Good morning, I’m Tim Walker with today’s essential stories.
Top story: Rich Republicans detached from shutdown effects
Two duelling bills designed to end the partial government shutdown both failed to pass the US Senate on Thursday, leaving Donald Trump and Democrats at an impasse once again. In something of a blow to Trump, six Republican senators voted in favour of the Democratic proposal, which did not include funding for his desired border wall. But the 52-44 vote still fell short of the 60-vote threshold required to overcome the filibuster.
Let them eat cake. Prominent Republicans have been accused of playing down the effects of the shutdown, with the commerce secretary, Wilbur Ross, suggesting workers take out loans against their missed paychecks.
Notional emergency. The Trump administration has reportedly drafted a national emergency order to fund a wall as one possible – if perilous – way out of the shutdown.
Venezuela military chief blames unrest on ‘criminal US plan’
The US state department has told US citizens to “strongly consider” leaving Venezuela, after the country’s defence minister accused the US of conspiring with the opposition movement led by Juan Guaidó in a “criminal plan” to foment civil war and unseat the president, Nicolás Maduro. As the Guardian’s world affairs editor, Julian Borger, reports, it is unclear how the White House might translate its support for Guaidó into regime change in Caracas.
Oil markets. The political crisis in Venezuela, still a major oil exporter, has rattled oil markets, with prices rising slightly in anticipation of further disruption.
El Chapo trial hears account of murders committed by Guzmán
The trial of the Sinaloa cartel boss Joaquín Guzmán has heard for the first time of murders committed personally by the Mexican drug lord, known as “El Chapo”. Guzmán’s former bodyguard Isaías Valdez Ríos told a federal court in New York that he had seen his then boss carry out three killings, including one in which he buried the victim alive. The once elusive Guzmán, 61, was extradited to the US in 2017 and has been on trial for drug trafficking since November.
Cooperating witness. Valdez, a former member of the Mexican army’s special forces, worked as a guard for Guzmán beginning in 2004, and piloted drug planes for the cartel before his arrest in 2014.
Trump official ‘overruled’ advice not to award Kushner clearance
A Trump White House appointee awarded top security clearance to the president’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, last May, against the advice of two specialist adjudicators. The revelation, first reported by NBC News, raises fresh concerns about the administration’s lax approach to national security, given Kushner had previously lost his full clearance after it emerged he had failed to disclose adequate information about his foreign contacts.
Cohen subpoena. Michael Cohen, Trump’s former personal lawyer, will appear before the Senate intelligence committee to answer questions related to the Russia investigation.
Crib sheet
Japan faces international condemnation after announcing it will resume commercial whaling for the first time since 1986, joining Norway and Iceland in defying a global ban on the practice.
Brazil’s only openly gay congressman says he has left the country and has no plans to return after facing a growing number of death threats.
The US will on Friday return the first group of migrants seeking asylum to Mexico to await a decision on their claims, under an agreement announced by the Trump administration last month.
Ukraine’s former president Viktor Yanukovych has been found guilty of treason by a court in Kiev for his brutal crackdown on the pro-western protests that ultimately led to his overthrow in 2014. Yanukovych lives in exile in Russia.
Listen to Today in Focus: the Catholic church faces its past
The Catholic church covered up sexual abuse for decades, recent investigations around the world have revealed. India Rakusen talks to two survivors, while the Guardian’s religion correspondent, Harriet Sherwood, tells her how the church intends to move forward.
Must-reads
The phenomenon of the self-loving actor-director
What film director would shoot a scene in which 88-year-old Clint Eastwood has a threesome with two twentysomething women? Clint Eastwood, that’s who. Whenever an actor directs himself, the film risks becoming a vanity project, writes Ryan Gilbey.
Inside the secret world of hostage negotiation
London is the centre of the kidnap and ransom insurance industry. And yet, as in the US, official UK policy is never to concede to kidnappers’ demands. Could that policy be getting people killed? Joel Simon reports on the delicate business of hostage negotiation.
A transgender teenager’s journey – in pictures
The photographer Susana Vera followed the Spanish teenager Gabriel Diaz de Tudanca over several years as he underwent gender reassignment surgery, found love with a new girlfriend, and got a “self-made man” tattoo.
‘I stumbled into competitive eating’
Molly Schuyler is 5ft 7in, weighs 120 pounds, and once ate 501 chicken wings in 30 minutes. “I’ve also eaten 119 dumplings in two minutes,” says Schuyler, a professional competitive eater. “I just swallowed them whole – there was no time for chewing.”
Opinion
Juan Guaidó’s attempts to oust Nicolás Maduro appear to have been closely coordinated with the US, says Gabriel Hetland, who believes a catastrophic US invasion of Venezuela is now a genuine possibility.
The case against Maduro is easy to make. Yet it must be recognized that Venezuela’s crisis is not solely Maduro’s doing. The US government and opposition also share responsibility.
Sport
The swimmer Nathan Adrian, a five-time Olympic gold medallist, has revealed he was recently diagnosed with testicular cancer, but says he has begun treatment and plans to continue training for the 2020 Tokyo Games.
Atlanta is hosting this year’s Super Bowl. It’s also home to the world’s busiest airport. With the government shutdown seriously affecting air travel, Dave Caldwell asks: could this be the most chaotic NFL final ever?
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