7. As much as President Donald Trump gets blasted for his comments about NATO, it appears citizens in NATO countries support his implication that Europe isn’t pulling their weight
— President Trump has made it clear he believes the relationship with NATO and the U.S. is a one-way street. He usually cites accurate funding concerns, while public polling backs up his assertions.
— Almost all of our allies believe the U.S. would defend an attack on a NATO ally more than they believe their nation would defend a NATO ally. Only Poland and the Netherlands are the exceptions.
6. President Donald Trump gets his State of the Union on February 5
— After a conversation between Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and the president, an agreement was reached on a date for the speech. Pelosi wrote to Trump, “Therefore, I invite you to deliver your State of the Union address before a Joint Session of Congress on February 5, 2019 in the House Chamber”
— After the invitation, President Donald Trump accepted, saying, “It is my great honor to accept.” He added, “We have a great story to tell and yet, great goals to achieve!”
5. The war in Afghanistan could potentially be near a deal that may end United States’ involvement in the country
— The potential framework would mean American and Taliban officials would “guarantee” Afghanistan is never used by terrorists again, requires the Taliban to agree to a cease-fire and to talk between the insurgents and the Afghan government.
— The framework could end the war there and have American service members leaving in 18 months if the Taliban lives up to its agreement.
4. Former Yellowhammer News founder Cliff Sims continues to make news, and anger the president, with his new book about his time in the White House
— After already making news by outing counselor to the president Kellyanne Conway as a leaker, this week Sims has accused Senior White House adviser Stephen Miller of saying, “I would be happy if not a single refugee foot ever again touched American soil,” as well as seeking press releases anytime an immigrant committed a gruesome crime.
— When asked about his political future, Sims commented that he might challenge Sen. Doug Jones (D-AL) in 2020. In a follow-up with Yellowhammer News, he made it clear that was “tongue-in-cheek.”
3. The Robert Mueller investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election is apparently almost over
— Acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker told reporters he has been “fully briefed” and the probe is “close to being completed.” The end of this cannot come soon enough.
— The investigation has cast a question over every single domestic and foreign American policy decision made by the Trump administration, and that will remain until the American people receive some sort of answer about what actually happened or didn’t happen in 2016.
2. It appears Trump will not get Democrats to come around on the wall and Alabama’s Doug Jones blames the president for that
— When asked if the president and Democrats can make a deal on border security and funding the government, Trump said he believes the odds are 50-50 but Jones blames the president for the odds not being higher.
— Comically, Jones accused Trump of not negotiating in “good faith,” even though Democrats have gone from supporting hundreds of miles of border walls to calling them immoral while swing districts support the president’s offer.
1. Alabama is experiencing a State of Emergency
— Taking no chances, Governor Kay Ivey declared a State of Emergency at 3:00 p.m. Monday for the entire state of Alabama, saying, “This winter storm has the potential to affect a large portion of our state. Citizens in the northern half of the state should be especially mindful of the changing weather conditions.”
— ALDOT has a website for real-time road conditions, schools, government offices, daycares and businesses that have announced closures for the day. The weather could cause the conditions to deteriorate as the day goes on, which could make this a two-day event due to dropping temperatures.
Don’t miss out! Subscribe today to have Alabama’s leading headlines delivered to your inbox.