Shooting shocks Kansas City

At least one person is dead and at least 22 are injured from gunshot wounds, including eight children, after a shooting at a parade celebrating the Chiefs Super Bowl victory in Kansas City Feb. 14.

Kansas City Police Chief Stacey Graves confirmed the incident at a press conference after the shooting and said that two people were in custody, but their names had not been released at the time of this article’s publication.

“I’m angry at what happened today. The people who came to this celebration should expect a safe environment,” Graves said. 

Kansas City native Lisa Money, who witnessed the event, said she couldn’t believe what was happening at first.

“I can’t believe it really happened. Who in their right mind would do something like this? This is supposed to be a day of celebration for everybody in the city and the surrounding area, and then you’ve got some idiot that wants to come along and do something like this,” she said to the Associated Press.

Missouri Gov. Mike Parsons and his wife attended the parade and were present at the time of the shooting, but said in a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter, that the couple was safe.

“State law enforcement personnel are assisting local authorities in response efforts,” Parson said. “As we wait to learn more, our hearts go out to the victims.”

This is the 44th mass shooting of 2024, according to Forbes.

Senate passes aid for Ukraine, Israel 

The U.S. Senate passed a foreign aid bill Feb. 13 in a 70-29 bipartisan vote after months of negotiations, but it faces an uncertain future in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives. 

Twenty-two Republican senators joined most Democrats to pass the bill, including minority leader Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and minority whip Sen. John Thune of South Dakota, reported The New York Times. Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon, a Democrat, joined Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, an Independent, in voting against the bill, citing Israel’s use of force on Palestinians in Gaza.

The package grants a total of $95.3 billion for foreign aid. It includes $60 billion to Ukraine, $14.1 billion to Israel and $9.2 billion in humanitarian assistance to provide food, water, shelter and medical care to civilians in war zones around the world, according to the Associated Press. 

Of the money allocated to Ukraine, almost $14 billion would allow Ukraine to rearm itself and about $15 billion would support services like military training and intelligence sharing. About $8 billion would go to help Ukraine’s government continue basic operations and another $1.6 billion would aid the private sector. There is also $480 million that would go to Ukrainians displaced by the war. 

The majority of the funding for Ukraine would be used for “replenishing the U.S. military with the weapons and equipment that are going to Kyiv,” according to AP. 

The money allocated to Israel would grant about $4 billion to Israel’s air defenses and about $1.2 billion to a laser weapons system designed to destroy missiles. There is also $2.5 billion for U.S. military operations in the region. 

The humanitarian aid would largely go to Ukraine and Gaza and the West Bank, where Israel’s war against Hamas has left most without necessities and a quarter of the residents in Gaza starving, according to AP.

Both Senate and House Republicans expressed disappointment with the bill not including restrictions on the Southern border. House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana said Feb. 12 that without border policy revisions, the House would not touch the bill.

“In the absence of having received any single border policy change from the Senate, the House will have to continue to work its own will on these important matters,” Johnson said.

President Joe Biden encouraged Johnson to bring the bill to the House floor in a televised statement Feb. 13.

“I call on the Speaker to let the full House speak its mind and not allow a minority of most extreme voices in the House to block this bill even from being voted on,” Biden said.

Mummified monkeys detected by security dog at Logan Airport 

Four mummified monkeys were found in a passenger’s bag by a security dog Jan. 8 at Logan International Airport, the Center for Border Protection told The Boston Globe.

The passenger was returning to the United States from the Democratic Republic of Congo and told authorities the bag had dried fish in it. 

“Still, upon physical inspection, the officer identified the dead and dehydrated bodies of four monkeys,” a statement from the CBP said.

The CBP contacted the Center for Disease Control and Protection to have the bag and remains destroyed, according to the Globe. The remains are considered bushmeat, which can carry the Ebola virus and potentially cause illness. 

“Bushmeat can carry germs that can cause illness, including the Ebola virus. The work of CBP’s K9 unit and Agricultural Specialist were vital in preventing this potential danger from entering the U.S.,” said the CBP’s area port director for Boston Julio Caravia.

House impeaches Mayorkas despite lack of evidence

The House of Representatives passed a resolution Feb. 13 to impeach Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas in the second vote in as many weeks.

Mayorkas is the first sitting cabinet member to be indicted by the House, according to The New York Times. He was accused of “willfully and systematically” refusing to enforce border laws and breaching the public trust. Republicans have produced no evidence that Mayorkas committed a crime or acts of corruption.

In a 214-213 vote, all but three present Republicans voted to impeach Mayorkas, the same three who voted no in the first failed impeachment vote Feb. 6: Reps. Ken Buck of Colorado, Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin and Tom McClintock of California.

In a press release, President Joe Biden denounced House Republicans for impeaching Mayorkas, calling the act “unconstitutional partisanship” and encouraging Congress to pass legislation that would address the situation at the border.

“Instead of staging political stunts like this, Republicans with genuine concerns about the border should want Congress to deliver more border resources and stronger border security,” the statement read. “Sadly, the same Republicans pushing this baseless impeachment are rejecting bipartisan plans Secretary Mayorkas and others in my administration have worked hard on to strengthen border security at this very moment — reversing from years of their own demands to pass stronger border bills.”