Economy Watch: U.S. Recession Risk Hits Six-Year High Amid Trade War, Shutdown (Bloomberg)
Economists put the risk of a U.S. recession at the highest in more than six years amid mounting dangers from financial markets, a trade war with China and the federal-government shutdown. Analysts surveyed by Bloomberg over the past week see a median 25 percent chance of a slump in the next 12 months, up from 20 percent in the December survey.

U.S. Government Shutdown Latest:
-Trump Ends Shutdown Talks, Raising Odds He’ll Declare Emergency as Army Corps of Engineers Said to Eye Disaster Relief Money for Border Wall (Bloomberg)
-Farm Country Stood by Trump. But the Shutdown Is Pushing It to Breaking Point (New York Times)
-What You Need to Know as the U.S. Government Shutdown Nears a Record (Bloomberg QuickTake)

Climate Threat Alarm: Ocean Warming Is Accelerating Faster Than Thought, New Research Finds (New York Times)
A new analysis, published Thursday in the journal Science, found that the oceans are heating up 40 percent faster on average than a United Nations panel estimated five years ago. The researchers also concluded that ocean temperatures have broken records for several straight years.

Climate of Hope: San Antonio Texas Named Winner in Bloomberg Philanthropies Contest to Fight Climate Change (San Antonio Express-News)

Russia Investigation:
-Mark Your Calendar: Trump Lawyer-Fixer Michael Cohen to Testify Publicly Before Congress on February 7 (Bloomberg)
-Prosecutors Examining Ukrainians Who Flocked to Trump Inaugural (New York Times)

2020 Watch: Billionaire Tom Steyer Got One of Two Things Right (Washington Post – Jennifer Rubin)
A candidate such as former New York City mayor Michael R. Bloomberg would add a lot to the 2020 race, has well-thought out positions on important issues and would be qualified to serve as president.

Hot on the Bloomberg: `Extraordinary’ Month Heaps Further Pain on Hedge Funds (Bloomberg)

Tech Today: Trump’s Trade War Threatens to Divide the World’s Smartphone Makers (Bloomberg Businessweek)
More: China’s Digital Silk Road Is Looking More Like an Iron Curtain (Bloomberg Businessweek)

Transit Section: Russian Mayor, Trying to Persuade Residents to Use Public Transport, Arrives to Work 2 Hours Late (Moscow Times)
He tried to channel Michael Bloomberg; instead he came out looking like Michael Scott.

NYC Recycling Section:  New Yorkers with live Christmas trees, don’t forget to recycle them through the city’s MulchFest program this weekend.  Take your tree to a designated city park and have your tree chipped into wood chips that are used nourish trees across the city.

TV Section: Brexit Is Dividing Britain. So Is a Brexit Movie (New York Times)
“Brexit: The Uncivil War” was broadcast in the UK on Monday and debuts on HBO in the United States on Jan. 19. The show’s making was unusually fraught, plagued by the leaks, squabbles and contradictory briefings that also characterize British politics.

California Arts Section: Sky is the Limit for the ‘Notorious RBG’ Exhibit in LA (Los Angeles Times)
The first museum exhibition about the Supreme Court justice’s life and work, “Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg,” is open through March 10 at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles. Bloomberg Philanthropies is a supporter of the center and Bloomberg employees receive complimentary admission with a guest.

Best of late night.

On the continuing U.S. government shutdown:

“Everyone’s fighting. People are exhausted. There’s no end in sight. It’s basically like playing a game of Monopoly with your family.”
— Jimmy Fallon

On Frontier Airlines encouraging customers to tip their flight attendants:

“This is true, Frontier Airlines wants you to tip. Not to be outdone, Spirit Airlines wants you to kick in for gas money.”
— James Corden

“How do you tip a flight attendant? What are you supposed to be like? ‘Brett, these peanuts are to die for. And the way you poured a can of ginger ale into this flimsy plastic cup — mwah!’”
— James Corden

“Frontier flight attendants say the most valuable tip they’ve received so far is to go and work for another airline.”
— James Corden

For more best of late night from the New York Times, click here.