On short notice, US fast-response force flies to Mideast
By SARAH BLAKE MORGAN and JONATHAN DREW Associated Press
Hundreds of U.S. soldiers have deployed from Fort Bragg, North Carolina, to Kuwait to serve as reinforcements in the Middle East amid rising tensions following the U.S. killing of a top Iranian general. Lt. Col. Mike Burns is a spokesman for the 82nd Airborne Division. He told The Associated Press that 3,500 members of the division’s quick-deployment brigade will have deployed within a few days. The wife of one soldier who recently deployed said that his departure was so abrupt she didn’t have the chance to say goodbye in person or by phone.

Iraq’s Parliament calls for expulsion of U.S. troops
Iraq’s Parliament is calling for the expulsion of U.S. troops from the country in reaction to the American drone attack that killed a top Iranian general. Lawmakers approved a resolution Sunday asking the Iraqi government to end the agreement under which Washington sent forces more than four years ago to help fight the Islamic State group. A pullout of the estimated 5,200 U.S. troops could cripple the battle against ISIS and allow its resurgence.

5 dead, dozens hospitalized in Pennsylvania Turnpike crash
Officials in Pennsylvania say five people have been killed and dozens more hospitalized in a crash on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. A turnpike spokesman tells The Associated Press that the Westmoreland County coroner confirmed the deaths in the early Sunday crash and said 60 people were hospitalized with injuries. A tweet from the spokesman says the crash involved a passenger bus, two tractor-trailers and passenger vehicles. The crash has closed the turnpike for an 86-mile stretch.

McConnell and Pelosi give no signs of budging on impeachment
By LISA MASCARO AP Congressional Correspondent
Congress opened the new year with the Senate deadlocked over President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is indicating he has little interest in hearing from witnesses as Democrats are demanding. The process is in flux. McConnell is hoping for a speedy acquittal of the president, but the trial cannot begin until House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sends over the articles of impeachment. Pelosi is refusing to do so until Republicans provide details on the trial. She said McConnell is an accomplice in Trump’s cover up. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said senators need to hear the “whole truth” as they weigh Trump’s removal from office.

US long watched Soleimani, but feared risks of a strike
By ZEKE MILLER and JULIE PACE The Associated Press
Previous presidents have considered whether to target Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani and decided against it. Trump’s decision is a sharp departure from the previous two administrations. The Bush and Obama administrations both weighed striking Soleimani but decided the risks were too high. Officials said they were concerned about Iranian retaliation and also worried that killing Soleimani wouldn’t have an effect on Iran’s regional provocations and support for terror groups. Trump said Friday that Soleimani should have been taken out years ago.

Today’s BUSINESS MINUTE is brought to you by Minuteman Press:

The owner of the troubled Ellwood City Medical Center has filed for and been granted federal bankruptcy protection. Americore Health LLC, which now lists its headquarters as St. Louis, MO., filed paperwork Tuesday in U.S. bankruptcy Court in the Eastern District of Kentucky seeking Chapter 11 protection. The court granted the motion Wednesday. No word yet on what impact this petition will have on the hospital, located on Pershing Street in Ellwood City, and the remaining  approximately 20 employees there. At least 152 workers there have been laid off in the last month.

The Wawa convenience store chain is facing a wave of lawsuits over a data breach that affected its 850 locations along the East Coast. Pennsylvania-based Wawa Inc. says it discovered malware on its payment processing servers this month before stopping the breach Dec. 12th. Wawa officials believe the malware had been collecting card numbers, customers names and other data since as early as March. The Philadelphia Inquirer reported Friday that at least six lawsuits seeking class-action status have been filed in federal court in Philadelphia. A Wawa spokesman declined to comment on the pending litigation.

Shares of Dick’s Sporting Goods soared 18% in early trading after the company reported strong earnings and raised its guidance for the third time this year. The company has pulled back on gun sales recently, which generated some consumer backlash, but Dick’s seems to have put that controversy behind it. Sales at stores open at least a year were up 6% in the quarter. Its operating earnings were up 33% in the period. Dick’s first said it would stop selling assault rifles and limit all gun sales to buyers age 21 and older in the wake of the Parkland, Florida, school shooting.Next, Dick’s pulled firearms and the rest of its hunting goods out of 135 of its 855 stores. And CEO Ed Stack said earlier this year that the stores that gave up the hunting business are actually posting stronger sales since they’re using the extra space to sell products that are in higher demand.

and….Oil prices are up sharply and major stock markets are falling after U.S. forces in Iraq killed a top Iranian general. The price of oil surged 3.6% and major indexes were down 0.8% in early trading . The drops came after a bullish start to the New Year and a blockbuster gain in 2019. News of the death of Gen. Qassem Soleimani prompted expectations of Iranian retaliation. The S&P 500 fell 24 points, or 0.8%, to 3,233. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 241 points, or 0.8%, to 28,627. The Nasdaq lost 72 points, or 0.8%, to 9,020. Bond prices rose.