Nation: As demonstrators marched in cities around the country yesterday, President Obama stepped into the Ferguson fray, announcing the formation of a task force to defuse the tension between communities and their police departments. He said there is “a simmering distrust that exists between too many police departments and too many communities of color.”

   Obama also said he will take a second look at the funneling of surplus military equipment to police departments and “make sure that we’re not building a militarized culture inside our local law enforcement.” The president also said he wants to provide 50,000 body cameras for cops to record their encounters with the public.

Weather Report: California is bracing for two days of heavy rain that could bring flooding and mudslides. The sandbags and K-rails are in place as up to three inches of rain is expected in some areas. Eighty percent of the state is in a deep drought but the rain this week is just a drop in the bucket.

In the East a winter storm warning is in effect from Illinois up through Maine. Rain and light snow is expected.

Permawar: Lebanon claims to have detained the wife and son of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi a week ago near the Syrian border. Officials say they don’t know whether the woman has information that would be valuable.

Over in Iraq, the new government has reached an agreement with the autonomous Kurdish region for sharing oil revenue and fighting together against the Islamic State.

The Faith: Members of the Islamic terror group al Shabab killed 36 workers at a stone quarry in Kenya. Ten days ago they killed 28 people on a bus because they could not recite a verse from the Koran.

Econski 101: Straining under Western sanctions, Russia admits that its economy may slip into recession in 2015. The price of oil has fallen dramatically, cutting Russian income, while the value of the ruble has fallen 40 percent against the US dollar. Russia’s rich like to put their money in dollars to protect its value.

The Obit Page: Anthony Marshall, the only son of heiress Brooke Astor who was convicted of swindling millions from his mother while she slipped into dementia, has died at age 90. Marshall and his lawyer Francis X. Morrissey Jr. were convicted in 2009 of manipulating Astor’s will and convincing her to sign over nearly $180 million at a time when she was so confused she thought her son was her late husband. Marshall’s perfidy was exposed by his own son, Phillip. The older Marshall repaid millions and spent only six months in prison before he was released in poor health. Yes, the rich are different.

The Cosby Files: Comedian Bill Cosby, probably the most famous graduate of Temple University, resigned from the school’s board of trustees sparing his alma mater an association with a man accused of serial rape.

Smoke ‘Em: North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has ordered his senior officials to stop smoking foreign cigarettes. Kim, who is a smoker himself, says it’s a matter of patriotism. North Korea actually makes a lot of cigarettes. One of its most popular brands is called Craven “A.” Smoke ‘em if you got ‘em.

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