5 things to know for Feb. 16: Kansas City shooting, Trump hearings, Same-sex marriage, Gaza, Alexey Navalny

By CNN Newsource

Published February 16, 2024 4:59 AM

By Alexandra Banner, CNN

(CNN) — Cold weather is keeping many American shoppers at home after a robust holiday spending season. New data from the Commerce Department shows sales at retailers and restaurants tumbled last month, likely due to the prolonged cold snaps across the nation.

Here’s what else you need to know to Get Up to Speed and On with Your Day.

1. Kansas City shooting

New details are emerging about the shooting at the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl celebration on Wednesday that left one person dead and more than 20 others wounded. At least half of the victims shot were children, authorities said Thursday, adding the incident stemmed from a “dispute between several people.” Preliminary findings have also revealed no connections to terrorism or home-grown violent extremism, according to Police Chief Stacey Graves. Two teenagers are in custody, though no charges have been announced and no suspects have been named. Additionally, a crowd gathered for a vigil Thursday evening at a plaza adjacent to Children’s Mercy hospital where several of the injured children are hospitalized.

2.Trump hearings

Former President Donald Trump’s legal challenges faced crucial tests on Thursday in New York and Georgia in hearings related to two of his criminal cases. In New York, a judge set March 25 as the trial date for Trump’s case related to 2016 hush money payments to an adult film star. It will mark the first time an ex-president and potential presidential nominee will be tried in a criminal case. Meanwhile in Georgia, District Attorney Fani Willis — who brought the election subversion case against Trump — testified in a misconduct hearing about her relationship with the special prosecutor she hired to investigate Trump and others for election interference. Trump has argued the pair’s relationship is a reason to get the entire case dismissed.

3. Same-sex marriage

Greece legalized same-sex marriage on Thursday, marking a landmark victory for human rights in the country. The decision, supported by 176 out of 300 lawmakers in the Greek parliament and with 76 against, makes it the first majority Orthodox Christian country to establish marriage equality for all. “This is a milestone for human rights, reflecting today’s Greece — a progressive, and democratic country, passionately committed to European values,” Greece’s Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said. Parental and children’s rights are a cornerstone of the legislation, which will allow same-sex couples to adopt and receive full parental recognition. Previously, only the biological parents of children in those relationships were recognized as legal guardians.

4. Gaza

Israel raided the largest functioning hospital in Gaza on Thursday after receiving intelligence that the bodies of hostages were being held inside the facility. While Israeli forces said they detained a number of suspects in the raid, the Hamas-run health ministry said four patients died after electrical power was lost and oxygen supplies were interrupted at the hospital. With so much destruction in northern Gaza and the current offensive unfolding in the southern part of the besieged enclave, aid organizations warn that many people have no safe place to flee or receive medical care. At the same time, Egypt is building a new walled buffer zone more than 2 miles wide on Gaza border. The construction comes as fears grow that the already horrific humanitarian situation in Gaza will worsen, causing thousands of deaths and a mass exodus of Palestinians to Egypt’s border.

5. Alexey Navalny

Jailed Russian opposition figure and outspoken Kremlin critic Alexey Navalny has died at age 47, the Russian prison service said today. Navalny made global headlines when he was poisoned with a nerve agent in 2020. He was sentenced to 19 years in prison in August after he was found guilty of creating an extremist community, financing extremist activists and various other crimes. He was already serving sentences of 11-and-a-half years in a maximum security facility on fraud and other charges he denied.

BREAKFAST BROWSE

2024 Met Gala theme announced
The theme for fashion’s biggest night has been announced — and it’s quite dark and dystopian.

Cast of ‘Dune: Part Two’ debuts otherworldly red carpet looks
The cast of “Dune” is going full fantasy on its press tour. See the sculptural sci-fi looks worn at premieres by Zendaya, Timothée Chalamet, Florence Pugh and more.

Delta flight forced to turn around due to creepy crawlers
A Delta Airlines flight departing Amsterdam had to turn around after icky bugs reportedly fell onto a passenger from an overhead bin.

Daring bridge to connect two skyscrapers in New York City
Developers want to connect a pair of New York skyscrapers with a cantilevered bridge. See the renderings here.

Caitlin Clark breaks NCAA women’s basketball all-time scoring record
University of Iowa superstar Caitlin Clark is now the all-time leading scorer in NCAA women’s basketball after a dominating performance Thursday.

QUIZ TIME

A lunar lander embarked on a historic journey to the moon this week. What is the name of the spacecraft?
A. Achilles
B. Hercules
C. Odysseus
D. Zeus

Take me to the quiz!

Last week, 38% of readers who took the quiz got eight or more questions right. How will you fare?

TODAY’S NUMBER

5
That’s how many days the CDC recommends people should isolate from others if they test positive for Covid-19. However, a new report says the agency may soon shift its guidance to say that people no longer need to isolate once they have been fever-free for 24 hours and their symptoms are mild or improving.

TODAY’S QUOTE

“Our goal is to preserve the ability for people to choose to interact with political content while respecting each person’s appetite for it.”

— Adam Mosseri, the Meta executive who oversees both Instagram and Threads, saying the apps will no longer promote “political content.” Media experts say it is unclear what Meta defines as “political” — or whether the move will restrict news organizations who post updates on the White House or the 2024 election.

TODAY’S WEATHER

Check your local forecast here>>>

AND FINALLY …

Moose on the loose
A skier recorded a moose chasing him down a ski slope! See the video here.

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