutes a potential war crime against the Kremlin.
China flies combat drone around Taiwan
A new type of Chinese combat drone has been spotted flying around Taiwan. It is seen as the latest uptick in military tensions there, according to Taiwan’s Defense Ministry.
In its daily update on Chinese military activities, the Defense Ministry reported 19 aircraft had entered the island’s air defense identification zone. One of which was the aircraft Chinese state media has referred to as the Twin-Tailed Scorpion. It’s capable of high-altitude, long-range missions, and is equipped to carry a heavy-weapons-payload.
The latest tension comes the same month that China retaliated against the island following Taiwan president Tsai ing Wen’s meeting in Los Angeles with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif.
Ticketmaster’s debacle in coronation ticket sales
Ticketmaster is being accused of creating another debacle in ticket sales, issuing tickets for King Charles’ coronation concert.
The ticketing giant was tasked with distributing around 20,000 tickets, which were allocated by geographic spread of the U.K.’s population, instead of on a first come, first served basis.
Angry fans took to social media to complain they had received messages that they’d won tickets only to find that the tickets were all gone when they attempted to claim them.
Ticketmaster ran into trouble in November when the site couldn’t handle the heavy demand for Taylor Swift’s tour. Since then, members of Congress have been looking into whether Ticketmaster is too big of a monopoly in the ticket sale space.
NFL draft enters second round
The Carolina Panthers chose Alabama quarterback Bryce Young with the first overall pick of this year’s NFL draft.
The Houston Texas chose Ohio State quarterback CJ Stroud second overall. Then, surprisingly, traded back up to the third pick, where they went to the other side of the ball and nabbed Alabama linebacker Will Anderson Jr.
The second round begins tonight.
