Trump’s lip service to unity meets wall of resistance from the women in white

As the president railed against ‘partisan investigations’, the night’s momentum was with the diverse, hungry Democrats

It was the night that Donald Trump, preaching unity but practising divisiveness, found his white minority rule under siege from Nancy Pelosi’s women in white.

A year after wearing black to support the MeToo movement, the record number of Democratic women in the House of Representatives wore white at the state of the union address to honour suffragists who won the right to vote.

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State of the Union: Trump to call for unity as he tries to reboot presidency

Trump will tout economic strength and border security as he faces an audience with an unprecedented number of women and high degree of skepticism

Donald Trump will attempt to reboot his presidency on Tuesday with a State of the Union address that will tout economic strength and border security – but he will face an audience with an unprecedented number of women and a high degree of scepticism.

Halfway into his term, having just endured a drubbing in November’s congressional elections and after prompting the longest government shutdown in US history, Trump will seek to regain momentum by calling on Congress to come together on infrastructure projects and his trade deal with Canada and Mexico.

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Three things you may not know about Elizabeth Warren – video profile

The Massachusetts senator wants to be the 46th US president. The Democrat, whose criticism of big banks and corporations has made her a progressive star, faced unwanted headlines after releasing the results of a DNA test. But what else do we know about her?

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Why women 2020 candidates face ‘likability’ question even as they make history

A record number of Democratic women intend to run for the White House at the next election, illuminating the gendered scrutiny they face

When Elizabeth Warren declared her intention to run for president in the 2020 US election, a debate swiftly followed over whether the Democratic Massachusetts senator could pass a “likability test”.

New York senator Kirsten Gillibrand was asked by a reporter if she was perhaps too “nice” to take on Donald Trump immediately after making her own announcement on her intention to run.

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Ralph Northam will ‘put Virginia first’ and resign as governor, Democrat says

  • Former governor Terry McAuliffe: ‘Ralph is a good, moral man’
  • Press conference and Michael Jackson story add to controversy

Ralph Northam will “put Virginia first” and resign as governor, a predecessor and friend of the embattled Democrat said on Sunday, two days after the release of a racist photo from a college yearbook pitched the state into chaos.

Related: Policies that harm black bodies deserve the same outrage as blackface | Shanita Hubbard

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Roger Stone case: judge ‘considering gag order’ against Trump adviser – as it happened

Judge cautioned Stone against treating trial build-up ‘like book tour’ and said he should not argue his case ‘on the talkshow circuit’

Thanks for tuning in, everyone.

With the government shutdown over, President Trump can finally return to Mar-a-Lago, the Associated Press is reporting.

Trump typically spends many winter weekends at the Palm Beach estate, golfing at another nearby private club he owns and dining on an outdoor terrace at Mar-a-Lago, where he catches up with friends and club members.

But that routine was interrupted by the partial government shutdown, which ended a week ago after a record 35 days.

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Trump appoints climate change skeptic to EPA science board – latest news

Controversial climatologist John Christy, who once said scientists believed Earth was flat, to join advisory board at environment agency

Progressives are preparing to take on Starbucks CEO Howard Shultz — who is considering a run for president in 2020 as an independent — hoping to arm themselves with information about the billionaire’s governmental dealings.

Axios reports that Democratic super PAC, Priorities USA, has requested documents from roughly 70 national and state agencies who may have connected with Shultz or his coffee company over the last 3 decades:

The group is gathering as much potential opposition research as they can on Schultz and his business in anticipation of his decision to possibly run for president as an independent. This is yet another example of liberals trying to push Schultz out of the 2020 race before he begins, in part because they view his candidacy as a “threat” that could be “a major step toward re-electing Donald Trump,” Priorities USA communications director Josh Schwerin told Axios”.

A new poll released by Monmouth University says more than 60% of Americans think the president knew that high-ranking members of his campaign lied to investigators and half believe he asked them to do it.

The survey also found that there’s still significant concern among the electorate that Russia has influence over Trump, and that not enough has been done to stop the Kremlin from meddling into elections.

Was Trump aware of campaign associated trying to mislead investigators or Congress?

62% Yes
32% No

Do you think Trump personally asked people to mislead investigators or Congress?

50% Yes
42% No

Monmouth poll

‘Views of the president’s ties to Russia look like almost any other aspect of public opinion related to Trump. Very few Republicans believe anything negative about him and nearly all Democrats are inclined to accept damaging information, while independents are almost evenly split’, said Murray.

Just over half of Americans (51%) feel that the special counsel’s investigation into Russian election interference and possible links to the Trump campaign should continue. Another 45% say this investigation should be brought to an end. Support for continuing the special counsel investigation has hovered between 52% and 54% in polls taken between April and November 2018. Prior to that, about 6-in-10 Americans supported continuing the investigation (60% in March 2018 and 62% in July 2017)“.

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State of the Union: Stacey Abrams to deliver Democrats’ response – live

George Papadopoulos, the former Trump campaign aide who served a brief prison stint for lying to FBI agents in the Russia investigation, has a new job at a medical marijuana company.

Papadopoulos joins a medical marijuana startup https://t.co/oIAw6Jzcqs

Coffee magnate Howard Schultz will take his time to decide to pursue a third party presidential bid. The former Starbucks CEO has become a lightning rod on the left in recent days with his public musing about running as an independent.

New: @HowardSchultz may not decide on a presidential run until "summer or fall," his political adviser Bill Burton tells me.https://t.co/0nYekuZNUD

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Trump-Russia investigation almost complete, says acting attorney general – as it happened

Thanks for staying with us through another eventful day. We’ll see you tomorrow.

The Guardian’s Erin Durkin is at former Starbucks CEO and possible independent 2020 presidential candidate Howard Schultz’s first stop of his book tour, which has turned into a town hall of sorts.

Speaking at a New York Barnes and Noble, he ruled out any possibility that he would run as a Democrat, despite his life-long affiliation with the party.

In 2020, the great likelihood is that an independent would just split the anti-Trump vote and end up re-electing the President. That's a risk I refused to run in 2016 and we can't afford to run it now. https://t.co/SmHM6cYUg7 pic.twitter.com/iQ2CK5o2k6

Howard Schultz doesn’t have the “guts” to run for President! Watched him on @60Minutes last night and I agree with him that he is not the “smartest person.” Besides, America already has that! I only hope that Starbucks is still paying me their rent in Trump Tower!

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Kamala Harris kicks off 2020 US presidential campaign – video

Kamala Harris drew a bigger crowd at her presidential campaign launch in Oakland than Barack Obama did when he launched his run for president in Illinois in 2007. At least 20,000 people turned up to hear the California senator outline her plan for winning the White House in 2020, according to an estimate from local police. She would be the first African American woman and first South Asian American to be chosen as a presidential nominee

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Kamala Harris kicks off 2020 campaign with hometown Oakland rally

If estimates are correct, Kamala Harris drew a bigger crowd at her presidential campaign launch in Oakland than Barack Obama did when he announced his run for president in Illinois in 2007.

Harris, the second African-American woman elected to the US senate, has drawn comparisons to Obama since early in her political career. And on Sunday, at least 20,000 people flooded the streets of downtown Oakland to hear the California senator outline her plan for winning the White House in 2020, according to an estimate from local police. Obama’s 2007 campaign launch attracted an estimated 15,000 people.

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Trump signs bill to end $6bn shutdown and temporarily reopen government

Measure will fund government for three weeks after US economy lost more than the $5.7bn funding president requested for wall

Donald Trump has signed legislation to end temporarily the longest-ever partial shutdown of the US government, which has left hundreds of thousands of federal employees without pay for more than a month.

The US economy lost $6bn during the month-plus hiatus because of lost productivity and business, according to a finance industry estimate – more than the $5.7bn of taxpayer funding the president demanded for his long-promised wall along the US-Mexico border but failed to get Congress to agree to.

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Colorado senator castigates Ted Cruz’s ‘crocodile tears’ – video

Senator Michael Bennet, a Colorado Democrat, delivers a powerful speech on the impact of the US government shutdown, having been provoked by the Republican Ted Cruz's apparent concerns for emergency workers

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Trump administration reportedly drafts emergency order for wall funding – live

Gabrielle Canon here, taking over for Lauren Gambino for the rest of the evening.

As negotiations with top Democrats over funding for the border wall continue at an impasse, CNN is reporting that the Trump Administration has already drafted a backup plan.

Trump has not ruled out using his authority to declare a national emergency and direct the Defense Department to construct a border wall as Congress and the White House fight over a deal to end the government shutdown. But while Trump’s advisers remain divided on the issue, the White House has been moving forward with alternative plans that would bypass Congress.

‘The massive amount of aliens who unlawfully enter the United States each day is a direct threat to the safety and security of our nation and constitutes a national emergency’, a draft of a presidential proclamation reads”.

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Senate to vote on pair of bills that could end government shutdown

Republican-backed measure would meet Trump’s wall demand while the second would extend funding for closed agencies

The Senate will vote on Thursday on a pair of bills that could end the month-long partial shutdown of the federal government– if passed.

The first bill, a Republican-backed measure, would meet Donald Trump’s demand for a $5.7bn wall along the southern border in exchange for temporary protections for young undocumented immigrants. The second would extend funding for the agencies that are currently closed through to 8 February.

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Kamala Harris enters 2020 US presidential race – video profile

The Democratic senator has officially launched her 2020 campaign, entering a crowded field of candidates vying to take on Donald Trump. Harris portrays herself as a fighter for justice and equality. She was the first woman of colour to become attorney general for California

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Shutdown: Trump ‘amnesty’ hint angers right and fails to draw Democrats

Donald Trump raised the possibility of one day granting amnesty to migrants living in the US illegally, after Democrats rejected his latest plan to fund a wall along the southern border and reopen the US government.

Related: Trump whisperers: are Stephen Miller and Fox keeping the shutdown alive?

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Pelosi rejects Trump shutdown deal before president announces it

  • President offers temporary concessions and demands wall
  • Little chance of progress as House speaker says no

Donald Trump forged ahead on Saturday and proposed a deal to end the US government shutdown, despite Democrats having rejected it before he began to speak.

Related: Republicans’ lack of alarm over the shutdown reveals a disturbing truth | Ross Barkan

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Nancy Pelosi: Trump endangered lives by leaking details of war zone trip – video

The Democratic House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, has accused the White House of leaking information about a planned congressional trip to Afghanistan, saying it was 'very, very irresponsible on the part of the president'

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Trump uses clash over State of the Union to fundraise – live

President highlights Pelosi’s proposal to delay speech in letter to supporters as he cancels her trip to Afghanistan

According to CNN, President Trump wasn’t pleased to learn that his AG pick was so close with special counsel Robert Mueller. AG nominee William Barr referred to Mueller as “Bob” during the first day of his Senate confirmation hearing, and said that “the Barrs and Muellers were good friends and would be good friends when this was all over”. He also described Mueller as a “straight-shooter”.

While Barr said during his hearing that Trump ‘was interested’ in hearing about the friendship, the details that emerged this week caught the President off guard, the three sources said. He bristled at Barr’s description of the close relationship, complaining to aides he didn’t realize how much their work overlapped or that they were so close”.

Reuters is reporting that four Volkswagen managers from the car company’s luxury Audi unit have been indicted for their role in the 2015 scandal over the automaker’s attempt to evade US exhaust emissions tests.

The four are charged in a 12-count indictment with conspiring to evade U.S. emissions standards in diesel vehicles sold in the United States with 3.0-liter engines. The vehicles include the 2009-2015 Audi Q7 vehicles as well as other Q5, A6, A7, and A8 diesel models. They are accused of wire fraud, violating the Clean Air Act and conspiracy.

Volkswagen spokesman Pietro Zollino said the company continues ‘to cooperate with investigations by the Department of Justice into the conduct of individuals. It would not be appropriate to comment on individual cases’”.

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