Border...

House Democratic leaders are drafting a letter to President Donald Trump that would propose $5 billion in border security if he agrees to reopen the government, but Trump warned  that the partial government shutdown could drag on for a while.

The Democrats' proposal does not include money for any “new structures” along the southern border as the president demanded, so it is unlikely to move as is. It is still significant because it's the first time Democratic leaders will broadly lay out what they might accept in a compromise to end the government shutdown, which is in its 33rd day.

“It’s a starting point. You know, I think we all want border security. There is no question about it," said Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee. "It’s just that some of the things that are being pursued in the name of border security we disagree with.”

Dominated...

Dumped...

A study published in the Journal of Neuroscience to the brains of 40 “socially rejected” volunteers, people who’d gotten dumped in the last six months. They were asked to bring two photos to the brain-imaging lab: one of an ex, another of a friend. 

The participants looked at these photos while a temperature-controlled device applied pressure to their arms. While their brains were being scanned, the participants were asked to rate the amount of pain they felt.

Researchers found that the parts of the brain that light up when a person is in physical pain are similar to the parts of the brain that feel emotional pain. Put simply, heartbreak hurts.

So researchers put a twist on the experiment, offering half of heartbroken souls a nasal spray that they told the participants was a “powerful analgesic effective in reducing emotional pain.” The other half were told the truth. 

That white lie might have seemed like magical thinking, but it worked: Not only did the “magical spray” participants feel less physical and emotional pain, the neural activity in areas linked to controlling emotion spiked, with areas connected to feeling rejected simmered down.

The power of expectations in shaping your future, no matter how difficult it is, can be powerful for helping to deal with a breakup, more so when it’s bad.

Equality...

The End...

Speaking at an event commemorating Martin Luther King Day, Ocasio-Cortez asserted that climate change constituted "our World War II" and added: “Millennials and people, you know, Gen Z and all these folks that will come after us are looking up and we’re like: ‘The world is gonna end in 12 years if we don’t address climate change and your biggest issue is, how are we gonna pay for it?'"

A United Nations report on climate change warned late last year that the world will face several consequences from climate change – extreme drought, food shortages and deadly flooding – unless there’s an “unprecedented” effort made to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.  Just a "bad" thought.

Economy...

Battle...

Exempt...

Global soccer icon Cristiano Ronaldo has signed an agreement to pay $21.6 million in fines after he pleaded guilty to tax fraud in a Madrid court.

The state prosecutor had accused Ronaldo of tax fraud from 2011 to 2014 worth around $16.7 million.

The court also handed him a two-year suspended sentence, but under Spanish law, this means he will not face jail time.

The recent convictions of the high profile soccer players is due to the removal of a tax exemption for players, according to the BBC.

Run...

Wanted...