Sarah Palin Endorses Donald Trump
The former governor of Alaska endorsed Trump in Iowa on Tuesday. She was the biggest name in the Republican Party to support any presidential candidates. The fact that Palin has a network of support in the state of Iowa will only help Trump come the February 1st caucus. Another advantage that Palin gives to Trump is that she is well-respected among evangelicals, which should concern the Texas senator and another presidential candidate, Ted Cruz. Cruz is already struggling to take media attention away from Trump, and the addition of the former VP nominee will only make it worse.

You can read more at: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/20/us/politics/donald-trump-sarah-palin.html?_r=0

Blizzard Cripples Mid-Atlantic
Winter Storm Jonas is upon us and people all over the country, especially the east coast, are already feeling the effect. Major cities like Washington have been criticized for their failure to act efficiently on the light snow coating earlier this week, as the slippery and untreated roads have caused many accidents and traffic jam already. In response, North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory hoped they would be “overprepared and underwhelmed.”

You can read more at:
http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/21/us/winter-snowstorm-washington-blizzard/

Putin Likely to have OK’ed the Murder of Former Spy
Retired High Court Judge Robert Owen wrote that he was “sure” that two former Russian agents poisoned Alexander Litvinenko at a London hotel with highly radioactive polonium-210. Owen also wrote that he was also sure that the two men who allegedly poisoned Litvinenko, former KGB and FSB employee Andrei Lugovoi and former Russian army officer Dmitri Kovtun, were acting on behalf of others, probably the Russian spy service, the FSB, and the president Vladimir Putin. In response to the accusation, Russia announced its disappointment in the fact that a simple criminal case has been politicized.

You can read more at:
http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/21/europe/litvinenko-inquest-report/

Michigan Water Crisis
In his State of the State address, Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder has admitted that the government has failed the city of Flint on the “federal, state, and local level.” Flint’s drinking water became contaminated with lead in April 2014 while the city was under the control of a state-appointed emergency manager. The bigger problem was that more than eight thousand children were exposed to lead water, rising concerns within the city. The impact of lead on a human body, let alone a child, is considered very dangerous, as it can cause direct damage to brain and nervous system. It was not until Jan. 5 that Snyder declared a state of emergency and Jan. 12 that he mobilized the National Guard to assist with distribution of bottled water and water filters.

You can read more at: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2016/01/19/michigan-flint-water-contamination/78996052/

China’s Crashing Economy
While it may not look like the Asian economic meltdown of 1997, China’s bump on its economic growth may impact the world market incredibly. However, the fact that China accounts for 15% of global GDP and half of economic growth gives everyone plenty of reason for concern. The Chinese government’s failure to act upon the decline of its industrial growth has cause a shock fall of yuan in the international market, wiping out more than $5 trillion from the global stock price. China’s low interest rate and high commodity price have driven many countries’ economies, such as Brazil and Turkey, and is likely to cause slowdown in economy, which could lead to political turmoil.

You can read more at: http://www.economist.com/news/business-and-finance/21662092-china-sneezing-rest-world-rightly-nervous-causes-and-consequences-chinas

Buffalo Bills Hire First Female Coach
Kathryn Smith was named as the first ever full-time female coach in the NFL as a special teams quality control coach. After Jen Walter served as the inside linebacker coach for Arizona Cardinals during training camp last summer, Buffalo has made the NFL the next major sports league to hire a female coach, following the NBA. This is not the first time the Bills have shattered the gender barrier, as Linda Bogdan became the first female scout in the league for Buffalo in 1986.

You can read more at: http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/14614558/kathryn-smith-hired-buffalo-bills-nfl-first-full-female-assistant