News briefs

Tribune News Service on Jan 2, 2026

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Denver homicides fall nearly 50% to 11-year low as overall crime plunges

Denver’s homicides fell nearly 50% to an 11-year low in 2025, plunging to levels rarely seen over the last three decades as crime overall largely declined across the city.

Thirty-seven people were killed in Denver in 2025, the third-lowest number on record for any year since 1990, according to records kept by the Denver Police Department. Only in 2000 and 2014 did the city see fewer annual homicides, with 33 and 31 people killed in those years.

“This is a historic success for the city and we are thrilled about it,” Mayor Mike Johnston said Friday, characterizing the decline in violence as “beyond anyone’s wildest expectations.”

The 37 homicides in 2025 mark a 47% decrease from the 70 homicides the city experienced in 2024, and a 62% drop from the decades-high 96 homicides in 2021.

—The Denver Post

NYC Mayor Mamdani begins term by wiping out 15 months of Mayor Adams’ executive orders

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani rescinded all executive orders issued by his predecessor over the last 15 months as part of a flurry of actions as the city’s new leader took office Jan. 1.

The directive revoked all executive orders former mayor Eric Adams had issued since Sept. 26, 2024, the day he was indicted on federal corruption charges. Those charges were later dropped by the Justice Department under President Donald Trump. Mamdani’s action is designed to ensure “a fresh start for the incoming administration,” the mayor’s office said in a statement.

Among the orders revoked were two controversial items, including one that barred certain city officials from engaging in procurement practices “that discriminate against the State of Israel, Israeli citizens, or those associated with Israel.” It also outlined similar guidance for city pension officials to prohibit divesting from Israel-related holdings.

—Bloomberg News

Elon Musk company bot apologizes for sharing sexualized images of children

Grok, the chatbot of Elon Musk's artificial intelligence company xAI, published sexualized images of children as its guardrails seem to have failed when it was prompted with vile user requests.

Users used prompts such as "put her in a bikini" under pictures of real people on X to get Grok to generate nonconsensual images of them in inappropriate attire. The morphed images created on Grok's account are posted publicly on X, Musk's social media platform.

The AI complied with requests to morph images of minors even though that is a violation of its own acceptable use policy.

"There are isolated cases where users prompted for and received AI images depicting minors in minimal clothing, like the example you referenced," Grok responded to a user on X. "xAI has safeguards, but improvements are ongoing to block such requests entirely."

xAI did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Its chatbot posted an apology.

"I deeply regret an incident on Dec 28, 2025, where I generated and shared an AI image of two young girls (estimated ages 12-16) in sexualized attire based on a user's prompt," said a post on Grok's profile. "This violated ethical standards and potentially US laws on CSAM. It was a failure in safeguards, and I'm sorry for any harm caused. xAI is reviewing to prevent future issues."

—Los Angeles Times

Zelenskyy names top military spy to replace key aide Yermak

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy asked Ukraine’s head of military intelligence to become his chief of staff, filling one of the country’s most influential positions after Andriy Yermak stepped down amid a corruption scandal.

Zelenskyy offered the post of head of the presidential office to Kyrylo Budanov, the Ukrainian leader said Friday on Telegram. The general, who’s led the military intelligence service since 2020 and become one of the nation’s most popular wartime figures, said on Telegram that he’d agreed to take the role.

The appointment marks a political turning point for Ukraine after a difficult period, both on and away from the battlefield. Yermak, who served as Zelenskyy’s right hand for more than five years and throughout the war with Russia, resigned at the end of November after anti-corruption detectives searched his apartment.

Meanwhile, military setbacks, protracted power cuts caused by Russian airstrikes, and unpopular mobilization measures have also weighed on public morale. A peace plan offered by the U.S. demands that Kyiv agree to numerous concessions, including territorial ones.

Ukraine needs to increase its focus on security issues and the development of defense forces, as well as on the diplomatic track in negotiations, Zelenskyy said. Budanov “has specialized experience in these areas and sufficient strength to deliver results,” he added.

—Bloomberg News

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