Good morning, I’m Tim Walker with today’s essential stories.
Top story: Right rages and Dems demur after ‘amnesty’ hint
Donald Trump has again raised the ire of the right by suggesting he may one day grant amnesty to migrants living in the US illegally, tweeting that the measure could be used as leverage for a deal “on immigration or something else”. The hint comes as Trump grudgingly attempts to deliver concessions that might end the government shutdown, now in its fifth week. On Saturday Democrats rejected an offer that included a three-year extension of protections for so-called “dreamers” in return for $5.7bn for a border wall.
Trump whisperers. Some observers speculate that Trump is continuing the shutdown at the urging of a handful of White House insiders and Fox News pundits, as David Smith reports from Washington.
Democratic 2020 hopefuls head south to mark MLK Day
Senators Bernie Sanders and Cory Booker are both holding events in South Carolina on Monday to mark Martin Luther King day and, most likely, to make their pitch to black voters before they compete in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary. South Carolina is the first southern state to hold its primary and a key contest on the path to a party nomination. Black Americans make up about 60% of Democratic voters in the Palmetto state, a group that Sanders signally failed to woo in 2016.
Prosecutor or defender? The California senator Kamala Harris is expected to announce her presidential run on Monday. Will progressive voters tolerate her criminal justice record?
Past positions. Kirsten Gillibrand and Tulsi Gabbard, who have already declared their candidacies, are both facing tricky questions about their past positions, reports Martin Pengelly.
Patriots face Rams in Super Bowl after brilliant Brady display
The New England Patriots have won their place in a third straight Super Bowl after defeating the favoured Kansas City Chiefs 37-31 in a dramatic AFC championship game on Sunday night. It was the veteran quarterback Tom Brady who once more guided the Patriots to victory in overtime, and who will now lead the team out in Atlanta for their ninth Super Bowl under his and coach Bill Belichick’s command. There they will face the LA Rams, who overcame the Saints 26-23 in the NFC championship game.
GOAT showboats. Brady was already the greatest quarterback of all time, writes Oliver Connolly. Now he’s just rubbing it in.
Stargazers brave cold to see ‘super blood wolf moon’
Thousands of night-sky enthusiasts across the northern hemisphere braved sub-zero temperatures on Sunday to see a rare astrological phenomenon: the “super blood wolf moon”. “Super” because the moon is closer than usual to the Earth and thus appears larger. “Blood” due to a total eclipse of the moon by the Earth’s shadow, which lent the lunar surface a coppery red hue. And “Wolf” because it occurred in January, when hungry wolves traditionally howled outside villages, according to the Farmer’s Almanac.
In pictures. The entire eclipse was visible from Britain, North and South America, and western and northern Europe. The next blood moon will not be for another two years.
Crib sheet
Israel’s military has launched a strike against Iranian Quds targets inside Syria and, in an unusual statement, warned Syrian forces not to retaliate by attacking Israeli targets.
Nick Sandmann, the Kentucky teenager filmed wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat and apparently confronting a Native American activist, has said the widely shared footage gave the false impression that he and his classmates instigated the confrontation.
After years of rapid expansion, the Chinese economy grew at a sluggish 6.6% in 2018, its slowest pace since 1990, raising fears of a global slowdown and putting pressure on Beijing to end its bruising trade war with the US.
Days after taking control of the state senate for the first time since 2010, New York Democrats have already passed new voting laws and LGBTQ protections, and are expected to introduce further progressive bills on issues such as abortion and marijuana legalisation.
Listen to Today in Focus: What can we do about climate change?
The planet is heating up even faster than previously thought, with extreme weather events becoming ever more common. The Guardian’s global environment editor, Jonathan Watts, explains what must be done to keep global warming to a maximum of 1.5C.
Must-reads
Glenn Close: ‘I’ll be incredibly nervous when they open the envelope’
Glenn Close is closing in on an Oscar for her performance as an overlooked literary spouse in The Wife. She tells Ryan Gilbey she was “floored” by the response to her eloquent and moving acceptance speech at the Golden Globes.
The exhausting task of tracking Trump’s lies
Since he took office two years ago, Trump has made some 7,645 “false or misleading claims”. Adam Gabbatt talks to the professional fact checkers about the “all-consuming task” of tracking the president’s lies and fabrications.
Are late nights and lie-ins giving you ‘social jetlag’?
Sleeping in at the weekend could be causing you “social jetlag”, a condition that experts say may contribute to weight gain, reduced mental performance and even chronic illness. Linda Geddes hears from the German professor who coined the term.
How Native Americans shaped rock music
Link Wray’s Rumble is the only instrumental track ever banned from American radio, for fear it would incite youth violence. A new documentary, named after that track, explores the little-understood influence on rock music of Native Americans like Wray.
Opinion
Half a century after his death, Martin Luther King Jr has become an uncontroversial figure, celebrated by everyone from progressives to the president. But if we truly want to honour his legacy, says Bhaskar Sunkara, we must remember that he was a radical.
The real Martin Luther King Jr stood for a radical vision of equality, justice, and anti-militarism that rebelled against Reagan’s entire agenda. Today more than ever, we need to rediscover that champion of working people.
Sport
The Greek prodigy Stefanos Tsitsipas knocked out the defending champion, Roger Federer, to reach the Australian Open quarter-finals. In the women’s contest, Serena Williams beat the world number one Simona Halep to claim her place in the last eight.
Mohamed Salah reached a landmark 50 Premier League goals during Liverpool’s defeat of Crystal Palace on Saturday, but took the shine off his own achievement with his theatrical attempts to win a penalty. That’s one of 10 talking points from the weekend’s action.
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