TOP STORIES

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Friday, January 17

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PARNAS: 'I'M SCARED' OF THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT “I regret certain things that I did,” Lev Parnas told MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow in the second part of a sweeping interview about his work for President Donald Trump. He noted he was fearful of U.S. Attorney General William Barr, whom he described as a political power who has only elevated Trump’s control. [HuffPost]

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GOP GROUP HITS TRUMP WITH $1 MILLION ATTACK AD Republicans for the Rule of Law, a group of anti-Trump conservatives, is launching a $1 million ad campaign aimed at pressuring Senate Republicans into calling witnesses during the impeachment trial of Trump. The two ads will run nationally on “Fox & Friends” and “Lou Dobbs Tonight” -- two of the president's favorite TV shows -- every day next week. [HuffPost]

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11 U.S. TROOPS INJURED BY IRAN ATTACKS ON IRAQI BASES Eleven U.S. troops were treated for concussion symptoms as a result of the Jan. 8 Iranian missile attack on an Iraqi base where U.S. forces were stationed, the U.S. military said. The disclosure contradicts the U.S. initial claim that no service members had been hurt. [Reuters]

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TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ILLEGALLY WITHHELD UKRAINE AID The U.S. Government Accountability Office, a nonpartisan agency that works for Congress, found that the White House Office of Management and Budget violated federal law under the direction of Trump when it illegally withheld congressionally approved U.S. aid to Ukraine in the summer of 2019. [HuffPost]

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EVELYN YANG SEXUALLY ASSAULTED BY OB-GYN Evelyn Yang, the wife of Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang, revealed publicly for the first time to CNN that she was sexually assaulted by her obstetrician-gynecologist when she was pregnant. The doctor, Robert Hadden, who had a practice in Manhattan, was convicted of a felony for his abuse and lost his license in 2016. [HuffPost]

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FBI ARRESTS 3 NEO-NAZIS AHEAD OF VIRGINIA PRO-GUN RALLY Three suspected neo-Nazis were arrested after allegedly discussing plans to show up to a pro-gun rally in Virginia next week where they anticipated a race war might ensue. The governor has declared a state of emergency banning guns from the capitol ahead of the event. [HuffPost]

WHAT'S BREWING

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UKRAINE PROBING POSSIBLE SURVEILLANCE OF MARIE YOVANOVITCH Ukrainian police said they have opened an investigation into the possibility that the U.S. ambassador came under illegal surveillance by an unknown party before she was recalled from her post in May. [AP]

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EX-RNC CHAIR EXPOSES 'UN-AMERICAN HYPOCRISY' OF GOP SENATORS Michael Steele tore into the GOP senators who on Thursday took an oath to serve as honest jurors in the impeachment trial of Trump despite previously claiming they don’t care about the evidence that will be presented against the president for his Ukraine misconduct. [HuffPost]

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BORDER AGENTS TURN AWAY 6-YEAR-OLD WITH HEART CONDITION U.S. border agents turned away a 6-year-old child with Down syndrome and a heart condition seeking to enter the U.S. for medical treatment and court proceedings, according to an immigration lawyer and doctor who accompanied her from Matamoros, Mexico, on Thursday. [HuffPost]

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DEMOCRATIC-LED STATES SUE TO PROTECT FOOD BENEFITS A coalition of Democratic-led states filed a major lawsuit to stop a food benefit cut the Trump administration has scheduled for April. The cuts target unemployed adults who don’t have children or disabilities, who would be eligible for only three months of benefits unless they prove to the government they’re working or training at least part time. [HuffPost]

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TENNESSEE GOVERNOR WILL SIGN ANTI-LGBTQ ADOPTION BILL Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee said that he’ll sign into law a measure that would assure continued taxpayer funding of faith-based foster care and adoption agencies even if they exclude LGBTQ families and others based on religious beliefs. [AP]

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HUFFPOST CULTURE SHIFTERS 2020 There's so much to consume. Prestige TV, an endless parade of Marvel movies, viral memes and hot takes dominate our conversations. In today’s cultural landscape, it can be hard to discern what’s paradigm-shifting and what’s just noise. Enter the Culture Shifters list, HuffPost’s way of shining a light on those who are shaping today’s culture in exciting ways, and setting the tone for what's possible for our future. [HuffPost]

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