10 things you need to know today: January 12, 2016

1. Alabama beats Clemson to win college football championship

The University of Alabama Crimson Tide defeated the Clemson University Tigers 45-40 on Monday night to win the college football national championship. It was Alabama's fourth title in seven years. Alabama running back and Heisman Trophy winner Derrick Henry scored three touchdowns — breaking Alabama's career rushing record in the process — and tight end O.J. Howard scored two more, gaining 208 yards on just five catches. The Clemson quarterback, Deshaun Watson, passed for 405 yards and four touchdowns. Alabama went into the game ranked No. 2 with a 13-1 record. Clemson was ranked No. 1 and undefeated at 14-0.

CBS Sports ESPN

2. Obama prepares for his last State of the Union address

President Obama will discuss his goals for the final year of his presidency on Tuesday night in his seventh and final State of the Union address. Topics expected include tighter gun laws and the closure of the Guantanamo Bay prison. White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Obama also would present a more optimistic view of where the U.S. is heading, to counter an "avalanche of negativity" from Republican presidential candidates.

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3. Aid trucks reach Syrian town where starvation deaths reported

A relief convoy on Monday reached two besieged areas in Syria, including the rebel-held town of Madaya. United Nations officials and aid workers confirmed reports that people in the area were severely malnourished after a months-long blockade by government forces, although they could not immediately confirm reports that at least 40 people had died of starvation. The U.N.'s humanitarian chief said about 400 people in Madaya needed to be evacuated for immediate medical treatment.

Reuters The Washington Post

4. Blast kills 10 in Istanbul historic district popular with tourists

An explosion killed at least 10 people and injured 15 in Istanbul's historic Sultanahmet district Tuesday morning, the Istanbul governor's office said. Authorities could not immediately confirm a cause, but early reports blamed the blast on a suicide bomber. The Sultanahmet district is popular with tourists, and includes the Blue Mosque and Topkapi Palace. Turkey has been hit with several suicide attacks in recent months. Prosecutors blame them on the Islamic State, although Istanbul has also faced violence linked to the resumption of hostilities between Turkish forces and PKK Kurdish militants.

The Associated Press BBC News

5. Trial postponed for officer who drove Freddie Gray van

Maryland's second highest court postponed the trial of Baltimore police Officer Caesar R. Goodson Jr., who drove the van in which Freddie Gray was fatally injured. The case was scheduled to start Monday. The delay came as lawyers argue over whether prosecutors can force Officer William Porter, whose case ended in a December mistrial, to testify. Gray, an unarmed black man, died in April days after suffering a spinal cord injury while police transported him in the van. Six officers have been charged. Goodson faces second-degree murder charges.

ABC News The Baltimore Sun

6. ISIS claims it was behind deadly attack in Baghdad mall

The Islamic State claimed responsibility for an attack that killed at least 17 people at a Baghdad shopping mall on Tuesday. Gunmen and security forces fought a two-hour gun battle. After it was over authorities said most of the dead appeared to have been killed by a car bombing that began the attack, and two suicide attackers who detonated bombs at the shopping complex's entrance.

The New York Times

7. Rand Paul vows to skip undercard after losing spot in main GOP debate

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said Monday that he would boycott Thursday's undercard GOP debate, after Fox Business decided that his polling numbers were not good enough to earn him a spot on the prime-time stage. "I think they’ve made a mistake," Paul said. "I'm not willing to accept a designation as a minor campaign. We've raised $25 million. We've gotten on the ballot on every state. It's kind of ridiculous to arbitrarily rate the campaigns based on national polling."

The Washington Post

8. Oil prices continue to fall on signs of China slowdown

Oil prices fell to their lowest level in 12 years on Monday as financial trouble in China deepened fears of a global economic slowdown. West Texas intermediate crude dropped by 5.3 percent, closing at $31.41 a barrel. Brent crude, the international benchmark, fell by 6.5 percent. Oil futures have fallen every day of 2016, after dropping by 30 percent in 2015.

The New York Times

9. Rupert Murdoch and Jerry Hall engaged

News Corp. Chairman Rupert Murdoch and former model and actress Jerry Hall got engaged over the weekend in Los Angeles after four months of dating, according to an announcement in the classified section of The Times, a newspaper owned by Murdoch. They were introduced to each other by Murdoch's sister and niece in Australia. Hall, 59, was involved with Mick Jagger from 1977 to 1999, and has four children with him. Murdoch, 84, divorced his third wife, Wendi Deng, in 2013. He has six children from his previous marriages.

People

10. Ringling Bros. to retire circus elephants earlier than planned

The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus will retire its touring elephants in May, a year and a half earlier than planned, the circus' parent company told The Associated Press on Monday. The decision came after several local governments adopted "anti-circus" and "anti-elephant" ordinances. Circus owner Feld Entertainment said the circus' elephants would be sent to the company's 200-acre Center for Elephant Conservation in Florida, where they receive care costing $65,000 a year for each elephant.

The Associated Press