Alec Baldwin will be charged with involuntary manslaughter; Trump is poised to start tweeting again; and a bill is debated that would allow 12-year-olds to get vaccinated without parental consent. These stories and more highlight our daily afternoon rundown for Thursday, Jan. 19, 2023.
Alec Baldwin charged in film set shooting
Prosecutors announced Thursday morning their plans to charge actor Alec Baldwin with involuntary manslaughter in the accidental shooting on the “Rust” film set that killed a cinematographer. The person designated to oversee weapons on the film’s set, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, is also facing the same charges as Baldwin.
The charges are expected to be filed at the end of this month.
Baldwin has previously expressed grief over the set shooting in an interview with ABC news.
“She was someone who was loved by everyone who worked with and liked by and admired by everyone who worked with her,” Baldwin said.
Supreme Court rejects bid to block gun laws
In the span of one week, the Supreme Court has sided with the state of New York twice over its new gun restrictions, and against firearm dealers who said the new laws would violate their Second Amendment rights.
The new gun laws in New York include measures that require security systems inside gun shops, require background checks on customers buying ammunition, and require records of gun sales to be provided to government law enforcement agencies upon request.
Firearm dealers said the new laws infringed on their Second Amendment rights, while the Supreme Court, without comment on the case, rejected their claim.
There are still portions of the law being challenged in lower courts that could still have an effect on the new laws.
Homicides largely concentrated to big cities
The U.S. has been rattled by a crime wave since the pandemic. Homicide rates have spiked since 2020, shattering grim milestones. But a new report is arguing murder is not a nationwide problem, but rather a problem “in a small set of urban areas.” It says the problem is concentrated in just a few counties.
According to the report, 42% of America’s murders in 2020 took place in just 1% of all counties. Nearly half of all homicides happened in just 31 counties. The top 5% of counties with the highest homicide count accounted for 73% of murders in the U.S. More than half of all counties recorded no homicides, and another 16% recorded just one murder.
Trump’s return to Twitter
Former President Trump is expected to return to Twitter. He is also asking Meta for permission back onto Facebook so he can use the platforms for his 2024 presidential campaign.
“When he was banned from Twitter and Facebook the day after the Jan. 6 riot, those were supposed to be permanent bans. Then Facebook’s oversight board said it was going to be a two-year ban and be revisited. So, there’s a lot of indication from that side that they don’t intend for this to be permanent,” said NBC Senior Political Reporter Jonathon Allen.
As he awaits a response from Facebook, Trump already has the green light from Twitter, and his campaign team is reportedly ready to start tweeting again.
Elon Musk is apparently preparing for backlash, and not only from users. Musk has suggested the federal government could also become involved.
Musk said in a tweet that the Biden administration may try to weaponize federal agencies against Twitter since the platform is welcoming back the former president.
Vaccination rights for 12-year-olds
A bill being debated among Connecticut lawmakers would allow children as young as 12 years old to receive vaccines without parental consent, and it’s not exclusive to the COVID-19 vaccine. Right now in the state, you have to be 18 years or older to get vaccinated, unless you have a parent’s written or verbal permission.
Washington D.C., passed a similar law two years ago, allowing a child as young as 11 years old to get vaccinated on their own.
Media miss on the left
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School lights stuck on for 18 months
For a high school in Massachusetts, it looks like school is always in session, day or night. That’s because the school can’t figure out how to override its lighting system to turn the lights off.
For a year and a half now, all the lights in the school have remained on, and it is becoming a problem with taxpayers who pay for those lights.
The school expects to make the repairs needed next month. In the meantime, teachers are shutting off breakers not connected to the main system and unscrewing light bulbs from fixtures in the classroom.
