Quinnipiac University Poll: New Yorkers Prefer Bloomberg for President Among New Yorkers (Politico)
A total of 28 percent of respondents preferred Bloomberg among five New York politicians asked about in the poll. That includes pluralities of Democrats, Republicans and independents. Gov. Andrew Cuomo came in second with 17 percent, while Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand received 11 percent. Freshman Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was the favorite of 7 percent of respondents, while 5 percent prefered Bill de Blasio, Bloomberg’s successor.

Click here for the poll results, which also found New York State voters disapprove 67 – 29 percent of the job President Donald Trump is doing, compared to a 57 – 36 percent disapproval July 19.

U.S. Government Shutdown Latest:
-Air Safety Alert: Unions Representing U.S. Air Traffic Controllers, Pilots and Flight Attendants Issue Dire Warning on Shutdown (New York Times)
-Former Department of Homeland Security Chiefs, Including John Kelly, Urge Trump to Fund Agency During Shutdown (CBS News)
-Shutdown Drags Trump Approval to Yearlong Low of 34% – Near Lowest Mark of Presidency (Associated Press Poll)
Trump’s approval is down from 42 percent a month earlier and nears the lowest mark of his two-year presidency. The president’s approval among Republicans remains close to 80 percent, but his standing with independents is among its lowest points of his time in office.

Republican Senator Joni Ernst Tells Bloomberg News She Was Raped in College (Bloomberg)
The Iowa Senator says she was raped in college by someone she knew and that her ex-husband physically abused her, one of the highest-profile women in her party to allege assaults in the era of the #MeToo movement. Ernst disclosed the rape in an interview with Bloomberg News, which she decided to do after details of her divorce were reported this week. Her ex-husband didn’t respond to requests for comment.

Venezuela Now Has Two Presidents Dueling for Control of Country (Bloomberg)
A host of foreign governments, led by the U.S., Canada and Brazil, recognized congressman Juan Guaido as the rightful head of state Wednesday. At the same time, Nicolas Maduro retains control of the security forces, the military, the courts, the treasury coffers and the state oil giant.
Watch: Who is Juan Guaido? (TicToc by Bloomberg)
How We Got Here: A Guide to Venezuela’s Collapse (Bloomberg QuickTake)

From Davos: Angela Merkel’s Successor as CDU Leader, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, Takes Aim at Trump Over Sanctions Threats (Bloomberg)

First on the Bloomberg: Carlos Ghosn Resigns From Top Job at Renault (Bloomberg)

Brexit Update: Airbus CEO Calls Brexit Process a Disgrace, Threatens to Leave U.K. (Bloomberg)
The comments, made in an unusual video message shared by the company Thursday, are the strongest yet since the 2016 referendum from the executive who has repeatedly warned of the fallout from a worst-case Brexit scenario. The CEO said: “Please don’t listen to the Brexiteers’ madness which asserts that, because we have huge plants here, we will not move and we will always be here. They are wrong.”

Gunman Killed At Least 5 People at SunTrust Bank in Sebring, Florida — Police (CNN)

Two Months Before Parliamentary Election: Israel’s Economy Is Too Strong to Argue About (Bloomberg Opinion – Matt Winkler)

Today in Air Taxis: Airbus’s Flying Taxi Is Poised for Takeoff Within Weeks (Bloomberg)
The CityAirbus aircraft, which is propelled by electric motors and can take off and land vertically, could enter service as early as 2023.

Climate of Hope: World’s Biggest Companies Are Getting Greener (Bloomberg)
The number of companies committing to “science-based targets” that align with the landmark Paris Agreement is growing steadily, according to a survey of 1,073 businesses by CDP, formerly called the Carbon Disclosure Project.

Best of late night.

“Nobody knows if we’re going to have a State of the Union address. The situation is chaotic and bitter and confusing — which is actually the state of our union.”
— Stephen Colbert

“A gas shortage in Mexico could mean that avocados aren’t delivered to the US before Superbowl Sunday. It’s the first time that gas will affect Mexican food, and not the other way round.”
— Jimmy Fallon

“Burger King has announced it will begin selling funnel-cake fries starting tomorrow. I’d say run, don’t walk, but something tells me that’s not an option.”
— Seth Meyers

“In Indiana, police found a man at a White Castle with a container of dangerous chemicals. Yeah, a man at a White Castle with dangerous chemicals is known as the cook.”
— Conan O’Brien

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