The shoplifting scare might not have been real — but its effects are (www.vox.com)
It turns out shoplifting isn’t spiraling out of control, but lawmakers are pushing for tougher penalties for low-level and nonviolent crimes anyway.
Trump’s alleged ‘sexual proclivities’ graphically detailed in new Epstein documents (www.independent.co.uk)
Experts: Jack Smith’s “dramatic new proof” so “overwhelming” reluctant witnesses may decide to flip (www.salon.com)
Multiple state Republican parties are going broke (www.newsweek.com)
56 million Americans have been in credit card debt for at least a year. ‘We are seeing pockets of trouble,’ expert says (www.cnbc.com)
Israel Says Its Military Is Starting to Shift to a More Targeted Gaza Campaign (www.nytimes.com)
Israel said its military is starting to shift from a large-scale ground and air campaign in the Gaza Strip to a more targeted phase in its war against Hamas, and Israeli officials have privately told their American counterparts that they hoped the transition would be completed by the end of January, U.S. officials said....
Israeli Minister suggests relocating Gazans in order to 'improve their living situation' (www.haaretz.com)
Israeli Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu expressed support for “voluntary immigration” of Palestinian civilians out of Gaza - the latest coalition lawmaker to suggest such a move....
Missing Ohio teen located in Florida after logging in to World of Warcraft account (www.seattletimes.com)
Authorities say a missing Ohio teen was recovered in Florida after she logged in to an online video game at the home of the man who took her.
In MSNBC Farewell, Mehdi Hasan Honors Palestinian Journalists Killed by Israel (www.commondreams.org)
Tanya Chutkan, the judge overseeing Trump's federal election interference case, appears to be victim of 'swatting' (www.nbcnews.com)
Police and fire trucks responded to reports of a shooting at Chutkan’s home, but police determined no shooting had taken place....
Supreme Court leaves California’s ban on flavored cigarettes in place (www.cnn.com)
The Supreme Court declined on Monday to hear a challenge to a California law that bans the sale of flavored cigarettes, leaving the state law in place....
White House allocates $1 billion for nationwide clean school buses (scrippsnews.com)
Low-income rural and tribal communities make up about 86% of those benefiting from the program’s funding....
United Airlines inspections find loose bolts on several Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft after grounding (www.cnbc.com)
Andrew Tate wins legal challenge over seized assets (www.bbc.com)
I don’t know Romanian law but it sounds like they seized his property without proving it was used in a crime. Let’s see how the retrial pans out.
iPhone survives 16,000 foot drop from Alaska Airlines flight where panel ripped off (www.independent.co.uk)
Two cell phones were recovered from the Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 jet that had an inflight explosive episode as it flew across Oregon over the weekend....
After winter holidays, respiratory virus activity continues to build across the US (www.cnn.com)
The first look at trends following most of the winter holidays shows that seasonal virus activity remains elevated and continues to rise across the United States, according to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As infections and hospitalizations mount, the CDC continues to emphasize the importance of...
Trump claims he didn’t have ‘fair notice’ that Georgia actions could be illegal (www.independent.co.uk)
The former president files several fresh motions to toss out Fulton County election interference charges...
Elon Musk's drug use causing turmoil for Tesla, SpaceX execs: WSJ (finance.yahoo.com)
Gazans to IDF: Hamas steals URNWA food, kills civilians who ask for aid (m.jpost.com)
New Mexico justices hear challenge to public health ban on guns in public parks and playgrounds (www.independent.co.uk)
Advocates for gun rights are urging the New Mexico Supreme Court to block emergency orders by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham restricting people from carrying guns at public parks and playgrounds in the state’s largest metro area and address gun violence as a public health crisis....
Cookies and candy are latest victims of climate crisis as sugar prices surge (www.theguardian.com)
The climate crisis has been previously identified as a threat to coffee and beer, and its impact could now be stretching to another of life’s joys: dessert....
Donald Trump did not sign Illinois pledge not to overthrow government (www.theguardian.com)
Former president sidestepped signing state’s loyalty oath, which opponents Nikki Haley and Chris Christie also have not signed...
Alaska 737 cockpit voice recorder data erasure renews industry safety debate (gazette.com)
The cockpit voice recorder data on the Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9 jet which lost a panel mid-flight on Friday was overwritten, U.S. authorities said, renewing attention on an industry call for longer in-flight recordings....
The Supreme Court is allowing Idaho to enforce its strict abortion ban, even in medical emergencies (apnews.com)
Archived at web.archive.org/…/supreme-court-abortion-medical-…
Man found dead on federal death row planned suicide in final weeks (indianapublicmedia.org)
A man who died on federal death row last month told loved ones he planned to kill himself in the weeks before U.S. prison staff reported finding his body....
