The Mini-Report rounds up major domestic and international stories: the Brown University shooter remains at large after two students were killed and nine wounded, while a mass shooting near Bondi Beach killed 15 in Sydney. Two U.S. soldiers and an American interpreter were killed in an ISIS attack in Syria, and Israel says it killed a senior Hamas commander in Gaza City. Domestically, the SEC reportedly eased crypto enforcement under President Trump, the administration is moving military assets into the Caribbean over Venezuela, and the TSA’s collective bargaining agreement faces termination.
Monday Mini-Report — Dec. 15, 2025: Brown University Shooting, Bondi Massacre, Syria Strike and U.S. Policy Moves
Today’s quick-hit briefing: major developments at home and abroad, from campus violence in the U.S. to high-profile attacks overseas and consequential policy moves in Washington and Canberra.
Brown University Shooting
Authorities said the gunman who killed two students and wounded nine others in a weekend attack at Brown University remains at large after officials released a person of interest late Sunday evening. Investigators continue to search the area and urge anyone with relevant information to come forward.
Bondi Beach Mass Shooting (Sydney)
Australia’s worst mass shooting in three decades left 15 people dead and dozens wounded at a Jewish holiday gathering in greater Sydney. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese pledged on Monday to tighten the country’s already strict firearms laws in response to the attack.
ISIS Attack in Syria
The Department of Defense identified two U.S. Army soldiers killed in a Saturday strike as Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres Tovar, 25, of Des Moines, Iowa, and Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard, 29, of Marshalltown, Iowa. An American civilian interpreter was also killed; officials said a single ISIS gunman carried out the attack.
Middle East Developments
Israel’s military announced it killed Raed Saad, a senior Hamas commander in Gaza City — the most senior Hamas military figure reported killed in the enclave since a fragile cease-fire took effect. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz said the strike was a response to an earlier attack that wounded Israeli soldiers.
SEC Enforcement and Crypto
The New York Times reported that after President Trump returned to the White House, the Securities and Exchange Commission eased enforcement across the crypto sector, pausing litigation, reducing penalties or dismissing more than 60% of crypto-related cases that were active at the time. The paper noted dismissals for crypto firms occurred at a higher rate than for other defendants.
U.S. Military Posture Near Venezuela
The U.S. military is moving additional weapons and units into the Caribbean, increasing Washington’s options to pressure Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and potentially accelerate his removal, officials said.
People hold candles during a vigil, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in Providence, R.I., for those injured or killed during the Saturday shooting on Brown University campus. (AP Photo/Steven Senne) (Photo by Steven Senne/PA Images via Getty Images)
TSA Collective Bargaining Dispute
The Trump administration announced plans to terminate a collective bargaining agreement covering roughly 47,000 Transportation Security Administration officers, calling it incompatible with the agency’s national security mission. Union leaders called the move illegal union-busting and vowed to challenge it in court; this is the administration’s second attempt this year to end the agreement.
Prosecutorial Appointments and Resignation
President Trump’s U.S. attorney in Delaware abruptly resigned amid growing controversy over efforts to place political loyalists in powerful prosecutorial roles without Senate confirmation. Critics highlighted appointees such as Julianne Murray — a former state GOP official with limited prosecutorial experience — as examples of the administration’s approach.
Temporary Protected Status for Ethiopians
The administration ended a provision that had allowed Ethiopian nationals fleeing unsafe conditions to remain temporarily in the United States, giving affected individuals 60 days to depart voluntarily or face deportation.
NRA Financial Strain
An independent audit reviewed by NOTUS found the National Rifle Association is drawing down its investment portfolio to cover operating costs as legal challenges increase and membership revenue declines.
Good News Amid Violence
Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, one of two National Guard members shot in Washington, D.C., last month, has made "extraordinary progress," his doctor said Friday; he has moved from acute care to inpatient rehabilitation.
See you tomorrow.
Originally published on MS NOW.
