The Latest on Day 18 of the Trump Shutdown:
-Trump Eyes Untested Emergency Power to Fund Border Wall, Skirt Congress (Bloomberg)
-U.S. Government Shutdown Ripples Across Nation, Affecting Farmers, Homeowners, Even Craft Brewers (New York Times)
-U.S. Airports Worry About Screener Absences If the Government Shutdown Continues (Bloomberg)
-Farmers Fear Another Hit as Trump Shutdown Threatens Ethanol Vow (Bloomberg)

The Gun Crisis: School Shootings Are This Generation’s 9/11 (Axios AM – #3)
According to a new study conducted by SocialSphere, 68% of young people (ages 14 to 29) said school shootings are the most important issue facing the U.S. School shootings were the No. 1 issue for female, white, black, Hispanic, rural and suburban youth. It was in the top three for male, Republican and rural youth. And almost 50% of African Americans said they know someone who has been shot. A preliminary estimate is that 31% of those polled voted in the midterms, nearly double the 2014 midterm turnout for this age group.

The Response: House Democrats to Unveil Universal Background Check Bill on Anniversary of Gabby Giffords Shooting (ABC News)

The Climate Crisis: 2018 was 4th Warmest Year on Record, EU Climate Change Report Finds (CBC)
Among other extremes in 2018, California and Greece suffered severe wildfires, Kerala in India had the worst flooding since the 1920s and heatwaves struck from Australia to North Africa. Around Antarctica, the extent of sea ice is at a record low at the start of 2019, according to the U.S. National Snow and Ice Data Center.

Brexit Bulletin:
-UK Parliament Vote on Deal Planned for Jan. 15 (Bloomberg)
-$1 Trillion Fleeing London Because of Brexit – EY (Bloomberg)
-Will Brexit Actually Happen on March 29? (Bloomberg)

Tech Today: How PayPal Escaped Dot-Com Obsolescence (Bloomberg Businessweek)

Eco Watch:
-Dramatic Plunge in German Industrial Activity Raises Specter of Economic Recession (Bloomberg)
Foreign Policy Today: Recep Erdogan Snubs Trump National Security Adviser John Bolton for Slowing Quick Syria Exit by the U.S. (Bloomberg)

2020 Watch: Run, Mike. Run. President Bloomberg Sounds Pretty Good (Staten Island Advance – Commentary)
There’s a lot to say about a Bloomberg candidacy and what he would bring to the White House. For now, I hope he jumps into the primaries. I hope Democrat voters realize what they could have. And I hope he becomes the Democrats’ choice. For now: Run, Mike. Run.

Best of late night.

“Tonight I am excited to announce that after a 17-day shutdown, I am reopening ‘The Late Show.’ I held my ground, because I kept my promise and built a wall — of mashed potatoes, around my midsection, over the Christmas holidays.”
— Stephen Colbert

“As you probably know by now, Democrats took control of the House of Representatives for the first time in eight years! That’s right, eight years. You realize, the last time the Democrats had this much power in Congress, there were only two ‘Transformer’ movies and Harvey Weinstein only looked like a creep.”
— Trevor Noah

“The N.Y.P.D. is looking for a man who recently broke into an Apple store and stole $75,000 worth of product. That is crazy — why would anyone need five iPhone cables?”
— Seth Meyers

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