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McConnell prepares to move forward on impeachment trial rules without Democrats — Senate Republican leaders are preparing to move forward on a set of impeachment trial rules without Democratic support. — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has locked down sufficient backing …
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Washington Post, Axios, Townhall, Associated Press, National Review, Vox, Breitbart, UPI, The Daily Beast, The Root, The Hill and Raw Story
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Schumer vows to force votes on impeachment witnesses — Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Tuesday that Democrats will force votes on witnesses at the start of the impeachment trial even as Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has secured enough support to delay the decision until mid-trial.
Discussion:
Townhall, National Review, Breitbart, Political Wire and Redstate


Pelosi and McConnell Are Playing High-Stakes Poker
Discussion:
Redstate, New York Times, No More Mister Nice Blog and Outside the Beltway

New pressures greet Pelosi following Bolton's willingness to testify
Discussion:
Politico, Alternet.org and Washington Post


Stampede kills 32 at funeral for Iran general killed by US — TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — A stampede erupted on Tuesday at a funeral procession for a top Iranian general killed in a U.S. airstrike last week, killing 32 people and injuring 190 others, state television reported.
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CNN, USA Today, CNBC, Common Dreams, The Daily Caller, Raw Story, New York Times, VICE, The Week, Соб … and Axios
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Iran is considering 13 ‘revenge scenarios’ over the death of General Soleimani as top official vows to create ‘historic nightmare’ for the US — Iran is considering 13 ‘revenge scenarios’ in retaliation for the US airstrike that killed General Qassem Soleimani in Iraq, a top official has said.
Discussion:
Daily Mail


Live updates: Iran prepares to bury Soleimani after deadly stampede — As U.S. officials defended the decision to kill Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani in Baghdad, Iranian leaders have stepped up calls for revenge against the United States on Tuesday. — The calls for retaliation came …
Discussion:
Politico and Talking Points Memo


Iran's military displaying “heightened state of readiness,” U.S. defense official says — What you need to know — Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iran's elite Quds military force and one of the most powerful figures in the Islamic Republic, was killed early Friday in an airstrike in Baghdad.
Discussion:
Redstate, USA Today and Sara A. Carter


Khamenei Wants to Put Iran's Stamp on Reprisal for U.S. Killing of Top General
Discussion:
Washington Post, Financial Times, Slate, The Nation, NPR, The Week, National Review, Fox News, The American Independent, HuffPost and Foreign Policy


Don't Tilt Scales Against Trump, Facebook Executive Warns — In an internal memo, Andrew Bosworth said he “desperately” wanted the president to lose. But, he said, the company should avoid hurting Mr. Trump's campaign. — SAN FRANCISCO — Since the 2016 election, when Russian trolls …
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Michael Flynn deserves up to six months in prison, U.S. Justice Department says in reversal for former Trump national security adviser — Federal prosecutors on Tuesday recommended that former national security adviser Michael T. Flynn serve up to six months in prison, reversing …
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Law & Crime
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Prosecutors recommend Michael Flynn serve up to 6 months in prison — Federal prosecutors recommended in a sentencing memo Tuesday that President Trump's former national security adviser Michael Flynn receive a sentence of zero to six months in prison, arguing that he should not receive credit …


6.4 quake strikes Puerto Rico, killing at least 1 amid heavy seismic activity — “We've never been exposed to this kind of emergency in 102 years,"said the governor as the island grapples with ongoing aftershocks and assesses the damage. — A 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck Puerto Rico early Tuesday …
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Associated Press, The Hill, Politico, Al Jazeera and UPI, more at Mediagazer »
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New incident at Mar-a-Lago under ‘criminal investigation’ by Secret Service — Palm Beach police say they are conducting an “open and active criminal investigation” at Mar-a-Lago, President Donald Trump's South Florida estate, following an unspecified incident Monday night.
Discussion:
Raw Story


No One Believes Trump — Which isn't good in an international crisis. — “This is where having credibility — and having a president who didn't lie about everything — would be really, really helpful,” Samantha Power, the former United States ambassador to the United Nations, wrote recently.
Discussion:
Reason
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Why Iran Is in Mourning … Listen and subscribe to our podcast from your mobile device:
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Jihad Watch, The Daily Caller, Twitchy and The Week

The Nightmare Stage of Trump's Rule Is Here
Discussion:
Politico, Raw Story, Washington Post, Defense One, Bangor Daily News and Los Angeles Times


Why Trump should fear Sanders much more than Warren in 2020 — It is conventional political wisdom that President Trump stands his best chance in 2020 if Democrats nominate a far left candidate like Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren. That is half right. I have witnessed both of these candidates …
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Sanders shuttle: Trump trial could trap candidates in D.C. One senator has an escape plan.
Discussion:
The Hill


Bloomberg Takes On Trump With a $10 Million Super Bowl Ad — Michael R. Bloomberg's presidential campaign has secured a 60-second advertising spot to be aired nationally during the game on Feb. 2, campaign officials said. — Michael R. Bloomberg's presidential campaign has secured …
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Washington Post, NBC News, The Hill, The Week and Mediaite


‘Tweets, threats and tantrums’: Biden tears into Trump's handling of Iran crisis — The Democratic frontrunner accused the president of isolating the U.S. on the international stage while potentially bolstering Iran, China and Russia. — Joe Biden. Spencer Platt/Getty Images
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Breitbart
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Russian trolls are targeting American veterans, and Trump's government isn't helping, group says — The Trump administration has for nearly two years ignored mounting evidence that Russian operatives and other foreign actors were deliberately targeting U.S. troops and veterans …


Mysterious repeating fast radio burst traced to nearby galaxy — (CNN)Astronomers have traced the signal of an enigmatic repeating fast radio burst for only the second time — and it's in a spiral galaxy similar to our own, not so far away. — Fast radio bursts, or FRBs, are millisecond-long bursts of radio waves in space.
Discussion:
ScienceAlert and UPI

Anatomy of a Screw-Up: The Story Behind the Letter Withdrawing Our Troops — In a letter dated January 6, Brigadier Gen. William Seely III, the commanding general of Task Force Iraq, wrote to his Iraqi counterpart with big news: The United States military was preparing to leave Iraq.
Discussion:
Slate, Reason, Alternet.org, Raw Story, The Morning Dispatch and CNN


Ricky Gervais, Man of the People — In a room filled with self-absorbed narcissists, one brave, slightly less self-absorbed narcissist had the balls to speak truth to power—and his name is Ricky Gervais. — If courage had a face, it would be a slightly overweight, pasty British multi-millionaire drinking a pint.
Discussion:
americandigest.org


Fox News's Tucker Carlson: In San Francisco, ‘Civilization Itself Is Coming Apart’ — Fox News host and Daily Caller co-founder Tucker Carlson described San Francisco as a place where “civilization itself is coming apart.” — “The reality of that city we discovered when we spent …


Ivanka Trump's CES keynote address sparks backlash — Some critics say there are women with more technical experience who are better qualified to speak at the annual technology conference — LAS VEGAS — Ivanka Trump may face an icy reception today at one of the world's largest technology conferences …

Trump Is The Most Unpopular President Since Ford To Run For Reelection — Now that the 2020 election has gone from “next year” to “this year,” it's worth taking a step back and asking a question that we first posed in early 2017: How popular is Donald Trump?
Discussion:
Raw Story and Alternet.org


Russia offers Iraq S-400 air defense system to protect airspace — BEIRUT, LEBANON (10:00 A.M.) - Russia has offered Iraq their S-400 air defense system to protect their airspace, RIA Novosti reported this week, citing the Russian Ministry of Defense. — According to the report …
Discussion:
Tangle and Defense One


Trump's Foreign Policy Is A Growing Point Of Contention In Democratic Primaries — Progressive House challengers see a chance to distinguish themselves following the killing of Qassem Soleimani. — Progressive candidates challenging Democratic members of Congress in primaries …
Discussion:
Common Dreams


D.C. Council member Jack Evans to resign over ethics violations; was city's longest-serving lawmaker — Longtime D.C. Council member Jack Evans announced Tuesday that he will resign Jan. 17, ending a 29-year political career that helped revive a foundering city but in the end was deeply tainted by ethics violations.


A Near-Extinct Language Finds a Home in One Brooklyn Building — There are just 700 Seke speakers left in the world, and 100 live in New York — half of them in one building. — The apartment building, in Brooklyn's Flatbush neighborhood, is a hive of nationalities.


Coal's Collapse Has America's Greenhouse Gas Emissions Falling — Greenhouse gas emissions have dipped two of past three years — U.S. coal power declined last year to lowest level since 1975 — Greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. slipped last year as coal-fired power plants continue to close.


Iranian-Americans Questioned at the Border: 'My Kids Shouldn't Experience Such Things' — Up to 200 people were held by border agents, with some of them reportedly asked to share their opinions about the situation in Iran and Iraq. — SEATTLE — Arriving at the United States border …
Discussion:
Washington Post, Daily Kos and Slate


Windshield … To stay connected with the campaign: — About Pete: — Pete Buttigieg is a husband, Afghanistan veteran, and the Mayor of his hometown, South Bend, Indiana. — Pete is running for president because this is a now or never moment for our nation.
Discussion:
CNN, The Daily Caller and The Hill


Donald Trump Jr.'s rifle shows how obsessed the right still is with the Crusades — Over the weekend, Donald Trump Jr. picked up a rifle inscribed with medieval Christian iconography, a molded knight's helmet and a magazine picturing Hillary Clinton behind bars, and went shooting.


How Lindsey Graham Lost His Way — The senator once enjoyed respect on both sides of the aisle. Why has he become a blind loyalist to Trump? — Lindsey Graham and Donald Trump were born nine years and one month apart. Trump came first, but when they appear side by side …
Discussion:
The Smoke Eater, Balloon Juice and Raw Story