WE BEGIN THIS MORNING WITH DEVELOPING NEWS IN THE WAR BETWEEN RUSSIA AND UKRAINE. 

ACCORDING TO RUSSIAN OFFICIALS — AN EXPLOSION NEAR AN APARTMENT BUILDING IN MOSCOW HAS KILLED THE HEAD OF RUSSIA’S NUCLEAR AND CHEMICAL FORCES. 

OFFICIALS SAY THE EXPLOSIVE DEVICE – WHICH WAS PLANTED IN A SCOOTER AND TRIGGERED REMOTELY – KILLED LIEUTENANT GENERAL IGOR KIRILLOV AND HIS ASSISTANT. 

RUSSIA’S INVESTIGATIVE COMMITTEE SAYS IT IS TREATING THE BOMBING AS A TERRORIST ATTACK. 

KIRILLOV HAD BEEN THE HEAD OF RUSSIA’S NUCLEAR DEFENSE FORCES SINCE APRIL 20-17. 

ON MONDAY – UKRAINE’S SECURITY SERVICES CHARGED KIRILLOV WITH THE USE OF BANNED CHEMICAL WEAPONS DURING THE WAR. 

AND HE FACED SANCTIONS FROM SEVERAL COUNTRIES INCLUDING THE UK AND CANADA FOR HIS ROLE IN UKRAINE. 

SO FAR THERE HAS BEEN NO WORD FROM UKRAINE ABOUT THE EXPLOSION.

TWO IRANIAN MEN — ONE OF WHOM IS A DUAL AMERICAN CITIZEN — HAVE BEEN CHARGED IN CONNECTION WITH A DEADLY DRONE ATTACK THAT KILLED THREE U-S SOLDIERS IN JORDAN EARLIER THIS YEAR. 

F-B-I SPECIALISTS ANALYZED THE DRONE AND WERE ABLE TO TRACE ITS NAVIGATION SYSTEM TO AN IRANIAN COMPANY OPERATED BY ONE OF THE DEFENDANTS — WHO ACCORDING TO PROSECUTORS RELIED ON PARTS AND TECHNOLOGY FUNNELED INTO THE COUNTRY BY HIS ALLEGED CO-CONSPIRATOR. 

THE SUSPECTS ARE IDENTIFIED AS MAHDI MOHAMMAD SADEGHI — WHO PROSECUTORS SAY WORKS AT A MASSACHUSETTS-BASED SEMICONDUCTOR COMPANY — AND MOHAMMAD ABEDINI   — WHO WAS ARRESTED IN ITALY. 

THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT IS SEEKING HIS EXTRADITION TO MASSACHUSETTS. 

BOTH MEN ARE CHARGED WITH EXPORT CONTROL VIOLATIONS. 

ON TOP OF THAT — ABEDINI ALSO FACES CHARGES OF CONSPIRING TO PROVIDE MATERIAL SUPPORT TO IRAN.

NOW TO THE LATEST IN THE DEADLY SHOOTING AT A SCHOOL IN MADISON, WISCONSIN THAT LEFT THREE PEOPLE KILLED – INCLUDING THE SUSPECTED SHOOTER. 

POLICE SAY A TEENAGE STUDENT AT ABUNDANT LIFE CHRISTIAN SCHOOL, A 15-YEAR-OLD GIRL – OPENED FIRE INSIDE A CLASSROOM LATE MONDAY MORNING, KILLING ANOTHER STUDENT AS WELL AS A TEACHER. 

SIX OTHERS WERE INJURED. 

POLICE IDENTIFIED THE SUSPECT IN A PRESS CONFERENCE LATER IN THE DAY. 

CHIEF SHON BARNES | MADISON POLICE DEPARTMENT 

“The shooter has now been identified as 15 year old Natalie Rupnow, who went by the name Samantha. She was a student at the school and evidence suggests she died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.” 

“At this time, we believe there was only one shooter involved. We are still working to determine a motive. Detectives have talked to her family members this evening as well as conduct a search of the shooter’s home here in Madison.” 

POLICE SAY TWO OF THE INJURED STUDENTS REMAIN IN CRITICAL CONDITION AND ADD IT IS NOT CLEAR IF THE TEACHER AND TEENAGE STUDENT, WHO WERE KILLED, WERE TARGETED. 

IN RESPONSE TO THE SHOOTING – PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN ISSUED A STATEMENT CALLING FOR CONGRESS TO PASS MORE GUN SAFETY LAWS INCLUDING UNIVERSAL BACKGROUND CHECKS, A NATIONAL RED FLAG LAW AND A BAN ON ASSAULT WEAPONS AND HIGH-CAPACITY MAGAZINES.

DESPITE THE SUPREME COURT’S RULING EARLIER THIS YEAR ON PRESIDENTIAL IMMUNITY — A NEW YORK JUDGE SAYS HE WILL NOT THROW OUT PRESIDENT-ELECT DONALD TRUMP’S CONVICTION ON 34 CHARGES OF FALSIFYING BUSINESS RECORDS RELATED TO PAYMENTS MADE TO PORN ACTOR STORMY DANIELS TO INFLUENCE THE 20-16 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION. DONALD TRUMP HAS DENIED ANY WRONGDOING INCLUDING DANIELS’ CLAIMS OF A SEXUAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE TWO.  

TRUMP WAS ORIGINALLY SET TO BE SENTENCED IN THE SO-CALLED HUSH-MONEY CASE ON NOVEMBER 22-ND — BUT JUDGE JUAN MERCHAN POSTPONED IT TO ALLOW BOTH SIDES MORE TIME TO PRESENT ARGUMENTS RELATED TO POTENTIALLY DISMISSING THE CASE. 

TRUMP’S LAWYERS HAD ASKED TO DISMISS THE CASE — CITING THE U-S SUPREME COURT RULING IN JULY GIVING A PRESIDENT WIDE IMMUNITY FROM PROSECUTION. 

TRUMP COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR STEVEN CHEUNG CALLED MONDAY’S DECISION, TO ALLOW THE CASE TO CONTINUE, A QUOTE “DIRECT VIOLATION OF THE SUPREME COURT’S DECISION ON IMMUNITY, AND OTHER LONGSTANDING JURISPRUDENCE.” 

IT’S STILL UNCLEAR WHEN — OR IF — A SENTENCING DATE WILL BE SET. 

PROSECUTORS HAVE ALREADY AGREED THE PRESIDENT-ELECT WOULD NOT BE SENTENCED WHILE HE IS IN OFFICE.  

BUT THE MANHATTAN DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S OFFICE HAS ARGUED IN LEGAL FILINGS THE FELONY CONVICTION SHOULD STILL STAND.

PRESIDENT-ELECT DONALD TRUMP MET WITH THE C-E-O OF TIKTOK YESTERDAY AT TRUMP’S MAR-A-LAGO RESORT, ACCORDING TO MULTIPLE REPORTS, AS THE POPULAR SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM FACES A BAN IN THE U-S. 

EARLIER THIS YEAR — IN A SHOW OF BIPARTISAN SUPPORT, CONGRESS PASSED A MEASURE THAT WOULD BAN TIKTOK IN THE U-S AS OF JANUARY 19-TH AND PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN SIGNED IT INTO LAW.  A FEDERAL COURT UPHELD THAT MOVE EARLIER THIS MONTH.  

TRUMP ORIGINALLY TRIED TO BAN TIKTOK DURING HIS FIRST ADMINISTRATION — BUT HAS SINCE REVERSED COURSE, VOWING ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL TO “SAVE” THE APP. 

BUT DURING A PRESS CONFERENCE BEFORE YESTERDAY’S MEETING WITH TIKTOK’S C-E-O, THE PRESIDENT-ELECT ADDRESSED THE MATTER. 

PRESIDENT-ELECT DONALD TRUMP 

“We’ll take a look at TikTok. You know, I have a warm spot in my heart for TikTok because I won youth by 34 points. And there are those that say that TikTok has something to do with it.” 

TIKTOK FILED AN EMERGENCY APPLICATION WITH THE SUPREME COURT YESTERDAY — ASKING FOR A TEMPORARY INJUNCTION THAT WOULD DELAY THE BAN WHILE THE COMPANY SEEKS A FORMAL REVIEW BY THE JUSTICES. 

TODAY — DONALD TRUMP IS SET TO MEET WITH NETFLIX C-E-O TED SARANDOS AT MAR-A-LAGO. HE IS THEN EXPECTED TO SIT DOWN WITH AMAZON FOUNDER JEFF BEZOS TOMORROW.

FINALLY THIS MORNING – A CHRISTMAS STORY. NATIONAL LAMPOON’S CHRISTMAS VACATION. HOME ALONE. AND YES, EVEN DIE HARD. 

THESE ARE JUST SOME OF THE BELOVED CLASSIC FILMS WATCHED THIS TIME OF YEAR – AND NOW, AMAZON IS HOPING IT HAS FOUND THE NEXT BIG HOLIDAY HIT.   

“RED ONE” – THE HOLIDAY ACTION MOVIE FILM STARRING DWAYNE JOHNSON AND CHRIS EVANS – IS NOW AMAZON MGM STUDIO’S MOST-WATCHED FILM DEBUT EVER ON ITS PRIME VIDEO STREAMING SERVICE. 

THE MOVIE PULLED IN A RECORD-BREAKING 50 MILLION VIEWERS WORLDWIDE DURING ITS FIRST FOUR DAYS OF STREAMING. 

THE FILM – WHICH COST 200 MILLION DOLLARS TO MAKE – WAS ORIGINALLY SET TO BE A PRIME VIDEO EXCLUSIVE – BUT THE STUDIO SWITCHED COURSE AND FIRST PREMIERED IT IN THEATERS LAST MONTH. 

“RED ONE” SURPASSES JACK GYLLENHAAL’S “ROAD HOUSE” FOR PRIME VIDEO’S MOST-WATCHED FILM DEBUT – AND NOW AMAZON SAYS THIS FILM WILL QUOTE “CLEARLY BE A PERENNIAL HOLIDAY FAVORITE FOR YEARS TO COME.” 

TIME WILL TELL IF THIS FILM JOINS THE LIST OF HOLIDAY CLASSICS.