Good morning. It's Friday, Dec. 6, and we're covering Syrian rebels' capture of Hama, a newly released Colombian drug lord, and much more. First time reading? Join over 4 million intellectually curious readers. Sign up here.
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A coalition of Syrian rebels captured the country's fourth-largest city of Hama yesterday, forcing the Syrian army further south. The conquest follows last week's takeover of the commercial capital, Aleppo, with the group reportedly continuing south toward Homs in the direction of the capital, Damascus (see map).
The swift advance has surprised observers (see why) amid the fourth year of a relatively quiet ceasefire to the country's 13-year civil war. Before last week, the Russia- and Iran-backed Assad regime controlled roughly 70% of the country, with the rest divided among radical Islamists, Kurdish separatists, and the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces. Leading the well-armed advance is former al-Qaida affiliate Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, long in control of the northwestern Idlib province.
Some governments, including neighbor Israel, are preparing for the possible collapse of the Assad regime. Roughly 900 US troops have been stationed in the country for years, officially to fight the long-degraded ISIS. |
Colombian Drug Lord Released |
Colombian drug lord Fabio Ochoa Vásquez was released from US prison this week after serving 25 years of a 30-year prison sentence. Ochoa is expected to be deported to Colombia in the coming days.
Ochoa was the Miami distributor for Colombia's infamous Medellín cartel, led by Pablo Escobar (watch the documentary). At its height in the 1980s, the Medellín cartel supplied 80% of the world's cocaine market. By 1987, Ochoa was included in Forbes' list of billionaires.
After several years in prison in Colombia, Ochoa was extradited to the US on drug-trafficking charges in 2001. He was also implicated in the 1986 killing of Drug Enforcement Administration informant Barry Seal, the subject of the 2017 film "American Made" starring Tom Cruise. Ochoa's life was represented in the Netflix TV show "Narcos."
Colombia is the world's biggest cocaine producer and exporter, responsible for about 90% of cocaine seized in the US as of 2019. Learn about the trafficking route here (w/video). |
The House voted last night 206-198 against forcing the release of an ethics committee's report on former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R, FL-1). The vote returns the decision back to the House Ethics Committee for further deliberation.
Yesterday's vote, which fell mostly along party lines, follows a roughly three-and-a-half-year House Ethics Committee investigation into Gaetz over allegations of sex trafficking, drug use, corruption, and sex with a minor. Gaetz has denied the allegations against him; the Justice Department previously declined to bring charges. Last month, Gaetz resigned from Congress amid a since-dropped bid to become attorney general under President-elect Donald Trump.
Separately, Trump announced nominations for other key posts yesterday, including Caleb Vitello as acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. See a running list of appointments and nominations here. |
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Sports, Entertainment, & Culture |
> Los Angeles Galaxy take on New York Red Bulls in 2024 MLS Cup Final tomorrow (4 pm ET, Fox) (More) | 2025 FIFA Club World Cup draw revealed; see full preview for the 32-team tournament (More) |
> "Scrubs" television series reboot in the works at ABC (More) | HBO's "Harry Potter" television series to begin filming in mid-summer 2025 (More) |
> Art Basel, thought to be North America's largest art fair, begins today from Miami Beach; see full preview of events and exhibitions (More) |
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> NASA delays mission returning humans to the moon from 2026 to mid-2027, citing a flaw in the heat shield of the crewed landing module (More) | The history of NASA in four minutes (More, w/video) |
> OpenAI releases its new o1 large language model; company says it can perform complex reasoning tasks and has 34% lower error rates on advanced problems (More) | Everything you need to know about OpenAI, from its failed coup to becoming the industry leader (More) |
> Dietary fructose can promote tumor growth, with the liver breaking down the substance into nutrients used by cancer cells for fuel; estimates suggest fructose consumption has increased 15-fold over the past century (More) |
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> US stock markets close lower (S&P 500 -0.2%, Dow -0.6%, Nasdaq -0.2%) ahead of latest jobs report to be released today (More) | Bitcoin retreats from $100K record (More) | Heard about bitcoin but don't know how it works? Click here (More) |
> US judge rejects Boeing's guilty plea deal over 737 Max crashes in 2018 and 2019 that killed 346 people; judge says appointment of an independent legal compliance monitor should focus solely on competency, not diversity requirements (More) |
> Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield announces, quickly reverses plan to limit length of time anesthesia can be covered during medical procedures in Connecticut, New York, and Missouri following backlash (More) |
💰 1440 Business & Finance: Next Thursday, we'll be unpacking the concept of capital gains, from how they're taxed to the world of investing in fine jewelry. Sign up here to join! |
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> Bullet casings discovered at scene of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson's shooting were inscribed with the words "deny," "defend," and "depose"; police have released additional photos of the suspect as search for shooter continues (More) |
> 7.0-magnitude earthquake off of the coast of Northern California prompts temporary tsunami warnings, evacuation orders (More) |
> Democratic Republic of Congo investigates suspected respiratory illness behind at least 71 deaths last month; government says it is on high alert as it awaits laboratory results (More) |
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> Proving Sainthood
The Guardian | Linda Kinstler. A behind-the-scenes look at the process used by Roman Catholic leaders to determine whether someone who has died is a saint—an extraordinarily holy person believed to be in heaven. (Read)
> The Art of Being Santa
Niche to Meet You | Leslie Thompson. Meet some of the thousands of devoted actors portraying Santa for the holidays, pouring their money, time, and emotion into delighting kids from ages 1 to 92. (Listen) |
> A Hole in the Tiger Net
Aeon | Darcy Prendergast. A former big cat-keeper in an unregulated Australian animal park recounts his repeated brushes with death at the hands of a tiger seemingly intent on killing him. (Watch)
> In Love with an AI Companion
The Verge | Josh Dzieza. AI companion apps have promised their users judgment-free, adjustable digital relationships—and while problems exist, over a quarter of users say the apps have improved their lives. (Read) |
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