Christmas: In his traditional Christmas address Pope Francis denounced the “brutal persecution” of religious and ethnic minorities. “May Christmas bring them hope, as indeed also to the many displaced persons, exiles and refugees, children, adults and elderly, from this region and from the whole world,” the Pope said. The Christmas speech is know as “Urbi et Orbi” – to the city and the world. Tens of thousands of people turned out in St. Peter’s Square to hear the Argentine pope. He called for peace, but sadly, he’s not likely to get it.

Weather: It’s a wet and wild Christmas in much of the US. A drenching storm is departing the East Coast as a new storm system is entering the Pacific Northwest and the Western High Plains bringing snow and colder weather. So far today 147 flights have been cancelled and 223 delayed.

Direct to Streaming: We’re not sure whether it’s a gift or a lump of coal.

In addition to opening in a limited number of theaters today, Sony is making its ill-fated comedy The Interview available on streaming services. YouTube, Microsoft Xbox, and Google Play all have agreed to sell viewings of the movie about a plot to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

With international controversy about the computer hacking of Sony Pictures, it may all be a lot of fuss with not much to laugh about. With 35 reviews so far, Rotten Tomatoes gives The Interview a 53 percent rating; “The Interview’s screenplay offers middling laughs bolstered by its two likable leads.”

Nation: Protests renewed Tuesday night after a Berkeley, Mo. police officer shot and killed an 18-year-old black man at a gas station only a few miles from Ferguson. Police said the young man pointed a gun at the officer and surveillance video shows him pointing something, but it’s not clear what. The cops said they recovered a 9mm handgun. More than 200 people gathered at the Mobile gas station where the shooting occurred.

World: Islamic State fighters yesterday captured the pilot of a Jordanian F-16 that crashed in Syria. It’s the first coalition aircraft lost in the fight against ISIS. ISIS claims to have shot down the plane but the US says they did not. British-based monitors say that coalition airstrikes led by the US have killed 1,100 ISIS fighters so far. The Pentagon says it has spent $1 billion fighting ISIS.

>Motorists scrambled for cash in Hong Kong after a van carrying $4.5 million in Hong Kong currency crashed and spread money all over the road. About 2/3 of the money was recovered at the scene, but some people were seen leaving with plastic-wrapped bricks of bills.

The Obit Page: Brandon Stoddard, the executive who brought “Roots” and “The Winds of War” to ABC has died at age 77. He was one of the programmers who brought the mini-series to television.

Driven to Drink: With the falling value of the ruble and rising prices in economically troubled Russia, President Vladimir Putin has ordered a cap on vodka prices. He’s afraid Russian will drink cheaper and danger illegal alcohol. In hard-drinking Russia, Putin wants his people to drink their way through the crisis with the good stuff.

Santa Has Been Here: The living room is filled with gifts and it’s a slow news day. Breakfast awaits; eggs, sausage, bacon, stollen, and gallons of coffee. Merry Christmas to All from The Rooney Report

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