Royal Phone-Hacking, Rudy Giuliani, and Pricey Puppy Breeds

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Israeli military says it mistakenly killed three hostages in the Gaza Strip.

A representative for the Israel Defense Forces said troops found the three Israeli hostages during a ground operation in Gaza Friday, mistakenly identifying them as a threat and opening fire. At least 130 people remain hostage in Gaza after Hamas abducted more than 240 people during its cross-border attack Oct. 7. See latest war updates here.

Federal jury orders Rudy Giuliani to pay $148M to defamed election workers.

A judge in August found the former New York mayor liable for defamation for falsely claiming the two Georgia election workers, Ruby Freeman and her daughter, Shaye Moss, committed ballot fraud during the 2020 presidential election. In the second phase of the case, the eight-person jury was tasked with determining the monetary amount Giuliani had to pay for damages to Freeman and Moss. 

Verdicts in Vatican financial corruption trial expected today.

One cardinal and nine other defendants were accused in 2021 of various financial crimes, including fraud, embezzlement, extortion, and money laundering. The case centers on the Vatican's roughly $380M investment in a luxury building in London, which was later sold at a loss of about $150M. The trial is considered historic, as the last time a cardinal was tried for financial crimes was in the 1730s. 

Mother of boy who shot teacher in Virginia sentenced to two years in prison.

The mother was sentenced for felony child neglect a year after her 6-year-old son brought her 9mm handgun to school and injured his first grade teacher in front of his classmates. Yesterday's sentencing is the second time the mother was held accountable for the shooting; she was sentenced in November to 21 months in prison for marijuana use while owning a gun, which is illegal under US law.

Ukraine village council member detonates grenades in meeting, kills 1.

At least 26 others were also injured after the local council member dropped at least two grenades onto the floor of a local government building in western Ukraine's Zakarpattia Oblast region. Council members had reportedly been in a heated discussion about the 2024 budget. The incident was streamed live on Facebook; see video here (warning—sensitive content). 

US mortgage rates fall below 7% for the first time since August.

The average rate on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage has dropped for the seventh consecutive week to 6.95% from 7.03% the previous week, easing from an October peak of 7.79%, which was the highest level since late 2000 (see historical chart). However, the rate is still up from 6.31% a year ago. 

General Motors to lay off 1,300 workers from two Michigan plants.

The layoffs, which will begin in January, are tied to the ending of the production of GM's Chevrolet Camaro and electric Chevrolet Bolt. GM is discontinuing the Camaro—first introduced in 1966—partly due to a decline in sales, while the Bolt is being discontinued partly to make room for next-generation electric vehicles.