Good morning! Here are some of the stories we’re reading as we hunker down for another snowy day in NYC…
Hangover cure –> At The Daily Beast, Mike Tomasky argues that the Superbowl should be played on Saturday so people can sleep in the next morning. Slate’s Matt Yglesias has a better idea: make the Monday after the Superbowl a national holiday. And David Biderman reports for the WSJ that the average football game has 11 minutes of action and 75 minutes of advertising.
Spinning faster –> NYT’s Eric Lipton and Ben Protess report that new rules designed to slow down the revolving door between government and K Street aren’t working.
Lashing out –> Slate’s David Weigel is unimpressed with the “goofy talking points” Chris Christie is using to discredit David Wildstein, who claims to have evidence that contradicts what Christie said about the Fort Lee lane closures.
Unregulatable –> Richard Wolff writes for Truthout that corruption is “endemic” to capitalism, and may be its Achilles’ heel.
This Town –> At National Journal, Daniel Libit has a remarkable story of a 25 year-old who managed to work his way up the Beltway social ladder — and allegedly swindle some of the biggest movers and shakers — by claiming to be close to Hillary Clinton.
Safe, legal, rare –> Sandhya Somashekhar reports for the WaPo that the US abortion rate has hit a 40-year low.
Ghosts of a dark past –> Missouri executed a black man who had been convicted by an all-white jury while his appeal was still being reviewed. At The Atlantic, Andrew Cohen reports that guards dragged him away from the phone while he was discussing the appeal with an attorney.
BENGHAZI!!!! –> During an interview with Bill O’Reilly, Obama called out Fox News for promoting conspiracy theories. Elias Isquith has a recap at Salon.
Middle class squeeze –> Nelson Schwartz reports for the NYT that high-end retailers and discount stores are doing OK, but businesses that cater to those in a shrinking middle class are struggling.
Governing is harder than wrestling a bear –> At TNR, Julia Ioffe writes that Vladimir Putin has successfully crushed dissent, but Russia continues to fall apart.
Handouts for the haves –> At The American Prospect, Matt Bruenig shows that we spend a fortune subsidizing the retirements of people with a lot of money.
The bench –> WaPo’s Karen Tumulty and Robert Costa on the crowded and divided GOP field looking toward 2016.
Being droned may not be all bad –> The FAA has blocked a plan to use drones to deliver beer to ice fishing camps on Minnesota lakes.
