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State of the Union: Pelosi invites Trump to deliver address on 5 February – live Trump-Russia investigation almost complete, says acting attorney general – live
(35 minutes later)
More from the Associated Press on the Mueller investigation:
Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker says the special counsel’s Russia investigation is “close to being completed.”
Whitaker made the comment Monday during an unrelated news conference at the Justice Department in Washington.
He says he’s been “fully briefed” on the special counsel’s investigation. He took over control overseeing the probe after Attorney General Jeff Sessions resigned at the president’s request in November.
Special Counsel Robert Mueller is investigating potential coordination between Russia and the Trump campaign to sway the 2016 presidential election. Whitaker says he hopes to receive Mueller’s report as soon as possible.
Donald Trump has nominated William Barr to serve as the next attorney general. His confirmation hearing was held earlier this month and he’s awaiting a confirmation vote in the Senate.
Paul Manafort’s Feb. 8 sentencing was postponed Monday, Reuters is reporting, after prosecutors for the special counsel’s office accused President Trump’s former campaign chairman of breaching his plea agreement in a parallel case in Washington.
Judge T.S. Ellis in the Eastern District of Virginia said in a court order he wanted to delay the sentencing until the other judge ruled on whether Manafort had knowingly lied to investigators in breach of his plea deal, noting that such a decision “may have some effect on the sentencing decision in this case.”
The Trump administration announced sanctions against Venezuela’s state-owned oil giant. The sanctions are meant to help punish “those responsible for Venezuela’s tragic decline”, the US treasury secretary, Steve Mnuchin, told reporters at a White House briefing today.
The hope is that the sanctions would boost Juan Guaidó, the opposition leader who last week declared himself interim president and was recognized by the United States.
Referring to the situation in Venezuela, National Security Adviser John Bolton said at the same briefing that “the president has made it clear that all options are on the table.” The notes scrawled on his notepad illustrated just what those options could be.
So this notepad that National Security Advisor John Bolton was holding today at the White House briefing on Venezuela says:"Afghanistan -> Welcome the Talks. 5,000 troops to Colombia."If confirmed this would be a pretty terrible OPSEC breach.https://t.co/KS0Issfvps pic.twitter.com/IOrSprG567
JUST IN: Acting AG Whitaker on the Russia investigation: “The investigation is, I think, close to being completed, and I hope that we can get the report from [Special Counsel] Mueller as soon as we -- as possible.” pic.twitter.com/4fTXIixhy2
Hey all, Vivian Ho on the West Coast taking over for Ben Jacobs. Stay tuned for more.Hey all, Vivian Ho on the West Coast taking over for Ben Jacobs. Stay tuned for more.
Nancy Pelosi has invited Donald Trump to the Capitol to give the State of the Union yet againNancy Pelosi has invited Donald Trump to the Capitol to give the State of the Union yet again
Sarah Sanders held the first White House press briefing of the yearSarah Sanders held the first White House press briefing of the year
A new estimate from the Congressional Budget Office posits that the government shutdown cost the U.S. economy $11 billion.A new estimate from the Congressional Budget Office posits that the government shutdown cost the U.S. economy $11 billion.
A longtime top Obama aide has signed on with Howard Schultz’s potential third party bid for the White House.A longtime top Obama aide has signed on with Howard Schultz’s potential third party bid for the White House.
NEWS: Former Obama WH adviser Bill Burton is joining Howard Schultz’s team as a top aide and communications strategist, per two people familiar with the hire. Burton was unavail for comment, Schultz spokes declined to comment.NEWS: Former Obama WH adviser Bill Burton is joining Howard Schultz’s team as a top aide and communications strategist, per two people familiar with the hire. Burton was unavail for comment, Schultz spokes declined to comment.
Nancy Pelosi has just invited Trump to deliver the speech on February 5.Nancy Pelosi has just invited Trump to deliver the speech on February 5.
NEWS: Speaker Pelosi has invited President Trump to give #SOTU address on February 5, 2019 in the House Chamber. pic.twitter.com/5C4m0b4gAcNEWS: Speaker Pelosi has invited President Trump to give #SOTU address on February 5, 2019 in the House Chamber. pic.twitter.com/5C4m0b4gAc
Sarah Sanders says “the charges in the indictment against [Roger] Stone have nothing to do with the president.”Sarah Sanders says “the charges in the indictment against [Roger] Stone have nothing to do with the president.”
Sanders doesn’t have any information about whether Trump might pardon Roger Stone and won’t raise it with him.Sanders doesn’t have any information about whether Trump might pardon Roger Stone and won’t raise it with him.
"I'm not going to get into that at this point," Sarah Sanders says about a possible Roger Stone pardon. Says she's not aware of conversations about that happening."I'm not going to get into that at this point," Sarah Sanders says about a possible Roger Stone pardon. Says she's not aware of conversations about that happening.
White House press secretary Sarah Sanders accuses Speaker Nancy Pelosi of not acting in good faith over the State of the Union.White House press secretary Sarah Sanders accuses Speaker Nancy Pelosi of not acting in good faith over the State of the Union.
Sanders on Nancy Pelosi and state of the union address: "I certainly don't think she acted in good faith at the front end since she cited security concerns that didn't exist."Sanders on Nancy Pelosi and state of the union address: "I certainly don't think she acted in good faith at the front end since she cited security concerns that didn't exist."
As Sarah Sanders speaks from the podium, worth noting that two of the three cable news networks are not broadcasting her briefing.As Sarah Sanders speaks from the podium, worth noting that two of the three cable news networks are not broadcasting her briefing.
Sarah Sanders is at the White House podium and the only network taking her live is Fox News. CNN & MSNBC both sticking with regular programming.Sarah Sanders is at the White House podium and the only network taking her live is Fox News. CNN & MSNBC both sticking with regular programming.
Larry Kudlow declines to acknowledge any economic damage from the shutdown at the White House.
"I won't acknowledge any of that right now," WH economic adviser Larry Kudlow says of Congressional Budget Office report that shutdown cost the economy $11 billion dollars.
The first White House briefing of 2019 has begun with an announcement of new sanctions against the Maduro regime in Venezuela.
Focus on Venezuela at outset of first @WhiteHouse briefing of 2019 pic.twitter.com/Lb0N6jqTkG
The White House has just announced that it will welcome a trade delegation from China at the end of the month.
WH: Today, President Donald J. Trump announced that the United States will welcome an official delegation from China for a series of meetings from January 30 to 31, 2019, to discuss the trade relationship between the two countries.
Two senators have introduced legislation to require the special counsel to directly submit a report to Congress rather than simply to the attorney general.
Dem Sen. Blumenthal and GOP Sen. Chuck Grassley have introduced The Special Counsel Transparency Act, which "requires that a Special Counsel submit a report directly to Congress and the public at the conclusion of an investigation," or if he/she is fired or resigns. pic.twitter.com/2x1WbC72DL
Another Democratic presidential candidate will enter the fray tonight.
New Age author Marianne Williamson will announce her bid.
Join me tonight as I formally announce my candidacy for the Democratic nomination for president. Live in Los Angeles, the Saban Theatre 8440 Wilshire Blvd. 7:30PM, or livestream at https://t.co/zVBvuNdwg8
Williamson travelled to Iowa last summer exploring a bid.
Gwyneth Paltrow has a podcast?
Schultz told Gwyneth Paltrow on her podcast there's "a lack of civility" and "a lack of respect" in the U.S."We are imprinting a young generation with a lack of civility and hate and fear – and I don’t think we’re going to know the consequences of that for quite some time."
According to Politico he is, anyway – over claims made by former aide Cliff Sims in the new book Team of Vipers.
Sims’ book is due out tomorrow but was scooped up by the Guardian last week. It tells the now familiar tale of White House chaos, bickering and skullduggery. And apparently it has really upset the president.
From Politico:
President Donald Trump is “very pissed off” and “really hopping mad” at former aide Cliff Sims’ new book that reveals firsthand the chaos and infighting that is ever present in his White House, according to several current and former White House officials.
Trump is asking aides: “Who is this guy? Why is he writing this book? He wasn’t even in meetings,” the sources said. He also dismissively refers to Sims – who served until last May as director of White House message strategy and a special assistant to the president —as “the videographer” because he also helped Trump with the weekly video and radio addresses, according to three current and former White House officials.
Potential billionaire presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg has thrown some shade at potential billionaire presidential candidate Howard Schultz, claiming an independent run for president would “end up re-electing” Trump.
Schultz announced this weekend that he is considering running for the White House as a “centrist independent, outside of the two-party system”.
On Monday Bloomberg, who is considering running as a Democrat, said he has crunched the numbers – and all an independent run would do is split the anti-Trump vote.
It’s no secret that I looked at an independent bid in the past. In fact I faced exactly the same decision now facing others who are considering it.
The data was very clear and very consistent. Given the strong pull of partisanship and the realities of the electoral college system, there is no way an independent can win. That is truer today than ever before.
In 2020, the great likelihood is that an independent would just split the anti-Trump vote and end up re-electing the president. That’s a risk I refused to run in 2016 and we can’t afford to run it now.
Time change:
lmao spoke too soon, it's at 3:30 now
Poll! Poll! Poll!
This one is from Marquette Law School, who have surveyed Wisconsin voters. It seems 42% of Wisconsinites approve of the job Trump is doing, while 52% disapprove.
That approval rating is better than the national average, but it’s down from October, when 47% approved of Trump’s performance.
Worse news for Trump – who narrowly won in Wisconsin in 2016 – is that not many people say they will vote for him in 2020:
Among all registered voters, 27% say they would definitely vote to reelect Trump if the 2020 elections were held today, 12% say they would probably vote to reelect him. Eight per cent would probably vote for someone else and 49% would definitely vote for someone else.