SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:53 P.M. ET: 

TILLERSON GAINING – The controversial nomination of former Exxon-Mobil CEO to be secretary of state gained considerably today as two Republican senators, John McCain and Lindsey Graham, announced that they would support him.  The two had withheld their support, in part because of Tillerson's business associations with Russia.  Tillerson is not completely in the clear because Senator Marco Rubio of Florida still has not endorsed him.  But the Dems would have to have zero defections and pick up a couple of Republicans to defeat Tillerson at this point.  Consider him almost confirmed.

CHILLING – FROM AP:   NEW YORK (AP) — United Airlines says domestic flights are on the move again after being grounded Sunday because of a computer problem.  Company spokeswoman Maddie King says the "IT issue" that initially caused the ground stop has been resolved and flights are resuming, but customers may experience additional delays. She didn't give any more details.  It was not immediately clear how many flights were affected. The ground stop lasted about 2 ½ hours.  Chicago-based United Airlines and United Express operate more than 4,500 flights a day to 339 airports across five continents.  Once again we're reminded how vulnerable we are to computer failures and computer hacking.  The country is now run on computers.  A mass computer failure caused by a nuclear device exploded above our territory – a so-called electro-magnetic pulse (EMP) attack, could cause catastrophic dislocation and even starvation, as our supply and transportations system freeze. 

WHEN YOU'RE RICH THEY THINK YOU REALLY KNOW – AND IT AIN'T NECESSARILY SO – FROM THE HILL:   Tom Steyer spent $87 million on the 2016 elections, and all he got was a Trump administration full of nominees he opposes.  The liberal billionaire, who funded Democratic campaigns across the country and ballot measures in his home state of California, said in an interview he intends to remain involved in politics now that President Donald Trump has taken office.  He said he still believes most voters agree with Democratic ideals, though the party didn’t effectively convey them in November.  “I think there’s no doubt that we reflect the will of the people to an overwhelming extent. I don’t think we were successful in conveying the spirit behind those policies, and I don’t think we were successful in transmitting the urgency behind those policies,” Steyer told The Hill.  Hey guy, you had eight years of Barack Obama to convey your spirit, and a lot of voters fell asleep.  But keep spending.  It keeps a lot of people employed in jobs not usually filled by foreign workers.

January 22, 2017