These are the headlines you Need 2 Know.
* **Brexit:** Prime Minister Theresa May pulled the Brexit vote from Parliament, scheduled for today, in order to ask for changes to it. May admitted that “a significant margin” of those voting were ready to reject it. The delay marks another setback for May’s Brexit plan before the March deadline. Read more [here](https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-46509288).
* **Russian ‘Spy’ Deal:** Maria Butina, an accused Russian spy, has reached a plea deal with federal prosecutors. Butina will plead guilty to conspiracy and will be cooperating with the feds. When Butina was arrested in July she was accused of attempting to “advance the agenda of the Russian Federation.” Read more [here](https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/maria-butina-accused-russian-agent-reaches-plea-deal/story?id=59719083).
* **Gas Prices:** Gas prices hit a low for 2018 on Monday, with the national average for a gallon of regular at $2.42. That’s 28 cents lower than a month ago and 4 cents lower than a year ago. The highest price on record for a gallon of gas was in July of 2008 at $4.10. Gas prices are predicted to continue decreasing this month. Read more [here](https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2018/12/10/gas-prices/2268738002/).
* **Google+:** Google is shutting down Google+ five months earlier than planned amid a security bug impacting more than 50 million users. In a blog post, the company says the bug made private profile info available to third-party apps. Google CEO Sundar Pichai testifies on Capitol Hill for the first time today. Read more [here](https://www.cnbc.com/2018/12/10/google-shutting-down-social-network-sooner-because-of-new-security-bug.html).
* **Fearless Girl:** The popular ‘Fearless Girl’ statue was uprooted from her home facing down the ‘Charging Bull’ in Lower Manhattan to a new perch a few blocks away, where she will stand opposite the New York Stock Exchange. Read more [here](https://www.cheddar.com/videos/fearless-girl-finds-new-home-outside-nyse).
* **Sportsperson of the Year:** The Golden State Warriors have been named Sports Illustrated “Sportsperson of The Year.” The editors explained that they chose to honor the entire team ー instead of a single player as is customary ー because they’re just so good. Read more [here](https://www.si.com/sportsperson/2018/12/10/golden-state-warriors-sports-illustrated-sportsperson-award-editors-letter).
* **Oscars:** The Academy is considering going with a “host-less” Oscars ceremony as it scrambles to replace Kevin Hart, who quit the gig last week. Hart’s abrupt departure has thrown the show into chaos 10 weeks before air, when a host would normally be rehearsing. Read more [here](https://variety.com/2018/film/news/oscars-academy-kevin-hart-replacement-1203084598/).
* **’Smocking Gun’:** The Internet was abuzz with memes and comments after President Trump tweeted twice Monday about a ‘smocking’ (rather than ‘smoking’) gun. Comments included “A smocking gun would have made the sewing part of my Home Ec class so much more interesting” and “My covfefe is smocking hot this morning.” See the tweets [here](https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/donald-trump-smocking-gun_us_5c0e9950e4b0edf5a3a73ef2).
* **Spotted:** Nicole Kidman as former Fox News host Gretchen Carlson. Kidman’s playing Carlson in the upcoming Roger Ailes biopic ‘Fair and Balanced.’ See the pic [here](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-6480941/Nicole-Kidman-transforms-Gretchen-Carlson-set-Fair-Balanced.html).
* **Nutty Squirrel:** A Chicago squirrel jumped on the shoulder of a UPS employee delivering a package ー and it was all caught on camera. See the pic [here](https://www.facebook.com/CBSNews/videos/460294307832045/).
Cheddar's Hena Doba gets into the latest.
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Albania's Prime Minister Edi Rama says his new Cabinet will include an artificial intelligence “minister” in charge of fighting corruption. The AI, named Diella, will oversee public funding projects and combat corruption in public tenders. Diella was launched earlier this year as a virtual assistant on the government's public service platform. Corruption has been a persistent issue in Albania since 1990. Rama's Socialist Party won a fourth consecutive term in May. It aims to deliver EU membership for Albania in five years, but the opposition Democratic Party remains skeptical.
The Trump administration has asked an appeals court to remove Lisa Cook from the Federal Reserve’s board of governors by Monday, before the central bank’s next vote on interest rates. Trump sought to fire Cook Aug. 25, but a federal judge ruled late Tuesday that the removal was illegal and reinstated her to the Fed’s board.
President Donald Trump's administration is appealing a ruling blocking him from immediately firing Federal Reserve Gov. Lisa Cook as he seeks more control over the traditionally independent board. The notice of appeal was filed Wednesday, hours after U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb handed down the ruling. The White House insists the Republican president had the right to fire Cook over mortgage fraud allegations involving properties in Michigan and Georgia from before she joined the Fed. Cook's lawsuit denies the allegations and says the firing was unlawful. The case could soon reach the Supreme Court, which has allowed Trump to fire members of other independent agencies but suggested that power has limitations at the Fed.
Chief Justice John Roberts has let President Donald Trump remove a member of the Federal Trade Commission, the latest in a string of high-profile firings allowed for now by the Supreme Court.
President Donald Trump has fired one of two Democratic members of the U.S. Surface Transportation Board to break a 2-2 tie ahead of the board considering the largest railroad merger ever proposed.
The Rev. Al Sharpton is set to lead a protest march on Wall Street to urge corporate America to resist the Trump administration’s campaign to roll back diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. The New York civil rights leader will join clergy, labor and community leaders Thursday in a demonstration through Manhattan’s Financial District that’s timed with the anniversary of the Civil Rights-era March on Washington in 1963. Sharpton called DEI the “civil rights fight of our generation." He and other Black leaders have called for boycotting American retailers that scaled backed policies and programs aimed at bolstering diversity and reducing discrimination in their ranks.
President Donald Trump's administration last month awarded a $1.2 billion contract to build and operate what's expected to become the nation’s largest immigration detention complex to a tiny Virginia firm with no experience running correction facilities.
Cracker Barrel said late Tuesday it’s returning to its old logo after critics — including President Donald Trump — protested the company’s plan to modernize.
Donald Trump has a message for critics who think turning the U.S. government into a major stockholder of Intel is a “socialist” move: More is coming.
Federal Reserve Gov. Lisa Cook's lawyer says she'll sue President Donald Trump's administration to try to prevent him from firing her. Longtime Washington attorney Abbe Lowell said Tuesday that Trump “has no authority to remove” Cook. If Trump succeeds in removing Cook from the Fed's board of governors, it could erode the Fed’s political independence, which is considered critical to its ability to fight inflation because it enables the Fed to take unpopular steps like raising interest rates. The Republican president said Monday he was removing Cook because of allegations she committed mortgage fraud. Cook was appointed by Democratic President Joe Biden in 2022 and says she won't step down.
