Obama Seems to Favor Clinton as Successor, Censorious Professor Charged with Assault, Trial over Reckless Shooting by NYPD Officer Begins: P.M. Links

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  Credit: marcn / photo on flickr

  While President Barack Obama is declining to endorse a successor yet, he is kinda-sorta gesturing toward Hillary Clinton, who is running a campaign promising to pretty much extend all of Obama's policies.

• There continues to be wintery weather in January for some reason.
• The University of Missouri communications professor who infamously was captured on camera trying to physically censor journalists on campus has been charged with misdemeanor simple assault.
• Maryland's legislature has overridden the governor's veto of a bill that offered modest civil police asset forfeiture reforms and a bill decriminalizing possession of objects used to smoke marijuana like bongs and papers (the state had previously turned possession of marijuana itself into a civil, not criminal violation).
• A British explorer who was attempting the first unassisted solo crossing of Antarctica has died after 71 days, within 30 miles of achieving the goal.
• Today the trial began for rookie New York Police Department Officer Peter Liang, who faces manslaughter and negligent homicide charges for recklessly opening fire in a public housing unit stairwell, killing Akai Gurley.

New at Reason:

• How Long Could the U.S. Go Without Electricity?
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  By A. Barton Hinkle
• Should Charter Schools Be Allowed to Push Out Difficult Kids?
  Q&A with Robert Pondiscio on Success Academy and the 'Got-to-Go' controversy.
  By Nick Gillespie and Jim Epstein

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