Familiar Line: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who’s been unable to forge a governing coalition while facing criminal indictment, has asked the Knesset for immunity from prosecution in the three corruption cases charging him with bribery, fraud and breach of trust

  In words that could have been cribbed from another world leader we know well, Netanyahu said, “What is being done to me is a field court-martial by misleading the public.” 

  Like Donald Trump, Netanyahu has equated himself with the state. In a televised announcement, Netanyahu said, “The immunity law is intended to protect elected officials from fabricated legal proceedings — from political indictment intended to damage the will of the people.” He has called the legal accusations an “attempted coup” led by the left and the media.

  The request must be considered by the Knesset’s House Committee, which has remained unformed since the deadlocked general election in April. If the request is approved in the committee, it is then passed on to a vote in the full 120-member Knesset.

  Former Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman said his party would vote unanimously against immunity. “It’s now clear beyond any doubt. All that Netanyahu is interested in is immunity,” Liberman said in a statement. “This is what he wakes up with in the morning, this is what he lives, this is what he breathes throughout the day, this is what he goes to bed with. The State of Israel has become a hostage of a private personal problem of Netanyahu.”

The Money Poll: Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders raised more than $34.5 million in the fourth quarter of 2019. That’s the biggest three-month total for any presidential candidate in this race and a demonstration of wide support among small donors. 

  “Mayor Pete” Buttigieg raised more than $24.7 million during the final three months of 2019, making him one of the leaders in the electoral money poll. He topped the $19.2 million he raised during the previous three-months. Buttigieg has raised more than $76 million from more than 733,000 donors in 2019. Not that he has spent a lot of time on the job this past year, but “Mayor Pete” is no longer mayor of South Bend, Indiana as of yesterday.

  Andrew Yang hit $16.5 million. Other candidates have yet to announce their 4^th quarter numbers, but Elizabeth warren was hoping to hit $20 million, which would be 20 percent less than her third quarter, and Cory Booker, $6 million.

  Joe Biden had a weak third quarter, spending $2 million more than the $15.7 million he took in. Heemailed Sunday that he was hoping for “our biggest fund-raising quarter yet,” but the number isn’t out yet.

Drone On: Residents of Colorado and Nebraska have been reporting flights of unidentified drones over the prairies, sometimes hovering right over their homes. No one seems to know what they are doing there, and who’s controlling them. 

  “It’s creepy,” one woman told The NY Times. She said she saw three drones hovering over her farm outside Palisade, Neb. Local sheriff’s departments  have been flooded with reports of large drones with blinking lights and wingspans of up to 6 feet.

  People have called 911 and burned up the chats on Facebook. The FAA has received complaints and is investigating.

   Maybe there’s something going on here, and maybe not. This is the part of the country where for years people reported unidentified “black helicopters” keeping watch on the populace and divisions of United Nations troops bivouacked in the hills.

New Rules: Recreational marijuana became legal in Illinois yesterday and the state’s lieutenant governor was the first in line. Colorado’s “red flag” gun law went into effect, allowing family and other authorized parties to petition to temporarily remove guns from someone found dangerous. Maybe they should move to Tennessee, where it’s now easier to get a concealed carry handgun permit.

The Bulletin Board: Fire in the primate cage at a German zoo killed 27 orangutans, chimpanzees, and marmosets on New Year’s Eve. The fire is believed to have been caused by a falling Chinese sky lantern, which is illegal in Germany. — Wildfires continue to burn through south-eastern Australia, so far killing eight people. — Perpetually angry former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski says he won’t run for the Senate from New Hampshire, although he’s certain he would have won.  

The Obit Page: Former NBA commissioner David Stern, who led the league for 30 years and was considerably shorter than the players, has died at age 77. He suffered a brain hemorrhage on Dec. 12^th.

  Only the fourth commissioner for the league, Stern helped make professional basketball into a billion dollar international industry. Under Stern and his marketing savvy, NBA stars came to rival the fame of international soccer players.

  With it came money for everyone. Former player Charles Barkley, now a television analyst, said “When I got to the NBA in 1984, which was Commissioner’s first year, the average salary was $250,000. It’s almost $9 million now. And he is largely responsible for that.” — Don Larsen, the great Yankees pitcher who threw the only perfect game in World Series history, died Wednesday at age 90. That moment of fame came in 1956 against the Dodgers in Game 5 of the World Series. The Yankees went on to win the Series 4-3.

Resolutions: The largely popular singer Lizzo declared that one of her New Year’s resolutions is that there will be “no basic bitches in this new decade.” 

  Basic bitches were getting to be so tiring.

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