Friday Afternoon Update: Kenyan Chess Scandal, NYC Appoints Rat Czar, Washington Commanders Being Sold?

New York City has appointed its first-ever “rat czar”, Kathleen Corradi, as the new director of rodent mitigation. Her job is to take the necessary steps to fight the relentless rat population in the city. Corradi has been deeply passionate about exterminating rodents since she was a child, when she saw a rat dead on the train tracks at just 10 years old. Previously, she played a leading role in the Education Department’s efforts for rodent reduction.

In other news, Democratic Tennessee lawmaker Justin Jones, who was expelled for leading an anti-gun protest during the storming of the state Capitol last month, has been caught on camera allegedly stopping cars during 2020 protests and assaulting their drivers. Jones was reinstated to the House on Monday, despite denying the allegations that he was violent.

Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder is reportedly selling the team after almost 30 years. Wall Street titan Josh Harris is heading the bid, valued at $6 billion. This figure will break the record for the highest price paid for a sports team in North America. Former NBA legend Magic Johnson is also involved in the purchase. Unfortunately, Jeff Bezos has withdrawn from the bidding process, but Canadian billionaire Steve Apostolos is still racing head-to-head with the Harris Group. Harris also owns both the Philadelphia 76ers and the New Jersey Devils Hockey team.

Last but not least, a scandal has hit the Kenya Open Chess Championship. A participant disguised himself as a female player by wearing a niqab and cloaking his entire body except for his eyes. After being caught, he admitted that he was a college student who needed money, and he pretended to be a woman with the hopes of winning the $42,000 cash prize.

That’s all for today’s Afternoon Update. For the full podcast version of this article, kindly visit the link provided.