State of the Union - live: Women wear white in powerful message as Trump vows to ban late-term abortion

Follow the latest updates as Mr Trump prepares to deliver his second State of the Union address to a divided Congress

State of the Union: Trump asks Congress to end late term abortion

Donald Trump is delivering the second State of the Union address of his presidency, where he has the opportunity to lay out his vision for the last two years of his first term in office and beyond.

With a damaging and politically contentious 35-day government shutdown having just ended in Washington, the president stands before a joint session in the House chamber — where is expected to make sweeping calls for unity in a time of dramatic division and to promote lofty efforts like the eradication of HIV by 2030.

But, Mr Trump’s audience in the House chamber will be noticeably different from his address last year. Flanked behind him and to his left will sit Democrat House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who proved to be a formidable political foil to Mr Trump during those shutdown negotiations last month after her party took control of the lower chamber during the 2018 midterm elections.

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Key Points

• Trump demands deal for border wall: 'Congress has 10 days left'
• Congress cheers for female job growth in moment of party unity
• Trump outlines controversial stance on late-term abortion
• Date and location of next US-North Korea summit announced 

[5 February 2019 16:28 · Joe Sommerlad]

It appears Donald Trump did not consult his top general in the Middle East before making the surprise decision to pull US troops out of Syria, the commander himself has said.

General Joseph Votel told senators rather frankly on Tuesday: "I was not consulted."

Here's Sarah Harvard.

[5 February 2019 16:40 · Joe Sommerlad]

Last week, the US withdrew from the Cold War-era Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty with Russia after the Trump administration accused Moscow of violating the pact’s terms.

Today, Russian president Vladimir Putin has said he supports the creation of new hypersonic land-based missiles now that the old nuclear agreement is out of the way.

Good luck everybody.

[5 February 2019 16:50 · Joe Sommerlad]

On the question of declaring a state of national emergency over the border wall, influential South Carolina senator Lindsay Graham has warned it could spark a "war" among Republicans.

“I’m not very optimistic we’re going to get a deal. It seems to me that he’s going to have to go it alone... But there could be a war within the Republican Party over the wall.”

Tom Embury-Dennis reports.

[5 February 2019 17:00 · Joe Sommerlad]

An opinion piece here from The Independent's Will Gore, who argues the president's message tonight about bridging the divide is pretty rich coming from a man who has done more than anyone to profit from a polarised political landscape.

[5 February 2019 17:08 · Chris Riotta]

Among the Democrats who have announced their own responses to Donald Trump’s State of the Union address include potential 2020 candidate Bernie Sanders and one of the frontrunners in the race thus far, Kamala Harris:

[5 February 2019 17:22 · Chris Riotta]

The Trump International Hotel in Washington will air the 2019 State of the Union address in its “Grand Lobby,” according to an email notice sent to guests and subsequently posted to Twitter by the New York Times’ Maggie Haberman. 

[5 February 2019 17:35 · Chris Riotta]

As Democratic lawmakers announce guests to the 2019 State of the Union address who have been adversely impacted by Donald Trump's hard-line stance on policy issues like immigration and his trans military ban, Iowa Republican Steve King announced on Twitter that he has invited controversial Fox News commentators and pro-Trump influencers, Diamond and Silk. Diamond won their coin toss, apparently, and will be joining the congressman in Washington. 

[5 February 2019 17:50 · Chris Riotta]

Falsities, eye rolls and special guests: Here's what to look out for tonight when the president delivers his second State of the Union address. 

[5 February 2019 18:03 · Chris Riotta]

We're learning more about who House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has invited to tonight's State of the Union address: 

The California Democrat's invitees include Chef José Andrés, DNC Chair Tom Perez, District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser and Fred Guttenberg, whose daughter was killed in the shooting at Majory Stoneman Douglas high school in Florida. 

[5 February 2019 18:24 · Chris Riotta]

As Donald Trump prepares his second State of the Union address to a joint-session of Congress, some folks are reflecting on former President Richard Nixon’s address 45 years ago in which he called for an end to the Watergate scandal.