 | | Iraq protests
As expected, the US airstrikes against Iranian-backed militia targets in Iraq have caused serious strife in the country and stoked fears of a new proxy war in the Middle East. Over the last two days, hundreds of protesters stormed the US embassy in 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 the US will now send about 750 extra soldiers to the Middle East to 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." | |  | | 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's lieutenant governor was one of the first in line. The day before the law went into effect, Illinois Gov. J. B. Pritzker granted more than 11,000 pardons for low-level marijuana convictions. Elsewhere in the country, 21 states and 26 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. | |  | | ICE
| |  | | Australia fires
| |  | | Homeless killings
Police in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, are urging homeless residents to avoid sleeping outside while 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 13, 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.
| |  |  People are talking about these. Read up. Join in. | | $100,000
The amount a Texas judge has ordered conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and his Infowars site to pay in legal fees in a defamation suit brought against him by the father of a Sandy Hook victim | | |  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. | | |  | 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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