As the Iowa caucuses grow ever closer, the number of candidates in the Democratic race has decreased once again. 

On Thursday, Former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro officially ended his campaign for president. 

Making the announcement via Twitter, Castro said, “It’s with profound gratitude to all of our supporters that I suspend my campaign for president today. I’m so proud of everything we’ve accomplished together. I’m going to keep fighting for an America where everyone counts—I hope you’ll join me in that fight.”

On Thursday, Iranian General Qassim Soleimani was killed in a U.S. airstrike ordered by President Trump. It appears that the White House alerted certain Republicans on Capitol Hill of the attack ahead of time, while Senior Democratic members of Congress say they were largely left in the dark. 

There are 3574 news articles covering this topic. 62% (2212) are left leaning, 29% (1026) center, 9% (336) right leaning.

From the left: Congressional leaders call for details after airstrike, New York Times
From the center: ‘There will be reprisals': Democrats warn of fallout, NPR
From the right: Reps cheer Dems fume over order to take shadowy terror general, Fox News

Also in the news: After two weeks on holiday break, Senate leaders continued to try to wrangle over the terms of President Trump’s impeachment trial, deepening their impasse.

Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont announced on Thursday that he had raised $34.5 million in the last three months, which is the largest of any Democrat in the quarter so far. Former mayor of South Bend Pete Buttigieg raised $24.7 million, while former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. raised $22.7 million.

There are 922 news articles covering this topic. 53% (489) are left leaning, 42% (384) center, 5% (49) right leaning.

From the left: Dems Enter 2020 Awash in Cash, and Brace for Long Fight, New York Times
From the center: Sanders sets fundraising pace in Dem race with $34 million haul, NPR
From the right: Biden announces biggest haul to date, trails Sanders & Buttigieg, Fox News

Also in the news: Julián Castro announced in a video on Twitter on Thursday that he has ended his presidential campaign. Castro was the former housing secretary and was the only Latino candidate in the Democratic field.

At a campaign event in Exeter, New Hampshire on Monday, former Vice President Joe Biden said that he would consider choosing a Republican running mate if he is the Democratic party’s nominee next year. However, after raising this possibility, Biden said, “But I can’t think of one right now.”

There are 579 news articles covering this topic. 29% (166) are left leaning, 28%(165) center, 43% (248) right leaning.

From the left: Biden says he would consider Republican running mate, Washington Post
From the center: Biden says he would consider a Republican running mate, Reuters
From the right: Sanders rejects Biden’s openness to bipartisan ticket, Fox News

Also in the news: On Tuesday, Trump and his team blamed Iran for an attack on the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.

With the impeachment still at an impasse, important witnesses with knowledge of the White House’s withholding of military aid to Ukraine continue to refuse to testify.

There are 644 news articles covering this topic. 48% (310) are left leaning, 46% (294) center, 6% (40) right leaning.

From the left: The Ukraine Aid Freeze: 84 Days of Conflict and Confusion, New York Times
From the center: Will a majority of senators pursue the truth over all else?, The Hill
From the right: Steve Scalise Rips House Democrats’ Impeachment Effort, Daily Caller

Also in the news: On Sunday, a man in a trench coat opened fire during a church service in the suburbs of Fort Worth, Texas. Within seconds, two-armed security volunteers returned fire, and one of them killed the gunman.