Wednesday, December 11, 2024

Charges rock celeb real estate clan

Three brothers in a celebrity real estate family were charged with sex trafficking conspiracy in a case involving "dozens of victims." It's Wednesday's news. ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌  ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ ͏‌ 
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The Short List

Wed Dec 11 2024

 

Laura L. Davis Audience Editor

@lauradavis

Three brothers in a celebrity real estate family were charged with sex trafficking conspiracy in a case involving "dozens of victims." FBI Director Christopher Wray will resign before Trump takes office again. And a judge canceled The Onion's purchase of Infowars. 

👋 Hey, Wednesday! Laura Davis here. It's time to get you caught up on the news!

But first: Grab the popcorn! 🍿 From "Conclave" to "The Substance," here are our movie critic's top 10 films of the year.

Celebrity real estate moguls accused of sex trafficking

Three brothers in a celebrity real estate family were charged with sex trafficking conspiracy in a case involving "dozens of victims" from Miami Beach to New York, prosecutors said Wednesday.

What we know: Twins Oren and Alon Alexander and their elder brother Tal were charged with working together to "repeatedly and violently drug, sexually assault, and rape dozens of victims," according to a federal indictment filed in New York. They were arrested Wednesday in Miami, amid a string of lawsuits accusing the brothers of rape and sexual assault. 👉 We break down the accusations.

Usa Realestate Sexcrimes

Damien Williams, U.S Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announces the arrest and indictment of three high profile real estate agent brothers Alon Alexander, Oren Alexander, and Tal Alexander, on charges of sex trafficking and drugs December 11, 2024.

Kent J. Edwards, REUTERS

Studying CEO slaying suspect's health history

The investigation into the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson gained steam Wednesday as law enforcement matched the fingerprints of shooting suspect Luigi Mangione with those found near the scene of the attack, officials said.

Pain as a motive? Investigators said they were looking into a possible back injury Mangione had suffered on July 4, 2023, and whether his insurance claims were denied. In writings found when Mangione was arrested Monday, he mentioned the injury and UnitedHealthcare. 👉 See our live updates.

Questions swirl in Mangione's Maryland hometown.
Suspect's health issues: What is spondylolisthesis?
A winding trail of online posts offers glimpse into health issues.
Companies are beefing up security measures.

Real quick

'I was screaming': Diddy accuser speaks out for the first time.
She was in a religious cult and she didn't even realize it.
If you haven't bought into Bitcoin, it might be too late.
Is 'airplane mode' a conspiracy? A pilot explains why not.
It's the most wonderful time of the year ... for doom-spending.
Back off, Barrymore: Talk show host says she's been told she's too 'touchy.'

Judge blocks Infowars sale to The Onion

That didn't last long. A bankruptcy judge blocked satirical news publication The Onion's deal to buy conspiracy theorist Alex Jones' Infowars website, ruling that an auction did not result in the best possible bids. 

What happened? Judge Christopher Lopez rejected Jones' claims that the auction was plagued by "collusion" – but said the court-appointed bankruptcy trustee who ran the auction made "a good-faith error" by quickly asking for final offers for Infowars instead of encouraging more back-and-forth bidding between The Onion and a runner-up. 👉 What was behind the rejection?

Alex Jones Bankruptcy Case

Alex Jones was forced to liquidate his assets to pay $1.3 billion in legal judgments to the families of victims in the Sandy Hook Elementary massacre, after courts ruled he defamed them.

Pool, REUTERS

FBI director to resign amid criticism

Seven years through a 10-year term, FBI Director Christopher Wray said Wednesday he will leave office at the end of President Joe Biden's term.

How we got here: President-elect Donald Trump appointed Wray in 2017 during his first term, but Wray became a constant target of Trump's criticism because of investigations into Russian interference in the 2016 election and classified documents found at Mar-a-Lago. Trump had already said he wanted to replace Wray with a close ally, former intelligence official Kash Patel.👉 Reactions to the resignation.

Usa Election Security

FBI Director Christopher Wray attends a meeting at the Justice Department in Washington, on Sept. 4.

Annabelle Gordon, REUTERS

A break from the news

✈️ Ways to fly better: Do travel hacks really exist?
🥹 Watch: Baby gets emotional when he gets new glasses.
💝 Only the best for your boo! Gifts for all types of boyfriends.

Laura L. Davis is an Audience Editor at USA TODAY. Say hi sometime! laura@usatoday.com. Support quality journalism like this? Subscribe to USA TODAY here.

Victoria Villanueva sits outside her home in West Lafayette, Indiana, in November 2024. Doctors gave her morphine for pain during the birth of her first child in 2017. The hospital drug tested her daughter's first bowel movement and it was positive for opiates.

Hospitals across the country reported mothers to authorities after they tested positive for medications used routinely in millions of births.

The wind whips embers from the trees as the Franklin Fire burns in Malibu, California, U.S., December 10, 2024.
 

Is Malibu still on fire? Yes, but some still 'love it here'

Many residents in the area, including Hollywood legend Dick Van Dyke, have evacuated as the Franklin Fire sets thousands of acres ablaze.

Hannah Kobayashi (left) seen with a friend in a handout photo. Kobayashi, 30, went missing in Los Angeles on November 11, 2024.
 

Missing Hawaiian woman, Hannah Kobayashi, is safe, family says

Her family is "relieved and grateful" the 30-year-old Hawaii woman is safe after missing a flight in Los Angeles in November.

New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick walks to the field before the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium.
 

Reports: Bill Belichick finalizing deal to become head coach at UNC

Bill Belichick is returning to coaching – but not in the NFL. Belichick is heading to the college ranks with a deal to be North Carolina's head coach.

A man walks on a poster of Bashar al-Assad as a sanitation worker removes it from the street downtown, after Syrian rebels announced that they have ousted Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria December 10, 2024.
 

Syria without Assad: Is it good or bad for the United States?

The focus for the U.S.. after Assad's ouster has been on the historic moment for Syria. Left unsaid: The turmoil could be good news for the U.S.

Apple's latest update, iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2, and macOS Sequoia 15.2, expands Apple Intelligence capabilities on supported devices.
 

Apple iOS 18.2: Top new features, including Genmoji, AI updates

Apple's latest OS update is here, along with a new batch of Apple Intelligence features, such as Genmoji and Image Playground.

Kimberly Guilfoyle, partner of Donald Trump Jr. (R), takes part in a sound check on the second day of the 2024 Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, July 16, 2024. Days after he survived an assassination attempt Donald Trump won formal nomination as the Republican presidential candidate and picked right-wing loyalist J.D. Vance for running mate, kicking off a triumphalist party convention in the wake of last weekend's failed   assassination attempt.
 

Did Donald Trump Jr. and fiancée Kimberly Guilfoyle call it quits?

Questions about Donald Trump Jr.'s relationship with Kimberly Guilfoyle surface after he was spotted holding hands with socialite Bettina Anderson.

Photos taken in the bayside section of Toms River, NJ of what appear to be large drones hovering in the area at high altitudes. The drones were photographed between 8:33 p.m. and 8:49 p.m. on Dec. 8, 2024. The drones seemed to be well above the 400-foot height FAA regulations allow. This object in the sky was thought to be a helicopter, but there was no audible sound associated with it.
 

Mystery drones swarm NJ skies. Can you shoot them down?

Unexplained sightings of drones in the night skies over New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey have people asking: Is it legal to shoot them down?

The Amazing Kreskin attends the launch party for the book "How To Become Famous In Two Weeks Or Less" by Melissa de la Cruz and Karen Robinovitz at the Paramount Hotel July 1, 2003, in New York City.
 

Amazing Kreskin, mentalist and live performer, dies at 89

Mentalist The Amazing Kreskin, who made regular appearances on late night TV including "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson," has died.

The Fresno Police Department reported Jessinya Mina, 22, pictured here, died after her 2-year-old son picked up an unsecured gun inside a bedroom of a home on Dec. 6,2024 and pulled the trigger killing her in an accidental shooting.
 

California toddler accidentally shoots, kills 22-year-old mother

Jessinya Mina died from a single gunshot wound to her upper body after her 2-year-old son picked up an unsecured gun inside a bedroom of the home.

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