HERE ARE THE TOP STORIES
The Trump presidency — welcome to Day Six.
President Donald Trump is expected to order the construction of the Mexican border wall on Wednesday. He is scheduled to visit the Department of Homeland Security in the afternoon, where it’s believed he will detail his plan.
The New York Times reported the plan will include an order to direct federal funds toward building the wall. Trump has repeatedly claimed that Mexico would pay for it, which multiple public officials in Mexico have said will not happen.
Big day planned on NATIONAL SECURITY tomorrow. Among many other things, we will build the wall!
President Trump signed an executive order to move forward with the construction of the Dakota Access and Keystone XL pipelines. The order drew threats of legal action from the movement that fought to keep them off US land. But union leaders representing workers in the construction trades said resuming the projects would bring relief and hope to working families.
Muslim civil rights groups expect Trump to sign orders that would limit immigration and refugees from “terror-prone” countries in the Middle East, a move that had been expected following the president’s vow during the election campaign to stop immigration of Muslims to the US.
Science clampdown: The Department of Agriculture rescinded an order stopping scientists and from publicly promoting research. And a national park posted and then deleted tweets about climate change after Trump silenced some US environmental agencies.
WE’RE KEEPING AN EYE ON
UK judges ruled that parliament must give Prime Minister Theresa May permission to trigger the Brexit process — but what does that ~really~ mean?
The government is now going to have to pass a law to let May invoke Article 50, which starts the process for the UK to leave the European Union. On Thursday it’s going to publish a bill, which is expected to be as short and simple as possible to make it difficult for opposition parties to amend. The government expects to get this through the House of Commons in about two weeks, which means it could still hit its target of triggering Article 50 by the end of March. — BuzzFeed News’ James Ball
DID YOU HEAR ABOUT THIS?
Tanks, blindfolds, niqabs, and mass graves: the 12 things ISIS fighters abandoned before they fled.
With their self-proclaimed caliphate in decline, ISIS fighters are fleeing villages and towns in Syria and Iraq following a ground offensive that began last fall. Reuters photographers have been documenting these former ISIS strongholds as the group continues to lose territory. Here are some of the things they found abandoned by the fighters.
La La Land and diversity: The 89th Academy Awards nominations are in.
La La Land received 14 Oscar nominations — including Best Picture — tying the record with Titanic and 1950 film All About Eve.
Viola Davis, Naomie Harris, and Octavia Spencer have made Oscars history. It’s the first time three black women have been nominated in an acting category.
And the six Oscar nominations for Mel Gibson’s Hacksaw Ridge solidified his comeback and Hollywood’s forgiveness of him — and are a sign of the times.
QUICK THINGS TO KNOW
Facebook: Founder Mark Zuckerberg says he has no plans to run for president after weeks of speculation that he might. Gina Miller, who led the Article 50 challenge in the UK, says Facebook has failed to monitor and remove death threats against her.
Apple has added Find My AirPods, a tracker function for its $159 Bluetooth headphones, to the Find My iPhone app.
Trump supporters and Neo-Nazis are using secret chat rooms to harass Shia LaBeouf. (This article contains offensive language and graphic images.)
The Australian of the Year is a life-saving scientist you should know about.
Personal essay: “I’ve struggled with ‘bad thoughts’ my whole life — and while I can’t stop my son from having them too, I can show him how to live fully.” New York Times bestselling author Kevin Wilson on how his young son has inherited his anxiety.
Happy birthday: People in Norway are trying to give Finland a mountain for its birthday. What a gift that would be.
A very good pup: People are in love with this dog’s reaction to seeing his family on FaceTime.
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