Newz Monkey

A rare celestial phenomenon will take place January 31, when a super moon, blue moon and total lunar eclipse take place at the same time. from https://www.yahoo.com/news/everything-know-tomorrows-super-blue-195137710.html

The wife of a Taiwanese democracy activist who was jailed in China in a case which further strained relations was Tuesday barred from boarding a flight to visit him in prison. Human rights and democracy activists have been targeted in Chinese President Xi Jinping's crackdown on dissent since he took power in 2012. Taipei had called Lee's jailing "unacceptable" and a serious blow to cross-strait relations, while his wife Lee Ching-yu called his trial a "political show". from https://www.yahoo.com/news/wife-taiwan-activist-jailed-china-barred-visiting-094813807.html

At President Trump's first State of the Union address, First Lady Melania Trump opted to arrive on Capitol Hill with her invited guests instead of the her husband. The situation was different one year ago. from https://www.yahoo.com/news/bucking-tradition-melania-arrives-separately-181208812.html

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States and Qatar have reached a deal to resolve a years-old quarrel over alleged airline subsidies, seven individuals familiar with the deal said Monday, as Qatar's government works to defuse tensions with the Trump administration. from https://www.yahoo.com/news/us-qatar-reach-agreement-subsidy-214036144.html

By Maria Tsvetkova MOSCOW/Donetsk, Ukraine (Reuters) - In the fall of 2015, pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine were introduced to a moustachioed new commander who, like his predecessors, went by the codename Tuman - "fog" in Russian. When he was killed while on official assignment to Syria two years later, it turns out that this name was also fake, a deception to hide Russia's central role in a conflict that Moscow and the rebels maintain was entirely homegrown. In fact, Valery Asapov was a Russian general working undercover. from https://www.yahoo.com/news/fog-ukraines-war-russians-death-syria-sheds-light-103618189.html

NEW YORK (AP) — The latest from the New York fraud trial of a reputed Philadelphia mob boss (all times local): from https://www.yahoo.com/news/latest-ny-trial-opens-reputed-philadelphia-mob-boss-151648302.html

The big question looming over President Trump's first State of the Union speech is whether he will mention the investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller. But what he says will also give clues to his agenda for 2018 and his strategy for the midterm elections. Here's what to look for. from https://www.yahoo.com/news/watch-trumps-first-state-union-100025579.html

In the official Democratic response to President Donald Trump’s State of the Union speech, Rep. from https://www.yahoo.com/news/joe-kennedy-trump-turning-american-035626244.html

CNN's Max Foster gets rare access inside the United Kingdom's Parliament buildings to survey the major restoration efforts underway. from http://www.cnn.com/videos/world/2018/01/31/uk-parliament-repairs-foster-pkg.cnn

Rep. Joe Kennedy III, Bobby Kennedy's grandson, who will deliver the Democratic response to President Trump's State of the Union, has the burden of living up to his family's legacy without seeming to trade on it. from https://www.yahoo.com/news/joe-kennedy-iii-carries-kennedy-legacy-fight-trump-100056577.html

Taiwanese troops Tuesday staged live-fire exercises simulating a response to an invasion, as China steppeds up pressure on the island's President Tsai Ing-wen and a row over airline routes escalated. The ministry did not specify that the annual drill simulated an invasion by China but said it was intended to "show determination to safeguard peace in the Taiwan Strait and national security". Tsai last month warned against what she called Beijing's "military expansion" -- the increase in Chinese air and naval drills around the island since she came to power in May 2016. from https://www.yahoo.com/news/taiwan-holds-live-fire-drills-china-tensions-mount-050812636.html

The team will no longer wear the logo or display signs or banners with the image beginning in 2019. from https://www.yahoo.com/news/cleveland-indians-remove-chief-wahoo-155732614.html

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) is coming to a small screen near you. from https://www.yahoo.com/news/chris-christie-join-abc-news-004828169.html

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday after accusing Iran of wanting "to turn Lebanon into one giant missile site". Netanyahu has held a series of discussions with Putin in recent months on Iran's influence in war-torn Syria and in Lebanon, seeking to persuade Russia to limit Iran's presence near Israeli territory and to stop it from entrenching itself militarily in Syria. from https://www.yahoo.com/news/netanyahu-lashes-iran-talks-putin-173152438.html

Fact checking the 2018 State of the Union address    Washington Post Five Takeaways from Trump's State of the Union    The Hill Trump talks unity, sows division in State of the Union    NBCNews.com The State of the Union Is Unrecognizable    The Atlantic Trump to project success as Washington rots from within    CNN Full coverage

Trump: North Korea 'could very soon threaten our homeland'    The Hill North Korea to parade dozens of long-range missiles before Winter Olympics    CNN Trump to Otto Warmbier family: 'You are powerful witnesses to a menace that threatens our world'    USA TODAY Amid tears and cheers, Trump hails Otto Warmbier's family as 'powerful witnesses' to North Korea's menace    Cincinnati.com North Korea's days are numbered. Trump's State of the Union just made that clear    Fox News Full coverage

2nd Person of Interest Was Identified in Days After Las Vegas Shooting, Documents Show    New York Times Second person of interest named in days after Las Vegas massacre    AOL Douglas Haig A 'Person Of Interest' In Las Vegas Shooting    International Business Times Document shows police ID'd 2nd 'person of interest' in days after Las Vegas shooting – Las Vegas Review-Journal    Las Vegas Review-Journal Exclusive: New Las Vegas Shooting Person of Interest Douglas Haig Says He Never Knew 'Wacko' Stephen Paddock    Newsweek Full coverage

Hillary Clinton Didn't Fire An Advisor Accused of Harassment. She Now Says She Would    TIME Clinton says she regrets not firing aide accused of sexual harassment during 2008 campaign    Washington Post Clinton Says She Should Have Fired Campaign Aide Accused of Sexual Harassment    New York Times Hillary Clinton - The most important work of my life has... | Facebook    Facebook Hillary Clinton Chose to Shield a Top Adviser Accused of Harassment in 2008    New York Times Full coverage

Trump tells GOP lawmaker he'll '100 percent' release the memo    Washington Post Trump tells Republican he's '100 percent' for releasing Nunes memo    The Hill Pundits fight the urge to stay away from 'presidential'    WPXI Pittsburgh The Real Aim of the Secret Memo Is the Mueller Investigation    New York Times Full coverage

Skywatchers await 'super blue blood Moon'    BBC News Rare lunar eclipse offers glimpse of 'super blue blood moon'    Phys.Org Wednesday's rare super blue blood moon: How to see it and what we can learn    Minnesota Public Radio News Super blue blood moon reminds us that despite chaos on Earth, the heavens are still operating like clockwork    Fox News Super blue blood snow moon eclipse: How to take amazing photographs    USA TODAY Full coverage

Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway and JPMorgan Team Up to Try to Disrupt Health Care    New York Times How 3 CEOs can fix health care: What the experts say    CNNMoney Trump joins Bezos, Dimon and Buffett by pledging to stop soaring drug prices    MarketWatch Full coverage

Hawaii's false missile alert sent by troubled worker who thought an attack was imminent, officials say    Washington Post Hawaii employee who sent alert thought real missile was incoming; state emergency manager resigns    Los Angeles Times Timeline of the Hawaii false missile alert shows how drill went wrong    CNN Preliminary Report: Hawaii Emergency Management Agency's January 13 ... - Federal Communications Commission    Federal Communications Commission Kirby: You get the missile alert. You have 15 minutes to live. What would you do? Well, here's my list.    Salt Lake Tribune Full coverage

Taliban threaten 70% of Afghanistan, BBC finds    BBC News Before Trump's Speech, More Bad News From the Afghan Front    Foreign Policy (blog) Taliban active in 70 percent of Afghanistan, BBC study finds    Reuters “Can't believe I am alive”: Survivors recount harrowing 13-hour Taliban attack on Afghan hotel    RAWA News India misleading US on why it is failing in Afghanistan    Asia Times Full coverage

Helicopter crashes into California home, killing 3 people    ABC News Newport Beach Helicopter Crash: 3 Dead After Chopper Falls On Home    International Business Times Three killed when helicopter slams into Southern California home    NBCNews.com Full coverage

Actor Mark Salling dies weeks after child porn guilty plea    Washington Post Mark Salling's Former 'Glee' Cast and Crew React to His Death    Entertainment Tonight Mark Salling 'Knew He Had Nothing to Come Back to' After Prison    Us Weekly Mark Salling, former Glee star, dead of apparent suicide    EW.com (blog) Full coverage

6.1 magnitude earthquake rattles northern Afghanistan – USGS    Rappler Tremors In Delhi, Srinagar After 6.1 Earthquake In Afghanistan    NDTV BREAKING: Huge 6.2-magnitude earthquake rocks India, Pakistan and Afghanistan    Daily Star Full coverage

Alex Smith trade affects fantasy values of Patrick Mahomes, Tyreek Hill, Josh Doctson    ESPN Most likely landing spots for Kirk Cousins    NFL.com Winners and losers from Alex Smith trade to Redskins: Cousins cashes in, Reid upgrades    CBSSports.com Redskins get fleeced by Chiefs in Alex Smith trade    USA TODAY Washington Swaps Out Kirk Cousins for Alex Smith, But Did The Team Improve?    Sports Illustrated Full coverage

Harvey Weinstein Denies Rose McGowan's Rape Accusations Using Emails from Ben Affleck and Her Former Manager    Vulture 8 Emotional Reveals From Rose McGowan's New Book, Brave    Cosmopolitan.com Full coverage

Former Kenyan VP: Home attacked in “assassination attempt”    Washington Post Media Blackout in Kenya as Odinga Takes Oath as 'People's President'    Voice of America Kenya: Media Barred From Opposition Event    Human Rights Watch CA gags TVs, but fails to block live coverage of Raila's oath    The Star, Kenya Threat of violence over act that will not change the status quo    Daily Nation Full coverage

FEMA to stop distributing emergency food and water to Puerto Rico    Washington Post Trump Tells Puerto Ricans “We Are With You” as FEMA Ends Food and Water Distribution    Slate Magazine FEMA to end emergency food and water operations in Puerto Rico    ABC News Full coverage

Outgoing FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe owes us some answers    The Hill The DOJ is reportedly investigating whether Andrew McCabe deliberately slowed the FBI's Clinton email probe    Business Insider Wray Letter Suggests McCabe Left Due to Upcoming IG Report    U.S. News & World Report Fix the FBI Don't Politicize It.    New York Times Internal Justice Department probe eyes McCabe's role in final weeks of 2016 election    Washington Post Full coverage

Steve Kerr critical of Warriors' 'pathetic effort' in loss to Jazz    ESPN Steve Kerr rips Warriors for playing 'disgusting basketball'    New York Post Porous defense dooms Warriors in blowout loss to Utah    SFGate The Jazz face the defending NBA champion Warriors on Tuesday. Is it time to start calling Golden State the best team in ...    Salt Lake Tribune Full coverage

Andre Drummond excited to team up with Blake Griffin: 'It's a new chapter'    ESPN Blake Griffin says goodbye to Clippers fans    Los Angeles Times GameTime: Harden Talks Making History    NBA.com Blake Griffin traded from Clippers to Pistons in blockbuster deal    ESPN Clippers' Doc Rivers: 'Out of Nowhere' Blake Griffin Blockbuster Had its Roots in Playoff Collapses    Sports Illustrated Full coverage

Watch Michael B. Jordan Prepare for 'Black Panther' In New Ad    Comicbook.com At the 'Black Panther' premiere, it's a regal night of stars and standout looks    Los Angeles Times Black Panther cast and crew respond to Trump's Africa comments    EW.com Full coverage

Joy Behar kicked off an interview with Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) on Monday by confronting the lawmaker for calling on Sen. Al Franken to resign after being publicly accused of sexual misconduct. from https://www.yahoo.com/news/joy-behar-challenges-kirsten-gillibrand-225817325.html

A women’s rights group used the occasion of Donald Trump’s first State of the Union address to bring renewed attention to allegations of sexual assault against the president. from https://www.yahoo.com/news/women-apos-group-shines-light-000438704.html

A Russian Su-27 fighter jet intercepted a US surveillance plane over the Black Sea on Monday, prompting the American government to protest the manoeuvre as "an unsafe interaction". The US State Department said the Russian jet closed to within five feet and crossed directly in front of the EP-3 Aries II plane. The encounter, first reported by Russia's RIA news agency, cited the defence ministry as saying the US Navy aircraft, did not violate Russian air space. "This is but the latest example of Russian military activities disregarding international norms and agreements," said the State Department. "We call on Russia to cease these unsafe actions that increase the risk of miscalculation, danger to aircrew on both sides, and midair collisions." MT @USNavyEurope : #USNavy EP-3 Aries flying in international airspace over #BlackSea was intercepted by Russian Su-27. Interaction determined unsafe: Su-27 came within 5 feet & crossed thru EP-3’s flight path,

Healthcare shares plunged on the news from https://www.yahoo.com/news/amazon-jpmorgan-berkshire-creating-health-133433024.html

Democratic lawmakers wore black and sported pins in solidarity with victims of sexual harassment and assault on Tuesday as President Donald Trump was set to deliver his first State of the Union address. from https://www.yahoo.com/news/lawmakers-wear-black-donald-trump-013501319.html

Kenya's opposition leader Raila Odinga is planning to have himself sworn in as an alternative president on Tuesday, seen as a final push to challenge Uhuru Kenyatta's election. Odinga challenged the result of the original August vote winning an unprecedented annulment, but then boycotted the court-ordered re-run in October handing victory to Kenyatta who won 98 percent of the vote but with a turnout of just 39 percent. On Tuesday the opposition National Super Alliance (NASA) which continues to claim fraud and wants another election to be held, intends to stage its own "swearing-in" ceremony in the capital Nairobi, hoping to pressure the government for talks. from https://www.yahoo.com/news/kenya-opposition-swear-leader-president-085141258.html

By Christine Kim SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea has canceled a joint cultural performance with South Korea scheduled for Feb. 4 blaming South Korean media for encouraging "insulting" public sentiment regarding the North, South Korea's unification ministry said on Monday. The North said it had no choice but to call off the performance, which was to be held in the North Korean territory of Mount Kumgang, as South Korean media continued to insult what Pyongyang called "sincere" measures regarding the Winter Olympics Seoul will host next month, the ministry said. from https://www.yahoo.com/news/north-korea-cancels-joint-performance-south-korea-blames-144242437.html

Andrew McCabe, the deputy director of the FBI, stepped down on Monday in a widely anticipated move that nevertheless reflected a further deterioration in relations between the White House and authorities investigating Donald Trump’s Russia ties. The move came after months of attacks on McCabe by the president, who implied that McCabe had been compromised by a political donation made in 2015 to McCabe’s wife. from https://www.yahoo.com/news/fbi-deputy-director-andrew-mccabe-183931951.html

Early insight into the details of President Donald Trump’s first State of the Union speech suggests his Tuesday address will be restrained and placatory, challenging his penchant for angry outbursts and divisive rhetoric. from https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-state-union-speech-won-003841676.html

Devil Barrett, reporter for The Washington Post, talks about new reporting that FBI officials have asked the White House not to allow the release of the Devin Nunes memo. from https://www.yahoo.com/news/fbi-officials-ask-trump-block-173241297.html

With the U.S. defense budget set to expand in the coming years as the great power competition between Russia, China and the United States heats up, Northrop Grumman—like other defense contractors—is starting to invest in the future after a prolonged slump. “We foresee just given the nature of the threat environment that we observe around the globe today and the number of dimensions in that threat environment that are evident, we foresee a period of time here in front of us, a rather significant period of time in front of us, where our nation and our allies are going to need to invest in their national security to deal with this,” Wes Bush, chairman and chief executive officer of Northrop Grumman told investors. from https://www.yahoo.com/news/northrop-grumman-getting-ready-great-154800045.html

Immigration authorities have found nearly 80 people crammed into the back of a truck trying to enter the US without proper documents. The truck was travelling on highway in Laredo, Texas, near the US-Mexico border when the driver was pulled over. At least 13 were found to be unaccompanied children. from https://www.yahoo.com/news/nearly-80-undocumented-immigrants-found-145300763.html

Rep. Joe Kennedy III, Bobby Kennedy's grandson, who will deliver the Democratic response to President Trump's State of the Union, has the burden of living up to his family's legacy without seeming to trade on it. from https://www.yahoo.com/news/joe-kennedy-iii-carries-kennedy-legacy-fight-trump-100056577.html

NEW YORK (AP) — The latest from the New York fraud trial of a reputed Philadelphia mob boss (all times local): from https://www.yahoo.com/news/latest-ny-trial-opens-reputed-philadelphia-mob-boss-151648302.html

The incident unfolded while the US EP-3 Aries spy plane was on a mission in international airspace. The US military has reported several "unsafe" interactions with Russian jets in the skies over the Black Sea in recent months. "The Russian military is within its right to operate within international airspace, but they must behave within international standards set to ensure safety and prevent incidents," the statement read. from https://www.yahoo.com/news/russia-warplane-flies-within-whisker-us-jet-us-193844232.html

On Tuesday, January Paul Ryan defended the vote by the U.S. House Intelligence Committee to release a classified memo the GOP says shows anti-Trump bias by the FBI and DOJ from https://www.yahoo.com/news/paul-ryan-defends-republican-memo-175737040.html

Some politicians have even chimed in on the error from https://www.yahoo.com/news/internet-losing-over-typo-trump-221902838.html

The wife of a Taiwanese democracy activist who was jailed in China in a case which further strained relations was Tuesday barred from boarding a flight to visit him in prison. Human rights and democracy activists have been targeted in Chinese President Xi Jinping's crackdown on dissent since he took power in 2012. Taipei had called Lee's jailing "unacceptable" and a serious blow to cross-strait relations, while his wife Lee Ching-yu called his trial a "political show". from https://www.yahoo.com/news/wife-taiwan-activist-jailed-china-barred-visiting-094813807.html

By Kinda Makieh and Maria Tsvetkova SOCHI, Russia (Reuters) - A Syrian peace conference in Russia ended on Tuesday with a statement calling for democratic elections, but ignoring key opposition demands after a day marred by squabbles and heckling of the Russian foreign minister. The participants also agreed to set up a committee to rewrite the Syrian constitution at the conference, which much of the opposition said aimed to serve the interests of President Bashar al-Assad and his close ally, Moscow. A final statement said Syrians must decide their future through elections, but did not say whether Syrian refugees would be allowed to take part, something sought by Assad's opponents and Western states. from https://www.yahoo.com/news/rocky-start-syria-talks-russia-delegates-refuse-leave-080159153.html

President Donald Trump faced boos from Democrats during his first State of the Union address, after criticising "chain migration" – a practice in which family members come to join immigrants who have settled in America. Mr Trump has long bemoaned the practice as a means for terrorists and "truly evil people" to enter the country. "Under the current broken system, a single immigrant can bring in virtually unlimited numbers of distant relatives," Mr Trump claimed. from https://www.yahoo.com/news/donald-trump-booed-first-state-031631797.html