5 Things To Know For Your New Day -- February 2

Trump Had Heated Exchange With Australian PM, Talked ‘Tough Hombres’ With Mexican Leader:

President Donald Trump’s roller coaster ride toward diplomacy continued late Wednesday night with a tweet calling an Obama-era agreement with Australia to accept refugees a “dumb deal.”

During the US President’s call with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull on Saturday, Trump objected to an agreement over the US receiving refugees, sources told CNN. All this a day after a call with Mexico’s President, where a transcript showed Trump complaining about Mexico’s “handling” of “tough hombres.”

Australia is an ally of the United States, with the two countries joining three other English-speaking countries in an intelligence sharing arrangement known as the “Five Eyes.”

Democrats Face Their Powerlessness:

Democrats are spending the opening weeks of the Trump administration trying to flex their muscle any way they can — boycotting confirmation hearings, refusing to work with Republicans on Obamacare and pondering a filibuster of President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court pick.

But as Democrats throw every procedural hurdle they can think of at Trump, they’re facing a bleak reality: they have virtually no power in Washington.

The party has no clear successor to Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton who can speak with one voice for the party. And there is no consensus yet on a strategy to thwart Trump’s legislative agenda — or even how to prioritize the issues they plan to challenge him on.

Beyoncé Is Pregnant With Twins:

The superstar singer posted a photo with her baby bump on Instagram Wednesday to announce the joyful news.

“We would like to share our love and happiness. We have been blessed two times over. We are incredibly grateful that our family will be growing by two, and we thank you for your well wishes. The Carters, ” she posted.

Tamron Hall Leaving NBC In Wake Of Network Canceling Her Hour Of ‘Today’:

Tamron Hall, a regular host on NBC’s “Today” show and MSNBC, is leaving the network later this month.

Her departure was announced on Wednesday after days of contentious contract negotiations.

Hall had been the co-host of the 9 a.m. hour of the “Today” show and a daytime anchor on MSNBC. Last week executives informed Hall and the “Today” staff that the 9 a.m. hour was being canceled to make room for a new program led by former Fox News host Megyn Kelly.

Hall won’t have a chance to say goodbye on the air. “Yesterday was her last day as an anchor on both networks,” NBC said in a statement. “Tamron is an exceptional journalist, we valued and enjoyed her work at ‘Today’ and MSNBC and hoped that she would decide to stay. We are disappointed that she has chosen to leave, but we wish her all the best.”

It is unclear if Hall has another television news job lined up.

Delaware Prison Standoff: Two Employees Still Held Hostage By Inmates:

Two prison employees are still being held hostage at a Delaware correctional facility nearly a day after they were captured by inmates.

Authorities have been trying to negotiate their release from the James T. Vaughn Correctional Center in Smyrna.

On Wednesday, inmates there initially took four employees hostage and released two of them later that day, according to Perry Phelps, the state corrections commissioner.

The all-men’s facility, which is the largest in the state, and was placed on lockdown and surrounded by police as authorities work to free the remaining pair.

“We’ve put all the resources that we have to bear to get our employees out,” said Gov. John Carney in a news conference.

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source: CNN.com

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