CNN reports: Germany’s tough new social media law appears to be working: A far-right member of parliament had her Twitter account suspended shortly after posting an anti-Muslim message. Under a law that took full effect in Germany on Monday, Twitter, Facebook and other social media companies can be fined as much as €50 million ($60 million) if they fail to …

Josh Israel reports at Think Progress: The head of the self-described “#1 nail art chain in Russia” visited Washington, D.C. on Tuesday morning for a meeting with her country’s new ambassador to the United States, Anatoly Ivanovich Antonov. A photo posted on Movsisyan’s personal Instagram account and on Nail Sunny’s company Instagram page, shows that the meeting took place at …

“Poor Carrie Fisher, you can see her tweets and videos before she died, and that was during the filming, she died right at the end of filming, she died right as it ended, she flew back. I’m not saying it’s a star murder or anything, but we know in Hollywood sometimes when they think you’re finally done, if you die …

The New York Daily News reports: Sarah Palin rang in the New Year by sharing an image of her bruised beau. The one-term Alaska governor stated on Instagram she and her family were heading out to their cabin for New Year’s Eve, her photo also featuring her daughter Piper and son Trig along with her still-injured husband, Todd. After Todd …

Kyle Mantyla reports at Right Wing Watch: Former Minnesota congresswoman and current “pastor to the United Nations” Michele Bachmann joined End Times prepper pastor Jim Bakker for a series of television programs that aired last week, during which she revealed that she is currently considering making a run for the U.S. Senate seat that is set to be vacated by …

The Associated Press reports: Bone-chilling cold gripped much of the U.S. as 2018 began, breaking century-old records and leading to several deaths that authorities attributed to exposure to the dangerously low temperatures. The National Weather Service issued wind chill advisories and freeze warnings Tuesday covering a vast area from South Texas to Canada and from Montana through New England. Authorities …

“The ambitious agenda of President Trump that helped fuel his election over a year ago will continue. You saw how strong December was. I think in Washington the tradition is not to work very hard in August or December. This president has reversed that, and with the help of the Congress passed some very meaningful legislation late in the game.” …

The Independent reports: Donald Trump has suggested he has improved the safety of airplanes, saying he has “been very strict on Commercial aviation” since becoming US President. Dutch-based aviation consultancy To70 on Monday released its annual Civil Aviation Safety Review that reported only two fatal accidents, both involving small turbo-prop aircraft, with a total of 13 lives lost. No jets …

Axios reports: David Bohrman, former Current TV President and former CNN Washington bureau chief and chief innovation officer at CNN Worldwide, is launching a new over-the-top (OTT) video service that will cater to progressive Americans, called the Political Voices Network (PVN). Why it matters: Bohrman argues there has been a vacancy of progressive voices in the video space compared to …

NBC News reports: Hoda Kotb was named co-anchor of “Today” on Tuesday morning and officially headlined the broadcast with Savannah Guthrie. Kotb, 53, had been behind the anchor desk of NBC’s morning news show in a temporary role since Matt Lauer was fired in November. Lauer’s dismissal came after a female colleague made a complaint accusing him of inappropriate sexual …

Newsweek reports: A man who shot dead a sheriff’s deputy in Denver, Colorado, and wounded four others early Sunday posted alt-right content to his Facebook account. Matthew Riehl, 37, was killed in a shootout with law enforcement after barricading himself inside his apartment and opening fire on five deputies and two bystanders. The authorities had been responding to a noise …

Raw Story reports: President Donald Trump — who blabbed classified intelligence to top Russian officials — reacted to a Fox News report by calling for jailing a Hillary Clinton aide for allegedly emailing sensitive government information. The conservative network highlighted a story Monday morning from the right-wing Daily Caller website, which reported that Clinton aide Huma Abedin “forwarded sensitive State …

A Christian “media ministry” called Anchored North went wildly viral over the holiday weekend with an ex-gay video that has racked up 1.3 million views at this writing. Hemant Mehta reports at the Friendly Atheist: Last year, Emily Thomes opened up about how she had come to Jesus after a life of “homosexual practice and drug use.” Her past involved …

The Hill reports: President Trump on Tuesday said the Iranian people are “finally” taking action against the country’s “brutal and corrupt” rule, again warning its leaders that “the U.S. is watching.” The Trump administration has publicly said it supports peaceful protesters demonstrating against the Iranian government. In a New Year’s Day tweet, Trump said it is “time for change” in …

Variety reports: Disney-Lucasfilm’s “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” has cleared the $1 billion milestone in worldwide grosses in less than three weeks. “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” pulled in $120.4 million globally on the New Year’s Eve weekend with $52.4 million at 4,232 domestic venues and $68 million internationally during the Friday-Sunday period. “The Last Jedi” is now the eighth …

CNN reports: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un held out a rare olive branch to the country’s southern neighbor Monday, offering talks over sending a delegation to the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang next month. Kim struck an unusually conciliatory note in his annual New Year’s Day address, declaring his wish “for peaceful resolution with our southern border.” He nevertheless couched …

NBC News reports: President Donald Trump threatened to end U.S. foreign aid for Pakistan Monday in his first tweet of 2018 — a move that comes amid strained ties over America’s decade-long war in Afghanistan. In an early-morning post, he accused Islamabad of harboring terrorists. The U.S. has repeatedly called on Pakistan to crack down on extremists in its border …

The Associated Press reports: Californians may awake on New Year’s Day to a stronger-than-normal whiff of marijuana as America’s cannabis king lights up to celebrate the state’s first legal retail pot sales. The historic day comes more than two decades after California paved the way for legal weed by passing the nation’s first medical marijuana law, though other states were …

The Hill reports: President Trump is beginning 2018 at his private Florida golf club, according to a reporter traveling with the president. Trump left his Mar-a-Lago resort Monday morning just before 8:45 a.m. and arrived at his Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Fla. a few minutes later. Trump’s early morning trip marks the seventh day in a …