10 things you need to know today: November 19, 2015

1. French prosecutors say Paris attack mastermind died in raid

The suspected ringleader of the terrorists who attacked Paris, Belgian Islamist extremist Abdelhamid Abaaoud, was one of at least two people killed in a raid outside the French capital, the Paris prosecutor's office said Thursday. Police at first thought Abaaoud, 28, was in Syria, but they traced him to a house in the Paris suburb of St. Denis. As French lawmakers debated extending emergency measures in the wake of the attacks, which killed 129 people on Friday, Prime Minister Manuel Valls said the country should prepare for more attacks, even ones using chemical and biological weapons.

Reuters The Washington Post

2. Obama threatens to veto GOP bill on added security checks for Syrian refugees

The White House said Wednesday that President Obama would veto a House bill seeking to ramp up security checks on Syrian refugees before they can be brought to the U.S. The White House said the bill's restrictions were "untenable" and "would provide no meaningful additional security for the American people." House Speaker Paul Ryan said Americans want to help refugees but want "basic assurances" in the wake of the Paris terror attacks. "We can be compassionate and we can also be safe," he said.

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The Hill

3. Fed minutes indicate support for December rate hike

The minutes from the latest Federal Reserve meeting, released Wednesday, suggest that the central bank's policymakers think the economy is strong enough for them to start raising interest rates in December. The officials said at the October meeting that it would be safe to raise rates from historic lows near zero provided there are no "unanticipated shocks" before their next meeting, in December. "I am comfortable with moving off zero soon, conditioned on no marked deterioration in economic conditions," Atlanta Fed President Dennis Lockhart said Wednesday.

The New York Times

4. Honduras stops five Syrians from heading for the U.S.

Honduran authorities have detained five Syrians who were trying to travel to the U.S. with stolen Greek passports. The passports had been altered with photos of the Syrians replacing the original ones. The news came as Republican lawmakers try to push through legislation tightening screening procedures for Syrian refugees. President Obama has pledged that the U.S. would take in 10,000 Syrians next year, but Republicans say the Paris terror attacks suggest Islamic State terrorists could enter the country masquerading as refugees.

Reuters

5. ISIS publication says soda-can bomb downed Russian plane

The Islamic State's official magazine on Wednesday published a photo of what the publication said was the improvised bomb that brought down a Russian passenger jet over Egypt's Sinai Peninsula. All 224 people on board were killed. The photo shows a Schweppes Gold soft drink can, and what appear to be bomb components, including a detonator. Russia this week confirmed that a bomb destroyed the plane. The White House on Wednesday said for the first time ISIS "likely" planted the bomb.

Reuters TPM

6. ISIS claims it killed two hostages

The Islamic State announced Wednesday that it had killed two more foreign hostages, Fan Jinghui of China and Ole-Johan Grimsgaard-Oftsad of Norway. The men were being held for ransom. The Islamist extremist group's English-language Dabiq magazine showed graphic photos of two bodies it identified as the hostages, wearing blindfolds with their heads bloodied by what appeared to be gunshot wounds. China and Norway condemned the killings. Norway said it had no reason to doubt the claim that the hostages had been killed, and Beijing vowed to bring ISIS to justice.

Ahram Online CNN

7. New York mayor says ISIS threat nothing new

The Islamic State has released a video threatening terrorist attacks against New York City, but city officials said Wednesday there was no evidence of any "specific and credible threat." Mayor Bill de Blasio said the "hastily produced" video included nothing new, and he urged New Yorkers to "go about their business" as usual. ISIS has claimed responsibility for Friday's Paris terror attacks, which killed 129 people.

Reuters

8. The Soup is ending after 22 seasons

After 22 years of poking fun at soap operas, talk shows, and reality TV — especially the Kardashians — The Soup is ending its run on E! The last episode will air Dec. 18. The show premiered in 1991 as Talk Soup, hosted by Greg Kinnear. He was followed by John Henson, Hal Sparks, and Aisha Tyler, before Joel McHale came on board in 2004 and the show was rebranded as The Soup. "Thanks to all who watched and thanks to Kim Kardashian's ass for all that it's done for me and my family," the Community star said in a statement.

Los Angeles Times

9. Yellowstone proposes killing 1,000 bison in winter

Yellowstone National Park officials are meeting Thursday with representatives of Native American tribes, and state and federal agencies to consider a plan to kill 1,000 wild bison this winter. Nearly 5,000 of the animals, also known as buffalo, roamed the park this summer, a near record size for the herds. A harsh winter could drive thousands into southwestern Montana. A controversial 2000 agreement with Montana calls for culling Yellowstone's herds — the largest remaining buffalo herds — to prevent the spread of disease from bison to livestock.

The Associated Press

10. Ta-Nehisi Coates and Adam Johnson win National Book Awards

Ta-Nehisi Coates won the National Book Award for nonfiction Wednesday for his bestseller Between the World and Me, a memoir about his experience as a black man in America. Adam Johnson took the fiction prize for Fortune Smiles, a collection of stories. Neal Shusterman received the Young People's Literature Award for Challenger Deep, and Robin Coste Lewis won the poetry prize for her first book, Voyage of the Sable Venus. Don DeLillo got a lifetime achievement medal for contributions to literature, and James Patterson was recognized for his advocacy of reading and literacy.

USA Today