Person of interest in killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO in custody

Luigi Mangione, who has been charged in last week's murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York City, was taken into custody on unrelated charges in Pennsylvania earlier on Monday.

Suspect charged in UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson's killing

Luigi Mangione, the gunman suspected of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, is now charged with murder in New York City.

Lawsuit: A Character.AI chatbot hinted a kid should murder his parents over screen time limits

The parents of two Texas minors are suing a chatbot developer saying the company's services endangered their kids. One chatbot allegedly encouraged a child to self-harm and to kill their parents; another allegedly exposed them to sexualized content.

12/9: CBS Evening News

Person of interest in UnitedHealthcare CEO killing in custody, police say; Yankees' Juan Soto leaves team for crosstown rival Mets

Taller vehicles are more dangerous to pedestrians, even at low speeds, research finds

A study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety shows higher speeds are worse for pedestrians regardless of vehicle height — but those risks are amplified for vehicles with taller front ends. 

What we know about man charged in UnitedHeathcare CEO shooting

Luigi Mangione is charged in the deadly shooting​ of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson​.

Luigi Mangione charged with murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, court record shows

Luigi Mangione is being detained in Pennsylvania after being found with a gun consistent with the one used by kill UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

What to know about ghost guns after CEO's shooting

Police said Luigi Mangione, the man charged in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, appears to have had a ghost gun, a weapon that can be made using a 3D printer.

Suspect in UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting charged with murder by New York prosecutors

Luigi Mangione, 26, suspected of shooting Brian Thompson, was charged following arraignment in Pennsylvania on gun and forgery charges

• What we know about the suspect

Luigi Mangione, the 26-year-old suspected in the shooting death of the UnitedHealthcare CEO, Brian Thompson, has been charged with murder by prosecutors in New York, court records show.

The move follows his arraignment at the Blair county courthouse in Altoona, Pennsylvania, on Monday night, where gun and forgery charges were read against him. The judge asked Mangione if he understood the charges against him, and he said he did. No plea was entered.

UnitedHealthcare CEO killing: Luigi Mangione held without bail on gun, forgery charges

Luigi Mangione was arrested on a gun charge after police found him with a pistol consistent with the one used to kill UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

Renowned poet and Black arts movement icon Nikki Giovanni dies at 81

The poet and activist was a leading figure of the Black Arts Movement. Giovanni was working on her upcoming book of poetry, set to publish in the fall.

McDonald’s where New York shooting suspect caught flooded with negative reviews

Google removing one-star and disparaging reviews of the Pennsylvania location after police arrested suspect

Google on Monday removed derogatory reviews about McDonald’s after the suspect in the killing of UnitedHealth executive Brian Thompson was arrested at its restaurant in Altoona, Pennsylvania, where police say a customer alerted a local employee about him.

The negative comments aimed at McDonald’s were the latest in what is known as “review bombing,” where an establishment is hit with a litany of bad reviews based on a political view or an occurrence unrelated to its actual business.

Inside Damascus after the fall of Bashar al-Assad – podcast

Foreign correspondent William Christou travels to Damascus, hours after Syria’s decades-long dictator Bashar al-Assad is ousted from power, and asks whether the country’s thirteen-year civil war can finally come to an end

Until this weekend, the Assad dynasty had ruled Syria for over fifty years – with a regime so brutal, so oppressive, it was known as “The Kingdom of Silence”.

As foreign correspondent William Christou explains, it had seemed as recently as two weeks ago that it would simply carry on. Bashar al-Assad, president since 2000, had crushed the uprisings that started thirteen years ago against his rule, and he had slowly taken back control of most of Syrian territory over the course of a decade-long civil war – the bloodiest conflict of the twenty-first century.

Israel, US and Turkey launch strikes in Syria to protect interests

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham rebels free prisoners of the former president, Bashar al-Assad, who has fled to Russia

• Inside the hunt for hidden cells in Sednaya prison

Bombing raids have hit sites across Syria as regional actors in the Middle East scrambled to defend their interests in the country after the sudden fall of its president, Bashar al-Assad, who fled to Moscow.

As rebels led by the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) freed regime prisoners, including from the notorious Sednaya jail – often referred to as the “human slaughterhouse” – Israel, Turkey and the US carried out military action and Assad’s former backers in Russia and Iran also engaged in efforts to shape a future Syria.

What we know about Luigi Mangione, the suspect in United Healthcare CEO's killing

Mangione was arraigned on firearms and forgery charges in Pennsylvania after his arrest Monday evening, and is expected to face charges in New York as well.

UnitedHealthcare CEO killing: Luigi Mangione called Unabomber 'revolutionary'

Luigi Mangione was arrested in Pennsylvania as a "strong person of interest" in the killing of UnitedHealthCare CEO Brian Thompson.

Trump taps San Francisco attorney for assistant AG position at DOJ

President-elect Donald Trump announced Monday he will nominate Bay Area attorney Harmeet Dhillon for a position at the U.S. Department of Justice.

Pete Hegseth returns to Capitol Hill to build support

Some Senate Republicans said the allegations against Hegseth should be taken seriously only if the anonymous sources come forward.

Daniel Penny acquitted in NYC subway chokehold trial

Daniel Penny has been found not guilty of criminally negligent homicide in the chokehold death of Jordan Neely on a New York City subway car in 2023. Alice Gainer has more.

Trump administration picks on Capitol Hill courting Senate votes

Two key Republican senators, Joni Ernst and Lindsey Graham, signaled they're open to confirming Pete Hegseth as secretary of defense. Scott MacFarlane reports it was a busy day for several of Trump's choices for top positions.

Person of interest in UnitedHealthcare CEO killing in custody, police say

A man arrested in Pennsylvania is being questioned in connection with the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York City, according to police. Luigi Mangione, 26, was spotted at a McDonald's by someone who'd seen photos of the person of interest in the case. Lilia Luciano reports.

"CBS Evening News" headlines for Monday, Dec. 9, 2024

Here's a look at the top stories making headlines on the "CBS Evening News with Norah O'Donnell."

What is a ghost gun and are they legal?

Shooter of Brian Thompson, the UnitedHealthcare CEO, was in possession of one made with a 3D printer when arrested

A person of interest has been identified in the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Police say they found a “ghost gun” made with a 3D printer on the man, who has been charged in Pennsylvania with weapons, forgery and other crimes. The use of this type of firearm – whether made with a printer or bought online as a kit and assembled at home – has grown increasingly common in the past decade in part because they don’t have serial numbers and can’t be traced by authorities.

Here’s how they’ve gone from a pastime of gun enthusiasts and tinkerers to an increasing part of US gun violence – and the subject of a major supreme court case.

Why more high schoolers are taking financial literacy classes

Only 10 states require a personal finance course to graduate high school, but that's changing. For "Eye on America," Meg Oliver reports on the growing trend of teaching financial literacy as a foundation for financial responsibility.

Tesla sued by deceased driver’s family over 'fraudulent misrepresentation' of Autopilot safety

The family of a Tesla driver who died in a crash while using Autopilot last year is suing the company.

Top 'Washington Post' editor kills article on deputy's departure

Washington Post Acting Executive Editor Matt Murray killed a story about the departure of a veteran and popular editor for a senior position at the New York Times.

Ukraine war briefing: Our war dead 43,000 and Russia’s 198,000 says Zelenskyy

Volodymyr Zelenskyy suggests foreign troops to protect Ukraine until it can join Nato; Ukraine’s president woos potential next German chancellor. What we know on day 1,021

Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Sunday that 43,000 Ukrainian soldiers had been killed in the war, while of 370,000 injured, about half had been able to return to service after treatment. The Ukrainian president said 198,000 Russian soldiers had been killed and a further 550,000 injured. Almost 800,000 Russian troops are deployed in Ukraine, he said. The figures were not independently verified.

Zelenskyy on Monday made the case for a diplomatic settlement to end Russia’s war in Ukraine and raised the idea of foreign troops being deployed in his country until it could join the Nato military alliance. It came after Donald Trump said Kyiv was ready to make a deal with Moscow to stop the war and that Vladimir Putin should make efforts toward negotiating a truce. The Ukrainian president told reporters he was hoping to call the outgoing US president, Joe Biden, in the coming days to discuss Nato membership.

“A troop contingent from one country or another could be present in Ukraine for as long as it isn’t part of Nato. But for that we need to have a clear understanding of when Ukraine becomes an EU member and when a Nato member,” Zelenskyy said. The French president, Emmanuel Macron, caused controversy in Europe in February when he raised the possibility of European nations sending troops to Ukraine. “Even if we get invited [to Nato], what happens then? Who guarantees our security? We can think about that and work on Emmanuel Macron’s proposal,” Zelenskyy said.

Zelenskyy asked for more support from Berlin against Russia while meeting with the current German opposition CDU party leader, Friedrich Merz, who is leading opinion polls ahead of elections in February. “We are counting on stronger, more decisive actions from Germany, from you personally. We are counting on it very much,” Zelenskyy said, mentioning Ukraine’s request for an invitation to join Nato and for long-range missiles. Merz has urged the current chancellor, Olaf Scholz, to send Ukraine the long-range Taurus missile system, which could fire deep into Russian territory – something Scholz has refused to do.

The Estonian prime minister, Kristen Michal, was also in Kyiv on Monday to meet with Zelenskyy and other senior officials, including Ukraine’s prime minister, Denys Shmyhal.

Ukrainian officials said Russian attacks killed a 91-year-old woman in the village of Stara Mykolayivka in the Donetsk region on Monday, as shelling also wounded four others. A man was killed in the southern Kherson region, said the local governor, Oleksandr Prokudin.

Ukraine will soon get another €4.2bn after the EU’s member states approved the planned payment, the EU council announced. The money is intended to help Ukraine’s struggling economy.

Polygamous sect leader with 20 "wives" sentenced to 50 years

A polygamist leader in Arizona has been sentenced to 50 years in prison.

Oracle shares slide on earnings and revenue miss, disappointing forecast

Oracle shares fell in extended trading after the database software company issued disappointing quarterly results.

‘What does AI mean?’: Amazon reveals UK’s most asked Alexa questions of 2024

From football to food to Taylor Swift, many of the most common subjects were what you expect – but others less so

Virtual assistant units have become a staple in many UK households, telling people whether it is expected to rain, what the time is, and what the result in the football was.

Among the most common used is Alexa, whose parent company Amazon has released the top questions and requests given to the software during 2024. Some were ones you would expect: “What is the value of bitcoin?”; “what is the population of earth?”; and “what does AI mean?”.

Exercising for 30 minutes improves memory, study suggests

Research shows walk or cycle improves cognitive performance for day ahead – and day after

For cycle-to-work commuters and those who start the day with a brisk walk, the benefits of banking some early exercise is well understood.

Now scientists believe activity is not just a good idea for improving the day ahead – physical activity could be associated with small increase in memory scores the next, too.

Why Murdoch’s succession case could be major blow to his rightwing legacy

Court ruling could mean that more liberal Murdochs may have say in content from world’s most powerful conservative media empire

A Nevada court dealt nonagenarian media mogul Rupert Murdoch a major blow on Monday. And one that could – potentially – shatter his plans to secure his rightwing legacy.

Behind closed doors, Murdoch has been involved in a legal battle for control of the family’s media assets, pitching the mogul and Lachlan Murdoch, his political protege and heir apparent, against the patriarch’s three other oldest children.

It's the GOP's world in Washington. The Democratic governors are getting ready

Democratic governors met in Los Angeles over the weekend to discuss the way forward, as GOP is set to control all three branches of the federal government.

Americans are paying more than ever for health insurance

Consumers are venting frustrations about health insurance in wake of UnitedHealthcare CEO murder. Costs have outpaced inflation for years.

Still need to buy a Christmas tree? Here's the good news.

Extreme weather and a smaller supply of tree has pushed up prices, but this year consumers are getting break.

Brisbane is deciding on a 2032 Olympics stadium: how do the options stack up?

With the river city’s international reputation on the line, a 100-day review period hopes to cut through the political posturing and land on a main venue befitting of the Games

The 2032 Olympics have for a long time felt far away but it took Gout Gout to show they are just around the corner. The Brisbane teenager’s barely believable 200m national record on Saturday has upped the urgency for organisers to get Games planning right, as Queenslanders dream of an Olympic sprinting medal from a local hero.

The venue options for athletics and the opening and closing ceremonies are well-known and the deadlines obvious. But more than three years after Brisbane won the right to host the 2032 Olympics, uneven ambition and political manoeuvring means organisers have not yet decided on the site.

Somebody Somewhere season three review – remarkable TV that burrows into your heart

Bridget Everett’s gorgeous comedy bows out as it began: as a beautiful look at family, found family and, above all, friendship. If only HBO hadn’t cancelled it …

For anyone from a tight-knit small town who has moved away, the “what if I never left” question may be one that lingers in the mind. This is the story that fuels Somebody Somewhere, which stars the New York cabaret legend Bridget Everett as Sam, who moves back to Manhattan, Kansas, to nurse her sister as she dies of cancer, and ends up settling down, if you can call it that, in the town where she was born and raised. There has always been a sense that this show was fighting against the odds. It is a subtle and gentle tale in a TV landscape that rewards big bangs, and it is one of those beautiful, sad comedies that elicit the occasional belly laugh, but mostly leave behind a low-level hum of melancholy. This summer, HBO announced that this third season will be its last.

Somebody Somewhere bows out as it came in, exploring the push and pull between loneliness and human connection. Sam is finally getting on with her surviving sister, Tricia (a fabulous Mary Catherine Garrison), now that Tricia’s divorce from Rick has come through. Tricia’s commercial empire, built on embroidering one particularly rude word on soft furnishings and homeware, is going great guns and has given her financial stability and a massive car. For Tricia, life as a single woman, whose daughter has left home, brings its own challenges. A related scene between Sam and Tricia, in a hotel bathroom in Kansas City, is one of the show’s rare and deserved belly-laugh moments.

Syrian Refugees Displaced for Years Return Home

The regime of President Bashar al-Assad crumbled in rapid fashion as rebel groups challenged his power. Assad is now in exile in Russia and the rebels have taken control of the capital, Damascus. Now displaced Syrians, some of whom have been out of the country for over a decade, are returning home. Our correspondent in Lebanon spoke to some returning Syrians.

Rupert Murdoch loses battle to control succession to his media empire

Media mogul’s three adult children will retain control despite attempt to give his son Lachlan complete control

• Analysis: Why Murdoch’s succession case could be major blow to his rightwing legacy

Rupert Murdoch’s three adult children will retain control over their father’s media empire upon his death, a Nevada court has ruled after Murdoch launched a campaign to wrest away their power and give it all to his oldest son.

The New York Times reported on Murdoch’s loss, citing a sealed court decision that was filed on Saturday. The family battle took place outside of the public’s eye, despite attempts from the media to gain access to the trial.

Soucek and Bowen stave off Wolves on emotional night for West Ham

Wolves could not convince Julen Lopetegui to stay at Molineux last year but they have kept him in his current job. Woeful defending from set pieces cost Gary O’Neil’s side again and, while West Ham hardly played with much style, they can continue to defer making a call on Lopetegui’s future after seeing off wasteful opponents thanks to opportunistic goals from Tomas Soucek and Jarrod Bowen.

Ultimately the sense persists that West Ham are delaying the inevitable given that defeat here would have brought an end to their unpopular manager’s unhappy reign. They are in an odd place – nine points above the bottom three, seven off fifth place – and the overall vibe is unconvincing. This performance did little to energise the home crowd and, although it was important to win for Michail Antonio, who is recovering after his horrific car crash, West Ham would be kidding themselves to think a draw would have flattered Wolves.

Fortnite creator Epic Games sends customers $72 million refund. Here's why.

The game's design nudged people into racking up unauthorized charges, the FTC said. Here's how customers will be refunded.

How will Australia's teen social media ban actually work?

Australia's Parliament has passed one of the strictest social media crackdowns in the world. Under the new law, anyone under 16 years old will be banned from opening a social media account.

Amazon is bringing Intuit QuickBooks software to its millions of third-party sellers

Amazon's marketplace sellers will be able to bring their sales and inventory data into Intuit QuickBooks through a new integration.

A record-breaking deal for slugger Juan Soto sends the baseball world into a spin

The Dominican-born superstar Juan Soto will take his talents to Queens after the New York Mets reportedly signed him to a $765 million contract — a move that has the rest of the baseball world abuzz.

Two New Orleans law firms charged with staging accidents for settlements

Federal indictment, more than five years in the making, claims attorneys and firms collected millions of dollars

In a blockbuster federal indictment more than five years in the making, two New Orleans-based law firms and their attorneys who specialize in car accident claims have been charged with several others for their roles in staging wrecks, faking injuries and collecting millions of dollars in lawsuit settlements.

Among those indicted on Monday is a television stuntwoman-turned-attorney named Vanessa Motta, who in May had two clients criminally charged with helping orchestrate the 2020 shooting death of another client of hers. The slain client of Motta – who was indicted along with her namesake firm – had been cooperating in the federal investigation that produced Monday’s indictment.

OpenAI makes AI video generator Sora publicly available in US

Firm announces tool that can create AI video clip based on user’s written prompts will be available to anyone in the US

Anyone in the US can now use OpenAI’s artificial intelligence video generator, Sora, which the company announced on Monday would become publicly available. OpenAI first presented Sora in February, but it was only accessible to select artists, film-makers and safety testers. At multiple points on Monday, though, OpenAI’s website did not allow for new sign-ups for Sora, citing heavy traffic.

Sora is known as a text-to-video generator, a tool that can create AI video clips based on a user’s written prompts. An example on OpenAI’s website has the prompt of “a wide, serene shot of a family of woolly mammoths in an open desert”. Its video shows a group of three of the extinct creatures slowly walking through sand dunes.

Monk abused children for decades on Welsh island ‘in plain sight’, review says

Thaddeus Kotik groomed, raped and sexually assaulted boys and girls on Caldey Island despite repeated complaints

A monk was able to abuse children for four decades on an island off the Welsh coast despite operating in “plain sight” and despite his victims’ repeated complaints, an independent review has concluded.

Father Thaddeus Kotik groomed, raped and sexually assaulted boys and girls on Caldey Island, which is home to a community of Cistercian monks and a popular destination for day trippers.

To protect all parties, contact between the monastic community and the visiting public be formalised and informal contact should cease – including selfies.

The current safeguarding arrangements should be strengthened by the addition of a survivor or survivors of child sexual abuse to sit on the board of the island.

The appointment of an independent visiting designated safeguarding professional.

Mondelez made a takeover approach for Hershey, sources say

Hershey shares climbed as much as 15% during Monday trading after reports that Mondelez is attempting another takeover of the chocolate company.

‘Polarization’ is Merriam-Webster’s word of the year: ‘Something everyone agrees on’

The premier US dictionary’s pick, based on search traffic, reflects a year of political and celebrity division

Collins dictionary went with “brat”. Oxford chose “brain rot”. But in a brutally divided country, the US’s premier dictionary skipped the slang: Merriam-Webster’s word of the year is “polarization”.

The announcement comes in an election year that put the concept on display, as Kamala Harris warned of fascism under Donald Trump, while Trump resorted to name-calling and claimed his opponent was running on “destruction”. As the dictionary put it, polarization “happens to be one idea that both sides of the political spectrum agree on”.

Soft medium, hard truths - National Endowment for the Arts recognizes a Navajo quilter

A Navajo woman who has spent 50 years sewing has now been honored with an NEA award for her unique quilts. She is unafraid to criticize the mainstream culture that's marginalized Indigenous artists.

Recovery of journalist Austin Tice top priority in Syria, White House says

Former US marine was abducted in August 2012 while reporting on uprising against Bashar al-Assad

The White House is declaring the recovery of the American journalist Austin Tice a “top priority” in the wake of Syrian rebels running the autocratic head of state out of the country, according to national security adviser Jake Sullivan.

Sullivan told ABC’s Good Morning America on Monday that the US government was actively seeking information about Tice’s whereabouts, communicating through Turkish intermediaries and with contacts on the ground in Syria about the journalist who has been missing for over 12 years.

Postecoglou wrestles with injuries and fragility as Spurs fans demand more | David Hytner

Team’s vulnerabilities were exposed again leaving more questions than answers over commitment to attack

It was another example of how things keep on conspiring against Ange Postecoglou and Tottenham. At least, that was how the manager wanted to frame it after the 4-3 home defeat by Chelsea on Sunday. At 2-0 up it was looking good but this is Spurs, where stability has proved elusive, where problems can strike at any time. Often at the best of times.

So it was that Cristian Romero had to go off with a thigh injury in the 15th minute. The influential centre-half had passed a fitness test, having missed the previous four games with a toe issue, and, of course, he just had to feel the new setback after an extravagantly risky backheel move inside his own area on eight minutes.

F1 2024 awards: Max Verstappen joins the greats after hardest-won title

The Red Bull driver overcame an ‘undriveable monster', McLaren delivered and Lewis Hamilton ended win drought

With a fourth consecutive world championship, Max Verstappen deserves to be recognised as one of the greats, a place he has earned not least with this year’s title, his most hard-fought yet. After opening in a dominant Red Bull, he executed clinically to take four of the opening five races, keeping his head even as the controversy surrounding the team principal, Christian Horner, consumed Red Bull. However, McLaren’s upgrades at Miami launched a fightback from Lando Norris and after the Spanish GP with the McLaren a quicker ride, Verstappen had to buckle down and make the best of an unbalanced car that he described as an “undriveable monster”. He did so with the commitment and determination of an Alain Prost or Michael Schumacher. Repeatedly grinding out decent points between Spain and Brazil was vital and ultimately enough to ensure he closed it out, a champion’s performance. It was, however, one marked by an aggressive, uncompromising attitude on track that did him a disservice and for which he was penalised. That side of his character was not enhanced by his ill-tempered late-season spat with George Russell, nor the absurd dive he made on Oscar Piastri at the season finale in Abu Dhabi that meant nothing to him but could have affected McLaren’s championship challenge.

In Lebanon, villagers on the border watch Syria's revolution with unease

While Syrian refugees in Lebanon return home, many Lebanese remain on edge. Years of conflict have left the Syria-Lebanon borderlands scarred, and fears grow that instability could spill over again.

A Florida 'condo cliff' is coming as owners deal with fallout from 2021 Surfside collapse

For some associations, the costs are in the millions of dollars, and condo owners, many of whom are retirees on fixed incomes, are on the hook.

What is birthright citizenship, and can Trump end the right in the U.S.?

President-elect Donald Trump says he'll end birthright citizenship, after years of criticizing the constitutional right.

OpenAI releases Sora, its buzzy AI video-generation tool

OpenAI released its buzzy AI video-generation tool, Sora.

Who are the main actors in the fall of the regime in Syria?

Rebel alliance includes groups with roots in Islamic extremism, Arab and Turkmen fighters, and Kurdish and Druze coalitions

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS; Levant Liberation Union) is led by Ahmed al-Sharaa, also known as Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, and is the dominant faction in the rebel alliance which toppled the regime of Bashar al-Assad with a lightning offensive launched late last month from its stronghold in the north-west. The group has its origins in al-Qaida and Islamic State, and was formally founded in 2017 after breaking with both. HTS has since governed 2 million people in Idlib province, and evolved a more pragmatic ideology, many analysts say. Concerns remain about its extremist roots and the presence of veteran jihadist fighters among its forces.

The Syrian National Army (SNA) is a coalition based in northern Syria backed by Ankara. It was founded in 2017 and includes a diverse range of Arab and Turkmen groups and fighters, including some veterans from the very earliest days of the rebellion against the Assad regime. The SNA participated in the campaign against IS, but has also intensively battled the Kurdish forces in Syria. In recent days, the SNA has launched an offensive against Kurdish groups and has made gains around Manbij, a strategic northern town. Turkey wants to prevent Kurdish groups establishing a solid, contiguous presence on the Syrian side of its southern border and stabilise the zone to allow the return of refugees.

Everton reward young fan who flew from Australia for postponed Merseyside derby

• Mackenzie Kinsella meets players at training ground
• James Tarkowski offers teenager tickets for Arsenal game

It was not the final league derby at Goodison Park but Everton have ensured the young fan who travelled from Australia for the game did not have a wasted journey after all.

Mackenzie Kinsella, a 15-year-old from Sydney, used his savings to attend the historic Merseyside derby only for the match to be postponed four hours before kick-off on Saturday because of the impact of Storm Darragh. A rearranged date for Everton’s final league meeting with Liverpool at Goodison has yet to be decided.

Pope Francis and advocates add to pleas for Biden to clear federal death row

Pope encourages prayers for people with death sentences as pressure grows for Biden to act before Trump takes office

Pope Francis has called for commutations for people on death row in the US, as religious leaders, civil rights groups and current and former prosecutors urge Joe Biden to take executive action on capital punishment.

In his Sunday prayer, Pope Francis, who has been a vocal death penalty opponent, said: “It comes to my heart to ask all of you to pray for the prisoners in the United States who are on death row. Let’s pray that their sentence would be commuted [or] changed.”

Will emergence of HTS in Syria raise level of global terrorism threats?

Intelligence chiefs have to decisively analyse the risk posed by group once affiliated to islamists al-Qaida

When Sir Richard Moore, the head of MI6, warned in a speech given 10 days ago that he had “never seen the world in a more dangerous state” Syria was mentioned just once. The context was that jihadist terrorism was on the retreat in the country, but after the lightning success of the rebel offensive, questions will inevitably be asked again.

Intelligence chiefs are now having to quickly reassess the triumphant Syrian rebels, and in particular, the leading group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), now designated as a terror organisation by the US and the UK. Once a Syrian offshoot of al-Qaida, HTS cut its affiliation in 2016 and under the leadership of Abu Mohammed al-Jolani the group has sought to project a moderate image as it has led the counter offensive from Idlib to Damascus. In an interview with CNN, al-Jolani said he would respect Syrian minorities and “no one has the right to erase another group”. Early reports from Aleppo suggest the Christian minority in Aleppo was unaffected after the HTS capture of the city a week ago.

The Guardian view on Romania’s annulled election: a wake-up call for democracies | Editorial

The social media-driven success of a pro-Putin candidate confirmed the extent to which Russia’s hybrid warfare tactics are now a threat

Famously, 2024 has been the biggest election year in history, featuring polls in 72 countries affecting 3.7 billion people. In Romania, sadly, it is now destined to be remembered as a year in which democracy was derailed rather than celebrated.

The unprecedented move by the country’s constitutional court last week to annul the results of the first round of the presidential election, amid allegations of Russian interference, is a landmark moment in the increasingly embattled arena of eastern European politics. The decision followed an astonishing surge to first place by a far-right admirer of Vladimir Putin, who had been polling in low single digits until the eve of the election. According to declassified intelligence reports, Călin Georgescu benefited from a vote that was manipulated by various illicit means, including cyber-attacks and a Russian-funded TikTok campaign. Analysts found that about 25,000 pro-Georgescu TikTok accounts became active only two weeks before the first-round vote.

Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.

Selena Gomez earns Golden Globe nominations for two different roles

Selena Gomez is up for two acting awards at the 2025 Golden Globes for her roles in the film "Emilia Pérez" and the series "Only Murders in the Building."

I want a top international coaching job – but not Wales, admits Ronan O’Gara

• La Rochelle coach has won two Champions Cup titles
• ‘I’d prefer Ireland, England or France,’ says former fly-half

Ronan O’Gara has declared his interest in taking a top international coaching role in the foreseeable future but will not be a contender for the Wales job should it fall vacant. The ambitious coach is contracted to La Rochelle until 2027 but says he would be open to talking about a position with Ireland, England or France if the opportunity arose.

O’Gara, who won 128 caps for Ireland and represented the British & Irish Lions, has made no secret of his desire to try coaching at Test level, having steered La Rochelle to successive Champions Cup titles in 2022 and 2023. He has now revealed, however, that he would ideally love to try one of the jobs currently held by Andy Farrell, Steve Borthwick and Fabien Galthié.

They ‘didn’t look the type’: how the media was fooled by Bashar and Asma al-Assad | Zoe Williams

Some journalists underestimated the threat of the brutal president, while his first lady was glamorised in a Vogue feature

As Bashar al-Assad is ousted as Syria’s brutal president, his wife Asma and children having fled to Russia shortly before, the scenes are too astonishing to settle. We can’t call it a finished revolution, but we can call Assad’s a finished regime and mark the end of the Syrian civil war: 13 years of heinous bloodshed; 580,000 people killed – more than 230,000 of them civilians, according to the Syrian Network for Human Rights, which attributes about 90% of those non-combatant deaths to Assad’s forces.

He never looked the type, foreign correspondents say. Adrian Blomfield in the Telegraph calls Assad “awkward and gangly, his mannerisms unassuming”. John Simpson found him “meek and anxious to please”. And who could forget how un-bloodthirsty, how incongruous, Asma al-Assad looked? Neat and understated, like a wife in a miniseries.

Watch now: ETF investors bet on bitcoin, concentrated tech and fixed income in 2025

Rebecca Hendin on the fall of President Assad – cartoon

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EU should ban space mirrors and other solar geoengineering, scientists say

European Commission scientific advisers say technology to offset global heating could wreak havoc on weather

Europe should ban space mirrors, cloud whitening and other untested tools being touted to reflect the sun’s rays, the European Commission’s scientific advisers have said, but said the door should be left open for research into their development.

The scientists said the risks and benefits of solar radiation modification (SRM) – also known as solar geoengineering – were “highly uncertain”. They called for an EU-wide moratorium on using it as a way to offset global heating.

French film director faces charges of sexual harassment of child actor Adèle Haenel

Haenel says Christophe Ruggia subjected her to ‘permanent sexual harassment’ during making of film when she was between 12 and 15

In one of the first French #MeToo cases to come to court, a film director has denied charges of sexual aggression against and harassment of the award-winning French actor Adèle Haenel.

A group of feminists gathered outside the Paris court on Monday to support Haenel who claims she was groomed and abused from the age of 12 to 15 by Christophe Ruggia.

TikTok says ban would cost U.S. small businesses, creators $1.3 billion in first month

TikTok says the economic harm from a law signed by President Joe Biden would grow if the Supreme Court does not overturn it.

Cracker Barrel apologizes after refusing to serve students with special needs

The restaurant chain attributed the mess-up to staffing challenges, saying refusal of service was unrelated to the students' abilities.

Golden Globes 2025: a lively list guaranteed to get under President-elect Trump’s skin

Sebastian Stan gets a best actor nomination for playing younger Trump in The Apprentice and a there’s a musical about a gender-reassigned Mexican gangster. Trump won’t be happy

• Golden Globes 2025: Emilia Pérez scores 10 nominations as Kate Winslet, Selena Gomez and Sebastian Stan each take two

• Full list of 2025 nominations

The Golden Globes nomination list once again raises the curtain for awards season in this new, uncertain era for the movies: post-strike, post-pandemic, but very much pre-AI. Of course, the Globes cover TV as well, and may well in years to come find themselves in a new era of relevance as so many, rightly or wrongly, claim the distinction between the two is blurring. It is certainly supposed to be a new era of respectability for the Globes, which (it hopes) has put to bed accusations of non-diversity and kickbacks. It’s hoping also that this year’s presenter Nikki Glaser will do better than last year’s icily received turn from Jo Koy.

It’s a great Globes list for streamer Netflix, hip distributor A24 and indeed the Cannes film festival, whose films are well represented. But awards lists will always annoy someone and this year that someone is going to be President-elect Trump, who will no doubt be infuriated at the best actor (drama) nomination for Sebastian Stan, who plays young Trump in the early-years biopic The Apprentice. Trump hates it, although I thought the movie went pretty easy on him. Jeremy Strong picks up a best supporting actor nomination for playing Trump’s toxic mentor Roy Cohn.

The Shining, burritos and $5 gifts: readers’ unusual holiday traditions

Their answers are a reminder that the holidays can be whatever you want them to be

Holidays and tradition go hand in hand: Thanksgiving feasts, Christmas trees, menorah lighting, New Year’s Eve kisses.

But some traditions are more quirky and idiosyncratic. I knew a family who decorated a chair every Christmas instead of a tree. My own family spends every Christmas morning watching The Godfather (parts one and two – not part three). And Mariah Carey, the queen of Christmas, once said she gets “one or two horse-drawn sleighs” for her family and friends to go “riding in the snow under the stars”. Sounds nice!

Household finance outlook hits highest since February 2020 following Trump win, New York Fed survey shows

Heads of households expecting their financial situation to be better a year from now jumped to 37.6%.

RFK Jr to research unsupported link between vaccines and autism, Trump says

President-elect boosts discredited claims peddled by his health secretary pick Kennedy in NBC interview

Donald Trump has said Robert F Kennedy Jr, his nominee for health secretary, may investigate a supposed link between vaccines and autism – despite a consensus among the medical establishment debunking any such connection.

In a wide-ranging interview with NBC, the US president-elect claimed an investigation was justified by the increasing prevalence of autism diagnoses among American children over the past 25 years.

Clusters of unidentified drones spotted in New York and New Jersey

FBI investigation under way as residents across US north-east report mysterious aircraft sightings for weeks

A spate of mysterious drone sightings have been reported in New York and Philadelphia as the FBI continues investigating similar sightings across New Jersey over the past month.

Since mid-November, local residents in several counties in New Jersey have reported seeing clusters of drones – and in recent days, additional drone sightings have been reported in parts of Pennsylvania and New York’s Staten Island.

Ex-Dodge, Ram boss Tim Kuniskis returning to Stellantis after CEO's exit

Well-known Stellantis executive Tim Kuniskis is returning to the automaker effective immediately, CNBC has learned.

Trump uses photo of himself with Jill Biden to announce new fragrance

President-elect Donald Trump announced a new line of merchandise on his Truth Social app, a fragrance line called "Fight, Fight, Fight."

How does the UK respond to the regime change in Syria? – Politics Weekly Westminster

The Guardian’s Pippa Crerar and Kiran Stacey discuss how the UK government will approach the change of regime in Syria after the fall of Bashar al-Assad. And, how deep are tensions between the Labour government and the civil service, and should we be viewing Nigel Farage’s Reform UK as the unofficial opposition?

This year the Guardian and Observer’s annual charity appeal is asking for your support to help individuals whose lives have been turned upside as a result of conflict. We’re partnering with War Child and MSF to help support individuals affected by the horrors of war, providing assistance from emergency aid to psychological support. Plus, we’ve also teamed up with Parallel Histories who help schools teach children about contested conflicts. If you can, please donate now at theguardian.com/donate24

Google unveils ‘mindboggling’ quantum computing chip

Chip takes minutes to complete tasks that would otherwise take 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 years

It measures just 4cm squared but it possesses almost inconceivable speed.

Google has built a computing chip that takes just five minutes to complete tasks that would take 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 years for some of the world’s fastest conventional computers to complete.

‘Some see religion – others porn’: Louise Giovanelli on the paintings that made Manchester hot

Warned she would never get collectors to the ‘grim north’, the artist is now at the forefront of a booming scene. She discusses celebrity worship, her working-class art school – and why she’s obsessed with curtains

There is no other person in sight when I show up at the Maple industrial estate in Ardwick, Manchester. The sprawling, red-bricked complex has the air of an army barracks or an airport hangar. Doors are shuttered, the grass is overgrown, and discarded car parts line the perimeter. It’s also freezing. “Everyone struggles with directions to get here,” says Louise Giovanelli, when she eventually finds me walking in circles outside. The British artist is dressed in black jeans and a black hoodie flecked with paint. As I follow her through a network of tunnels, I feel like we’re about to attend a secret partisan meeting, rather than enter her studio.

But there is a cause being championed here today: the north – and, more specifically, Manchester. The 31-year-old, one of the most talked-about artists of her generation, is at the forefront of a new movement of painters who refuse to bow to industry pressure and relocate to London. A number of them – recently dubbed the “Ardwick Realists” – work together out of this same estate.

Referee David Coote sacked after Klopp comments and second video allegations

• He was suspended over foul-mouthed Klopp remarks
• Video allegedly showed him snorting white powder

David Coote has had his contract as a Premier League referee terminated after an investigation into his off-field behaviour. The refereeing body PGMOL said Coote had been found to be “in serious breach” of his terms of employment and had been removed from his position with immediate effect.

The investigation found against Coote on two key claims that emerged in November, part of a series of leaks that claimed to involve the 42-year-old. The first related to a video leaked online that showed Coote making foul-mouthed comments about the then Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp. The second related to a video published by the Sun that allegedly showed Coote sniffing what appeared to be white powder.

Supreme Court won't hear case over Hawaii's rules for handguns

The Supreme Court on Monday declined to take up a Hawaii man's appeal of his prosecution for carrying a handgun without a license.

Young meteorologist meets his idol, Jim Cantore

Ethan Clark gained a huge following for his accurate weather updates, earning him a top civilian honor in North Carolina and a meeting with his hero, Jim Cantore.

Young forecaster's Hurricane Helene reports credited with saving lives

Ethan Clark, a 22-year-old self-taught forecaster, received one of North Carolina's highest civilian honors for his reporting during Hurricane Helene. CBS News contributor David Begnaud has the story.

US polygamous leader with 20 ‘wives’ faces sentencing for sexual abuse of children

Samuel Bateman has pleaded guilty to a years-long scheme to transport girls across state lines for his sex crimes

A polygamous religious leader who claimed more than 20 spiritual “wives” including 10 underage girls faces decades in prison at his sentencing on Monday for forcing girls as young as nine years old to submit to criminal sex acts with him and other adults.

Samuel Bateman, whose small group was an offshoot of the sect once led by Warren Jeffs, has pleaded guilty to a years-long scheme to transport girls across state lines for his sex crimes, and later to kidnap some of them from protective custody. His plea agreement called for 20 to 50 years in prison, though each conviction carries a possible life sentence.

In the US, call or text the Childhelp abuse hotline at 800-422-4453 or visit their website for more resources and to report child abuse or DM for help. For adult survivors of child abuse, help is available at ascasupport.org. In the UK, the NSPCC offers support to children on 0800 1111, and adults concerned about a child on 0808 800 5000. The National Association for People Abused in Childhood (Napac) offers support for adult survivors on 0808 801 0331. In Australia, children, young adults, parents and teachers can contact the Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800, or Bravehearts on 1800 272 831, and adult survivors can contact Blue Knot Foundation on 1300 657 380. Other sources of help can be found at Child Helplines International

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review – whip-smart, fascist-fighting, open-world adventuring

The archeologist heads to Vatican City and the Egyptian Pyramids in this unconventional blockbuster, for lots of cleverly designed stealth, combat and puzzle-solving fun

Making an Indiana Jones game today seems like a straightforward endeavour: you take Uncharted’s Nathan Drake, send him back in time 80-odd years, give him a fedora and a bullwhip and sit back and watch the golden idols roll in. The Uncharted developer Naughty Dog perfected the template for Indy-inspired globetrotting action games more than a decade ago, and nobody would blame Swedish studio MachineGames if it stuck to it.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle opts not to. Instead, it often goes out of its way to frustrate such comparisons. This unconventional blockbuster has more in common with games such as Dishonored and Hitman than it does with Uncharted. Sure, it has action and spectacle and occasionally dabbles in platforming, but it places far greater emphasis on puzzles, open-ended stealth, and letting you beat the snot out of fascists while dressed as a priest.

Supreme Court turns away case over Boston high school admissions criteria

The Supreme Court on Monday turned away a challenge to race-neutral admissions criteria at three Boston high schools that aimed to increase racial and economic diversity.

Why Anthony Hopkins’ Netflix Herod is Hot Frosty 2 – sort of

The august actor clearly sees his role as Herod in Netflix’s festive offering Mary as an audition for the more tinselly films next Christmas

Something of a catastrophic category error seems to have happened at Netflix. For some reason it seems to be billing its new film Mary as a Christmas film, when it doesn’t appear to be anything of the sort.

We all know what elements a film needs to have to be considered festive. A big-city career girl. A plaid-wearing apple farmer. A local school that needs to be saved. Maybe a naked snowman who comes to life to teach a hot widow how to love again. Almost certainly Lindsay Lohan. And yet Mary has none of these. It’s all deserts and angels and babies being born in mangers and king Herod. It really isn’t very Christmassy at all.

Exclusive discounts from CBS Mornings Deals

On this edition of CBS Mornings Deals, we show you items that might just become essentials in your everyday life. Visit cbsdeals.com to take advantage of these exclusive deals today. CBS earns commissions on purchases made through cbsdeals.com.

U.S. can become a crypto superpower with 'sensible' regulation, Eric Trump says

Speaking to CNBC's Dan Murphy in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Eric Trump said Monday that he'd been a "big fan of crypto for a long time."

Golden Globes 2025: Emilia Pérez scores 10 nominations as Kate Winslet, Selena Gomez and Sebastian Stan each take two

• Jacques Audiard’s crime musical becomes frontrunner
• Winslet up for Lee and The Regime
• Hugh Grant, Ralph Fiennes and Daniel Craig vying for best actor
• Demi Moore, Pamela Anderson and Zendaya up for best actress
• Snubs for Blitz, Hard Truths, The Outrun – and One Day
• Full list of nominations
• Peter Bradshaw: a lively list guaranteed to get under Trump’s skin

Fresh from its sweep at the European Film awards on Saturday, Jacques Audiard’s daring crime musical Emilia Pérez has dominated the Golden Globe nominations in Hollywood, taking 10, including nods for best comedy or musical, best director, and for its leading performer, Karla Sofía Gascón.

Gascón plays a Mexican cartel kingpin in the film who transitions to a woman in order to fulfil her dream – and evade the local mafia. Should she win, Gascón will be the first trans actor to take a film Golden Globe; three years ago, Michaela Jaé Rodriguez triumphed for her role in TV show Pose.

Kennedy Center honors Coppola, Sandoval, Raitt, Grateful Dead

The annual gala at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts features personalized tributes with performances and testimonials from fellow artists.

Jay-Z denies claim he sexually assaulted minor with Sean "Diddy" Combs 24 years ago

Rap mogul Jay-Z is forcefully denying claims in a new lawsuit that he and Sean "Diddy" Combs sexually assaulted a minor at a party 24 years ago. Jay-z said it's an attempt at blackmail and called it, "idiotic." Jericka Duncan has more on the allegations.

‘It is quite creepy’: Keira Knightley flagged ‘stalkerish’ aspects while shooting Love Actually

The actor has commented on the ‘creep factor’ of the cue cards scene in Richard Curtis’s festive romance film, in which she featured as a 17-year-old

Keira Knightley has said that she found the much debated placards scene in festive favourite Love Actually “quite creepy” during the shoot.

Richard Curtis’s romcom, originally released in 2003 and screened on both small and big screens around Christmas ever since, features multiple intertwined storylines involving various sets of friends, relatives and lovers.

How anger at Australia’s rollout of renewables is being hijacked by a new pro-nuclear network

An alliance of political groups is harnessing real fears about the local impact of wind and solar farms – and using them to spruik nuclear power

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The entrance is marked by an AI-generated image of a dead whale, floating among wind turbines. On the first floor of the East Maitland bowling club, dire warnings are being shared about how offshore wind may impact the Hunter region – alongside a feeling of not being consulted, of being steamrolled.

“Environment and energy forums” like this one in late November have been held up and down the east of Australia, aiming to build a resistance to the country’s renewable energy transition.

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Smoked salmon pancakes, mincemeat mascarpone, fig ice-cream – Nigel Slater’s Christmas treat recipes

Sweet and savoury dishes to share throughout the festive season, including pork and lemon meatballs and hazelnut and pistachio praline

No matter what time of year it is, the smell of toasted nuts will always make me think of Christmas. Yes, I might spot the occasional chestnut roaster on the street, but more so the nuts on my own kitchen hob, slowly turning golden brown in the pan before they are tossed with salt or coated with chocolate. This year, hazelnuts and pistachios will be toasted, coated in brittle caramel and partially dipped in chocolate. Something to pass around after dinner, or simply a treat for all-comers.

Think of a curl of smoked salmon or trout on a soft pillow of potato pancake, or plump balls of pork stuffing, freckled with herbs, eaten hot from the frying pan. What about crisp shards of praline, their sweetness tempered by bitter chocolate, or a hot, sweet mincemeat sauce for a silky mascarpone cream; and ice-cream too, crunchy with chocolate and chopped figs? All festive, and perfect for the season.

The 50 best albums of 2024: 50-31

Adrianne Lenker makes a record in the woods, Jack White returns with ripping riffs and Mach-Hommy gives a lyrical masterclass as we start counting down our critics’ picks of the year

• More on the best culture of 2024

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Reddit begins testing AI-powered answers feature to win more users

Reddit Answers, as the feature is called, allows users to ask questions just like they can with ChatGPT, Perplexity and other generative AI services. 

Domestic issues pile pressure on Iran’s president amid foreign policy setbacks

Tensions over executions and plans for petrol price rise and hijab law add to reversals in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria

The fall of Bashar al-Assad in Syria, the latest in a string of foreign policy reversals for Iran including the weakening of its allies in Lebanon and Gaza, has coincided with growing domestic frustration over rising executions, planned increases in the price of petrol and a proposed law that imposes heavy fines and loss of access to public services to any woman not wearing the hijab.

The confluence of events is putting unprecedented pressure on Iran’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian, to demonstrate what reforms he has introduced since being elected in June. He is viewed domestically as a consensual figure and faces a conservative parliament, but his supporters are impatient for changes that will lift the economy.