Top Items:


Iran Shifts on a Landmark Nuclear Deal: Live Updates — The announcement followed a vote in Iraq's Parliament to expel American troops, in response to the killing of Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani, a top Iranian commander, in Baghdad. — RIGHT NOW Tehran said in a statement that its nuclear program would …
RELATED:


Scoop: Trump officials tried to stop Iraqi expulsion vote — The Trump administration tried, unsuccessfully, to persuade top Iraqi officials to kill a parliamentary effort to force the U.S. military out of Iraq, according to two U.S. officials and an Iraqi government official familiar with the situation.
Discussion:
CNN, The Daily Beast and Raw Story


Killing of Soleimani follows long push from Pompeo for aggressive action against Iran, but airstrike brings serious risks — Secretary of State Mike Pompeo woke on Tuesday to a 4 a.m. call alerting him to a large protest outside the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.
Discussion:
New York Times, The Independent and Politico

U.S.-Led Coalition Halts ISIS Fight as It Steels for Iranian Attacks — American forces in Iraq and Syria will now focus on protecting themselves. — WASHINGTON — The American-led coalition in Iraq and Syria has halted its yearslong mission of attacking the Islamic State and training local forces …
Discussion:
Washington Post, The Hill, NBC News, The Daily Caller and New York Post


Trump faces Iran crisis with fewer experienced advisers and strained relations with traditional allies — Presidents on the brink of war tend to rely on an array of Oval Office assets: teams of experienced advisers, trusted sources of intelligence, strong ties with U.S. allies and credibility with the broad American public.
Discussion:
Hullabaloo and Raw Story

Iran Ends Nuclear Limits as Killing of Iranian General Upends Mideast — The consequences of the American assassination of a senior Iranian commander are mounting. — BEIRUT — The consequences of the American assassination of a top Iranian general rippled across the Middle East and beyond on Sunday …


Iraq's prime minister says ‘urgent measures’ should be taken to remove foreign forces — ISTANBUL — Iraq's prime minister Sunday urged parliament to take “urgent measures” to force the withdrawal of foreign forces following a U.S. drone strike that killed a senior Iranian commander and key Iraqi militia leader in Baghdad last week.
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, The Mainichi, Reuters, The Mahablog, Politico, Slate, IRNA English, Breitbart, Outside the Beltway, Raw Story, Axios and YouTube


The Latest: Iraq parliament votes to expel US military
Discussion:
Al Jazeera, Politico, Washington Times, Daily Kos, The Week, The Hill and Mediaite

Secret Iranian Spy Cables Show How Qassim Suleimani Wielded His Enormous Power in Iraq
Discussion:
Bloomberg, CNN and New York Magazine, more at Mediagazer »

The folks who lied about Iraq and Afghanistan are lying about Iran. We must stop a new war
Discussion:
CNN, Unprecedented, The Root and Common Dreams

Pentagon Chief Kept Tight Circle on Suleimani Strike
Discussion:
The Hill

HUGE — BREAKING NEWS: Iranian Regime Offers $80 MILLION for President Trump's Head! —VIDEO
Discussion:
PJ Media Home, New York Times and Jihad Watch

Exclusive: Supreme Leader's military adviser says Iran's response will be ‘against military sites’
Discussion:
NBC News, Talking Points Memo, Vox, The Hill, Axios, KTLA, Alternet.org, The Week, Balloon Juice, Associated Press and New York Times

Iraqi parliament votes to expel U.S. military from country after Iran general's killing
Discussion:
Power Line, Financial Times, Washington Post and Responsible Statecraft

Iraqi Parliament Votes in Favor of Expelling U.S. Troops
Discussion:
Townhall, CNBC, Mother Jones and New York Times


Senior US officials say there is widespread opposition within the Trump administration to targeting cultural sites in Iran — Washington (CNN)Two senior US officials on Sunday described widespread opposition within the administration to targeting cultural sites in Iran should the United …
RELATED:


Trump Reiterates Threat to Target Iranian Cultural Sites — Such a move could be a war crime, but the president argued: “They're allowed to use roadside bombs and blow up our people. And we're not allowed to touch their cultural site? It doesn't work that way.”
Discussion:
Human Rights Watch, middleeastmonitor.com, Mediaite, Breitbart, Radio Free Europe, Talking Points Memo, Slate and The Verge


Pompeo: US military would only hit lawful targets in Iran
Discussion:
Politico, The Hill, One America News Network and Axios

Trump's threats draw Iran's cultural sites into tensions
Discussion:
KTLA


Deceased GOP Strategist's Daughter Makes Files Public That Republicans Wanted Sealed — More than a year after his death, a cache of computer files saved on the hard drives of Thomas Hofeller, a prominent Republican redistricting strategist, is becoming public.
Discussion:
Raw Story


A Democrat Who Can Beat Trump — Why Amy Klobuchar still has a chance. — If you're like a lot of Democrats, you worry that Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren are too liberal — or at least that other voters think so. You're also not buying the Pete Buttigieg hype.


Graham gives Pelosi ultimatum, proposes Senate rule change to remove her from impeachment process — Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., insists that if House Speaker Nancy Pelosi does not deliver articles of impeachment against President Trump to the Senate by the end of the week, the Senate should “take matters in our own hands.”
RELATED:


Ricky Gervais Tells Hollywood to “F*** Off” in Expletive-Filled Golden Globes Monologue — During his monologue, the ‘Office’ creator also took shots at Felicity Huffman and Jeffrey Epstein. — Ricky Gervais, once again, did not shy away from hot-button topics in his Golden Globes monologue …
Discussion:
Fox News, The Daily Beast and New York Times
RELATED:


60 Minutes investigates the death of Jeffrey Epstein — Jeffrey Epstein was a convicted sex offender and a wealthy financier with powerful friends. 60 Minutes examines the circumstances surrounding his death in a Manhattan federal jail cell. Warning: This report contains graphic images.
Discussion:
Law & Crime and Mediaite


Sanders starts 2020 in strong position in Iowa and New Hampshire — CBS News Battleground Tracker — The New Year opens with Bernie Sanders in his best standing yet against the field in Iowa and New Hampshire. He's in a first-place tie with Joe Biden and Pete Buttigieg in Iowa.
Discussion:
Washington Post, Politico, The Guardian, The Hill, Common Dreams, Axios, The Week and No More Mister Nice Blog


Extremists attack Kenya military base, 3 Americans killed — NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Al-Shabab extremists overran a key military base used by U.S. counterterror forces in Kenya before dawn Sunday, killing three American Department of Defense personnel and destroying several U.S. aircraft …
Discussion:
Redstate, Slate, Washington Post, WGN-TV and Townhall
RELATED:


Iran ex-Guards chief vows to turn Tel Aviv ‘to dust’ — Tehran (AFP) - A former head of Iran's Revolutionary Guards threatened on Sunday to turn the Israeli cities of Haifa and Tel Aviv “to dust” if the US attacks targets in Iran. — “If America takes any measures after our military response …
RELATED:

Iran 'offers $80million bounty for Donald Trump's head' after death of general
Discussion:
Raw Story, Redstate, Al Arabiya and NBC News


Gulf States Move to Prevent Escalation After Soleimani's Killing — Key Saudi prince heads to Washington, London to urge restraint — Gulf states would be ‘first to pay the price’ of Iran-U.S. war — Gulf Arab states, potential targets for retaliation after the U.S. assassinated Iran's top general …

Iran's Cyber Attack on Billionaire Adelson Provides Lesson on Strategy — Alyza Sebenius, Kartikay Mehrotra and William Turton — (Bloomberg) — As the U.S. awaits possible retribution over a recent airstrike that killed a top general, there's at least one American businessman who can attest …
Discussion:
Vanity Fair


The unsinkable Joe Biden? Many months and many gaffes later, Biden is still ahead — Biden has held steady atop a crowded field when other candidates who have climbed quickly have found it difficult to maintain momentum. — WASHINGTON — Joe Biden is beginning 2020 the same way he began 2019 …
Discussion:
Breitbart
RELATED:

Biden secures backing from several swing-state Democrats
Discussion:
Blue Delaware


On short notice, US fast-response force flies to Mideast — FORT BRAGG, N.C. (AP) — Being a U.S. soldier in a fast-response force sometimes means being sent halfway across the world within a day, leaving no time to say goodbye to those staying behind. — That's what happened to April Shumard …
Discussion:
Common Dreams
RELATED:

Special operations troops add to Middle East buildup
Discussion:
NBC News, One America News Network, The Hill, Washington Post and Task & Purpose