1. ObamaCare employee mandate eased for more businesses
The White House on Monday delayed the ObamaCare insurance mandate for employers with 50 to 99 workers, giving them until 2016 to meet coverage rules, a two-year extension. It was the second time the Obama administration has given certain employers more time to comply. Republicans immediately slammed the White House for the delay. House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) said the administration was "rewriting law on a whim." [The Washington Post, NBC News]
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2. Iconic former actress Shirley Temple Black dies
Former child film star Shirley Temple Black died at her California home late Monday. She was 85. Black began her career as dimpled, curly-haired, 4-year-old Shirley Temple. Her singing, tap dancing, and cheerful optimism delighted Depression-weary moviegoers, making her Hollywood's biggest attraction in the 1930s and an enduring film icon. In the 1970s she became a diplomat, serving as ambassador to Ghana and Czechoslovakia. [The Washington Post, The New York Times]
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3. Southern states brace for more winter weather
Atlanta and other Southern cities braced for another winter storm Tuesday and Wednesday, just two weeks after a heavy blast of snow left thousands of Atlanta residents stranded overnight in cars, schools, and offices. Local officials dispatched snowplows early to avoid a repeat of last month's mistakes, for which Gov. Nathan Deal apologized. This time the region expects heavy snow as well as ice that could cause massive power outages. [The Atlanta Journal-Constitution]
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4. New round of Syria peace talks start badly
The second round of Syria peace talks got a bumpy start Monday as rebels and the government accused each other of breaking promises on the battlefield. United Nations mediator Lakhdar Brahimi had hoped to build trust in separate meetings with the two sides, but opposition leaders accused the government of breaking a three-day cease-fire in Homs and government officials complained of a new offensive by Islamist rebels. [Reuters]
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5. The River Thames rises and floods towns near London
Britain's River Thames overflowed its banks on Monday, flooding towns upstream of London. Soldiers and residents tried to limit damage from the flooding — the worst in years — by stacking sandbags around vulnerable buildings. January was the wettest in England since 1766. More flooding is expected on Tuesday, and Environment Agency leaders warned that "extreme weather will continue to threaten communities this week." [The Associated Press]
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6. Investigators subpoena Christie records over Bridgegate
The New Jersey committee investigating the Bridgegate scandal subpoenaed for Gov. Chris Christie's helicopter flight records and other documents Monday. Investigators are trying to determine whether the Republican governor flew over the scene of a four-day traffic jam created in Fort Lee after his aides allegedly closed bridge lanes to punish the city's Democratic mayor for not endorsing his reelection bid. Christie says he didn't know about it. [Los Angeles Times]
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7. James Holmes' selfies allowed as evidence in trial
The judge overseeing James Holmes' trial for 2012's Aurora, Colo., movie theater massacre said Monday that prosecutors could use creepy selfies and other records found on Holmes' cellphone as evidence. Holmes posed with a handgun in one of the images. In the rulings, which were made public Monday, Judge Carlos Samour also denied defense motions to suppress evidence found on computer hard drives, an iPod, and Holmes' email accounts. [NBC News]
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8. San Diego leaders agree to pay Filner accuser $250,000
San Diego officials announced Monday that the city would pay $250,000 to the first woman who publicly accused former mayor Bob Filner with sexual harassment. The city council on Monday approved a proposal to pay the woman, former Filner communications director Irene McCormack Jackson, in a lump sum to settle the case, which was scheduled to go to trial next year. Voters go to the polls Tuesday to pick a new mayor. [The Associated Press]
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9. Personal papers include notes on '90s Clinton scandal
A conservative website, The Washington Free Beacon, on Monday released documents belonging to a late friend of Hillary Clinton that shed light on the former First Lady's reaction to setbacks during her husband Bill Clinton's presidency, including a failed attempt at health-care reform and the Monica Lewinsky sex scandal. The friend, Diane D. Blair, wrote that Clinton once referred to Lewinsky as a "narcissistic loony toon." [The New York Times]
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10. Athletes slam Sochi's snowboarding venue
Sochi's dingy hotel rooms aren't the only target of ridicule at the Winter Olympics. American Hannah Teter, a two-time Olympic medalist, said she and other snowboarders can't practice on the halfpipe at Rosa Khutor Extreme Park because it's too dangerous. "I saw more people fall today than I have all season," Teter said. "It's just dangerous because it's crappy, you know?" [USA Today]
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