10 things you need to know today: February 5, 2019

1. Trump to call for unity in State of the Union address

President Trump is expected to call for unity when he delivers his State of the Union address on Tuesday night in his first appearance before a Congress not entirely controlled by his fellow Republicans. "He's calling for cooperation," White House counselor Kellyanne Conway said. Trump also will make a fresh appeal for his border wall. The speech comes as tensions linger over Trump's insistence on funding for a wall. The issue has shut down the government once and threatens to do it again this month. Democrats, newly emboldened after taking control of the House, scoffed at White House claims that Trump's call for unity and optimism will be sincere. "What I expect the president to do is ignore reality and spin his own fiction," said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.).

The Associated Press The Washington Post

2. New York prosecutors subpoena Trump inauguration committee

Federal prosecutors in New York on Monday ordered President Trump's inaugural committee to hand over documents about its donors and spending in an escalation of the investigation into the nonprofit organization. A lawyer for the inaugural committee received a subpoena Monday night seeking documents on donors and event attendees, as well as any benefits they received, including tickets and photo opportunities with Trump. The subpoena also requested disclosure filings, contracts with vendors, and more. Investigators also showed interest in whether any foreigners illegally donated to the committee, which raised a record $107 million and used it with lavish spending. The subpoena also indicates that prosecutors are investigating the possibility of such crimes as mail fraud, false statements, and money laundering.

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The Washington Post The New York Times

3. Pentagon report says ISIS is regrouping

The Islamic State is likely to regain territory as a result of President Trump's decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria, according to a new report released Monday by the Pentagon's Inspector General. "ISIS may conduct opportunistic attacks on U.S. personnel as they withdraw but will leverage the event as a 'victory' in its media," the report said, citing information obtained from U.S. Central Command, which oversees U.S. military operations in the region. The report, the first such analysis since Trump decided on the withdrawal last month, also warns that "ISIS remains an active insurgent group in both Iraq and Syria," and already has begun "regenerating key functions and capabilities." Trump acknowledged the possibility ISIS could rebound, saying in an interview that aired Sunday on CBS's Face the Nation that "we'll come back if we have to."

CNN

4. Work set to start on already funded border fencing

The U.S. government is getting ready to start building more walls and fencing along the U.S.-Mexico border in South Texas' Rio Grande Valley, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials said Monday. Heavy construction equipment is arriving early this week, with the work likely to take place on federal land dedicated as wildlife refuge. The nonprofit National Butterfly Center posted a photo showing an excavator parked next to its land. Congress last March approved a plan for 33 miles of new barriers in the area, at a cost of $600 million. President Trump and Democrats remain deadlocked on his demand for $5.7 billion for his promised border wall, which resulted in the recent 35-day partial government shutdown.

The Associated Press

5. Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax denies sexual assault allegation

Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax (D) on Monday denied a sexual assault allegation posted by a conservative online publication, calling it an "uncorroborated smear." The allegation was published by Big League Politics, the same conservative online publication that released a racist photo found on Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam's medical-school yearbook page. The story stems from a private Facebook post from a woman who said she had a sexual encounter with Fairfax more than a decade ago that started as consensual and at some point turned non-consensual. The Washington Post examined the allegation before Fairfax's 2018 inauguration, but Fairfax's office said the paper found "significant red flags and inconsistencies." The Post denied it found "red flags," saying it didn't publish because it couldn't corroborate either side of the story.

The New York Times The Washington Post

6. Trump to nominate former oil lobbyist David Bernhardt as Interior secretary

President Trump announced Monday that he is nominating former coal and mining industry lobbyist David Bernhardt to be the next secretary of the Interior. Bernhardt, a former deputy Interior secretary, has been serving as acting Interior secretary for the past month ever since former secretary Ryan Zinke left in the new year. "David has done a fantastic job from the day he arrived," Trump tweeted. Bernhardt worked in the interior department under former President George W. Bush, and was a lawyer and lobbyist for the coal and mining industries after that. The announcement comes as four other Cabinet-level positions remain empty, with two nominees stalled in Senate confirmation proceedings.

Donald J. Trump The Associated Press

7. Alphabet shares fall despite better-than-expected earnings

Shares of Google-parent Alphabet dropped by 3 percent in after-hours trading on Monday after the tech giant reported quarterly earnings that beat expectations but said its advertising prices were falling as costs rise. Earnings were $12.77 per share, exceeding expectations of $10.82, according to Refinitiv consensus estimates. Revenue hit $39.28 billion, narrowly beating Refinitiv consensus estimates of $38.93 billion. Cost per click on Google properties fell by 29 percent compared to last year, and by 9 percent compared to last quarter, potentially raising concerns that the lower amounts Google can charge advertisers indicates its power is eroding.

CNBC

8. Jury begins deliberations in 'El Chapo' Guzman trial

Jury deliberations began Monday afternoon in the federal trial for Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzman, the notorious Mexican national who is accused of operating a conspiracy to illegally import narcotics into the U.S. as head of the infamous Sinaloa cartel. The Brooklyn-based trial has lasted nearly three months and included hundreds of hours of testimony from 56 witnesses. Guzman, who previously escaped custody two times, has pleaded not guilty, and during his trial, his defense sought to downplay the testimony of witnesses who "lie, steal, cheat, deal drugs, and kill people." He faces life in prison.

The Associated Press CNN

9. White House blasts leak of Trump schedules full of 'executive time'

The White House slammed the leak of three months of President Trump's daily schedules to Axios that showed frequent unstructured "executive time" for Trump. "What a disgraceful breach of trust to leak schedules," Director of Oval Office Operations Madeleine Westerhout tweeted. "What these don't show are the hundreds of calls and meetings [President Trump] takes everyday. This [president] is working harder for the American people than anyone in recent history." White House officials are reportedly in a state of "chaos" and paranoia following the publication of the 95 pages of documents, which indicate that Trump devoted about 60 percent of his days to "executive time." Axios said the report "set off internal finger-pointing and speculation," with insiders saying the leak was worse than "the usual petty leaking."

ABC News Axios

10. GM laying off 4,000 salaried workers in latest round of cuts

General Motors on Monday said it was laying off about 4,000 salaried workers as part of its restructuring effort. Hundreds of people are being affected at the automaker's information technology centers in Texas, Georgia, Arizona, and Michigan, two people briefed on the cuts told Reuters. More than 1,000 people are losing their jobs at GM's Michigan Tech Center. The largest U.S. automaker announced in November that it would shutter five North American plants and cut 15,000 jobs, including 8,000 salaried positions, about 15 percent of its North American workforce. "These actions are necessary to secure the future of the company," GM spokesman Pat Morrissey said.

Reuters