Morning rundown: Ukraine helicopter crash, U.S.-China discussions, Sundance is back

KARAH RUCKER: THE U.S. AND CHINA ARE MEETING TO DISCUSS THE OUTLOOK OF OUR ECONOMIES. AND CONGRESSMAN GEORGE SANTOS FINDS HIMSELF ON TWO HOUSE COMMITTEES.

BUT FIRST…A DEADLY HELICOPTER CRASH IN UKRAINE KILLS SCHOOL CHILDREN AND TOP UKRAINIAN AUTHORITIES.

THESE ARE YOUR TOP HEADLINES WITH STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS. UNBIASED. STRAIGHT FACTS.

UKRAINE HELICOPTER CRASH

AT LEAST SIXTEEN PEOPLE ARE DEAD AND 30 OTHERS INJURED AFTER A HELICOPTER CAME CRASHING DOWN NEAR A KINDERGARTEN SCHOOL.

AMONG THOSE ON BOARD THE HELICOPTER WAS UKRAINE’S SECRETARY OF STATE AND TWO OTHER TOP-OFFICIALS WITHIN ITS “INTERIOR MINISTRY”…KILLED IN THE CRASH.

ALL NINE PEOPLE ON BOARD AND SEVEN CIVILIANS ON THE GROUND DIED…INCLUDING THREE CHILDREN. THE CRASH IS UNDER INVESTIGATION.

US, CHINA DISCUSS ECONOMIES AMID DIFFERENCES

U.S. TREASURY SECRETARY JANET YELLEN IS MEETING WITH HER CHINESE COUNTERPART TODAY…DISCUSSING THE WORLD’S TWO LARGEST ECONOMIES.

OUR TWO COUNTRIES DON’T HAVE MUCH MIDDLE GROUND AS TENSIONS REMAIN HIGH OVER DIFFERENCES ON TAIWAN, COVID, THE WAR IN UKRAINE, AND SO FORTH.

BOTH OF OUR INTERTWINED ECONOMIES HAD SLOW GROWTH IN 2022. TRADE AND TECHNOLOGY WERE BOTH PART OF THE DISCUSSIONS BETWEEN THE U.S. AND CHINA.

THE MEETING IN CHINA COMES ONE DAY BEFORE THE U.S. IS EXPECTED TO HIT ITS DEBT CEILING.

OUR RAY BOGAN HAS A FULL REPORT DETAILING A WARNING FROM YELLEN AHEAD OF THE U.S. REACHING ITS LIMIT. YOU CAN FIND THAT STORY ON OUR WEBSITE.

SANTOS’ SEAT ON TWO HOUSE COMMITTEES 

HOUSE LAWMAKER GEORGE SANTOS SURROUNDED BY CONTROVERSY OVER A FALSE RESUME HAS NEW ASSIGNMENTS IN THE HOUSE CHAMBER. ACCORDING TO REPORTS…HE’S BEEN GIVEN A SEAT ON TWO COMMITTEES – THE SMALL BUSINESS COMMITTEE AND THE “SCIENCE, SPACE, AND TECHNOLOGY” COMMITTEE.

SANTOS IS UNDER INVESTIGATION…FEDERAL PROSECUTORS SPECIFICALLY LOOKING AT HIS CAMPAIGN FINANCES. HOUSE SPEAKER KEVIN MCCARTHY SAID SINCE THE PEOPLE ELECTED SANTOS…IT WILL BE BUSINESS AS USUAL. THE NEW YORK CONGRESSMAN SO FAR…UNSCATHED.

OTHER HOUSE MEMBERS ARE SEEKING FURTHER INVESTIGATIONS INTO SANTOS.

PLANE ISSUES MAYDAY ALERT, SAFELY LANDS

A PLANE TRAVELING FROM NEW ZEALAND TO SYDNEY HAS LANDED SAFELY AFTER IT USED A “MAY-DAY CALL” FOLLOWING A PROBLEM WITH ONE OF ITS ENGINES. ONE OF ITS TWO ENGINES FAILED WHILE FLYING OVER THE PACIFIC OCEAN.

PILOTS DEALT WITH THE PROBLEM FOR MORE THAN AN HOUR BEFORE BEING ABLE TO SAFELY LAND.

PASSENGERS ON BOARD DESCRIBED IT AS JUST FEELING LIKE TURBULENCE. UNAWARE THAT A MAYDAY CALL WAS SENT OUT. THIS TYPE OF ALERT IS ISSUED ONLY WHEN A FLIGHT IS IN GRAVE DANGER.

NURSING HOMES MISDIAGNOSING SCHIZOPHRENIA

THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SAYS IT WILL BEGIN A CRACKDOWN ON NURSING HOMES THEY SUSPECT ARE OVER-PRESCRIBING ANTIPSYCHOTIC DRUGS AND MIS-DIAGNOSING RESIDENTS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA.

LESS THAN ONE PERCENT OF THE POPULATION IS SAID TO HAVE SCHIZOPHRENIA. A SERIOUS DISORDER THAT CAUSES DELUSIONS AND SCRAMBLED THINKING.

YET IN RECENT YEARS – ABOUT 100 NURSING HOMES HAVE REPORTED 20 PERCENT OR MORE OF THEIR RESIDENTS BEING SCHIZOPHRENIC.

THOSE CASES ARE SUSPECTED OF NOT BEING PROPERLY DIAGNOSED…YET NURSING HOME STAFF STILL ADMINISTER ANTIPSYCHOTIC DRUGS. THIS TYPE OF MEDICATION IS USED TO SEDATE PATIENTS.

THE INVESTIGATION WAS LAUNCHED JUST THIS MONTH AND WILL TARGET NURSING HOMES ALREADY ON THEIR RADAR.

SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL RETURNS

AND FINALLY – AFTER TWO YEARS OF BEING VIRTUAL – THE SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL WILL BE RETURNING TO PARK CITY, UTAH STARTING TOMORROW.

THE FESTIVAL LASTS FOR 10 DAYS…SHOWCASING DOZENS OF INDEPENDENT FILMS…AND HONORING THE ART BEHIND THE FILMMAKING INDUSTRY.

THESE ARE YOUR TOP HEADLINES ON THIS MONDAY MORNING.

THANKS FOR WATCHING THE DAILY RUNDOWN WITH STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS.

YOUR PLACE FOR JOURNALISM WITHOUT AGENDA.