UK and Others Consider Aiding Syrian Rebels as Canada Announces Contingency Plans

An international coalition has begun discussing training and arming the Syrian rebels.

France, Jordan, Qatar, Turkey, the UAE, and the UK held the meeting, in London.

Also discussed was aiding the rebels by adding foreign naval and air power to protect them.

One thing they agreed upon, was that there would be no foreign troops put on the ground, something the US, Russia, and China have been adamant about.

The powers seek a quicker end to the nearly twenty-two month long conflict, which has killed at least fifty thousand people.

Canada announced a contingency plan in case the Syrian civil war does begin to involve chemical weapons.

While Canada says it will never send ground troops or airplanes, they are prepared to help in other ways.

They are now set to send disaster response teams, who could do simple things such as provide clean water, as well as specialized teams who've trained for biological, chemical, and radioactive attacks.

Political Clashes Leave Two Dead in Guinea

Clashes between rival political factions in Guinea left two dead.

Dozens more were injured in the city of Gueckedou, as government supporters and opponents went into open fighting.

For the last few days there had been protests against the city's military governor, who is accused of abusing his power.

Gueckedou is also the home to one of the nation's top political opposition leaders.

Guinea's government is trying to organize elections, but the opposition says that the electoral body is biased, and fears that any election would be rigged.

Hickenlooper Signs Declaration Making Marijuana Legal

Monday afternoon, Governor John Hickenlooper signed a declaration that made marijuana legal, in Colorado.

Hickenlooper, who had opposed the bill, had until January 5 to sign the declaration, but waited until Colorado Secretary of State Scott Gessler certified that the amendment had indeed passed.

Marijuana is not completely legal in the state, there are still many restrictions upon it.

Possession of up to an ounce or ownership of up to six plants is now permissible.

Smoking it in public remains illegal, as does selling it for non medial purposes.

As marijuana is still illegal at the federal level, any possession on federal land, such as parks, military bases, courthouses, etc., is still punishable with jail time.

Governor Hickenlooper also setup a twenty-four member task force made up of a wide variety of backgrounds, from all sides of the issue.

The task force will have the job of deciding various issues such as how to tax marijuana's usage, setting up a regulatory framework for the distribution of the product, and other legal discussions facing hemp.

RNC’s New Initiative to Grow the Party and Win Elections

Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman, Reince Priebus, has launched an initiative focused on enlarging the Republican Party and improving future GOP campaigns.

Known as the Growth and Opportunity Project, it will be chaired by five Republican leaders who will begin by reviewing past practices and making recommendations. The recommendations will involve the following key areas:

1) Campaign mechanics and ground game
2) Messaging
3) Fundraising
4) Demographic partners and allies
5) Third party groups
6) Campaign finance issues
7) Presidential primaries
8) Lessons learned from Democratic campaign tactics

Additionally, the coalition will extend its network out to hundreds of individuals, including RNC Members, grassroots activists, donors, elected officials, community leaders and other influential partners. The goal of this outreach is to gain insight designed to help the GOP develop a solid future path.

The Growth and Opportunity Project is co-chaired by five prominent Republican leaders:

• Henry Barbour, National Committeeman from Mississippi

• Zori Fonalledas, National Committeewoman from Puerto Rico

• Glenn McCall, National Committeeman from South Carolina

• Sally Bradshaw, Veteran senior strategist in Florida and national politics

• Ari Fleischer, Former White House Press Secretary

This panel will report their findings to Chairman Priebus along with recommendations for a long-term Republican strategy. “The Growth and Opportunity Project will recommend a plan to further ensure Republicans are victorious in 2013, 2014, 2016 and beyond,” Chairman Priebus said. “I’ve appointed a talented group of individuals to study eight key areas, and I look forward to working with these outstanding Republicans as they conduct rigorous analysis and engage in important conversations. The work of the Growth and Opportunity Project will be critical as we move forward as a Party and take our message to every American.”

Viewed as a great opportunity for the GOP to strengthen its cause for the coming years, the committee is optimistic that its goals will be realized.

Michigan Passes Right to Work Bill

Thousands of protesters massed on the Michigan capitol building, on Tuesday.

They are protesting a "right to work" bill that would allow workers to choose whether they want to be in a union or not.

Many unions see it as a threat, to their near absolute power, as it would keep them from drawing dues from people who did not wish to participate in the union.

Reports are that the Warren and Taylor school districts were shut down, as so many of their teachers called out so that they could join the protests.

Governor Rick Snyder stated that "Too often the educational system's all about the adults. To see schools shutting down because of an issue like this is not appropriate in my view."

As of 9:08 CST the Michigan house passed the bill, and it headed for the Governor's signature, he is expected to sign.

The passage of the bill would see Michigan become the twenty-fourth US state with "right to work" legislation.

Democrats are expected to challenge the bill, using law suits and recall elections.

Judges Won't Oversee Referendum After Shooting at Tahrir Square

The scene in Egypt has only become uglier after a shooting at Tahrir Square. Early Tuesday morning, unknown gunmen opened fire on the crowd, injuring nine people. It is thought that the gunmen were Islamist extremists, as the crowd they opened fire on is purely anti Morsi.

After the shooting, a pro Morsi group setup nearby, with obvious intent of starting up more confrontations there. Police are doing everything they can to keep the sides from clashing further, but they are completely outnumbered. Outside of the presidential palace, other anti Morsi protesters knocked down a section of the wall, outside it's grounds. The military blocked them from entering the compound.

Protests are not limited to Cairo, they're all over the country. Alexandria has seen some of the most violent clashes, and thousands continue in their protests there. All across the country pro Morsi supporters chant "The people want implementation of Islamic law" as the anti Morsi camps seek to let the world know that"The people want to bring down the regime".

Tuesday afternoon, the judiciary announced that they will not oversee the constitutional referendum. If they don't it could make Saturday's vote irrelevant, as their presence would help make it legal. The judiciary has seemed highly anti Morsi ever since his November 22 decrees.

Colorado Police Break up Sex Trafficking Ring

The accused pimps

The Colorado Attorney General's Office announced, on Monday, that twelve people had been arrested as part of a sting against a sex trafficking ring.

Eight of the twelve are accused of sex trafficking and pimping underage girls, while the other four are accused of being amongst their customers.

Three of them told police they were part of the Crips gang.

The group operated in Aurora, Colorado Springs, Commerce City, Lakewood, and Parker.

Attorney General John Suthers promised that, "the men who paid for sex with minors will be brought to justice".

It was not released how long the group had been running, or how many girl had been caught in the trafficking.

Diarra Forced to Resign in Mali

Prime Minister Cheikh Modibo Diarra was arrested in Mali, late Monday night.

Soldiers came to his home, dragged him into a car, and then drove him to the Kati military camp.

Within hours, Diarra was seen resigning, on national TV, early Tuesday morning.

In March, a military junta took over the country.

They were eventually forced, mostly by international pressure, to appoint a prime minister.

Their choice was Diarra, who had regularly campaigned for international troops to help reunite the country.

The northern section of the country was taken over by Islamists, while the south was busy dealing with the coup.

Drug Ring Shut Down in Colorado

Jefferson County District Attorney Scott Storey announced that sixteen people had been arrested as part of a drug ring investigation, in Colorado.

The drug ring had been taking place in Aurora, Denver, Edgewater, Lakewood, and Wheat Ridge.

They had been bringing in meth from Arizona and cocaine from California.

When police moved in, they also found that the group had been running a cockfighting organization.

Amongst the charges, the ring members face, are various drug charges and money laundering.

Chavez Announces Successor Just in Case

Hugo Chavez has once again headed to Cuba for cancer treatment.

This time was different, however, as he admitted that his continued illness might end his reign.

Chavez was just reelected, to another term, two months ago.

During the campaign he regularly assured voters that he had beaten cancer, but it now looks like that may have been subterfuge to not look weak.

Before leaving for Cuba, he announced a successor, in a press conference.

He asked the people to vote for Vice President and Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro if the need should arise for a new election, due to his incapacity to continue on as President.

If an election does take place, Maduro would face a big challenge, as Chavez only won the October election with fifty-four percent of the vote.