These are the headlines you Need 2 Know. * **Afghanistan Peace Deal:** The U.S. and the Taliban have agreed to the framework of a peace deal in Afghanistan that could lead to a full pullout of American troops. The chief negotiator for the U.S. said the Taliban agreed to prevent the country from becoming a terrorist safe haven and would recognize the Afghan government. Read more [here](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/28/world/asia/taliban-peace-deal-afghanistan.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage&utm_source=Need+2+Know&utm_campaign=592ea5fa05-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_1_28_2019_6_55&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_97f672225d-592ea5fa05-316045885). * **Shutdown Over… For Now:** Congress will attempt to get back to work as members of both parties will attempt to nail down a border security bill with a three-week deadline. President Trump could shut down the government again at that point, or declare a national emergency for the wall funding if an agreement is not reached. Read more [here](https://www.politico.com/newsletters/playbook/2019/01/28/congress-gets-back-to-work-382403?utm_source=Need+2+Know&utm_campaign=592ea5fa05-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_1_28_2019_6_55&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_97f672225d-592ea5fa05-316045885). * **Back Pay:** Hundreds of thousands of federal employees who didn’t get paid during the government shutdown should get their back pay by the end of the week, according to a White House official. A massive backlog of permits, contracts, and payments await many of the federal agencies reopening today. Read more [here](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/01/27/shutdown-federal-workers-get-back-pay/2694593002/?utm_source=Need+2+Know&utm_campaign=592ea5fa05-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_1_28_2019_6_55&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_97f672225d-592ea5fa05-316045885). * **SOTU:** The State of the Union address remains up in the air, with a spokesman for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi saying it won’t happen tomorrow, as originally scheduled. Read more [here](https://www.vox.com/2019/1/25/18197800/state-of-the-union-address-pelosi-trump). * **2020: Harris:** Sen. Kamala Harris officially kicked off her presidential campaign with a rally in Oakland in front of 20,000 people. Read more [here](https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/kamala-harris-draws-bigger-crowd-than-obama-for-launch-of-white-house-bid?utm_source=Need+2+Know&utm_campaign=592ea5fa05-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_1_28_2019_6_55&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_97f672225d-592ea5fa05-316045885). * **2020: Clinton:** Hillary Clinton has reportedly not ruled out a 2020 run. According to a CNN report, Clinton has told people she’s “not closing the doors” on it. Read more [here](https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/27/politics/inside-politics-forecast-cnntv/index.html?utm_source=Need+2+Know&utm_campaign=592ea5fa05-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_1_28_2019_6_55&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_97f672225d-592ea5fa05-316045885) * **2020: Schultz:** Howard Schultz, the former CEO of Starbucks, said on "60 Minutes" that he is seriously considering mounting an independent bid for president, likely using his own fortune to finance a campaign. Democrats fear a legitimate third-party candidate would effectively split the vote and hand President Trump a second term. Watch [here](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/howard-schultz-starbucks-ceo-considering-independent-run-for-president-60-minutes/?utm_source=Need+2+Know&utm_campaign=592ea5fa05-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_1_28_2019_6_55&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_97f672225d-592ea5fa05-316045885). * **Cathedral Bombing:** At least 20 people were killed and more than 100 injured when two bombs went off at a Roman Catholic Cathedral in the Philippines. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack. Read more [here](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/01/philippines-vows-crush-attackers-fatal-church-bombings-190128033738665.html?utm_source=Need+2+Know&utm_campaign=592ea5fa05-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_1_28_2019_6_55&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_97f672225d-592ea5fa05-316045885). * **Hedgehog Warning:** The CDC is warning Americans not to “kiss or snuggle hedgehogs” after 10 out of 11 people diagnosed with Salmonella said they’d had contact with a pet hedgehog. Only one person was hospitalized. The cases happened in eight states, including Colorado, Wyoming, and Maine. Read more [here](https://mashable.com/article/hedgehog-salmonella-infection-outbreak-cdc/?utm_source=Need+2+Know&utm_campaign=592ea5fa05-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_1_28_2019_6_55&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_97f672225d-592ea5fa05-316045885#Q8yxhEkvJPqP). * **Stamps Up:** Forever stamps are now 55 cents, up from 50 cents. It’s reportedly the largest jump in the history of the USPS. In addition to the stamp increase, the postal service says it’s also raising the prices of small and large flat-rate boxes sent priority. The price hikes will help the agency cover a $4 billion loss from 2018. Read more [here](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/forever-stamps-jump-55-cents-biggest-increase-usps-history-n963336?utm_source=Need+2+Know&utm_campaign=592ea5fa05-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_1_28_2019_6_55&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_97f672225d-592ea5fa05-316045885). * **New Arms Race:** The Trump administration is reportedly asking allies to bar Huawei, the Chinese telecom giant, and other Chinese companies from building out their 5G wireless networks. According to a report in the NYT, the U.S. government sees 5G supremacy as crucial to gaining an economic and military edge for the century. Read more [here](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/26/us/politics/huawei-china-us-5g-technology.html?login=email&auth=login-email&utm_source=Need+2+Know&utm_campaign=592ea5fa05-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_1_28_2019_6_55&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_97f672225d-592ea5fa05-316045885). * **Australian Open:** Novak Djokovic has won his seventh Australian Open. Djokovic beat Rafael Nadal 6-3, 6-2, 6-3 on Sunday night. It’s Djokovic’s third Grand Slam title in a row. Read more [here](http://www.espn.com/tennis/story/_/id/25861913/novak-djokovic-defeats-rafael-nadal-earn-seventh-australian-title?utm_source=Need+2+Know&utm_campaign=592ea5fa05-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_1_28_2019_6_55&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_97f672225d-592ea5fa05-316045885). * **The Show Must Go On:** Fox’s Sunday night production of the hit musical "Rent" was supposed to be live, but wound up as mostly pre-recorded footage from the dress rehearsal after one of the lead actors ー with no understudy ー broke his ankle. Another problem: people in the NYC area were unable to view the first few minutes of the production due to a technical glitch. Despite the problems, Vanessa Hudgens, Brandon Victor Dixon, and Kiersey Clemons are getting high marks for their performances. Read more [here](https://deadline.com/2019/01/rent-review-fox-live-brennin-hunt-brandon-victor-dixon-1202543040/). * **Royal Apology:** Prince Philip has apologized to the woman injured in a car crash he was involved in, after she criticized him for not reaching out to her directly. The woman suffered a broken wrist. The 97-year-old Duke of Edinburgh says via letter that he’s “deeply sorry.” Read more [here](https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-47017855?utm_source=Need+2+Know&utm_campaign=592ea5fa05-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_1_28_2019_6_55&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_97f672225d-592ea5fa05-316045885). * **Stayin’ Alive:** An unconscious woman has "The Office" to thank for her resuscitation. A 21-year-old says he was able to do CPR on the woman after recounting an episode of "The Office." In the episode, Steve Carell does chest compressions on a dummy while singing "Stayin’ Alive." Read more [here](https://tucson.com/news/local/tucson-man-helps-save-woman-with-cpr-he-learned-from/article_e00d2ccf-534f-55da-a12e-f4a6d11d7cc0.html?utm_source=Need+2+Know&utm_campaign=592ea5fa05-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_1_28_2019_6_55&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_97f672225d-592ea5fa05-316045885). Cheddar's Hena Doba and Jill Wagner get into the latest. Subscribe to the Need 2 Know newsletter [here](https://theneed2know.com).

Share:
More In Politics
What’s in the legislation to end the federal government shutdown
A legislative package to end the government shutdown appears on track. A handful of Senate Democrats joined with Republicans to advance the bill after what's become a deepening disruption of federal programs and services. But hurdles remain. Senators are hopeful they can pass the package as soon as Monday and send it to the House. What’s in and out of the bipartisan deal has drawn criticism and leaves few senators fully satisfied. The legislation includes funding for SNAP food aid and other programs while ensuring backpay for furloughed federal workers. But it fails to fund expiring health care subsidies Democrats have been fighting for, pushing that debate off for a vote next month.
Federal Reserve cuts key rate as shutdown clouds economic outlook
The Federal Reserve cut its key interest rate Wednesday for a second time this year as it seeks to shore up economic growth and hiring even as inflation stays elevated. The move comes amid a fraught time for the central bank, with hiring sluggish and yet inflation stuck above the Fed’s 2% target. Compounding its challenges, the central bank is navigating without much of the economic data it typically relies on from the government. The Fed has signaled it may reduce its key rate again in December but the data drought raises the uncertainty around its next moves. Fed Chair Jerome Powell told reporters that there were “strongly differing views” at the central bank's policy meeting about to proceed going forward.
US and China say a trade deal is drawing closer as meeting nears
U.S. and Chinese officials say a trade deal between the world’s two largest economies is drawing closer. The sides have reached an initial consensus for President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping to aim to finalize during their high-stakes meeting Thursday in South Korea. Any agreement would be a relief to international markets. Trump's treasury secretary says discussions with China yielded preliminary agreements to stop the precursor chemicals for fentanyl from coming into the United States. Scott Bessent also says Beijing would make “substantial” purchases of soybean and other agricultural products while putting off export controls on rare earth elements needed for advanced technologies.
Load More