3 Things To Know Today

1 Michigan School Shooter Charged As An Adult; His Parents Face Charges, Too

Police say the 15-year-old accused in a deadly Michigan high school shooting made a video the night before the tragedy, talking about plans to kill his classmates. Ethan Crumbley is accused of killing four students and injuring seven others Tuesday at Oxford High School. He was arraigned yesterday and is being held in custody. Among his charges are four counts of first-degree murder, seven counts of assault with intent to murder, one count of terrorism and 12 counts of possession of a firearm. When asked if he understood the charges, he replied that he did. His attorney has entered a ‘not guilty’ plea on his behalf and he will be tried as an adult. But he’s not the only person facing charges, his parents may also face criminal penalties. "We know that owning a gun means securing it properly and locking it and keeping the ammunition separate and not allowing access to other individuals, particularly minors," Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald said in a statement. "We have to hold individuals accountable who don't do that." She added that her office will be making that decision in the near future.

2 Omicron Confirmed In United States

San Francisco officials are confirming the first Omicron coronavirus case in the U.S. Dr. Grant Colfax, the city's director of public health, said officials now believe Omicron is stronger than the Delta variant – though so far, it’s been reported that those cases have shown mild symptoms. Apparently, the infected man was vaccinated and is experiencing mild symptoms. Meanwhile, the Biden Administration is expected to extend the public transit mask mandate through mid-March. The mask requirement for planes, trains and buses is set to expire on January 18th. The White House is expected to make the announcement later today, and it comes after the U.S. begins preparations to combat the omicron variant. With the announcement, President Biden is also expected to lay out his administration's plan to fight COVID-19 this winter.

3 Possible Federal Government Shutdown Looms At Midnight Tomorrow

The federal government is facing a partial shutdown at midnight Friday unless Congress approves funding. The Office of Management and Budget is in charge of alerting federal employees about a shutdown and has plans in place for every government department and agency. Those plans include which employees would be furloughed and which workers are essential and would have to work without pay. Essential services such as Social Security, air traffic control, and the TSA would continue, even if some employees of those agencies wouldn't get paid. How to avert it? A stopgap spending measure passing in the House today. If that doesn’t happen, the Senate vote can be derailed by a single lawmaker who objects to fast-tracking the package.


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