It’s Monday, Jan. 7, 2019. Thanks for choosing to start here.
1. Americans on food stamps feeling pinch from shutdown
As of this morning, the partial government shutdown is tied for the second-longest in history. If it goes through Friday, it will be the longest.
Meetings over the weekend left both sides wondering if it may stretch on for weeks.
We speak to Danielle Baker, an Oklahoma mother who’s already tightening her family’s food budget because of potential cuts to the SNAP program.
2. Elizabeth Warren brings 2020 pitch to Iowa
Over the weekend, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., held her first public events since launching a presidential campaign exploratory committee last week.
ABC News Deputy Political director MaryAlice Parks and ABC News’ Cheyenne Haslett break down her opening message and preview Joaquin Castro’s upcoming 2020 announcement.
3. Spacey facing arraignment on assault charges
Later today, Kevin Spacey will be arraigned on a charge stemming from allegedly sexually assaulting a then-18-year-old busboy at a restaurant in Nantucket, Massachusetts, in 2016.
ABC News’ Aaron Katersky says Spacey’s legal team will likely seize on the fact that it took the busboy a year to go to police with the allegations.
4. Police make arrests in death of 7-year-old girl
Over the weekend, Houston police charged a 20-year-old man with capital murder in the death of 7-year-old Jazmine Barnes, who died after being shot last week while riding in a car.
Officials now say the shooting may have been a case of “mistaken identity.”
ABC News’ Marcus Moore tells us an anonymous tip helped lead police to the suspect.
Other news:
‘I’ve never seen the line in LaGuardia that bad’: Travelers are frustrated by long lines likely caused by the government shutdown.
‘I can relate’: The president says he understands the difficulties facing furloughed government employees and that “many of those people that won’t be receiving a paycheck, many of those people agree 100 percent with what I’m doing.”
‘Our GREAT MILITARY has delivered justice’: The president says a U.S. airstrike in Yemen indeed killed one of the terrorists involved in bombing the USS Cole in 2000.
‘We understand that our microphones are big and we’re speaking for everyone’: Regina King says she’ll hire more women and so should everyone else in Hollywood at Sunday night’s Golden Globes.
From our partners at FiveThirtyEight:
Kirk Cousins is not better than Joe Montana: In the world of passer rating, Kirk Cousins is better than Joe Montana; Derek Carr and Matt Schaub top Dan Marino; and, after one season, Broadway Sam Darnold is running circles around Broadway Joe Namath.
Last ‘Nightline’:
John Bobbitt on his relationship with Lorena leading up to knife attack: Part 1: John met Lorena, an immigrant from Venezuela, at a Marine Corps ball. After they got married, their relationship started to unravel.
What happened after John Bobbitt’s then-wife cut off his penis: Part 2: After a nine-hour surgery, doctors were able to re-attach Bobbitt’s penis. The incident and resulting trials became one of the most sensational stories covered in the ’90s.
How John Bobbitt feels about his ex-wife Lorena today: Part 3: After the trials, Bobbitt had a short stint as a porn star and says he’s now a treasure hunter. He says that he’s only seen his ex-wife once since her acquittal.
On this day in history:
Jan. 7, 1999 — The Senate trial in the impeachment of President Bill Clinton begins.
The must-see photo:
Artists perform with a member of Kinnar Akhara for transgenders, during a religious procession at the confluence of rivers Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati, as part of Kumbh festival in Allahabad, India. (photo credit: Rajesh Kumar Singh/AP)
For more great photos from around the world CLICK HERE.
Socially acceptable:
A high school student is being commended for an extraordinary act of sportsmanship, going to the mat in a wrestling match against a younger opponent with a physical disability.
All right, you’re off and running. You can always get the latest news on ABCNews.com and on the ABC News app. Details on how to subscribe to the “Start Here” podcast are below. See you tomorrow.
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