Trump attacks ‘ridiculous’ Mueller probe during State of the Union

Warns “partisan” investigations will hurt the economy. No Images? Click here   By Paul Vale     Wednesday, February 6 TRUMP USES SOTU TO SLAM ‘RIDICULOUS’ RUSSIA PROBE President Donald Trump took a swipe at special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation during his State of the Union address, saying the probe was “ridiculous,” “partisan” and could derail economic progress. [HuffPost] [Tweet | Share on Facebook] PELOSI CLAPS BACK Trump spoke for more than an hour and 20 minutes, but the moment that may be remembered was when House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) stood and applauded a line from the speech in a way that seemed rife with sarcasm. Here are six major takeaways from the event. [HuffPost] NO MENTION OF SHUTDOWN The longest government shutdown in history happened on Trump’s watch. But the president made no mention of it in his address. [HuffPost] TRUMP GETS ABORTION BILL WRONG Trump railed against recent abortion legislation, using graphic imagery to mischaracterize scenarios in which the procedure would be performed. “Lawmakers in New York cheered with delight upon the passage of legislation that would allow a baby to be ripped from the mother’s womb moments before birth,” Trump said. In reality, the bill expands access to abortion after 24 weeks of pregnancy to women carrying a fetus that cannot live outside the womb. [HuffPost] ABRAMS DELIVERS PASSIONATE DEM REBUTTAL In the official Democratic response to Trump’s address, former Georgia gubernatorial nominee Stacey Abrams delivered a passionate speech about the need for economic and social justice, and said even though she disagrees with Trump on virtually everything, she still wants him to succeed. [HuffPost] SANDERS FACT-CHECKS TRUMP’S SPEECH Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) delivered his own rebuttal with a 30-minute speech that meticulously picked apart what the president got wrong. “I hate to say this, but not everything Donald Trump said tonight was true or accurate,” Sanders said, noting that the president did not mention climate change, Medicare, voter suppression or Social Security ― issues that the senator said all Americans, not just Trump’s “billionaire friends,” face. [HuffPost]     .   SECOND NORTH KOREA SUMMIT ANNOUNCED Trump announced in his speech that he will hold a second nuclear summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Vietnam Feb. 27 and 28. [BBC] LIAM NEESON PREMIERE CANCELED OVER SCANDAL The premiere of Liam Neeson’s latest film was abruptly canceled amid fallout from the actor’s comments about decades-old thoughts he had about killing a black person. [AP] HUGE HOLE IN ANTARCTIC GLACIER Scientists just discovered a gigantic subterranean hole in the world’s most important glacier, causing concern that the ice sheet is melting faster than expected. [HuffPost] BETO MULLS 2020 RUN Democrat Beto O’Rourke said he’ll announce whether he’ll run for president “before the end of the month.” [AP] TRUMP FLORIDA TRIPS COST TAXPAYERS MILLIONS A report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office said four Mar-a-Lago trips Trump took from January to March 2017 cost taxpayers $13.6 million. [HuffPost] UAE ‘SUPPLYING ARMS’ TO MILITIAS IN YEMEN The United Arab Emirates is "recklessly" supplying militias waging war in Yemen with an array of advanced weaponry, according to an investigation published by Amnesty International. [CNN]    .   The 2019 Academy Awards ceremony will have no host for the first time in three decades. Chicago police have located more surveillance cameras in the area where Jussie Smollett was allegedly attacked, and the additional footage could bring them closer to learning what happened in the early hours of Jan. 29. Here are 18 striking photos that capture the intensity of birth. Watch Fox News hosts rush to defend Donald Trump spending 60 percent of his presidency in “Executive Time.” A man who was attacked by a mountain lion while running on a northern Colorado trail fought back and killed the animal by choking it, wildlife officials said. Ariana Grande has defended her misspelled Japanese tattoo debacle, saying: “What do you want me to do?” Chef José Andrés wore an “Immigrants Feed America” shirt to the State of the Union. Lady Gaga stole the show in a star-studded Oscar class photo. A 24-year-old man in Texas died last week after an e-cigarette he was using exploded and severed a major artery in his neck. A noted border security expert tells “mansplaining” Rep. Dan Crenshaw why Trump’s wall won’t work. Ivanka Trump has slammed an art installation that features a model who resembles her vacuuming up crumbs tossed by onlookers. “Women can choose to knock each other down or build each other up,” the 37-year-old said on Twitter. “I choose the latter.” Anthropologie's Spring 2019 home collection is a maximalist dream. This is why women in the House all wore white to the State of the Union. Constant rage is the depression symptom we rarely talk about. “Duck Dynasty” patriarch Phil Robertson resurfaced on Fox Business on Tuesday to slam calls for universal healthcare. Instead of medicine, he said, people just need more Jesus. And love this newsletter? Share it with a friend!        HuffPost is now a part of Oath and a part of Verizon. On May 25, 2018 we introduced a new Oath Privacy Policy which will explain how your data is used and shared. Learn More. 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