Top story: US shutdown gets personal as Pelosi blocks Sotu
Good morning briefers. I’m Martin Farrer and these are the stories you need to keep yourself informed this morning.
Donald Trump says he will delay giving his State of the Union address until the US government shutdown is over as his personal standoff with Nancy Pelosi over federal funding for a border wall worsened. The Democrat House speaker told the president earlier on Wednesday that she would block him from delivering the speech scheduled for next Tuesday in the traditional surrounds of the House chamber until the government reopened. Trump later used Twitter to deny that he was considering alternative venues such as the Oval Office for the address, and would instead wait because no venue “can compete with the history, tradition and importance” of the House chamber.
The longest shutdown in US history has now dragged on into its second month. The partial shutdown affects about 25% of the federal government and has left 800,000 government workers without pay, affecting services such as the IRS, FBI and national parks. On Wednesday, air traffic controllers issued a stark warning about the risks posed by the shutdown to aviation safety. They said a shortage of staff thanks to a recruitment freeze meant they could not calculate when the “system might break”.
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Vaccine warning – Half of all parents with small children have seen misinformation about vaccines on social media, amid mounting concern about the anti-vaxx movement. The study by the Royal Society for Public Health finds the most common reason not to vaccinate is the fear of side-effects. It calls on social media companies to stop being a “breeding ground” for misleading information and negative messaging. It comes as the health secretary, Matt Hancock, launches a government drive against antibiotic-resistant bugs in Davos, calling it a global health emergency on a par with climate change. He plans to change the way drug companies are incentivised in order to convince them to tackle the problem with “urgently needed” new drugs.
‘We want an end to tyranny’ – Venezuela’s political crisis has deepened after the opposition leader, Juan Guaidó, declared himself the interim president in a dramatic effort to force out Nicolás Maduro. Addressing thousands of supporters gathered in the streets of Caracas, Guaidó said: “I swear to assume all the powers of the presidency to secure an end to the usurpation.” The US immediately declared Guaidó the country’s legitimate leader and was soon followed by Canada, Brazil and Argentina. Maduro, who is widely blamed for the country’s descent into economic chaos and authoritarian rule, urged his supporters to resist “at all costs” and accused Guaidó of being a US puppet. As the drama unfolded in Caracas, Venezuelan exiles took to the streets from Mexico City to Hong Kong to call for Maduro to go. Albert Molina, an administrator who fled his homeland for Mexico, said people wanted “an end to tyranny”. And here’s why Guaidó was holding a picture of Bolivar when he made his pledge.
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Time’s up – The EU’s negotiator, Michel Barnier, has warned Britain’s warring political class that they must agree on a Brexit plan rather than focus on trying to avoid a no deal or delay the exit process. Noting Yvette Cooper’s bill amendment, Barnier said opposing no deal would not stop it from happening at the end of March. “We need decisions more than we need time actually,” he said, adding that Theresa May’s attempts to win a time limit for the Irish border backstop would fail and that only her original Brexit withdrawal plan could work. With no deal looming, Ireland has hired an extra 400 customs officials to keep trade moving cross the border. And the CBI has ratcheted up its warnings about no deal, saying it poses a risk to the global economy.
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Knox appeal – Amanda Knox, the American woman jailed and then cleared over the killing of British student Meredith Kercher in 2007, could see her name completely cleared today when her case is heard at the European court of human rights. She appealing against an outstanding conviction for malicious accusation on the grounds that she was denied an interpreter, assaulted by Italian police and subjected to psychological pressure while under arrest. She has already been cleared of falsifying a break-in, sexual assault, murder and defamation in a case that that created headlines around the world for years as it dragged through the Italian courts.
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Hot deal – A pub in Australia has been forced to lock it doors after its offer of free beer for drinkers coping with a heatwave caused too many people to descend on the premises. The Red Lion in the working-class Adelaide suburb of Elizabeth said it would serve free drinks today if the temperature reached 45C. It duly did and the pub was inundated with punters. The city later saw the mercury hit 46.6C, the highest since records began as the country’s south-east baked in scorching temperatures. In Tasmania scores of fires raged but high winds forced water-dumping aircraft to be grounded.
Today in Focus podcast: Reality bites on no-deal frontline
With less than 10 weeks to go until Britain leaves the EU and still no withdrawal deal agreed, businesses around the country are scrabbling to prepare for the worst-case scenario of a disorderly Brexit. Our reporters in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland discover that very few contingency plans are in place. Plus: Aditya Chakrabortty on why the Davos elite are running scared.
Lunchtime read: Layton Williams – from Bury to West End stardom
When Layton Williams emerged from a talent search to star in Billy Elliott on the West End stage, it seemed like his acting career was on an irresistible upward curve. But before too long he was back in his hometown to complete his education, wrestling with thwarted career ambitions and his sexuality (“I would ride my bike to school with my hoodie on, but inside I was this raging queen”). Happily for him, redemption came in the sitcom Beautiful People alongside Olivia Colman and he has never looked back, starring in Rent, Lord of the Flies and now the hit musical Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, which will see his face triumphantly tower above Shaftesbury Avenue. “Wild,” as he tells our interviewer Lanre Bakare, going on to talk about how he has tackled racial prejudice (“We’re not scared to speak up for what we think is right”) and come out as gay on his journey to top.
Sport
Jimmy Anderson believes he has cracked bowling in all but one of Test cricket’s overseas outposts after a four‑wicket masterclass helped revive England against West Indies on a sluggish pitch in Bridgetown. Cardiff City’s players returned to training yesterday for the first time since the news broke that Emiliano Sala, their club-record signing, was on board a plane thatdisappeared near the Channel Islands. Ireland’s usually understated rugby coach, Joe Schmidt, is warning his players to brace themselves for a “brutal” first-round Six Nations collision with England. And Michael Schumacher’s son, Mick, is driving in F2 and testing a Ferrari F1 car this season.
Business
Luke Johnson, the multimillionaire chairman of collapsed cafe chain Patisserie Valerie, has taken more than £40m out of the business since it floated on the stock market less than five years ago, it has emerged, as the inquiry into the administration continues. The FTSE100 is set to open flat this morning while the pound is at the giddy heights of $1.307 and €1.148.
The papers
The papers have largely taken a welcome break from Brexit, with many splashing on the arrest of the so-called “speedboat killer”. The Guardian says: “Fugitive in speedboat death crash surrenders” in its sidebar story, with its lead reserved for the political turmoil in Venezeula.
The Times and the Telegraph both carry pictures of Jack Shepherd, who was convicted of killing woman in a crash on the Thames in 2015, but their main stories are “Drug firms get millions for war on superbugs” and “Labour pushing to postpone Brexit” respectively. The Sun also splashes with a picture of Shepherd: “Smile! You’re nicked” is its headline. The Mail is succinct: “Got him” is its headline over a full-page picture of Shepherd.
The Mirror‘s splash is: “Why won’t OUR government buy OUR steel”, reporting just 43% of supplies “ordered by the Tories” are from struggling UK plants. The Express leads on “Victims of 999 cops’ carnage” about two young women hit during high-speed police car call-outs. And the FT has: “Big Four auditors warned not to sidestep EU rules on switching”.
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