7. President Donald Trump retweeted a link that upset a lot of people

• President Donald Trump retweeted a link on Twitter that names the “whistleblower” responsible for kicking off the Ukranian investigation as Eric Ciaramella. The media and their Democrats are not happy about this as they have been refusing to tell the public the whole story.
• The tweet proceeded to spark attention because the whistleblower’s name hasn’t really been mentioned in any official proceedings or media reports (some social media companies have even deleted his name), but there is nothing improper about naming this person.

6. Mobile is getting scooters

• Gotcha, based in Charleston, South Carolina, will send 200 electric scooters to downtown Mobile, Alabama, at the beginning of 2020, despite being rejected in Huntsville, experiencing issues in cities like Nashville and cities like New York City choosing to not allow the scooters.
• The scooters will only be available for use between 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. to limit safety concerns downtown, mainly due to the nightlife scene of bars and clubs.

5. Five airstrikes in Iraq and Syria

• The Pentagon has said that the facilities that the United States conducted airstrikes against in Iraq and Syria had ties to an Iranian-backed militia that is responsible for attacks made against a U.S.-Iraq military housing facility.
• Spokesman for the Pentagon, Jonathan Hoffman, said that these attacks were “prevision defensive strikes,” adding they will help to deter the group’s ability to attack in the future.

4. Bloomberg is coming to Montgomery

• 2020 Democratic presidential candidate and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg will bring his campaign to Montgomery Monday.
• Bloomberg will meet with Mayor Steven Reed and mental health providers and experts. They’re planning to discuss the high infant mortality rate in Alabama.

3. Shot police officer is walking and talking with “God’s almighty power”

• It appears an amazing recovery is underway for Ozark Police Department Officer Samuel Yoh, who was shot six times in the line of duty, including three times in the head, on December 12.
• Reportedly, Officer Yoh recovery has been a “miracle” with Yoh having full movement in his limbs, the ability to stand, sit, walk short distances, open both eyes and feed himself. Yoh can even recognize his friends and family while reading and speaking fluently.

2. Abortion was the biggest story in Alabama this year

• While national political news seems to have been dominated by the Trump/Russia hoax and President Donald Trump being impeached, Alabama also had the national spotlight when the state’s abortion ban passed.
• The purpose of the abortion ban was always to challenge the U.S. Supreme Court Roe v. Wade decision, but it drew attention for making performing an abortion a felony and offered no exceptions for an abortion in the event of rape or incest, but misreporting on this matter is probably the biggest media failure in the state as well.

1. Religious violence hits America in two attacks

• In Greenwood Lake, New York, Grafton E. Thomas entered a rabbi’s house and then proceeded to stab five people while they were gathered to celebrate Hanukkah. Police have Thomas in custody, and he’s set to face five counts of attempted murder and one count of burglary.
• At the West Freeway Church of Christ in Texas, a gunman opened fire during the Sunday morning communion, leaving two churchgoers dead. The shooter was shot and killed by two parishioners in the church.