Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and stories that will be talked about today:

1. WHAT THE NEW YORK SHOOTER'S NOTE SAID

William Spengler wanted to burn down the neighborhood and "do what I like doing best, killing people" before shooting at firefighters.

2. SAME WEAPON USED IN NEW YORK AND NEWTOWN

Police in Webster, N.Y., recovered a .223-caliber semiautomatic Bushmaster rifle — the same caliber and make used to kill 26 people at a Connecticut elementary school.

3. TORNADOES FOR CHRISTMAS

The twisters spun across Texas and Alabama, blew the roofs off homes and killed three people.

4. SCARED TO SHOP

Retail spending grew at the slowest pace since the 2008 recession in a holiday season dampened by economic uncertainty.

5. REPUBLICANS LOOKING FOR COMPROMISE

After President Obama's re-election, many are willing to bend on immigration, taxes and gun issues.

6. BACK TO THE OLD IN JAPAN

Shinzo Abe was voted back into office, restoring power to the conservatives that ran Japan for most of the post-World War II era. Continued...