These are the headlines you Need 2 Know. * **State of the Union:** President Trump delivered his second State of the Union address last night; a speech that was received as both bipartisan and divisive. He stopped short of declaring a national emergency over the border, announced he would meet again with North Korea’s president, Kim Jong Un, later this month in Vietnam, and denounced “endless wars” in the Mideast and “ridiculous partisan investigations” here at home. [Five takeaways](https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/05/politics/state-of-the-union-takeaways/index.html). * **SOTU Response:** Stacey Abrams delivered a sharp rebuke of the president in the official Democratic response, calling the government shutdown a “stunt engineered by the president” and criticizing the Trump administration’s child separation policy while calling for better access to voting. Read more [here](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/05/us/politics/stacey-abrams-democratic-response.html). * **Pelosi Clap:** House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s clap quickly became a meme on social media, with some users referring to it as a “golf clap” and “baby shark.” Read more [here](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2019/02/05/state-union-nancy-pelosi-clap-trump-quickly-becomes-meme/2786195002/). * **Nun Sex Abuse:** Pope Francis has spoken out for the first time about the sexual abuse of nuns by priests and bishops, including some nuns who had been subjected to “sexual slavery.” The pontiff told reporters more should be done, but said “it’s a path that we have already begun.” Read more [here](http://time.com/5521688/pope-francis-nuns-sexual-abuse-priests/). * **Airline Safety:** Airline mechanics say they feel pressured by management to look the other way when they see potential safety problems on airplanes. CBS News interviewed 26 mechanics at Southwest and American Airlines, and all of them said they were pressured to “cut corners or not write up issues to get planes back in service faster.” Read more [here](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/airline-mechanics-pressured-faa-investigators-interpreting-regulations-differently-cbs-news-investigation/). * **Facebook Unsend:** Facebook users will now have the option of deleting messages for 10 minutes after sending them. The “remove for everyone” feature on Facebook Messenger rolls out worldwide, following reports that CEO Mark Zuckerberg had the ability to delete messages he sent. Read more [here](https://www.theverge.com/2019/2/5/18211255/facebook-messenger-unsend-delete-feature-sent-mark-zuckerberg). * **Mini Ice Cream Pops:** Halo Top is adding "snackable mini ice cream pops" to its lineup. They come in strawberry cheesecake, mint chip, peanut butter swirl, and chocolate chip cookie dough and have 50 to 60 calories each. Read more [here](https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2019/02/05/halo-top-pops-low-calorie-ice-cream-now-comes-snackable-form/2770684002/). * **Sports:** Lindsey Vonn crashed in the super-G at the world championships, her second to last race before retiring. She’s still slated to ski in the downhill on Sunday, the final race of her career. Vonn recently announced her retirement, saying “My body is screaming at me to stop and it’s time for me to listen.” Read more [here](https://www.latimes.com/sports/olympics/la-sp-lindsey-vonn-career-20190204-story.html). * **Pats Parade:** New England Patriots’ fans packed the streets of Boston to celebrate the team’s Super Bowl win. The number of attendees reportedly exceeded one million. Read more [here](http://www.espn.com/blog/new-england-patriots/post/_/id/4816882/best-of-the-patriots-super-bowl-liii-parade-celebrating-no-6). * **Good Samaritans:** Fans came together to push an ambulance that got stuck in the mud on Boston Common. See it [here](https://www.instagram.com/p/BtgjX3mHDH5/). * **Oscars:** It’s official: the Oscars will be without a host for the first time in 30 years. Officials have confirmed the show will go hostless, which was widely rumored to be the case after Kevin Hart stepped down over his controversial years-old homophobic tweets. There will be a variety of presenters including Whoopi Goldberg, Awkwafina, and Tessa Thompson. Read more [here](https://abcnews.go.com/beta-story-container/GMA/Culture/oscars-2019-officially-host/story?id=60860496). * **End of an Era:** Modern Family is coming to an end. The comedy’s upcoming 11th season will be its last. The Emmy-winning show’s final season will reportedly consist of 18 episodes, with the potential of increasing to 22. Read more [here](https://deadline.com/2019/02/modern-family-renewed-11th-final-season-abc-1202549814/). * **Changing Colors:** The color of the oceans will change significantly by the end of this century, according to a new MIT study. Blues and greens will intensify due to climate change and the effect of warming oceans on the microscopic algae that blanket the water’s surface. Read more [here](https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2019/02/climate-change-alters-oceans-blues-greens/). Cheddar's Jill Wagner gets into the latest. Subscribe to the Need 2 Know newsletter [here](https://theneed2know.com).

Share:
More In Politics
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.
Trump suggests canceling Xi meeting and threatens more tariffs after China restricts key exports
President Donald Trump says “there seems to be no reason” to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping as part of an upcoming trip to South Korea after China restricted exports of rare earths needed for American industry. The Republican president suggested Friday he was looking at a “massive increase” of import taxes on Chinese products in response to Xi’s moves. Trump says one of the policies the U.S. is calculating is "a massive increase of Tariffs on Chinese products coming into the United States." A monthslong calm on Wall Street was shattered, with U.S. stocks falling on the news. The Chinese Embassy in Washington hasn't responded to an Associated Press request for comment.
Poll: More Americans think companies benefit from legal immigration
A new poll finds U.S. adults are more likely than they were a year ago to think immigrants in the country legally benefit the economy. That comes as President Donald Trump's administration imposes new restrictions targeting legal pathways into the country. The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research survey finds Americans are more likely than they were in March 2024 to say it’s a “major benefit” that people who come to the U.S. legally contribute to the economy and help American companies get the expertise of skilled workers. At the same time, perceptions of illegal immigration haven’t shifted meaningfully. Americans still see fewer benefits from people who come to the U.S. illegally.
Load More