DECOUPLING: China’s manufacturing exodus set to continue in 2020, despite prospect of trade war deal. “China’s rising costs, tricky regulations and increasingly unstable geopolitical situation are forcing more manufacturers to move production elsewhere.”

Those are mostly self-inflicted wounds.

WINNING: Dow crosses 29,000 for first time. “All three of the major averages hit record highs.”

UPDATE (FROM GLENN): Obligatory: PAUL KRUGMAN ON ELECTION NIGHT 2016: “If the question is when markets will recover, a first-pass answer is never.”

HE WAS A VERY BAD MAN IN NEED OF KILLING AND I’M GLAD HE’S DEAD: Trump Just Dropped a Bombshell in His Ohio Rally Speech, Revealing Soliemani’s Other Planned Targets.

STOP, OR I WON’T EVEN SAY STOP AGAIN: Atlanta PD Will No Longer Chase Criminals if They Flee From Cops.

(Classical reference in the headline.)

IT’S ALWAYS IN THE LAST PLACE YOU LOOK: 800,000 years ago, a meteor slammed into Earth. Scientists just found the crater.

I’M EXPECTING AN EARTH-SHATTERING KABOOM: NASA, SpaceX prepare for Falcon 9 rocket to explode over the Atlantic.

If you’ve gotta break a few eggs to make an omelet, perhaps it’s no surprise you have to blow up a few space vehicles to get to space. SpaceX and NASA are preparing for the latest trial of the company’s Crew Dragon spacecraft, and the in-flight abort test is likely going to lead to the destruction of a Falcon 9 rocket in the process.

That test has been pushed back a week, to Jan. 18, to allow “additional time for spacecraft processing,” NASA said Monday. The goal of the test is to demonstrate the Dragon’s emergency escape system before NASA gives the final thumbs-up for the craft to begin ferrying astronauts to the International Space Station as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew program.

I wonder if Elon Musk has some big, showy surprise planned for the test.

KRUISER’S MORNING BRIEF: When In Doubt, Rally It Out. “Heck, der Bidengaffer, Fauxcahontas, and the rest of the Dem primary clown car would probably kill for the crowd that couldn’t even get into the Toledo rally.”

SO THEY’VE BEEN HATING ON TRUMP SINCE 1979? ‘Death to America’ aimed at Trump, not American nation, Iran leader says.

I’D REALLY LIKE TO KNOW HER SECRET: Ruth Bader Ginsburg says she is starting 2020 “cancer free.”

PAY UP, SUCKERS: California is poised to extend healthcare coverage to seniors living in the U.S. illegally.

IT’S SO TERRIBLY IMPORTANT TO THE HEALTH OF THE REPUBLIC THAT SHE MIGHT GET TO IT SOMETIME: Nancy Pelosi says she’ll stop holding out on sending impeachment articles when she’s ‘ready’: ‘That will probably be soon.’

THIS IS CNN: CNN Gives Friendly Interview to Iranian Woman Who Said She Would Kill U.S. Hostages in 1979.

JUST DESSERTS: Obama Fueled Bernie’s Rise, Can’t Figure Out How to Stop Him.

Team Obama is clearly worried about the enduring appeal of Democratic Socialist Bernie Sanders to Democratic primary voters, but as we learned from an absolutely delicious Daily Beast item on Monday, Obama and his “top lieutenants” are clueless “how to stop him.”

Hanna Trudo writes, “as Sanders gained new flashes of traction in recent weeks, the former president’s lack of official guidance to halt his momentum, and the scattering of his inner circle to rival campaigns, have hampered any meaningful NeverBernie movement.” Trudo adds that “Obama has reportedly acknowledged problems with Sanders’ vision for the country,” and yet according to the AP, “less than a month before Iowa’s kickoff caucuses, the doubters are being forced to take Sanders seriously.”

In other words, Obama and his former lieutenants worry that Sanders is crazy enough to win the Dem nomination, but too crazy to win the general election. But the root question is: Who unleashed the crazy on the Dems?

Barack Obama, that’s who.

The rest is for PJMedia’s VIP members, and the promo code VODKAPUNDIT is still good for a nice little discount.

HE ALSO THREATENS WRECKERS, HOARDERS, SABOTEURS, SHIRKERS, COUNTERREVOLUTIONARIES, TROTSKYITES, KULAKS, AND JEWS. Billionaire Warns Investors of ‘Biggest Risk’ for 2020: Bernie Sanders.

WELL, GOOD: Chick-fil-A CEO Regrets ‘Inadvertently’ Discrediting ‘Outstanding’ Groups Like the Salvation Army.

USB IS TERRIBLY UNSECURE: Here’s why you should never use a public phone charger. “You could be the victim of ‘juice jacking’.”

I REALLY ENJOYED HIS WORK: Mike Resnick, RIP.

PRIVACY: Judge Orders Google to Turn Over a Year’s Worth of Jussie Smollett’s Data to Special Prosecutor.

WELL, THIS IS THE 21ST CENTURY, YOU KNOW: Israel unveils breakthrough laser to intercept missiles, aerial threats. “Technology expected to take down a variety of aerial threats including rockets, drones, anti-tank missiles.”

The one target it doesn’t have: Flying cars.

HMM: Israeli officials believe U.S. may release peace plan before election.

VIDEO: Ilhan Omar says prospect of US-Iran conflict gives her ‘PTSD,’ but discussion of US casualties in Iraq apparently gives her the giggles.

She seems nice.

BREAKING: Pentagon says Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 was struck by a Russia-built Tor-M1 surface-to-air missile system.

SECOND TIME LUCKY: Will John James Become Michigan’s First GOP Senator in 20 Years?

PUNCHING BACK TWICE AS HARD: Reza Aslan to Face the Music For Calling Nick Sandmann’s Face ‘Punchable’ In Now-Deleted Tweet.

SURPRISING ABSOLUTELY NO ONE BUT HUNTER, WHO MIGHT NOT REMEMBER THE NIGHT OR EVEN THE WOMAN IN QUESTION: Hunter Biden is ‘biological and legal father’ of child with former stripper, judge rules.

A Biden White House would be a complete circus, but if he’s the nominee the press will push him as the man to restore dignity to the Oval Office.