Top News Stories for Today – Jan 5, 2019
Top News Stories for Today – Jan 5, 2019
Trump suggests yearlong shutdown
US Senate and House leaders are to continue negotiations with the White House late Saturday morning in an effort to end the partial government shutdown. Democrats have said flat out that there will be no funding in any deal to end the shutdown for a wall that President Donald Trump wants to construct at the US border with Mexico.
Trump said Friday he is willing to drag out negotiations “for months or even years” until he gets the $5.6 billion he says is needed to start building the wall. He also threatened Friday to bypass Congress and declare a national emergency in order to get the wall built. VOA
Trump claims support from all sides
President Trump struck an optimistic tone on Twitter early Saturday, claiming broad backing for his conditions for ending the partial government shutdown. “Great support coming from all sides for Border Security (including Wall) on our very dangerous Southern Border,” he wrote, asserting in a second tweet that everyone “other than drug dealers, human traffickers, and criminals” wants the wall “very badly.”
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has been adamant the House will not fund the wall, and recent polling shows just one in four Americans say shutting down the government is better than accepting no wall funding. The Week
Ukraine Orthodox Church wins independence
The recently formed Orthodox Church of Ukraine has been granted independence, marking a historic split from the Russian Church. Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew – the head of the global Orthodox Church – has signed a document in Istanbul, Turkey, to that effect. It formalizes an October announcement.
The move has provoked a furious response in Russia, where the Church has broken off links, deepening a split in the worldwide Orthodox Church. Ukraine’s churches have for centuries been under the authority of the leaders of the Russian Orthodox Church in Moscow. The decision may also lead to a lasting schism in the global Orthodox movement, says the BBC’s Jonah Fisher in Kiev, Ukraine. BBC
US Court rules for transgender military limits
A US court on Friday ruled in favor of a Trump administration policy barring certain transgender people from serving in the US armed forces, handing the president his first legal victory on the issue after several defeats. The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit overturned a decision by a federal judge in Washington, D.C., that blocked the policy, saying it likely violates the constitutional rights of transgender recruits and service members.
President Donald Trump announced in March that he would endorse a plan by former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis to restrict the military service of transgender people who experience a condition called gender dysphoria. The appeals court victory is limited because other federal courts issued injunctions against the policy, which applied nationwide. The administration already has asked the Supreme Court to weigh in on the issue. Reuters
Golden Globe 2019
Two days out from the Golden Globe Awards, some likely victors seem to have fallen into place. The top category of Best Picture – Drama is almost universally expected to go to A Star Is Born, though box office smash Black Panther could be a contender as well. Best Picture – Musical or Comedy is more of a toss-up, but Green Book is the slight favorite over Dick Cheney biopic Vice, which earned more nominations than any other movie.
Actors Christian Bale (Vice) and Rami Malek (Bohemian Rhapsody) are likely to pick up top acting awards, as are Lady Gaga (A Star Is Born) and Olivia Colman (The Favourite). The awards show begins Sunday at 8 p.m. EST. The Week