Reuters reports: The Philippines has banned two U.S. lawmakers from visiting and will introduce tighter entry restrictions for U.S. citizens should Washington enforce sanctions over the detention of a top government critic, the president’s spokesman said on Friday. President Rodrigo Duterte will impose a requirement on U.S. nationals to get visas should any Philippine officials involved in the incarceration of …

The Associated Press reports: Russia has confirmed that it will appeal its four-year Olympic ban for manipulating doping data. The Russian anti-doping agency, known as RUSADA, sent a formal letter Friday disagreeing with the sanctions imposed earlier this month by the World Anti-Doping Agency. The case is now heading to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Next year’s Olympics in …

Talking Points Memo reports: Democrats are bracing for a long, drawn-out primary season. With just six weeks until the Iowa caucuses, some Democrats say they don’t expect a likely nominee to emerge anytime soon after early-voting states hold their contests. Instead, they’re preparing for a bruising four-way match-up that could drag on for months as candidates compete for the chance …

The Daily Beast reports: On Thursday evening, Donald Trump pushed out on Twitter the name of the alleged whistleblower whose complaint led to the president’s impeachment. Trump’s personal Twitter account, @realDonaldTrump, retweeted a post by the re-election campaign’s official “war room” account that was aimed at the whistleblower’s attorney Mark Zaid. “It’s pretty simple. The CIA ‘whistleblower’ is not a …

NPR reports: Legendary Broadway songwriter Jerry Herman has died. The author of the hit musicals Hello, Dolly!, Mame and La Cage aux Folles was 88. Publicist Harlan Boll said Herman was taken to a Miami hospital Thursday night complaining of chest pain and later died of pulmonary complications. The title of Jerry Herman’s autobiography was Showtune, and if there ever …

Tampa’s CBS News affiliate reports: Robert Wayne Miller of Zephyrhills, Fla., was arrested Sunday around 9 p.m. for disturbing the peace with his lawn mower, according to a Pasco County complaint affidavit. He faces misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. In body-camera footage obtained by WFLA, Miller’s lawn mower can be heard idling in the background as Deputy …

As I reported earlier today, all of Trump World has been raging after Canada’s state broadcaster CBC aired Home Alone 2 without the fleeting cameo of Trump in the lobby of the Plaza Hotel, which he owned at the time of filming. Although the CBC says it made the edit years before Trump launched his campaign, he is happily feeding …

New York Magazine reports: President Trump couldn’t even keep up the charade for a day. Hours after a Christmas-morning statement calling for respect and unity, he was banging out rage-filled tweets targeting his political rival. It was a fast turnaround, even for Trump, whose insincere nod to civility was as real as flying reindeer. California leads the nation, by far, …

NBC News reports: For presidential candidates, maintaining a steady presence in the critical early voting states can be challenging. But voters in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina see Rep. Tulsi Gabbard all the time — in the form of billboards and lawn signs. Gabbard has spent $678,790 on billboards alone in the first three quarters of this year. No …

France 24 reports: Embattled Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared victory in a leadership primary in his right-wing Likud party Friday, ensuring he will lead it into March elections. “A huge win! Thank you to Likud members for their trust, support and love,” Netanyahu tweeted. Initial results showed Netanyahu comfortably beating rival Gideon Saar, though a final tally was expected …

The Hill reports: Senate Republicans think they’ll be able to pick up one or two Democrats on the final votes for each impeachment article. That would let them tout Trump’s acquittal as bipartisan — an angle they’ve already seized on when talking about the two House votes, in which a handful of Democrats crossed the aisle to join Republicans in …

“You don’t see eagles marrying buzzards, do you? You don’t see it happening. It is unbelievable, right? At the zoo last night, I don’t think I saw one Oriental married to a black guy. You don’t see it. “I was actually even thinking last night when I was looking in the aquarium. All the different fish that are swimming in …

CNBC reports: The Canadian Broadcasting Corp. said Thursday that a TV version of the Christmas movie “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York,” which erased a cameo from Trump, was edited years before he became president. The Trump-free version of the 1992 film stoked outrage among conservative and pro-Trump media sources — including the popular morning show “Fox & Friends,” …

Nashville’s Fox News affiliate reports: Eleven Christian ministers and the Tennessee Independent Baptists for Religious Liberty (TIBRL) are challenging the legality of marriage certificates issued to same-sex couples. The group filed a Declaratory Order with the Tennessee Department of Health on Thursday, arguing while the state is following a federal order allowing same-sex couples to wed in the state, there …

The Washington Post reports: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says he isn’t running for Senate next year. Those close to him say he hasn’t made a final decision yet. But that hasn’t prevented a barely concealed competition from breaking out within the administration over who might replace him as the nation’s top diplomat. President Trump has fueled the fire by …

Newsweek reports: George Conway, a lawyer and the husband of White House adviser Kellyanne Conway, said that foreign leaders think President Donald Trump is a “deranged idiot,” in a tweet Thursday. The frequent presidential critic responded to a tweet by the president in which he complained about challenges he’s faced in dealing with foreign leaders. Trump claimed it is “difficult …

Via press release from hate group leader Mat Staver: The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1990 that burning the American flag is First Amendment protected speech. But if you burn an LGBT flag, it’s another story. An Iowa court just sentenced a man to 16 years in prison after he torched an LGBT flag. That’s a hate crime in Iowa, …

Bloomberg News reports: This year saw weak annual gains in luxury home prices, new tax proposals on million-dollar properties, and restrictions for foreign investors. But that didn’t stop luxury homebuyers in the U.S. from shelling out upwards of $100 million apiece for mansions, penthouses, and beachside properties. A Manhattan penthouse topped the list of 2019’s 10 most expensive residential real …

Agence France-Presse reports:  China, Iran and Russia will hold joint naval drills starting on Friday in the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Oman, China’s defense ministry said on Thursday amid heightened tension in the region between Iran and the US. China will send the Xining, a guided missile destroyer, to the drills, ministry spokesman Wu Qian told a monthly news …

Reuters reports: Former NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg has reportedly spent about $120 million in digital and television ads since joining the presidential race last month. The billionaire candidate is targeting large Super Tuesday states such as California and Texas, spending more than $13 million in each of those states. Bloomberg has already outspent all of his competitors. Billionaire Tom Steyer …