News Brief: Jan. 27 - Feb. 3

International

ISIS Leader Killed

On Wednesday, Feb. 2, ISIS leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi was killed during the biggest U.S. raid in Syria since 2019.

At least 13 people were killed according to the White Helmets, a Syrian civil defense group.

U.S. forces landed and approached a compound in pursuit of al-Qurayshi. President Joe Biden ordered troops to take precautions to minimize civilian casualties.

The U.S. team arrived and asked people to leave the building and stay away. Shortly after, a bomb set off.

“At the beginning of the operation, the terrorist target exploded a bomb that killed him and members of his own family, including women and children,” a senior administration Pentagon official said.

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ISS to Crash into Earth

The International Space Station is set to crash into the Pacific Ocean by early 2031 due to an accumulation of structural fatigue and aging equipment.

Presently, the U.S. Congress has only approved funding until 2024, and all five space agencies involved with the ISS must agree on an extension. Russia has previously said it may terminate its participation with the ISS if current U.S. sanctions are not lifted. The U.S. said they will further those sanctions if Russia invades Ukraine.

NASA has provided funding for three companies to design new stations and other commercial destinations in low Earth orbit. According to NASA, this transition will save $1.3 billion dollars which they hope to redirect into more deep space exploration.

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Winter Olympics Controversy

The 2022 Winter Olympics are set to take place in Beijing, China from Feb. 4 to Feb. 20; the Paralympics will occur from March 4 to March 13.

Several countries have announced diplomatic boycotts of the Olympic Games, meaning their athletes will attend but their officials will not.

New Zealand, Austria, Slovenia, Sweden and the Netherlands have cited COVID-19 risks as their motivation for boycotting. However, the U.S., UK, Canada and others have pointed to human rights violations.

Most of these allegations are over the Chinese government’s treatment of the Uyghur Muslim population, including “re-education camps,” forced labor, sexual abuse and more.

China responded to the U.S. boycott, saying the U.S. “will pay a price for its erroneous actions.”

National

Florida Magnet Fishing Prompts Investigation

On Sunday, Jan. 30, parts of two sniper rifles were discovered in a Florida canal during a magnet fishing trip by Duane Smith and his grandson.

“With magnet fishing every time I cast out or every other time, I’m coming up with something,” Smith said. “There’s a bottle cap or, you know, a $7,000 sniper rifle.”

Smith, a retired infantry soldier, said they could have been there up to a year given their condition. The guns were without ammo and serial numbers, the latter of which appeared to have been ground off.

Smith turned them over to the Miami-Dade police for forensic processing.

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Spotify and Joe Rogan

Early last week, music artists Neil Young and Joni Mitchell asked Spotify to remove their music in response to Joe Rogan’s self-named podcast, “The Joe Rogan Experience.” Spotify CEO Daniel Ek said Rogan’s podcast is Spotify’s No. 1 podcast in more than 90 markets.

According to a CNN article, Joe Rogan’s content includes “frequent false and inaccurate claims about COVID-19 and vaccines,” which has resulted in backlash toward Spotify.

Spotify has responded to the backlash by adding a content advisory to any podcast episode discussing COVID-19. The advisory contains links to trusted sources of information.

“(Spotify is) trying to balance creative expression with the safety of our users,” Ek said.

Local

Snowplow Rolls

On Wednesday, Feb. 2, a snowplow driven by a contractor rolled multiple times on State Highway 4 near Mustang Road. The driver was reportedly injured.