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The Daily Briefing

YOUR MORNING NEWS ROUNDUP

Thu Dec 19 2024

Nicole Fallert | Newsletter Writer

@nicolefallert

A Louisiana case of bird flu is the first U.S. infection linked to a backyard flock. A French court convicted Gisele Pelicot's ex-husband in a mass rape case. Wisconsin officials identified the victims in the shooting at Abundant Life Christian School.

🙋🏼‍♀️ I'm Nicole Fallert, Daily Briefing author. No more murder hornets!

A 'severe' case of avian influenza

An older person in Louisiana exposed to bird flu from a backyard flock is now hospitalized with a "severe" case of avian influenza, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The person is the first among 61 people infected with the H5N1 virus in the U.S. this year to have symptoms described as anything but "mild." The strain of H5N1 is different from one circulating among dairy farms and some poultry flocks, which is believed to have been transmitted from wild birds early this year. Here's what to know.

Justice for Gisele

A French court on Thursday sentenced Dominique Pelicot, the ex-husband of Gisele Pelicot, to 20 years imprisonment for repeatedly drugging her and recruiting dozens of other men to rape her while she was unconscious. Dominique Pelicot was convicted of aggravated rape and other charges along with 50 other men. Gisele Pelicot, 72, waived her right to anonymity as she faced her abusers in court, becoming a champion of justice and sexual abuse awareness. The case was the largest rape trial in French history and shocked the nation's conscience.

Gisele Pelicot arrives with her lawyer Stephane Babonneau (L) in front of the courthouse before a verdict in the Pelicot case is delivered on December 19, 2024 in Avignon, France.

Julien Goldstein, Getty Images

More news to know now

•	The Montana Supreme Court upheld a district court ruling in the nation's first constitutional climate change trial.
•	The House Ethics Committee will release a report on former Congressman Matt Gaetz.
•	Here's a look inside the military's response to drones flying over bases.
•	Amazon faces possible U.S. strikes amid the holiday season.

What's the weather today? Check your local forecast here.

A search for a motive in Wisconsin

Investigators are analyzing the suspect's social media activity and interviewing relatives and friends as they determine a motive for a shooting at a private Christian school in Madison that killed two people and injured six others.

Many questions remain about the suspect, Natalie "Samantha" Rupnow, 15, as authorities investigate the teenager's cell phone activity and how she obtained the firearms.

•	Was the shooting part of a bigger plan? About 2,000 miles away from Madison, authorities in Southern California detained a 20-year-old man accused of "plotting" to coordinate a mass shooting at a government building in conjunction with the Wisconsin school shooter, according to court records.
•	The latest findings: Authorities said Wednesday that the suspect had two handguns with her when she opened fire on a study hall.
•	The victims names have been released. Freshman student Rubi Patricia Vergara, 14, of Madison, and Substitute Coordinator Erin West, 42, of DeForest, both died due to firearm-related trauma, according to local officials.

Will Luigi Mangione be extradited to New York?

Luigi Mangione, the suspect accused in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, is set to appear Thursday at an extradition hearing in Pennsylvania after Manhattan prosecutors filed a slew of new charges related to the brazen attack. Officials in Pennsylvania and New York have been working together to extradite Mangione to Manhattan to face murder charges since he was arrested. While Mangione's attorney in Pennsylvania initially said he would fight extradition, Bragg said he had indications that Mangione may waive his right to contest his extradition to New York. Read more

Today's talkers

•	These car models won't make it to 2025.
•	Broadway fans were gifted incredible performances this year.
•	Who won "The Masked Singer"?
•	Meet the Rat King behind American Ballet Theatre's viral "The Nutcracker" videos.
•	Here's five things we're watching for in air travel next year.

Here's why Bitcoin just dropped

"We're not allowed to own bitcoin. The Federal Reserve Act says what we can own, and we're not looking for a law change. That's the kind of thing for Congress to consider, but we are not looking for a law change at the Fed."

— Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell at a press conference Wednesday said the central bank is not looking to hold the digital currency and signaled a more cautious approach to rate cuts in 2025. Bitcoin prices fell more than 5% Wednesday afternoon following the press conference.

Photo of the day: Will it arrive by Christmas?

If you're a last-minute shopper, or shipper, the deadline for holiday deliveries is almost here. Know when the last day to post your packages is for USPS, FedEx and UPS.

U.S. Postal Service mail handler Lakeya Lee sorts packages at the Royal Palm Processing and Distribution Center on December 17, 2024 in Opa Locka, Florida. The processing center handles about 650,00 packages every day of the week during the busy gift-giving season.

Joe Raedle, Getty Images

Nicole Fallert is a newsletter writer at USA TODAY, sign up for the email here . Want to send Nicole a note? Shoot her an email at NFallert@usatoday.com.