Wednesday marked the second phase of the second impeachment trial of 45th president Donald Trump.
The House of Representatives impeachment managers and Trump’s defense team made their cases. They will have 16 hours over the course of two days to make their case for conviction or acquittal.
House managers introduced new audio from the riots that had not been heard before.
Being accused of inducing his supporters into attacking the Capitol on Jan. 6, Trump faces a non-criminal conviction, meaning he could lose some benefits of his post-presidency. Those include a $200,000 yearly pension, travel expenses up to $1,000,000 and $90,000 of taxpayer dollars toward his staff.
The attack left five lives lost and over 100 officers injured. Many workers in the Capitol said they were mortified.
For the most part, senators were silent on social media. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio did tweet on Wednesday to express his disdain for the riot.
Vaccine disparity draws attention to Black pastors
A study of disparities released Tuesday showed that white Floridians are 2.5 times more likely to receive a COVID-19 vaccine as opposed to black residents. Irregularities of vaccine distribution placement, as well as mistrust in the health care system, are both large factors that play into this statistic.
Those in low-income communities are already suffering from high numbers of positive cases. Then those who work long hours do not have the flexibility to travel to receive a vaccine.
Rev. Dr. Wayne G. Thompson of the St. Petersburg First Baptist Institutional Church has spoken up on the issue and has worked to bring the vaccine to his church. However, he is wary of his community wanting to receive it.
“One of the things that we are working on is trying to minimize the fear of caution on the part of Blacks in particular,” Thompson said.
Thompson knows there is acknowledgement by people in his community that there needs to be more access but many remain scared. However, he realizes more people need help. He is hoping to be a light and bring attention to the need for more vaccine materials in black communities.
Thompson pointed out that St. John’s Progressive Church’s pastor, Dr. Bartholomew Banks Sr., helped lead the way in his community on this issue.
“And so, there is an awareness in our community, that if we don’t become the voice for the voiceless, then people are going to get left out,” Thompson said.
Super Bowl parade floods Tampa Bay
A boat parade celebrating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Super Bowl LV win was held Wednesday afternoon in downtown Tampa.
Many fans across Tampa Bay had celebrated Sunday night as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers won Super Bowl LV. While a winner’s parade is an annual highlight to most winning teams, this year is a little different due to the pandemic.
In lieu of a traditional parade on the streets, the Buccaneers made their debut on the water. The football players were able to wave to the residents of Tampa Bay during a boat parade along the Hillsborough River to celebrate their first Super Bowl win in 18 years.
Concerns arose after Sunday’s big game when videos of crowds without masks were posted. The NFL is now working to trace positive-tested individuals who attended the game.
However, Mayor Jane Castor said marks were required along the water parade route on Tampa’s Riverwalk, and she had urged everyone to keep a distance from others while watching the parade.
Credits
Anchor: Deanna Lampasona
Reporters: Leonardo Santos, Zack Brown
Producer: Nova Charles
Writers: Emmanuel Maduneme
Graphics editor: Emma Oliver
Video Editors: Rema Alahmad
Show Editors: Rema Alahmad, Ta’Bria Snowden
Associate Producer: Trevor Wymer
Executive Producer: Niamh Larkin
Web Editor: Hannah Halili
Graduate Assistant: Emmanuel Maduneme
Faculty Adviser: Jeanette Abrahamsen, Wayne Garcia
