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Morning Brief: Brown Shooting Suspect Still at Large, Trump Expands Travel Ban to 20 More Countries, Sydney Charges Suspect in Bondi Beach Massacre

BY Guy D. McCardle

Brown shooter hunt widens as FAA, White House and Venezuela moves dominate. Here’s your Wednesday morning brief, December 17, 2025.

A still from FBI-released footage shows the suspected shooter surveilling the area near Brown University shortly before the attack. Image Credit: FBI.

For Wednesday, December 17, 2025, the brief opens with the Brown University shooter still at large, the White House weighing limits on defense contractor buybacks, and the FAA vowing no retreat on D.C. airspace safety. Also in focus: Trump orders a Venezuela tanker blockade, dozens of countries back a Ukraine claims commission, and Australia files terror charges in the Bondi Beach massacre. Read on.

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Brown Shooting Suspect Still at Large as Police Release New Timeline

Authorities on Tuesday released a new video timeline and clearer images of the suspect in the Brown University shooting, but said they have not identified the gunman.

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The attack on Saturday killed two students and wounded nine others inside an engineering building. Surveillance footage shows a masked, stocky man walking near the campus for about an hour before and after the shooting, but no video clearly captures his face.

Police have received about 200 tips and urged residents to review private camera footage for even brief clues.

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The investigation has raised questions about campus security and surveillance gaps, while officials declined to speculate on the shooter’s motive. Providence increased police presence at schools as the city remained on edge.

Vigils and services drew students and residents seeking solace, as more details emerged about the victims, including two freshmen killed and several students still hospitalized.

 

White House Weighs Order to Curb Defense Contractor Buybacks

The Trump administration is considering an executive order that would pressure defense contractors to reduce stock buybacks and dividends while increasing investment in infrastructure and weapons production, according to a person familiar with the plan.

The draft order would also tie executive compensation more closely to performance in delivering specific defense systems and could be signed as early as this week.

The proposal reflects a broader White House push to speed weapons development and reform Pentagon procurement, which officials say is slow, costly, and inefficient. While enforcement authority remains unclear, the order could prompt a Pentagon review of contractor oversight.

The move comes as major defense firms continue to return capital to shareholders while also investing billions in new facilities, and as the administration signals a more aggressive stance toward the defense industrial base.

 

FAA Chief Vows Lasting Safety Changes After Deadly D.C. Midair Collision

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator Bryan Bedford told lawmakers Tuesday that the agency will not roll back safety measures put in place after a January mid-air collision between a commercial airliner and an Army helicopter over Washington, D.C., that killed 67 people.

Bedford said the FAA remains committed to keeping aircraft separated in the capital’s congested airspace and requiring location-broadcasting systems, even as critics warn a pending defense bill could weaken those safeguards.

Testifying before a House subcommittee, Bedford also addressed ethics concerns over his delayed divestment from Republic Airways, defended the FAA’s handling of flight reductions during the government shutdown, and backed the selection of contractor Peraton to oversee a multibillion-dollar air traffic control modernization.

Bedford said the FAA has already committed more than $6 billion toward system upgrades and insisted recent decisions prioritized safety, despite skepticism from some lawmakers and ongoing concerns about oversight and transparency.

 

Trump Orders Blockade of Sanctioned Oil Tankers Bound for Venezuela

US President Donald Trump said Tuesday he has ordered a blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers entering or leaving Venezuela, escalating US pressure on President Nicolás Maduro and threatening a sharper squeeze on the country’s oil-dependent economy.

The announcement followed last week’s seizure of a tanker off Venezuela’s coast and a broader US military buildup in the region, though the administration has not explained how the blockade would be enforced in practice.

Venezuela’s government condemned the move as illegal and said it would raise the issue at the United Nations.

US officials say the campaign aims to disrupt drug trafficking, while senior administration figures have acknowledged it is also intended to force Maduro from power.

Venezuela relies heavily on oil exports, much of which move through sanctioned or shadow channels, primarily to China.

The US Navy has significant assets in the region capable of monitoring maritime traffic, but legal, diplomatic, and operational questions around the blockade remain unresolved.

 

Trump Expands Travel Ban to 20 More Countries and Palestinian Authority

The Trump administration on Tuesday expanded US travel restrictions to 20 additional countries and to people holding Palestinian Authority travel documents, doubling the scope of limits announced earlier this year.

The changes include a full travel ban on five more countries and new partial restrictions on 15 others, bringing the total number of affected nations and entities to more than 40. The restrictions apply to both visitors and immigrants and take effect January 1, with exemptions for lawful permanent residents, existing visa holders, diplomats, athletes, and cases deemed in the US national interest.

The administration said the move addresses national security, immigration enforcement, and vetting concerns, citing corruption, unreliable documents, visa overstays, and instability in the affected countries.

Critics and advocacy groups condemned the expansion, arguing it unfairly targets entire populations and removes protections for Afghan wartime allies eligible for Special Immigrant Visas.

Several affected governments said they are seeking clarification from US officials as opposition mounts to the broadened policy.

 

Dozens of Countries Back Claims Body to Compensate Ukraine for War Damage

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and 34 other countries on Tuesday approved plans to establish an international compensation body to handle claims for damage caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Backed by the Council of Europe, the International Claims Commission will allow individuals and entities to seek compensation for losses since the war began in February 2022, though funding sources remain unresolved.

Supporters say Russia should ultimately pay, with frozen Russian assets in Europe among the options under discussion, but no mechanism exists to compel Moscow to comply.

The commission will assess claims already filed in a Hague-based register that has received about 80,000 submissions. Participating countries must still ratify the treaty, while the European Union has pledged initial funding to help launch the commission’s operations.

 

Sydney Charges Suspect in Antisemitic Bondi Beach Massacre

Australian authorities on Wednesday charged an accused gunman with 59 offenses, including 15 counts of murder and one terrorism charge, following an antisemitic mass shooting at a Hanukkah celebration at Sydney’s Bondi Beach.

The attack on Sunday killed 15 people, all Jewish, and wounded more than 20 others. Police said the suspect, 24-year-old Naveed Akram, was charged from a hospital bed after emerging from a coma. His father and alleged accomplice died at the scene after being shot by police.

As funerals began under heavy security, investigators said the attack was inspired by the Islamic State group and are examining what authorities previously knew about the suspects.

The massacre has triggered a national reckoning over antisemitism, police protection for Jewish events, and gun laws. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese pledged tougher action on hate crimes and further restrictions on firearms, as Australia mourns its deadliest hate-fueled attack in modern times.

 

Sydney Man Hailed for Disarming Gunman in Bondi Beach Massacre

Ahmed al Ahmed, a 44-year-old Syrian-Australian shop owner, intervened during Sunday’s antisemitic mass shooting at Bondi Beach by tackling one of the gunmen and disarming him, helping stop part of the attack that killed 15 people celebrating Hanukkah.

Al Ahmed, who was out for coffee with a friend, was later shot multiple times by the second attacker and remains hospitalized after undergoing surgery.

Australian leaders and international figures praised al Ahmed’s actions as an act of exceptional courage, and a public fundraising campaign raised more than 2.3 million Australian dollars ($1.5 million) to support his recovery.

Al Ahmed, a former police officer in Syria and a father of two, faces months of rehabilitation. His actions, along with other attempts by civilians to stop the attackers, have become symbols of solidarity and resilience in Australia as the country mourns one of its deadliest hate-driven attacks.

 

Sources: News Agencies

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