The Washington Soap Opera Continues After These Messages
U.S. News – Attorney General Jeff Sessions Interviewed by Mueller Team in Russia Probe

A Hard Won Audience
Huffington Post – Bernie Sanders’ ‘Medicare For All’ Online Town Hall Draws 1 Million Live Viewers

Would You Like Some Spin With That Surgery?
U.S. News – Kentucky to Offer Course Option for Medicaid

Deadly Explosion in Oklahoma
Houston Chronicle – Oklahoma drilling rig explosion deadliest in years

Access to Financial Institutions Is A Key Facet of A Safe and Viable Cannabis Market
Press Release – Rep. Tulsi Gabbard Urges Equal Banking Access for State-Licensed Marijuana Businesses

Puerto Rico’s Government Forced to Spin Off Assets While the Rest of the Country Turns a Blind Eye
NPR – Puerto Rico’s Governor Announces Plan To Privatize Island’s Troubled Electric Utility

The Web of Empire Is Intricate and Sticky
RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty – Suspected U.S. Drone Strike Kills Haqqani Militants In Pakistan

A Deeper Examination of Turkey’s Military Campaign in Syria (Operation Olive Branch)
BBC – How historical Afrin became a prize worth a war
Vox – 2 US allies are killing each other in Syria. It might be America’s fault.
Al Jazeera – What is Russia’s end game in Afrin?
Washington Post – AP Explains: Turkey’s ‘Operation Olive Branch’ in Afrin
Anadolu Agency – Qatari defense minister backs Turkey’s Afrin operation

Erdogan Flexes Trade Muscles
Der Spiegel – Arms for Hostage? Berlin Weighs Tank Deal with Turkey to Free Journalist

Canada To Sign Revised TPP. Job Losses Already On Horizon.
Reuters – Canada to sign Pacific trade deal, labor and auto sectors fume

Hooray! Our Very Responsible Legislators Just Managed to Do a Minute Fraction of Their Job. Executive Signs Off With Jab.
CBS News – Trump signs bill to end government shutdown and reopen government

Corporate Democrats Remain As Brave As Ever While Republicans Cackle
Associated Press – Schumer’s ‘cave’? Shutdown deal puts spotlight on Dem leader

The Trappings of Civilization Change, but the Structures Remain the Same
Time – 82 Percent of the Wealth Generated Last Year ‘Went to the Richest 1 Percent of the Global Population’

The Truth Is the Apes Run From the Storms
Reuters – Heavy snow humbles the global elite at Davos summit

Gerrymandering Takes Another Temporary Hit. Non-Partisan Redistricting Parameters Still Necessary.
New York Times – Pennsylvania Congressional District Map Is Ruled Unconstitutional

Montana Steps Up, But This Is Only the Second Quarter. The Ball Is Now Firmly In the Feds’ Court.
Associated Press – Montana mandates ‘net neutrality’ for state contracts

Can This Save America’s Domestic Solar Manufacturing?
The Hill – Trump imposes 30 percent tariff on solar panel imports

Governor Scott Signs H. 511, Legalizing Cannabis in Vermont and Making History
Washington Post – Vermont is the first state to legalize marijuana through legislature

Make Mexico Great Again
Reuters – ‘Put Trump in his place’: nationalism awakens in Mexican presidential race

Yet Another Country Invades Syria
BBC – Syria offensive: US seeks to address Turkey’s ‘legitimate’ security concerns

When Other Countries Bomb Innocent Civilians, It’s Monstrous. When We Bomb Innocent Civilians, It’s Justified.
The Guardian – Somali citizens count cost of surge in US airstrikes under Trump

Why Not Give the City to the UN, As Similarly Described in the 1947 United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine?
CNN – Pence says US embassy to open in Jerusalem by end of 2019

Real Question on the Table: Are Americans Capable of Assessing Legitimacy of News Content?
Associated Press – Head of Russian outlet RT says US foreign agent order hurts

Vaping Comes to Tobacco
U.S. News – FDA’s Tobacco Stance Faces Test With Philip Morris IQOS Device

A Peek Into the Life of An Unconventional Patriot
New York Magazine – Does This Man Know More Than Robert Mueller?

This Is How Democracy Works, Right? Law and Order.
Politico – NSA deleted surveillance data it pledged to preserve

Apple To Bring Back Cash Saved Through Tax Avoidance. Will Get Tax Break To Do So. Law and Order.
CNBC – Apple announces plans to repatriate billions in overseas cash, says it will contribute $350 billion to the US economy over the next 5 years

None of This Will Matter If NASA’s Funding and Directives Remain Lackluster
Reuters – U.S. tests nuclear power system to sustain astronauts on Mars

Sweden to Publish Cold War Propaganda
CNN – Sweden to publish leaflets warning citizens over potential war

Vice President Pence, Ambassador For Christian America
Agence France Presse – Pence meets Sisi on Mideast tour amid Arab anger over Jerusalem

The Division of Powers is Tested, Yet Again
Fox News – Northern California police refuse to cooperate in upcoming ICE raids: report

Speaking of Division in California
USA Today – New California declares ‘independence’ from California in bid to become 51st state

Thirteenth Amendment, Section 1: Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.
The Intercept – Florida Prisoners Prepare to Strike, Demanding an End to Unpaid Labor and Brutal Conditions

Now We’re Arresting People Who Are Here Legally. Law and Order.
Daily Mail – Doctor who fled Poland with his family 40 years ago for a ‘better life’ in the US is arrested by ICE agents and could be deported back to the country he left as a THREE-year-old

Entire Congress Abdicates Duty; President Blames One Party
The Hill – New Trump ad calls Democrats ‘complicit’ in all murders by illegal immigrants

Radical, Dude! It’s Like I Can Do Like You Know Whatever.
Vox – Trump official says it’s “kind of cool” to be in charge of the government shutdown

There Is Still A Pinch of Honor Left in D.C.
Hawaii News Now – 2 Hawaii congresswomen decline pay for duration of government shutdown

Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire
Washington Post – President Trump has made more than 2,000 false or misleading claims over 355 days

Oh, Doug Jones

THROWBACK: The Cannibalism of Our Ambulance Services is Still Ongoing
New York Times – When You Dial 911 and Wall Street Answers