1. Three terror suspects, four hostages killed in France
Near-simultaneous raids on Friday night ended two hostage situations stemming from Wednesday's terrorist attack on Paris satirical publication Charlie Hebdo. Amedy Coulibaly, who shot a policewoman on Thursday, took over a Paris kosher market on Friday, killing four hostages. Coulibaly was linked to Said and Cherif Kouachi, the brothers who carried out the Charlie Hebdo attacks and later entered a standoff with police at a printing plant. Both brothers, along with Coulibaly, were killed in the raids. Officials are still searching for Hayat Boumeddiene, the common-law wife of Coulibaly.
The Associated Press
2. Federal prosecutors recommend felony charges against David Petraeus
Officials announced on Friday that FBI and Justice Department prosecutors will seek felony charges against David Petraeus. The retired general stepped down from his post at the CIA in 2012, after it was revealed that he had an affair with his biographer, Paula Broadwell. Prosecutors will reportedly recommend charges against him for revealing classified information to Broadwell while he was CIA director. An indictment could send Petraeus to jail.
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The New York Times
3. House of Representatives passes Keystone XL bill
The U.S. House of Representatives voted 266-153 to approve the controversial Keystone XL pipeline on Friday. The bill next goes to the Senate, where Republicans now hold a majority. In November, the last Senate came up just one vote shy of approval on a similar bill. But, President Barack Obama has vowed that should a bill approving construction of the pipeline make it to his desk, he will veto it. The vote came after the Nebraska Supreme Court upheld the legality of the pipeline's route through that state earlier on Friday.
Bloomberg Reuters
4. Cuba releases imprisoned dissidents as part of U.S. deal
Cuban President Raul Castro's administration released more than 30 political dissidents on Thursday, according to Cuban human rights sources and journalists. At least some of those freed are part of the 53 prisoners Cuba agreed to release in a deal with the Obama administration aimed at thawing relations with the Communist island nation. Neither the U.S. nor Cuba is releasing a list of the freed prisoners' names, some of whom had been held since 2012.
The New York Times
5. U.S. economy added 252,000 jobs in December
The Bureau of Labor Statistics released its December 2014 jobs numbers on Friday, and it showed that the American economy added 252,000 non-farm, private jobs over the course of the month. The December numbers beat the 230,000 new jobs economists were expecting. The unemployment rate fell to 5.6 percent from 5.8 percent in November, although average hourly earnings fell by 5 cents. Still, the figures were strong enough to make 2014 America's best year of job creation since 1999.
TheWeek.com CNNMoney
6. China leads the pack in clean energy investments
Bloomberg released its annual report on clean energy investments on Friday, and it said China leads the pack. The country invested a record $89.5 billion in clean energy in 2014, while the U.S. invested $51.8 billion. Overall, investments in renewables, biofuels, and "energy-smart technologies" rose to $310 billion in 2014, up 16 percent from $268.1 billion in 2013.
Bloomberg
7. Police Commissioner Bratton confirms NYPD work slowdown
NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton admitted on Friday that a work slowdown had occurred in New York City in recent weeks. "We're coming out of what was a pretty widespread stoppage of certain types of activity, the discretionary type of activity by and large," Bratton said. Criminal summonses, along with traffic tickets, were down 90 percent compared to last year. The slowdown was viewed by many to be a protest against New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio — some officers who attended the recent funerals of two slain colleagues turned their backs on the mayor during his eulogies at each.
WNYC The Washington Post
8. Mitt Romney tells donors he may run for president in 2016
Former Massachusetts governor and 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney told a group of donors on Friday that he is considering running for president in 2016. Romney had previously told reporters he would not run again. But he said unrest abroad and the health of the economy are issues that could force him to step into the race.
The Wall Street Journal
9. SpaceX successfully launches Falcon rocket toward ISS
SpaceX successfully launched its unmanned Falcon rocket toward the International Space Station on Saturday. The first-of-its-kind attempt to recover the leftover booster, however, was a failure. "Close, but no cigar this time," billionaire SpaceX founder Elon Musk said on Twitter. The company attempted to land the Falcon's leftover booster on a floating platform off the coast of Jacksonville, but the rocket missed its target. Due to arrive on Monday at the ISS, the Falcon rocket is carrying $133 million of much-needed supplies to the astronauts aboard.
The Associated Press
10. Exercise injury may have left Harry Reid blind in one eye
Senate minority leader Harry Reid announced on Friday that a New Year's Day exercise accident may have blinded him in one eye. Reid, 75, broke three ribs and suffered a concussion after a resistance band he was using to exercise snapped. The band also hit him in the eye, which Reid said caused a blood accumulation that is currently making it "hard to see." But, Reid added that the injury won't stop him from running for reelection in 2016, and that "no one has to question my physical ability."
USA Today
