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Top stories
Australia mass shooting at Hanukkah event
A father and son opened fire at a Hanukkah celebration on Bondi Beach in Sydney, killing at least 15 people and sending at least 42 others to hospitals. Police say they shot and killed the 50-year-old father; his 24-year-old son was wounded, is hospitalized and has not been charged. Authorities have declared the attack a terrorist incident and said they believe antisemitism motivated the violence. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese condemned the attack, announced plans to meet state and territory leaders, and called for tougher gun laws. Officials have not released victims’ names; ages reported so far range from about 10 to 87.
Brown University shooting investigation continues
Investigators remain at large in the probe of a shooting inside an academic building at Brown University two days ago that killed two students and wounded nine others. Police briefly detained a man in his 20s as a person of interest but later released him after determining there was no basis to hold him. The campus has been grieving and shaken; students recounted panic and tearful moments during lockdowns. A Brown medical student said the lockdown came during exams and that incidents of this kind feel increasingly common. Authorities are still reconstructing the timeline and searching for a motive.
Rob Reiner and his wife found dead
Director Rob Reiner and his wife, producer and photographer Michele Singer Reiner, were found dead at their Los Angeles home, police said. Reiner directed films including When Harry Met Sally and A Few Good Men. Law enforcement said preliminary autopsies are expected soon and that the investigation is being treated as a homicide inquiry. Officials also said they are not currently seeking a suspect or person of interest; reporters noted that detail could indicate investigators have leads, but authorities have not publicly identified a suspect.
Deep dive: at-home HPV testing
Pap smears can be uncomfortable or triggering for people with past sexual or medical trauma, and a growing alternative is HPV testing using self-collected vaginal swabs. New guidance from the American Cancer Society endorses self-swabbing as a safe option. OB/GYNs say HPV testing detects roughly 90–95% of precancerous cervical abnormalities, compared with about 70–80% detection for Pap smears. In May 2025 the FDA approved the first at-home HPV test; it is currently being offered through a telehealth company called Teal Health, allowing patients to collect samples at home for high-risk strains of HPV that can lead to cervical cancer.
Life advice: simplify the holidays
The holiday season can shift quickly from festive to frazzled. Psychotherapist Niro Feliciano, author of All Is Calmish, suggests small changes to reduce stress and strengthen connections: shorten your to-do list to focus on the moments that matter most, reframe obligations by naming what you get to do rather than what you have to do, and let go of traditions that no longer bring joy.
3 things to know before you go
1) A new study in Science Advances links tanning-bed use with a much higher melanoma risk and finds DNA damage associated with cancer across nearly the entire skin surface of users.
2) A United Airlines flight bound for Tokyo returned safely to Washington Dulles after an engine failure during departure; the FAA reported the plane returned without incident.
3) The annual Abortion Onscreen report found a sharp decline in on-screen characters who went through with abortions in recent years; abortion-related storylines appeared 65 times this year.
This newsletter was edited by Suzanne Nuyen.