CNN vs Fox

Taylor Swift is directing her first feature film. She also wrote the original script for the movie. https://cnn.it/3UJRBjE

Elton John has become the latest celebrity to say they are leaving Twitter, following Elon Musk’s takeover of the social media platform. https://cnn.it/3W8VEHv

Backstreet Boys’ member Nick Carter is being sued by a 39-year-old woman with autism and cerebral palsy who says the singer raped her as a teen on the group’s tour bus in 2001. The singer denied the allegation in a statement provided to CNN. https://cnn.it/3Fcohg1

.@SofiaCarson sings Applause! Watch a live performance on Sunday at 8 p.m. ET during CNN Heroes an All-Star Tribute

Twitter feed video.

Pope Francis broke down in tears while talking about the war in Ukraine during an annual prayer at Rome’s Spanish Steps to mark the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, a national holiday in Italy https://cnn.it/3BqLda7

Twitter feed image.

The baby has a congenital heart defect and needed urgent open heart surgery to survive – but the operation was delayed by his parents’ insistence that only blood from donors not vaccinated against Covid-19 be used. https://cnn.it/3Pd2qJI

A prosecutor agrees to look into James Brown’s death. Then things get really weird.

Listen to the final episode of “The James Brown Mystery” to hear what it all means for the investigation. https://cnn.it/3Ff5mRI

Twitter feed image.

The School of the Art Institute of Chicago has revoked an honorary doctorate awarded to Kanye West, as the fallout from the rapper's offensive remarks about Black and Jewish people continues. https://cnn.it/3uCkvrf

Across the country, a surge in influenza and respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, in children and the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic has meant high demand for mainstay medicines to reduce fevers and control pain. https://cnn.it/3hjccNX

With the increasing likelihood that the speaker’s race could go to multiple ballots – something that hasn’t happened since 1923 – allies and foes of House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy are starting to quietly game out the next steps https://cnn.it/3HonWJU

Another key inflation measure shows price pressures cooled off but remained stubbornly high in November, despite the Federal Reserve’s monthslong efforts to fight inflation through higher interest rates. https://cnn.it/3Bn40mV

Student Kylah Spring spoke with “CBS Mornings” about being the target of a racist attack on the University of Kentucky campus that went viral, saying “The script could have been flipped at any time if I had retaliated.”

Watch: https://cnn.it/3HlPGPa

Only 35% of US adults say that things are going well in the country today, with 65% saying things are going badly. https://cnn.it/3FDkU2Y

Sam Bankman-Fried, the founder of the failed crypto exchange FTX, has agreed to testify before the Senate Banking Committee next week as questions and confusion swirl about the collapse of his companies. https://cnn.it/3VNbN5u

In a joint statement, British, Japanese and Italian leaders said the new fighter jet is needed because “threats and aggression are increasing” against the “rules-based, free and open international order.” https://cnn.it/3W5V78Y

Dozens of local, state and federal investigators have yet to identify a suspect or find the murder weapon used in the attack last month in the small Idaho college town of Moscow. https://cnn.it/3iFcn6y

A landslide win in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state of Gujarat is a boost for the leader and his Hindu-nationalist party ahead of the 2024 general election. https://cnn.it/3FAtQpP

Here are 5 things you need to know today.

1. Brittney Griner back in the US

2. Sinema leaving Democratic Party

3. Health experts encouraging face masks

4. Winter weather advisories

5. Suspended Twitter users being restored

https://cnn.it/3FeHei6

Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema announced she’s leaving the Democratic Party and registering as a political independent. Sinema explained her rationale in an exclusive interview with CNN’s @jaketapper.

Watch it here: https://cnn.it/3UFULVv

WNBA star Brittney Griner arrived in San Antonio, Texas, after a prisoner exchange with Russia.

Watch the moment she touched down on US soil: https://cnn.it/3FgnbzD

“I’ve registered as an Arizona independent. I know some people might be a little bit surprised by this, but actually, I think it makes a lot of sense,” Sinema said in a Thursday interview with CNN's Jake Tapper. https://cnn.it/3h9PAiU

A lineup of correspondents’ segments paying tribute and a video montage of goodbyes from famous faces helped usher Trevor Noah through his final night as "The Daily Show" host. https://cnn.it/3Y8oGbM

WNBA star Brittney Griner lands in the US after prisoner exchange with Russia https://cnn.it/3h7iBMl

At present it’s common for South Koreans to have not just one age, but three – an “international age,” a “Korean age” and a “calendar age.” https://cnn.it/3FG6iQE

Birdie the golden retriever pulled a fire alarm at doggie day care. CNN's Jeanne Moos reports she had to wear a naughty dog apology sign.

Twitter feed video.

As a repeal of the US military’s Covid vaccine mandate took a step closer to becoming law, military officials and experts say it’s a change that could have ripple-effects on military readiness and the ability of service members to deploy around the world. https://cnn.it/3VJLTzA

"He sleighed that." Watch a man who won a raffle conduct an orchestra.

Twitter feed video.

Japanese fashion mogul Yusaku Maezawa has picked eight passengers that he said will join him on a trip around the moon, powered by SpaceX’s yet-to-be-flown Starship spacecraft. https://cnn.it/3HicS0N

A coffee chain announced it wants to make your drinks with oat milk. Here's why.

Twitter feed video.

Do you ever walk past someone who smells absolutely alluring? Dr. Sanjay Gupta's new podcast episode looks at scent and attraction.

Twitter feed video.

CNN’s exclusive on-camera interview with the pivotal figure who’s fighting China’s censorship on Twitter. @selinawangtv reports.

Twitter feed video.

When Joshua Pettit posted a video of his 85-year-old mother with Alzheimer's on social media, he had no idea how the internet was going to react. It turns out, they couldn't get enough.

Twitter feed video.

Months after most mask requirements have come to an end and many people have stopped wearing them, some of the nation’s leading health experts are encouraging people to put their face masks back on – but this time, it’s not just because of Covid-19. https://cnn.it/3HokSxg