Spartacus...

Sen. Cory Booker announced that he will end his presidential campaign after failing to qualify for the Democratic debate planned for Tuesday in Iowa.

"It was a difficult decision to make, but I got in this race to win, and I've always said I wouldn't continue if there was no longer a path to victory," Booker said  

The New Jersey Democrat's announcement came a day before six presidential candidates will participate in the CNN/Des Moines Register's debate in Des Moines, Iowa. He did not qualify for the event. It also came as the Senate gears up for the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump.

Our campaign has reached the point where we need more money to scale up and continue building a campaign that can win -- money we don't have, and money that is harder to raise because I won't be on the next debate stage and because the urgent business of impeachment will rightly be keeping me in Washington," Booker wrote.

Opinion: It is all someone else fault. He didn't have a path to win the minute he entered nor later on.   Just a thought.

Civil...

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on Thursday argued the war powers resolution that's designed to serve as a check on a president's military actions was "unconstitutional," remarks that came just hours before the House was scheduled to vote on a similar measure.

"I have said for decades that I believe the War Powers Resolution is unconstitutional," Graham tweeted. "If you don't like what the Commander in Chief is doing -- cut off funding."

The House  voted Thursday on the concurrent resolution, which are typically nonbinding. The War Powers Act of 1973, also known as the war powers resolution, has previously been invoked as a joint resolution.

Graham also argued that the Constitution explicitly gives the president, not Congress, the authority to conduct military operations.

Note: Where were Pelosi when Obama went and destroy Syria and Libya. Was there a change of regime orjust to start the endless civil wars in both countries. Just a thought.

Harry...

Mom...

Connecticut  mom of five was last seen in May 2018, and police are still trying to find her body. 

 Her estranged husband,  Fotis Dulos, and his girlfriend, Michelle Troconis, have both been charged in connection with the case.

Dulos is charged with capital murder, murder and kidnapping in the apparent death of Jennifer Dulos of New Canaan. The two were in the midst of a contentious divorce and custody battle at the time.

Also arraigned in Stamford Superior Court : Fotis Dulos' former girlfriend, and his friend and former attorney Kent Mawhinney. Both are charged with conspiracy to commit murder.

Mawhinney was arrested twice in 2019 in an unrelated case. The first was a domestic violence incident in January 2019 in which he was arrested on charges of sexual assault, disorderly conduct and unlawful restraint. The second arrest was for violating a protective order that was put in place as a result of the first arrest after he allegedly attempted to use a third party to contact the victim.

The company you keep.

Elsie...

Borden Dairy Co., one of America's oldest and largest dairy companies, became the second major milk producer to file for bankruptcy in the last two months.

Tumbling milk consumption combined with the rising price of milk have crippled the dairy industry with debt. 

The company's founder, Gail Borden, developed the first successful commercial method of condensing milk in 1856. 

By 1930, Borden had bought more than 200 other US dairy companies. In 1936, "Elsie the Cow" became the company's advertising mascot. 

The company went on another acquisition binge, buying 23 companies for $442.6 million in 1987 alone. But by the early 1990s it began to run into financial problems and in 1995 it was purchased by private equity firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. for $2 billion and taken private. It sold off many of the other business, leaving mostly just the dairy business.

Carry...

Image is not related.

Two officers were patrolling the park when they heard shots being fired. Sources said Lacey and Reid, both gang members with multiple arrests on their records, didn’t know each other and had gone to the hookah bar nightclub with several friends.

At some point,  Lacey’s friend’s got into an argument with Reid’s friends. The fight continued outside with Lacey and Reid facing off. Lacey shot Reid.

The two officers tactically approached the location, where the observed a man shooting another man. The two officers engaged the armed suspect and gave numerous commands for him to get on the ground. It was then that the officers fired approximately three times at the man, striking him.

New York State has laws against guns in the hands of law abiding citizens. Others have no problem obtaining, carrying or using them.  Just a thought.

Wheel ..

An Air Canada Express flight lost a wheel shortly after takeoff from Montreal-Trudeau International Airport, forcing the plane to turn back.

One of the 49 passengers on board captured video of the wheel detaching from the plane's left main landing gear and shared it on social media.

The  passenger paired the video with a sarcastic caption: "I'm currently on a plane that just lost a wheel. 2020 starting off well."

Pilots were able to turn the Dash 8-300 around and land safely.

"The experienced pilots maintained complete control of the aircraft," Manon Stuart, a spokesperson for Jazz Aviation, the operator of the flight, said in a statement.

Badaboom...

The US economy added 145,000 jobs in December, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said Friday.

Although the headline number slightly missed economists' expectations, the unemployment rate remained steady at 3.5%, a historic low. Over the past three months, an average of 184,000 new positions were added per month.

While job growth on average slowed in 2019 relative to 2018, if employment continues to grow steadily after the tenth year of economic expansion, it would still paint a relatively robust picture, and support US consumer strength.

Forest.

Can't see the forest for the fire.

Gentry...

 Kentucky family court judge accused was temporarily suspended with pay this week while officials continue to investigate allegations of  ethics violations leveled against her last month.

Dawn Gentry was accused of having a threesome with her secretary, Laura Aubrey, and Penrose while in a courthouse office during work hours. She denied the allegationbut that is what's going to stick in the mind.

She also is accused of hiring other employees not based on merit and of making unwanted sexual advances toward others through the social media platform “Snapchat.”

Gentry faces disciplinary action for falsifying timesheets, delaying hearings for or dismissing attorneys who did not support her bid for Kenton County Family Court judge,