Reports suggested the 29-year-old journalist’s detention was connected to an Iranian engineer facing charges from the U.S. Justice Department.
Some Italian commentators believed Tehran detained Sala as a bargaining chip to secure the release of Iranian engineer Mohammad Abedini.
Three days before Sala’s arrest, Italian authorities arrested Abedini on a U.S. warrant.
The U.S. Justice Department indicted Abedini and another Iranian on charges of supplying Tehran with drone technology used to kill three American troops in Jordan in January 2024.
Calls for Apple to remove AI after series of incorrect headline summaries
After issuing a series of inaccurate news alerts Apple said it will update its artificial intelligence feature. Some of the false headlines the technology generated included one that said Luigi Mangione, the accused UnitedHealthcare CEO shooter, had killed himself and another that tennis star Rafael Nadal had come out as gay.
Apple said it’s developing a software update to “further clarify” when news headlines are actually summaries generated by Apple Intelligence and the update will roll out in the coming weeks. However, media outlets and journalist organizations want the feature ended altogether.
The BBC filed a formal complaint in December 2024 after an incorrect news alert summarized by Apple Intelligence but branded with the BBC’s logo claimed Luigi Mangione, the man accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson had shot himself. Mangione had not and is alive and being held in a New York prison.
It’s not just the BBC. In November 2024, a ProPublica journalist flagged an inaccurate Apple AI summary of a New York Times alert that wrongly claimed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had been arrested.
The U.K.’s National Union of Journalists is now calling for Apple to “act swiftly” and remove its artificial intelligence to avoid spreading misinformation. Journalist group Reporters Without Borders (RSF) echoed that sentiment.
“The proposed update looks like an implicit admission that making the feature more trustworthy is not currently an option,” the group said.
RSF also renewed its calls for the feature’s removal.
South Korean parliament votes to impeach acting president
The political turmoil involving key U.S. ally South Korea deepens as its acting president is impeached. And severe weather could disrupt plans for millions on one of the busiest travel weekends of the year. These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Friday, Dec. 27, 2024.
South Korean parliament votes to impeach acting president
Han, South Korea’s number two official, has been leading the country since the opposition-controlled National Assembly moved to get rid of Yoon. The assembly voted Friday to approve the impeachment motion against Han 192-0, with current governing party lawmakers boycotting the vote.
Meanwhile, two lawyers from Yoon’s legal team appeared before the constitutional court on Yoon’s behalf as hearings into his impeachment begin. The court has 180 days to decide whether to reinstate Yoon or remove him from office.
South Korea is a key ally of the United States. The U.S. has nearly 30,000 troops stationed there. Any new government would have to deal with President-elect Donald Trump come January. Trump has previously stated that South Korea should pay as much as $10 billion to have American troops there.
Israeli airstrikes hit Yemen airport where WHO chief was boarding plane
A new round of Israeli airstrikes in Yemen targeted the Houthi rebel-held capital of Sanaa and multiple ports Thursday, Dec. 26. The World Health Organization’s director-general said the bombardment happened not far from where he was about to board a flight, injuring a crew member with the U.N. Humanitarian Air Service.
Our mission to negotiate the release of @UN staff detainees and to assess the health and humanitarian situation in #Yemen concluded today. We continue to call for the detainees' immediate release.
As we were about to board our flight from Sana’a, about two hours ago, the airport… pic.twitter.com/riZayWHkvf
At least three people were later reported killed and dozens injured in the airport strike.
A U.S. spokesperson said U.N. team members have since left the airport and are “safe and sound” in Sanaa. The injured crew member was getting treatment at a hospital.
The Israeli army told the Associated Press it was not aware that the WHO chief or delegation was at the location in Yemen.
Meanwhile, in Gaza, Israeli strikes left 20 people dead, including five Palestinian journalists, according to the territory’s health ministry. The Israeli military claimed they were militants posing as reporters.
Russian anti-aircraft system may have struck Azerbaijan passenger plane
Early indications point to a Russian anti-aircraft system as the cause of a deadly Azerbaijan Airlines passenger plane crash in Kazakhstan on Wednesday, Dec. 25, a U.S. official told multiple outlets. There are reports that the Russian system used a surface-to-air missile to hit the flight before it crashed near the city of Aktau, killing 38 of the 67 people on board.
A commission has been set up to investigate the crash, including representatives from Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Russia. However, Russian and Azerbaijani investigators will not be allowed to conduct their own forensics investigations, according to Kazakh state media.
The flight was en route, from Azerbaijan’s capital of Baku to the Russian city of Grozny when it was diverted. Russian state media said the diversion was because of fog. The plane crash landed while attempting to make an emergency landing in Kazakhstan.
Some aviation experts have pointed to holes in the underside of the plane as evidence of shrapnel and that the plane appeared to have been shot down.
Judge rules ‘Diddy’ and Jay-Z rape accuser can remain anonymous
A New York judge has ruled a woman who is accusing music moguls Sean “Diddy” Combs and Jay-Z, whose real name is Shawn Carter, of raping her when she was 13 can stay anonymous for now.
Judge says woman accusing Jay-Z, Sean 'Diddy' Combs of raping her at age 13 can proceed anonymously https://t.co/GwuLF7l5N0
In her decision, Judge Analisa Torres reserved the right to revisit the decision at a future date if the case moves forward, which would help defense lawyers prepare for trial. Torres also cited “substantial interest” from the public.
Severe weather threatens to disrupt post-Christmas travel
Friday is the start of one of the busiest travel weekends of the year and severe weather will likely throw a wrench in many people’s plans. Storms across the western and southern U.S. are threatening delays for millions of passengers, especially Saturday, Dec. 28.
Here are some key messages regarding the severe weather threat this Saturday (12/28). pic.twitter.com/BmzmpznyeE
The National Weather Service said another round of severe thunderstorms is expected to hit the deep south Saturday with strong tornadoes, damaging winds and large hail from Louisiana to Alabama. Meanwhile, a series of Pacific storm systems will continue to impact the west, bringing strong winds, low-elevation rain and heavy mountain snow.
Americans get lottery fever as Mega Millions jackpot hits $1.15 billion
While lottery officials say the odds of winning any Mega Millions prize are 1 in 24, chances of hitting the jackpot are 1 in 302.5 million. However, come April, the chances will go up — along with ticket prices.
Right now, Mega Millions is $2 per ticket, but that cost will jump to $5 in April. Lottery officials insist the price hike will lead to improved jackpot odds along with more frequent giant prizes and even bigger payouts.
Suspect charged with murder in killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO
The man accused of gunning down the CEO of UnitedHealthcare on a New York City sidewalk is charged with murder. And the Biden administration levels allegations of war crimes against two Syrians who were high-raking members of the now ousted regime. These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024.
Suspect charged with murder in killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO
After nearly a week of searching, the manhunt for the suspected gunman who shot and killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside a New York City hotel last week is over. Police said they located the 26-year-old suspect inside a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, about 300 miles from New York on Monday, Dec. 9.
The New York City Police Department filed first-degree murder charges against Luigi Mangione, according to court documents released Monday night. Mangione also faces charges of possession of a loaded firearm, possession of a forged driver’s license, and criminal possession of a weapon.
Mangione is described as a former high school valedictorian and a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, who grew up in Maryland but has also had past addresses in California and Hawaii.
Mangione was taken into custody in Altoona after authorities said a McDonald’s employee recognized him as the person of interest seen in images related to Thompson’s shooting death.
When police arrived on the scene, they questioned Mangione. According to court documents, Mangione “started to shake” when asked if he’d recently been in New York City. Authorities said at first, he lied about his identity.
So proud of @NYPDMTN Detectives, and our Major Case and Homicide Squads, who worked around-the-clock on the homicide investigation in Midtown. I joined them last night to thank them for their dedication. No doubt, their work was instrumental to identifying the person of interest… pic.twitter.com/jAFA7JDcHd
Court documents show he was carrying a black 3-D printed pistol with a silencer. The NYPD said the “ghost gun” found on him was consistent with the one used in the murder. Ghost guns do not have serial numbers.
Police said Mangione also had on him a fake ID, matching the one used by the suspect at a New York City hostel before the shooting, and a three-page written note.
“That document is currently in the possession of the Altoona Police Department as part of their investigation but just from briefly speaking with them, we don’t think that there’s any specific threats to other people mentioned in that document, but it does seem that he has some ill will toward corporate America,” NYPD Chief of Detectives Joe Kenney said.
Multiple reports Tuesday morning, Dec. 10, claimed those writings included the phrases “these parasites had it coming” and it “had to be done.”
During a press conference Monday evening, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) spoke of how the killing has led to some people online sharing their frustrations and anger over the healthcare system but emphasized that Mangione is not a martyr.
“In some dark corners, this killer’s being hailed as a hero,” Shapiro said. “Hear me on this: he is no hero. The real hero in this story is the person who called 911 at McDonald’s this [Monday] morning. The real heroes every day in our society are the women and men who put on uniforms like these and go out in our communities to keep us safe. This killer is not a hero. He should not be hailed.”
Mangione will remain in custody in Pennsylvania pending his extradition to New York, which is expected to take place later this week.
Jury finds former US Marine not guilty in NYC chokehold death trial
Tensions remain high in New York after a jury acquitted U.S. Marine veteran Daniel Penny of all charges on Monday, including criminally negligent homicide, in the chokehold death of a schizophrenic man, whose behavior had some people on the New York subway testifying they feared for their lives.
The caught-on-camera deadly incident from May 2023 saw Penny put Jordan Neely in a chokehold from behind after Neely walked up and down the F train saying “somebody is going to die today”.
Prosecutors said the chokehold lasted too long, was reckless, and resulted in the 30-year-old homeless man’s death. The defense brought an expert in to show Neely was under the influence of the synthetic marijuana drug K2, arguing he died from drug use and a previous medical condition.
Outside the Manhattan courthouse Tuesday, fights broke out as protesters and counter-protesters clashed. After the verdict Neely’s father stated, “There is no justice.”
US charges 2 former Syrian officials with war crimes
The United States has charged two former high-ranking Syrian intelligence officials with war crimes. The DOJ said during Bashar al-Assad’s regime, Jamil Hassan and Abdul Salam Mahmoud oversaw operations of a detention facility where Americans and civilians who had been deemed enemies of the state were tortured.
In other developments in the Middle East, the U.S. has also sent a special envoy to Beirut, Lebanon to find out what happened to Austin Tice. Tice is an American journalist who vanished in Syria 12 years ago.
"We have heard from sources that have been vetted by the U.S. government that Austin is alive." Austin Tice has been missing in Syria for 12 years. Today his brother & sister tell me "every day is a day that Austin should be released and a day that Austin could be released." pic.twitter.com/o08OgOFKEm
On Sunday, Dec. 8, President Joe Biden said he believes Tice is still alive and his administration is committed to bringing him home. Syria has publicly denied holding Tice.
Meanwhile, Israel has launched a large-scale attack on Syria, striking what it called strategic military sites after the fall of the al-Assad government. It also expanded its presence into the Golan Heights, a buffer zone along the country’s border with Syria.
Israel claimed the move is temporary and aimed at ensuring nearby areas are not exposed to any potential security threats, but Iran has appealed to the United Nations Security Council, saying the expansion is a “flagrant violation” of U.N. charter, breaking a 50-year cease-fire agreement.
Hegseth looks to shore up Senate support on Capitol Hill
President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for defense secretary is back on Capitol Hill this week. He’s looking to shore up support from Senate Republicans.
Pete Hegseth met with Senators Joni Ernst and Lindsey Graham on Monday. Both had expressed concerns over allegations against Hegseth of sexual misconduct, financial mismanagement of veterans’ charities and excessive drinking.
Hegseth denies a lot of it and says he is changed man. He served in the Army in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Lord & Taylor to relaunch as online discount luxury retailer
Another department store chain is set to make an internet comeback. Lord & Taylor is set to relaunch in 2025 as a discount luxury e-commerce platform offering designer goods and Lord & Taylor-branded products, according to its new owner.
Regal Brands Global acquired the Lord & Taylor intellectual property in September after its previous owner, Saadia Group — which had re-launched the chain as an e-commerce website in 2021 — ceased operations.
Regal Brands reportedly aims to position Lord & Taylor products to compete with other high-end retailers such as Saks Fifth Avenue and Nordstrom.
‘Emilia Perez’ receives most Golden Globe nominations
Most social media influencers don’t check sources before sharing info: Report
Nowadays, people turn to social media for everything from makeup and hair tips to getting their news. However, a new United Nations study highlights why influencers shouldn’t influence what we think too much.
At a time when digital content creators have become a major source of information for people, a @UNESCO survey published today reveals that 62% do not carry out rigorous and systematic fact-checking of information prior to sharing it. But 73% express the wish to be… pic.twitter.com/YYQhzA55TZ
— UNESCO 🏛️ #Education #Sciences #Culture 🇺🇳 (@UNESCO) November 26, 2024
About a third of influencers said they’d share content without checking if it came from a source or creator they trust. Four out of 10 said they use popularity to judge the credibility of online sources.
The survey found only 1 in 5 used documentation or evidence to determine credibility.
The U.N.’s report said online influencers need “urgent” help checking their facts before they pass them on to followers to help stop the spread of mis- and disinformation.
To help, UNESCO partnered with the University of Texas’ Knight Center for Journalism to offer a free online course on “how to be a trusted voice online.” The month-long course includes lessons on fact-checking and creating content about elections or crises.
UNESCO said 9,000 influencers have already registered for the course.
Human rights group says Israel likely ‘deliberately’ killed Lebanon journalists
An international human rights group called an Israeli air strike that killed three journalists in Lebanon a likely deliberate attack. Human Rights Watch said the Israeli military knew or should have known journalists were staying in the targeted building during the time of the strike on Oct. 25.
The new report also mentions the Israeli forces carried out the attack using an air-dropped bomb with a U.S.-produced Joint Direct Attack Munition guidance kit.
The group said the U.S. government should stop weapons transfers to Israel because of the military’s repeated “unlawful attacks on civilians.”
The Biden administration said Israel’s use of U.S. weapons in the war likely violates international humanitarian law. However, the White House added U.S. officials are unable to determine that for sure in specific airstrikes.
Two camera operators and a broadcast technician who worked for Hezbollah’s Al-Manar TV died in the October attack.
According to Lebanon’s health minister, eleven other journalists have been killed since then.
“The Israeli military’s previous deadly attacks on journalists without any consequences give little hope for accountability in this or future violations against the media,” Richard Weird from Human Rights Watch said.
Israel has repeatedly said it doesn’t deliberately target journalists and the IDF has not responded to the recent wave of allegations.
Biden announced a cease-fire Tuesday, Nov. 26, that the U.S. helped secure, to end the war between Israel and Hezbollah.
‘You’re not the media’: Axios CEO spars with Elon Musk over journalism on X
There is an “information war” taking place, according to Axios CEO Jim VandeHei. VandeHei made the declaration after giving an acceptance speech for winning a journalism award, where he also called out Elon Musk, the owner of X, who advocates for citizen journalism over traditional news outlets.
In his speech, VandeHei referenced Musk’s posts on X, where Musk declared, “You are the media now.”
“Our industry, make no mistake about it – I’m not going to sugarcoat it – everything we do is under fire. Elon Musk sits on X every day saying, ‘We are the media, or you are the media.’ My message to Elon Musk is bulls–t,” VandeHei said.
“You having a blue check mark, a Twitter handle, and 300 words of cleverness doesn’t make you a reporter,” he added.
In response to a clip of VandeHei’s speech on X, Musk posted, “Yeah, whatever. You are the media now, and the legacy media knows it.”
After the viral speech, VandeHei appeared on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” where hosts applauded his remarks.
“Slow clap, everyone. First of all, I gotta say, extraordinary content. It needed to be said. It continues to need to be said,” said host Joe Scarborough.
“I listen to so many reporters who feel like the industry is going to hell, that nobody trusts them, that they’re demoralized,” VandeHei said in response. “We don’t have time to be demoralized. We don’t have time to whine. We have to do our job.”
The media industry is undeniably undergoing a significant shift, as Straight Arrow News has reported.
Putin’s new adoption and LGBTQ+ laws to align with country’s ‘traditional values’
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed two bills into law that are part of the Kremlin’s effort to abide by what Russian officials call “traditional values.” First, people from countries where gender transitioning is allowed can no longer adopt children from Russia.
Last year, Russia banned gender-transition procedures.
In 2022, Putin signed a law banning the distribution of LGBTQ+ information to people of all ages.
The adoption ban will apply to at least 15 countries, mostly in Europe.
Adoption of Russian children by people in the United States was banned in 2012.
Putin also just approved legislation barring the spread of material that encourages people to not have children.
He has urged Russian women to have eight or more kids to sustain the native populace.
Russian officials claim arguments against having children are part of Western efforts to weaken Russia through population decline, according to CBS News.
In 2022, a law went into effect labeling any person – including journalists and activists – who engages in activism or expresses contrary opinions about Russian policies as a foreign agent, with officials claiming they are under foreign influence.
World’s thinnest pasta may be next step in nanofibers for medicine
The newest pasta on Earth is also the world’s thinnest spaghetti. It was recently created, not in a Michelin-star restaurant in Paris, but by a research team in England.
In a new paper published in the journal Nanoscale Advances, the research team from University College London said it was created because of the “wide-ranging uses that extremely thin strands of material, called nanofibers, have in medicine and industry.”
The team said nanofibers that are made of starch are especially promising and could be used in the future in bandages to aid wound healing, as scaffolding for bone regeneration and for drug delivery.
The nanopasta was made from a technique called electrospinning. The London researchers describe electrospinning as a process in which threads of flour and liquid are pulled through the tip of a needle by an electric charge.
This spaghetti is a pasta with one interesting origin. However, as a 2012 CBS News report told viewers, many other kinds of pasta have backstories that come with a twist, including tortellini.
According to the report, one of the most famous women of the Italian Renaissance, Lucrezia Borgia, was the inspiration behind the pasta.
The tale goes that Borgia stopped overnight at an inn. The innkeeper became smitten with her. When he went up to snoop on her room, he looked through the keyhole and saw her navel. That inspired the tortellini pasta.
Then there’s cascatelli, the pasta shape created by James Beard award-winning podcaster Dan Pashman. It took him three years, as chronicled on his podcast “The Sporkful,” to come up with his dream pasta that he considers to be the perfect shape for holding sauce, picking up with a fork and just eating.
Cascatelli, which means “waterfall” in Italian, was named one of Time magazine’s top 100 inventions of 2021. The pasta is being sold by companies including Sfoglini, Trader Joe’s and Banza (a chickpea version).
According to the Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts, there are over 350 types of pasta shapes out there. And now, thanks to researchers in London, there’s one more.
But remember that nanopasta spaghetti was not created for digesting.
As Professor Gareth Williams, co-author of the university’s study, said, “I don’t think it’s useful as pasta, sadly, as it would overcook in less than a second, before you could take it out of the pan.”
Authorities drop investigation into Telegraph columnist Allison Pearson
Authorities have dropped their investigation into The Telegraph columnist Allison Pearson. This comes after Essex Police visited her home on Nov. 10 to investigate a post she made on social media platform X.
Straight Arrow News reported earlier this week that Pearson said she wasn’t told which specific post prompted the investigation or who made the complaint.
Pearson claimed police told her the incident was being treated as a “non-crime hate incident,” but Essex Police disputed those claims. They clarified the investigation was focused on whether her post had been “inciting racial hatred online.”
The investigation prompted backlash from free speech advocates, including former U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Johnson spoke out against the probe in a post on X, writing: “It’s time for Starmer to tell the cops – police the streets, not the tweets,” accompanied by an op-ed he wrote for The Daily Mail.
In a statement, Essex Police confirmed the investigation was closed. The force also said there would be an independent review of how the department handled the matter.
“Essex Police has reviewed this case, having sought advice from the Crown Prosecution Service. They have advised that no charges should be brought. We have concluded therefore that there will be no further action. Everyone has been updated and the investigation is closed,” the statement read.
Pearson responded to the dropped investigation in a post on X, writing in part: “Still deeply upset that I was treated like a criminal for a year-old tweet by @EssexPoliceUK. I’d like an explanation from the Chief Constable.”