December 12, 2024

Good morning.

1. President Biden commuted ~1,500 sentences (for inmates placed on home confinement during the pandemic) and granted 39 pardons (for non-violent crimes) setting a single-day clemency record (Hill: nwppr.co/z674).

2. FBI Director Christopher Wray said he will resign before President-elect Trump (who appointed Wray in 2017) takes office. Wray’s term expires in 2027, but Trump vowed to replace him with Kash Patel (BBC: nwppr.co/y674).

3. Mysterious drones continue to be spotted over parts of New Jersey, including near critical infrastructure and a Trump golf course. Officials are actively addressing the matter, but there is still no clear explanation (AP: nwppr.co/x674).

4. Police matched fingerprints and shell casings found at the UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting crime scene to the suspect in custody (UPI: nwppr.co/w674).

5. The Producer Price Index rose 0.4% in November, above expectations of 0.2%. The wholesale inflation index is up 3.0% on an annual basis (CNBC: nwppr.co/v674).

6. The European Central Bank cut interest rates by a quarter point (to 3%) in its fourth cut this year (CNBC: nwppr.co/u674).

7. FIFA announced Saudi Arabia will host the 2034 World Cup. The 2030 World Cup will be hosted by Morocco, Spain, and Portugal and the 2026 World Cup will be in the US, Canada, and Mexico (NPR: nwppr.co/t674).

8. TIME named Donald Trump “Person of the Year” for 2024. Since 1927, TIME has made the selection based on “influence” over the past 12 months (TIME: nwppr.co/r674, BBC: nwppr.co/q674).

–Editors