Trump says he’ll give State of Union after shutdown ends - WTOP Morning Headlines - Thursday, January 24, 2019

Following a high-stakes game of dare and double-dare, the president conceded that “no venue that can compete with the history, tradition and importance of the House Chamber” and that he was not looking for an alternate option after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi served notice earlier Wednesday that he won’t be allowed to deliver the address to a joint session of Congress next week. [Logo](#) MORNING HEADLINES - January 24, 2019 [mobile-header-ad]( [alt text here]( [mobile-img]( [alt text here]( [Trump says he’ll give State of Union after shutdown ends]( Following a high-stakes game of dare and double-dare, the president conceded that “no venue that can compete with the history, tradition and importance of the House Chamber” and that he was not looking for an alternate option after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi served notice earlier Wednesday that he won’t be allowed to deliver the address to a joint session of Congress next week. [mobile-img]( [alt text here]( [How much do you owe on your Virginia taxes this year? It’s unclear]( Virginians still do not know what rules they will file their state taxes under, even with filing season set to begin Monday, creating urgency in the push toward an at-least temporary resolution in Richmond. [mobile-img]( [alt text here]( [2 Northern Virginia men convicted of running prostitution ring]( Luis Bonilla-Hernandez, 32, of Sterling, and Eliazar Duran Mota, 23, of Herndon, pleaded guilty in connection to the prostitution of five adult victims. [mobile-img]( [alt text here]( [5-pound bags of Gold Medal unbleached flour recalled]( General Mills is recalling bags of Gold Medal unbleached flour over salmonella concerns. The voluntary national recall only affects the five-pound bags of the flour with a better if used by date of April 20, 2020. Sponsored by Rocky Gorge Animal Hospital [mobile-img]( [alt text here]( [How to keep your furry friends safe from harm during the cold winter months]( The cold winter months can be just as hard on pets as they are on people. Gear up for the cold with these four tips to keep your furry friends safe this winter. [mobile-img]( [alt text here]( [When to book winter, spring travel]( Whether you’re trending hot or cold on travel plans for 2019, January is the best time to book deals and destinations for winter getaways, spring break travel, even summer adventures. [mobile-img]( [alt text here]( [WTOP auction: Everything must go]( The Glass Enclosed Nerve Center is moving and everything is up for auction. Please give these well-loved items a good home. See photos. [mobile-img]( [alt text here]( [Theater of the Mind: Washington Ear brings live theater to visually impaired]( For 38 years, Metropolitan Washington Ear has assisted visually impaired theatergoers by providing audio descriptions of the action, costumes, sets and lighting via audience headsets. [mobile-img]( [alt text here]( [1 of 2 stolen DC puppies found]( D.C. police said Wednesday afternoon that they’ve found one of the two pit bull puppies that were taken from a woman in Southeast D.C. on Sunday. [mobile-img]( [alt text here]( [Amid mounting need, federal workers go to Maryland food bank]( Furloughed federal workers struggling to pay their bills showed up Wednesday at an emergency food bank in Baltimore to pick up free groceries as the longest government shutdown in U.S. history grinds on. - [DC program aims to help furloughed feds with mortgage payments]( [mobile-img]( [alt text here]( [Maduro faces off with US over Venezuela rival’s power claim]( Juan Guaido, the new leader of the opposition-controlled National Assembly, turned up the heat by declaring himself interim president before a mass of demonstrators in Caracas. [mobile-img]( [alt text here]( [Rising student loan debt has hurt housing market, Fed says]( The nationwide home ownership rate has dropped noticeably since 2005, particularly among young Americans. [mobile-img]( [alt text here]( [Marriott’s old North Bethesda HQ will become a retirement community]( Erickson Living will begin redevelopment of Marriott’s Fernwood Road campus in the Rock Spring neighborhood after Marriott moves. It is getting 775,000 square feet of building space and a nearly 34-acre campus. [mobile-img]( [alt text here]( [Security clearances at risk due to shutdown, warns FBI agents]( An FBI Agent advocacy organization warned in a report that the shutdown is causing financial insecurity among agents, which may endanger their security clearances. At least one lawmaker has expressed similar concerns. Sponsored by Nutanix [mobile-img]( [alt text here]( [Why a mindset change is needed to deal with the IT rebellion]( Nutanix CEO Dheeraj Pandey said velocity and agility requirements are causing agencies to change their technology delivery models through cloud and hyper-convergence. [mobile-img]( [alt text here]( [Chinchillas, hedgehogs and hermit crabs now legal pets in Fairfax County]( The pet debate began in Fairfax County in 2001 with the question of whether domestically bred African pygmy hedgehogs and hermit crabs should be considered pets. [mobile-img]( [alt text here]( [Boy in critical condition after being shot in Landover home]( Police said two boys were in one room when the boy was shot in the upper body, while an adult was in another room. [mobile-img]( [alt text here]( [DC program aims to help furloughed feds with mortgage payments]( Mayor Muriel Bowser and the D.C. Housing Finance Agency on Wednesday announced a program that will make zero-interest recourse loans available to D.C. federal workers. [mobile-img]( [alt text here]( [Small businesses struggle as shutdown turns L’Enfant Plaza into ‘ghost town’]( Since the partial government shutdown began more than a month ago, the cash registers at these small businesses at L'Enfant Plaza have gone quiet. One business owner said she does not know how to pay the big rent by the end of this month. [mobile-img]( [alt text here]( [Michael Cohen’s House testimony postponed, citing Trump ‘threats']( It has been Cohen’s intention to testify, but he has had reservations — and vacillated — because of concerns for his family given the Trump and Giuliani statements, a source said. Sponsored by Air Force Band [mobile-img]( [alt text here]( [Don’t miss this free concert, hosted by the Air Force Band]( If you enjoy the classical music and concert scene, don’t miss the free, fifth annual Collegiate Symposium concert, hosted by the Air Force Band, on Saturday, Feb. 2, 2018, in Alexandria, Virginia. FEDERAL NEWS NETWORK [alt text here]( [Coast Guard retirees will miss upcoming benefits if shutdown continues through January]( By the end of January, the government shutdown may impact a group that’s usually untouched from the severe impacts of a lapse in appropriations: Coast Guard military retirees. This email and the accompanying website are not intended for users located within the European Economic Area. 3400 Idaho Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20016 Unsubscribe | View this email in your browser If you believe this has been sent to you in error, please safely [unsubscribe](.