10 things you need to know today: December 30, 2015

1.

An airstrike in Syria by the U.S.-led coalition killed an Islamic State operative closely linked to Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the alleged ringleader of the November terror attacks in Paris, a coalition spokesman said Tuesday. The Syrian-based ISIS member, Charaffe al Mouadan, was one of 10 senior ISIS figures killed in airstrikes recently who had been involved in planning terror attacks on Western targets, including the Paris attacks, according to the spokesman. Al Mouadan was "actively planning additional attacks" when he was killed in a Dec. 24 strike, the spokesman said.

2.

Former New York governor George Pataki announced Tuesday night that he was dropping out of the race for the Republican presidential nomination. The low-key Pataki, who served three terms as governor of New York, launched his campaign in May, but never gained traction with an energized GOP base. He struggled to gain money and registered near zero in recent polls. He made his announcement that he was dropping out using airtime NBC gave him in early-voting Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina when he and other candidates demanded "equal time" following Donald Trump's Saturday Night Live appearance.

3.

Rain-swollen rivers continued to rise in Missouri and Illinois on Wednesday, with the Mississippi overtopping a levee in at least one spot in Missouri. The state's governor, Jay Nixon, warned Tuesday that his state could face "very historic and dangerous" flooding due to run-off from severe weekend storms, which he said had "caused river levels to not only rise rapidly, but to go to places they've never been before." At least 13 people have died in Missouri since floods began over the weekend. Nixon activated National Guard troops to help with security.

4.

Chicago police Officer Jason Van Dyke pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in the shooting death of black teenager Laquan McDonald on Tuesday. Van Dyke was freed on bail last month after posting the required 10 percent of a $1.5 million bond. Police video showed Van Dyke, who is white, shooting McDonald 16 times seconds after getting out of a squad car last year, as McDonald moved away, carrying a knife. Defense lawyers say Van Dyke feared for his life.

5.

Captured teen fugitive Ethan Couch is scheduled to return to Texas from Mexico on a commercial flight today. Couch — known for his lawyers' "affluenza" defense against 2013 drunken-driving manslaughter charges, claiming his family's wealth left him unable to tell right from wrong — is accompanied by his mother, Tonya Couch. She was arrested with him in the Pacific resort town of Puerto Vallarta, and could face two to 10 years in prison for allegedly helping her son flee to avoid jail time for a possible probation violation. Ethan Couch is expected to be sent to juvenile detention, where he can be held until he turns 19 on April 11.

6.

The World Health Organization on Tuesday declared Guinea to be Ebola-free for the first time since a deadly epidemic hit the West African nation and two neighbors — Sierra Leone and Liberia — two years ago. The outbreak killed more than 11,000 people and sickened 28,000 more in 10 countries. "This is a very big victory for the nation and the people of Guinea," said Fode Tass Sylla, a spokesman for the country's Ebola task force. Monitoring will continue for three months to make sure the virus doesn't return, as it did in Liberia.

7.

The U.S. military on Wednesday accused Iran of conducting rocket tests last week near U.S. warships and commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. The narrow passage between Iran and Oman has tremendous strategic importance, as it is used by warships involved in fighting the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, and by tankers carrying a third of all oil transported by sea. One of the missiles passed within 4,500 feet of the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman on Saturday. Iran announced the live-fire exercise just 23 minutes in advance.

8.

A top aide to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has died in an automobile accident, the secretive communist nation's state media reported Wednesday. The official, Kim Yang Gon, was in charge of relations with South Korea, and his death could complicate efforts to mend ties between the rival nations. Kim Yang Gon, 73, was one of the aides most commonly seen accompanying Kim Jong Un on inspections of troops and key facilities, suggesting he was a trusted aide. Details of the circumstances of his death were unavailable.

9.

Los Angeles police on Tuesday arrested former Glee actor Mark Salling on child-pornography possession charges. Salling, 33, played edgy high-schooler Noah "Puck" Puckerman in the Fox musical TV series, which ended earlier this year. Officers reportedly obtained a search warrant early Tuesday for Salling's house in Sunland, California, and allegedly found hundreds of images of "child sexual exploitation" on Salling's computer. Sources told TMZ Salling was "shocked" when police arrived to conduct the search.

10.

The Philadelphia Eagles have fired coach Chip Kelly, the pro football team announced Tuesday. In a letter posted to the Eagles' website, chairman and CEO Jeffrey Lurie wrote: "I spent the last three seasons evaluating the many factors involved in our performance as a team. As I watched the season unfold, I determined that it was time to make a change." The abrupt decision came five days before the Eagles, 6-9 in their second straight losing year, were to play their final game of the season, after being eliminated from playoff contention with a Saturday loss to the Washington Redskins.