Tuesday Scoop: TSA Trouble

The big story…

Government Shutdown Brings Trouble to TSA

With the shutdown still ongoing, there has been talk of unpaid TSA agents going on strike. Although there’s no official strike yet, about twice as many TSA screeners have been calling in sick and a lot have just been not showing up at all. This has led to some unfortunate situations in certain airports, such as incredibly long lines, checkpoint closings, and a gun making its way through security. 

The situation may get worse before it gets better, as President Trump rejected a deal yesterday that would temporarily reopen the government. Speaking of Trump, the president had a feast of McNuggets to congratulate the Clemson Tigers. That’s a sentence we never thought we’d say.

In national news…

Suspect in Jayme Closs Case Admits to Murder and Kidnapping

The suspect accused of killing James and Denise Closs and abducting their 13-year-old daughter Jayme has confessed to his crimes. The suspect, Jake Patterson, 21, first spotted Jayme on his way to work as she got on a school bus. CNN reports, “‘The defendant states, when he saw (Jayme) he knew that was the girl he was going to take,’ the complaint states. But he did not know her name until after he abducted her, and only learned the names of her parents from news programs and social media posts about the killings, the complaint states.” The criminal complaint comes on the day that Patterson made his first court appearance in Barron County to face charges of intentional homicide, kidnapping and armed burglary. Patterson is held on $5 million bail and faces life in prison for the homicide charge.

In global news…

Gabonese Government Thwarts Ongoing Coup d’État

The government of Gabon, a French language speaking country in Western Africa, said that an attempted coup d’état by armed soldiers on Monday, Jan. 7 was prevented, but its current status remains unknown. Afterward on Tuesday, January 8th, Gabonese state media reported that two soldiers suspected of the coup were killed and eight military officers were arrested. These armed soldiers were to trying to attempt an overthrow of Gabonese President Ali Bongo, son of the country’s second president and dictatorial leader Omar Bongo. Read more in Duane Paul Murphy’s report for CMN.

In politics…

Hawaiian Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard Will Run for President in 2020

Hawaiian Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, the United States’ first Hindu and Samoan American Congressmember, said on Friday, Jan. 11 that she will run for president in 2020 for the Democratic Party’s nomination. Gabbard, whose congressional district includes Honolulu, will also be one of the first Iraq War veterans to currently run in the upcoming primary alongside former West Virginia state senator Richard Ojeda. Read more in Duane Paul Murphy’s report for CMN.

In music…

Missy Elliot Becomes First Female Rapper Inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame

In 2017, JAY-Z was the first rapper and now Missy Elliot is the first female rapper to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

In health…

Sleep Study Shows Alarming Consequences of Lack of Sleep

A new study says that sleeping less than six hours a night is linked to the build up of dangerous plaques throughout the body. This news is especially important for college students — get some sleep, kids!

In award shows…

SAG-AFTRA Accuses the Academy of Intimidating Award Presenters

The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists has made a public complaint against the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, saying that the Academy is pressuring actors and presenters who will be at the Oscars not to attend the SAG Awards. SAG-AFTRA calls the Academy’s tactics “self-serving” and “graceless.” And jokes on them because the Oscars still don’t even have a host.

In Hulu vs. Netflix…

Hulu and Netflix Both To Release Original Documentaries on the Fyre Festival

The dueling streaming services have made competing documentaries about the disastrous Fyre Music Festival. (Fighting Fyre with Fyre, you could say.) Hulu’s film is already released, beating out Netflix in a surprise debut, and Netflix’s documentary is set to come out later this week.

Trending today…

Take That Little Egg

Kylie Jenner had a message for the egg that surpassed her record for the most-liked post on Instagram. 

Last but not least…

Interview: Assemblage 23’s Tom Shear

If you are a fan of industrial music, you will most likely be familiar with Assemblage 23. The Seattle outfit are spoken about with the same reverence as VNV Nation, another juggernaut in the EBM and Futurepop world. Read more in Kevin Ashley’s interview with Tom Shear of Assemblage 23.

Today’s Morning Scoop was made possible by Natalia Kolenko, Duane Paul Murphy, Kevin Ashley, and the CMN Staff. The Cincinnati Zoo has two new baby penguins named…wait for it…Pierogi and Toast! Was this newsletter forwarded by a friend? Subscribe here to get the Morning Scoop straight to your inbox every day.