10 things you need to know today: January 8, 2017

Florida gunman charged and may face death penalty, Trump transition faces ethics obstacles, and more

President-elect Donald Trump departs a meeting at the Condé Nast offices at One World Trade Center in New York, Friday, Jan. 6, 2017.
(Image credit: Andrew Harnik/Associated Press)

1. Florida gunman charged and may face death penalty

Esteban Santiago, the 26-year-old veteran accused of killing five people and wounding eight more in an attack at the Fort Lauderdale airport on Friday, was charged Saturday with an act of violence at an international airport resulting in death. That makes him eligible for the death penalty, which prosecutors will pursue. Santiago told investigators he planned the attack in advance, but his motives for targeting the Florida airport have not been determined. Santiago, who has a history of mental illness, was already being prosecuted for domestic violence. In November, he told FBI agents he was experiencing delusions and "terroristic thoughts," but authorities ultimately returned his gun because he had no ties to terrorism. It is unclear if the gun that was returned is the gun used in the attack.

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Bonnie Kristian

Bonnie Kristian was a deputy editor and acting editor-in-chief of TheWeek.com. She is a columnist at Christianity Today and author of Untrustworthy: The Knowledge Crisis Breaking Our Brains, Polluting Our Politics, and Corrupting Christian Community (forthcoming 2022) and A Flexible Faith: Rethinking What It Means to Follow Jesus Today (2018). Her writing has also appeared at Time Magazine, CNN, USA Today, Newsweek, the Los Angeles Times, and The American Conservative, among other outlets.