Tuesday, January 21, 2014 Published Weekday Mornings   To see the full version of today's cartoon, click on the preview graphic of the cartoon (below the Commentary) to be taken to the full version in your favorite web browser. Burning Bridges U.S. attorney inquiry into Christie widens Hoboken mayor discussed Chris Christie, Sandy aid allegations with With Federal Prosecutors Hoboken residents want answers after Mayor Zimmer's Sandy funding allegations Rockefeller Group stalled in Hoboken, denies knowledge of arm-twisting Mayor Zimmer Pew Poll: Christie's Image Turns More Negative; Most Americans Don't Believe He Knew Nothing Chris Christie faces new bullying charges. Are voters paying attention? Chris Christie's political bullying goes all the way back to college Cillizza & Sullivan: How Chris Christie is trying to turn bridge-gate into a partisan scrum. And how it's working. Embattled New Jersey Governor Christie to be sworn in for second term today NJ Gov. Christie cancels inaugural party because of winter storm Unregulated America Separate plant blasts kill 4 people in Nebraska, Oklahoma Charlie Pierce: Under-Regulated America - Things Fall Down, Things Blow Up West Virginia Water Company Declares Bankruptcy - Freedom Industries' Clean Getaway In West Virginia Freedom Industries Chapter 11 Filing Reveals Owners' Strategy - Pump, Dump, & Avoid Prosecution West Virginia politicians finally consider chemical regulation after spill Eugene Robinson: Washington is silent on West Virginia's chemical spill MLK Day Leftovers Speeches, Marches Honor Martin Luther King Jr. MLK: 'Our Struggle is for Genuine Equality, Which Means Economic Equality' Four ways Martin Luther King Jr. wanted to battle inequality Why Martin Luther King's Dream Is Still Unfulfilled The Spying Game New Documents Show NSA Phone Program Provided 1,000 Terror Tips a Year to FBI Pew Poll: Obama's NSA Reform Speech Had Little Impact; Most Say U.S. Should Pursue Criminal Case Against Snowden Intolerance in America Federal judge found to have sent hundreds of racist messages Oregon Bakery Found Guilty Of Discriminating Against Same-Sex Couple Nations In Turmoil U.N. backs down in standoff over Iran, opening way for Syrian peace talks to begin Syrian government accused of systematic torture & 11,000 executions in new report Syria to seek 'anti-terror' support in Geneva Iraqi government executes 26 people for 'terrorism' offenses At Least 4 Killed as Bomber Strikes in Beirut Thai government declares state of emergency as protests drag on The War Over There Mine-clearers abducted in Afghanistan Pakistani jets strike Waziristan tribal areas International News West, Iran activate landmark nuclear deal UAE convicts 30 over with Muslim Brotherhood ties Olympics 2014 Frances Weaver: The many, many problems of the Sochi Olympics Russia now hunting as many as four 'black widows' Midwest Roundup Study: Nebraska should buy a state plane for $3.5 million Dave Domina, Attorney Fighting The Keystone XL Pipeline, Now Running For Senate In Nebraska Party leadership, crowded primary fields among factors for tonight's Iowa Caucuses Iowa's Republican governor opens assault on tea-party faction of his own state party Other Notable News Dave Zirin: Richard Sherman, Racial Coding, and Bombastic Brainiacs Menu For Disaster Even as the growing Chris Christie scandals continue to dominate national headlines, secondary stories about inequality and corruption are combining with the Christie saga to draw a serious and worrying trend. For example, the West Virginia corporation responsible for the recent chemical spill that left hundreds of thousands without access to clean water just filed for bankruptcy, apparently as a ploy to fund another corporation owned by the same wealthy but corrupt people. Apparently in America today, if you're a corporation, wrecking the ability to use one of the basic resources of life for hundreds of thousands of Americans for more than a week is just another way to finance your next selfish, destructive venture. Meanwhile, in the wake of the MLK holiday, a report by Oxfam that shows the richest 85 people in the world now have as much wealth as the poorest 3.5 billion people on Earth, and the rush of Americans that finally have health care insurance thanks to Obamacare and Medicaid, the negative pattern we're seeing is clear to us. It might not be clear to everyone, however. That's why, in situations like this, it's helpful to have the example of someone like Nebraska's Governor Dave Heineman - a political leader who wants to believe a study that says he should get a $3.5 million taxpayer-financed new plane. Meanwhile, nearly 100,000 of Heineman's constituents still don't have health care under Medicaid, thanks to him ignoring another equally legitimate study... To continue reading... click here. And now, for your Daily Felltoon preview for January 21, 2014 (Click the preview cartoon above to see the full version of the cartoon) Jobs & The Economy UN Report: Global Economy To Improve In 2014 and 2015 Chinese Economic Growth Figures Show Rapidly Narrowing Gap With U.S. Economy Wall Street Watch Wall Street Banks Remain Vulnerable on Derivatives Five Years After Financial Crisis Taper Two Coming: Fed on Track for Next Cut in Bond Buys  Economic Inequality Oxfam: 85 richest people as wealthy as poorest half of the world IMF warns of threat to global economy by severe income inequality Gallup: In U.S., 67% Dissatisfied With Income, Wealth Distribution | Economists: Want to help the middle class? Don't kill corporate taxes Ryan Cooper: The cult of long hours hurts both the bottom and the top James Surowiecki: The Costs of Working Too Much Health Care Checkup Obamacare Law's Expanded Medicaid Coverage Brings a Surge in Sign-Ups Medicaid Expansion Has Already Cut The Number Of Uninsured West Virginians By A Third Peace of Mind Is First Benefit for Many Now Getting Medicaid Greg Sargent: Obama, race, and the Affordable Care Act | ACA Spurring Positive State Shift in Long-Term Home Care Suzy Khimm: How the Obamacare wars hurt the mentally ill Fact Check: Rubio's claim that Medicaid expansion funds will 'go away' is false Jonathan Cohn: Obamacare in Red and Blue America - How Red States Are Holding Us Back Media Matters Poynter: Washington Post announces Wonkblog creator Ezra Klein is leaving | Brett Logiurato: Klein taking Dylan Matthews & Melissa Bell with him to new venture Energy, Climate & Environment Report finds doctors reluctant to link tar sands oil with health issues Study: More oil spilled from trains in 2013 than in previous 4 decades, federal data show | Study Says Pollution in Developing Countries is from Goods Exported to West Six Scary Facts About California's Ongoing Drought And now, for your Weekly OK Gazette Toon preview for January 21, 2014   (Click the preview cartoon above to see the full version of the cartoon) White House Update President Obama To Discuss Inequality With Pope Francis In March At The Vatican New Yorker profile shows a weathered Obama five years in SCOTUS Brief Supreme Court upholds Hawaii reapportionment Kevin Drum: Can 3 Lawmakers Revive the Voting Rights Act After the Supreme Court Trashed It? On The Left Larry Sabato: Hillary's No Slam Dunk in 2016 Texas state Sen. Wendy Davis hits back at questions about bio Danny Goldberg: Toxic Democratic Fundraising Katrina vanden Heuvel: 'We can't wait' for Congress anymore On The Right Meet the New Kochs: The DeVos Clan's Plan to Defund the Left GOP Image Still Muddled, A Year After "Autopsy" & "Makeover" How the right exploits racism to rip apart the social safety net Tomasky: How Bad Does the GOP Need Chris Christie? Really Bad. We hope you enjoy "The Daily Felltoon" every business day. Thanks for continuing to be a member! Paul Fell Shawn "Smith" Peirce Paul Fell Cartoons, Inc.