Good morning. It's Tuesday, Dec. 16, and we're covering an arrest in the death of a Hollywood director and his wife, charges in a foiled New Year's Eve attack, and much more. First time reading? Join over 4.5 million insatiably curious readers. Sign up here.
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The son of Hollywood director Rob Reiner and photographer Michele Singer Reiner was booked into a Los Angeles jail yesterday on suspicion of murdering his parents.
The LA Fire Department reportedly found the couple, 78 and 70, stabbed to death in their home while responding to a medical aid call Sunday afternoon. Their youngest son, Nick, is currently being held without bail, and prosecutors are expected to file charges by the end of the day tomorrow. The 32-year-old has previously spoken publicly about his struggles with drug addiction and homelessness. He collaborated with his father on the 2015 film “Being Charlie,” which is loosely based on his teenage years.
Rob Reiner met his wife, Michele, in the late 1980s while directing “When Harry Met Sally...” and their relationship inspired him to change the ending of the romantic comedy. Reiner’s other notable directing credits include “This Is Spinal Tap,” “The Princess Bride,” and “A Few Good Men.” |
Federal authorities yesterday announced four people have been arrested on charges of plotting New Year's Eve bombings at multiple sites of two US companies in Southern California.
Court records identified the suspects as members of an antigovernment group known as the Turtle Island Liberation Front. The individuals were arrested last week in the Mojave Desert while preparing to test explosives. One member allegedly provided a confidential FBI source with an eight-page plan of their attack, dubbed "Operation Midnight Sun," which detailed simultaneous bombings at five locations of Amazon-type logistics centers; company names were not disclosed. The plan included instructions for building pipe bombs, avoiding DNA evidence, using burner phones, and exploiting fireworks to mask explosions. See the complaint here.
The suspects—all from the Los Angeles area and aged 24, 30, 32, and 41—face charges of conspiracy and possession of an unregistered destructive device, with additional charges expected. |
A Hong Kong court convicted 78-year-old former media mogul Jimmy Lai yesterday in a landmark national security trial. The pro-democracy activist faces up to life in prison; his sentencing hearing begins Jan. 12.
Lai founded Apple Daily, a since-shuttered newspaper that reached more than 3.8 million registered web users, about half of Hong Kong’s population. At its height, Lai had a reported net worth of $1.2B. In 2020, however, local authorities arrested him under a national security law following antigovernment protests the previous year. Lai was accused of conspiring with foreign governments to sanction China and Hong Kong and to print and distribute seditious articles. He has spent the past five years in jail, including stretches in solitary confinement.
A deal between China and the UK had guaranteed Hong Kong a degree of autonomy until 2047. Critics argue that recent national security laws are designed to restrict free speech. |
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Sports, Entertainment, & Culture |
> Scottie Scheffler named PGA Tour Player of the Year, becoming the first golfer to receive the honor at least four consecutive years since Tiger Woods, who holds a record five-year streak (More) |
> Mariah Carey to sing at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics opening ceremony (Feb. 6); she is the first international star named to perform (More) |
> Anthony Geary, best known for playing Luke Spencer in the daytime drama "General Hospital," dies at age 78 (More) |
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> Trump administration seeks roughly 1,000 early career technology specialists to modernize government systems and accelerate AI adoption—an initiative called the "US Tech Force" (More) |
> Researchers build robots the size of single-celled organisms that can make decisions and act independently; devices could facilitate advances in biological research and medical diagnostics (More) |
> Medical researchers discover how the human gut produces antibodies that kill pathogens; the approach could inspire new vaccines against intestinal and respiratory pathogens, such as norovirus and the flu (More) |
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> US stock markets close lower (S&P 500 -0.2%, Dow -0.1%, Nasdaq -0.6%) as investors wait for today's release of November jobs report (More) |
> Roomba maker iRobot files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, with Chinese supplier taking the 35-year-old company private; iRobot shares closed down nearly 73% (More) | Ford to record more than $19B hit to profits as it scales back EV plans; figure is one of the largest impairments taken by a company (More) |
> Spain fines Airbnb $75M for advertising unlicensed tourist rentals as the country grapples with a housing affordability issue (More) |
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> Search continues for Brown University shooter who killed two people, wounded nine others Saturday; police release video of the alleged suspect, identify shooting victims as freshman Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, sophomore Ella Cook (More) |
> The US agrees to provide Ukraine with security guarantees in exchange for reaching a peace deal to end the war with Russia (More) | President Donald Trump sues BBC for total of $10B in damages, accusing the broadcaster of defamation (More) |
> Three Seattle suburbs forced to evacuate after a levee fails following a week of heavy rain (More) |
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> To Grow We Must Forget
DOC | Amy Chivavibul. AI platforms can store and remember what you tell them. One downside may be how memory limits us, restricting our potential for growth. (Read) |
> Machado's Escape
WSJ | Staff. Venezuela's opposition leader María Corina Machado fled the country to receive her Nobel Peace Prize earlier this month. Her risky exit saw her lost at sea for three hours without GPS—or the ability to communicate. (Read) |
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Historybook: Ludwig van Beethoven born (1770); Boston Tea Party occurs (1773); Author Jane Austen born (1775); Anthropologist Margaret Mead born (1901); World War II’s Battle of the Bulge begins (1944). |
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"Her own thoughts and reflections were habitually her best companions." |
- Jane Austen from "Mansfield Park" |
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*Disclosure: This is a paid advertisement for RAD Intel made pursuant to Regulation A+ offering and involves risk, including the possible loss of principal. The valuation is set by the Company and there is currently no public market for the Company's Common Stock. Nasdaq ticker “RADI” has been reserved by RAD Intel and any potential listing is subject to future regulatory approval and market conditions. Please read the offering circular and related risks at invest.radintel.ai. |
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