10 things you need to know today: December 14, 2018

1. Senators call for ending support for Saudi war in Yemen

The Senate on Thursday passed a measure seeking to end U.S. support for the Saudi-led coalition's war against rebels in Yemen. The vote marked a rare effort to limit presidential war powers, and a direct rebuke of President Trump's ongoing support of Saudi Arabia's leaders despite intelligence agencies' suspicions that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the killing of dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey. The Senate vote was mostly symbolic, as House Republicans this week essentially killed any chance the legislation would be approved and sent to Trump. The Saudi-led coalition and Houthi rebels on Thursday agreed to a U.N.-brokered truce in a port city that is a major gateway for humanitarian aid, the biggest move toward peace in years.

The New York Times

2. Trump reportedly considers making Kushner chief of staff

President Trump is reportedly considering appointing Jared Kushner, his son-in-law and senior adviser, as his next chief of staff. Trump now reportedly has a short list of five possible candidates to replace outgoing Chief of Staff John Kelly, who increasingly has been at odds with Trump. Vice President Mike Pence's Chief of Staff Nick Ayers had been expected to get the job, but he turned it down on Sunday. Trump loyalist Newt Gingrich is believed to be another possible pick. Kushner, who is married to Trump's daughter Ivanka, reportedly pushed his candidacy in a meeting with Trump about the job. Trump said Saturday that Kelly would be leaving "toward the end of the year."

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The Huffington Post

3. Accused Russian spy Maria Butina officially pleads guilty

Accused Russian spy Maria Butina officially pleaded guilty to conspiracy on Thursday, and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors. Butina, who is said to have worked on Russian orders to infiltrate American politics, pleaded not guilty to her single count of conspiracy a few months ago. But she reportedly entered a plea deal with prosecutors earlier this week, and has finalized it. Butina was arrested in July on a single conspiracy count of being an unregistered foreign agent in the United States. Prosecutors and reports detailed how Butina got close to conservative politicians by touting gun rights and working closely with the National Rifle Association. She will reportedly cooperate with federal, state, and local authorities in ongoing investigations.

NBC News

4. Prosecutors launch criminal investigation of Trump inaugural committee

Federal prosecutors in Manhattan are investigating possible misspending by President Trump's 2017 inaugural committee, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter. The committee raised a record $107 million, double the previous record set ahead of Barack Obama's 2009 inauguration. It remains unclear what the committee did with some of the money. The Manhattan U.S. Attorney's criminal investigation also is looking at whether some donors were expecting their money to buy them special access to the Trump administration, or even policy favors, sources told the Journal. Prosecutors also are examining whether foreigners seeking influence illegally funneled money to the inaugural committee and a pro-Trump super PAC.

The Wall Street Journal The New York Times

5. Theresa May asks European leaders for help selling Brexit plan

British Prime Minister Theresa May on Thursday urged European Union leaders to make concessions that would help her push a Brexit deal through Britain's Parliament. "There is a majority in my Parliament who want to leave with a deal, so with the right assurances this deal can be passed," May said, warning that failing to win lawmakers' approval would result in Britain leaving the European Union without a deal, "with all the disruption that would bring." May's European counterparts responded by noting that May's government was not offering any specifics on what could be done. "It is the U.K. leaving the EU," said European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker. "And I would have thought it was rather more up to the British government to tell us exactly what they want."

The Associated Press

6. Guatemalan girl, age 7, dies in Border Patrol custody

A 7-year-old girl from Guatemala died in Border Patrol custody after being caught trying to illegally enter the U.S. with her father and more than 100 other migrants, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said Thursday. The girl suffered from dehydration and shock while in custody after she and the other migrants turned themselves in to U.S. agents after crossing into the U.S. from Mexico in the remote New Mexico desert. The girl's death came at a time of intensifying scrutiny of the conditions at Border Patrol stations and other federal facilities that are increasingly overwhelmed by large numbers of families from Central America seeking asylum in the U.S.

The Washington Post

7. U.S. posts widest November budget deficit ever

The U.S. recorded its biggest November budget deficit ever, with spending jumping 18 percent to $411 billion while revenue receipts remained roughly unchanged at $206 billion, the Treasury Department reported Thursday. The $205 billion shortfall far exceeded the $139 billion gap in the same period last year. The U.S. posted its biggest deficit in six years in the 2018 fiscal year, President Trump's first full year in office, after Republicans enacted a huge tax cut and increased military spending. The deficit in the first two months of the new fiscal year totaled $305.4 billion, up from $201.8 billion in the same period in the previous year.

Bloomberg

8. French police kill suspected Christmas market gunman

The suspect in a shooting rampage that left three dead at a Christmas market in Strasbourg, France, was killed Thursday in a shootout with police, the Paris prosecutor's office said. The man was officially identified as Cherif Chekatt, a 29-year-old with a long history of robberies and other crimes who had been listed as a possible extremist. Police spotted a man fitting Chekatt's description in the city's Neudorf neighborhood. He opened fire when they tried to arrest him, and the officers returned fire, killing him, French authorities said. Witnesses said the gunman shouted "God is great!" when he opened fire on shoppers. Investigators described the attack as an act of terrorism.

The Associated Press

9. Trump says he never told Cohen to break the law

President Trump responded to his ex-lawyer Michael Cohen's sentencing to three years in prison in a series of tweets Thursday morning, disputing Cohen's claim he committed campaign finance violations on Trump's orders. Trump declared he "never directed Michael Cohen to break the law," but insinuated that if he had, Cohen should "know the law" and not commit a crime. Cohen "was guilty on many charges unrelated to me," Trump continued, but claimed Cohen wasn't guilty of his criminal campaign finance charges "even on a civil basis." Instead, Trump said Cohen pleaded guilty to paying off two women on Trump's behalf "to embarrass the president and get a much reduced prison sentence."

Donald J. Trump The Washington Post

10. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announces list of inductees

The 2019 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees were announced Thursday, with Radiohead, Janet Jackson, and Def Leppard among the latest to be enshrined in Cleveland. Joining them in the March induction ceremony will be Stevie Nicks (already in as a member of Fleetwood Mac), The Cure, Roxy Music, and The Zombies. Def Leppard, Roxy Music, and Stevie Nicks got in the first time they were nominated. The Cure and Radiohead had been nominated twice, and Janet Jackson three times. Among the acts who will be left out despite a nomination: Devo, Kraftwerk, LL Cool J, and Rage Against the Machine.

Pitchfork NPR