HERE ARE THE TOP STORIES
The 115th US Congress hadn’t yet been sworn in when House Republicans had their first screw up.
In a closed-door meeting after more than twelve hours of widespread backlash, House Republicans killed a controversial measure to gut Congress’s independent ethics office.
Republican members said Tuesday that the move was in part about timing and optics, after Donald Trump tweeted that they should focus on higher priorities, rather than weakening the ethics watchdog.
The amendment would have absorbed the independent Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) into the House’s Committee on Ethics, putting the group directly under a committee of members of Congress whom the office is expected to investigate. BuzzFeed News’ Alexis Levinson and Sarah Mimms have the story.
Automaker Ford to spend $1.6 billion building a new factory in Mexico while also investing $700 million to expand a manufacturing facility in Michigan. Ford has been criticized by Trump for sending manufacturing work overseas.
A little extra US politics
Donald Trump is already causing an economic “bloodbath” in Mexico. Automaker Ford says it will abandon plans to spend $1.6 billion building a new factory in Mexico while also investing $700 million to expand a manufacturing facility in Michigan. Ford has been criticized by Trump for sending manufacturing work overseas.
Trump’s boast that “I know a lot about hacking” last weekend prompted a wave of mockery. But the president-elect has some direct experience on hacking: His hotel chain suffered a series of recent data breaches, exposing 70,000 credit card numbers and personal information of its customers, and paid a settlement with the New York Attorney General for failing to properly notify its guests of the hacks.
WE’RE KEEPING AN EYE ON
Indian parents aren’t raising their sons right, and it’s endangering India’s women.
On December 31, India’s women awoke again to the same truth that keeps them up anyway: that they aren’t free. This time, the reminder came from Bangalore where, despite cops on the roads, CCTV cameras, and an assurance of adequate security, several women were groped, grabbed, molested, pinched, and catcalled by hordes of men.
Bangalore’s mass-molestations on New Year’s Eve are another reminder that something is broken in what Indian men are taught about women. BuzzFeed’s Rega Jha has more.
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DID YOU HEAR ABOUT THIS?
The artist who says that he and his former wife changed the Hollywood sign to “Hollyweed” did it to make you LOL.
“It was something to smile and laugh out loud about,” the artist known as “JesusHands” told BuzzFeed News. “Just lift their spirits and let them live because 2016 was a crazy year, dude.”
The artist said the stunt cost $35, took three hours to set up, and was in the planning for two months. Police are only investigating the incident for possible trespassing, not vandalism.
QUICK THINGS TO KNOW
Turkish authorities say they’ve identified the Istanbul nightclub attacker who killed at least 39 people, but the suspect remains at large.
The UK’s ambassador to the European Union unexpectedly quit, weeks before the country is set to begin the process of leaving the EU.
Classic Biden: The US vice president’s shmoozy moves were on full display during his final Senate swearing-in ceremony on Tuesday.
Anchor Megyn Kelly is leaving Fox News after 12 years for a new role at NBC News. She’s one of Fox’s biggest stars.
Janet Jackson has given birth to her first child at 50. Kim Kardashian is back on social media. The reality star cut back her presence after she was robbed in Paris. And Beyoncé is the first woman in ten years to headline music festival Coachella — people are rightfully freaking out.
HAPPY 2017
New year, new resolutions, new work outs. ~Welcome to BuzzFeed’s 2017 Get Fit Challenge~. The 30-day program — which includes exercising four times a week — will make you feel like a total boss. Check it out here.
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