By Lauren Weber
Tuesday December 23rd, 2014
TOP STORIES
NYC MAYOR CALLS FOR BREAK IN PROTESTS, DEBATE "New York Mayor Bill de Blasio implored protesters on Monday to wait until after the funerals of two policemen shot dead in an ambush before resuming rallies that have roiled the city and beyond over the deaths of black men at the hands of police ... 'It's a time for everyone to put aside political debates, put aside protests, put aside all of the things we will talk about in due time,' de Blasio said in a speech to a charity with close ties to the New York Police Department, two days after Rafael Ramos, 40, and his partner, Wenjian Liu, 28, were killed." Here's a brief history of the police union's temptuous relationships with the mayors of New York City. And The New York Times examines what makes these officers' funerals different from the rest. [Reuters]
NORTH KOREA'S INTERNET WENT OUT FOR ALMOST 10 HOURS Coincidental timing following the Sony hack? And what's on North Korea's version of the Internet, anyways? [Reuters]
TALIBAN REGAINING GROUND IN AFGHANISTAN FOLLOWING U.S. WITHDRAWAL "In a large swath of the Taliban heartland in southern Afghanistan, government centers are facing a long-dormant concern this winter: Four years after the American troop surge helped make such places relatively secure, they are back under threat from the insurgents." [NYT]
JPMORGAN HACKERS GOT IN THROUGH UNUPDATED SERVER Sources say the JPMorgan security team had yet to update a server to the authentication standard most financial institutions' security teams use, leaving the financial institution vulnerable to the hack this summer that compromised the information of over 83 million households and small businesses. [NYT]
60 JOURNALISTS KILLED IN 2014 "The horrific deaths of James Foley and Steven Sotloff in Syria brought worldwide attention to the dangers journalists face in war zones. The beheadings reflected an alarming trend in 2014 in which international journalists were increasingly targeted and killed. There were at least 60 journalists killed globally in connection to their work in 2014, according to an annual report from the Committee to Protect Journalists, an organization that advocates for press freedom around the world." [HuffPost]
RUNNING OUT OF iPHONE STORAGE? APPLE WANTS YOUR MONEY The company could suffer up to a $3 billion hit if it doubled its lowest storage option for your iPhone. [HuffPost]
DREAMING OF A … WET CHRISTMAS? A massive rain storm is about to hit the East Coast, while a snow-rain mix will cover most of the Northwest and Rockies. [USA Today]
WHAT'S BREWING
SONY HIRED REAL-LIFE OLIVIA POPE "After the premiere of 'The Interview' was canceled, Sony received serious criticism from moviegoers, Hollywood's hottest names and even President Obama. With all eyes on them, Sony did the only logical thing: hire Olivia Pope. At least, they hired Judy Smith, the inspiration behind Kerry Washington's 'Scandal' lead, according toThe Hollywood Reporter." [HuffPost]
GUIDE TO THE MOST SUCCESSFUL TV STRATEGIES OF 2014 And yes, Shonda Rhimes makes the list. [Vulture]
THE BEST BUTT EXERCISES FOR THE HOLIDAYS Sitting while eating holiday cookies does not count. [HuffPost]
JOE COCKER HAS DIED The singer who was famous for his cover of "With a Little Help From My Friends" has died at 70. [HuffPost]
DON'T WATCH THESE MOVIES WITH YOUR IN-LAWS Trust us. [HuffPost]
FIGHT IN YOUR SECOND LANGUAGE When you slow down to fight in your second language, you may think twice before jumping to that stupid thing your partner did four years ago that you haven't talked about since. [New York Magazine]
HD VOICE IS A REVELATION You can now better hear your mother reminding you to bring eight different outfits home for the holiday shenanigans. [The Verge]
BEHIND THE BONES "For more than a century, boys were sent to the Florida School for Boys reformatory in the north Florida town of Marianna. Many were beaten brutally and bear the physical and psychological scars to this day. Many boys, though, never came home. They died, some under mysterious circumstances. They were buried in unmarked graves and they were forgotten. Several years ago, a young anthropology professor from the University of South Florida decided she would try to answer the many questions about what happened to these boys and, if she could, return their remains to their families. To get to the truth she would have to fight." [The Tampa Bay Times]
ON THE BLOG
MAKING IT THROUGH THE HOLIDAYS "The office holiday party went better than you thought; a lot better. Come to think of it, you have no idea why you're getting so many smiles on the way to the coffee machine. Until an angel-coworker-friend puts you on alert that part of the cheery blur of last night was actually you doing an impression of your boss for 20 people/hitting on your hot coworker (no, there was no mistaking it)/reliving some of the more glorious cut-aways from 'Bridget Jones' Diary.'" [HuffPost]
BEFORE YOU GO
~ Balmain's new high fashion ad campaign features Kimye.
~ We get more than nine seconds in the latest "Game of Thrones" footage.
~ Meet the Tinder-esque app that helps you pick your baby's name.
~ An excited dancing puppy.
~ The fall of David Gregory on "Meet the Press."
~ A first look at concepts for Obama's presidential library.
~ It's official: Cameron Diaz and Benji Madden are engaged!
~ You can finally watch George Clooney's "Downton Abbey" appearance.
~ Michelle Williams is growing her hair out.
~ All the celebrity babies you can look forward to in 2015.
~ Could a "Beetlejuice" sequel be in the works?
The Morning Email will return December 29! Happy holidays, everyone!
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