The minimum wage is being stuck at $7.25 an hour since 2009. President Obama wants to boost that over time to $10.10 an hour. That would be enough to lift a full-time worker with a family of 4 out of poverty. Obama made a similar appeal in last year at state union address, but so far, Congress has not acted on the idea.  Even as he weighed for a legislative action, the president was issuing an executive order, requiring federal contractors barely $10.10 an hour to all future service contracts. That could eventually cover 100,000 workers, providing services such as laundry and dishwashing on US military bases. Scott Horsley, NPR News, Washington. 

 

The air force confirms a sharp increase in the number of nuclear missile launcher officers implicating in a cheating scandal which was first reported by the Associated Press. NPR’s Tom Bowman says 34 officers were identified in recent weeks, but that number has since doubled. 

The cheat scandal at centered Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana, home of the 341st Missile Wing at oversees Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles. Officials say the investigation is continuing into officials who cheated on proficiency exam. Last week, Defense Secretary Chuck Hegel announced 2 reviews of this strategic nuclear mission involved the result any problem in the ranks. The Pentagon officials said all those implicated have been removed from their jobs. In their other bases, it would pick up more shifts. Besides cheating, air force officials have uncovered drug use involving 11 other officials at Malmstrom and several more bases. Tom Bowman, NPR News, Washington. 

 

Snowplows don’t get out in the south much but in a vast swath area of unaccustomed to winter there seem action at night. Some have said icy weather has been hitting the East and the Midwest now reaching far south of Georgia, South Carolina and Mississippi. Robert Bentley, the governor of Alabama:

“We’re aware of the severity of this winter storm. We’re using every state resource that is necessary to assist its need.”

Snow has been fallen in Jackson, Mississippi and Atlanta well, and the Atlanta travelers Rechell Sarit says he doesn’t blame the airlines for cancelling some flights. 

“I think there have been they’re using the right medication. I think having everybody in the airport and cancelling their flights is certainly a lot of work as pre cancelling probably fewer than they had to.”

As many as 50 million people could be affected by the wintering weather. 

 

Unemployment continues to edge lower as states across the country. That’s according to the Labor Department who says that unemployment rate fell in 4 forces in US states last month, even though jobs were added just in 13 states. 

 

On Wall Street today, the Dow was up 19 points, to close at 15,928; the NASDAQ gained 14 points. 

 

This is NPR. 

 

President Obama are among those pay tribute today for folk legend Peter Seeger. The president says Seeger, who died this week, remains where he comes from and shows where we need to go. The champion worker in civil rights, Seeger was barred from that work TV because with politics was appeared in the 70s. singer John Bias was along those helped overturn that ban, says Peter Seeger was a huge influence on her. 

“Peter was blacklisted for many years, but you know, if you gonna make social change some point you gonna have to make a risk and that’s what he was. He was a risk taker, and he’s willing to make sacrifices which probably to him were not even sacrifices.”

Seeger’s body works banned more than 5 decades, and includes such songs as “If I had A Hammer”, “Turn, Turn, Turn” and “Where are Those Flowers Gone”. Peter Seeger was 94 years old. 

 

Ride-sharing company Uber is harbored a wrong fault death lawsuit followed by the family of 16 years old girl. NPR’s Richard Gonzales reports the girl was killed in a San Francisco crosswalk. 

6 years old Sofia Liu was crossing a street with her family when she was stricken by Syad Muzaffar on New Year’s Eve. Initially, Uber says Muzaffar was not providing survices on the Uber system during the time of incident. But the lawsuit that lets Muzaffar was distracted by the phone base interface that drivers use it to pick up passengers and that let him lose death. The lawsuit also alleges that Uber app violates the California law that @@ distract the drivers. The driver faces criminal charges of hacklier manslaughter. The company has not commented on the lawsuit. Richard Gonzales, NPR News, San Francisco. 

 

Crude oil futures close higher today. The price of oil per gallon is $79 since barreled oil at $97.41 a barrel in New York.