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Today’s top stories

TikTok and the Justice Department are heading to the Supreme Court, where justices could decide whether a law banning the app next month unless it is sold is constitutional. The Supreme Court accepted TikTok’s emergency request to hear arguments on the law, and the justices acted quickly and deliberately. The hearing is scheduled for January 10, nine days before the app’s sell-or-ban deadline.

The TikTok Inc. building is seen on March 17, 2023 in Culver City, California.

Damian Dovarganes/AP

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The TikTok Inc. building is seen on March 17, 2023 in Culver City, California.

Damian Dovarganes/AP

• 🎧 This is TikTok’s last legal chance to avoid shutting down in the US unless the company splits off from its Chinese parent companyByteDance, tells NPR’s Bobby Allyn First up. This case is about the balance between freedom of expression and the possible threat from a foreign enemy. TikTok has said the Chinese government does not collect data on Americans or engage in propaganda, but U.S. officials said the risk remains too high. The Supreme Court has never heard the case that the U.S. government tried to shut down a massive social media platform, which is breaking new ground, Allyn says.

Republican lawmakers are working to avoid a government shutdown with less than a week until Christmas after President-elect Donald Trump and his allies opposed a bipartisan spending bill. The state funding finally expires on Friday. Congressional leaders released a roughly 1,500-page bipartisan spending bill that would fund the government through March 14, covering priorities such as farm subsidies, disaster relief and a pay raise for lawmakers. Yesterday, GOP leaders and Trump advisers urged House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., to pull out of the deal. House Democrats said they were not prepared to back down.

Syrians and refugees on both sides of the country’s conflict can return home after the fall of dictator Bashar al-Assad. The country is now accessible to journalists, providing a more comprehensive insight into the period of transition.

• 🎧 NPR’s Jane Arraf, who is in Syria, says Damascus has changed drastically since the fall of the Assad regime. Arraf traveled through Syria’s southern desert to the Rukban camp – a place she has been trying to travel to for years. People who fled ISIS thought they could get to Jordan from there, but were trapped. 7,000 people were cut off for nine years. For the first time, refugees in their own country have the opportunity to return home and reunite with their families.

Today’s listening

Mariah Carey released “All I Want For Christmas Is You” in 1994, but it took 25 years for the song to reach the top billboardis the Hot 100 pop chart. Since 2019, it has been at number 1 for a total of 16 weeks every December – so far.

Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images

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It’s that time of year when well-known Christmas songs hit the top spots on Billboard’s pop charts. The annual Invasion presents the current top 5 songs from the 1950s and 1960s. When Mariah Carey’s No. 1 song “All I Want for Christmas Is You” was released in 1994, it didn’t take the number one spot. That happened 25 years later. This week’s top five songs are predictable year after year, but a few newer songs make their way into the annual holiday playlist. Find out what’s changed since these songs were released and listen to the holiday music competing for the top spots.

Life advice

Annelise Capossela for NPR

As the days get darker and colder, people may experience seasonal affective disorder, or SAD. As the seasons change, you may feel sluggish, depressed, or have no interest in doing the things you used to enjoy. You may also oversleep or eat too much. About one in 20 people in the United States suffers from SAD. Many more people suffer from the winter blues, a milder version of SAD that makes you feel like a sadder, sleepy, or slower version of yourself. Here’s how to spot it and what you can do.

• ❄️ It can be difficult to identify a pattern of change because symptoms can creep insays Dr. Norman Rosenthal, clinical professor of psychiatry at Georgetown University School of Medicine.
• ❄️ The reason for the malfunction is not getting enough light. A SAD lamp is often recommended, which provides more intense light than indoor lighting.
• ❄️ Make time for exercise. As the seasons change, you may feel less energetic, and this can become a vicious cycle. Movement is an environmental signal that helps signal your internal clock.

Here’s more about why you might be feeling this way and how you can feel better.

3 things you should know before you go

Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien (center) gathers with Amazon workers outside Amazon’s JFK8 facility in Staten Island on Wednesday, June 19, 2024, in New York.

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1. Thousands of Amazon workers approved a strike this morningduring an important shopping period as they seek better pay, safer conditions and longer breaks.
2. This week, the House of Representatives passed a bill to officially name the bald eaglea symbol of the United States for centuries as the country’s national bird.
3. Have you ever been caught red-handed giving gifts during the holidays? If the answer is yes, NPR wants to hear your stories. The more embarrassing they are, the better.

This newsletter was published by Suzanne Nuyen.