School Shooting In Wisconsin Leaves 3 Dead, 6 Injured
Plus, RFK Jr. goes to Capitol Hill to drum up support ahead of his confirmation hearing, and ousted Syrian leader makes first public remarks
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Good morning,
Get your jazz hands ready! Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson made her Broadway debut in the musical comedy β& Julietβ over the weekend.
In her memoir, βLovely One,β Jackson shared that in her Harvard application β where she went for undergrad and law school β she wrote that her lifelong dream was to become βthe first Black, female Supreme Court justice to appear on a Broadway stage.β
Her takeaway: Speaking to CBS, Jackson said that achieving this dream means βthat anything is possible.β
She even said that she debated pursuing acting instead of law!
She actually took an acting class at Harvard with Matt Damon while both of them were undergrads.
Jackson may be the first Supreme Court Justice to hit the Broadway stage, but the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg also made a cameo in a Washington National Opera production in 2016.
As for future performances? Justice Jackson said that, while sheβd love to do more on stage, her focus remains on her βday job.β
A reminder to dream big!
Mosheh, Jill, Sari, & Lauren
PS: Donβt forget to refer friends & family to subscribe to the Mo Newsletterβ¦ you could get free Mo News merch β DETAILS at the bottom of this newsletter!
π COMMUNITY REELING FROM SHOOTING AT CHRISTIAN SCHOOL IN MADISON
A teacher and a teenage student are dead after a shooting at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin, Police Chief Shon Barnes said Monday during a news conference. The shooter, a 15-year-old female student, is also dead.
Authorities identified the shooter as Natalie βSamanthaβ Rupnow and are looking into her possible motive.
She was pronounced dead on the way to the hospital from what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
She is believed to have used a 9mm pistol, but it is unclear how she obtained the gun. Wisconsinβs gun laws are not particularly strict, but the state prohibits minors from possessing firearms.
Six others β one teacher and five students β were injured. βTwo students are now in critical conditionβ with life-threatening injuries, Chief Barnes said, adding that two other victims have since been released from the hospital.
WHAT WE KNOW
Police were dispatched to Abundant Life Christian School in Madison on Monday morning just before 11 a.m. after a 2nd grade student called 911. They arrived to find the shooter already dead β police did not fire any weapons.
The shooting occurred in a study hall with students from mixed grades. It is unclear if the shooter was targeting anyone specifically.
The private K-12 school has around 400 students and is tucked into a residential neighborhood in Madison.
Students were seen running out of the school after alarms sounded, with some of the younger kids holding hands.
The school posted on Facebook asking for prayers as they collect more information. For many schools, itβs the last week before winter break.
WHAT TOO MANY HAVE COME TO EXPECT
Madisonβs Police Chief mentioned that his officers had been training for a school shooting situation as recently as two weeks ago.
President Joe Biden called the shooting βshocking and unconscionableβ in a statement Monday, pushing βCongress to act. Now.β
So far this year, there have been 83 school shootings in the U.S.
Analysis shows that female school shooters are rare; roughly 95% of perpetrators have been male.
π RFK JR. MEETS SENATORS TO WIN SUPPORT FOR HEALTH SECRETARY JOB AMID VACCINE CONTROVERSY
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. began private meetings on Capitol Hill Monday as he seeks Senate support for his bid to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). President-elect Donald Trump tried to ease concerns yesterday from skeptical senators, stating that RFK Jr. would not be βradicalβ in his health policies.
RFK Jr. plans to meet with more than two dozen senators and their staff.
The numbers: Four βnoβ votes from GOP senators, assuming all Democrats oppose him, would derail Kennedyβs confirmation.
He is facing criticism from both the left and the right and is currently one of Trumpβs most controversial cabinet nominees.
THE ISSUES
The Democrat-turned-Independent presidential contender, who endorsed Trump in August, is likely to face tough questions about his views on vaccines and his past support for abortion access (from Republicans).
Abortion: Some senators who strongly oppose abortion, like Sen. James Lankford (R-OK), are expected to hone in on Kennedyβs views on reproductive rights.
RFK Jr. is expected to voice support for Trumpβs position that abortion is an issue best left to states.
Vaccines: RFK Jr. has said that the COVID-19 vaccine was the βdeadliest vaccine ever madeβ and has questioned if the polio vaccine has caused more deaths than it averted.
GOP critics: Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD) said, βI do not want to lose our vaccine programs,β while Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), a polio survivor, noted that "efforts to undermine public confidence in proven cures are not just uninformed β theyβre dangerous.β
A lawyer helping RFK Jr. pick federal health officials for the incoming Trump administration petitioned the F.D.A. β which if confirmed, Kennedy would oversee β to revoke its approval of the polio vaccine in 2022.
TRUMP PUSHES BACK
Trump dismissed concerns on Monday, assuring Americans that they are βnot going to lose the polio vaccineβ and called Kennedy βa very rational guy.β In the same news conference, Trump also signaled skepticism toward vaccine mandates implemented by some states and school districts.
Trump has said he chose Kennedy for Health Secretary because of his βMake America Healthy Againβ agenda, which could significantly reshape the food and healthcare industries β a platform that may also draw criticism.
π SYRIAβS OUSTED DICTATOR RECOUNTS HIS VERSION OF HIS LAST HOURS BEFORE FLEEING COUNTRY
The ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad made what appears to be his first public statement after his familyβs 50-year regime was overthrown by opposition rebels more than a week ago. Heβs been in Moscow, and posted on Monday to the Syrian presidencyβs Telegram account.
Assad claimed he fought alongside soldiers "just meters from terrorists in the most dangerous and intense battlefieldsβ until the end. He said that he left Syria on December 8 β attempting to correct initial reports that he fled as soon as rebels entered Damascus β and that it was Russiaβs idea for him to leave. There has been no evidence to support any of his claims.
As the walls have literally come down on the Assad palace, weβre getting a deeper and darker look into how the brutal dictatorship kept control of Syria for so many decades.
THE DARK LEGACY
Under Assad, police officers and government officials targeted, arrested, and even abducted protesters, activists, journalists, students, and doctors.
Many ended up in Sednaya Prison, known to human rights groups as a βhuman slaughterhouse,β where starvation, beatings, and mass hangings were reportedly common.
After rebels took control of the country and Assadβs guards abandoned their posts, Syrians flooded the prison searching for loved ones, some whoβd been missing for years.
Over 30,000 people are believed to have been executed there.
CONTROVERSY IN COVERAGE
CNN journalist Clarissa Ward, reporting from Syria, documented the emotional release of a man said to have been a prisoner of Assadβs regime. The video went viral, and Ward described it as one of the most extraordinary moments sheβd ever witnessed.
However, independent fact-checkers uncovered that the alleged prisoner was actually a notorious Assad loyalist known for torturing civilians.
CNN is now investigating the incident, and acknowledged that they were lied to about the prisoner by the rebels.
β³ SPEED READ
π¨NATION
π Drone sightings lead to airspace shutdown at Ohio Air Force base, arrests near Boston airport (PBS)
π Ingrid Lewis-Martin, chief adviser to NYC Mayor Eric Adams, resigns and expects to be indicted (AP)
π Luigi Mangione's grandmother left family members millions, so long as they didn't commit crimes (PEOPLE)
π TikTok asks Supreme Court to block law that could ban popular app (NBC)
π AROUND THE WORLD
π American among 7 tourists hospitalized after drinking cocktails at 5-star Fiji resort (ABC)
π Germany's chancellor loses a confidence vote, triggering new elections (NPR)
π Trudeau in Trouble: Canada's finance minister quits over Trump tariff dispute with prime minister (BBC)
π Prince Andrew won't join King Charles and royal family for Christmas after latest scandal (FOX)
π±BUSINESS, SCIENCE & TECH
π SoftBank CEO and Trump announce $100 billion investment in U.S. by firm (CNBC)
π Starbucks CEO doubles parental leave amid turnaround effort (FOX)
π Amazon manipulated injury data to make warehouses appear safer, a Senate probe finds (NPR)
π The federal EV tax credit has an uncertain fate. What car shoppers should know (NPR)
π¬ SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT
π βThe White Lotusβ release date revealed in first trailer for Thailand season (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER)
πJelly Roll reveals 'new goal' on weight loss journey after dropping 120 pounds (ABC)
π Dolphins WR DuBose update after head injury (AP)
π Prince Harry and Meghan Markle release 2024 Christmas card with brand-new photo of Archie and Lilibet (NY POST)
π ON THIS DAY: DECEMBER 17
1903: The Wright brothers, Wilbur and Orville, make aviation history with the first successful manned powered flights near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, using their experimental craft, the Wright Flyer. It was in the air for 12 seconds.
1969: Project Blue Book, the U.S. Air Force's investigation into UFO sightings, officially ends. Of the 12,618 reported sightings, 701 remain unexplained.
2003: βThe Lord of the Rings: The Return of the Kingβ premiered. The third-and-final film of the trilogy earned 11 Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director for Peter Jackson.
2014: The U.S. and Cuba restore diplomatic relations after decades of Cold War hostility.