10 things you need to know today: December 2, 2014

(Image credit: (Scott Olson/Getty Images))

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1. Obama to form task force on policing
2. Portman rules out a presidential bid
3. Food program for Syrian refugees shuts down
4. ISIS leader's wife and daughter detained in Lebanon
5. GOP congressional aide resigns after insulting Obama girls
6. Canadian-Israeli's Facebook page refutes report she was captured by ISIS
7. Putin scraps controversial pipeline project
8. Suspected Islamist gunmen kill 36 in Kenya
9. Rams and police argue over players' Ferguson protest
10. Embattled Cosby steps down from Temple University board

last updated 13 January 2015

1. Obama to form task force on policing

President Obama announced Monday that he would establish a task force on improving local policing as part of an effort to reduce the "simmering distrust" between police and minority communities. Obama said the problem went beyond the anger over the shooting of an unarmed black teenager, Michael Brown, by a white officer in Ferguson, Missouri. Obama's plan includes spending $263 million on community policing — $75 million of it for 50,000 body cameras to be worn by officers — and restrictions on transferring military-grade equipment to police.

Ohio Sen. Rob Portman said Monday that he had ruled out running for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016. Portman, who was near the top of Mitt Romney's list of potential running mates in 2012, said that he would run for a second term in the Senate instead. "It's a decision to continue to fight for Ohio and to stay here," Portman said. The news could fuel speculation about former Florida governor Jeb Bush's plans. Portman and Bush are friends, and Portman has said he might not run if someone equally qualified was entering the race.

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The World Food Program announced on Monday that it was suspending a food program for nearly two million Syrian refugees because it had run short of money. WFP Executive Director Ertharin Cousin said the suspension of the voucher program, targeting Syrians who have fled to neighboring countries to avoid a civil war, would "be disastrous for many already suffering families" and could increase tensions in Syria. The U.N. agency said it needed $64 million to support the refugees for just this month.

Lebanese security officials said Tuesday that soldiers had detained a wife and daughter of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi as they tried to cross the border from Syria nine days ago. The woman, identified as Saja al-Dulaimi, is reportedly being interrogated at the Lebanese defense ministry. DNA tests were used to confirm the identity of the ISIS leader's child. Their capture was not immediately mentioned on websites associated with the Islamist group.

Elizabeth Lauten resigned as communications director for Rep. Stephen Fincher (R-Tenn.) on Monday after facing a stinging backlash for making disparaging comments about first daughters Sasha and Malia Obama on Facebook last week. Lauten ridiculed the young Obamas for their outfits and demeanor at the annual White House turkey pardoning ceremony, saying they should "try showing a little class." Lauten apologized for her "hurtful words."

A message posted Monday on the Facebook page of Gill Rosenberg, a Canadian-Israeli woman who joined Kurdish forces in Syria, said she had not been captured by Islamic State forces, as Israeli media had reported. "Guys, I'm totally safe and secure," the post said. "Ignore the reports I've been captured." Canadian officials said they were trying to clear up the confusion over the conflicting reports, but still warned all Canadians not to travel to Syria and Iraq.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Monday that he was dropping Russia's plans for its $22 billion South Stream gas pipeline. The ambitious project was designed to increase Russia's position as the dominant supplier in southeastern Europe, but work at the site was hampered by protests and violence. Putin said the pipeline will now be directed toward Turkey. Western leaders had dismissed the pipeline as an attempt to increase Moscow's influence in Europe while sidestepping Ukraine, which is trying to stamp out pro-Russian rebels.

Gunmen believed to be members of the Islamist group Al-Shabaab killed at least 36 workers at a stone quarry in the northern Kenyan town of Mandera on Tuesday. Witnesses said the killers, numbering about 20, separated the miners by religion, killing non-Muslims and sparing Muslims. Last month, militants killed at least 28 people in an ambush of a bus headed to Nairobi from Mandera. Al-Shabaab has been attacking Kenyan targets since the country began fighting extremists in Somalia in 2011.

St. Louis County police are sparring with the St. Louis Rams after five players stepped onto the field Sunday with their hands up in a show of solidarity with Ferguson, Missouri, protesters. The St. Louis Police Officers Association called the gesture "tasteless, offensive, and inflammatory" because it suggested a white officer gunned down unarmed black teen Michael Brown in cold blood. A spokesman for the police group said a Rams official had expressed regret, but the Rams denied it. "We did not apologize," a spokesman for the football team said.

With 20 women accusing him of sexual assault, comedian Bill Cosby said Monday that he had resigned from Temple University's board of trustees after holding the post since 1982. Cosby said he had "always been proud" of his role as Temple's most high-profile booster, but that it was "in the best interests of the university and its students" for him to step aside. The move came as pressure mounted in the university community to sever ties with the embattled entertainer.

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Harold Maass is a contributing editor at The Week. He has been writing for The Week since the 2001 debut of the U.S. print edition and served as editor of TheWeek.com when it launched in 2008. Harold started his career as a newspaper reporter in South Florida and Haiti. He has previously worked for a variety of news outlets, including The Miami Herald, ABC News and Fox News, and for several years wrote a daily roundup of financial news for The Week and Yahoo Finance.