This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2019/feb/07/donald-trump-latest-news-live-nancy-pelosi-shutdown
The article has changed 20 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 5 | Version 6 |
|---|---|
| Congress reportedly closer to deal to avert new shutdown – live | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| A vast majority of Americans want special counsel Robert Mueller’s full Russia investigation report to be made public, according to a new poll. | |
| In the CNN poll, 87% of respondents said investigators should produce a full public report. Meanwhile, 48% said they believe Donald Trump’s campaign colluded with Russia to help get him elected, while 42% said there was no collusion. | |
| Officials at the Department of Health and Human Services opposed the policy of separating immigrant children from their parents, a top official there told Congress Thursday. | |
| “I do not believe that separation of children from their parents is in the best interest of the child,” Commander Jonathan White told a House oversight subcommittee, CNN reported. | |
| “Neither I nor any career person in (the Office of Refugee Resettlement) would ever have supported such a policy proposal.” | |
| The refugee resettlement office within HHS is responsible for running shelters to care for immigrant children who cross the border on their own or are separated from their parents. The Trump administration put in place a since-reversed zero tolerance policy which called for adults to be prosecuted for crossing the border illegally, requiring them to be separated from their children. The kids were then put in care of HHS. | |
| The comments came at an oversight hearing on the child separation policy. | |
| HHS Secretary Alex Azar refused to testify, according to CNN. | |
| Senator Kamala Harris called the sexual assault allegations against Virginia’s lieutenant governor “credible” and called for an investigation Thursday. | |
| “I think there should be an investigation to determine what happened,” Harris said of the allegations against Justin Fairfax, Politico reports. | |
| “Certainly her letter reads — it’s quite detailed — and suggests that there’s credibility there. But there needs to be an investigation to determine what exactly happened,” said the California senator and presidential candidate. | |
| The House of Representatives kicked off hearings Thursday on the Trump administration’s policy of separating immigrant children from their parents. | |
| Democrats at the hearing blasted the policy, Politico reports. | |
| “There is no evidence that [Department of Health and Human Services] leaders ever tried to stop this abhorrent policy,” said Rep. Diana DeGette, chair of the Energy and Commerce’s oversight subcommittee. “As the agency dedicated to the health and welfare of children, we need to know why.” | |
| Rep. Jan Schakowsky of Illinois called the administration’s actions “state-sponsored child abuse and, I would go as far to say, kidnapping of children,” according to BuzzFeed. | |
| Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (D-Illinois) told the congressional hearing on family separations she thinks the policy and its implementation were "state-sponsored child abuse and, I would go as far to say, kidnapping of children” | |
| Nearly two weeks after the end of the longest government shutdown in U.S history, many federal workers still have not received their back pay or have only gotten a fraction of what they are owed as government agencies struggle with payroll glitches and other delays, the Associated Press reports. | |
| From AP: | |
| And even as they scramble to catch up on unpaid bills and to repay unemployment benefits, the prospect of another shutdown looms next week. | |
| “President Trump stood in the Rose Garden at the end of the shutdown and said, ‘We will make sure that you guys are paid immediately.’ ... And here it is, it’s almost two weeks later,” said Michael Walter, who works for the U.S. Department of Agriculture food safety inspection service in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, and only got his paycheck Wednesday. He said two co-workers told him they still had received nothing. | |
| The government has been short on details about how many people are still waiting to be paid. | |
| Bradley Bishop, a spokesman for the Office of Management and Budget, said the Trump administration had taken “unprecedented steps to ensure federal employees impacted by the shutdown received back pay within a week.” He didn’t respond to questions about how many people still hadn’t been paid. | |
| Senate Appropriations committee chair Richard Shelby briefed Donald Trump on the state of border security negotiations Thursday, and there appears to be some hope for a deal. | |
| Democrats and Republicans have been trading offers back and forth, and any deal will likely include new money for border security technology and possibly new fencing, Politico reports. | |
| The wild card remains Donald Trump, and whether he’ll be willing to accept a deal that doesn’t give him the $5 billion he wants to build a border wall. | |
| “Everybody is feeling increasingly upbeat about the possibility of getting a deal. The question is whether it’s something the president can sign,” Sen. John Thune of South Dakota told Politico. “I don’t think anyone knows the answer to that.” | |
| Negotiators are hoping to strike a deal by Sunday night. The three week funding bill that the parties agreed to to end the government shutdown expires on Feb. 15. | |
| President Donald Trump’s call for a ban on late-term abortions is unlikely to prevail in Congress, but Republican legislators in several states are pushing ahead with their own tough anti-abortion bills that they hope can pass muster with the Supreme Court, the Associated Press reports. | |
| From AP: | |
| Two bills proposing to outlaw abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected, as early as six weeks into a pregnancy, advanced out of House and Senate committees in the Mississippi Legislature this week. GOP Gov. Phil Bryant is pledging to sign either into law. | |
| Efforts to pass similar bills are underway in Florida, Kentucky, Ohio, South Carolina and Tennessee. | |
| In Ohio, former Republican Gov. John Kasich twice vetoed the measure; his successor, Republican Mike DeWine, has said he would sign it. In Tennessee, Republican Gov. Bill Lee and the top two GOP state lawmakers say they support the measure. | |
| Iowa passed a heartbeat bill last year that was struck down by a state judge on Jan. 22. In response, many GOP lawmakers are trying to place a proposed constitutional amendment on the ballot that would stipulate there is no right to abortion in Iowa. | |
| South Carolina, in addition to a heartbeat bill, will consider a measure introduced Wednesday that would broadly ban abortions and allow the possibility of criminal charges against individuals who perform them. | |
| Trump, in his State of the Union speech Tuesday night, cited recent controversies in New York and Virginia over late-term abortions, and urged Congress “to prohibit the late-term abortion of children who can feel pain in a mother’s womb.” | |
| Senator Richard Shelby says he expects there will be a government funding deal over the weekend or on Monday, according to Bloomberg News. | |
| UPDATE: Richard Shelby tells reporters his meeting with Trump went well and that he expects a deal over the weekend or by Monday pic.twitter.com/mnwwK7oKuy | |
| First Lady Melania Trump spoke to an anti-drug conference Thursday, saying “recovery is possible.” | First Lady Melania Trump spoke to an anti-drug conference Thursday, saying “recovery is possible.” |
| The Associated Press reports: | The Associated Press reports: |
| The first lady traveled to Maryland on Thursday to address the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America’s annual youth leadership forum. Her signature “Be Best” campaign focuses on a number of issues, including the opioid crisis. | The first lady traveled to Maryland on Thursday to address the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America’s annual youth leadership forum. Her signature “Be Best” campaign focuses on a number of issues, including the opioid crisis. |
| Mrs. Trump spoke about a former opioid and substance abuse addict who joined her for Tuesday’s State of the Union address. | Mrs. Trump spoke about a former opioid and substance abuse addict who joined her for Tuesday’s State of the Union address. |
| The first lady says Ashley Evans received treatment at an Ohio facility, has been in recovery for over a year and looks forward to being reunited with her daughter. | The first lady says Ashley Evans received treatment at an Ohio facility, has been in recovery for over a year and looks forward to being reunited with her daughter. |
| Mrs. Trump says Evans’ story shows that “recovery is possible” and that community programs can help make a difference. | Mrs. Trump says Evans’ story shows that “recovery is possible” and that community programs can help make a difference. |
| The first lady was also visiting the Office of National Drug Control Policy for a briefing. | The first lady was also visiting the Office of National Drug Control Policy for a briefing. |
| Spending on last year’s Congressional elections topped $5.7 billion - a record high. | Spending on last year’s Congressional elections topped $5.7 billion - a record high. |
| The tally from the Center for Responsive Politics includes spending by candidates, outside groups, parties, and political action committees, CNN reports. | The tally from the Center for Responsive Politics includes spending by candidates, outside groups, parties, and political action committees, CNN reports. |