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| Good morning! The politics-heavy news cycle just doesn't stop, as President Donald Trump gave his State of the Union at 9 p.m. ET last night. That capped off a day of Iowa caucus madness (we still do not know the winner), and Senate impeachment proceedings, which will end today. |
| Before we dig into what to expect today, here's a catch-up on the State of the Union, according to USA TODAY's Susan Page: |
| • | The vibe was more partisan than ever before. The Republican side of the chamber greeted the president's arrival with applause and then chants of "Four More Years!" Several Democrats decided to boycott the speech, and some left during it, with at least 10 lawmakers standing and walking out. | | • | Trump handed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi a copy of the address, as it customary, but pointedly turned his back when she reached out to shake his hand. After the speech, Pelosi tore up the paper copy of his speech and waved the ripped pieces in the air. | | • | The speech focused on the economy. The president touted what he said were the results of the "great American comeback." He discussed job growth, and also spent part of his address boasting of a revised trade deal he negotiated with Mexico and Canada and a separate new trade agreement with China. | | • | There was audience drama when discussing guns. When Trump vowed to "always protect your Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms," the father of a Parkland high school shooting victim began shouting, and was escorted out. | | • | And healthcare. During a part about healthcare, House Democrats cut off Trump's speech and chanted for him to take up a piece of legislation that addresses the issue. | | • | Many Democrat women made a statement dressed in white to honor the suffrage movement. First Lady Melania Trump was dressed in a subdued navy suit. | | • | Conservative radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. | | • | Impeachment was top-of-mind, but not addressed. | |
1. Acquit or convict? Senate poised for historic vote on Trump impeachment |
| In a historic but likely anticlimactic moment, the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump concludes Wednesday as the Senate holds a final vote on whether to acquit or convict and remove him from office. The final vote, scheduled for 4 p.m. ET, will cap a months-long saga over Trump's dealings with Ukraine. A conviction requires 67 votes in the 100-member Senate. That would mean all Democrats and at least 20 Republicans would need to vote for conviction – and not a single Republican so far has said they would do so. |
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A quick break from politics |
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2. Iowa caucus: And the winner is ... |
| We could find out Wednesday after Iowa's Democratic party officials were unable to declare a final outcome from Monday night. As of late Tuesday, former mayor Pete Buttigieg and Sen. Bernie Sanders were in the lead following the first round of Iowa Democratic caucus results, with results in for 71% of all precincts across Iowa's 99 counties. For decades, the winner of Iowa's caucuses has been decided by a complicated system of state delegate equivalents, which operates kind of like the Electoral College. But this year, the Iowa Democratic Party is publishing two raw vote totals and the delegate numbers from caucus night. So one candidate could win one or both of the delegate counts but lose the popular vote. |
3. Chiefs to hoist Super Bowl trophy at Kansas City celebration |
| The Kansas City Chiefs will hold a victory parade Wednesday to celebrate the team's first Super Bowl championship in 50 years. The parade, set for 11:30 a.m. CT, will wind through downtown Kansas City, Missouri, to Union Station, where a victory rally will begin at 1:30 p.m. The nearby National World War I Museum and Memorial will provide vantage points on its north lawn. The Chiefs defeated the San Francisco 49ers 31-20 in Super Bowl Li, erasing a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter. |
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4. Coronavirus outbreak: Death toll, confirmed cases continue to climb |
| Deaths from the coronavirus climbed in mainland China Wednesday while new cases on a cruise ship off the coast of Japan showed the increasing spread of the outbreak, according to the Associated Press. As of Wednesday, the outbreak had infected over 20,000 people and killed nearly 500, most of them in China . Nearly one dozen passengers on a Diamond Princess Cruise ship quarantined off the coast of Yokohama Port in Japan tested positive for the virus and are being hospitalized. Meanwhile, Chinese health officials acknowledged "shortcomings and difficulties" in their initial response to a fast-spreading new virus. Chinese President Xi Jinping warned that failing to halt the outbreak could erode social stability in the nation of more than 1.4 billion people. |
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5. Macy's to close 125 stores and slash 2,000 jobs |
| Macy's is likely to reveal more details Wednesday during an investor event on its decision to close roughly a fifth of its locations and cut about 2,000 positions. The retailer announced Tuesday that it will be eliminating around 125 stores and 9% of its corporate and support positions over the next three years. Previously, Macy's said it would only close 28 locations. The job cuts and store closures come as Macy's sales continued to slide during the critical holiday season. |
Bonus: We'd like to thank the Academy |
| The Oscars are but four nights away (ABC, Sunday at 8 p.m. ET)! USA TODAY critic Brian Truitt offers who should win – and predicts who will win. We're just hoping for over-the-top dresses and some "they said what?!?!" speeches. |
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