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Mississippi tornadoes kill dozens, state of emergency declared: March 27 rundown

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Deadly tornadoes killed dozens of people in Mississippi over the weekend, and President Joe Biden declared a state of emergency; plus, sensitive source code used to run Twitter was leaked online. These stories and more highlight the daily rundown for Monday, March 27, 2023.

Mississippi tornadoes kill 25

FEMA is now on the ground in Mississippi helping survivors of severe weather. President Biden issued a state of emergency Sunday for Mississippi after storms and tornadoes killed at least 25 people and injured dozens more. 

At least one person was also killed in Alabama as the storm stretched across the southeast. Deadly tornadoes in the Mississippi delta left a path of destruction stretching more than 150 miles. Some tornadoes were as strong as an EF-4.

By declaring a state of emergency, federal funding can now be used for recovery efforts including temporary housing, home repairs, and loans covering uninsured property losses.

Chocolate factory explosion kills 7

Authorities have found the remaining victims of a chocolate factory explosion in West Reading, 60 miles northwest of Philadelphia, bringing the death toll to 7.

On the evening of March 24, a facility belonging to the R.M. Palmer company exploded. The blast sent debris flying that sparked flames and damaged another  building belonging to the chocolate factory.

According to employees and their families, several workers had complained about smelling gas throughout the day. The cause of the explosion is still under investigation as clean up efforts will continue.

Philadelphia water scare after spill

People living in Philadelphia were told not to drink tap water after a chemical spill prompted the water advisory for the more than 1.5 million people living in the city. 

Officials say 8,000 gallons of a latex product started leaking into a creek in nearby Bucks County on Friday, March 24, before reaching the Delaware River. 

The city was able to provide residents with bottled water and now says the drinking water supply is showing no signs of contamination.

Thousands protest overhaul plan in Israel

Tens of thousands of people gathered in the streets of Israel in protest of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s newly proposed judicial overhaul. It’s a plan that would give the nation’s parliament more power over the courts. Netanyahu fired Israel’s Defense Minister who condemned the government reforms.

Large bonfires were set, highways have been blocked, and police and protestors scuffled at a demonstration held outside of Netanyahu’s residence.

Not only are people protesting, but businesses, universities, and labor unions are also striking. Many believe the firing of the Defense Minister signals that Netanyahu will move forward with the overhaul plan this week. This is drawing concern from former security chiefs, the United States, and other allies of Israel.

First Citizens Bank acquires SVB

Much of the failed Silicon Valley Bank’s assets are being sold to First Citizens Bank Corporation. On Monday, March 27, 17 SVB branches will open as First Citizens Bank branches.

According to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, First Citizens is buying $72 billion in assets from the bank that first initiated a banking crisis ripple earlier this month.

Twitter code leaked online

Twitter has acknowledged, through a legal filing over the weekend of March 25, that part of its source code has been leaked online

The legal document, filed by Twitter, asked the website Github, of which it was posted on, to take down the code that someone had leaked. The website has already complied with the request and removed the sensitive information.

Twitter also asked the court to identify the leaker. The leak comes after CEO Elon Musk purchased Twitter last year for $44 billion. Musk now estimates the platform to be worth less than half of that.

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KARAH RUCKER: DEADLY TORNADOES OVER THE WEEKEND KILL DOZENS OF PEOPLE IN MISSISSIPPI; PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN DECLARING A STATE OF EMERGENCY; AND SENSITIVE SOURCE CODE USED TO RUN TWITTER WAS LEAKED ONLINE. TWITTER IS NOW ASKING THE COURTS TO REVEAL THE CULPRIT. THE DAILY RUNDOWN STARTS RIGHT NOW.

THIS IS STRAIGHT-ARROW NEWS. BRINGING YOU UNBIASED, STRAIGHT FACTS.

I’M KARAH RUCKER. 

MISSISSIPPI TORNADOES KILL 25

OUR TOP STORY – FEMA IS NOW ON THE GROUND IN MISSISSIPPI THIS MORNING —

HELPING SURVIVORS OF SEVERE WEATHER. PRESIDENT BIDEN ISSUED A STATE OF EMERGENCY FOR MISSISSIPPI AFTER STORMS AND TORNADOES KILLED AT LEAST 25 PEOPLE AND INJURED DOZENS MORE OVER THE WEEKEND. 

AT LEAST ONE PERSON WAS ALSO KILLED IN ALABAMA AS THE STORM STRETCHED ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST. DEADLY TORNADOES IN THE MISSISSIPPI DELTA…LEFT  A PATH OF DESTRUCTION STRETCHING MORE THAN 150 MILES. SOME TORNADOES AS STRONG AS AN EF-4.

BY DECLARING A STATE OF EMERGENCY ON SUNDAY – FEDERAL FUNDING CAN NOW BE USED FOR RECOVERY EFFORTS INCLUDING TEMPORARY HOUSING, HOME REPAIRS, AND LOANS COVERING UNINSURED PROPERTY LOSSES.

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAYS SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS AND FLOODING WILL CONTINUE TO THREATEN PARTS OF THE SOUTHEAST TODAY.

CHOCOLATE FACTORY EXPLOSION KILLS 7

Chief Wayne Holben | West Reading Borough Police: “This evening, search and rescue teams have located two more individuals at the R.M. Palmer site. We are still waiting for the coroner to confirm the remaining individual’s identities, but we do believe them to be the remaining presumptive missing individuals. We will keep you up to date on the progress. Our thoughts and prayers remain with the families.”

IN PENNSYLVANIA – AUTHORITIES HAVE FOUND THE REMAINING VICTIMS OF A CHOCOLATE FACTORY EXPLOSION IN WEST READING – 60 MILES NORTHWEST OF PHILADELPHIA – BRINGING THE DEATH TOLL TO SEVEN.

FRIDAY EVENING – A FACILITY BELONGING TO R.M. PALMER COMPANY EXPLODED.

THE BLAST SENT DEBRIS FLYING – SPARKING FLAMES AND DAMAGING ANOTHER  BUILDING BELONGING TO THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY.

ACCORDING TO EMPLOYEES AND THEIR FAMILIES – SEVERAL WORKERS HAD COMPLAINED ABOUT SMELLING GAS THROUGHOUT THE DAY FRIDAY.

THE CAUSE OF THE EXPLOSION IS STILL UNDER INVESTIGATION AS CLEAN UP EFFORTS CONTINUE INTO TODAY.

PHILADELPHIA WATER SCARE AFTER SPILL

PEOPLE LIVING IN PHILADELPHIA WERE TOLD NOT TO DRINK TAP WATER AFTER A CHEMICAL SPILL PROMPTED THE WATER ADVISORY FOR THE MORE THAN ONE-POINT-FIVE MILLION PEOPLE LIVING IN THE CITY. 

OFFICIALS SAY 8-THOUSAND GALLONS OF A LATEX PRODUCT STARTED LEAKING INTO A CREEK IN NEARBY BUCKS COUNTY ON FRIDAY… BEFORE REACHING THE DELAWARE RIVER OVER THE WEEKEND. 

THE CITY WAS ABLE TO PROVIDE RESIDENTS WITH BOTTLED WATER YESTERDAY – THE CITY NOW SAYS THE TAP WATER IS SAFE TO DRINK UNTIL AT LEAST LATER TONIGHT – WHEN MORE TESTS WILL BE CONDUCTED.

BUT FOR NOW – THE DRINKING WATER SUPPLY IS SHOWING NO SIGNS OF CONTAMINATION.

Michael Carroll | Deputy Managing Director for Transportation, Infrastructure, and Sustainability:

“There is no concern over skin exposure or fire hazard. Likewise, we have no concern over inhaling any fumes at the levels that we’re evaluating. So because there is no risk associated with skin exposure, so people should be comfortable bathing or showering with this water.”

THOUSANDS PROTEST OVERHAUL PLAN IN ISRAEL

TENS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE GATHERED IN THE STREETS OF ISRAEL IN PROTEST OF PRIME MINISTER BENJAMIN NETANYAHU’S NEWLY PROPOSED JUDICIAL OVERHAUL – A PLAN THAT WOULD GIVE THE NATION’S PARLIAMENT MORE POWER OVER THE COURTS. NETANYAHU FIRED ISRAEL’S DEFENSE MINISTER WHO CONDEMNED THE GOVERNMENT REFORMS.

LARGE BONFIRES WERE SET – HIGHWAYS HAVE BEEN BLOCKED – POLICE AND PROTESTORS SCUFFLED AT A DEMONSTRATION HELD OUTSIDE OF NETANYAHU’S RESIDENCE.

NOT ONLY ARE PEOPLE PROTESTING BUT BUSINESSES, UNIVERSITIES, AND LABOR UNIONS ARE ALSO STRIKING. TODAY A STRIKE FROM ISRAEL’S LARGEST TRADE UNION GROUP LED TO ITS ONLY INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT SHUTTING DOWN.

Avishag Biton | student: “When the Minister of Defense comes on the TV and talks to everybody and says ‘we are in grave danger.’ And then the Prime Minister says ‘oh you’re not loyal to me, so I’ll fire you.’ It’s annoying, it’s not annoying, it’s horrible.”

MANY BELIEVE THE FIRING OF THE DEFENSE MINISTER SIGNALS THAT NETANYAHU WILL MOVE FORWARD WITH THE OVERHAUL PLAN THIS WEEK – DRAWING CONCERN FROM FORMER SECURITY CHIEFS, THE UNITED STATES, AND OTHER ALLIES OF ISRAEL.

FIRST CITIZENS BANK ACQUIRES SVB

MUCH OF FAILED SILICON VALLEY BANK’S ASSETS ARE BEING SOLD TO FIRST CITIZENS BANK CORPORATION. TODAY – SEVENTEEN SVB BRANCHES WILL OPEN AS FIRST CITIZENS BANK BRANCHES.

ACCORDING TO THE FEDERAL DEPOSIT INSURANCE CORPORATION – FIRST CITIZENS IS BUYING 72 BILLION DOLLARS IN ASSETS FROM THE BANK THAT FIRST INITIATED A BANKING CRISIS RIPPLE EARLIER THIS MONTH.

SVB WAS THE 16TH LARGEST BANK IN THE COUNTRY. THE FDIC ESTIMATES THE BANKS FAILURE TO COST ABOUT 20 BILLION DOLLARS.

TWITTER CODE LEAKED ONLINE

TWITTER HAS ACKNOWLEDGED, THROUGH A LEGAL FILING OVER THE WEEKEND, THAT PART OF ITS SOURCE CODE HAS BEEN LEAKED ONLINE. SOURCE CODE IS THE COMPUTER CODE THAT RUNS THE SOCIAL MEDIA SITE. 

THE LEGAL DOCUMENT FILED BY TWITTER ASKED THE WEBSITE GITHUB, OF WHICH IT WAS POSTED ON, TO TAKE DOWN THE CODE THAT SOMEONE HAD POSTED. THE WEBSITE HAS ALREADY COMPLIED WITH THE REQUEST AND REMOVED THE SENSITIVE INFORMATION.

TWITTER ALSO ASKED THE COURT TO IDENTIFY THE LEAKER. THE LEAK COMES AFTER CEO ELON MUSK PURCHASED TWITTER LAST YEAR FOR 44 BILLION DOLLARS. MUSK NOW ESTIMATES THE PLATFORM TO BE WORTH LESS THAN HALF OF THAT.

THANKS FOR WATCHING THE DAILY RUNDOWN. WE’RE ON A MISSION TO BRING BACK TRUSTWORTHY JOURNALISM BY SERVING ONLY YOU – NOT AN AGENDA. BE SURE TO CHECK OUT MORE OF OUR WORK AT STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS DOT COM.

WE’LL SEE YOU BACK HERE TOMORROW!

UNTIL THEN I’M KARAH RUCKER. HAVE A GREAT DAY!