Biden holds steady, Warren slips in national poll as Iowa caucuses approach

With the Feb. 3 Iowa caucuses drawing near, 77% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents nationally say they’re satisfied with their choice of candidates. Far fewer, 24%, are very satisfied, although that’s near the average in ABC/Post polls since 2000.

Joe Biden is holding his ground in the race for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, according to the latest ABC News/Washington Post poll, with Bernie Sanders a close second and Elizabeth Warren experiencing a drop in support.

Next on the leaderboard are two new arrivals: Mike Bloomberg and Andrew Yang.

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Democrats Manchin, Jones signal they're undecided on Trump removal vote

Two red-state Democratic senators signaled on Saturday that they are undecided on whether to convict President Trump and ultimately remove him from office. 

 

The comments came after three days of opening arguments from House impeachment managers and as the president's legal team started to lay out its case in a brief Saturday session.

 

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) told reporters he takes his oath of impartiality "very seriously." He noted that while he thought Democrats did a "good job," he is eager to hear from Trump's' team and will "see where we go from there."

 

"I'm as impartial as I can possibly be, as I've always been. I'm wide open on this, and we'll see where the facts go," Manchin said.

 

Sen. Doug Jones. (D-Ala.) said he believes House Democrats have made a "compelling case" but added that he wants to listen to the defense being mounted by Trump's legal team. 

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UPDATE: 'We love you, man': Joey Kramer awkwardly joins Aerosmith at Grammys tribute event (but didn't play)

LOS ANGELES — Well, that was awkward. And anticlimactic.

Aerosmith (Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, Tom Hamilton, Brad Whitford and Joey Kramer) accepted the 2020 MusiCares Person of the Year award on Friday night at the Los Angeles Convention Center — but Kramer awkwardly left the stage before he could join them in a performance, the result of a recent court order.

Kramer, a founding member of Aerosmith who has played in the rock band for 50 years, wasn't allowed to reclaim his spot when the group was honored at Grammy events this week, according to a Massachusetts judge. 

On Wednesday, Superior Court Judge Mark Gildea denied Kramer's right to play alongside Aerosmith at the MusiCares gala and the Grammys on Sunday after Kramer sued the band over breach of contract for shutting him out following an injury. 

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Something far deadlier than the Wuhan coronavirus lurks near you, right here in America

There’s a deadly virus spreading from state to state. It preys on the most vulnerable, striking the sick and the old without mercy. In just the past few months, it has claimed the lives of at least 39 children.

The virus is influenza, and it poses a far greater threat to Americans than the coronavirus from China that has made headlines around the world.

“When we think about the relative danger of this new coronavirus and influenza, there’s just no comparison,” said Dr. William Schaffner, a professor of preventive medicine and health policy at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. “Coronavirus will be a blip on the horizon in comparison. The risk is trivial.”

To be sure, the coronavirus outbreak, which originated last month in the Chinese city of Wuhan, should be taken seriously. The virus can cause pneumonia and is blamed for more than 800 illnesses and 26 deaths. British researchers estimate the virus has infected 4,000 people.

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Veterans group demands apology from Trump over comments on brain injuries

A prominent veterans advocacy group is asking President Trump for an apology over his remarks on injuries suffered by U.S. troops stationed at a military base in Iraq that was hit by Iranian airstrikes earlier this month.

Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) said Trump “minimized” the injuries the troops suffered after the Pentagon announced that dozens of U.S. troops suffered traumatic brain injuries (TBI). Trump had referred to the injuries as “headaches" and "not very serious" earlier in the week. 

“In light of today's announcement from the defense department that 34 U.S. service members suffered traumatic brain injuries as a result of Iran's retaliatory strike and President Trump's remarks which minimized these troops’ injuries, the Veterans of Foreign Wars cannot stand idle on this matter,” VFW National Commander William “Doc” Schmitz said in a statement. 

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McGregor says 'Star Wars' TV series still on despite reports

LOS ANGELES -- Ewan McGregor says any delay in completing work on in his new Obi-Wan Kenobi “Star Wars” streaming series will be brief and is aimed at making it better.

McGregor addressed trade reports that the Disney Plus series had been placed on hold at an event Thursday promoting his latest film “Birds of Prey.”

“It’s only just slid back a bit,” McGregor told The Associated Press. “But we’re still shooting it. I think it’ll still be aired when it was meant to be and I’m really excited about it.”

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Snakes could be the source of new coronavirus found in China

As an outbreak of a new coronavirus continues to grow in China and spread to other countries, the question of how the disease originated remains.

A new study in the Journal of Medical Virology hypothesizes that the disease, officially 2019-nCov, likely lives and grows in snakes. The many-banded krait and the Chinese cobra snakes believed to be sold at the Wuhan market may be sources of the novel coronavirus.

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The End May Be Nearer: Doomsday Clock Moves Within 100 Seconds Of Midnight

The Doomsday Clock reads 100 seconds to midnight, a decision made by The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists that was announced Thursday. The clock is intended to represent the danger of global catastrophe. Eva Hambach/AFP via Getty Images

Two years after moving the metaphorical minute hand of its Doomsday Clock to within two minutes to midnight — a figurative two-minute warning for all humanity — the science and security board of the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists revealed Thursday that it has moved that minute hand another 20 seconds closer to the midnight hour.

"It is 100 seconds to midnight," declared the Bulletin's president and CEO, Rachel Bronson, at a Washington, D.C., news conference as a black cloth was lifted to reveal the clock.

Never since the clock's 1947 Cold War debut has it come so close to the putative doomsday annihilation represented by the 12 a.m. hour

"The Doomsday Clock is a globally recognized indicator of the vulnerability of our existence," said former Irish president Mary Robinson at the annual clock-unveiling ceremony. "It's a striking metaphor for the precarious state of the world, but most frighteningly, it's a metaphor backed by rigorous scientific scrutiny."

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One Two Three Four I declare meme war.

Post your funniest memes. Keep it PG.

INKFISH: Jason Momoa Visits Kids In Hospital, Invites Them To Movie Set

The "Aquaman" star is currently filming a new Netflix film in Pennsylvania.

"The greatest part of being Aquaman is making children happy spreading aloha had a little time before work to stop by UPMC children’s hospital of pittsburgh," Momoa wrote on Instagram.

Momoa and the children's hospital shared a series of heartwarming photos and video from 

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Trump administration removes federal protections from streams, wetlands

The Trump administration will remove Obama-era clean water protections intended to protect rivers, streams, wetlands and other bodies of water from pollution and runoff from industrial facilities and agriculture on Thursday, finalizing one of President Donald Trump's signature campaign promises to farmers.

The Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers altered the definition of what is covered under federal clean water protections as a "Water of the United States," or WOTUS, replacing the broader language put in place under former President Barack Obama. The updated rule will replace protections that are currently only in effect in some states, but have faced multiple legal challenges.

Under the EPA's new rules, the federal government will no longer protect streams that only flow during some parts of the year or after heavy rain, or wetlands that are not connected to larger bodies of water.

The Trump administration will, however, still maintain federal protections for navigable waters such as major rivers and lakes and any tributaries and wetlands that flow directly into them.

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Brexit deal becomes UK law, paving way for EU departure next week

Boris Johnson's Brexit deal has officially become UK law, paving the way for the country to leave the EU next week.

The prime minister's Withdrawal Agreement Act was signed off by the Queen on Thursday after completing its journey through parliament.

Commons deputy speaker Nigel Evans announced the news to MPs on Thursday afternoon.

On 12 December, Mr Johnson won the Conservatives' best result since 1987 and returned to the Commons with an 80-strong majority.

He promised to "end the deadlock" in British politics by delivering Brexit.

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Robert Downey Jr. saying he doesn’t regret wearing blackface in ‘Tropic Thunder’ sparks social media debate

Robert Downey Jr. has donned a number of disguises in his more than 30 years in show business and famously decked himself out in blackface during his 2008 film “Tropic Thunder” that saw him play the role of an Australian actor who darkens his skin to portray a black soldier in a war movie.

“I’m a dude playing a dude, disguised as another dude!” Downey’s method actor character Kirk Lazarus famously delivers in the film starring Jack Black, Ben Stiller and Brandon T. Jackson.

Downey opened up about accepting the controversial role on “The Joe Rogan Experience” podcast on Jan. 15 and said he felt the film spurred a much-needed conversation on the topic of what’s acceptable from an art and social perspective.

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