Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev accused Russia of shooting down Azerbaijan Airlines Flight J2-8243, which crash-landed in Aktau, Kazakhstan, on Christmas Day. The incident claimed the lives of 38 passengers and crew out of the 67 onboard. Aliyev alleged that evidence points to Russian surface-to-air missiles as the cause, though he clarified there is no indication the attack was intentional.
Outgoing West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin expressed strong disapproval on Thursday over President Joe Biden's decision to commute the death sentences of two men convicted in the brutal 2002 murder of Samantha Burns, a 19-year-old student at Marshall University. The two men, Brandon Basham and Chadrick Fulks, had been sentenced to death for their roles in Burns' killing. On Monday, as part of a larger commutation effort, Biden reclassified their sentences from execution to life in prison without the possibility of parole, along with 35 other inmates on federal death row.
A group of Good Samaritans acted heroically on Christmas Day in Manhattan, lifting a taxi cab that had jumped the curb and crashed into pedestrians, trapping a mother and her nine-year-old son beneath the vehicle.
Phoenix police are investigating a violent altercation involving both a shooting and stabbing at Sky Harbor Airport’s Terminal 4 on Christmas evening. While the incident caused alarm for travelers, airport operations have since returned to normal.
In a controversial decision just before Christmas, President Joe Biden commuted the death sentences of 37 of the 40 men on federal death row, once again prioritizing convicted murderers over their victims. Among those granted mercy was Brandon Council, convicted of the brutal double murder of Donna Major and Katie Skeen during a robbery in 2017.
Two Georgia men, William and Zachary Zulock, were sentenced to 100 years in prison without the possibility of parole for abusing their adopted special needs sons. The sentencing occurred in Walton County after the men pled guilty to multiple charges, including serious sexual offenses and exploitation of children.
President-elect Donald Trump declared he would "vigorously pursue" the death penalty in January.
“As soon as I am inaugurated, I will direct the Justice Department...
