- Only four days until the electoral college meets to vote for the next president, and the drama isn't slowing down. New reports say that 54 of the 232 electoral college Democrats are calling for an intelligence briefing [1] before Dec. 19 due to CIA findings that Russia hacked the election in favor of Donald Trump [2]. One Republican has joined their demand. Thirty-seven electors would need to vote against Trump on Monday for him to fall short of the 270 votes required to be confirmed as president.
- Amid the devastation in Aleppo, Syria, the evacuation of hundreds of civilians and rebels [3] has begun in the eastern part of the city, reports CNN. By Thursday night, 1,000 civilians, including 300 children and 28 injured, were able to escape. However, most will likely be taken to the province of Idlib, a rebel-controlled area that's expected to be the government's next target for recapture. Pope Francis, meanwhile, wrote a letter to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad [4] asking him to respect international humanitarian law and let aid in for civilians.
- In other international news, Egyptian investigators say that traces of explosives have been found on some victims from Flight 804, which crashed into the Mediterranean while traveling from Paris to Cairo in May. Officials have announced a criminal investigation into the matter since they believe an explosion caused the fatal crash that killed all 66 people on board. However, Reuters reports that French investigators have doubts [5] about the announcement and believe a technical issue was more likely to blame.
- Time to say bye to your productivity. The Super Mario Run game launched today in the app store for iOS [6], bringing Nintendo's most iconic character to iPhones and iPads. The game features a running Mario who must try to get past 24 levels in six different worlds. There's also a Toad Rally where you compete against others to gain points and a Kingdom Builder mode that lets you build your own mushroom world. It'll cost you $10 to play the full version and is projected to gross $71 million [7] in its first month.
- Ready to feel old? On Wednesday, The Breakfast Club, The Princess Bride, and The Lion King were among the 25 movies added to the National Film Registry [8]. Movies are recognized if they're at least a decade old and considered "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." The public can nominate movies to the registry, which now honors 700 films total with the recent additions.