Midday Roundup: Email scandal tears through Pennsylvania government

Nasty fight. Pennsylvania state government is roiling with a scandal that could end an unprecedented number of political careers. Embattled Attorney General Kathleen Kane has been releasing emails from top officials, including law enforcement and judicial appointees, that include sexually explicit or crude content. The embarrassing disclosures have already prompted the state’s environmental secretary and a high-ranking judge to resign. Kane obtained the emails as part of an investigation into why it took her predecessor so long to prosecute former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky on child sexual-abuse charges. As part of her feud with investigators, Kane allegedly leaked confidential grand jury information to the Philadelphia Daily News. She was charged in August with obstruction, perjury, and other offenses. The state Supreme Court voted in September to suspend Kane’s law license. She claims she’s being targeted to prevent her from exposing the state’s “good-old-boy” network and has refused calls from both Republicans and her fellow Democrats to resign.

Bomb onboard? The Russian jetliner that crashed in the Sinai Peninsula on Saturday may have been brought down by a bomb. British officials say they have information pointing to a possible explosive device on the plane and have halted all U.K. flights coming into or out of the area. Germany’s Lufthansa also canceled flights to and from the Sinai, starting today. Shortly after the crash, Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL) militants claimed responsibility. Experts dismissed that claim because the ISIS affiliate in the area doesn’t have the weaponry to shoot a plane out of the sky at such a high altitude. But The Associated Press, citing an unnamed U.S. official, reported that intercepted communications suggest ISIS planted a device on the plane. Intelligence agencies have not yet reached a formal conclusion. And investigators are still analyzing evidence from the blast site, including the plane’s black boxes. Other officials caution intercepted communications can sometimes be misleading and that it’s quite possible the evidence ultimately will not point to an explosive device.

California violence. Students and faculty at the University of California, Merced are still in shock after a man with a knife attacked four people in a classroom on campus Wednesday. Police shot and apprehended the suspect 15 minutes later. He died of his injuries. Investigators identified the attacker as 18-year-old freshman Faisal Mohammed of Santa Clara, Calif. They are still looking for a motive. Two of the victims were airlifted to a hospital where they were treated for their injuries. Two others were treated on campus. All of the victims are expected to recover. Another violent incident, this time involving a gun, grounded flights at the San Diego International Airport on Wednesday. A man reportedly fired a high-powered rifle out of an apartment window near the airport, halting incoming flights for four hours and putting a nearby kindergarten on lockdown. Officers quickly arrested the suspect, and no one was injured.

One-upping the kids. Disney is launching a new product today that parents might want to put on their own Christmas wish lists. Circle with Disney pairs with a home’s wireless network and lets parents control what online content their children have access to. While other devices promise similar control, technical experts say none do it as easily or as well as Disney’s new $99 device. Circle lets parents control the time their children spend online as well as the apps they use and the websites they visit—all through the Circle app. The device also provides usage metrics based on device, so parents can watch what their children are doing online in real time. They can even control Circle remotely to help keep an eye on things when they’re not at home.

WORLD Radio’s Mary Reichard contributed to this report.