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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 Woes:  The number of TSA workers calling out sick is now at a record high: 10 percent of the department’s workforce. Some are struggling to afford to commute to work or pay for daycare. As TSA agents, National Weather Service forecasters and many other federal workers feel the squeeze, help is coming in from an unexpected place: GoFundMe. An official campaign to provide relief to workers who need it during the shutdown is underway; the money will be donated to non-profits helping government workers.
Read more (Shutdown Record): Reuters, NYT, Washington Post
Read more (GoFundMe): TechCrunch, GoFundMe

Presidential Candidates:  Senator Kamala Harris of California announced she’ll be running for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States, joining the growing list of 2020 candidates.
Read more: ABC News, TIME, USA Today, WSJ, NYT

World Economic Forum:  The 2019 World Economic Forum kicks off today in Davos, Switzerland. President Trump is skipping this year’s forum in light of the shutdown. He’s not alone. Leaders representing 50 percent of the world’s economy, including those from China, the U.K. and France, are also no-shows this year as they deal with issues at home. Also, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the world’s economy is growing slower than expected. China's growth hasn't been this slow since 1990.
Read more (No-Shows):  Reuters, Forbes, BBC
Read more (Global Growth): Yahoo Finance, WSJ, AP

Google Fined: Google just got slapped with a record $56 million fine. Regulators say the company is facing consequences for a lack of transparency and consent for personalization in its European advertising. It’s the largest penalty under the E.U.’s new GDPR privacy laws.
Read more: VentureBeat, ABC News

Bitcoin Kiosks:  Bitcoin may be coming to a grocery store near you. Coinstar says it'll have kiosks that allow people to convert cash to the popular cryptocurrency. You have to use paper money and provide a phone number to get a code to redeem the Bitcoin.
Read more: Digital Trends, TechCrunch
 
Solar-Powered Drones:  A German media outlet claims that Facebook is working with Airbus to test solar-powered drones in Australia. Facebook wants to beam internet all around the world, although the company grounded a similar program last year. The new Airbus drones reportedly use solar power and can fly for months at a time, acting like a satellite. It's not clear if they've actually been tested in the air just yet.
Read more: TechCrunch, NetzPolitik
 
Spotify Mute:  Spotify is testing a new feature to allow users to “mute” artists, preventing them from showing up on playlists, chart lists or radio stations. In light of the protests and #MuteRKelly social media posts that followed the release of a documentary detailing decades of abuse accusations (which he says are all not true), Spotify is now leaving it up to users to decide who to listen to and support.
Read more: The Verge
 
Holiday Weekend Box Office Update:  Glass topped the holiday weekend box office, bringing in $47 million over four days. That’s the third-highest opening during this January holiday weekend. Speaking of movies, the Oscar nominations will be announced today.
Read more: Variety , LA Times
 
RBG Lego Figurine:  Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is about to become a LEGO figurine! A teaser trailer for The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part shows Justice Ginsburg in LEGO form holding her gavel. Though she didn’t do any voiceover work for it, her office gave it the thumbs-up. The movie is in theaters February 8.
Read more: USA Today, Time