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• French Government Slams Trump: Stop Interfering And 'Leave Our Nation Be' -

  The French government has asked President Donald Trump to keep his nose out of

  
  

• Imagining a school shooting through the gunman's eyes: Sandy Hook Promise releases chilling new video -

  A public service announcement released by the gun violence prevention organization Sandy Hook Promise depicts the moments leading up to a school shooting from the shooter?s perspective.

  
  

• Accused Russian Agent Maria Butina Reaches Plea Deal With Federal Prosecutors: Reports -

  Maria Butina, a Russian gun-rights activist accused of working as an agent for

  
  

• Gunman kills at least two in French Christmas market and flees -

  With France still on high alert after a wave of attacks commissioned or inspired by Islamic State militants since early 2015, the counter-terrorism prosecutor opened an investigation. Amid fast-moving, confusing scenes it was not clear if the suspect, identified by police as Strasbourg-born Chekatt Cherif, 29, had been cornered by commandos or had slipped the dragnet. "There was confusion initially but they locked the front doors pretty soon after the gunshots," said U.S. citizen Elizabeth Osterwisch, who was sheltering on the top floor of the Galeries Lafayette department store.

  
  

• Volkswagen restores cancer worker's 350,000-mile Beetle -

  Kathleen Brooks brings comfort to those suffering with cancer, having driven her 1967 Beetle for 51 years over 350,000 miles. VW ensured her sterling efforts didn't go unnoticed

  
  

• Supreme Court: Brett Kavanaugh sides with liberal justices to protect Planned Parenthood funding -

  Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Brett Kavanaugh unexpectedly aligned with four liberal justices in declining to review the petitions that would have placed a ban on abortion providers. Defunding Planned Parenthood has been a key priority for Republicans, with Mr Kavanaugh?s controversial confirmation sparking concerns among reproductive rights activist that he would back moves to overturn or restrict legal rights and access to abortions. The top court left the rulings from the lower court that halted Kansas and Louisiana from revoking public healthcare funding from Planned Parenthood and its affiliates.

  
  

• The Best Green Monday 2018 Deals We've Seen So Far -

  Regret missing out on some of those Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals last

  
  

• US arrests 32 at San Diego border demonstration -

  SAN DIEGO (AP) ? U.S. authorities arrested 32 people at a demonstration Monday that was organized by a Quaker group on the border with Mexico, authorities said. Demonstrators were calling for an end to detaining and deporting immigrants and showing support for migrants in a caravan of Central American asylum seekers.

  
  

• Tourism in Bethlehem booming as Christmas nears -

  Hotels in the birthplace of Jesus are almost fully booked for the holiday, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Tourism.

  
  

• 'I could see' Trump not replacing Kelly, says former Obama chief of staff -

  Former Obama chief of staff William Daley thinks Trump could easily end up not filling the role after John Kelly steps down.

  
  

• I Drove Drunk And It Cost 6 People Their Lives. Here's How My Own Life Changed Forever. -

  On Nov. 1, 2003, I was involved in a drinking and driving accident. I cost six

  
  

• Brexit Opponents Get EU Court Boost as May Said to Pull Vote -

  The U.K. can unilaterally reverse Brexit, the European Union?s top court said in a landmark ruling ahead of Prime Minister Theresa May?s decision to pull a potentially humiliating Parliament vote on her controversial withdrawal deal with Brussels. The EU Court of Justice in Luxembourg boosted the hopes of those campaigning for an end to the divorce, saying that Britain is free to revoke its so-called Article 50 notice any time before it?s due to leave the bloc on March 29. A few hours later, May opted to postpone Tuesday?s planned vote amid concerns a huge defeat could plunge the U.K. into unprecedented political chaos, according to people familiar with the situation.

  
  

• 2 Nuns Accused Of Embezzling $500,000 From Catholic School -

  Two Roman Catholic nuns have admitted to embezzling $500,000 from a parochial

  
  

• Outrage over a controversial plea deal for a former ex-fraternity president -

  The former Baylor fraternity president was accused of rape and will not face jail time or be forced to register as a sex offender. ABC News' Janai Norman reports.

  
  

• U.S. military ends search for five Marines missing off Japan -

  The U.S. military ended a search on Tuesday for five Marines missing in the sea off Japan since two Marine Corps aircraft were involved in an accident during an air-to-air refueling exercise on Dec. 6. The five missing crew of a KC-130 Hercules refueling plane were officially declared deceased. "We know this difficult decision was made after all resources were exhausted in the vigorous search for our Marines," Lieutenant Colonel Mitchell Maury, commander of the U.S. Marine Corps' (USMC) Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron, said in a statement.

  
  

• 11 Useful Gifts For The Person Who Can't Cook To Save Their Life -

  Learning to cook can be intimidating for a lot of people. Maybe they are a

  
  

• The 12 Cars We?re Most Excited to Drive in 2019 -

  
  

• Gunman on run after killing three at Strasbourg Christmas market -

  A gunman killed at least three people and wounded a dozen others at the famed Christmas market in the French city of Strasbourg on Tuesday before fleeing the scene, authorities said. Soldiers patrolling the area as part of regular anti-terror operations exchanged fire with the suspect and wounded him, but could not stop him escaping, police sources said. Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said early Wednesday the gunman had killed three people and wounded 12.

  
  

• Kevin McCarthy Says Democrats Shouldn't Spend A Lot Of Time Investigating Trump -

  House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) urged Democrats not to dwell

  
  

• Maria Butina: Alleged Russian spy files to change plea in US federal court -

  Maria Butina?s lawyers and federal prosecutors have filed a request for a court hearing so that the accused Russian agent can change her plea from not-guilty, a joint filing shows. The request shows that Ms Butina and her lawyers may have managed to negotiate such a plea deal with federal prosecutors, who have accused the former American University student of attempting to infiltrate Republican political circles during the 2016 election in order to advance Russian interests. The alleged Russian agent is being held in an Alexandria, Virginia jail following her indictment by a grand jury earlier this year.

  
  

• Government spent £100,000 on Facebook adverts to promote Brexit deal in week before vote was pulled -

  The government spent almost £100,000 on Facebook adverts to promote Theresa May?s Brexit deal in the week running up to her decision to pull the Commons vote. Figures released by the social media giant showed the government spent £96,684 on 11 adverts from December 2 to 8 as it became increasingly clear the prime minister faced defeat over her deal. It dwarfed the £50,000 the government spent on Brexit social media ads in the previous three months to November 20. Three videos, intending to explain the deal in terms of free trade, the economy and ?controlling our borders?, cost between £10,000 and £50,000 each to promote, reaching between 500,000 and 1m Facebook users apiece. Theresa May's approval rating through the Brexit negotiations The money also included videos on ?what the Brexit Deal means for you - explained in 60 seconds? and others focusing on immigration and jobs. Last night the spending was slated as an ?inappropriate? and ?wasteful? use of taxpayers? money. Jon Trickett, Shadow Cabinet Office minister, said: "Not only is this a completely inappropriate use of public money, but it turns out to have been entirely wasted. When official resources are used for the Prime Minister's personal purposes it threatens our democracy." Layla Moran, LibDem education spokesman, said: ?Given that the vote won?t even happen now, it is an absolute insult to taxpayers that the Prime Minister has been throwing our money down the drain promoting a deal that not even she can back.? Eloise Todd, head of the Best for Britain campaign group, said the absurdity of spending almost £100,000 on a vote that ?you know you are going to pull shows flagrant disregard of taxpayers? cash to waste it like this.? The figures showed the Conservative Party also spent £39,967 on Facebook adverts supporting the deal. Theresa May is listed as spending £1,659. The government spending was double that of the People?s Vote, of £47,313. The figures were published by Facebook as part of new advert transparency measures following sustained criticism of the platform through 2018. It included the Vote Leave campaign being sanctioned over advertising spending on the social network during the Brexit campaign. A government spokesman said: ?Communicating government policy effectively to the public is a core function of the Civil Service. ?We have reached a deal that is good for the UK, good for its citizens, and good for business and we will be communicating that to the country. Any costs associated with this will be published in the usual way." Adverts have included one paid for to push it to the top of Google?s rankings and linked to a website called Brexit Deal Explained which sets out the government?s case for the EU withdrawal agreement - and warns about the dangers of a no-deal Brexit. Another Facebook video featured the prime minister hailing the deal as offering ?certainty for business and economy?, concluding: ?Now is the time to come together to build a brighter future.?

  
  

• Would Taiwan Fight China Without U.S. Support? -

  It is in the interests of the United States to send reassuring signals to the public in Taiwan about the U.S. determination to assist and defend Taiwan.

  
  

• Dow reverses course and ends higher despite trade, Brexit concerns -

  Stocks largely finished higher Monday after investors shook off trade tensions with China, a delayed Brexit vote and a flattening yield curve.

  
  

• Macron prepares response to 'yellow vest' protesters as Paris cleans up -

  On Sunday, workers in Paris and other cities swept up broken glass and towed away burnt-out cars while the government warned of slower economic growth and the judiciary said it would come down hard on looting and attacks on police. On Saturday, protesters, for the fourth weekend in a row, threw stones, torched cars and vandalized shops and restaurants in a protest against Macron's economic policies. The Elysee palace said on Sunday that Macron, elected in May 2017, would address the country on Monday evening at 2000 Paris time (1900 GMT).

  
  

• Roger, The Incredibly Buff Kangaroo, Has Died At Age 12 -

  A buff kangaroo who shot to international fame after he was photographed

  
  

• Alaska moose poacher fined $100,000, sentenced to jail -

  ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) ? An Alaska man who poached three moose and left most of the meat to rot has been sentenced to nine months in jail and fined more than $100,000.

  
  

• Arrests made at Love Knows No Borders protest -

  Dozens of leaders from different faiths joined hundreds of migrant activists to show their support for members of the migrant caravan.

  
  

• 'The Guardians' For Truth Named Time Magazine's 2018 Person Of The Year -

  Time magazine on Tuesday announced a group of journalists it called "The

  
  

• Beijing detains Canadian as tensions soar over exec arrest -

  A top Huawei executive facing US accusations of Iran sanctions violations was granted bail in Canada on Tuesday, hours after a former Canadian diplomat was said to have been detained in China, intensifying a diplomatic standoff between the North American allies and Beijing. Meng Wanzhou, Huawei's chief financial officer, faces extradition to the United States, where she is wanted for allegedly violating Iran sanctions, but Beijing has expressed outrage over her detention and is holding a former Canadian diplomat in China, intensifying the row.

  
  

• Grace Millane: Man accused over backpacker murder appears in court as PM apologises on behalf of New Zealand for her death -

  The man accused of killing British backpacker Grace Millane was jeered as he appeared in a packed Auckland court on Monday. Ms Millane, 22, died while travelling in New Zealand and her body was found in bushland on Sunday afternoon, about 30 feet from a highway outside the New Zealand city. The 26-year-old accused, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, appeared in a blue boiler suit as he attended Auckland's District Court on Monday morning. Ms Millane, from Essex, was last seen alive entering the CityLife Hotel with the man last Saturday at 9.41pm. The defendant was listed on a charge sheet as residing at the hotel on Queen Street in central Auckland. In his opening remarks Judge Evangelos Thomas addressed members of Millane's family, some of whom were in attendance. Her father, David Millane, arrived in New Zealand last Friday following his daughter's disappearance. ?Your grief must be desperate,? Judge Thomas told the family in court, where every seat was taken by the public and the international and local media. ?All of us hope that justice for Grace is fair and swift and ultimately brings you some peace.?  As the defendant was led out of the court, a man at the back of the court yelled out ?scumbag?. Meanwhile, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern became became visibly upset as she apologised to Ms Millane's family at her weekly post-cabinet news conference.  "On behalf of New Zealand, I want to apologise to Grace's family," Ms Ardern told a weekly news conference in parliament. Ms Ardern said she could not imagine the grief that her family would be going through, according to Radio New Zealand.  ?Your daughter should have been safe here and she wasn't and I'm sorry for that.? Ms Ardern told the family through police that the government would offer any assistance it could. Judge Evangelos Thomas speaks as a man accused of Grace Millane's murder appears in court in Auckland Credit: Getty Judge Thomas rejected an application from the accused's lawyer for his client's name to be suppressed based on fair trial rights. However, the decision was immediately appealed, meaning the accused's name will not be released for at least 20 working days until the appeal is determined. The accused looked at the judge for most of the 90 minutes he was in court, nodding that he understood when spoken to, his eyes only occasionally flicking towards the cameras on the other side of the court. The defendant's next appearance will be in the High Court on January 23. Accused 'was estranged from family' The accused was reportedly estranged from his family after his parents separated, according to his grandfather.  NZ media organisation Stuff reported that the grandfather, who said he'd helped raise him for a period after his parents separated, was struggling to come to terms with what his grandson had been accused of.  ?He was a nice kid, but he sort of fell out with everybody, which is what happens with broken-up marriages.?  He was worried about how the allegations would affect the wider family but declined to comment further.  A female relative of the accused told Stuff he'd spent time living in Australia, where his mother lived, but she was unaware he'd returned.  His paternal grandmother told Stuff that while living in Australia the man fathered a daughter but was no longer in a relationship with the mother.  Stuff said the accused's father hadn't spoken to his son for two years, citing: ?A difference in opinion on life.? Emotional tributes from family Police have yet to reveal how the pair met or the possible motive for the alleged murder. Security footage at the hotel, along with a scene investigation at a room there, confirmed that Ms Millane was dead.   Detective Inspector Scott Beard said the body was found near Scenic Drive, which leads through the Waitakere Ranges, a popular parkland west of Auckland. Grace Millane was on a year-long round-the-world trip ?This brings the search for Grace to an end,? said Detective Beard, who was visibly emotional delivering the news of the discovery. ?It is an unbearable time for the Millane family and our hearts go out to them.? Ms Millane's family have described her as ?lovely, outgoing, fun-loving and family-orientated?. Her brother Declan paid public tribute on social media with a series of photographs of Ms Millane smiling, celebrating, graduating and, as a little girl, hugging her sibling. He also wrote the lyrics to the song "you are my sunshine, my only sunshine" underneath pictures of the pair together.   View this post on Instagram ????You are my sunshine, my only sunshine You make me happy when skies are gray You'll never know, dear, how much I love you Please don't take my sunshine away A post shared by Declan Millane (@declan_millane) on Dec 9, 2018 at 2:16am PST Ms Millane, who completed a degree in advertising and marketing at Lincoln University, was on a yearlong trip and arrived in New Zealand on November 20 after a four-week group tour to Peru. Her family raised concerns after she failed to make contact for several days, including on her 22nd birthday last Sunday. Police received a missing person report on Wednesday and commenced a major search and public campaign that saw dozens of calls made to a helpline. David Millane, Grace?s father, arrived in New Zealand on Friday morning and gave a press conference with police, issuing a moving appeal for help. He was joined on the weekend by another family member. Tributes to Grace Millane are left at the roundabout in Titirangi, at the start of Scenic Drive  in Auckland Credit: Getty Mr Millane, a property developer, said Ms Millane had typically ?bombarded? the family with messages and photographs during her travels but suddenly went silent after last Saturday. "Grace is a lovely, outgoing, fun-loving, family-orientated daughter," he said. "Grace has never been out of contact for this amount of time. She's usually in daily contact with either her mother, myself, her two brothers or members of the family on social media. "We are all extremely upset and it's very difficult at this time to fully describe the range of emotions we are going through." Police took the 26-year-old man into custody several days ago and have charged him with murder.  Detective Inspector Scott Beard speaks at the scene where the body of British tourist Grace Millane was found Credit: Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images Detective Beard said the investigation will continue and searches were still underway at the hotel. He would not comment on whether the pair met on the dating app Tinder. "The focus now is to piece together exactly what happened to a young woman who came to New Zealand on her [overseas experience]," he said. Appeal for information Ms Millane?s body was allegedly transported to the parkland in a red Toyota Corolla hatchback that was rented from a central Auckland firm last Sunday. Police released two photos of the car, which was found in the central North Island town of Taupo, and were appealing for anyone who had seen the vehicle on the morning of Monday, December 3, near the area where the body was found. Expressing condolences to Mr Millane and the family, Detective Beard said: "Any father in this situation is going to struggle. We are putting a lot of support around him. I feel for him, I have a daughter in her twenties.? A 2016 red Toyota Corolla hire car that police are analysing as part of a probe into the death of Grace Millane Credit: PA The case has sent shockwaves across New Zealand, where people expressed outrage and some on social media described the case as a ?national shame?. It has also raised concerns about violence towards women in the country. Justin Lester, the mayor of Wellington, the capital, said the case was a "horrible and tragic nightmare". "Our girls should be safe to travel and go out and our men should be looking after and protecting them, not causing harm," he said on Twitter.

  
  

• Why Israel Confronted Hezbollah?s Tunnel Threat -

  The impact of Israel?s operation will have wider regional implications.

  
  

• Photos from Our Prototype Drive of the 2020 Volkswagen Passat -

  
  

• At least two dead, 11 wounded in French Christmas market shooting -

  A lone gunman shot dead at least two people and wounded 11 others near a Christmas market in the city of Strasbourg before fleeing, police said.

  
  

• Proud Boys Founder Gavin McInnes Fired From Blaze Media, YouTube Account Disabled -

  Gavin McInnes, the founder of the violent neo-fascist gang the Proud Boys, was

  
  

• A look at Brexit as UK prime minister cancels the big vote -

  LONDON (AP) ? British Prime Minister Theresa May on Monday postponed a parliamentary vote on the Brexit deal between her government and the European Union.

  
  

• Google CEO to tell Congress company 'supports federal privacy legislation' amid allegations of security violations and political bias -

  The boss of Google - under fire over allegations of political bias and its failure to protect personal information - is to tell congress it supports government legislation that defends against privacy violations. On the day Google announced it was to terminate earlier than planned its modestly-used social media network Google Plus because of a flaw that had leaked the personal information of 52.5m users, CEO Sundar Pichai made clear he would defend the company against accusations of favouritism or predisposition. ?I lead this company without political bias and work to ensure that our products continue to operate that way,? Mr Pichai will say in prepared remarks he is due to deliver on Capitol Hill.

  
  

• Twitter Users Troll Trump With Hilariously Awful Chief Of Staff Suggestions -

  President Donald Trump seems to be having a hard time filling a key role in

  
  

• Easy Ideas for Winter Dinners -

  
  

• Ex-Nissan chief Ghosn charged, served with fresh arrest warrant -

  Japanese prosecutors Monday formally charged Carlos Ghosn with financial misconduct for under-reporting his salary and also served him a fresh warrant on separate allegations, meaning the tycoon will likely spend Christmas in a cell. It represents a stunning turnaround for the 64-year-old Franco-Lebanese-Brazilian executive, a once-revered colossus of the auto sector who won wide acclaim in Japan for saving car giant Nissan. In a move that sent shockwaves through the business world, the former Nissan chairman was arrested on November 19 on suspicion of under-declaring his income by some five billion yen ($44 million) between 2010 and 2015.

  
  

• Modi's Terrible 24 Hours Boosts India Opponents Before 2019 Vote -

  First came the abrupt resignation on Monday night of Reserve Bank of India Governor Urjit Patel, which sent stock, bond and currency markets tumbling when they reopened on Tuesday. Then Modi?s Bharatiya Janata Party faced defeat in three key states that he carried in his 2014 national victory, in what amounts to his biggest political setback since taking office. ?The results reveal the declining political stock of Narendra Modi going into the national elections,? said Katharine Adeney, director of University of Nottingham?s Asia Research Institute.

  
  

• Trump administration official defends tear gas use at Mexico border -

  The firing of tear gas canisters by U.S. border agents toward migrants in Mexico near a border crossing last month followed regulations, a senior Trump administration official said in testimony to Congress on Tuesday. On Nov. 25, U.S. border agents fired tear gas to disperse a group of migrants near the U.S.-Mexico border crossing separating Tijuana from San Diego when some rushed through fencing into the United States. A day after the incident, Mexico's foreign ministry presented a diplomatic note to the U.S. government calling for "a full investigation" into what it described as non-lethal weapons directed toward Mexican territory.

  
  

• Incoming congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez reveals Jewish ancestry at New York Hanukkah event -

  "A long time ago, many generations ago, my family consisted of Sephardic Jews," Ocasio-Cortez said.

  
  

• Save on this ultra-sharp knife set and give a holiday gift that will actually get used -

  Searching for a great holiday gift that won't end up in next year's white elephant game?  This knife set, available now for a hugely discounted price of $58, might just do the trick. These lightweight yet robust knives are made from super strong zirconium ceramic. Even if you don't have someone on your gift list who's worthy of super shark knives, buy them for yourself and use them to prepare a special holiday meal.   As an added bonus, each purchase of these knives provides ten hungry Americans with a meal on your behalf through Feeding America ? so you can feel good about your purchase no matter what. So, get yourself ? or someone on your holiday gift list ? a gift that's a cut above the rest. The three-knife set is already discounted by a whopping 78%.  But order with the coupon code GREENMONDAY20 and get an extra 20% of your entire purchase.  Before you know it, you'll be chopping, dicing, slicing, paring, and julienning your way to a successful holiday season. Image: Chef's Foundry 3-piece knife set ? $58 See Details

  
  

• Pelosi, Schumer expected to meet with Trump amid battle over border funding -

  Democratic leaders Nancy Pelosi and Senator Chuck Schumer will meet with the president as the Democrats prepare to regain control of the House.

  
  

• Columbia University denounces student filmed harassing black students in 'racially charged' rant -

  Columbia University has denounced a ?racially charged? tirade from a student who was caught on video telling a group of fellow students that white people ?built modern civilization? and ?did everything?. The student reportedly followed a group made up mostly of black students from the school?s library as they left. It was there he was filmed shouting white supremacist comments at his classmates, according to the Columbia Daily Spectator.

  
  

• James Comey: If Trump Weren't President He'd Be 'In Serious Jeopardy' Over Cohen -

  James Comey, the former director of the FBI, speculated Sunday that if

  
  

• France shooting: 2 dead, several wounded in Strasbourg -

  PARIS (AP) ? A shooting in the French city of Strasbourg killed two people and wounded up to eight others, officials said, sparking a major security operation around a world-famous Christmas market on Tuesday. Authorities said the shooter remains at large.

  
  

• Indiana teen charged with killing pregnant schoolmate -

  MISHAWAKA, Ind. (AP) ? An Indiana high school football player told investigators that he killed a 17-year-old schoolmate because he was angry that she waited so long to tell him she was pregnant with his child that it was too late to get an abortion, authorities said Monday.

  
  

• Egypt curbs sale of yellow vests: traders -

  Egyptian authorities have unofficially restricted the sale of "yellow vest", traders in Cairo told AFP Tuesday, signalling fears of possible protests inspired by those in France. The move comes ahead of the eighth anniversary of the uprising that toppled Egypt's longtime president Hosni Mubarak in February 2011 and left the country in political and economic turmoil. "We received instructions from the police around a week ago to sell yellow vests to companies only, and not to individuals," one importer said.

  
  

• Verizon says to shed 10,400 jobs by mid next year -

  As part of the separation program, the employees will get a salary of up to 60 weeks, bonus and benefits, depending on the length of their service, Verizon said. "This program coincides with Verizon's recently announced realigned organization structure designed to optimize growth opportunities in the 5G era," the company said. The company said it had 152,300 employees at the end of the third-quarter ending Sept. 30.