SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:34 P.M. ET: 

GOOD KIDS – From the New York Post:  "A Florida mom was reported for drunk driving by her own son and three of his friends — and now she faces child neglect and drug charges, authorities said.  Angela R. Woodworth, 45, was so wasted behind the wheel that the four 11-year-old children she was riding with jumped out of the car and ran to call police because they feared for their lives, News 4 Jacksonville reports.  The Gainesville resident was arrested Tuesday and charged with four felony counts of marijuana possession, possession of drug paraphernalia, child neglect and resisting an officer without violence after cops discovered 2 grams of marijuana in the vehicle and a pipe under the driver’s seat, police said."  Well, she did something right in raising that boy.

THE BEGINNING – From Fox:  "WASHINGTON – Call it the unofficial kick-off of the 2016 Republican presidential race.  Two-dozen Republican politicians -- nearly half of them at least considering a run for the White House -- are descending on downtown Des Moines this weekend for the Iowa Freedom Summit, where they'll test their conservative chops before a sold-out crowd.   The summit, which was held in New Hampshire last time around, is only in its second year but is drawing an impressive amount of GOP star power. The heavy-hitting lineup, in the first-in-the-nation caucus state, effectively makes it the first major candidate forum of the cycle.  'Odds are, the next president of the United States will be there,' said Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, who is sponsoring the event along with Citizens United."  For 2016 the Republican Party has an embarrassment of riches.  The Democrats also have an embarrassment.

CUBA NO – An American delegation arrived in Cuba a few days ago to start talks on "normalization," but the talks have not gone well.  Assistant Secretary of State Roberta Jacobson made no bones about the gaps between American and Cuban positions on a number of issues, including democratic reform.  Some observers were skeptical that normalization will actually occur at all.  Of course, waiting in the wings is Barack Obama, who will probably be inclined to make any concession needed to get an American ambassador back to Havana.  Another Obama foreign-policy mess. 

January 23, 2015