By MICHAEL FALCONE ( @michaelpfalcone )

NOTABLES

• JUSTICE DEPARTMENT INVESTIGATING ERIC GARNER DEATH: Attorney General Eric Holder announced last night that the Justice Department will launch a civil rights investigation into the death of Eric Garner, the unarmed black man who died after being placed in a choke hold by a white New York City police officer during an arrest last summer. The announcement came just hours after a Staten Island grand jury declined to indict officers involved in Garner's arrest. Garner died July 17 after being placed in a chokehold by Officer David Pantaleo. ABC's PIERRE THOMAS, JACK CLOHERTY and JACK DATE report the department will conduct an "independent, thorough, fair and expeditious investigation. Holder noted that many have seen the video of the incident and that "all lives must be valued." He said the federal investigation would review all aspects of the case. http://abcn.ws/1ygIGdd

• MORE: The Staten Island decision follows a similar finding by a grand jury in Missouri in the case of Michael Brown, the unarmed, black teen who was shot in a confrontation with Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson. The attorney general pointed out these incidents "have tested the sense of trust that must exist between law enforcement and the communities they are charged to serve and protect." Holder added, "This is not a New York issue or a Ferguson issue alone. Those who have protested peacefully across our great nation following the grand jury's decision in Ferguson have made that clear."

• HAPPENING TODAY: This morning, President Obama delivers remarks at the Summit on College Opportunity. In the evening, the First Family attends the National Christmas Tree Lighting on the Ellipse.

• ON THE HILL: The House will take what's being criticized by many conservatives as a "show vote" on the Executive Amnesty Prevention Act of 2014. It's unlikely the Senate would ever consider the measure, ABC's JOHN PARKINSON notes. Meanwhile, House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer, and Democratic Caucus Chairman Xavier Becerra will join immigration reform advocates at a press conference to "speak out against House Republicans' attempts to undermine the president's Immigration Accountability Executive Actions."

THE ROUNDTABLE

ABC's SHUSHANNAH WALSHE: New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie kicks off a two-day trip to Canada today and expect a focus on energy, especially the need for the Keystone XL pipeline to be built. He's also trying to burnish that foreign policy resume ahead of a possible presidential run. This will be Christie's third foreign trip in office, he's also visited Israel and in September he traveled to Mexico. Christie has made no secret that he wants Keystone built, saying while in Mexico "it should be built today" and "we are missing an enormous opportunity when we delay development." He even said the delay was causing a "major strain in relations" between the United States and Canada. We will see if he goes any farther today. Another possible presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton, will visit Canada next month. She's avoided weighing in on where she stands on the pipeline so far, but expect her to be asked about it yet again on her next visit.

ABC's RICK KLEIN: For the sake of public discourse, it may be unfortunate that the Ferguson and Staten Island grand juries finished their work inside of this same tense 10-day window. It's the Eric Garner case, far more than the Michael Brown case, that provides the context for informed conversation about policing tactics, prosecutors and grand juries, and - yes - race. It's the Garner case, with its combination of a not-in-dispute minor offense and videotaped evidence, that's brought the kind of nonpartisan shock and outrage that's needed for an honest discussion. In that context, the steps President Obama announced just days earlier in relation to Ferguson take on new relevance going forward. This is the kind of moment Obama was elected on the promise of leading the nation through. It's also the kind of moment that doesn't care if a president is entering his final months in office.

WHAT WE'RE WATCHING

WHAT IT TAKES TO GET THE WHITE HOUSE IN THE HOLIDAY SPIRIT. The holidays have officially arrived at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. The White House today unveiled this year's over-the-top decorations and theme, which is "A Children's Winter Wonderland." As families across the nation decorate their own homes, and wrestle with those pesky Christmas lights, ABC's MARY BRUCE and DEVIN DWYER take a look at what it takes to bring holiday cheer to the White House. http://abcn.ws/12nFpuk VIDEO: http://abcn.ws/1rTDz0T

THE BUZZ

with ABC's KIRSTEN APPLETON

TED CRUZ, BOBBY JINDAL DO SMALL TALK IN WASHINGTON. Potential 2016 presidential candidates Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal ran into each other at the Foreign Policy Initiative's day-long forum Wednesday in Washington, and ABC News caught part of the exchange on camera. ABC's ALI WEINBERG reports the Republicans talked about the U.S. Senate runoff in Louisiana between Democratic incumbent Mary Landrieu and Republican Bill Cassidy, and Cruz wished Jindal luck as he went off to the stage. It was just two guys talking politics - except they might be trying to prevent the other from getting the Republican nomination soon. http://abcn.ws/1pVHwRl

MILITARY SEX ASSAULTS UP AGAIN, BUT THERE'S A SIGN OF PROGRESS. Pentagon statistics to be released today show the number of reported sexual assaults in the military rose to nearly 6,000 in fiscal year 2014, an 8 percent increase from the previous year. But in an encouraging sign, there was a significant drop in the estimated number of unwanted sexual contacts to 19,000 from 26,000 in 2012. ABC's LUIS MARTINEZ reports Pentagon officials attribute the substantial increase in reporting to greater awareness among potential victims and growing confidence that the military can prosecute sexual assault cases. http://abcn.ws/1FOGPvf

HOW NATIONAL DEMOCRATS 'JUST WALKED AWAY' FROM MARY LANDRIEU. Just days before a runoff election that's expected to end Mary Landrieu's 18-year-long career in the Senate, the Louisiana Democrat said she's "disappointed" that her party has abandoned her. "I am extremely disappointed in the Democratic Senatorial [Campaign] Committee. I've said that. You know, they just walked away from this race," Landrieu told the Washington Post. Polling in advance of the general election consistently showed Landrieu losing to Cassidy in a head-to-head contest. And after a bruising wave of Democratic defeats across the country Nov. 4, the DSCC made the decision to pull $2 million in previously reserved air time for the embattled Democrat as she advanced toward a runoff against Republican candidate Rep. Bill Cassidy. According to ABC's JORDYN PHELPS, the Democratic committee said at the time it would continue to stay involved in the race despite pulling the finances. But the DSCC has spent nothing in the race since the runoff began, according to FEC records. The National Republican Senatorial Committee, on the other hand, has spent over $1.3 million since Nov. 5. http://abcn.ws/1vlnnQD

WHO'S TWEETING?

@bpolitics: The #EricGarner reaction in photos: http://bloom.bg/1vlIDWr

@PounderFile: NJ: Reid vs. White House Tensions Cloud Majority's Final Days http://bit.ly/1vNVmG6

@adamslily: Same-day voter registration on way to becoming reality in Ill. http://politics.suntimes.com/article/springfield/same-day-voter-registration-way-becoming-reality-ill/wed-12032014-1227pm …

@rollcall: Senate Democrats Talk Life in Minority, Plot Comeback http://roll.cl/1I3UDWE by @hsanchez128 & @nielslesniewski

@thehill: Edwin Edwards: The Louisiana Lifer http://ow.ly/FlBTS