What to know now:
1. If he could run again: President Barack Obama suggested this weekend that if he could have run for another term, he would have beaten Donald Trump in the 2016 election. The president, speaking to his former White House adviser David Axelrod, said in a podcast released Monday, "… I am confident that if I had run again and articulated it (his vision for America), I think I could've mobilized a majority of the American people to rally behind it." The response from Trump came, not surprisingly, via Twitter. "President Obama said that he thinks he would have won against me. He should say that but I say NO WAY! - jobs leaving, ISIS, OCare, etc."
2. Trump Foundation: President-elect Donald Trump's plan to close his charitable foundation hit a snag after New York's attorney general said the organization will have to remain open since his office is investigating its practices. According to Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, the investigation into the foundation began when the organization gave a $25,000 donation to a fundraising group that supported Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi. According to the Trump Foundation, the donation was a clerical error. Trump paid a $2,500 fine to the IRS over the donation because it violated regulations that ban charities from giving money to political campaigns. Trump also paid back the $25,000 to the foundation.
3. No sign of terrorism: Russian officials said on Monday that they do not believe that terrorism had anything to do with a plane that crashed into the Black Sea early Christmas morning. The plane, owned by the Russian Defense Ministry, plummeted into the Black Sea only two minutes after taking off from an airport in Sochi. All 92 people on board were killed, Kremlin officials said. The plane was carrying the Alexandrov Ensemble, a military choir. They were headed to Syria for a performance at a Russian military base.
4. Chicago violence: Sixty-one people were shot in Chicago over the holiday weekend, with 11 of them dying from their wounds, according to authorities. The Chicago Police Department issued a stated Monday concerning the weekend violence that read: "Ninety percent of those fatally wounded had gang affiliations, criminal histories and were pre-identified by the department's strategic subject algorithm as being a potential suspect or victim of gun violence." Nearly 50 weapons were confiscated, according to authorities.
5. Mall brawls on Boxing Day: Police reported incidents of brawls at malls across the country on Monday. The fights, some minor, others where guns were fired, happened in at least a dozen malls and shopping centers, according to reports and videos posted on social media. Shoppers were seen fleeing in some instances as fist were flying or sounds of gunfire were heard.
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