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National

11 people were killed in a Saturday morning shooting at Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, Wendell Hissrich, Pittsburgh Public Safety Director confirmed. Both the public safety director and the FBI special agent in charge have described the scene as "horrific" and "one of the worst I've seen." 

Six people were injured, including 4 officers. Don Yealy of University of Pittsburgh Department of Emergency Medicine confirmed there were no children among the deceased and described two civilian victims as a 61-year-old female with extremity wounds, and a 70-year-old male with critical gun shot wounds. The shooting occurred during a bris — a traditional Jewish baby naming ceremony. Authorities have arrested the suspect and are investigating the  shooting as a hate crime. 

The details: The gunman walked in to the synagogue yelling "All Jews must die." 

Bob Jones, FBI special agent in charge, said the suspect had one assault rifle and three handguns on him at the time of the shooting. 

He reportedly frequently posted anti-Semitic comments on social media. 

There is no active threat to the community, per Hissrich.

The NYPD has increased security at synagogues in New York City after the shooting in Pittsburgh.

The FBI has taken control of the investigation. CNN obtained a photo of the suspect, 46-year-old Robert Bowers, and reports that he wrote, "I can't sit by and watch my people get slaughtered. Screw your optics I'm going in," on social media just minutes before the shooting. 

Aboard Air Force One, President Trump told reporters the White House is considering canceling the rally that is scheduled in Southern Illinois for Saturday night. Earlier, President Trump tweeted about the events saying they "are far more devastating than originally thought." 

Ivanka Trump tweeted words of encouragement that America is "stronger than the acts of a depraved bigot and anti-semite."

In a statement from Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf: "These senseless acts of violence are not who we are as Americans. My thoughts right now are focused on the victims, their families and making sure law enforcement has every resource they need."

11 dead, 6 wounded, suspect in custody in Pittsburgh synagogue shooting

Men in SWAT gear standing in the road outside the Pittsburgh shooting in the synagogue. 

Police rapid response team members respond to the site of a mass shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue. Photo: Jeff Swensen/Getty Images. 

U.S. News

Pittsburgh

Feds loosen telehealth rules for Medicare Advantage plans

It's another win for Medicare Advantage plans, with uncertain benefits.

A man sits behind computers during a telehealth consultation with a patient.

A telehealth consultation. Photo: BSIP/UIG via Getty Images

Health Care

Telehealth

Before boarding Air Force One on his way to the Future Farmers of America convention, President Trump responded to the Pittsburgh shooting saying the U.S. should "stiffen up" death penalty laws and people who commit such crimes should "pay the ultimate price."

Trump also added that places of worship should consider adding armed guards at doors. "If there was an armed guard inside the temple they would have been able to stop him, maybe there would have been nobody killed, except for him frankly," he said. The president says he will release a statement when he attends the Future Farmers of America event Saturday. 

When asked about how heightened gun laws would have played in a situation like this, President Trump responded, "this has little to do with gun laws ... if they had protection inside this would have been a lot better. Maybe it could have been a much different situation, they didn't [have protection] and he was able to do things he shouldn't have been able to do."

Trump: U.S. needs to stiffen death penalty laws

People who commit such crimes should "pay the ultimate price."

Politics

Donald Trump

2024 will be an election year like no other, as President Biden seeks re-election amid economic uncertainty, two wars and questions about his age. His likely foe, former President Trump, faces felony charges and vows revenge on his political enemies. Meanwhile, Americans generally are dissatisfied with those choices and are divided over immigration, race, education and more.

Politics & Policy

The Attorney General of Virginia Mark Herring announced Wednesday that his office was launching an "ongoing investigation" into possible sexual abuse and coverups by the Catholic dioceses in the state, the Washington Post reports.

The big picture: Herring is not alone. Since the Pennsylvania grand jury's bombshell August report of egregious child sex abuse at the hands of Catholic priests, several other allegations of sexual abuse and ignorance on behalf of the Church have come to light. As a result, several other state investigations have followed.

Maryland: Attorney General Brian Frosh informed Archbishop William Lori that his office is conducting "an investigation and thorough review" of records relating to child sex abuse from the Church. (Baltimore Sun)

Vermont: Attorney General T.J. Donovan has appointed a task force to investigate abuses from a Catholic orphanage detailed by a major BuzzFeed News investigation. (CNN)

Michigan: An "independent, thorough, transparent, and prompt" statewide investigation was launched by the Attorney General's Office. (Detroit Free Press)

New Jersey: A task force was created by Attorney General Gurbir Grewal to investigate allegations of abuse in the dioceses of New Jersey. (NJ.com)

New York: Every Catholic diocese in the state was subpoenaed by the attorney general's office as part of a civil investigation by the AG's Charities Bureau. (Washington Post)

Nebraska: Three Catholic dioceses were directed by the Attorney General's Office to hand over 40 years' worth of abuse allegation records. (Omaha World-Herald)

D.C.: Attorney General Karl Racine said his office was investigating sex abuse in the District. (Washington Post)

Kentucky: Deputy Attorney General J. Michael Brown's office told The Record that they would soon be "preparing draft legislation that allows for a multi-district/statewide grand jury in Kentucky" to investigate sex abuse. 

Missouri: Attorney General Josh Hawley opened an investigation led by a veteran sex crimes prosecutor. (The Hill)

New Mexico: Attorney General Hector Balderas asked the state's three Catholic dioceses to turn over records related to abuse allegations by priests. (CBS)

Illinois: Attorney General Lisa Madigan said in a statement that she was meeting with dioceses that were mentioned in the Pennsylvania report, and will conduct an investigation if there is not full cooperation from other bishops around the state. 

Louisiana: Attorney General Jeff Landry said in an op-ed that while he has not received "one single complaint against any clergyman," his office would "work with the state, local and other officials to help find it, root it out, and...bring predators to justice" if allegations surfaced. 

The bottom line: This isn't a U.S. problem, it's an institutional problem proven by the wave of investigations spurred around the globe, from Germany to Chile, all the way to the Vatican. 

The Pennsylvania grand jury's horrifying coverup report

Poll: Pope Francis' popularity declines among American Catholics 

Wave of state attorneys general take on Catholic Church sex abuse

A number of states have launched investigations into possible sexual abuse in the Church.

Catholic Church

Axios AM

Imagine the agony and contortions another politician might have gone through if a signature chant from his rallies ("CNN SUCKS") was found emblazoned on the van of a rabid supporter charged with mailing bombs to political opponents?

Not Trump. At a rally last night at Bojangles' Coliseum in Charlotte, N.C., the president started with a line that could have come from any president: "These terrorist actions must be prosecuted and punished to the fullest extent of the law."

"​Political violence must never, ever be allowed in America, and I will do everything in my power to stop it," Trump continued, to crowd cheers.

"In recent days, we've had a broader conversation about the tone and civility of our national dialogue. Everyone will benefit if we can end the politics of personal destruction. [Crowd cheers.] We must unify as a nation in peace, love, and in harmony."

The crowd of 9,000 was in no mood for that, and Trump took the cue.

So he played the hits, from "Crooked Hillary Clinton" (with "Lock her up!" chants from the crowd) to Rep. Maxine Waters, one of the intended bomb recipients. Trump didn't add his usual derogatory descriptions of Waters: "I’m trying to be nice."

Trump lectured the media, prompting chants of "CNN sucks!" when he said:

"The media has a major role to play ... as far as tone. [Crowd cheers.] ... [T]he media's constant, unfair coverage, deep hostility [Boo!] and negative attacks ... only serve to drive people apart and to undermine healthy debate."

"For example, we have seen an effort by the media in recent hours to use the sinister actions of one individual to score political points against me and the Republican Party." [Crowd boos.]

On the South Lawn before he took off for Charlotte, Trump was asked if he was at all to blame.

"No, not at all," Trump replied. "There’s no blame."

"The Republicans had tremendous momentum, and then, of course, this happened, where all that you people talked about was that. And rightfully so. It was a big thing. ... But now we have to start the momentum again."

"I think I’ve been toned down, if you want to know the truth. I could really tone it up."

Trump's short-lived "peace, love and harmony"

Trump greets Charlotte crowd. Photo: Sean Rayford/Getty Images

A single fingerprint taken from a mail bomb sent to Rep. Maxine Waters gave investigators their key break in arresting 56-year-old Cesar Altieri Sayoc, The Wall Street Journal reports.

The details: "Officials ran the fingerprint through a national database, which returned Mr. Sayoc as a possible match... With Mr. Sayoc’s name in hand, investigators were able to locate a possible phone number... [a] court order allowed them to triangulate Mr. Sayoc’s cellphone data to find his location."

"FBI Director Christopher Wray said Cesar Sayoc's fingerprints and possible DNA were collected from two of the 13 devices," per AP.

"The bombs seized were made using 6 inches of PVC pipe, a small clock, a battery, wiring."

"The use of broken glass and PVC pipe could point to the bomb maker wanting to ensure the devices were as light as possible to avoid shipping restrictions ... Broken glass as filler would be lighter than nails or other metal."

"The postal service requires packages weighing more than 13 ounces to be shipped from a retail counter, and it returns any heavier packages that are dropped into a mailbox or slot."

Caught by a single fingerprint

Taken from a mail bomb sent to Rep. Maxine Waters.

NYPD bomb squad, tracked O.J.-style by MSNBC

Terrorism

In the middle of a continued moral reckoning in the tech industry, a number of the major public companies announced their quarterly earnings this week, with mixed results. Here are five stories in tech news you may have missed. 

Catch up quick: Facebook is reportedly building a lip-syncing app for teens to rival Tik Tok; Saudi Arabia signed business deals worth $50 billion at the Future Investment Initiative; conservative political apps are taking off; Vancouver has hot and cold relations with Chinese investments; and stock trading on Alexa is not as simple as it sounds.

Facebook is reportedly building a lip-syncing app for teens to rival Tik Tok (TechCrunch)

Why it matters: Facebook is notorious for trying to thwart competitors by building its own version of their social apps. Its lip-syncing app project also reminds us that the company continues to grapple with teenagers' decreasing interest in its flagship social network. 

Saudi Arabia signs business deals worth $50 billion at Future investment Initiative (CNN)

Why it matters: Saudi Arabia signed agreements with international companies despite a number of business names bailing on its conference this week over the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has poured Saudi money into domestic tourism projects and global tech companies as part of an effort to diversify the economy.

Conservative political apps are taking off (The New York Times)

Why it matters: Facebook and YouTube have been accused of creating a hostile environment toward right-learning viewers, which has prompted Republican consultants to build apps with chatrooms and news feeds for conservative groups. And like the big social networks, these apps do collect data about their users. 

Vancouver’s hot and cold relations with Chinese investments (Bloomberg Businessweek)

Why it matters: Vancouver was the first major Western city to experience the tidal wave of Chinese cash — and its unforeseen aftermath. But now, officials say a substantial proportion of the money stems from corruption or crime. High housing prices and an economy distorted by wealthy outsiders is giving rise to anger. British Columbia’s left-leaning government is now focusing on policies meant to restrain the arrival of Chinese money.

Stock trading on Alexa is not as simple as it sounds (Axios)

Why it matters: This is a big task for Alexa, which is notorious for mishearing verbal commands. Buying stocks via home assistant won't be a one-step process anytime soon. That's a good thing, since any errors in making investment transactions could be more disastrous than, say, accidentally ordering too many dollhouses.

Facebook's lip-sync app and other tech news you missed

Saudi Arabia's business deals, conservative political apps and other news.

The Future Investment Initiative FII conference in Riyadh. Photo: Fayes Nureldine/AFP/Getty Images

Technology

Facebook

Big Tech

From the Valley to D.C., Big Tech players like Facebook, Google and Amazon are under more scrutiny than ever as new technology develops and privacy and antitrust concerns grow in lockstep with companies’ ambitions.

Finish Line

Axios Finish Line

Americans are spendings less and less money in brick-and-mortar stores during the run-up to the holidays, shunning the crazy lines they once formed outside big-box stores on Black Friday.

The big picture: Shoppers plan to spend 57% of their budgets online but just 36% in physical stores, per a new Deloitte survey. Just 44% of shoppers say they will shop on Black Friday as much as in past holiday seasons, while 53% say they will rely on Cyber Monday as much as they have in the past.

The big picture: For many Americans, the idea of one big shopping spree coinciding with a work holiday is fading, yet at the same time they have higher holiday budgets.

The average shopper plans to spend $525 on gifts — 20% more than the average $430 in 2017.

The steady decline of Black Friday is a victim of online shopping for gifts, says Rod Sides, the head of retail at Deloitte.

E-commerce is saving customers several trips to the mall, allowing them to shop 24/7 — and from anywhere. "Five years ago, mobile commerce was in the teens," Sides says. 

This year, Deloitte found that 67% of online shoppers will make purchases on their phones.

Brick-and-mortar stores also are realizing they can earn more money by extending Black Friday deals for a week or longer, Sides adds.

But e-commerce giants are not the only ones profiting from this sea change. Traditional retailers — especially clothes shops — are still making a killing before Christmas, but the bulk of their sales are moving to the web, according to Deloitte.

The decline of Black Friday

The average shopper plans to spend $525 on gifts this year.

Axios

Saturday's top stories

11 dead, 6 wounded, suspect in custody in Pittsburgh synagogue shooting

Feds loosen telehealth rules for Medicare Advantage plans

Trump: U.S. needs to stiffen death penalty laws

Wave of state attorneys general take on Catholic Church sex abuse

Trump's short-lived "peace, love and harmony"

Caught by a single fingerprint

Facebook's lip-sync app and other tech news you missed

The decline of Black Friday

Deep Dive: The great auto disruption

States are sewing a patchwork of AV regulations

Billions of dollars pour into autonomous vehicle technology

Driver monitoring systems are here — and so are privacy concerns

Twitter removes bomb suspect's threats and apologizes