1.
The Senate on Friday evening voted against a motion to bring in further witnesses and documents in President Trump’s impeachment trial. The 51-49 vote was largely along party lines, but Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) voted with most Democrats in favor of calling further witnesses. Now that the vote has failed to move forward, the trial will move to its final phase, with both House impeachment managers and Trump’s legal team expected to make closing statements next week. The Senate voted Friday night to push a vote on his removal until Wednesday at 4 p.m. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) then introduced a series of amendments subpoenaing a variety of Trump officials, including former National Security Adviser John Bolton. Senate Republicans voted to table the amendments, though Collins and Romney defected again on Bolton. [The Washington Post, CNN]
2.
As the Wuhan coronavirus continues to spread, Delta, American, and United airlines suspended all flights between the U.S. and China on Friday. The U.S. also announced its temporarily denying entry to noncitizens who recently traveled from China, exempting family members of American citizens and permanent residents. The coronavirus originated in Wuhan, China, last month, and Chinese officials say there are around 12,000 confirmed cases, with the death toll rising past 250. The World Health Organization has declared the Wuhan coronavirus a global emergency. There are six cases of Wuhan coronavirus in the United States, including the first to be passed from person to person. The State Department told U.S. citizens in China to “consider departing using commercial means,” and requested “all non-essential U.S. government personnel defer travel to China.” [The New York Times, The Associated Press]
3.
The United Kingdom officially exited the European Union at 11 p.m. GMT Friday, three years after its narrow vote for Brexit. Prime Minister Boris Johnson released a video statement lauding this “moment” many people “thought would never come,” and promised to “turn this opportunity into a stunning success.” Johnson guaranteed a vote in favor of Brexit after he ordered an election late last year, which his Conservative party won handily. Still, Britain is sharply divided on the issue, with larger cities, Northern Ireland, and especially Scotland still in favor of remaining in the EU. Britain and the EU have agreed that the U.K. will retain all EU rules for 11 months while the two sides hammer out a new trade relationship and other guidelines for their new relationship. [The Guardian, The Associated Press]
4.
The Los Angeles Lakers paid tribute Friday night to franchise legend Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna, and seven other people who died in a helicopter crash Sunday in the Los Angeles area. It was the Lakers’ first game since Bryant’s death, and the Staples Center crowd was emotional. Before the game against the Portland Trail Blazers began, players took to the court for warmups wearing Bryant’s jerseys, R&B artist Usher and cellist Ben Hong performed, and a 24.2 seconds moment of silence was held in a nod to the numbers worn by both Bryants. The celebration of Bryant’s life was capped by a speech from current Lakers’ star LeBron James, who went off script to honor his friend. [ESPN, Bleacher Report]
5.
The Trump administration announced Friday a new wave in its blanket bans on people from certain countries. President Trump’s original travel ban was one of his first acts in office, blocking people from several countries, most of which were majority Muslim, from coming to the U.S. altogether. This newest iteration explicitly bans people from Eritrea, Kyrgyzstan, Myanmar, Nigeria, Sudan, and Tanzania from receiving immigration visas, but doesn’t touch those who are just visiting temporarily. That leaves 13 total countries on the travel ban list. Nigerian immigrants are among the most likely immigrants to receive college degrees once they come to the U.S. In fact, an estimated 60 percent of Nigerian immigrants to the U.S. have college degrees, as opposed to 33 percent of Americans who do, Census data has shown. [The New York Times, The Week]
6.
Australia’s bushfires remain dangerous, as some residents in the country’s capital, Canberra, were warned Saturday that it was “too late to leave” and were told to seek shelter from the blazes. Six fires in the Australian Capital Territory, which declared a state of emergency Friday, and parts of nearby New South Wales were burning out of control, officials said, as hot and windy conditions are expected to last through the weekend. Water is reportedly being used to fight the fires faster than it can be replenished. New South Wales received a bit of good news in some parts, however, when only one out of five emergency warnings for across the state remained at the highest level by Saturday evening. [The Guardian, BBC]
7.
Former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch is retiring from her role in the State Department, sources familiar with her decision confirmed. Yovanovitch enjoyed a 33-year career in the foreign service, but she recently played a central role in President Trump’s impeachment inquiry and provided testimony about Trump’s dealings with Ukraine during the House’s investigation last year. Yovanovitch accused the Trump administration, namely Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, of launching a smear campaign against her because she disagreed with his efforts to reshape diplomacy with Kyiv through what she described as an “irregular channel.” She testified she was told to “watch my back” in the days before she was recalled from her post in May. Trump allegedly pushed for her firing, as well. Since then, Yovanovitch had remained on State Department payroll as a fellow at Georgetown University. [NPR, The Hill]
8.
Former Maryland Rep. John Delaney announced Friday he’s ending his 2020 campaign. Delaney, who in 2017 became the first Democrat to declare his candidacy for president, said he’s dropping out of the race so as not to hurt other moderate candidates ahead of the Iowa caucuses. “My support is sufficient enough to take from other, more moderate candidates, and I just don’t want to do that,” Delaney told CNN’s New Day. Delaney did not endorse another candidate but suggested to CNN his supporters could caucus for former Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), or former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, arguing they have a better chance against President Trump than Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) or Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.). [The Washington Post, CNN]
9.
Netflix has announced The Crown will end after its fifth season, which will introduce Imelda Staunton in the role of Queen Elizabeth II. Showrunner Peter Morgan told The Hollywood Reporter on Friday he previously envisioned a six-season run for the drama series, but “now that we have begun work on the stories for season five it has become clear to me that this is the perfect time and place to stop.” Staunton, who will take over the lead role after a fourth season again starring Olivia Colman, said Friday she is “genuinely honored to be joining such an exceptional creative team and to be taking The Crown to its conclusion.” [The Hollywood Reporter, Variety]
10.
U.S. tennis player Sofia Kenin took home the Australian Open women’s singles title Saturday, defeating Spain’s Garbine Muguruza in comeback fashion, 4-6, 6-2, 6-2, at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne. It was the 21-year-old’s first Grand Slam title, and she became the youngest women’s singles champion since Maria Sharapova in 2008. The match was tightly contested from start to finish, with both players playing at a high intensity level. “It was such a battle and it was very physical,” Kenin said. It’s another example of women’s professional tennis entering a new era in which unpredictability reigns. For years, Serena Williams dominated the scene, but now eight of the past 12 Grand Slam winners have been first-time champions. [NBC News, The Wall Street Journal]
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