Econ 101: The US economy added 257,000 jobs in December, a healthy number, according to the Labor Department. The job market appears to be maintaining its momentum from 2014, the best year of job growth since 1999. Wages are rising as well. At the same time, unemployment ticked up from 5.6 to 5.7 percent because more people entered the labor market.

Measles: Illinois health officials are expecting more cases after five infants at a suburban Chicago daycare center caught the measles. All of the infected children were too young to be vaccinated.

An outbreak of measles in at least 14 states has grown to more than 100 cases and drawn attention to the growing anti-vaccination movement.

World: As the Ukraine army loses ground, the leaders of France and Germany flew to Moscow today to press for peace in eastern Ukraine. Ukraine’s president wants a pullback of all foreign forces and heavy weapons and a closure of the Russian border. But Russian President Vladimir Putin has already demanded in a letter that ceasefire lines be established along the new battles lines, which would give Russian-backed rebels more territory.

Wag the Dog: The credibility ofNBC News anchor Brian Williams is under verbal fire after his apology for telling a story that was not entirely true about his experience in the Iraq War. Williams admitted that, contrary to previous claims, he was not on board a chopper forced down by a hit from an RPG. He said his untruth was inadvertent, rather than intentional.

But a lot of people don’t buy it. Amid a flurry of criticism Williams has been called the “Milli Vanilli” of news after the infamous lip-synching music act. False claims of facing danger are considered particularly loathsome when they involve the military.

Some reporters have counted at least seven times Williams has embellished his war experience. In 2013 he told David Letterman his helicopter had been hit by RPG and AK-47 fire. He said ,”Two of our four helicopters were hit by ground fire, including the one I was in …. RPG and AK-47.”

Rich Krell, the pilot of the chopper Williams actually was a passenger on, told CNN’s Brian Stelter that his bird did take some ground fire, although not from an RPG and it was not forced down.

Credibility is everything in the news business. Rim Rieder, the media columnist for USA Today, wrote, “It’s hard to see how Williams gets past this, and how he survives as the face of NBC News.”

Fade Out: Amy Pascal, the Sony Pictures executive who was embarrassed by the Korean hacking attack against her company, has resigned as co-chair and taken a four-year production deal. Leaked Emails revealed Pascal sucking up to George Clooney, trashing Angelina Jolie, and making snarky marginally racist comments about the movie viewing habits of President Obama. Pascal issued a cheery statement saying “I have always wanted to be a producer” in an attempt to make it sound like it’s been her dream to be demoted.

Busted: Radio Shack, the original chain of electronics stores that hasn’t made a profit since 2011, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The filing came shortly after Radio Shack agreed to sell 2,500 of its 4,000 stores to Sprint and a hedge fund. When bankruptcy proceedings are finished, Radio Shack will likely disappear.

Radio Shack was one of the first retailers of electronic calculators and personal computers. But it has not survived competition from the Internet and big box electronics stores like Best Buy.

The Sports Page: Golfer Tiger Woods yesterday pulled out of the Farmer’s Insurance Open at Torrey Pines suffering back spasms. Woods had back surgery last April and has been struggling ever since. He pulled out of a tournament with spasms last summer and last weekend failed to qualify at the Phoenix Open.

Papa Speaks: Pope Francis says it’s Ok for parents to spank their children so long as they don’t violate the child’s dignity. He didn’t suggest any particular technique.

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