A top Russian general was killed in a blast in Moscow, according to officials. And police identify the suspect in a deadly school shooting in Wisconsin. These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024.
Officials say explosion kills Russian general in Moscow
Russian officials said an explosion near an apartment building in Moscow killed the head of Russia’s nuclear and chemical forces Tuesday morning, Dec. 17. Officials said the explosive device, which was planted in a scooter and triggered remotely, killed Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov and his assistant.
Russia’s investigative committee said it is treating the bombing as a terrorist attack. Kirillov has been the head of Russia’s nuclear defense forces since April 2017.
On Monday, Dec. 16, Ukraine’s security services charged Kirillov with the use of banned chemical weapons during the war. He also faced sanctions from several countries, including the U.K. and Canada, for his role in the war in Ukraine.
A Ukrainian official, who spoke to the Associated Press anonymously, said the security service carried out the attack.
2 charged in connection with drone strike that killed 3 American soldiers
Two Iranian men, one of whom is a dual-American citizen, were charged in connection with a deadly drone attack that killed three U.S. soldiers in Jordan earlier this year.
FBI specialists analyzed the drone and were able to trace its navigation system to an Iranian company operated by one of the defendants. According to prosecutors, the defendant relied on parts and technology funneled into the country by his alleged co-conspirator.
Authorities identified the suspects as Mahdi Mohammad Sadeghi and Mohammad Abedini. Prosecutors said Sadeghi worked at a Massachusetts-based semiconductor company. Abedini was arrested in Italy, and the Justice Department is seeking extradition to Massachusetts.
Both men are charged with export control violations. Abedini also faces charges of conspiring to provide material support to Iran.
Police identify 15-year-old suspect in deadly Wisconsin school shooting
New details are emerging about a deadly school shooting in Madison, Wisconsin. Three people died, including the suspected shooter.
Police said a 15-year-old girl, who was a student at Abundant Life Christian School, opened fire inside a classroom Monday morning. Another student and a teacher were killed.
“The shooter has now been identified as 15-year-old Natalie Rupnow, who went by the name Samantha,” Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said. “She was a student at the school and evidence suggests she died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.”
Barnes added, “At this time, we believe there was only one shooter involved. We are still working to determine a motive. Detectives have talked to her family members this evening as well as conduct a search of the shooter’s home here in Madison.”
Six others were injured in the shooting. Police said two of the injured students remain in critical condition. Authorities said it is not clear if the teacher and teenage student who were killed were targeted.
In response to the shooting, President Joe Biden issued a statement that called for Congress to pass more gun safety laws. He called for universal background checks, a national red flag law and a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.
Judge rejects Trump’s bid to throw out hush money conviction
Despite the Supreme Court’s ruling earlier this year on presidential immunity, a New York judge said he will not throw out President-elect Donald Trump’s conviction on 34 charges of falsifying business records related to payments made to porn actor Stormy Daniels to influence the 2016 presidential election.
Trump denied any wrongdoing regarding Daniels’ claims of a sexual relationship between the two.
Trump was originally set to be sentenced in the so-called “hush money” case on Nov. 22, but Judge Juan Merchan postponed it to allow both sides more time to present arguments related to potentially dismissing the case. Trump’s lawyers asked to dismiss the case, citing the SCOTUS ruling in July giving a president wide immunity from prosecution.
Trump communications director Steven Cheung called Monday’s decision to allow the case to continue a “direct violation of the Supreme Court’s decision on immunity, and other longstanding jurisprudence.”
It’s still unclear when or if a sentencing date will be set. Prosecutors have already agreed the president-elect would not be sentenced while he is in office. However, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office has argued in legal filings that the felony conviction should still stand.
Trump meets with TikTok CEO as app faces U.S. ban
President-elect Trump met with the CEO of TikTok Monday at his Mar-a-Lago resort, according to multiple reports. The meeting came as the popular social media platform faces a ban in the U.S.
Earlier this year, in a show of bipartisan support, Congress passed a measure that would ban TikTok in the U.S. as of Jan. 19, 2025, and President Biden signed it into law. A federal court upheld that move earlier this month.
Trump originally tried to ban TikTok during his first administration. However, he has since reversed course, vowing on the campaign trail to “save” the app.
During a press conference before Monday’s meeting with TikTok’s CEO, the president-elect addressed the matter.
“We’ll take a look at TikTok,” he said. “You know, I have a warm spot in my heart for TikTok because I won youth by 34 points and there are those that say that TikTok has something to do with it.”
TikTok filed an emergency application with SCOTUS on Monday asking for a temporary injunction that would delay the ban while the company seeks a formal review by the justices.
Trump is set to meet with Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos at Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday, Dec. 17. He is then expected to sit down with Amazon founder Jeff Bezos on Wednesday, Dec. 18.
‘Red One’ brings in 50 million viewers in record Prime Video debut
Amazon is hoping it’s found the next big holiday hit. “Red One,” the holiday action movie starring Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans, is now Amazon MGM Studios’ most-watched film debut ever on its Prime Video streaming service.
The movie pulled in a record-breaking 50 million viewers worldwide during its first four days of streaming. The film, which cost $200 million to make, was originally set to be a Prime Video exclusive. The studio switched course and first premiered it in theaters last month.
“Red One” surpassed Jake Gyllenhaal’s “Road House” for Prime Video’s most-watched film debut. Now, Amazon said “Red One” will “clearly be a perennial holiday favorite for years to come.”
