Monday morning news - July 12, 2021

For WORLD Radio, I'm Kent Covington. 

U.S. officials to evaluate conditions in Haiti following troop request » U.S. officials are expected on the ground in Haiti this week where violent gangs increasingly rule the streets as turmoil grips the nation.

They will evaluate conditions there and report back to the White House. That after the Hatian government asked the United States to deploy troops to Haiti to help stabilize the country in the wake of President Jovenel Moïse’s assassination.

Haiti’s Elections Minister Mathias Pierre defended the request.

PIERRE: We’re not asking for the occupation of the country. We’re asking for small troops to assist and help us.

Pierre said the local police force is weak and lacks resources.

His government is asking for troops to help protect key infrastructure and stave off anarchy as it prepares for elections.

On Saturday, a senior Biden administration official told the Associated Press that the United States has no immediate plans to send troops to Haiti.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki had only this to say…

PSAKI: We will be sending senior FBI and DHS officials to Port Au Prince as soon as possible to assess the situation.

Haiti also sent a letter to the United Nations, asking it to deploy peacekeeping troops to Haiti.

Death toll from South Florida condo collapse reaches 90 » The confirmed death toll from the condo collapse in South Florida is now up to 90. More than 30 people are still missing.

Miami-Dade County Mayor Danielle Levine Cava made this request of the public:

CAVA: Please pray for all of those who have lost loved ones and whose hearts are broken from this unspeakable tragedy and for those who are still waiting.

Authorities say it will take weeks to complete their search at the site of the collapse. With the possibility of more survivors now ruled out, searchers are taking a little bit more time, prioritizing safety.

Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett said Sunday that workers are also recovering many possessions from the rubble.

BURKETT: The work is still so delicate that we’ve even found unbroken wine bottles in the rubble. We’re also finding personal possessions as small as rings.

On Saturday night, members of the community gathered to thank the crews that have come from across the country and across the globe to help.

A search and rescue team from Israel that arrived shortly after the June 24th collapse departed on Sunday.

Trump headlines Conservative Political Action Conference » Former President Trump on Sunday headlined the final day of the 2024 Conservative Political Action Conference in Dallas.

Trump took aim at cancel culture and denounced big social media companies that he is now suing for shutting down his accounts after the Jan. 6th Capitol riot.

TRUMP: The radical left and Big Tech’s attack on free speech is unlawful, it’s unconstitutional, and it is completely un-American.

CPAC was the latest of several recent high profile public appearances by Trump, fueling speculation that he’s gearing up for a rematch with President Biden.

And with Trump headlining the event, several other potential presidential hopefuls sat out. Notable absences included former UN Ambassador and South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and Florida Gov. Ron Desantis.

Billionaire Branson travels to space aboard private rocket ship » Richard Branson, the billionaire founder of Virgin Galactic, rocketed into space on Sunday aboard his own winged rocket ship.

The nearly 70-year-old Branson and five crewmates from his space-tourism company reached an altitude of about 53 miles over the New Mexico desert. That was high enough to experience three to four minutes of weightlessness and see the curvature of the Earth. The spacecraft then glided safely to a runway landing.

BRANSON: I think like most kids, I have dreamt of this moment since I was a kid. But honestly, nothing could prepare you for the view of Earth from space. The whole thing, it was just magical.

The brief, up-and-down flight was a splashy plug for Virgin Galactic, which plans to start taking paying customers on joyrides next year.

Branson became the first person to blast off in his own spaceship, beating Amazon founder Jeff Bezos by nine days. Bezos plans a space flight soon aboard a private rocketship built by his space tourism company Blue Origin.

‘Black Widow’ marks Marvel’s return to big screen … and small screen » Marvel made its return to the big screen in a big way over the weekend…

TRAILER: Before I was an Avenger, I made mistakes and a lot of enemies.

The long-awaited Black Widow debuted after multiple pandemic delays. And it enjoyed the biggest opening of any film since before the pandemic, hauling in $80 million domestically on the big screen.

But it also earned almost as much on the small screen. It raked in another $60 million dollars from premier streaming access on the Disney+ platform.

The ninth installment in the Fast and the Furious franchise finished second with another $11 million in ticket sales.

I'm Kent Covington. For more news, features, and analysis, visit us at wng.org.

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