Below are the top political news stories of the day: ¯\_(?)_/¯
- Qasem Soleimani: UK puts ships and helicopters on standby in Gulf - BBC | The UK has put the Royal Navy and military helicopters on standby amid rising tensions in the Middle East, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has said.
- Iran fires missiles at two bases housing U.S. forces in Iraq - Los Angeles Times | Eleven missiles hit the bases in western and northern Iraq and four failed in flight
- Iran retaliates for attack on general by firing missiles at U.S. forces in Iraq - NBC News | There were no reports yet of casualties or damage at the two Iraqi military bases housing U.S. forces.
- U.S. forces likely had warning before Iranian missile strikes - NBC News | Iran launched more than a dozen ballistic missiles at U.S. and coalition forces in Iraq, the Pentagon said.
- Bots Are Destroying Political Discourse As We Know It - The Atlantic | They’re mouthpieces for foreign actors, domestic political groups, even the candidates themselves. And soon you won’t be able to tell they’re bots.
- House Intel Republicans investigating inspector general handling of whistleblower complaint - Fox News | Including potential inconsistencies in his testimony before the panel as part of the Trump impeachment inquiry.
- Biden calls Trump 'dangerously incompetent' for ordering Soleimani killing - Fox News | Biden called the president "dangerously incompetent" and on the verge of leading the U.S. into another war in the Middle East.
- Amazon bans sponsored products related to political campaigns - CNBC | ... but you can still find them on the site
- What’s Unpredictable About the Impeachment Trial - The Atlantic | 67: That’s how many senators would have to buck Trump in the impending impeachment trial for the president to be booted from the White House.
- Twitter executive on political ad ban: ‘We want to make sure we don’t create filter bubbles’ - CNBC | Twitter is trying to ensure its decision to ban political ads does not create further information silos.
- China Plays Powerful Hand As Trump’s ‘Political And Emotional’ Huawei Fight Heats Up - Forbes | A week into January, the U.S. pressure that Xu described as “strategic and long-term” is escalating on two fronts—Europe and Canada.
