NEWS OF THE DAY
From Across the Nation
1 Hackers charged: Two Iranian computer hackers were charged Wednesday in connection with a multimillion-dollar cybercrime and extortion scheme that targeted government agencies, cities and businesses, the Justice Department said. Faramarz Shahi Savandi, 34, and Mohammad Mehdi Shah Mansouri, 27, are accused of creating ransomware that encrypted data on the computers of more than 200 victims, including Atlanta and Newark, N.J. Starting in January 2016, the hackers exploited cyberweaknesses and gained access to the victims’ computers, prosecutors said. They then allegedly encrypted the computer files and demanded that the victims pay a ransom in bitcoin to have their data unlocked.
2 Muslim targeted: Republican leaders in one of the most populous counties in Texas want to remove a party vice chairman because he’s Muslim, according to emails between party leaders. The anonymous emails indicate the Tarrant County GOP executive committee plans to vote Jan. 10 on whether to remove Shahid Shafi from his leadership position. Some in the party say Shafi, a surgeon and city council member in a Fort Worth suburb, may be more loyal to Islamic law or not supportive enough of the party’s proIsrael platform. Shafi counters that he supports American laws and the court system, has never promoted Islamic law, and has no affiliation to “any terrorist organization,” as some have alleged.
3 Political donations: Anonymous donors gave more than $79 million to a liberal nonprofit during President Trump’s first year in office, helping fuel opposition to Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination and build support for a slew of other progressive causes. The contributions in 2017 to the Sixteen Thirty Fund represented a sharp increase over the $21 million it collected in 2016 when President Barack Obama still occupied the White House, according to newly released federal tax records.
4 Fire victims: Authorities recovered six bodies Wednesday from the rubble of a burned-out Logansport, Ind., home where four children and two adults were believed to have died, police said. Police said crews found two bodies in addition four recovered earlier. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
5 Film critic fired: NPR’s “Fresh Air” has parted ways with contributor David Edelstein after the film critic made a joke about the rape scene in “Last Tango in Paris” on his Facebook page following Monday’s death of director Bernardo Bertolucci. “Fresh Air” said Tuesday that the post was “offensive and unacceptable” because of what actress Maria Schneider experienced filming the scene. Schneider said in a 2007 interview that the simulated sex scene was unscripted and that she felt bullied by Bertolucci and unsupported by her co-star Marlon Brando. “I was crying real tears,” said Schneider, who died in 2011. Edelstein had captioned a photo of the scene with the line: “Even grief is better with butter.” Edelstein said he was unaware of Schneider’s comments and apologized.
Chronicle News Services