News Wrap: Cornell bans fraternity parties for rest of academic year

Amna Nawaz:

We start the day's other headlines in New York.

Cornell University is banning parties and other social events at fraternities for the rest of the academic year. The Ivy League school is also giving state police a role in investigating sex crimes on campus, among other measures. Cornell's president says the steps are aimed at providing time to evaluate whether Greek life there can continue and to find out what he called safe social alternatives.

The school has faced an uproar both on campus and around the country over its handling of allegations that a female student known as Jane Doe was gang-raped at a fraternity house in 2024. All seven men she's accused have denied any wrongdoing.

In Georgia, police have identified the man who fell to his death while riding a roller coaster at a Six Flags amusement park outside of Atlanta; 42-year-old Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem was an employee at an Atlanta charter school, according to local school officials. He was found unresponsive when investigators arrived on the scene yesterday afternoon at the Goliath. That's the tallest roller coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia.

Authorities say his body struck and injured other riders despite efforts by fellow passengers to save him.

Woman:

He turns, sideways and he's flipping in the air. He comes down. He slams down on our cart. People reached out trying to grab him. Like, everybody tried to save this man. And we couldn't. Like, we couldn't.

Man:

We literally could not. There was no -- there was too much force to grab him.

Amna Nawaz:

Aerial footage shows people on the next train evacuating mid-ride. Six Flags says it is temporarily closing a number of similar roller coasters across the U.S. and Canada as a precaution.

The U.S. Supreme Court says it will hear a case over access to DOGE records. A watchdog group argues that the agency, once run by Elon Musk and officially known as the Department of Government Efficiency, should be subject to Freedom of Information Act requests. The Trump administration says it is exempt from that access as a presidential advisory body. Oral arguments are expected early next year.

Also today, the court said it would consider whether a Nigerian man who cooked for terrorists can be denied asylum in the U.S. The case could expand how officials view what counts as terrorist activity under U.S. immigration law.

In Las Vegas, a former gang leader was sentenced to 40 years to life in prison today for orchestrating the murder of rap icon Tupac Shakur in 1996.

Woman:

The world never forgot about him and his death, and neither did Las Vegas. It took us 30 years, but, at this time, you are going to face justice for what you did on September 7, 1996.

Amna Nawaz:

Duane "Keffe D" Davis showed little emotion in court as the judge delivered his sentence. The 63-year-old was convicted of first-degree murder in August. Shakur was the victim of a drive-by shooting off the Vegas Strip and later died in a hospital. Until Davis was arrested in 2023, the murder was one of the nation's most notorious cold cases. And legal questions remain over who actually pulled the trigger.

A bipartisan group of senators is condemning President Trump's diesel deal with Russia. In a letter to the president, six Republicans and six Democrats write that -- quote -- "This deal is a gift to our adversary and a betrayal of our allies. It should be rescinded."

Last week, President Trump said Russia would -- quote -- "immediately supply diesel fuel to global markets," including the possibility of the U.S. In their letter, the senators argued that this would have a negligible impact on energy prices and would instead help to fuel Russia's war machine.

In France, police and protesters clashed today as demonstrators once again took to the streets to call for improvements to the country's education system. In Paris, authorities used water cannons and tear gas to try to clear the crowds. The country's Interior Ministry estimates that more than 160,000 people took part in demonstrations nationwide today.

The protests started last month over a lack of staff and poor school conditions. Since then, hundreds have been injured and the police have made thousands of arrests.

The U.S. Treasury Department is fining Bank of America $1.2 billion over alleged money laundering and sanctions violations. The penalty is the third largest in the department's history. Officials say the bank failed to report billions of dollars in suspicious transactions.

A company spokesperson said in a statement that -- quote -- "Financial crime compliance is serious" and that the bank is working on getting it right.

In the meantime, it was a lackluster day for stocks on Wall Street as the first batch of quarterly earnings rolled in. The Dow Jones industrial average slipped nearly 200 points. The Nasdaq fell about 40 points. The S&P 500 ended virtually unchanged.

And NASA's Perseverance rover is now the robotic record holder for driving farther on Mars than any other vehicle. As of this week, the six-wheeled scientist has traveled more than 28 miles, as seen in this animated NASA map. It took Perseverance less than six years to beat the prior record, which was set by the Opportunity rover, which took nearly 15 years to travel about the same distance.

Scientists credit the latest rover's self-driving capabilities for its success, and it's not done yet.