Ripped from the Headlines: December 2019: This Week In Words: December 28, 2019–January 3, 2020

Pope Francis has apologized after slapping a woman's hand during a public appearance on New Year's Eve in Rome. Reaching across a barricade to shake his hand, she grabbed it and pulled him toward her. He responded with a literal slap on the wrist, for which he later said he was sorry, explaining that he lost patience and set a bad example.

The Iranian-backed protestors who took over the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad left, ending their demonstration. Embassy employees sheltered in a safe room during the occupation. The President blamed Iran for the attack, and most of the demonstrators appeared to have been recruited from Iranian militias. Iran's spiritual leader Ayatollah Khamenei said that the U.S. is ungrateful for the role these militias played in defeating ISIS.

Indicted Rudy Giuliani associate Lev Parnas is asking a judge to let Congress see the contents of the iPhone that was taken when he was arrested. Parnas has expressed an eagerness to cooperate with the congressional investigation into his and Giuliani's attempts in Ukraine to find or manufacture false charges against Joe Biden and his son. It's unclear whether the House intends to call him as a witness, or whether charges will be filed against Giuliani as well.

The Trump administration has banned most flavored e-cigarette pods. Menthol and tobacco-flavored pods will still be allowed, as will refillable open-tank pods. The government also raised the legal age for buying tobacco products to 21. Anti-tobacco activists say the ban falls short of what's needed to combat the epidemic of vaping among young people. Vape shops fought to keep open-tank systems legal, saying a ban would cost jobs and hurt their businesses.

Maine Senator Susan Collins is the second Republican to express concern that some of her colleagues appear to have made up their minds ahead of the impeachment trial. The constitution requires that Senators take an oath of impartiality before serving as jurors in that trial. The house has not yet sent the articles of impeachment to the Senate because Democrats are demanding that the trail include witnesses, which Senate Majority Leader McConnell does not want.

Continued protests in Hong Kong again turned violent as police fired tear gas into crowds. Demonstrators are pressing for more democracy and autonomy from China, which they say was promised during the handover of the territory from Great Britain in 1997. A majority of Hong Kong's residents say they support the protestors and share their goals. Ira is Latin for "wrath" or "rage." If someone is full of ire, they're irate.

The fatal fires in Australia continued, with large portions of the southeast burning. Hundreds of homes and over a dozen lives have been lost, and the smoke is evident as far away as New Zealand. Dry conditions after years of drought, high winds, and record temperatures are combining to keep the fires raging.

Carlos Ghosn, the former head of Nissan and Renault, who was facing criminal charges in Japan, escaped to Lebanon on New Year's Eve. Nobody seems to know how he did it, not even his lawyer. He may have been smuggled out of his apartment in a box that supposedly contained musical instruments. Ghosn grew up in Lebanon, which does not have an extradition treaty with Japan. Japanese officials speculate that Ghosn must have had help, probably from a foreign government.

North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un said that his country will be unveiling new strategic weapons and threatened action against the U.S. during a speech on New Year's Day. Experts say North Korea has been working on a long-range missile that could hit the West Coast, and that may be what he's referring to. He also said that he is no longer bound by the nuclear test ban that it agreed to with Washington.

Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg announced that his campaign took in nearly $25 million in the last quarter of 2019. Good polling numbers in Iowa and New Hampshire helped propel him into the top tier of candidates, and the fundraising numbers reflect that. To tout is to loudly solicit customers or attention, and also the person doing the touting. Think of someone standing on a sidewalk wearing a sign in front of a store, handing out coupons: that's a tout.