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Today’s top stories
A father-and-son pair of gunmen killed at least 15 people in a mass shooting at a Hanukkah celebration on Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia. At least 42 people were hospitalized. Police said they shot and killed the 50-year-old elder gunman; his 24-year-old son was wounded and remains hospitalized and has not been charged. Authorities declared the incident a terrorist act and said they believe it was motivated by antisemitism. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese condemned the violence and said he will meet with state and territory leaders; he is seeking tougher gun laws. Police have not yet identified the victims; authorities say victims’ ages range from about 10 to 87.
Authorities continue searching for the gunman who opened fire inside a Brown University academic building two days ago, killing two students and injuring nine others. Police briefly detained a man in his 20s as a person of interest but later determined there was no basis to hold him. The campus has been grieving and shaken; students described panic and tearful scenes during lockdowns. Brown medical student Anh Nguyen said the lockdown came during exams and that incidents like this feel increasingly common. Investigators are still piecing together the motive and timeline.
Director Rob Reiner and his wife, producer and photographer Michele Singer Reiner, were found dead at their Los Angeles home, law enforcement said. Reiner, a longtime filmmaker behind movies including When Harry Met Sally and A Few Good Men, and his wife were discovered yesterday. Authorities said preliminary autopsies are expected to be released soon and that investigators are conducting a homicide inquiry. Police said they are not currently seeking a suspect or person of interest, a detail reporters note may indicate investigators already know or suspect who committed the crime.
Deep dive
Pap smears can be uncomfortable and triggering for people who’ve experienced sexual or medical trauma. A growing alternative is HPV testing: patients can self-collect vaginal swabs to test for high-risk strains of the virus that cause cervical cancer. New American Cancer Society guidance supports self-swabbing as a safe option, and HPV testing detects 90–95% of precancerous abnormalities compared with about 70–80% detection for Pap smears, according to OB/GYNs. In May 2025, the FDA approved the first at-home HPV test, which is currently available through a telehealth company called Teal Health.
Life advice
December’s holiday calendar can quickly go from festive to frazzled. Psychotherapist Niro Feliciano, author of All Is Calmish, recommends small shifts to reduce stress and deepen connection: shorten your to-do list to the moments that matter most, reframe obligations as privileges by naming what you get to do instead of 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 finds tanning-bed users face a much higher melanoma risk and show DNA damage linked to cancer across nearly their entire skin surface.
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 marked drop in on-screen characters who went through with abortions over recent years; abortion-related storylines appeared 65 times this year.
This newsletter was edited by Suzanne Nuyen.