Mike Bloomberg Issues Sharp Warning About Third Party Candidates, Saying They Could Help Re-elect Trump (Washington Post)
Mike tweeted this statement: “In 2020, the great likelihood is that an independent would just split the anti-Trump vote and end up re-electing the President. That’s a risk I refused to run in 2016 and we can’t afford to run it now.”

Analysis of the Day: Why the Constitution Makes a Third-party Presidency Extremely Difficult (CNN – Sam Feist)
Imagine the following hypothetical Electoral College outcome on Election Day 2020: Republican Donald Trump with 130; Independent Howard Schultz with 190; and the Democratic nominee with 218. Despite Trump winning the least number of electoral votes in this scenario, if the makeup of Congress remains the same (Republicans control more state delegations and each state must vote as a block if no candidate gets 270 electoral votes), the winner of the presidency would be Trump. Some argue that Green Party nominee Jill Stein may have done the same thing to Clinton in 2016. Stein received more votes in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania than the margin of Clinton’s loss in each of those states.

Hot on the Bloomberg:
-Theresa May Rips Up Divorce Plan to Keep Party United (Bloomberg)
-PG&E Files for Bankruptcy With More Than $50 Billion in Debt (Bloomberg)

Mike Bloomberg Kicks Off Day-long NH Visit with Discussion of Climate Change (WMUR)
In a tweet this morning, Mike says: “Today I announced I’ll outline a plan for a Green New Deal, accelerating US transition to 100% clean energy. The 1st pillar will be investing in people & communities that powered our economy for decades. The econ benefits of a Green New Deal must reach every corner of the country.”

Weather at the Extremes:
-Sydney On Track for Hottest January On Record – Nighttime Temps Almost 3 Degrees (Celsius) Above Normal (Sydney Morning Herald)
-Chicago’s Record for Coldest Temperature Ever Could Be Broken Tuesday Night – Temps to Fall to -23 Fahrenheit (Chicago Tribune)

Tariff Impact: Harley-Davidson Profit Is Wiped Out by President Trump’s Tariffs (Bloomberg)

Corruption Watch: U.S. Tumbles Out of Top 20 “Cleanest” Countries in International Corruption Report (Axios)
Transparency International called the U.S.’ four-point drop since 2017 “a red flag and comes at a time when the U.S. is experiencing threats to its system of checks and balance, as well as an erosion of ethical norms at the highest levels of power.”

Oh Really? NRA Seeks Distance From Russia as Investigations Heat Up (New York Times)

Wrong: The Lowest-paid U.S. Government Shutdown Workers Aren’t Getting Back Pay (Washington Post)
Janitors, security guards and cooks aren’t guaranteed compensation after losing wages. They’re also among the lowest-paid laborers in the government economy, generally earning between $450 and $650 weekly.

U.S. Senate Today: Intelligence Officials Will Name Biggest Threats Facing the U.S. (Washington Post)

Tech Alert: Apple Bug Lets iPhone Users Listen in on Others Via FaceTime (Bloomberg)

Bloomberg Insider.

Bloomberg Media CEO Justin Smith: ‘Profitable Growth is the North Star’ (Digiday)

The Future of Gender Equality in the Workplace (Davos panel readout by Bloomberg LP Chairman Peter Grauer)
In the U.S., for the first time, women are in control of more capital than men. This will be a global reality by 2025, which is one of the key factors in the evolution of gender equality discussed at a Davos panel at Bloomberg’s The Year Ahead. The panel was moderated by Bloomberg Economics’ Stephanie Flanders and featured Bank of America Vice Chairman Anne Finucane, Goldman Sachs Managing Director Dina Powell and Bloomberg LP Chairman Peter Grauer.

Best of late night.

“Researchers at Tinder have released some interesting user information, and it’s particularly appropriate for tonight. Apparently, the most popular time to use the dating app is right now, in January, and particularly on Monday evenings. Yeah, in winter, after the holidays, on a Monday. So literally when you’re at your most depressed.”
— James Corden

“The most popular time of the day to use Tinder is apparently 9 p.m. And by the way, the most popular time to completely give up on love forever is 9:02 p.m.”
— James Corden

“A billionaire just bought a $238 million penthouse overlooking Central Park. It’s the most anyone has ever paid for a home in the US. But since it’s New York, he’s still going to live with 3 roommates.”
— Jimmy Fallon

For more best of late night, click here.