What to know now:
1. Bergdahl swap: A report from a House Armed Services Committee says the Obama administration misled Congress and violated federal law when they made the deal to swap U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl for five Taliban prisoners being held at the Guantanamo Bay detention center in Cuba. The report, set to be released Thursday, complains that the White House chose to ignore the mandated 30-day congressional notification period for any transfers from Guantanamo Bay giving little to no information about the plans to swap Bergdahl for the "Taliban Five." The administration said they acted quickly on the swap because they feared for Bergdahl's life.
2. Scalia on affirmative action: The U.S. Supreme Court seemed unpersuaded by arguments Wednesday that an affirmative action admissions plan at the University of Texas was constitutional. During the arguments, Justice Antonin Scalia suggested that minority students with an academic record that was inferior to others competing for a spot in the school may be better served at a "less advanced school, a slower-track school where they do well." Scalia added, "I don't think it stands to reason that it's a good thing for the University of Texas to admit as many blacks as possible."
3. Chipotle's continuing problems: More than 100 people in Boston – many of them students – have been sickened by what authorities believe is the norovirus. According to public health officials, the source of the food-borne illness is a Chipotle restaurant near the Boston College campus. This news comes on the heels of the closure of 43 Chipotle restaurants in two states after an E. coli outbreak in November. Earlier this week, the chain announced that cases of food-borne illnesses had been traced to its restaurants located in seven other states.
4. Paying at Walmart: Walmart is introducing a new feature that allows customers of the retail giant to link payment types to the Walmart app then check out by scanning a QR code displayed on the payment terminal. Customers can link credit, debit, prepaid or gift cards to the app to use for quicker checkout, the company says.
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5. San Bernardino shootings: A State Department officials says Tashfeen Malik was not asked about any jihadist inclinations when she was interviewed for a U.S. Visa. According to the official, she was not questioned about any terrorist leanings because her application did not raise any red flags as to her intentions in the United States.
And one more
The Golden Globe nominations will be announced in Beverly Hills Thursday morning, and the event is not without its own controversy. A change in what constitutes a lead role as opposed to a supporting role has some upset about the nominations before they are even announced. Ricky Gervais will return as host for the Globes which are set for Jan. 10.(Update 8 a.m.: Click here to see the list of nominees which will be released beginning at 8:15 a.m. (ET) )
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