What to know now:
1. Obama meets over guns: President Barack Obama met with former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg as he prepares to issue an executive order that is aimed to tighten access to guns. Bloomberg is an advocate of stronger gun laws. According to the White House, the president "discussed ways to keep guns out of the hands of those who should not have access to them."
2. Mistrial declared: A judge declared a mistrial Wednesday in the first trial of one of six Baltimore Police officers charged in the death of Freddie Gray. William Porter's trial ended after the jury informed the judge that they could not reach a verdict. Gray died from a broken neck after he was taken into custody by Baltimore police earlier this year.
3. Fed hikes rate: The cost to borrow money got a little bit more expensive Wednesday as the Federal Reserve raised the benchmark interest rate it charges banks. While the rates most pay for cars, homes and other loans will go up, they likely won't do so for a time. Credit cards and home equity loans will see some movement sooner rather than later, but the increases are expected to be minimal.
4. Confederate monuments: New Orleans is set to take down monuments to its Confederate past with a vote by the city council Thursday. The vote will approve the removal of several monuments around the city, including the iconic statue of Gen. Robert E. Lee. Those on both sides of the issue will be speaking at the council's special session Thursday.
5. "Star Wars" in theaters: The long-awaited, and favorably reviewed "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," opens in theaters across the country Thursday. The latest installment in the franchise brings back the characters from the first movie which hit screens some 38 years ago.
And one more
A professor at Wheaton College has been suspended after she put on a hijab and said her fellow Christians worship the same God as Muslims do. The Christian college suspended Larycia Hawkins after she announced she would wear the hijab -- a traditional headscarf – through the Christian Advent season in her effort to stand with Muslims who are being condemned in the wake of the terror attacks in Paris and San Bernardino. The college said in a statement it held no position on wearing the hijab, but suspended Hawkins "in response to significant questions regarding the theological implications of statements" she made about Islam and Christianity.
In case you missed it
What did we search for on Google this year?
