This article is a companion piece to today’s Morning Wire Afternoon Update. To listen to the podcast version, click here.

New York City Nursing Strike

More than 7,000 nurses went on strike in two major hospitals in New York City Monday morning. Patient care is already being disrupted at Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan and Montefiore in Brooklyn. The New York State Nurses Association says nurses are negotiating higher pay and fewer patients.

Montefiore Medical Center said the nurses have decided to walk away from their patient’s bedside, despite offers for a 19.1% wage increase and a commitment from the hospital to create over 170 new nursing positions. Mount Sinai Health System offered the same 19.1 % wage increase to their nurses. Mount Sinai Health System said in a statement that agreements had already been reached at six other facilities in the system and that they are continuing to negotiate with the hospital in good faith.

Brazil To Punish Election Rioters

Brazil plans to punish supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro who stormed the nation’s federal buildings on Sunday. Thousands of supporters of the former chief executive entered facilities hosting the South American nation’s legislative and executive branches. Officials have vowed to prosecute the rioters and have taken some into custody.

President Declares Emergency For California

On Monday, President Joe Biden greenlit an emergency declaration for California after intense storms and flooding hit the state. At least a dozen people have died, and the weather has also caused widespread losses of power.

Colorado Avalanche Kills Two On Sunday

According to a preliminary post by the Colorado Avalanche Information Center, “two snowmobilers were caught, buried, and killed in a large avalanche” in Colorado on Saturday.

DOJ Bucks Biden On Islamic Terrorist Death Penalty Recommendation

Attorney General Merrick Garland is bucking President Biden by seeking the death penalty for an alleged Islamist terrorist accused of killing eight and injuring more than a dozen in a 2017 New York City truck attack.

Congressional Rules Package Vote Monday Night

The U.S. Congress will vote Monday evening on a rules package that will dictate how the House is run this upcoming year that will include many of the concessions fought for by the 20 Republicans who withheld support for McCarthy for much of last week. But the package is facing some pressure from moderate Republicans, such as Nancy Mace of South Carolina:

NEWS: Will GOP Rep. Nancy Mace vote tomorrow in favor of the proposed House rules package? “I am on the fence right now,” she tells @margbrennan. pic.twitter.com/yBWuCWmmsE

— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) January 8, 2023

Democratic Governor Won’t Send Illegals To NYC, Chicago

Over the weekend, Colorado Governor Jared Polis (D) agreed to stop busing illegal aliens to New York or Chicago following a letter from Mayors Eric Adams and Lori Lightfoot demanding an end to the practice.

Former Childhood Actor, Adam Rich, Dead At 54 Years Old

Adam Rich, best known for his role as Nicholas Bradford in the 1970s TV drama “Eight is Enough,” died Saturday at 54 years old, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner.

NFL Playoff Field Set

The NFL playoffs are officially set after the regular season concluded Sunday evening. The Buffalo Bills inspired fans with a win against the New England Patriots after coming off a week where Bills safety Damar Hamlin survived a cardiac arrest. On the opening kickoff, Bills running back Nyheim Hines returned the ball for a 96-yard touchdown. Then in the third quarter, Hines did it again, taking another kickoff 101 yards to score. The Bills eventually bested the Pats, 35-23. Damar Hamlin was transferred from Ohio to a hospital in Buffalo this afternoon, where he will continue his recovery before making the transition home.

To listen to the audio version of this podcast, click here. And for more in-depth discussion of the biggest stories of the day, listen to the latest full episode of Morning Wire every morning.

Attorney Camille Vasquez has landed a new gig as a legal analyst with NBC News.

Vasquez became a household name after she helped actor Johnny Depp win his defamation case against his former spouse, actress Amber Heard — and according to The Hollywood Reporter, at least three national news outlets had expressed interest in working with her after the trial came to a close.

NBC came out on top, and the attorney made her debut during Monday’s broadcast of “The Today Show” to discuss the murders of the four students at the University of Idaho.

WATCH:

Students are returning to the University of Idaho for a new semester — with many relieved that a suspect in the killings of their four classmates is in custody.@stephgosk and Camille Vasquez share the latest details, discuss the social media impact on the case, and more. pic.twitter.com/kYjTeKBost

— TODAY (@TODAYshow) January 9, 2023

Vasquez weighed in on the impact that social media has had on the Idaho case — noting that the Johnny Depp/Amber Heard trial had often played out on social media even as it was playing out in the courtroom — and she said that while social media can play a vital role in the investigation, it also has its liabilities.

In the Idaho case in particular, social media sleuths have claimed to have spotted the suspect in photos from a vigil for the slain students — and accused a teacher of being involved, sparking a lawsuit.

“This has become something that really captivated the country, this case has. And so people want to talk about the evidence, they want to talk about the human impact, and these are college students, right?” Vasquez began, explaining that people were drawn to the case partly because the victims were college students and the unexplained nature of the attacks — at least thus far — made it seem as though it could have happened to anyone.

“I think it can be helpful to investigators, they pleaded to the public and asked for information about the [murder suspect’s] white Elantra,” Vasquez added. “But it could also be harmful when you start naming someone.”

In addition to receiving media offers after her big win on Depp’s behalf, Vasquez was promoted to partner at her law firm, Brown Rudnick, and reportedly received job offers from other firms as well. Heard and Depp ultimately settled the case last month, eliminating the possibility of any further appeals.