1. Investigators have connected wreckage and bodies found in the Java Sea to missing AirAsia Flight 8501. The plane had 162 passengers on-board when it lost contact with aviation officials on Sunday.
AirAsia CEO Tony Fernandes continued to tweet often with updates on Tuesday, saying he was going to the scene of the crash and that "whatever we can do at AirAsia, we will be doing."
I am rushing to Surabaya. Whatever we can do at Airasia we will be doing.
— Tony Fernandes (@tonyfernandes) December 30, 2014
2. Congressman Michael Grimm said late Monday that he will step down next week after pleading guilty to tax-evasion charges. The Staten Island Republican gained national notoriety in January when he threatened to throw a NY1 reporter off a balcony after the State of the Union address.
3. House Majority Whip Steve Scalise is under fire after a Louisiana political blogger revealed he spoke at an event held by a white nationalist group in 2002. Aides to the number three House Republican acknowledged that he addressed the organization but distanced him from it.
Claims that Scalise didn't realize the group had a white-supremecist background prompted the #SteveScaliseExcuses hashtag on Monday.
When they said, "Grand Wizard" I thought they meant Gandalf #SteveScaliseExcuses
— Lizz Winstead (@lizzwinstead) December 30, 2014
4. A former Uber X driver in Chicago was charged on Monday with sexually assaulting a female passenger in November. Uber emailed customers earlier this month to explain how it is bolstering its safety protocols, including its screening of potential drivers.
5. One cybersecurity organization said a group of disgruntled former Sony employees was behind the November cyberattack against The Interview-maker Sony Pictures Entertainment, not North Korean hackers, according to Politico. Meanwhile, officials told Reuters that they believe the reclusive country subcontracted some of the hacking work to outside groups.
6. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio will meet with five major police unions on Tuesday in Queens with hopes of repairing the rift between the police force and City Hall. The mayor was heckled on Monday when he addressed the latest graduating class of the city’s police academy.
7. When do brands go too far to fit in with Millennials on social media? @BrandsSayingBae is ridiculing marketers who awkwardly use — and overuse — the latest slang on their social platforms.
Now this is good #branding and #social #engagement. It's not just someone roleplaying as a sentient restaurant. pic.twitter.com/kWYMiXbIfM
— Brands Saying Bae (@BrandsSayingBae) December 29, 2014
