10 things you need to know today: December 22, 2015

1. Graham suspends his presidential campaign

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) dropped out of the race for the Republican presidential nomination on Monday. Graham was always considered a longshot, and never broke 1 percent support in polls, despite the backing of big-name Republicans, including Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.). In a video posted online, Graham said his campaign had helped make fighting terrorists a focus in the race. He said he had made his rivals see that anyone "who did not understand that we need more American troops on the ground in Iraq and Syria to defeat [ISIS] was not ready to be commander in chief."

The Washington Post

2. SpaceX successfully lands a Falcon 9 rocket, a first

SpaceX made history Monday when the first stage of its Falcon 9 rocket returned and made a vertical landing at Cape Canaveral, Florida — a first. "Welcome back, baby!" SpaceX founder Elon Musk tweeted when the rocket touched down 10 minutes after launch. The feat marked a significant step forward for commercial space flight. Rocket boosters typically are only used once, but Musk is trying to develop a reusable rocket to reduce costs. Monday's launch was SpaceX's first since one of its rockets, carrying cargo for the International Space Station, exploded in June.

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NBC News

3. Friend of San Bernardino attackers denied bail

A federal magistrate on Monday denied bail to Enrique Marquez, the neighbor suspected of supplying Syed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik with the semi-automatic rifles police say they used in the Dec. 2 San Bernardino massacre. Marquez, 24, reportedly told investigators that he and Farook plotted other attacks together but never carried out any of them. Marquez was arrested Friday on charges of providing material support to terrorists.

Reuters

4. Trump-Clinton war of words intensifies

After calling Hillary Clinton a liar for saying Islamist extremists were using his rhetoric for recruitment, GOP president frontrunner Donald Trump invented a new insult, saying Monday that the Democratic presidential frontrunner "got schlonged" in the 2008 primaries. The remark prompted immediate accusations of sexism — "schlong" is a well-known reference to male genitals. Asked if the former secretary of state would apologize to Trump, a Clinton spokesman replied "hell, no."

The Washington Post NBC News

5. 6 U.S. troops killed in Taliban suicide attack near Kabul

A Taliban suicide bomber on a motorcycle attacked a military convoy near Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan on Monday, killing American soldiers — including New York Police Detective Joseph Lemm, 45. It was one of the deadliest attacks on U.S. forces in Afghanistan this year. Taliban fighters recently have made advances across the country, including in Helmand province, home to opium poppy fields that help finance the insurgency. The offensive is forcing the 9,800 U.S. troops remaining in the country into direct fighting rather than focusing on training Afghan forces to take over security duties.

The New York Times

6. Baltimore officer faces June retrial in Freddie Gray's death

A Maryland judge ruled Monday that Baltimore Police Officer William Porter will face a retrial in June in connection with the death of Freddie Gray, after his first trial ended with a deadlocked jury. Gray, who was black, died in police custody in April after suffering a spinal injury in a police van. Porter, also black, was the first of six police arrested in the case to go on trial. He was accused of failing to make sure Gray was secured with a seat belt, and not calling a medic when Gray asked. The van's driver, Officer Caesar Goodson, goes on trial for second-degree murder on Jan. 6.

Reuters

7. FDA ends lifetime ban on blood donations by gay men

The Food and Drug Administration on Monday ended its ban on blood donations by gay and bisexual men. Despite rescinding the lifetime ban, the F.D.A. said it would continue to bar donations by men who have had sex with men in the past year. Gay rights groups said the easing of the ban was a positive step, but that the remaining restrictions still were discriminatory.

FDA The New York Times

8. Texas grand jury declines to indict jailers for Sandra Bland's death

A Texas grand jury has decided not to indict anyone in the local sheriff's office or jail over the death last summer of Sandra Bland, who was found hanged. Three days before she died, Bland, who was black, was arrested in a routine traffic stop that turned confrontational. Her death sparked protests, and her family contested the county coroner's conclusion that she committed suicide. Special Prosecutor Shawn McDonald said Monday that the grand jury had not reached a decision on whether charges should be filed against Brian T. Ecinia, the trooper who arrested her.

Los Angeles Times

9. Driver accused of running over pedestrians in Las Vegas identified

Law enforcement officials on Monday identified the woman accused of deliberately plowing her car into a crowd of people on the Las Vegas Strip on Sunday and said she would likely be charged with murder with a deadly weapon. "The videos obviously show intention," Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo said. The driver was identified as Lakeisha Holloway, 24, of Oregon. One person was killed — 32-year-old Jessica Valenzuela of Buckeye, Arizona, and dozens injured, several of them still hospitalized in critical condition. Authorities said Holloway, who had a 3-year-old child with her, was "stoic" after the incident.

USA Today

10. Chelsea Clinton expecting her second child

Chelsea Clinton announced via Twitter on Monday that she and her husband, Marc Mezvinsky, are expecting their second child. "Next summer, Charlotte is going to be a big sister! Feeling very blessed & grateful this holiday season," she tweeted. She also posted a photo of her 15-month-old daughter reading Big Sisters Are the Best. Her parents, Democratic presidential frontrunner Hillary Clinton and former President Bill Clinton, fired off their own tweets right behind her. "We're so excited to meet our second grandchild!" Hillary said. Bill Clinton added, "Christmas comes early!"

People