PAY FOR PLAY. Investigation uncovers Trump administration ambassadorships are up for sale: “A CBS News investigation has uncovered a possible pay-for-play scheme involving the Republican National Committee and President Donald Trump’s nominee for ambassador to the Bahamas. Emails obtained by CBS News show the nominee, San Diego billionaire Doug Manchester, was asked by the RNC to donate half a million dollars as his confirmation in the Senate hung in the balance…”
KANYE WEST. The greatest artist that God has ever created?
MEDDLING INVESTIGATION. IRS whistleblower case moves forward as Senate investigates whether political appointee messed with audit of Trump or Pence. “Staff members for Sens. Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa) and Ron Wyden (Ore.), the chairman and ranking Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, met with the IRS whistleblower earlier this month…”
TAX RETURNS. SCOTUS temporarily halts House subpoena for Trump tax returns. “Roberts told the House to file a response by Thursday to Trump’s request for the longer delay.”
NYT EDITOR. Trump puts my reporters at risk. ‘Dean Baquet, who has led the news outlet during one of the most tumultuous periods in its history, said the US president’s history of verbal attacks on journalists such as the New York Times’s political reporter Maggie Haberman was “appalling” and risked having serious consequences.’
SURE, JAN. Trump says he will consider testifying in impeachment inquiry.
PARDON WHO? Trump grants clemency to three war criminals: “President Trump cleared three members of the armed services on Friday who have been accused or convicted of war crimes, overruling military leaders who had sought to punish them. All three have been championed by conservative lawmakers and commentators, who have portrayed them as war heroes unfairly prosecuted for actions taken in the heat and confusion of battle.”
JENNIFER WILLIAMS. Mike Pence distances himself from top adviser testifying tomorrow in the impeachment hearings.
DEEP DIVE OF THE DAY. John Oliver on the U.S. census and the consequences of an undercount.
POLL. 70 percent of Americans think Trump’s actions with regard to Ukraine were wrong: “An overwhelming 70% of Americans think President Donald Trump’s request to a foreign leader to investigate his political rival, which sits at the heart of the House of Representatives’ impeachment inquiry, was wrong, a new ABC News/Ipsos poll finds. A slim majority of Americans, 51%, believe Trump’s actions were both wrong and he should be impeached and removed from office. But only 21% of Americans say they are following the hearings very closely.”
COMMUNICATIONS DISASTER. Prince Andrew’s PR guru quits after disastrous BBC interview about Jeffrey Epstein but Andrew told the Queen that it was a great success.
NOT GUILTY. Jennifer Lopez says she doesn’t feel guilty about accepting the Super Bowl 2020 halftime show.
ST. LOUIS. Board of Aldermen to consider ban on gay conversion therapy.
MALE MODEL MONDAY. Stefan Petrov, Leo Cressant, Jules Horn, Ivo Buchta and MORE here.
A SONG FOR YOU. Details of Robyn Crawford and Whitney Houston’s relationship laid out in new book.
CLASSIC OF THE DAY. The film Paris is Burning is coming to the Criterion Collection.
BAR ATTRACTION OF THE DAY. This Big Mouth Billy Bass wall in Chicago.
QUESTION ANSWERED OF THE DAY. Why are airplane gates so far away from each other?
MONDAY MUSCLE. Kritsadapat Sirikritsawat.
