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1. Iraq protests
As expected, the US airstrikes against Iranian-backed militia targets in Iraq have caused serious strife in the country andstoked fears of a new proxy warin the Middle East. Over the last two days,hundreds of protesters stormed the US embassyin Baghdad, setting fires and trying to climb the compound’s walls. Iraqi security forces regained control of the areas yesterday, but by the time it was over, protesters seemed confident the world had gotten the message. Defense Secretary Mark Esper says theUS will now send about extra soldiers to the Middle Eastto protect the embassy. The whole situation has frayed relations between the US and Iraq and the US and Iran. President Trump blamed Iran for the upheaval in Baghdad and promised retaliation for any damage, but Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei responded by saying US actions in Iraq and Afghanistan “have made nations hate you.”
2. New laws
New year, new laws.The first day of 2020 marked a bevy of new legislation, including the statewide legalization of recreational weed in Illinois. And wouldn’t you know it, the state’slieutenant governor was one of the first in line. The day before the law went into effect, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker granted more than (**********************************************************************, 000 pardons for low-level marijuana convictions. Elsewhere in the country, (states and) ******************************************************** cities and counties raised their minimum wage, and several more jurisdictions will follow later in the year. Colorado’s “red flag” gun law is now in effect, which allows family and other authorized parties to petition to temporarily remove firearms from someone deemed a danger to themselves or others. Tennessee is moving in the opposite direction, with regulations making it easier for residents to get a concealed carry handgun permit. Texting and driving is now officially illegal in Florida, and plastic bag bans have started in Oregon and Albuquerque, New Mexico.
3. ICE
US Customs and Border Protection has releaseda long-awaited plan to improve medical screening for migrantsin federal custody, but doctors say it lacks details and criticized the fact that it only applies to children. The plan has three phases, most of which rely on undefined interviews and assessments to identify health problems in the first stages of apprehension and custody. Over the last year, several people died while in ICE custody, including four children. And yesterday, ICE announced thata 90 – year-old native of Angola died in its custodyin New Mexico. Details of the person’s condition and actions taken by the agency before his or her death haven’t been released.
4. Australia fires
The wildfires in Australia aren’t letting up. In fact, they’re just getting more deadly.Seven people died in New South Walesin the span of 24 hours, officials announced yesterday. Fires have blown though every state in the country, but New South Wales has been hit the hardest, with at least deaths in all since the blazes began.A “Tourist Leave Zone” has been establishedthrough swaths of the state in anticipation of extreme weekend temperatures that could make conditions even worse. The Rural Fire Service is urging all visitors to flee before Saturday, when temperatures could top degrees Celsius****************************** degrees Fahrenheit.
5. Homeless killingsPolice in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, are urging homeless residents to avoid sleeping outsidewhile they search for whoever’s responsible for the murder of three homeless people in the city. Two homeless people were shot and killed on December (********************************************************************, and a third was killed Friday just two blocks away from the other murders. Police say they have enough evidence to suggest the events are related but won’t say why yet. Local homeless shelters are responding by adding more beds and reiterating the severity of the situation.
Mysterious drones are flying in Colorado and Nebraska, and they’re freaking residents out
If someone’s getting overzealous with their new Christmas presents, it’sreally not funny anymore.
The Pope slapped a woman’s hand away on New Year’s Eve and then apologized for it
He said love is patient – but thateven popes forget sometimes.
(Mariah Carey is the first artist to score a No. 1 Billboard hit in 4 different decades
Post Malone got a new face tattoo to ring in the new year
A transgender character is coming to the Marvel Universe
Representation isa force for good.
“In our age, when social media can instantly spread rumor and false information on a grand scale, the public’s need to understand our government, and the protections it provides, is ever more vital. “
Chief JusticeJohn Roberts, in his annual New Year’s Eve report on the state of the judiciary
TODAY’S NUMBER
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The amount a Texas judge has ordered conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and his Infowars site to payin legal fees in a defamation suit brought against him by the father of a Sandy Hook victim
TODAY’S WEATHERAND FINALLY
The angel in the, er, marbles
Yes, watching this marble getting made is a stunning affair, but I was just stressed out that the guy wasn ‘ t wearing protective gloves. (Click here to view. )
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