TOP STORIES

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Thursday, January 23

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IMPEACHMENT DAY 2: DEMS COME OUT SWINGING Democrats opened their arguments in the Senate impeachment trial of Donald Trump  by laying out a crucial part of the charges: that he put his own interest above the national interest by freezing aid to Ukraine in order to cheat in his reelection. [HuffPost]

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TRUMP SHRUGS OFF SOLDIERS' INJURIES FROM IRAN ATTACKS  Trump downplayed the injuries suffered by U.S. soldiers during Iran’s attack on a military base in Iraq earlier this month, suggesting he doesn’t consider traumatic brain injuries to be “very serious.” [HuffPost]

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TRUMP TO ATTEND ANTI-ABORTION MARCH Trump said he would become the first U.S. leader to attend the March for Life, one of the nation’s largest anti-abortion protests, in person later this week.The announcement came the same day the Senate began hearing opening arguments in the president’s impeachment trial. [HuffPost]

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U.S. TO IMPOSE VISA RESTRICTIONS FOR PREGNANT WOMEN The Trump administration is coming out with new visa restrictions aimed at restricting “birth tourism,” in which women travel to the U.S. to give birth so their children can have a coveted U.S. passport.The State Department planned to publicize the rules Thursday. [AP]

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MASS SHOOTING OUTSIDE SEATTLE MCDONALD'S KILLS 1 Multiple people opened fire outside a McDonald’s in the busiest part of downtown Seattle during the evening commute Wednesday, killing one person and wounding seven others. [AP]

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AIR TANKER FIGHTING AUSSIE WILDFIRES CRASHES, KILLING 3 U.S. FIREFIGHTERS Authorities have confirmed three U.S.-born crew members have died after an air tanker crashed in the Snowy Monaro region of New South Wales while fighting bushfires. “Our hearts are with all those that are suffering what is the loss of three remarkable, well-respected crew," said fire Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons. [HuffPost]

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WHAT'S BREWING

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CHINA HALTS TRANSIT OUT OF WUHAN Public transportation out of the Chinese city of Wuhan is being shut down amid an outbreak of a mysterious coronavirus strain that has sickened hundreds of people in China and killed at least 17. [HuffPost]

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TRUMP WILLING TO TACKLE ENTITLEMENTS 'TOWARD END OF YEAR' Trump said he’s considering changes to social safety net programs like Social Security and Medicare “toward the end of the year” ― suggesting he is open to cuts long pushed by conservatives. [HuffPost]

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UN EXPERTS: SAUDI PRINCE LIKELY INVOLVED IN BEZOS PHONE HACKING The phone of Amazon founder and Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos was hacked after receiving a file sent from an account used by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, United Nations experts said. The experts called for an “immediate investigation” by the United States. [AP]

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IRANIANS STOPPED AT BORDERS ALL OVER THE U.S. Customs and Border Protection “has understood Iran and its proxies to be a very capable adversary for some time,” so it “leverages all available tools and information to ensure that individuals who seek entry into the United States are appropriately screened,” a spokesperson told HuffPost. [HuffPost]

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U.S. DRINKING WATER WIDELY CONTAMINATED The contamination of U.S. drinking water with man-made “forever chemicals” is far worse than previously estimated, with some of the highest levels found in Miami, Philadelphia and New Orleans, said a report by an environmental watchdog group. [Reuters]

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WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT WEINSTEIN'S TRIAL In a few weeks, Harvey Weinstein could be handed a life sentence. It remains an open question how the former Hollywood mogul will answer for the kind of accusations that kicked off the Me Too movement more than two years ago. Prosecutors have spent almost the same amount of time building a case against Weinstein in New York state, where he is standing trial accused of multiple counts of rape. [HuffPost]

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