New Zealand’s Prime Minister says she is going to step down; prosecutors say they will announce today any possible charges in the “Rust” movie-set shooting; and record amounts of snow hit Colorado. These stories and more highlight the daily morning rundown for Thursday, Jan. 19, 2023.
Possible charges in ‘Rust’ shooting decided
Prosecutors are set to announce whether any criminal charges will be filed over the fatal film-set shooting that happened in 2021. While the movie “Rust” was being made, cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was struck by gun-fire and killed. The prop-gun was being held by actor Alec Baldwin when the weapon went off.
The DA’s office will release a statement Thursday on the decision to charge or not charge anyone in the accidental shooting.
New Zealand Prime Minister resigns
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said she will step down next month because she says she “no longer has enough in the tank” to do the job. Her resignation takes effect Feb. 7.
Ardern faced much criticism during her time leading the country. She dealt with several crises during her tenure, including the COVID-19 pandemic, where she took a strict-stance on lockdowns.
She was the youngest prime minister to ever serve New Zealand.
Debt ceiling to be reached Thursday
It is expected that the U.S. will hit its debt ceiling Thursday, which means America is maxed out on its borrowing limit.
So what will happen now that we’ve reached that threshold? Nothing drastic will change today, but it’s the beginning of significant debate on Capitol Hill.
The U.S. Treasury Department will take what they call “extraordinary measures” in “account maneuvering” to ensure the federal government can keep paying its bills until at least June.
Right now Congress and the White House are at a standstill over raising the nation’s debt ceiling. Republicans want to see cuts and changes in federal spending. While the White House says they’re not negotiating on raising the debt limit.
Items collected from Kohberger residence
New details from an unsealed search warrant of Brian Kohberger’s residence is offering new insight into life of the suspect in the murders of four Idaho college students.
According to the search warrant, police recovered a pillow case with reddish-brown stains on it. Hair strands were taken from Kohberger’s apartment along with one black glove.
Animal hair was also found during the search, something police were hoping to find given one of the victims had a dog.
A vacuum, receipts from Walmart, and electronics were also collected. A murder weapon was not recovered according to the warrant.
Denver’s record January snowfall
Heavy snow is drifting across the Plains and Midwest in the latest winter storm system. It affects around 15 million Americans from Colorado to Michigan.
Denver just recorded the largest January snowfall seen there in three decades. A major interstate has been shut down after more than 20 vehicles, including nine semi-trucks and 12 cars, were involved in a pile-up. At times, officials were reporting near zero visibility on the roadways.
The same storm system will now travel across the East Coast Thursday and Friday.
