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Daily Briefing: School-shooting tragedy

Jane Onyanga-Omara   Paste BN

A teacher and student were killed by a 15-year old girl in the latest school shooting to rock the nation. Bitcoin has hit a new high after Donald Trump's plan to create a U.S. bitcoin strategic reserve stoked enthusiasm. What are the odds of seeing a white Christmas? Scroll down to find out.

👋🏾 I'm Jane, Daily Briefing author. Twenty-five movies have been added to cinema's hall of fame. Is your favorite on the list?

Wisconsin police identify 15-year-old girl as Madison school shooter

Two people were killed and six others were injured Monday after a 15-year-old female student opened fire at a private school in Madison, Wisconsin, authorities said.

Officers responded to a call of an active shooter at the Abundant Life Christian School, Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said. One teacher and one teen student were killed, he confirmed.

  • Two students are in critical condition, according to police. Three other students and one teacher suffered non-life-threatening injuries, and two of the victims have been released from hospitals, Barnes said.
  • Barnes identified the shooter as Natalie Rupnow, 15, who went by Samantha and attended Abundant Life. He said the shooter was pronounced dead on the way to a local hospital and appeared to die from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
  • There have been 322 school shootings this year in the U.S., according to the K-12 School Shooting Database website. That is the second-highest total of any year since 1966 − topped only by last year's total of 349.

NY judge upholds Trump hush money conviction

A New York judge Monday upheld President-elect Donald Trump’s felony conviction for falsifying records to cover up a “hush money” sex scandal, rejecting his claim that a sweeping recent Supreme Court ruling on presidential immunity had nullified his Manhattan criminal case. For now, the ruling by Judge Juan Merchan keeps in place Trump’s criminal conviction, though the former and future president, through a spokesman, immediately vowed to fight it. If Merchan’s ruling is upheld, Trump will make history on January 20, 2025, as the first criminal felon to occupy the White House and serve as president. Read more

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Bitcoin hits new high amid Trump’s pro-crypto stance

Bitcoin's record rally topped $107,000 on Monday after President-elect Donald Trump reiterated that he plans to create a U.S. bitcoin strategic reserve similar to its strategic oil reserve, stoking the enthusiasm of crypto bulls. Bitcoin and crypto have been catapulted into the spotlight as investors wager the incoming Trump administration will usher in a friendlier regulatory environment, boosting sentiment around the alternative currency. Bitcoin, the world's biggest and best known cryptocurrency, is up about 150% in 2024. "We're in blue sky territory here," said Tony Sycamore, an analyst at IG. "The next figure the market will be looking for is $110,000." Read more

Head of Russia's nuclear and chemical defense forces killed in Moscow explosion

Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, a Russian general in charge of the country's Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Defense Forces, was killed Tuesday by what officials described as a bomb hidden in a scooter outside a Moscow apartment building. Kirillov's assistant was also reported killed in the blast, according to Russia's federal law-enforcement agency. There was no public claim of responsibility for the blast. However, media reports in Ukraine suggested Kirillov's killing was a special operation carried out by Kyiv. If that's confirmed it would be a rare targeted assassination of a high-profile military commander inside Russia. Read more

Today's talkers

What are the odds of seeing a white Christmas?

While the forecast for this year's white Christmas is still being refined, those of you in search of this ultimate holiday decoration may want to begin the trek west, or north. Because if you're looking for a near-surefire way to get a white Christmas, you might want to head to Fairbanks, Alaska, which has seen snow on the ground practically every Christmas since weather record keeping began, according to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). But what if Alaska is a bit too far from home? What about locations a bit closer to home? Read more

Photo of the day: Our favorite photos from Christmas past

The holidays are nearly upon us and many of us are starting to feel nostalgic for bygone times. Check out these historical photos from past Christmases.

Sign up for the Daily Briefing email here. Reuters contributed reporting.

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