Greeks Grab Leader, NFL Final Four
Sunday, January 18, 2015
Vol. 4, No. 18
Network: Greek police have arrested four men, one of whom is suspected of having a direct connection with the terror cell interrupted in a shootout in Verviers, Belgium this past week. One of them is Moroccan-born Abdelhamid Abaaoud, 27, who Belgian authorities say is the mastermind of the plot. Abaaoud is also believed to have fought with Islamic State forces in Syria.
Nation: President Obama plans to pitch billions of dollars worth of higher taxes on the wealthy in his State of the Union message Tuesday night. The Republican congress will surely object and that will put them in the position of defending the rich over the middle class.
The White House has given advance notice that the president plans to ask for higher capital gains taxes on people who earn more than half a million dollars a year and the elimination of a tax break on inheritances. The White House says the changes would affect only the top one percent of earners.
Badlands: Two Kentucky teenagers accused of a multi-state crime spree have been arrested in Panama City, Florida. Dalton Hayes, 18, and Cheyenne Phillips, 13, were found sleeping in a stolen pickup truck, the BMW of trailer park criminals. The two are not suspected of any violent crimes, but they are accused of stealing three vehicles, one of them with guns inside it, writing stolen checks, and committing thousands of dollars worth of property damage.
Weather Report: A combination of wet and freezing weather has caused traffic delays and dozens of accidents along the East Coast, including a 30-car pileup west of Philadelphia. The Palisades Parkway along the Hudson River in New Jersey was closed for a while. Four bridges linking Philadelphia and New Jersey also were closed because of ice.
World: An estimated six million people attended the last Mass celebrated by Pope Francis in Manila today. A sea of people stood before the pope, few of whom could even see or hear him.
>After renewed fighting over the rubble of the Donetsk airport, Ukrainian troops staged a large attack overnight and retook the ground.
With peace talks stalled, pro-Russian separatists have increased their attacks in recent weeks, forcing last night’s action by the government. President Petro Poroshenko said, “We will not give away one scrap of Ukrainian land.”
Apology of the Week: CBS Sports commentator Greg Anthony has been suspended for the rest of the basketball season following his arrest late Friday afternoon in an undercover prostitution sting in Washington. Anthony was arrested in a room at the Doubletree Hotel not far from the White House. Anthony played 12 years in the NBA. The married father of four issued a statement saying, “I made a mistake.” Isn’t that just a little bit more than a “mistake”?
QB4: Four of the best quarterbacks in football lead their teams today to determine the pairing for this year’s Super Bowl. The Packers meet the Seahawks in Seattle at 3:05 EST followed by a 6:40 kickoff for the Indianapolis Colts at New England.
The Packers’ QB Aaron Rodgers is considered the best in the game, but he’s been hampered by a strained calf muscle. The Seahawks’ Russell Wilson is a scrambler who can run as well as throw, and is favored to win.
While New England also is favored, the aging Tom Brady … 37 is old for football … faces the formidable young Andrew Luck. But of his last 67 home games, Brady has won 60. Weather may be a factor.
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