TOP STORIES

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Thursday, January 30

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TRUMP DEFENSE MESS: 'CORRUPTION' EXCUSE FALLS APART  Republican senators argue that calling former national security adviser John Bolton or virtually any other witnesses in President Donald Trump's impeachment trial would be a waste of time — because their vote won’t change. That argument is a tacit admission of the essential truth of this trial: Republicans are prepared to acquit Trump no matter what. [HuffPost]

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NO EVIDENCE TRUMP CARED ABOUT CORRUPTION BEFORE BIDEN In a closely watched exchange during Wednesday’s Senate impeachment trial, Trump’s defense team struggled to point to any instances of his interest in rooting out corruption in Ukraine or Joe Biden’s involvement with that nation before the former vice president launched his Democratic presidential campaign. [HuffPost]

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GOP: IT DOESN'T MATTER IF THERE WAS QUID PRO QUO Trump's Republican defenders now maintain the president was justified in engaging in a quid pro quo with Ukraine, after an extended period adamantly denying that it had ever happened. After insisting there was no evidence of a direct link between security assistance to Ukraine and investigations into Joe Biden, Republicans now argue a quid pro quo doesn't matter. [HuffPost]

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CORONAVIRUS: NEARLY 8,000 CASES, AT LEAST 170 DEAD At least 170 people are dead and more than 7,800 cases have been confirmed in mainland China, as the Wuhan coronavirus spreads across Asia and the rest of the world. There are more than 100 confirmed cases in 20 places outside of China, with India, the UAE and Finland reporting their first cases. The U.S., Japan, and several other countries are now flying their citizens out of Wuhan. [CNN]

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SEGMENT OF BORDER WALL BLOWS OVER A segment of Trump’s signature border wall fell over in California and onto some trees on the Mexican side amid high winds. No one was injured in the incident at Calexico, California, about 100 miles east of San Diego. [HuffPost]

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VIDEO SHOWS AUSSIE WILDFIRE TEAR THROUGH FOREST Australian firefighters released a terrifying video showing just how dangerous the bushfires raging across the country can become in mere minutes, spurred by high winds and extremely dry conditions. [HuffPost]

WHAT'S BREWING

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WHITE HOUSE ISSUES FORMAL THREAT TO BOLTON The White House issued a formal threat to John Bolton warning him against publishing an upcoming book that alleges Trump abused the power of the presidency. [HuffPost]

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HOW THESE BRITISH ACADEMICS HELPED RUSSIA DENY WAR CRIMES A European diplomat this week joined Amnesty International in condemning the work of the Working Group on Syria, Propaganda and Media, saying its members were either “unwittingly and naively acting as agents of propaganda for the Russians, or actively support[ing] Russian disinformation” to accuse humanitarian workers in Syria of staging war crimes. [HuffPost]

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SCIENTISTS BACK SANDERS CLIMATE PLAN, REBUFFING BIDEN Dozens of scientists have endorsed Sen. Bernie Sanders’ (I-Vt.) sweeping plan to combat global climate change after fellow Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden declared that “not a single solitary scientist thinks it can work.” [HuffPost]

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'AMERICAN DIRT' PUBLISHER CANCELS AUTHOR TOUR OVER SECURITY FEARS The publisher of Jeanine Cummins’ controversial novel “American Dirt” has canceled the remainder of her promotional tour, citing concerns for her safety. The novel about a Mexican mother and her young son fleeing to the U.S. border has been praised widely, but Mexican American writers have been among those strongly criticizing the book for stereotypical depictions of Mexicans. [AP]

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WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WOMEN CAN'T GET ABORTIONS Women who are blocked from getting abortions face significant financial distress, including higher amounts of debt and increased rates of bankruptcy and eviction, according to a groundbreaking working paper published by the National Bureau of Economic Research. [HuffPost]

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BREXIT OFFICIALLY UNSTOPPABLE Nigel Farage’s final speech as a member of European Parliament saw him reprimanded for saying his party “just hate" the EU in the wake of a discussion about Auschwitz. His jeering colleagues were told to “put your flags away – you’re leaving” by the chair of the proceedings. [HuffPost]

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