Month: February 2022

Jeff Zucker has resigned as president of CNN Worldwide, effective immediately. The 56-year-old Zucker announced his resignation in a staff memo on Wednesday, explaining that the decision for him to resign was made after he failed to disclose a “consensual relationship” with a colleague.

The statement read in part: “As part of the investigation into Chris Cuomo’s tenure at CNN, I was asked about a consensual relationship with my closest colleague, someone I have worked with for more than 20 years. I acknowledged the relationship evolved in recent years. I was required to disclose it when it began but I didn’t. I was wrong. As a result, I am resigning today.”  Zucker did not disclose the colleague’s identity, but the network confirmed his relationship was with chief marketing officer Allison Gollust, who will continue to remain at the company.

Zucker added: “I came to CNN on January 28, 2013. Together we had nine great years. I certainly wish my tenure here had ended differently. But it was an amazing run. And I loved every minute.  I am grateful to the thousands of incredibly talented CNN and Turner Sports employees who helped make this such a joy for me, and such a success for all of us. I wish each of you nothing but the best in the years ahead.”

Zucker served as president and CEO of NBCUniversal before taking the role of president of CNN Worldwide. Zucker was married to Caryn Nathanson from 1996 to 2019; the former couple share four children together.

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President Biden has agreed to deploy 3,000 additional U.S. troops to Eastern Europe to support NATO and Ukraine to dissuade Russia from any kind of military intervention in Ukraine.  The deployment follows talks between U.S. and Russian officials and a meeting of the United Nations Security Council this week over the Ukraine crisis.

The deployments include 1,000 who will be moving from Germany to Romania, and 2,000 from the U.S. who will head to Germany and Poland. On Wednesday morning, the Pentagon emphasized that the troop movement was temporary and that they would not deploy to Ukraine. ,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said Wednesday: “I want to be very clear about something. These are not permanent moves. They are designed to respond to the current security environment. Moreover, these forces are not going to fight in Ukraine. They’re going to ensure the robust defense of our NATO allies.”

The Pentagon has warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin could launch an invasion of Ukraine at any time.  President Biden has said no U.S. troops would deploy to Ukraine if Russia were to invade, but the administration did say it could deploy troops to the region even before an invasion. The U.S. and its partners in NATO have already sent assets to the region in a show of support. The U.S. has also put 8,500 stateside troops on heightened alert to deploy to Eastern Europe in case NATO activates its shared NATO Response Force, but the alliance has not yet activated it.

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At least 6,000 residents in the North Carolina city of Winston-Salem have been asked to evacuate the area during an active fire at the Winston Weaver Co. fertilizer plant.  Winston-Salem Fire Department Battalion Chief Patrick Grubbs said at a news conference on Tuesday “We’re asking everyone to stay out of this area,” as officials told residents within a 1-mile radius of the plant to evacuate.  In addition to fears of a potential explosion, Grubbs also said that air quality in the area would likely be poor in the midst of the fire: “As the sun rises, there’s going to be a lot of smoke.”

Winston-Salem Fire Chief Trey Mayo stressed, “We’re asking everyone to stay out of this area. Now is the time to get out”.  With 600 tons of combustible ammonium nitrate stored at the site, the risk of an explosion would remain through Wednesday.  Mayo added, “We’ve got about a 36-hour window where that explosion potential exists.”

According to officials, the fire broke out on Monday evening; no injuries were reported as of Tuesday.  In addition to the evacuations, the blaze also forced the nearby Wake Forest University to cancel classes for Tuesday.The school opened up several sites for faculty, staff or students who are evacuating and need somewhere to go.

Authorities have not yet determined what caused the fire. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said Tuesday that its investigators would be assisting local firefighters.

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One student is dead, and another is in critical condition after a shooting Tuesday outside a school in Richfield, Minnesota, about 7 miles south of downtown Minneapolis.

Richfield Police Chief Jay Henthorne said that the police were called to the South Education Center at 12:07 p.m., and upon arrival, discovered “two students had been shot on the sidewalk outside of the school.” Henthorne said the suspects fled “immediately,” and area schools were locked down. After a search of South Education Center, police determined that “no further threat existed” and other lockdowns were lifted.

Schools Superintendent Sandra Lewandowski said that the 200-student facility was evacuated. The school includes pre-K students through young adults, who attend for special education and community programs. Mr. Lewandowski said the shooting happened outside the facility’s front entrance.

Law enforcement was searching for “suspects,” Chief Henthorne said, and the FBI was assisting. No details were released about the victims, just that the deceased student was male.

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