Here's what's happening across the United States and around the world today.
Suspected Islamist rebels kill 36 workers in Kenya
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Dozens of quarry workers in Kenya are dead, after police say they were attacked by suspected Islamic extremists from Somalia.
Some police sources say the workers were ambushed as they slept.
Non-Muslims were singled out and they were either shot dead or beheaded. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the killings but the attack bears the hallmarks of Somalia's Islamic militant rebels, al-Shabab.
Wife of IS leader detained in Lebanon
BEIRUT (AP) — Two senior Lebanese officials say authorities have detained a wife and son of the leader of the Islamic State group.
A military official says the woman and her son were detained about 10 days ago using fake identification cards.
Both officials refused to give any details about the woman who is believed to be one of the wives of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the group's reclusive leader.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.
The military official says the woman is a Syrian citizen.
The Lebanese daily As-Safir was the first to break the news, saying they were detained near a border crossing point with Syria. It added that the arrest was in "coordination with foreign intelligence agencies."
Pakistani military says jets kill 17 militants
ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan's army says its jets have killed 17 militants as part of an ongoing operation in a troubled tribal region near the Afghan border.
The army says today's airstrikes were carried out in the North Waziristan tribal region, where the military has been carrying out a major operation since June.
It says some foreigners are included among those "terrorists" killed in the strikes.
The Pakistani army says it has killed about 1,200 militants since the operation began on June 15. The area is closed to journalists. There is no way to independently confirm the information.
The operation is aimed at eliminating those Pakistani and foreign militants accused of launching attacks in Pakistan and neighboring Afghanistan.
Iraqi and Kurdish governments agree to oil deal
BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq's finance minister says the central government has reached an agreement in a long-standing oil dispute with the semi-autonomous Kurdish regional government.
The finance minister tells The Associated Press that the Kurdish government will send a total of 550,000 barrels of oil per day to the Iraqi oil ministry. In exchange, the Kurds will receive their 17-percent share of the national budget allocated to their region, plus installments of as much as $1 billion to boost the capabilities of Kurdish peshmerga fighters battling the Islamic State militant group.
Earlier this year, Baghdad cut the 17 percent of the state budget that is supposed to go to the Kurdish region after the Kurds began transporting oil from fields inside the autonomous zone to Turkey against Baghdad's wishes.
Ukraine government, rebels agree on new cease-fire
KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — International monitors in eastern Ukraine say government troops and Russian-backed separatist forces in the Luhansk region have agreed on a new cease-fire.
The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe says hostilities will end Friday along the line of contact between the warring sides.
The OSCE says it was agreed at negotiations that took place Saturday that heavy weapons will start being withdrawn from the front at the weekend.
A similar deal was reached Monday to end fighting over the airport in the capital of the more heavily populated Donetsk region, but rocket barrages continued for hours in that area all the same.
A cease-fire was nominally agreed in early September, but hundreds have been killed since then amid daily violations of that truce.
Homeland chief faces GOP critics on immigration
WASHINGTON (AP) — Homeland Security Secretary Jeh (jay) Johnson is will appear before the House Homeland Security Committee today to defend President Barack Obama's executive actions on immigration.
In written testimony Johnson says it's "simple common sense" that Obama has moved to shield from deportation some 4 million people who are in the U.S. illegally.
But Republicans have vowed to stop Obama, and they're trying to decide how.
Obama weighs slimmed-down list for Pentagon chief
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is weighing a slimmed-down list of candidates to become his next defense secretary, as top contenders pull their names from consideration for what is typically a highly sought-after Cabinet spot.
The short list to replace outgoing Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel now includes longtime public servants who have deep Pentagon experience, but may be less likely to give Obama's national security agenda a jolt. Among the possible nominees are former deputy defense secretary Ashton Carter and Robert Work, who now holds the Pentagon's No. 2 job.
Homeland Security Secretary Jeh (jay) Johnson was considered for the Pentagon post, but has told the White House he'd rather stay put, according to people familiar with the process. Former Pentagon officials Michele Flournoy also took her name out of contention.
Dry California awaits powerful Pacific storm
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A Pacific storm is headed toward California, bringing hopes for much-needed moisture but fears of mudflows.
The National Weather Service says rain is expected to begin falling today, although forecasters aren't sure when the heaviest downpours will come.
Storm watches are posted for a large swath of the Sierra Nevada.
There are concerns about debris possibly flowing from the many areas of California where wildfires have burned away vegetation that would keep soil stable.
Obama wants more police wearing body cameras
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama wants police officers to wear body cameras to record events like the shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri.
And Obama is asking Congress for the money. On Monday, Attorney General Eric Holder announced new Justice Department plans aimed at ending racial profiling and ensuring fair and effective policing.
Mayor: $130M to revamp NYC jails for mentally ill
NEW YORK (AP) — New York City Bill de Blasio wants to spend $130 million over four years to overhaul how the city deals with mentally ill and drug-addicted suspects.
De Blasio wants to divert many of those prisoners to treatment instead of the city's troubled Rikers Island jail complex, where at least two inmates suffering from serious mental illness have died.
The recommendations the mayor plans to announce today, are based on those of a task force he appointed.
WHO revises down Liberia Ebola death toll to 3,145
DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — The World Health Organization has sharply revised down its tally of Ebola deaths in Liberia, after a jump of more than 1,000 in the death toll there.
The U.N. health agency says 3,145 people in Liberia have died from the disease, which is also hitting neighboring Guinea and Sierra Leone hard. Figures published Friday put the death toll at 4,181, a jump of more than 1,000 deaths from two days earlier.
A spokesman says the Friday toll mistakenly included non-Ebola deaths.
The agency says data from the outbreak has been difficult to get and there have been big swings in the numbers, as cases are reclassified or backlogs cleared.
The latest data show 5,987 people have died in the three worst affected countries.
House GOP preparing vote on tax breaks
WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans plan to vote today on a one-year extension of temporary tax breaks affecting millions of businesses and individuals.
Most of the more than 50 tax breaks expired at the end of 2013, so the extension would only run through the end of this month.
However, it would allow taxpayers to claim the tax breaks when they file their 2014 tax returns.
The tax breaks also would benefit commuters, teachers and people who live in states without a state income tax.
Cosby resigns from Temple University trustees board
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Temple University's student body president says he's glad Bill Cosby has resigned as a trustee amid a string of sexual-assault allegations.
Cosby stepped down Monday after more than a dozen women accused him of drugging and molesting them over the years.
Student Body President Raymond Smeriglio (smur-IH'- glee-oh ) says the accusations were dragging down the school's reputation.
Cosby has served on the board since 1982 and has been one of the university's most fervent cheerleaders.
The 77-year-old Philadelphia native says he didn't want to be a distraction to his beloved alma mater.
Cosby has denied the accusations and has never faced criminal charges.
Contract talks resume for West Coast dockworkers
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A dispute between West Coast dockworkers and their employers isn't going to steal Christmas.
Longshoremen who handle billions of dollars of cargo have been working since July without a contract, and negotiations over a new one turned contentious this fall.
Today, full negotiating teams are meeting for the first time in nearly two weeks.
Public pressure has been mounting, especially because trade — mostly to and from Asia — has been slowed.
The union cites a shortage of truck beds to carry containers from dockside yards; their employers accuse dockworkers of orchestrating work slowdowns.
While both are a factor, retailers say most holiday goods are safely through the ports. Most likely affected would be the restocking of "must-have" toys or other surprise sellers.
That's what's happening. Read more stories to jump start your day in our special Breakfast Buzz section.
