--- description: Storms Set to Snarl Holiday Travel At least four people were killed in Mississippi as tornadoes swept through the south and forecasters warned Wednesday that... title: Morning Must Reads: December 24 image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb24c27fcf0ec0da8/6986837dcd6848a30809364f/morning-must-reads1.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Politics](/section/politics/) ## Politics Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Morning Must Reads](/tag/morning-must-reads/) ## Morning Must Reads Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Morning Must Reads: December 24 by [TIME Staff](/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Dec 24, 2014 3:19 PM CUT  The early morning sun rises behind the US Capitol Building in Washington, DC. The early morning sun rises behind the US Capitol Building in Washington, DC.Mark Wilson—Getty Images by [TIME Staff](/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Dec 24, 2014 3:19 PM CUT [Storms Set to Snarl Holiday Travel](http://time.com/3646626/floods-storms-travel-weather/ "undefined") At least four people were killed in Mississippi as tornadoes swept through the south and forecasters warned Wednesday that severe thunderstorms and flash flooding could put a damper on Christmas Eve, with heavy rains and winds expected to snarl travel plans [Here’s Your Last-Minute Gift Guide](http://time.com/3633606/last-minute-christmas-gifts/ "undefined") From a relaxing trip to the spa to a thrilling skydiving adventure, here are 10 gift ideas that no one will know were last-minute [Officer Fatally Shoots Missouri Teen](http://time.com/3646582/police-shoot-teenager-ferguson/ "undefined") A suburban St. Louis police officer shot and killed a man in Berkeley who authorities said pointed a gun at him at a gas station late Tuesday [Catholic Colleges Tell Poor Kids to Go Elsewhere](http://time.com/3642216/catholic-college-admissions-tuition-financial-aid/ "undefined") Some institutions succeed at keeping down costs for students with family earnings low enough to qualify for federal Pell grants — generally, $30,000 a year or less. But others are charging a net price equal to two-thirds or more of their families’ annual incomes [Former President George H.W. Bush Hospitalized](http://time.com/3646475/president-george-h-w-bush-hospitalized-precaution/ "undefined") Bush Sr. was brought to a hospital in Houston on Tuesday night, a precautionary measure after experiencing shortness of breath. Houston Methodist Hospital said in a statement that the 41st President ”will be held for observation” [Sony Announces Limited Release of _The Interview_](http://time.com/3645866/sony-limited-release-the-interview/ "undefined") Sony Pictures Entertainment announced on Tuesday a limited release plan for its controversial comedy _The Interview_ following intense pushback from movie theaters to the White House over its decision to pull the film after threats and a severe hack [FDA to Allow Gay Blood Donors](http://time.com/3645855/fda-gay-blood-donation-ban/ "undefined") The Food and Drug Administration announced on Tuesday it would recommend allowing men who have sex with men to donate blood one year after their last sexual contact, in a move that would ease a decades-long indefinite ban and likely boost the national donor supply [Ray Kelly on Mayor de Blasio: ‘This Isn’t the Campaign’](http://time.com/3646155/ray-kelly-on-mayor-de-blasio-this-isnt-the-campaign/ "undefined") The former police chief speaks out on the murder of two NYPD officers, the Eric Garner case and what Mayor Bill de Blasio doesn’t get about New York cops. “He talked about stop-question-and-frisk, but I don’t think he fully understood the nuances of it,” said Kelly [Navy Investigates SEAL Who Said He Shot Bin Laden](http://time.com/3646586/navy-investigates-seal-bin-laden/ "undefined") A Navy official says the service is investigating an allegation that the former Navy SEAL who claims he shot and killed Osama bin Laden may have revealed classified information to those not authorized to receive it [John Stamos Foots the Bill for Holiday Shoppers](http://time.com/3646442/john-stamos-foots-the-bill-for-holiday-shoppers/ "undefined") The actor secretly surprised shoppers at JCPenney, paying for all their purchases as a holiday treat as part of the store’s #JustGotJingled campaign. “Today, Santa Claus is taking care of your purchase, so you don’t have to pay for anything,” he told customers [L.A. Judge Stubs Out Marijuana App](http://time.com/3646441/nestdrop-marijuana-cannabis-los-angeles/ "undefined") A Los Angeles–based smartphone application aimed at becoming the city’s first mobile medical-marijuana logistics service was ordered to stop business by a county judge on Tuesday. A court ruled the popular smartphone app flouts Proposition D [Uber CEO Indicted in South Korea](http://time.com/3646543/uber-ceo-indicted-south-korea/ "undefined") Prosecutors have indicted the local subsidiary of Uber for violating transportation laws. The indictment also names CEO Travis Kalanick for flouting a law prohibiting any person or company from using rental cars for paid transportation services without a license [_Get_ TIME_’s The Brief e-mail every morning in your inbox_](http://time.com/politicsemail "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3646705/morning-must-reads-december-24/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3646705/morning-must-reads-december-24/"},"headline":"Morning Must Reads: December 24","datePublished":"2014-12-24T15:19:46.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T03:07:24.420Z","description":"Storms Set to Snarl Holiday Travel At least four people were killed in Mississippi as tornadoes swept through the south and forecasters warned Wednesday that...","url":"https://time.com/3646705/morning-must-reads-december-24/","keywords":["Morning Must Reads"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb24c27fcf0ec0da8/6986837dcd6848a30809364f/morning-must-reads1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"TIME Staff","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/time-staff/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb24c27fcf0ec0da8/6986837dcd6848a30809364f/morning-must-reads1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Morning Must Reads","caption":"Capitol","creditText":"Mark Wilson—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/morning-must-reads/","name":"Morning Must Reads"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3646705/morning-must-reads-december-24/","name":"Morning Must Reads: December 24"}}]}] ```