Exclusive: Unredacted Ukraine Documents Reveal Extent of Pentagon's Legal Concerns  —  “Clear direction from POTUS to continue to hold.”  —  This is what Michael Duffey, associate director of national security programs at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), told Elaine McCusker …

Yes, Bernie Sanders Could Be the Nominee—and It Would Be an Epic Nightmare for Democrats  —  Far from fading away, the Vermont socialist is gaining some steam.  Democrats better come to their senses.  Trump and the Republicans would crush him.  —  BEAST INSIDE

Julián Castro Drops Out of Presidential Race  —  Mr. Castro, the former housing secretary and mayor of San Antonio, was the only Latino candidate in the race.  He championed progressive policies but did not find his footing in polls.  —  Julián Castro, the former housing secretary …

POLITICO Playbook: Why holding the impeachment articles might not matter  —  HAPPY NEW YEAR, and thanks to Blake for filling in the last few days.  Welcome to an election year.  —  HERE'S A LITTLE BIT OF FOOD FOR THOUGHT: What if it doesn't matter if Speaker NANCY PELOSI sends over the impeachment articles?

I Was Google's Head of International Relations.  Here's Why I Left.  —  The company's motto used to be “Don't be evil.”  Things have changed.  —  When I walked out the door on my last day as Google's Head of International Relations, I couldn't help but think of my first day at the company.

A deceptively edited video of Joe Biden signals what's coming  —  If you thought the 2016 election was awash in disinformation and lies, get ready: The 2020 election is going to make that affair look like a knitting session.  —  A video that was edited in a monumentally dishonest fashion …

Hillary Clinton appointed chancellor of Queen's University, Belfast  —  Hillary Clinton is to be the new chancellor of Queen's University, Belfast (QUB).  —  She is the university's 11th chancellor and first woman to take up the post.  —  In a statement, Mrs Clinton said it was a “great privilege” to become the chancellor of QUB.

Bill Taylor departs post as top US diplomat in Ukraine  —  Hear what Bill Taylor said to the House during impeachment  —  Washington (CNN)Bill Taylor, who led the US embassy in Ukraine and served as a key witness in the House impeachment inquiry, has departed his post.

Amazon threatens to fire critics who are outspoken on its environmental policies  —  SEATTLE - Amazon has warned at least two employees who publicly criticized the company's environmental policies that they could be fired for future violations of its communications policy.

It's 2020 and you're in the future  —  It's finally the 2020s.  After 20 years of not being able to refer to the decade we're in, we're all finally free—in the clear for the next 80 years until 2100, at which point I assume AGI will have figured out what to call the two decades between 2100 and 2120.

24-Year-Old Woman Charged In New Year's Day Attack On Jewish Man In Williamsburg  —  NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — The NYPD charged a 24-year-old woman overnight in an anti-Semitic attack against a young Jewish man in Williamsburg.  —  Police said the 22-year-old victim was assaulted shortly before 1 p.m. on Wednesday.

'It's Creepy': Unexplained Drones Are Swarming by Night Over Colorado  —  Sheriffs in western Nebraska and eastern Colorado say they don't know who's flying the drones — or why.  The F.A.A. is investigating.  —  They come in the night: Drones — lots of them — flying in precise formations over the Colorado and Nebraska prairie.

Australia's prime minister visited families devastated by the wildfires.  It did not go well.  —  The fire mercilessly tore through Cobargo, a small town near the coast in southern New South Wales, on Monday night, burning down the main street and killing two people, a father and son, caught in its destructive path.

Anti-Semitism Grows in Jewish Communities in NYC Suburbs  —  The expansion of Hasidic communities in New York's Hudson Valley, the Catskills and northern New Jersey has led to some anti-semitic rhetoric  —  What to Know  — With the expansion of Orthodox communities outside NYC has come civic sparring …

Conservatives seek immediate purge of voters in Wisconsin  —  FILE - In this Nov. 6, 2018 file photo, people vote at Jamestown Town Hall in Kieler, Wis. Conservatives are asking a judge to find the Wisconsin Elections Commission in contempt for not immediately purging more than 200,000 voters from the rolls.

Poll: White evangelicals distinct on abortion, LGBT policy  —  White evangelical Protestants stand noticeably apart from other religious people on abortion restrictions and LGBT discrimination protections, two of the most politically divisive issues at play in the 2020 presidential election, according to a new poll.

Bloomberg fails to file for Nevada Democratic caucuses  —  LAS VEGAS (AP) — Nevada Democrats will not be able to caucus for Michael Bloomberg next month.  —  The former New York City mayor and Democratic presidential candidate failed to file with the Nevada State Democratic Party by a Jan. 1 deadline …

The 2016 Electoral College Map: A Template for 2020  —  KEY POINTS FROM THIS ARTICLE  — In 2016, Hillary Clinton would have needed to flip 38 additional Electoral College votes to reach 270[1], thereby winning a majority in the Electoral College.  — Using 2016 presidential election results …

Power, precarity and white-hot anger: what I learned in a decade in journalism  —  You won't make much money, your best stories will be forgotten, and you'll be doomed to constant disappointment and despair.  I recommend it highly  —  As the decade of the 2010s began …

The world's indifference to Muslim woes  —  Imagine if China had incarcerated upwards of a million Christians.  Or India said it would take all refugees except Christian ones.  The west would be in a state of frenzy.  Since both China and India's targets are Muslim, their cause is given short shrift.

Ricky Gervais, 5-Time Golden Globes Host, Has a Few More Things to Say to Hollywood  —  At home in London with the bomb-throwing emcee as he lets loose on why he's returning, those controversial tweets, his ‘Office’ money and the jokes he can't tell in 2020: “Nowadays, you've got to make sure they're bulletproof.”