The Short List: Future of our planet, Chicago shooting, Cyber Monday

Can we finally agree on how to combat global warming? Definitely maybe.

World leaders gathered in Paris on Monday for high-level negotiations on the future of global warming. The event is formally known as the 21st Conference of the Parties (COP21) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC). What's at stake. Nothing less than the future of our planet. The participants will try to produce a legally binding plan to keep global temperatures from rising more than 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) from pre-industrial levels. Who's there. Representatives from 196 nations, including dozens of world leaders such as President Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping (whose two countries are the biggest emitters of greenhouse gases blamed for the warming trend). How this affects you. Over the past 20 years, weather-related disasters led to 606,000 deaths (30,000 per year) and 4.1. billion injuries, the U.N.'s officer for disaster risk reduction calculates. Will there be a deal. It's looking like a definite maybe. Experts have expressed optimism that enough preparation has been done in advance of the talks to make a binding action plan possible. The difference this time is that 178 of the participating nations are coming with national commitments for reducing emissions blamed for causing the planet to warm. Astronaut Scott Kelly takes the long view and reminds us why it matters.

Laquan McDonald, Freddie Gray — the latest on these high-profile cases

A judge set bail at $1.5 million Monday for the Chicago police officer charged with first-degree murder for fatally shooting 17-year-old Laquan McDonald last year. And in Baltimore, jury selection began Monday in the first of several trials of police officers involved in the April arrest of Freddie Gray, 25, who died of a severe spinal injury after being in a police van. The deaths of these young black men are among the cases this year that touched off (sometimes violent) protests in their respective cities and sparked a conversation about policing, and race, in the USA. Worth reading: This piece from USA TODAY's Aamer Madhani, on the ground in Chicago. Also Monday in Chicago: Federal authorities charged a University of Illinois at Chicago student in connection with a gun violence threat that closed the University of Chicago for the day.

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No one's too big to fail

You know the theory. A company is so big, that if it failed, it would be catastrophic for the country's economy. It's why the Fed bailed out AIG and Bear Stearns during the 2008 financial crisis. Not anymore. The Federal Reserve on Monday adopted a rule that limits its ability to extend emergency loans to failing companies. The new rule traces its legal origin back to the Dodd-Frank Act, which President Obama signed into law to enforce new regulations on Wall Street and expand federal oversight in the wake of the Great Recession. The rule's exception: The Fed can still use emergency lending amid a general crisis.

Target put every single thing on sale, and you were so excited you broke the website

This is what 15% off sitewide looks like. An overload of Cyber Monday shoppers crashed Target's site Monday as the retailer deals with record online traffic. Target says volume is already twice as high as its busiest day ever, which was Thanksgiving. It isn't the first retailer to experience site glitches during the busiest shopping period of the year. Neiman Marcus' site went down on Black Friday, leading the department store to extend its sale. If there's anyone out there who didn't #CyberMonday shop during work hours (you're lying), here are the best deals online.

Watching many of Kobe Bryant's final NBA games in person won't be cheap

NBA legend Kobe Bryant told us Sunday this will be his last season. By Monday, ticket prices spiked for most of the remaining Los Angeles Lakers' games. Take, for example, the final regular-season game vs. the Utah Jazz on April 13, where the median price for tickets rose an eye-popping 240%. The cheapest seat as of Monday morning? $571. The most expensive: $21,000 each for a pair of tickets in the lower bowl. For about half the price ($11,200), you could sit courtside. We say: Talk to Santa. Speaking of Kobe: Here are 34 times he was just so clutch. Here's where he is the rest of the season. And please, enjoy this monster dunk from his 17-year-old self.

If you only read one thing tonight:Islamic State defections mount as death toll rises, U.S. official says

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Extra bites:

This Christmas season is upon us. That means some spectacular window displays in New York City. Swipe through more beautiful scenes here.

Oh hey, speaking of Charlie Brown. It's the 50th anniversary of A Charlie Brown Christmas, which airs tonight at 9 ET/PT on ABC. Here are some thoughts (50 of 'em!) on what makes the special so remarkable. 1. The sad-looking twig that we know as the Charlie Brown Christmas tree is forever etched in our minds.

Have you seen it? Just the most adorable Santa photo ever.

Newsflash: Princess Charlotte is extremely cute. So even if you already saw the smush-worthy photos of her that came out this weekend, you'll want to look again. Because, awwww.

We all need a little distraction at some point during the day (what else are smartphones for?), so add DISTRACTME on the YO app. It'll be fun, we promise.

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This is a compilation of stories from across USA TODAY.

Contributing: Nathan Bomey, Paul Davidson, Hadley Malcolm, Doyle Rice, Kim Hjelmgaard, Aamer Madhani, John Bacon, USA TODAY; A.J. Perez, Special for USA TODAY; Luke Kerr-Dineen, Nina Mandell, For the Win