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[h=4]The Short List: Kayla Mueller's letter; Apple makes history; Bobbi Kristina[/h]Out of the loop today? We've got what you missed.
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Out of the loop today? We've got what you missed.(Photo: Family photo)
Today America grieves for Kayla Mueller
Kayla Mueller worked with troubled youths. She volunteered at a women's shelter and at an HIV/AIDS clinic. She provided support to Syrian refugees. She worked with AmeriCorps and Big Brothers Big Sisters. Kayla dedicated her life to helping people. Today the White House confirmed the 26-year-old American aid worker, who was kidnapped in August 2013 in Syria, is dead. President Obama said "Kayla represents what is best about America." America agreed. Her family kept her captivity a secret for 18 months, until the Islamic State claimed Friday that she was killed in a Jordanian airstrike, but U.S. officials say there's no evidence that's how she died. We do know Kayla wrote her family a heart-breaking letter while in captivity. You can read it here. Since August, the Islamic State has released several videos showing gruesome killings and threatening those held hostage. Here's a look at those being held or killed.
What else is in #theshortlist:
• Apple makes history
• Orgies, prostitutes and former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn
• Bobbi Kristina's family speaks out
• Hackers target Michelle Obama
Short on time? Listen to today's top stories in the audio below:
Apple becomes first $700B company in U.S. history
Cue the wild applause. Apple notched another all-time stock high today and closed trading as the first $700 billion company. Shares of the gadget-maker closed up $2.29, or 1.9%, to $122.01 — putting a punctuation on what's been a breathtaking 58% rise over the past year. Thinking of buying some Apple stock? Analysts say the seemingly unstoppable Apple is actually still attractively priced, despite trading for more than $100 a share. In other Apple news, the company announced today that it's building an $850 million solar farm. Because, well, it can afford it.
Apple made a run at $700 billion before, but didn’t close there.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>(Photo: Timothy A. Clary, AFP/Getty Images)
Strauss-Kahn: I didn't know the women were prostitutes
Remember Dominique Strauss-Kahn? He's the former International Monetary Fund chief whose sex scandal involving a New York maid cost him his tenure at the IMF and ended any realistic shot he had at becoming president of France. That guy. Right. The New York case is long over (settled out of court two years ago), but his legal woes are not. He was in a French courtroom today, where he denied allegations that he knowingly helped organize orgies with sex workers. Strauss-Kahn said he was not aware the women in question, whom he admits participated in orgies at luxury hotels in Paris and Washington, were prostitutes. Strauss-Kahn and 13 others are accused of aggravated pimping. If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison and a $1.7 million fine. Worth knowing: It's not illegal to pay for sex in France, but it is against the law to solicit or to run a prostitution business.
[h=2]UP NEXT[/h][h=2]03[/h]
Disgraced former International Monetary Fund boss Dominique Strauss-Kahn told a French court Tuesday, that he was unaware that women who participated in orgies at luxury hotels in Paris and Washington D.C. were prostitutes. VPC
Bobbi Kristina's family is sick of the rumors
Whitney Houston's daughter, Bobbi Kristina, has been comatose in an Atlanta hospital for 10 days. There have been rampant reports about her condition since she was found face down and unresponsive in a bathtub on Jan. 31. Today her family is slamming them. A statement from the Brown family lawyer said there's no truth to the rumors that they're planning to turn off the ventilator keeping Bobbi Kristina alive tomorrow, which is the third anniversary of her mother's death. So far, no information about what happened to her or why has emerged. Police are investigating whether foul play was involved, but have refused to comment in public about what they've learned so far.
Bobbi Kristina Brown in August 2012<span style="color: Red;">*</span>(Photo: Jordan Strauss, Invision/AP)
'Newsweek' hackers wish Michelle Obama a 'Bloody Valentine's Day'
Well, that's unromantic. Newsweek's Twitter account was hacked today by a group supporting the Islamic State, and included a threat sent to first lady Michelle Obama. The profile and banner photos were swapped out by a group called CyberCaliphate, along with the following tweet: "Bloody Valentine's Day #MichelleObama! We're watching you, you girls and your husband! #CyberCaliphate." This is the same group that hacked the twitter account for U.S. Central Command this year. Newsweek confirmed the hack, which lasted 14 minutes, and White House press secretary Josh Earnest says the FBI is investigating. Later today, Twitter's chief financial officer, Anthony Noto, had his Twitter account hacked by spammers. Someone clearly needs schooling on their two-factor authentication.
Newsweek's Twitter account appears to be hacked Tuesday.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>(Photo: Screengrab from Twitter)
Stories you're clicking on today:
How family, community kept Kayla Mueller's capture a secret
Reports: Grand jury indicts NYPD cop in stairwell killing
Torched Mississippi teen's death: Clerk in exile as fears spread
The Bachelor left two women in the Badlands and flew away on a helicopter
Caroline Wozniacki: Swimsuit Issue has 'always been a dream of mine'
Brian Williams watch:
A New Jersey restaurateur doesn't believe Williams' claim that he was robbed at gunpoint in Red Bank sometime in the late 1970s while selling Christmas trees from the back of a truck. The ratings for Nightly News beat ABC World News Tonight and CBS Evening News despite the embattled anchorman.
Brian Williams at NBC.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>(Photo: Robert Deutsch, USA TODAY)
Extra Bites:
Day in Pictures: Our favorite photo from today's gallery.
Chinese dancers perform during the Spring Festival of Cambodia and China show on Feb. 10 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>(Photo: Tang Chhin Sothy, AFP/Getty Images)
The strange-but-true origin stories of 19 sports team names. Bet you didn't know that about the Dallas Cowboys.
We wish we could give you emojii in The Short List because we love this story about the Hubble telescope spotting a smiley face in the stars.
Garbage rocker Shirley Manson trashed Kanye West's antics at the Grammys.
Afraid of going broke in retirement? Here are 10 ways to live frugally.
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This is a compilation of stories from across USA TODAY.
Contributing: Gregory Korte, Mary Nahorniak, Kim Hjelmgaard, Elizabeth Weise, Maria Puente, Brett Molina, Matt Krantz, Jessica Guynn, USA TODAY; Traci Watson, Special for USA TODAY; The Arizona Republic; Associated Press
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