by Hannah Murphy Winter It was a violent, horrifying weekend. A mass shooting at Brown University during a study session in the school’s engineering and physics building left two people dead and nine injured. The university was locked down for 12 hours , with students crouched under desks and inside locked classrooms. As of this morning, the shooter is still at large. Police had arrested a person of interest over the weekend, but they released them on Sunday, saying that evidence pointed in a “different direction.” The university cancelled classes and exams for the rest of the semester, and encouraged students to go home. Halfway around the world in Sydney, a father and son opened fire on a Hanukkah celebration on Bondi Beach, killing at least 15 people. The youngest victim was a 10-year-old girl named Matilda. Mass shootings are extremely rare in Australia because the country has some of the strictest gun laws in the world, but the Australian prime minister has pledged to tighten their gun laws even more after this shooting. Sure beats thoughts and prayers. In Los Angeles, director Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer, were stabbed and killed in their home on Sunday. Police haven’t formally announced an arrest, but the New York Times says that the couple’s son Nick Reiner has been arrested and is being held on $4 million bail. You know Reiner’s work because it’s simply some of the best. As a director, you can thank him for A Few Good Men, The Princess Bride, When Harry Met Sally…, and This Is Spinal Tap, just to name a few. His production company, Castle Rock, took a chance on a show called The Seinfeld Chronicles, even though it tested terribly, and now we’ll always have Seinfeld. He met Michele while he was working on When Harry Met Sally…, and falling in love with her quite literally changed the film. She’s the reason Harry and Sally get together in the end. My Favorite Rob Reiner Fact: The “I’ll have what she’s having” line from When Harry Met Sally… was delivered by Reiner’s mother. Dick Van Dyke turned 100 over the weekend. The Dick Van Dyke Show was created by Rob Reiner’s dad, Carl Reiner. Van Dyke, Reiner, and Mel Brooks were constant collaborators and friends. In honor of Van Dyke’s birthday, Here and Now’s Robin Young was supposed to interview him at his home, but when she got there, he was under the weather. So instead, she interviewed the 99-year-old Mel Brooks about the legendary entertainer. When asked what Van Dyke’s secret to longevity is, Brooks told her: “I don't know, because the angel of death said, ‘Ah, let's give this guy a break. He's such a sweetheart.’” As for him? “Well, I hide. I'm never in one place for very long because I'm not looking for this guy to catch up with me.” Trump blamed Reiner's death on "Trump Derangement Syndrome," which even his supporters found disgusting.  Weather: After a brief break, the rain is back. The flooding isn’t expected to be as catastrophic as last week’s, but it’s a one-two punch that our region never needed. Over the weekend, Auburn city officials issued a “get out now” evacuation order. Farms throughout Snohomish and Skagit Counties are underwater. The Nooksack River swept away an entire two-story home. Christmas was cancelled in Leavenworth. Even Trump had to acknowledge that this is an emergency. Fuck Cars: A 38-year-old cyclist was hit by a car and killed on Sunday. The driver took off, and there’s no public description of the car yet, but the police are asking for tips if you’ve got them. A Headline to Make You Smile: “Donald Trump wax figure removed from museum after being repeatedly punched in the face.”  Fresh Hell: TSA has been providing names of all air travelers to ICE to help them intercept immigrants while they’re in the airport. The program has been active since March, but hadn’t been known to the public until now. It’s not clear how many arrests have been made thanks to this collab from hell, but one former ICE official told the New York Times that in their region, if a name was flagged in a TSA list, it led to an arrest 75 percent of the time. Murray Takes on AI: US Senator Patty Murray plans to introduce legislation Monday that would halt the six-state federal pilot program adding AI reviews to Medicare approvals. Until now, our state’s Medicaid recipients didn’t need prior authorization for most services. But under this program, on January 1, the robots will help determine whether or not patients qualify for services like pain management. Even better, the program sets up a financial incentive for the AI providers to deny approvals: they get a cut of the money they save the government. The News Today Sucked: Here’s one more bit of love for Mr. Reiner. ...read more read less