10 Things to Know for Wednesday - 16 December 2015
Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about Wednesday:
1. HOW POLITICAL LANDSCAPE HAS SHIFTED
The GOP's first debate in more than a month proceeds in the shadow of terrorist attacks that refocused the race on keeping the country safe.
A Los Angeles Unified School District bus driver walks past parked vehicles at a bus garage in Gardena, Calif., on Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2015. The nation's two biggest school systems, New York City and Los Angeles, received threats of a large-scale attack Tuesday, and L.A. reacted by shutting down the entire district. New York dismissed the warning as an amateurish hoax and held class as usual. In LA, the threat came in the form of an email to a school board member that raised fears of another attack like the recent deadly shooting in nearby San Bernardino. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
2. LOS ANGELES CLOSES SCHOOLS AFTER EMAIL THREAT
The shutdown is a rare example of a major U.S. city closing its entire school district because of fears of an attack.
3. US SAYS ASSAD CAN STAY, FOR NOW
In a major shift, Secretary of State Kerry during a visit to Moscow accepts Russia's stance that the Syrian leader's fate should be determined by his own people.
4. BUDGET DEAL REACHED
The $1.1 trillion spending plan would fund the U.S. government through 2016 while increasing the deficit by hundreds of billions.
5. WHY SOME EXPERTS THINK FEDERAL RESERVE SHOULD GO SLOW
It's still too soon to raise interest rates, some economists argue, because of the U.S. economy's lingering weaknesses.
6. UN EXPERTS ADMONISH IRAN FOR MISSILE LAUNCH
Firing the missile violated a ban on launches capable of delivering nuclear weapons, according to a report submitted to the Security Council and seen by the AP.
7. WHAT'S BRIGHT SPOT IN AMERICAN EDUCATION
The high school graduation rate has risen to 82 percent, the Education Department reports.
8. REMAINING REMNANTS OF 9/11 BEING GIVEN AWAY
Some of the last artifacts recovered by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey after the Sept. 11 attacks are being distributed to various organizations, on condition they be accessible to the public.
9. LOVE CONQUERS PAIR ON 'BIG BANG THEORY'
Scientists Sheldon and Amy will finally consummate their relationship on the top-rated TV comedy.
10. BASEBALL DEFECTORS MAKE TRIUMPHANT RETURN TO CUBA
Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig is among several Cuban-born MLB stars swarmed by fans in Havana during a goodwill visit.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky., center, accompanied by, from left, Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., and Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn of Texas, speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2015, to discuss budget negotiations. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig, right, hugs his former coach Juan Arechavaleta as he arrives to Hotel Nacional in Havana, Cuba, Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2015. A lineup of Cuban baseball superstars including some of the most famous defectors in recent memory made a triumphant return Tuesday as part of the first Major League Baseball trip to the island since 1999. "I'm very happy to be here," said Puig, who had been barred from returning to Cuba until he was granted special permission for this week's trip. (AP Photo/Desmond Boylan)
