Good morning, NBC News readers.
So the results of the Iowa caucuses are... as clear as mud. The State of the Union is tonight and the CDC vows it is prepared for the "unprecedented threat" of coronavirus.
Here's what we're watching this Tuesday morning
Results for Iowa caucuses delayed as state Democratic Party reports 'inconsistencies'
Capping a night of confusion and uncertainty, the Iowa Democratic Party said early Tuesday that it would release the results of the Iowa caucuses later in the day after "manually verifying all precinct results."
The first-in-the-nation voting state was thrown into disarray late Monday after its Democratic Party said there were "inconsistencies" in the reporting of data.
"This is not a hack or an intrusion," said a spokesperson.
- What's next? The Iowa Democratic Party said that it would release results sometime Tuesday after "validating every piece of data we have against our paper trail." Follow our live blog for updates and analysis.
- No winner, no problem: The lack of results didn't stop many of the candidates from essentially delivering victory-like speeches to their supporters as they pushed on to New Hampshire.
- Analysis: So far, there's only one loser in Iowa: The state's Democratic party. The colossal caucus-night technological foul-up will make it harder for the state to justify its prized status as the first in the nation to hold a presidential election contest every four years, NBC's Jonathan Allen writes in a news analysis.
House hears closing arguments in Trump's impeachment trial ahead of State of the Union
Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., used his closing arguments in the president's impeachment trial on Monday to urge the Senate to take a stand against "a man without character."
"We must say enough — enough! He has betrayed our national security, and he will do so again," Schiff told the Senate.
He acknowledged the House managers were unlikely to hit the high bar needed to convict the president, a supermajority of 67 senators.
The senators are expected to vote on the two articles of impeachment on Wednesday.
With his acquittal all but certain, Trump will deliver his State of the Union address in front of a joint session of Congress this evening at 9 p.m. ET. Watch special coverage on NBC, MSNBC and NBCNews.com.
Meantime, a video has emerged that appears to show Trump at a Super Bowl watch party fidgeting and pretending to conduct the band as the national anthem played.
The president famously made an issue of NFL players who kneel when the anthem is played.
Aggressive action necessary to counter the 'unprecedented threat' of coronavirus, CDC says
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday defended what it called "aggressive actions" to control the spread of the new coronavirus in the United States.
While cases of the new coronavirus have been diagnosed in at least two dozen countries, including 11 cases in the U.S., China has by far the greatest number of cases worldwide.
While calling the outbreak in China "explosive" and "unprecedented," the CDC vowed that they are "preparing as if this were the next pandemic."
The death toll from coronavirus in mainland China jumped to at least 425 on Tuesday, with confirmed cases in the country reaching more than 20,000.
Get the latest updates on the outbreak and the global response here.
Want to receive the Morning Rundown in your inbox? Sign up here.
Plus
- Conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh revealed that he's fighting advanced lung cancer.
- Brian Wilson has called on fans to boycott the Beach Boys over a show at a hunting event with Donald Trump Jr.
- A South African court has issued an arrest warrant for former President Jacob Zuma.
- Facebook's Sheryl Sandberg announced that she is engaged.
THINK about it
Jennifer Lopez and Shakira made Super Bowl history. But what about Latino players?
Shopping
Nike's Vaporfly Flyknit sneakers are seemingly so effective at boosting runners’ speed that the international track and field governing body World Athletics considered banning them from certain competitions. Should you get a pair? We asked a podiatrist.
Quote of the day
"We may be witnessing the last Iowa caucus."
— David Plouffe, Barack Obama's 2008 campaign manager, on the challenge Iowa will now face to maintain its vaunted status at the forefront of the presidential nominating contest every four years.
One fun thing
Not so "Lonesome" after all?
Famed Galápagos tortoise Lonesome George’s subspecies might not be extinct after all — researchers are calling the discovery of a surviving female relative "a story of hope" that the giant creature’s legacy lives on.
When Lonesome George, the last known specimen of his kind who was estimated to be more than 100 years old, died in 2012, it marked the extinction of his subspecies.
But now, conservationists working on Ecuador’s Galápagos Islands have discovered a young female tortoise that is partially related to Lonesome George.
Thanks for reading the Morning Rundown.
If you have any comments — likes, dislikes — drop me an email at: petra@nbcuni.com
If you'd like to receive this newsletter in your inbox Monday to Friday, please sign up here.
Thanks, Petra
