Midday Roundup: FBI probes big deposit in Syed Farook's bank account

Blood money? Someone deposited $28,500 into San Bernardino, Calif., shooter Syed Farook’s bank account several weeks before he and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, staged an attack at a semiannual staff meeting of Farook’s co-workers, killing 14 people and wounding 21 others. On Nov. 20, Farook withdrew about $10,000 in cash. Investigators are exploring whether that money might have been used to pay Enrique Marquez, the man who bought the rifles used in the attack. Marquez is reportedly cooperating with the FBI. Just days before the shooting, Farook transferred $15,000 to his mother in three, $5,000 transactions. The couple left their 6-month-old daughter with the mother the morning of their shooting rampage. Meanwhile, after the Farook family’s attorney claimed no one had any idea the couple had radical leanings, Farook’s father told an Italian newspaper his son had been obsessed for quite some time with the idea of establishing an Islamic caliphate and the downfall of Israel.

Ban all Muslims? Condemnation for Donald Trump’s latest remarks about Muslims has poured in from around the world, with the leaders of France and Britain the latest to weigh in. On Monday, Trump said the United States should impose a “total and complete” ban on any Muslims entering the country until the nation’s leaders can sort out what’s going on with potential terror attacks. His comments came in response to new information about the radicalization of the San Bernardino shooters and their ability to avoid detection before their attack. Trump’s rivals for the Republican presidential nomination all denounced the comments, as did GOP leadership. Russell Moore, president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, said Christians should put themselves in their Muslim neighbors’ shoes: “Make no mistake. A government that can shut down mosques simply because they are mosques can shut down Bible studies because they are Bible studies.” Despite widespread backlash, the crowd at the rally in Charleston, S.C., where Trump read his statement gave him a standing ovation.

Stepping down. The Yale University professor who sparked a round of protests when she suggested students had a right to wear offensive Halloween costumes has resigned. Erika Christakis wrote an open letter to students in October telling them they had a free speech right to be “obnoxious.” She wrote the letter in response to a directive from the university encouraging students not to wear any costumes that might offend their classmates. In a statement issued late Monday, school administrators said Christakis was “highly valued and she is welcome to resume teaching anytime at Yale, where freedom of expression and academic inquiry are the paramount principle and practice.” Christakis is the latest casualty in the war between free speech and political correctness on college campuses, much of which has focused on race relations.

Seeking forgiveness. Pope Francis officially began the Roman Catholic Church’s Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy today by symbolically opening the holy doors at St. Peter’s Basilica. For Catholics, the ceremony signifies Jesus opening the door of salvation and ushers in a call to repentance and rededication. “Let us not forget that God forgives and God forgives always,” Francis said earlier this year when he announced plans for the yearlong event. “Let us never tire of asking for forgiveness.” An additional 10 million people are expected to make pilgrimages to the Vatican during the next 11 months, sparking some concerns over potential terror attacks. Vatican officials have stepped up security and say they are confident they can handle any threat. About 50,000 people attended this morning’s ceremony.