Three weeks ago, Donald Trump claimed—without evidence—that most of the 800,000 federal workers caught up in the border wall shutdown are Democrats. That notorious assertion may be worth remembering now that he's forced 46,000 of them back to work, without pay, in part to tend to issues important to his wavering Republican base. —David E. Rovella

Here are today's top stories

The longest government shutdown in U.S. history is approaching the one month-mark, and TSA workers say they are buckling under the financial hardship, with some skipping work because of childcare and fuel costs. 

The contagion is spreading to markets and the broader economy. If by some miracle a deal is reached soon, the damage may already be done.

Special Counsel Robert Mueller's probe of potential collusion between Trump's campaign and Moscow has spawned multiple investigations stretching across the globe. Many of them share a pivotal witness.

A Belarusian model who claimed to have evidence Russia helped Trump was deported from Thailand, flown to Moscow and promptly arrested.

For China, it's good news-bad news. On one hand, its military will soon surpass America in some respects (something defense contractors will be happy to address). On the other hand, Bloomberg Businessweek reports, even if Beijing resolves its economic slowdown and the U.S. trade war ends, it still faces a debt-driven slump.

The Trump administration's immigration policies endanger a $39 billion industry: international students who come to study in America. Long-term, the damage to U.S. competitiveness and national security may be worse. 

What's Joe Weisenthal thinking about? The Bloomberg news director is thinking of all those tech unicorns scheduled for IPOs this year, and whether these volatile, uncertain times bode ill or well for them.

What you'll need to know tomorrow

• How a bartender from the Bronx became a grave threat to the GOP.
• Brexit? Border wall shutdown? Maybe Davos should be cancelled.
• For $23 million, you can have a hedge fund manager's brownstone.
• A massive wave of selling just hit Hong Kong stocks.
• A battered Theresa May claims she won't cave on Brexit.
• A legendary investor has a strategy for tackling climate change.
• The hot new asset-class is Lego sets.

What you'll want to read tonight

Those Hollywood Award Show Protests Work

After Actor Natalie Portman introduced nominated directors at the 2018 Golden Globes as “all male,” it wasn’t hard to find mocking stories in the media. Critics also went after women that night who wore black to protest sexual harassment. As you know, a lot has happened since then.

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