It’s Friday! And here’s what you need to know today. (PS: You can have this delivered to your inbox by subscribing here.)

1. The implications of the deadly U.S. drone strike on an Iranian commander

Thousands of American troops are being deployed to the Middle East after a U.S. drone strike killed Iranian Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani at Baghdad International Airport, marking a significant escalation in tensions between Tehran and Washington.

President Donald Trump today said he authorized the attack “to stop a war. We did not take action to start a war.” Trump said Soleimani was plotting new attacks in the region, but the details have not been publicly released.

U.S. officials are bracing for potential retaliatory attacks, such as cyberattacks or acts of terrorism on U.S. interests and allies, as Iran vows to carry out a “forceful revenge.” [New York Times]

How did we get to this point? The recent tensions can be traced to Trump’s 2018 decision to exit from Iran’s nuclear deal with world leaders. Here’s a look at what lead up to Soleimani’s killing and what it could mean going forward. [AP]

Who was Soleimani? Check out this article to learn more about how he helped expand Iran’s influence throughout the Middle East over the last two decades. [NPR]

2. Senate no closer to setting rules for Trump impeachment trial

The impeachment trial of President Trump appears to be in flux as Senate leaders remain far apart in forging an agreement on the trial’s rules.

Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., today said the Senate will proceed with “ordinary business” and criticized House Democrats for not sending the articles of impeachment to the Senate. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., has delayed sending the articles to the Senate as Democrats seek guarantees regarding witnesses and documents.

Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., questioned why McConnell would not allow additional witnesses and accused him of using “Alice-in-Wonderland logic.” [Washington Post]

3. Australia’s bushfires could become more devastating

Weather conditions are expected to exacerbate what is considered one of the most widespread outbreaks of bushfires in Australia’s history. The fires are located in populated areas in southeast Australia, and authorities have urged tens of thousands of people to evacuate.

The fires began in September and have killed at least 20 people. [BBC]

Here’s a look at the destructive impact of the fires. [NPR]

4. United Methodist Church expected to split over same-sex marriage

Leaders of the United Methodist Church, the third-largest religious denomination in the U.S., announced today a plan to end a yearslong fight over same-sex marriage by splitting apart.

Under the plan, a “traditionalist Methodist” denomination would oppose same-sex marriage while the remaining United Methodist Church would allow same-sex marriage and allow LGBTQ clergy. The proposal would need to be approved at a worldwide conference in May. [CNN]

5. Remember those makeup school days because of the Chicago teachers strike?

Looks like a lot of students are tuning out.

More than 66,000 students didn’t show up to classes the day before Thanksgiving, which was the first makeup day. That’s about 22% of students enrolled in Chicago’s public schools, reports the Chicago Sun-Times.

A total of five makeup days were scheduled under a deal to end last fall’s teacher strike. Two of those makeup days were this week, but Chicago Public Schools didn’t immediately have attendance numbers. [Chicago Sun-Times]

Here’s what else is happening

• More than 200 Republican members of Congress asked the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade. [New York Times]
• The Iowa caucuses are a month away. [NPR]
• The feds seized more than $51,000 in cash from a safe found inside Cook County Commissioner Jeffrey Tobolski’s house. [Chicago Sun-Times]
• Segway has a “self-balancing stroller for adults.” [Gizmodo]

Oh, and one more thing …

My parents will occasionally ask me for TV show recommendations during the winter and, honestly, I don’t watch a ton of shows. (Too busy being a bad boi at the Dungeons & Dragons table.) But thank baby Yoda for this list of noteworthy shows from The New York Times. [NYT]

But if you’re more into movies, here’s a look at what’s in store for theaters in 2020. I’m particularly excited for the new Wonder Woman movie, and I had no idea that there’s another movie adaptation of Frank Herbert’s sci-fi classic Dune, only this time it stars [spits out water] Timothée Chalamet. [BBC]

Tell me something good …

What’s your resolution for 2020?

Me? My resolution is to make one of these videos of New Year’s resolutions.

Thanks for reading and have a nice night! I’ll see you next week.