Politico Europe reports: Boris Johnson called on Britons to put aside their differences and “turn the page” in his 2020 New Year’s message. The U.K. prime minister said it was time to end the “division, rancor and uncertainty,” in an acknowledgment of the public divide over Brexit. “Let’s make this the moment when we put the divisions behind us,” he …

NBC News reports: Police in Rio de Janeiro have identified one of the people responsible for a gasoline bomb attack targeting satirists behind a Christmas program on Netflix that some critics have described as blasphemous. Officers carried out a search warrant Tuesday morning and found money, a fake firearm, ammunition, a “political-philosophical” shirt and computers, police said in a written …

Reuters reports: Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei strongly condemned U.S. attacks on Iran-allied militia group in Iraq, Iranian state TV reported on Wednesday, blaming the United States for the violence in the neighbouring country. “The Iranian government, nation and I strongly condemn the attacks,” state TV quoted Khamenei as saying. “Again that guy (Trump) has accused Iran for the …

“We often lose patience. So do I. And I apologize for yesterday’s bad example. Every form of violence inflicted upon a woman is a blasphemy against God, who was born of a woman. Humanity’s salvation came forth from the body of a woman: we can understand our degree of humanity by how we treat a woman’s body.” – Pope Francis, …

USA Today reports: It’s a new year and, for Illinois, a new era of recreational marijuana. Weed dispensaries across the state opened their doors before sunrise Wednesday, welcoming long lines of customers — some who had been waiting since 4 a.m. “Cheers to lighting up the start of 2020!” one dispensary, Sunnyside, wrote on its Facebook page. Under Illinois law, …

The New York Times reports: A year ago, Navy SEAL Chief Petty Officer Edward Gallagher was wearing drab prison scrubs at a brig near San Diego, facing murder charges that could have sent him to prison for the rest of his life. Now he is modeling his own lifestyle clothing brand, endorsing nutrition supplements and positioning himself as a conservative …

“The intelligentsia of Berlin and the literati and all the artists were just busy doing their thing. And there were a lot of chances – as Hitler rose to power – there were a lot of chances to stop him and they didn’t speak out. “The industrial complex thought that they could control him once they got him in office …

Politico reports: “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 Justice John Roberts declared in his annual New Year’s Eve message summing up the work of the federal judiciary. Roberts was not explicit about …

PBS NewsHour reports: On Tuesday, Trump suggested a ban of flavored e-cigarettes might be temporary. “Hopefully, if everything’s safe, they’re going to be going very quickly back onto the market,” he told reporters at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, where he was hosting a New Year’s Eve party. “People have died from this, they died from vaping,” the Republican president …

The New York Times reports: Pete Buttigieg raised more than $24.7 million in the fourth quarter of 2019, his presidential campaign said on Wednesday, another strong showing that leaves him well positioned to finance a large campaign operation as primary voting approaches. In a display of the breadth of his support, Mr. Buttigieg’s campaign said it had now received more …

Bloomberg News reports: Rudy Giuliani, who serves as President Trump’s personal attorney, said Tuesday night that he would be willing to testify in a Senate impeachment trial for the president. “I would testify,” Giuliani told reporters as he arrived at a New Year’s Eve party at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. He added that he could “do demonstrations” and that …