Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about today:
1. BUTTIGIEG A TARGET AT LOS ANGELES DEBATE Elizabeth Warren attacked the centrist Indiana mayor’s fundraising practices, while Amy Klobuchar challenged his limited governing experience.
2. PELOSI WIELDS ‘POWER OF THE GAVEL’ This week, the House speaker delivered a $1.4 trillion government funding package, pushed through a bipartisan trade deal, passed her party's plan to lower prescription drug costs — and impeached the president.
Democratic presidential candidates from left, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., former Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and businessman Tom Steyer participate during a Democratic presidential primary debate Thursday, Dec. 19, 2019, in Los Angeles. (AP PhotoChris Carlson)
3. VATICAN TRIBUNAL OVERWHELMED BY CLERGY ABUSE CASES A record 1,000 cases have been reported in 2019, many of them from countries not been heard from before, AP learns
4. INDIA REELING FROM CITIZENSHIP LAW OUTCRY Police ban public gatherings in parts of New Delhi and other cities for a third day and cut internet services to try to stop growing protests against a new citizenship law.
5. EARLY PG&E BLACKOUTS FOREWARNED LATER PROBLEMS An AP review reveals persistent problems during four smaller shutoffs that California’s largest utility did starting last year so power lines downed by strong winds wouldn’t spark wildfires.
Salvador Bolivar prays to the spirit of his ancestors ahead of a sweat lodge ceremony in Bloomingburg, N.Y., on Sunday, Oct. 27, 2019. It was the awareness of these ancestors 11 years ago, in a sweat lodge in Colombia, that first compelled him to break his silence about the sexual abuse he suffered at the hands of his Catholic high school dean. (AP PhotoWong Maye-E)
6. US WARY OF KIM’S ‘CHRISTMAS SURPRISE’ The United States is closely watching North Korea for signs of a possible missile launch or nuclear test in the coming days.
7. IRAQ PROTESTS TAKE TOLL ON ECONOMY Iraqi merchants and foreign investors are eyeing ongoing hostilities in the country with concern as anti-government protests enter a third month.
8. ‘PROFOUNDLY IMMORAL’ A major evangelical Christian magazine founded by the late Rev. Billy Graham published an editorial calling for Trump’s removal from office.
People throw stones at police as broadcast vans of television channels go up in flames during protests against India's new citizenship law in Lucknow, India, Thursday, Dec. 19, 2019. Police detained several hundred protesters in some of India's biggest cities Thursday as they defied bans on assembly that authorities imposed to stop widespread demonstrations against a new citizenship law that opponents say threatens the country's secular democracy. (AP Photo)
9. HOW TOY RETAILERS HOPE TO LURE SHOPPERS A new generation of toy stores is hoping to grab a piece of the $28 billion U.S. industry by emphasizing more hands-on experiences.
10. WHO WAS CROWNED MISS AMERICA Camille Schrier, a biochemist from Virginia, says she hopes to “break stereotypes” about what it means to win the pageant in 2020.