Headlines:
From Al Jazeera, Associated Press, BBC News, Reuters, The Globe and Mail, New York Times, and Wired
Factbox: What might a no-deal Brexit look like? – (Reuters)
Britain is due to leave the European Union in 10 weeks’ time but it still has no clear way out of the bloc, raising the prospect of no transition period to smooth the shock for the world’s fifth-biggest economy.
Factbox: How will the confidence vote in UK PM May’s government work? – (Reuters)
British lawmakers will on Wednesday vote on whether they have confidence in the government, after Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit deal suffered a heavy defeat in parliament.
BofA’s loan growth drives better-than-expected profit – (Reuters)
Bank of America Corp’s quarterly profit topped analyst estimates on Wednesday as a growing loan book helped it ride out year-end market turbulence, sending the lender’s shares up more then 5 percent.
Trump feels shutdown pressure from economists, Nancy Pelosi – (Associated Press)
WASHINGTON (AP) — Shutdown pressure on President Donald Trump mounted Wednesday as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called on him to delay his State of the Union address and his own economists acknowledged the prolonged standoff was having a greater economic drag t…
Market turmoil hits BlackRock’s bottom line in fourth quarter – (Reuters)
BlackRock Inc , the world’s largest fund manager, reported a smaller-than-expected quarterly profit on Wednesday due to financial market turmoil, but investors celebrated the company’s strong sales of relatively low-fee funds.
US military says American troops killed in Syria blast – (Associated Press)
BEIRUT (AP) — The U.S. military says a number of service members were killed Wednesday in an explosion while conducting a routine patrol in Syria — the first instance of U.S. casualties since President Donald Trump announced his intention to withdraw troops f…
Gains in Goldman, BofA drive Wall Street to four-week high – (Reuters)
Bank stocks drove Wall Street to a one-month high on Wednesday after strong earnings from Bank of America and Goldman Sachs, with a multi-billion dollar deal in the fintech sector adding to the boost.
Four U.S. troops reported among 16 dead in north Syria attack – (Reuters)
A bomb attack claimed by Islamic State killed U.S. troops in northern Syria on Wednesday, weeks after President Donald Trump said group was defeated there and he would pull out all American forces.
Kenya hotel siege over, militants and at least 14 victims dead – (Reuters)
Kenyan security forces have killed the militants who stormed an upscale Nairobi hotel compound, taking at least 14 lives and forcing hundreds of others into terrifying escapes, the government said on Wednesday.
Taking stock: UK businesses brace for no-deal Brexit – (Associated Press)
DUNSTABLE, England (AP) — Brexit has British business owners on edge — and that is great news for Lovespace, a storage and warehousing company outside London. Lovespace, which collects boxes from customers, stores them and then returns the goods when needed, …
Fiserv to buy First Data for $22 billion to boost payments business – (Reuters)
U.S. financial technology provider Fiserv Inc said on Wednesday it will buy payment processor First Data Corp in a $22 billion all-stock deal, the biggest ever acquisition in a booming market in digital payments technology.
Democrats ask Trump to call off speech – (BBC News)
Speaker Nancy Pelosi suggests Mr Trump submit his annual address in writing instead.
Sears staves off liquidation, stores to remain open – (Associated Press)
NEW YORK (AP) — Sears will live on— at least for now. The company’s chairman and largest shareholder, Eddie Lampert, won a bankruptcy auction for Sears, averting liquidation of the iconic chain, according to a source familiar with the negotiations. The person…
U.S. 9/11 survivor, Kenyan ‘buddies’ and Briton among Nairobi victims – (Reuters)
An American who survived the 9/11 attacks, two best friends from Kenya who worked to help Somalia, and a British development professional were among at least 14 people killed when Somali militants raided a posh hotel complex in Nairobi.
May’s govt faces no-confidence vote after huge Brexit defeat – (Associated Press)
LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Theresa May faced a no-confidence vote Wednesday, a day after Parliament rejected her Brexit deal by a historic margin, unleashing a power struggle over control of Britain’s planned exit from the European Union. May was ba…
Iran state TV’s English channel says anchorwoman held in US – (Associated Press)
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — A prominent American anchorwoman on Iranian state television’s English-language service has been arrested after flying into the U.S., the broadcaster reported Wednesday. U.S. law enforcement agencies did not immediately respond to requests…
Prosecutor: Drug maker pushed OxyContin despite danger signs – (Associated Press)
BOSTON (AP) — A member of the family that owns OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma told people at the prescription opioid painkiller’s launch party in the 1990s that it would be “followed by a blizzard of prescriptions that will bury the competition,” according to …
Barr seeks to assure senators he won’t be a Trump loyalist – (Associated Press)
WASHINGTON (AP) — Vowing “I will not be bullied,” President Donald Trump’s nominee for attorney general asserted independence from the White House, saying he believed that Russia had tried to interfere in the 2016 presidential election, that the special couns…
Kenya says all gunmen killed in hotel attack; 14 victims – (Associated Press)
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Kenya’s security forces have killed the Islamic extremist gunmen whose assault on a luxury hotel and shopping complex took 14 “innocent lives,” the country’s president said Wednesday. “All the terrorists have been eliminated,” President …
Suicide bomber ‘targets US patrol in Syria’ – (BBC News)
Kurdish media say two American soldiers and 10 other people died in an attack in the town of Manbij.
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From various sources
Head of German Jewish community demands bank shut account of pro-BDS group – (The Jerusalem Post)
Jewish Voice supports the BDS campaign against Israel.
Politicians call on Shaked to come clean or step down – (The Jerusalem Post)
“The Judicial Selection Committee operated under terror and corruption, and under the destructive leadership of Justice Minister Shaked,” said opposition leader MK Shelly Yachimovich
Israeli-Arab woman found murdered in Australia – (The Jerusalem Post)
Australian Police believe Israeli woman found dead in Melbourne was attacked and may have been sexually assaulted
Guide on deadly hike: ‘I was cleared, let’s all move on’ – (The Jerusalem Post)
A petition to the Israeli Supreme Court seeks to reopen the case of Ariel Newman, who died after collapsing on a hike in the Judean Desert.
‘End the occupation:’ Has Feiglin moved to the Left? – (The Jerusalem Post)
Zehut ad campaign has the longtime right-wing agitator spouting slogans that could come from the Center or Left.
US cautions Israel over Chinese investments – (The Jerusalem Post)
Interest by Huwaei and ZTE in Israel has worried its U.S. ally, as has the green light it granted China’s Shanghai International Port Group in 2013 to build a private port near Haifa.
From intel to agriculture: Isreal launches world’s first tree network – (The Jerusalem Post)
SeeTree launched Wednesday its agritech service harnessing artificial intelligence and machine-learning technology to provide permanent crop growers with deep insights into tree health.
Karen Pence is “excited” to be teaching at a school that doesn’t allow LGBTQ students or teachers – (Vice News)
The school’s “parent agreement” and employment application ban homosexuality.
At least 7 states are trying to make it easier to punish hate crimes – (Vice News)
“One of the biggest differences this year is the unprecedented support we are receiving for enacting a hate crimes law.”
NHL Deputy Commissioner Daly joins ‘Executive Suite’ podcast – (NHL News)
NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly sits down with host Deb Placey for the sixth episode of the “NHL Executive Suite” podcast, available now on NHL.com and multiple iOS and Android podcast Apps.
Facts and Figures: Hats continue to rain down in NHL – (NHL News)
Viktor Arvidsson of the Nashville Predators and Tomas Hertl of the San Jose Sharks had the 54th and 55th hat tricks of the 2018-19 season Tuesday, the most in a season through games played Jan. 15 since 1992-93, when there were 65. There has been at least one…
Battle of the Ax Men: Who Really Built the First Electric Rock ‘n’ Roll Guitar? – (Hacker News)
George Fullerton (left) testing a Stratocaster in the Fender factory, sometime in the mid-to…
Trilobite ‘cousin’ adds new branch to tree of life | CBC News – (CBC News)
The tiny remains of an extinct bug-like creature discovered at British Columbia’s 500-million-year-old Burgess Shale fossil deposit add a new branch to the evolutionary tree of life, says a PhD student who tracked down the organism’s development.
Gov. DeSantis, FEMA administrator Brock Long visit AD Harris Learning Center – (Fox News)
BlackRock was targeted by a hoax letter claiming a big move on Paris climate change deal – (Axios)
Fake letter purportedly sent by BlackRock CEO Larry Fink
Brit and American among 14 killed in terror attack on Kenyan hotel – (Daily Mail)
An American man and Brit are among the 14 people killed when four gunmen and a suicide bomber launched a terror attack on a luxury hotel and office complex in Nairobi, Kenya.
Andrew Wheeler’s EPA confirmation hearing could be a tryout for 2020 Democratic hopefuls – (Axios)
Kirsten Gillibrand, Cory Booker, and Bernie Sanders all sit on the committee.
Watch the historic Tappan Zee Bridge get exploded – (Mashable)
Alexa, play Smoke on the Water.
Yellow Vest protestor shot in the back of the head by French police – (Daily Mail)
Olivier Beziade, a father-of-three in his 30s, is in a coma after the shooting in Bordeaux on Saturday. Mr Beziade’s wife said police shot at them ‘like rabbits’ and a full investigation has been opened.
Snow in Scotland as icy air sweeps in from the north – (Daily Mail)
The Met Office has issued an ice warning covering nearly the whole of Britain from 10pm tonight until 11am tomorrow as a blast of Arctic air sweeps across the country, bringing frost and snow.
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All about Trump
Trump EPA pick boasts of deregulatory actions at Senate hearing – (The Hill)
Acting Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) chief Andrew Wheeler used his Senate confirmation hearing Wednesday morning to highlight his deregulatory actions while vowing to continue them if selected as the agency’s permanent head.
Trump feels shutdown pressure from economists, Nancy Pelosi – (Associated Press)
WASHINGTON (AP) — Shutdown pressure on President Donald Trump mounted Wednesday as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called on him to delay his State of the Union address and his own economists acknowledged the prolonged standoff was having a greater economic drag t…
US military says American troops killed in Syria blast – (Associated Press)
BEIRUT (AP) — The U.S. military says a number of service members were killed Wednesday in an explosion while conducting a routine patrol in Syria — the first instance of U.S. casualties since President Donald Trump announced his intention to withdraw troops f…
William Barr’s Connection to Ruby Ridge, Defending FBI Snipers – (The American Conservative)
Trump’s AG pick was top cop during the federal siege and killing of Randy Weaver’s wife and son.
Pelosi asks Trump to move State of the Union or submit it in writing – (NBC News)
Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., cited the shutdown in asking President Donald Trump to postponed his State of the Union address or submit it in writing.
At Least Three U.S. Troops Killed in ISIS-Claimed Attack in Syria – (The Wall Street Journal)
Islamic State claimed responsibility for a bomb blast in a Syrian city under U.S.-backed Kurdish control that killed at least three American troops, underscoring the threat the extremist group still poses as the Trump administration prepares to withdraw troop…
Four U.S. troops reported among 16 dead in north Syria attack – (Reuters)
A bomb attack claimed by Islamic State killed U.S. troops in northern Syria on Wednesday, weeks after President Donald Trump said group was defeated there and he would pull out all American forces.
Trump pick to replace Kavanaugh on appeals court under fire for college op-eds on ‘hysteria over date rape’ – (USA Today)
If a woman “drinks to the point where she can no longer choose, well, getting to that point was part of her choice,” Neomi Rao wrote in 1994.
Citing ‘security concerns’ due to government shutdown, Speaker Pelosi urges delay of State of the Union address – (USA Today)
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has asked President Trump to reschedule his State of the Union address from later this month if the government remains shut down.
Pelosi urges Trump to delay State of the Union until partial shutdown ends – (Fox News)
Democrats ask Trump to call off speech – (BBC News)
Speaker Nancy Pelosi suggests Mr Trump submit his annual address in writing instead.
Nancy Pelosi asks Trump to delay State of the Union until government shutdown ends – (Axios)
Pelosi said DHS and Secret Service cannot guarantee participants’ safety
Kirsten Gillibrand discusses 2020 presidential run – live updates – (The Guardian (AU))
Donald Trump is meeting with a bipartisan congressional group to end the government shutdown as William Barr’s confirmation hearing resumes
Pelosi Asks Trump to Delay State of the Union Address – (The Wall Street Journal)
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi asked President Trump to delay the State of the Union address until the government reopens, citing security concerns.
Donald Trump’s Economic Advisers Double Their Shutdown Cost Projections: Reports – (The Huffington Post)
“It’s something that is going to be very painful this quarter,” said Kevin Hassett, chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers.
Pelosi asks Trump to postpone State of the Union over shutdown – (The Hill)
Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) asked President Trump on Wednesday to delay his State of the Union address set for Jan. 29 until after the government re-opens.
Nancy Pelosi to Trump: Reschedule State of Union address or just submit it in writing to Congress because of shutdown – (CNBC)
House Speaker Pelosi, D-Calif., in a letter to Trump, cited “security concerns” related to the shutdown’s effect on the U.S. Secret Service, which provides security for the president’s annual State of the Union Address to a joint session of Congress.
Nancy Pelosi to Trump: Reschedule State of the Union address or just submit it in writing to Congress because of shutdown – (Google News)
House Speaker Pelosi, D-Calif., in a letter to Trump, cited “security concerns” related to the shutdown’s effect on the U.S. Secret Service, which provides security for the president’s annual State of the Union Address to a joint session of Congress.
Watch live: Day 2 of Barr’s confirmation hearing – (The Hill)
The Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday is set to hold the second day of hearings with President Trump’s attorney general nominee, William Barr.Barr will replace acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker if he is confirmed.The hearing is scheduled …
Trump shifts his argument for wall – (Google News (Australia))
If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.
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