What to know now:
1. California shootings: Authorities are trying to find out what triggered a man and a woman to kill 14 people and wound 17 at a Southern California social services center. Dressed in "assault-style clothing," Syed R. Farook, 28, and the woman he lived with, Tashfeen Malik, 27, opened fired at the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino Wednesday. Police say Farook had attended a meeting there but left after becoming angry. He, with Malik, returned to the center and began shooting. A motive for the shooting has not been determined. Authorities say they believe they found an explosive device at the center.
2. Another shooting: The shooting at the Inland Center in Southern California wasn't the only mass shooting Wednesday. Four people were shot at a house in Savannah, Ga., early Wednesday. Police are looking for two shooters, according to reports. A woman died on the scene and three men are recovering in an area hospital.
3. Pistorius verdict: Former Paralympic gold medalist Oscar Pistorius has been found guilty of the murder of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, after South Africa's Supreme Court overturned his previous conviction of "culpable homicide." According to the judge, Pistorius should have been charged with murder because he would have known that firing of a gun through a door and into a bathroom would likely kill anyone behind the door.
4. British airstrikes: Lawmakers in Britain voted Wednesday to begin airstrikes against Islamic State targets in Syria, then, hours later, did just that. Prime Minister David Cameron championed the attacks in a marathon session of the House of Commons, saying that bombing the "medieval monsters" in Syria would make Britain safer. The vote was 397-223.
5. Flight 370: Two independent studies on where the ill-fated Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 may be ended up have concluded that teams searching for the missing jet are likely in the right place. According to those in charge of the search for the plane that went missing in 2014, a new prioritized search area in the Indian Ocean has been identified and search efforts are being concentrated there.
And one more
The White House has rejected a plan from the Pentagon to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, saying it will cost too much money. According to reports, the president intends to shrink the number of detainees at the prison over the next few months, then transfer them to prisons in America. However, the plan from the Pentagon is said to have a $500 million dollar price tag.
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We could all use a smile about now.
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