10 things you need to know today: December 25, 2014

1. Protests continue after police killing of armed black man

Protests in the St. Louis suburb of Berkeley, Missouri, continued to flare up in the second day since the fatal shooting by a white police officer of Antonio Martin, an 18-year-old black teen brandishing a gun. Protesters marched on Interstate 170, blocking traffic for roughly 45 minutes before holding vigil at the gas station where Martin was shot. Berkeley is mere miles away from Ferguson, where Michael Brown was shot in August, though the details of what led to Martin's death are still being investigated.

Reuters

2. Lab mistake may have exposed CDC worker to Ebola virus

A laboratory error at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta may have exposed a lab technician to the deadly Ebola virus, federal officials said Wednesday. The error occurred when the high-security lab accidentally sent the wrong samples, which may have contained the live virus, to another lab that was not equipped to work with them on Monday. The technician will be monitored for symptoms for 21 days, and officials say that since the samples never left the CDC campus, there is no risk to the public.

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The New York Times

3. The Interview opens in about 300 U.S. theaters, streams online

Sony Pictures' controversial film The Interview, which depicts the assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, opens in about 300 theaters today, despite threats of violence made by hackers and Sony's initial cancellation of its release. The film is also available for on-demand streaming on Google Play, YouTube Movies, and Xbox Video. While a North Korean diplomat to the United Nations told The Associated Press that he opposes the film's release, he said the country will likely have "no physical reaction."

The Washington Post The New York Times

4. Pope Francis celebrates Christmas, prays for world peace at midnight Mass

Pope Francis called for more humanity on Earth during his traditional "Urbi et Orbi" Christmas address, which he delivered from the central balcony at St. Peter's Basilica during midnight Mass at the Vatican. His address focused on those suffering around the world — particularly those in the Middle East, Africa, and Ukraine — and also drew attention to the plight of children. Francis also made a call to Christian Iraqi refugees who were forced by ISIS militants to flee their homes. "You're like Jesus on this night," he said. "I bless you and am close to you."

Fox News

5. Russian finance minister: Ruble crisis is 'over'

Russia's finance minister declared the country's currency crisis over on Thursday, though he warned that inflation could climb above 10 percent. The announcement comes a week after the ruble plunged to all-time lows and lost 50 percent of its value against the dollar as a result of sharp drops in the price of oil and Western sanctions over the Ukraine crisis. The past five trading days, however, have seen the ruble has strengthen as oil prices stabilize and month-end tax payments are due.

The Wall Street Journal

6. U.S.: ISIS did not down Jordanian F-16 jet

The U.S. says that despite earlier reports, ISIS did not shoot down a Jordanian warplane with a heat-seeking missile over Syria, though it did capture the plane's pilot after his aircraft crashed. It was the first aircraft the U.S.-led coalition has lost since launching attacks against the jihadist group in September. Gen. Lloyd Austin, head of U.S. Central Command, said the U.S. supports efforts to free the pilot from captivity, and refuses to allow ISIS to "misrepresent or exploit this unfortunate aircraft crash for their own purposes."

The Associated Press

7. One dead in Christmas Eve mall shooting

A gunman opened fire in a Louisiana mall still crowded with shoppers on Christmas Eve, killing one person before being taken into custody. Gary François, 25, killed James Vaughn, 24, inside a Foot Locker store in the Oakwood Center in Gretna. Police believe that François deliberately targeted Vaughn, as surveillance video showed him waiting outside the store before bursting in and opening fire. No one else was injured in the shooting.

Reuters

8. U.S. jobless claims hit seven-week low

The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits reached its lowest point in the past seven weeks. Applications for unemployment benefits dropped by 9,000 last week to a seasonally adjusted 280,000, the Labor Department said, though economists expect that number to revised upward to 290,000. Almost 2 million fewer Americans are receiving jobless benefits than last year, though those numbers were at least partially affected by the elimination of an extended benefits program last December.

The Wall Street Journal Reuters

9. ObamaCare numbers boosted by auto-enrollment

More than 60 percent of ObamaCare's 4.5 million federal re-enrollees were auto-enrolled in plans they purchased last year, helping to boost ObamaCare's total enrollees to 6.4 million this December. The White House had previously encouraged ObamaCare customers to shop around instead of simply auto-enrolling, saying that 70 percent of current customers could pay a lower premium if they switched plans. Still, many auto-enrollees who didn't heed this message are expected to change or cancel their plans by the mid-February close of open enrollment.

CNN

10. Ohio town threatens to sue resident over zombie nativity scene

A Deer Park, Ohio man's zombie-themed nativity scene has attracted extensive attention from passersby, and Sycamore Township, the municipality conglomerate that includes Deer Park, is threatening legal action. Resident Jason Dixon says he thought the display was appropriate because he owns a haunted house. Deer Park officials say the the structure is objectionable only because it takes up more than 35 percent of Dixon's front yard, but Dixon argues that "if it was a real pretty nativity scene they wouldn't be saying anything."

Fox19