10 things you need to know today: February 8, 2020

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Jump to category:

1. Trump fires impeachment witnesses Vindman and Sondland
2. 2020 Democrats debate in New Hampshire
3. American dies from coronavirus in Wuhan
4. Soldier kills at least 12 people in Thailand shooting
5. Poor visibility focus of Bryant crash investigation
6. Ireland votes in general election
7. January jobs report shows stronger-than-expected gains
8. Boeing spacecraft test flight reveals multiple glitches
9. Birds of Prey to top box office with weaker-than-expected debut
10. USWNT clinches Olympic bid

published 8 February 2020

1. Trump fires impeachment witnesses Vindman and Sondland

President Trump on Friday fired two officials who provided key testimony in the impeachment inquiry. Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, who served as the top Ukraine expert on the National Security Council and testified that he was alarmed by Trump's July 25 phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, was first dismissed Friday. Vindman's lawyer said he was "asked to leave for telling the truth" and that Trump "has decided to exact revenge." Later, Trump also fired U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland, who testified that "everyone was in the loop" about an alleged quid pro quo with Ukraine. Sondland in a statement said he is "grateful to President Trump for having given me the opportunity to serve."

Democratic presidential candidates took to the debate stage in New Hampshire Friday night ahead of the state's pivotal primary contest on Tuesday. Seven candidates covered familiar territory regarding health care, climate change, and foreign policy. Several, including Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Vt.), Sen. Elizabeth Warren, and Andrew Yang targeted criticism at former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg, whose strong finish in the chaotic Iowa caucuses vaulted him into the spotlight this week. Former Vice President Joe Biden started the night by acknowledging his weak finish in Iowa, noting that he was likely headed for a similar result in New Hampshire. Sanders and Buttigieg are first and second in the most recent polls of the state.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

A U.S. citizen has died of the coronavirus in Wuhan, China, The New York Times reported Saturday. Few details have been offered, but the U.S. Embassy in Beijing said the person was around 60 years old and died at Jinyintan Hospital in Wuhan on Thursday. Two people familiar with the situation said the patient was a woman with underlying health problems. It appears to be the first death of an American since the outbreak began. Japan's foreign ministry said Saturday that a Japanese citizen in his 60s also died at a medical facility in Wuhan. China reported 86 more deaths Saturday, bringing the total number of coronavirus-related fatalities past 700 overall.

A soldier shot and killed at least 12 people and injured several others Saturday in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand, which is northeast of Bangkok, police said. A spokesman for Thailand's defense ministry said the solider, a junior officer, attacked his commanding officer and then stole a gun and ammunition from a military camp, where the commander, another solider, and a 63-year-old woman were reportedly killed. He then reportedly opened fire at a Buddhist temple and a shopping center in Nakhon Ratachisma's city center. The suspect is reportedly still at large, holed up inside a building. Police have sealed off the city center and warned people to remain at home. The suspect's motive remains unclear, but he reportedly posted on social media accounts during the attack.

Federal accident investigators said the twin-engine helicopter that was carrying Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna, and six other passengers in addition to the pilot, was just 100 feet shy from clear skies before it crashed killing everyone on board last month. New details released Friday didn't provide definitive answers about the cause of the accident, but they indicate poor visibility and deteriorating weather may have played a role. The report did rule out engine failure, and the safety board said the helicopter's maintenance records were in order, so the focus of the continuing investigation will likely remain on the area's weather report. The pilot, Ara Zobayan, was ascending sharply when the aircraft crashed, but it's unclear what caused the veteran aviator to climb.

Ireland is voting in a general election Saturday for the first time in four years. Opinion polls suggest the country's center-right parties that have dominated Irish politics for decades — Fine Gael, which is led by Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, and Fianna Fail — are facing a serious challenge from Sinn Fein, a left wing nationalist party whose primary goal is Irish unification. Sinn Fein has gained steam as it has transitioned from its violent past and connections to the Irish Republican Army. Another reason behind Sinn Fein's expected surge is an increase in younger voters who support its economic and social policies. The party likely won't be a part of the next government even if it wins the largest number of votes, however, since Fine Gael and Fianna Fail have both ruled out including Sinn Fein in a coalition.

January's employment report showed a stronger-than-expected gain of 225,000 nonfarm jobs added. The report, released Friday, was expected to show nonfarm employers in the U.S. adding closer to 161,000, below the monthly average hiring growth of the past two years, but an unseasonably mild month reportedly helped boost numbers in weather-affected jobs like construction and hospitality. The unemployment rate rose slightly to 3.6 percent, but the labor force participation rate ticked upward. The Labor Department report showed that job gains from April 2018 through March 2019 were not as strong as initially estimated.

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said Friday that an uncrewed test flight in December of a Boeing spacecraft designed to carry NASA astronauts "had a lot of anomalies." The disclosed preliminary results of an investigation into the test's failure revealed several issues with the Starliner spacecraft, particularly with its software. The flaws could have potentially led to an in-space collision between the spacecraft's crew module and its service module, which are designed to separate in space before the crew module lands. Douglas Loverro, NASA's associate administrator for human exploration and operations, said the agency failed to identify the weaknesses in Boeing's work and will increase oversight going forward.

DC's Birds of Prey is on pace to top the weekend box office, but with a weaker debut than expected. The R-rated comic book film, a spin-off of 2016's Suicide Squad centered around Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn and an ensemble of female characters, is projected to take in about $34 million in North America, below estimates which suggested it would debut between $45 million and $55 million. Warner Bros. had been expecting an opening of about $45 million for the film, which has received positive reviews. Birds of Prey took in an estimated $4 million in Thursday night previews and is expected to gross about $13 million on Friday. Previously, DC's Joker debuted to $96 million, while Shazam! debuted to $53 million.

Fresh off their 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup victory in France last summer, the United States national soccer team locked up a spot in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics on Friday evening after defeating Mexico, 4-0, in a semifinal in the CONCACAF Women's Olympic Qualifying tournament. Samantha Mewis scored twice for the American side, while Christen Press and Rose Lavelle each added a goal. The U.S. has never failed to qualify for the Olympics since soccer became an event in 1996. They've won four gold medals, but lost in the quarterfinals to Sweden in 2016. Canada secured CONCACAF's other Olympic bid after escaping Costa Rica, 1-0, in the other semifinal. The U.S. and Canada will renew their rivalry in the tournament final Sunday.

Explore More

Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.