The regional bureau of The Associated Press, shares 10 things you need to know Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2018. Look for full stories on these late-breaking news items and much more in West Virginia newspapers.
1. A ‘NEW AMERICAN MOMENT’
Addressing a deeply divided nation, Trump calls for unity in his first State of the Union, challenging Congress to fix a fractured immigration system and warning of evil forces seeking to undermine America’s way of life.
2. WHERE RHETORIC COLLIDED WITH THE FACTS
An AP Fact Check finds that Trump inflated the impact of his tax cuts, declared an end to a “war” on energy that did not exist and displayed a faulty grasp of immigration policy.
3. IN RESPONSE TO TRUMP, DEMOCRATS ARGUE FOR MIDDLE CLASS
Massachusetts Rep. Joe Kennedy III says his Democratic colleagues support a higher minimum wage, paid leave for employees and affordable child care.
4. TRUMP FAVORS RELEASE OF MEMO WHITE HOUSE WANTS REVIEWED
Trump is overheard telling a Republican lawmaker he is “100 percent” in favor of releasing a classified memo on the Russia investigation that has pitted the GOP against the FBI and the Justice Department.
5. WHAT WILL REMAIN OPEN
Trump signs a new executive order to keep open the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, marking a formal reversal of Barack Obama’s eight-year effort to shut it down.
6. MOON PUTS ON RARE COSMIC SHOW
It’s the first time in 35 years a blue moon has synced up with a super moon and a total lunar eclipse.
7. CONVICTED SPORTS DOCTOR BACK IN COURT
Larry Nassar faces another prison sentence for molesting gymnasts, this time at an elite Michigan club run by an Olympic coach.
8. WHEN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE RULES ON JAIL TIME
Judges in a growing number of U.S. states and local courts are now guided by computer algorithms that help them decide whether a criminal defendant can return to everyday life.
9. AMID PUBLICITY TOUR, PORN STAR DENIES AFFAIR WITH TRUMP
Stormy Daniels, however, ducked most of Jimmy Kimmel’s questions about the alleged affair by either remaining silent or cracking jokes.
10. BIG NFL TRADE SHAKES UP QB MARKET
The Chiefs agree to trade quarterback Alex Smith to the Redskins, spelling the end of Kirk Cousins’ time with Washington and making him a top free-agent target.