1. FBI: San Bernardino shooters were radicalized ‘for some time’

Syed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik had been radicalized “for some time” prior to killing 14 people at a community center in California, the FBI said. Weeks before the attack, Farook got a $28,500 cash loan and afterward one of the shooter’s friends checked himself into a mental health facility.

More: San Bernardino updates

2. Obama calls for war on ISIS, gun restrictions following shooting

President Barack Obama called on Congress to authorize war against the Islamic State in a rare address from the Oval Office on Sunday. He vowed to destroy the group, but said he won’t send ground forces into Syria. On Saturday, the president voiced concerns that a person on a no-fly list can legally buy a firearm in the United States.

More: Barack Obama

3. Trump wants to stop Muslims entering America

Donald Trump on Monday called for a “total and complete shutdown” of Muslims entering the United States until the U.S. “can figure out what is going on.” He said much of the Muslim population has a “great hatred toward Americans.”

More: Donald Trump

4. Former President Jimmy Carter is cancer-free

Months after a diagnosis of melanoma, Jimmy Carter has no signs of cancer in his liver or brain, he told a Sunday school class that he teaches. A statement on Carter’s website said the 91-year-old will continue treatment.

More: Jimmy Carter

5. U.S. charges, arrests more FIFA officials

As prosecutors in the United States announced charges against 16 officials in the world governing body of soccer on Thursday, police in Switzerland arrested two FIFA officials at the request of the U.S. In May, 14 soccer officials were arrested by Swiss police at the U.S.’s request. All of this stems from suspicion of corruption and bribery within FIFA.

More: FIFA arrests

6. Unemployment holds at 7.5 year low

American companies added 211,000 new jobs in November, holding the unemployment rate steady at 5 percent. The Federal Reserve will likely raise interest rates later in December as a result.

More: U.S. economy

7. Oscar Pistorius guilty of murder, appeals court rules

South Africa’s highest appeals court discarded Oscar Pistorius’s original charge of manslaughter on Thursday and convicted him on a more serious charge of murder. The double-amputee Olympic runner known as The Blade Runner, who shot and killed his girlfriend in 2013, has spent a year in prison so far and is currently under house arrest for the previous manslaughter conviction. He will receive a new sentence.

More: Oscar Pistorius

8. Pentagon opens all combat jobs to women

Defense Secretary Ashton Carter announced Thursday that all combat positions in the United States military will be open to women. Previously, women had been restricted from combat roles such as the Army Rangers or Marine Corps infantry. The decision will open about 220,000 military jobs to women.

More: Women in combat

9. American coal executive convicted of misdemeanor, exonerated on three felonies

Donald Blankenship, the former chief executive officer of the Massey Energy Company, was convicted of conspiring to violate federal safety standards on Thursday, but was exonerated of three felony charges that could have put him in jail for 30 years. Blankenship’s leadership of the energy company was criticized after 29 workers were killed in an explosion in one of its West Virginia mines.

More: Donald Blankenship

10. Britain extends airstrikes into Syria

The British Parliament authorized Prime Minister David Cameron to join a United States-led bombing campaign against Islamic State targets in Syria on Dec. 2. Cameron had pledged to increase the country’s military contribution against terrorism following the Paris attacks.

More: British air strikes

Published on December 9, 2015 at 9:42 am

Contact Jon: jrmettus@syr.edu | @jmettus