Midday Roundup: Will internet outage sideline North Korean hackers?

Back online. North Koreans have internet access again after an outage many suspect the United States orchestrated. White House officials remain mum about the outage that cut North Korea off from the rest of the world for nine hours yesterday. But officials did acknowledge they had asked China last week to block the country’s access to internet routers and servers based in China. The United States also asked China to expel North Korean hackers living and working within its borders and to pressure Kim Jong Un to stop ordering hackers to attack U.S. companies. China declined to get involved. A spokeswoman for China’s foreign ministry said America and North Korea needed to sort out their own differences. Analysts believe the internet outage was an attempt to punish North Korea for a cyberattack on Sony over its movie The Interview. Sony canceled the film’s debut after terror threats. While China claims a strong stance against cyberattacks and cyberterrorism, it’s also loath to take sides against its North Korean ally. Officials with the Kim regime continue to deny any involvement in the Sony attack.

Lone wolves? Islamic State militants have reportedly ordered a sympathizer in Memphis, Tenn., to blow up the Memphis & Arkansas Bridge spanning the Mississippi River. The FBI has warned local officials to be on the lookout, though the anonymous threat didn’t include a date or any details about the proposed attack. But the threat underscores concerns throughout the West about rogue ISIS sympathizers perpetrating independent attacks. In Australia, Prime Minister Tony Abbott has warned that “increased chatter” among terrorist sympathizers followed the hostage standoff earlier this month in Sydney that left two victims and the attacker dead. Although he offered no details, Abbott warned Australians another attack is “likely.” French officials arrested a heavily armed man walking in the center of Cannes earlier today. They say they do not believe the incident was terror-related, but three recent attacks were. Late Monday, a man plowed a van into shoppers at a Christmas market in Nantes, wounding 10. The day before, a driver ran over 13 pedestrians in Dijon, while shouting “Allahu Akbar.” And on Saturday, another man stabbed three policemen while also shouting the Arabic phrase, which means “God is great.”

Plea deal. A Republican congressman from Staten Island facing accusations of campaign finance fraud and other improprieties has agreed to plead guilty to one felony count of tax fraud. Rep. Michael G. Grimm, a former Marine and FBI agent, won reelection easily in November despite the 20-count indictment against him. The government charged him with underreporting wages and revenue for a fast-food business he ran in Manhattan. He faces 24-30 months in prison, though the plea deal could include a lesser punishment. He has maintained his innocence until now, and the guilty plea makes his political future unclear. Grimm claimed the charges were nothing more than a political attack fueled by old grudges.

Independent investigation. Rolling Stone has asked the journalism school at Columbia University to conduct an independent investigation into its now discredited article about rape at the University of Virginia. The magazine has admitted to editorial missteps and discrepancies. “Rolling Stone has agreed to publish our report in its entirety, without editing, on its website, as well as substantial excerpts in the magazine,” the Columbia Journalism School said in a statement. The story created an uproar at the university, where administrators suspended activities at fraternities and sororities through the end of the year. But questions about the facts quickly emerged, and Rolling Stone eventually admitted its trust in the story’s main source, a woman identified only as Jackie who said she’d been gang raped at a fraternity party, had been misplaced.

R.I.P. Rocker Joe Cocker died yesterday at his home in Colorado. He was 70. Cocker, originally from Britain, is best known for gravely ballads like “You Are So Beautiful” and “Up Where We Belong.” A contemporary of The Beatles, Cocker shot to fame in the United States after covering their song “With a Little Help From My Friends” at Woodstock. Despite hit after hit, Cocker struggled with addictions to drugs and alcohol for much of his career. He credited his wife, Pam, for helping him to get sober. He released a new album in 2012 and had tour dates scheduled for next year.