Sony Hack Launched Inside North Korea, Say U.S. Officials

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Who’s to Blame?  U.S. officials say they now believe the Sony hacking was launched inside North Korea, then routed through computer servers in Taiwan to use faster computer circuits. Security analysts question how North Korea gained that capability, while others wonder why a nation would target a single movie. And, if it is North Korea, it raises a bigger debate: how should the U.S. respond?     Learn More

The Backlash  As billboards promoting “The Interview” come down, some view Sony’s decision to pull the movie amid hacker threats as a symbol of weak surrender. Celebrities took to social media to voice frustrations. “The hackers won,” tweeted Rob Lowe, who is in the comedy. Jimmy Kimmel said it was against “everything we’re supposed to stand for.” An industry watcher questioned if Netflix or iTunes will consider streaming the provocative release.     Learn More

Overworked and Undertrained?  NBC News has learned alarming details from a classified report on the Secret Service: independent investigators found the agency is stretched beyond its limits, with officers trained for only about 25 minutes last year. The report says the agency is “starved for leadership” and investigators recommend sweeping changes, including a shakeup at the top and a much larger force.     Learn More

America’s New Era with Cuba  Caterpillar, Marriott, MasterCard and Major League Baseball are among the companies eager to do business with Cuba as soon as possible. This seismic shift in relations could even include an invitation to Raul Castro to the White House. Still, the historic change has passionate detractors, including Sen. Marco Rubio. He said Cuba’s principles are still about “dictatorship, repression, jailing of your opponent and exiling the rest.”     Learn More

The View from Cuba  Around Cuba, there is hope and optimism for the opening of doors most Cubans alive today have only ever known as closed. NBC’s Mark Potter is in Havana touring the city’s neighborhoods and sights in one of its vintage cars made classic by necessity. Cubans say the change will be “good for me, for my baby, for my family.”     Learn More

Uber Safety Concerns  Their riders love the convenience of tapping on an app to schedule a car service on the spot and have helped Uber go from a small start-up to a $40 billion giant in just five years. But after reports of driver misconduct, there is growing scrutiny over their background check process and some are questioning if it’s a safe ride.     Learn More

A Twist to the Snooze Button  Frustrated that you keep falling asleep in front of the TV and missing your favorite show? Inventors may have a solution, and you don’t have to wake up to make it work.     Learn More