Seven Memphis police officers have been relieved from duty after the city released graphic footage of five officers fatally beating Tyre Nichols. Also in the news: The death toll in a suicide mosque bombing in Pakistan has risen to at least 88 and a look at whether schools should ban artificial intelligence tool ChatGBT over cheating risks.
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Let’s go with Tuesday’s headlines.
Seventh Memphis police officer relieved of duty
Authorities announced that a total of seven Memphis Police officers were relieved of duty this month after law enforcement brutally beat, Tased and pepper sprayed 29-year-old Tyre Nichols after pulling him over. Nichols died on Jan. 10, just three days after the traffic stop. The seven officers include the five who were fired and charged with murder.
The latest: The seventh officer’s identity has not been released, but the “actions and inactions” of Officer Preston Hemphill, who was placed on leave, and another officer “have been and continue to be the subject of this investigation since its inception on January 8, 2023,” said a news release from the police department.
- In the body camera footage that was taken from Hemphill’s point of view, according to his defense attorney, officers can be heard yelling at Nichols to get out of his car before they are seen forcibly removing him from the car. Officers hold Nichols down and are hit by pepper spray that was deployed by another officer. The camera shakes as Nichols runs and an officer, identified as Hemphill, shoots at him with a Taser.
- After a brief chase, Hemphill, who is white, stops running after Nichols, turns back and can be heard saying, “I hope they stomp his ass.” Hemphill has not been charged with a crime.
- The Memphis Fire Department has also fired three employees for failing to provide Nichols an “adequate patient assessment” when they were called to provide medical aid after he was beaten by police officers.
👉 Keep reading: Tyre Nichols’ parents to attend State of the Union.
Growing attacks on reproductive health clinics
The FBI is asking for the public’s help in investigating a spate of unsolved attacks against reproductive health facilities nationwide after an Illinois man was charged Wednesday with setting fire to a Planned Parenthood clinic. Tyler W. Massengill, 32, of Chillicothe, just north of Peoria in central Illinois, was arrested Tuesday after being accused of “malicious use of fire and an explosive to damage, and attempt to damage” the clinic, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a statement. From Portland to Amherst, New York, the FBI is investigating at least 10 attacks on reproductive health facilities nationwide in the past year. These attacks include vandalism and arson. Read more
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Death toll from Pakistan mosque suicide bombing rises to at least 88
Mourners buried some of the victims Tuesday of a suicide bombing at a mosque officials say has killed at least 88 people in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar. Mohammad Asim, a government hospital spokesman, said more bodies were retrieved from the rubble of the mosque overnight and early on Tuesday, and several of those critically injured died in hospital. The bombing also wounded more than 150 people. It was not clear how the bomber was able to slip into the walled compound in a high-security zone with other government buildings and reach the mosque. Read more
Despite mild winter, more Americans struggle to pay their energy bills
Families are struggling to pay high energy bills along with other rising costs for essential goods, like food and rent, that are increasing at a faster rate than the overall rate of inflation. The number of households receiving energy assistance during the current winter season rose an estimated 1.3 million, from 4.9 million to 6.2 million, the largest one-year increase since 2009 and the highest total rate of applications since 2011, according to policy organization National Energy Assistance Directors’ Association (NEADA). States currently have sufficient funds to help families pay their winter energy bills, but the real fear is if applications continue to rise at a fast clip. Read more
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Education community shares mixed reactions to ChatGPT
Since ChatGPT debuted in November, the nation’s largest school districts have banned the artificial intelligence chatbot, concerned students will use the speedy text generator to cheat or plagiarize. Teachers and professors are concerned the technology makes it far too easy for students to easily produce writing assignments and exams and that it generates content in a way that can bypass plagiarism detection software. Jumping to ban the tool may not be the right course of action, however, education technology experts say. Because AI will be a part of young people’s future, it must also be a part of the classroom now. Read more
📷 Photo of the day: Best of US figure skating championships 📷
Fan favorites and reigning world champions are taking the ice in San Jose, California, at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships. Click here to see more photos as competitors glide to glory.
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Associated Press contributed reporting.
Story Credit: usatoday.com