Paul Whelan, the 48-year-old Michigan resident and former marine arrested in Moscow on Friday for suspected espionage, was in Russia for a wedding, his family said in a statement released today to CNN. "We are deeply concerned for his safety and well-being. His innocence is undoubted and we trust that his rights will be respected," the statement reads. Whelan works as the director of global security for a Michigan automotive supplier, and his brother, David, told CNN that Paul Whelan was in Moscow for the wedding of a fellow ex-marine. He never arrived at the ceremony, and his fate was unknown until yesterday, when news reports of his detention began to emerge.
According to a statement released Monday by the FSB, Russia's intelligence agency, "The investigation department of the Federal Security Service of Russia initiated a criminal case against a U.S. citizen under article 276" — meaning espionage — "of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation." It is unclear what, exactly, Whelan is accused of, but The New York Times reports that his detention comes two weeks after the guilty plea of Maria Butina, the Russian woman accused of working with Moscow to influence American political officials. The Kremlin has denied her guilt, and the Times notes that Russia has been known to detain foreigners for use as bargaining chips.
If convicted, Whelan could face up to 20 years in prison, reports TASS, Russia's state-run news agency. Jacob Lambert
Houston Rockets guard James Harden closed out 2018 in high style last night, going for a triple-double (43 points, 10 rebounds, 13 assists) against the Memphis Grizzlies in a 113-101 win. But what would have been a career night for most players has recently become routine for Harden, the NBA's reigning MVP, who has scored more than 400 points over his last 10 games — joining Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant as the only players in the past 30 years to accomplish the feat, ESPN reports. He has scored 40 or more in four straight games — something that has never been done in Rockets history — has hit five or more three-pointers in seven straight, and in the past three weeks has almost single-handedly lifted his team from 14th place in the Western Conference to fourth.
Teammate Austin Rivers told ESPN that "[Harden is] doing it so effortlessly... it's crazy. He's just different, man... Nobody in the league can do what he's doing right now. He's winning back-to-back MVPs. It's incredible." Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni added, "I don't know how you get any better than what he's playing... he comes up with steals, triple-doubles like it's nothing. So, yeah, he's playing at a different level." Not yet discussed is whether Harden might also be capable of ending the government shutdown — but at this point, anything seems possible. Jacob Lambert
A knife attack in a Manchester, England, train station that injured three people yesterday is being investigated as an act of terrorism, The New York Times reports. Authorities have not released the name of the 25-year-old male suspect, who stabbed a British Transport Police officer and a man and woman in their 50s, at the crowded Manchester Victoria station.
In remarks reported by the BBC, Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Ian Hopkins said, "Last night we experienced a horrific attack on people out to simply enjoy the New Year's Eve celebrations in Manchester. My thoughts are with the couple who are still being treated in hospital for their serious injuries and with the brave British Transport Police officer who was also stabbed during the attack." No motive has been given for the assault, which took place near the Manchester Arena, where a 2017 suicide bombing killed 22 and wounded hundreds more. Jacob Lambert
New Year's Eve celebrations were marred in Tokyo last night when a car plowed into a crowd near the city's iconic Meiji shrine, CNN reports. Nine people were injured, one seriously, when the suspect — identified as 21-year-old Kazuhiro Kusakabe — drove a vehicle into a crowded street that had been closed to traffic a few minutes after midnight. The suspect fled the scene but was apprehended by police 20 minutes later.
Upon his capture, Kusakabe initially described the episode as an act of terror before telling police that he had acted in "retaliation for the execution of Aum cult members," per CNN. The cult was held responsible for a 1995 sarin gas attack in the city's subway, and its remaining members were executed last year. Kusakabe is being held on suspicion of attempted murder, CNBC reports. Jacob Lambert
The top spokesperson for the Vatican has unexpectedly announced his resignation.
Greg Burke said on Twitter Monday that he will resign as the spokesperson for the Vatican effective Jan. 1, as will his deputy, Paloma Garcia Ovejero. "At this time of transition in Vatican communications, we think it’s best the Holy Father is completely free to assemble a new team," he wrote.
This comes after a previous shake-up of the Vatican communications staff, which came when Pope Francis named a new editor of the Vatican newspaper and a new editorial director for Vatican media, The Associated Press reports, adding that the resignations "clearly took the new team by surprise." The Vatican's communications head said this was their "autonomous and free choice," per CNN.
The Vatican will hold a crucial summit in February to discuss sexual abuse within the Catholic Church. In August, a grand jury report said that more than 300 priests in Pennsylvania had been accused of sexually abusing children, prompting other states to launch their own investigations into the church, per CNN. Numerous church officials were removed from their positions amid accusations they committed or helped cover up abuse, and the Vatican has faced criticism for its handling of the crisis. One former diplomat called for Pope Francis to resign after he was accused of helping cover up sexual abuse accusations against former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick.
The church's key global summit will take place on Feb. 21. Brendan Morrow
Afghan strike forces overseen by the CIA are operating with little care for preventing civilian casualties, a lengthy New York Times report details Monday, and their brutality has fostered local populations' sympathy for the Taliban.
The CIA-managed teams work "unconstrained by battlefield rules designed to protect civilians, conducting night raids, torture and killings with near impunity," the Times reports, citing Afghan and American officials. "Those abuses are actively pushing people toward the Taliban, the officials say," and as the U.S. military footprint in the country has declined from its 2011 peak of about 100,000, these "strike forces are increasingly the way that a large number of rural Afghans experience the American presence." Unconfirmed reports suggest some raids may even include American operatives.
Though the strike forces are considered more effective than their counterparts without CIA sponsorship, their successes against militants are mixed with ruthless but inaccurate targeting of innocent people. In one case, "two brothers were killed as they watered their fields before dawn after receiving permission from the local security outpost."
In another, a night raid on a family home ended with three adults summarily executed and the home in flames. A 3-year-old girl, Marina, was found burned to death in a bedroom. Local investigators concluded the victims were innocent and the raid was an "atrocity."
In these and other cases the Times investigated, victims "were at a loss for where to seek justice, or an explanation of why they had been raided" or subjected to torture.
The CIA declined to comment to The New York Times. Read the full report here. Bonnie Kristian
