- President Obama has issued a permanent ban on oil drilling [1] in US-controlled parts of the Atlantic and Arctic. He did so using a 63-year-old law that prevents certain areas from being leased for oil rights. Many see it as a move to protect the environment against Donald Trump [2], who has promised to beef up the oil and gas industry. Insiders say Trump would be unable to reverse Obama's order since it was done through law and not executive action.
- Berlin police have identified a new suspect in Monday's deadly attack at a Christmas market [3]. Law enforcement sources told CBS they're searching for Anis Amri, a Tunisian man who left personal documents under the driver's seat of the truck that plowed into the busy market. The attack left 12 dead and injured 50. Amri is reportedly an asylum seeker with ties to ISIS [4].
- Lena Dunham is apologizing for the controversial abortion comments [5] she made on her Women of the Hour podcast. In an Instagram post, the Girls actress wrote she was sorry for saying she wished she'd had an abortion. She called it a "distasteful joke" and wrote, "I would never, ever intentionally trivialize the emotional and physical challenges of terminating a pregnancy."
- An explosion at a fireworks market in Mexico killed at least 31 people [6] and injured 72. The incident, which was caught on camera, happened in San Pablito, about 50 miles outside Mexico City, on Tuesday. This isn't the first time disaster has struck the popular market — two other explosions in 2005 and 2006 also destroyed hundreds of stands.
- Morgan Freeman [7] has a new job: being the voice of Mark Zuckerberg's homemade artificial intelligence assistant [8]. On Tuesday, the Facebook CEO released a video of his assistant, named Jarvis after the Iron Man character. It can be seen making breakfast toast, adjusting thermostats, and responding to commands in Freeman's iconic voice. Back in October, Zuckerberg had asked his followers for suggestions on who should voice Jarvis; Freeman was the overwhelming winner.