10.31.2017

Key Militant in Benghazi Attack Captured.
A key leader of the 2012 attacks on the US embassy in Benghazi, Libya, was captured by US special forces yesterday. Mustafa al-Imam, who was seen on a number of videos taken during the attack, was captured alive and will be transported to the US where he will face charges including killing a person during the attack and conspiracy to aid terrorists. Al-Imam is the second Benghazi suspect to be captured and brought to the US - the ringleader, Ahmed Abu Khatallah went on trial at the beginning of October in Washington, DC. The 2012 attacks killed ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans.

Three Trump Campaign Officials Charged in Probe.
Special counsel Robert Mueller revealed the first round of indictments in his probe of potential Russian meddling into the 2016 election yesterday, charging three former Trump campaign officials. Paul Manafort, a consistent target of the investigation, and business partner Rick Gates were charged with conspiracy to launder money, making false statements, illegal lobbying, and other charges - though all occurred prior to Manafort joining the Trump campaign in 2016. Separately, it was revealed that George Papadopoulos, a former foreign policy adviser for the campaign, pleaded guilty earlier this month to lying to FBI agents about the timing of his contact with Russian intermediaries (see timeline). The investigation rattled both sides of the aisle - Tony Podesta, Democratic power broker and brother of Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta, stepped down from his position after coming under investigation in the probe.

Facebook, Google, Twitter Will Testify Today.
Speaking of Russia, Facebook and Google are set to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee today to discuss Russian-backed advertising on their social media platforms. In recent months, Facebook identified Russian accounts that spent over 100,000 on more than 3,000 ads over a two-year span leading up to the 2016 election - most from a murky Russian "troll farm" known as the Internet Research Agency (paywall). The company estimated that over 126M people may have viewed the ads. Twitter disclosed 200 ads, and Google reported Russian-linked advertising on YouTube and Gmail. The ads seemed designed to inflame a variety of divisive social issues. Today's hearing will be followed by an appearance before the Senate and House Intelligence Committee tomorrow. 
 

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New York Times | Dan Barry. Between 1925 and 1960, the Bon Secours Mother and Baby Home acted as a stowaway for some of the most undesirable citizens in heavily Catholic Ireland - single mothers and children born out-of-wedlock. Long pushed out of public consciousness, historians now believe nearly 800 children died under questionable circumstances during its operation. 
 

The Guardian | Andrew Brown. One of the most progressive and political popes in memory, Pope Francis has created controversy with his public stances on everything from the environment to LGBTQ issues. Francis is not viewed negatively by other faiths or atheists, but by a growing number of conservative members of his own clergy. 

Nate Silver and team at FiveThirtyEight break down the Halloween candy power rankings. 

Speaking of candy, Bon Appetit breaks down the most popular candy from each decade.

The 33 top horror movie villains of all time.

The best celebrity Halloween costumes of 2017. 

The 80's were the best decade for scary movies, according to this interactive data.

NBA star Steph Curry rides into Oracle Arena as Jigsaw (w/ video). 

14 of the most beautiful (but still spooky) cemeteries around the world.

Rapid fire photos of frightened guests at a haunted house. 

The most terrifying of all - doggos in costumes at the Tompkins Square Halloween parade.

Historybook: Martin Luther posts ‘95 Theses’ starting Protestant Reformation (1517); RIP Houdini (1926); Poet John Keats born (1795); Mount Rushmore completed (1941); Prime Minister of India assassinated (1984).

"NOTHING EVER BECOMES REAL TILL IT IS EXPERIENCED."
-John Keats
 

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