theNewsWorthy: Monday, January 14th, 2019

ALL THE NEWS YOU NEED - IN ONE PLACE.

(in less than 10 minutes!)

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All the news stories mentioned in today's episode are listed with links below, so you can spend as much -- or as little -- time as you want perusing the latest happenings...

Shutdown Latest:  The government shutdown is now in its fourth week; at 24 days, it’s now officially the longest government shutdown in history. President Trump does not want to move forward with a plan to allow the government to open for a few weeks while negotiations continue, although some Democrats and Republicans have requested it. Remember: Trump wants $5.7 billion in funding for a physical barrier along the U.S.-Mexico border before ending the shutdown. Federal employees are feeling the effects first-hand: hundreds of thousands of workers did not get a paycheck on Friday. Many say they’re struggling to pay their bills. Talks continue behind-the-scenes, but no one seems sure when – or how – this will end.
Read more: WSJ, Business Insider, NYT

Trump and Russia:  A new report from The Washington Post claims that President Trump tried to hide the details of his past meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin from his own administration. Another report from The New York Times says the FBI investigated whether Trump was working for Russia. It’s not clear where that investigation stands, but Trump called the allegations “ridiculous,” “insulting” and “absurd.”
Read more: The Washington Post, The Hill, FOX News, NBC News

Presidential Candidates:  Democrat Julian Castro announced his plan to run for president over the weekend. The former mayor of San Antonio and former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development became the first Mexican-American to seek the White House. Other high-profile Democrats now officially in the running include Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren. Many other are said to be on the fence, such as former Vice President Joe Biden.
Read more: ABC News, CBS News, LA Times

Winter Storm Update:  A winter storm has now moved from the Midwest to the East Coast, and it continues to impact travel. Hundreds of flights were already delayed or canceled over the weekend.
Read more: USA Today, CNN
 
L.A. Teacher Strike:  Teachers in the country’s second-largest school district are planning to go on strike if a deal isn’t made ASAP. More than 30,000 teachers in Los Angeles are upset over class sizes, salaries and a shortage of counselors and nurses. If the strike happens as planned today, it’ll be the first teacher strike in L.A. in 30 years and could affect about 500,000 students.
Read more: LA Times, NPR
 
Megyn Kelly Payout: TV host Megyn Kelly is officially splitting from NBC and will receive a payout of $30 million in the process. Kelly left FOX News to have her own show on NBC, but that show was canceled in October. She received backlash for comments about wearing blackface as part of a Halloween costume.  
Read more: NBC News, Bloomberg
 
Workforce Changes:  Walmart is expanding in the tech space, with plans to add 2,000 jobs for data scientists, engineers and designers. The company’s goal is to do more online (likely to compete with Amazon) and to use more technology in-store. On the other hand, Elon Musk’s company, Space-X, is laying off 10 percent of its 6,000-employee workforce in an effort to move forward with more expensive projects.
Read more (Walmart): Bloomberg
Read more (SpaceX): LA Times
 
Netflix Sued:  Netflix is facing a $25 million lawsuit from the publisher of the Choose Your Own Adventure book series. The publisher says Netflix’s interactive episode of the series Black Mirror infringes on its trademark and tarnishes the books’ reputation. A report claims that Netflix tried to license the trademark, but it never got one. Netflix hasn’t responded yet.
Read more: The Verge, The Hollywood Reporter, Polygon
 
R. Kelly Controversy:  A lawyer for R. Kelly says his client is innocent, but much of Hollywood is speaking out against the R&B singer after the premiere of a Lifetime docu-series called Surviving R. Kelly. Several women and underage girls accuse R. Kelly of sexual abuse. No charges have been filed, but officials in at least one Georgia county are investigating. An upcoming Illinois concert has also been canceled.
Read more: AP, The Hollywood Reporter, USA Today
 
Missy Elliott Hall of Fame:  Rapper Missy Elliott is the first female hip-hop artist to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and only the third rapper overall. In addition to her own songs, she’s written for Beyonce, Janet Jackson, Mary J. Blige and more.
Read more: CBS News
 
Critics’ Choice Awards:  The Netflix drama Roma was the big winner at last night’s Critics’ Choice Awards, taking home the awards for Best Picture, Foreign Film, Director and Cinematography. Black Panther and Vice took home three awards each; Crazy Rich Asians won Best Comedy; A Quiet Place won Best Sci-Fi or Horror Movie. Lady Gaga and Glenn Close tied for Best Actress in film, while Amy Adams and Patricia Arquette tied for Best Actress in a TV series.
Read more: The Hollywood Reporter, MSN, Variety (full winners list)
 
Weekend Box Office: The number one movie was a surprise: The Upside brought in $19.5 million on its debut weekend, surpassing expectations. It stars Kevin Hart and Bryan Cranston.
Read more: Variety