Good morning, I’m Tim Walker with today’s essential stories.
Top story: President in Texas as shutdown nears fourth week
Donald Trump has restated his threat to declare a national emergency if Democrats refuse to cave to his demand for $5.7bn in funding for a border wall, as the partial government shutdown enters a record-equalling 21st day with no end in sight. “I have the absolute right to declare a national emergency,” the president insisted during a publicity tour of the Mexican border in Texas on Thursday, contrary to the warnings of legal scholars who have questioned his right to take such action.
Who will pay? In today’s podcast, Lauren Gambino and Bryan Mealer report on how Trump’s core campaign pledge to build a border wall has led to this moment of political paralysis.
Emergency procedure. Adam Gabbatt explains how a national emergency would work, and whether Trump is really in a position to declare one over the wall.
How the shutdown could affect your health
Public health is being put at risk by the government shutdown, say experts, as the ongoing uncertainty affects FDA food inspections and assessments of toxic chemicals by the Agency for Toxic Substances. Food stamps are funded through February, but the subsidy programme’s future is unclear if the shutdown continues beyond that. Meanwhile, reports Jamiles Lartey from New Orleans, the shutdown is biting for the black workers who make up more than 18% of the federal workforce.
Record breaking. As the current impasse approaches a record fourth week, Kate Lyons looks back at the five worst US government shutdowns to date, including the infamous 21-day battle between Bill Clinton and Newt Gingrich.
New California budget is a rebuke to Trump’s national agenda
The first budget proposals by the new Democratic governor of California, Gavin Newsom, include six months of paid parental leave, two years of free community college and greater healthcare access for undocumented immigrants, in what observers have identified as a clear, progressive riposte to Trump administration policies. As he unveiled his budget on Thursday, Newsom described its contents as “a reflection of our values” and vowed to “make the California dream available to all”.
Moving left. It has been speculated that Newsom could be the most progressive governor in Golden State history, but one expert told the Guardian the governor’s leftward tilt reflects a shift to more “muscular liberalism” across the Democratic party.
Florida governor to consider pardons for Groveland Four
The new Florida governor, Ron DeSantis, will on Friday discuss granting pardons for the Groveland Four, a group of young black men who were murdered or wrongly imprisoned for the 1949 rape of a white teenager in what is considered one of the worst miscarriages of justice of the state’s Jim Crow era. Many believe the alleged rape never even took place, yet DeSantis’s predecessor Rick Scott declined to initiate the pardon process despite the pleas of the men’s families and others including Senator Marco Rubio.
The real victims? One of the Groveland Four was killed by a posse, another shot dead by a segregationist sheriff. Two were convicted by all-white juries and served life sentences. The last survivor, Charles Greenlee, was released in 1962 and died in 2012.
Crib sheet
A 13-year-old girl from Wisconsin has been found alive three months after her parents were murdered. Police said Jayme Closs looked malnourished and dirty after appearing to have fled her captor in a remote community.
Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen says he will testify publicly to Congress next month, before beginning a three-year prison sentence for fraud and campaign finance violations in March.
The board of Google’s parent company, Alphabet, approved outsize severance packages for executives accused of sexual harassment to cover up a culture of misconduct at the firm, a new lawsuit has alleged.
Eating more fibre in “good” carbohydrates such as wholegrain cereals, pasta and bread can prolong life and cut the chance of heart disease, according to a major new study commissioned by the World Health Organization.
Must-reads
The tragic legacy of John Belushi
The comedy great John Belushi would have turned 70 this month. More than 25 years after he was found dead from an overdose, Hadley Freeman talks to Belushi’s colleagues and loved ones about his legacy and what he left undone.
The evangelical grip on the Trump administration
The Trump administration’s two big Mikes, Pence and Pompeo, are both motivated by evangelical theory, writes Ed Pilkington. And as Trump becomes increasingly dependent on them for his political survival, the influence of white evangelicals on US policy will only grow.
Why we should be watching the sun, not the clock
The German spa town of Bad Kissingen has rebranded itself as a “chronocity”, where people’s body clocks take precedence over traditional working hours. Linda Geddes reports on an experiment to show how clocks damage our health by robbing us of sleep.
Life in São Paulo’s internet deserts
More than half the world’s population is now online, but in Brazil’s biggest city, access to the internet is a major social divide. Giacomo Vicenzo reports from the neighbourhoods where the digital haves and have-nots live shoulder to shoulder.
Opinion
By holding the government hostage in hopes of getting his way, Trump is behaving just as a dictator would, argues Robert Reich.
A president who claims he has an absolute right to order the military to take actions in the US that are the subject of intense political debate, and do so without congressional approval, is not acting as the head of government of a democracy; he is assuming the role of a dictator.
Sport
As the NFL’s top seeds approach the divisional round, our writers offer their predictions for the postseason. Can the Colts put enough points past Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs? And will the Rams capitalise on the Cowboys’ poor away form?
Andy Murray has said the forthcoming Australian Open is likely to be his last tournament. At a tearful press conference in Melbourne, the Scot – probably Britain’s greatest ever tennis player – revealed he is being forced to retire by the pain from a recurring hip injury.
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