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Developing now, Friday, Jan. 11, 2019

TRUMP'S 'ABSOLUTE RIGHT' AS PRESIDENT: In an exclusive interview with FOX News' Sean Hannity, President Trump said he has "the absolute right to declare a national emergency" if he can't reach an agreement with congressional Democrats to provide funding for his promised wall along the U.S.-Mexico border ... "The law is very clear. I mean, we have the absolute right to declare a national emergency," Trump said. "This is a national emergency, if you look what's happening."

Trump did not lay out a specific timetable for when he might take such a step, saying: "I think we're going to see what happens over the next few days."

The president spoke to FOX News in Texas, on the banks of the Rio Grande, where he visited the border region to argue that a barrier would deter drug and human trafficking into the United States. Back in Washington, Democrats in the Senate on Thursday failed to proceed with House-passed spending bills that would fund the government and end the partial shutdown without new border-wall money.

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SHUTDOWN REALITY SETS IN: Approximately 8,000 federal workers on Friday will face their first payday without a paycheck due to the ongoing government shutdown ... Roughly 420,000 employees have been deemed essential and are working unpaid. An additional 380,000 are staying home without pay. Democratic senators and union leaders led federal workers in rallies at the White House and across the country on Thursday to end the shutdown.

On Thursday afternoon, the Senate passed legislation to provide back pay for federal workers furloughed during the shutdown. According to statistics provided by the Department of Labor, 4,760 federal employees filed for unemployment benefits in the last week of December, an increase of 3,831 from the 929 who applied the week before.

The shutdown, which enters its 21st day Friday, will be the longest in history by this weekend. Most of the government workers received their last paycheck two weeks ago.

Patrick Walsh: The Democratic Party is running on fumes (and Trump knows it)

CNN's Jim Acosta tries to show that walls don't work - and it backfires on him

MISSING WISCONSIN TEEN FOUND ALIVE: Jayme Closs, a teenager who hadn’t been seen since her parents were found dead last October, has been discovered alive and a suspect has been taken into custody, officials said ... Many questions surround Closs, 13, who was found about 70 miles north of where she was last seen. She was discovered Thursday in the town of Gordon in Douglas County, Wis., after she approached a woman who was out walking her dog.

Authorities are planning a news briefing for approximately 10 a.m. local time Friday.

TRUMP'S EX-'FIXER' TO TESTIFY: Michael Cohen, President Trump's former personal attorney, has agreed to testify before the House Oversight and Reform Committee on Feb. 7, almost exactly one month before he starts serving prison time for campaign finance violations, tax evasion and lying to Congress about Trump’s past business dealings in Russia ... In a statement, Cohen said he accepted the invitation to appear from Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., the committee's chairman, "[i]n furtherance of my commitment to cooperate and provide the American people with answers." Cummings said the committee was "in the process of consulting with Special Counsel [Robert] Mueller's office" to ensure that Cohen's scheduled testimony would not interfere with the ongoing investigation into interactions between the Trump campaign and Russian officials.

WILL BEZOS’ DIVORCE AFFECT AMAZON? - The divorce of the world’s richest man, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, and his wife of 25 years, MacKenzie Bezos, could leave the fate of the pair’s massive fortune - and Amazon itself - potentially in the hands of Washington state courts ... TMZ reported Thursday that the couple did not have a prenuptial agreement detailing terms of a possible split. That does not preclude the possibility there was some type of post-nuptial agreement put in place.

Washington state – where the pair live and where Amazon is based – is a community property state, as opposed to an equitable distribution state, like New York. In a community property state, all assets acquired during the marriage are considered marital property and subject to a 50-50 split. That means MacKenzie Bezos could be entitled to half of the entrepreneur’s $137 billion fortune.

Bezos' most prized asset is Amazon. He is Amazon’s largest shareholder with a 16.3 percent stake. If his wife gets half of that ownership, it could change the company’s dynamics.



THE SOUNDBITE

BORDER SWING - "The number one reason they will vote 'for' him is because of his stance on border security" – Brad Parscale, President Trump's 2020 campaign manager, on "The Story with Martha MacCallum," arguing that swing voters are inclined to vote for Trump in the next presidential election because of his crusade for strengthened border security and construction of a wall. WATCH

TODAY'S MUST-READS

James Jay Carafano: America's progressives are so busy extolling virtues of socialism that they want you to ignore THIS.

California church draws backlash for sign: 'Bruce Jenner is still a man.'

Mysterious blue pigment in medieval woman's teeth gives scientists 'bombshell' clue.

MINDING YOUR BUSINESS

Carlos Ghosn indicted on two new charges.

Stocks book five straight days of gains, exit correction territory.

Tax season: Top three changes that may affect you.

Amazon launches ad-supported streaming-video service.

2019 a buyer's market for real estate as millennials buckle down: Trulia.

STAY TUNED

On FOX News:

FOX & Friends, 6 a.m. ET: Special guests include: Paul Blair, director of strategic initiatives at Americans for Tax Reform, talks about tax hikes to expect from Dems; Tomi Lahren, FOX Nation host, talks border wall; Christian Whiton, former State Department adviser, talks about Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s policy speech in Cairo; Diamond & Silk, FOX Nation hosts; Dan Henniger, deputy editor at the Wall Street Journal, on Trump’s chances in 2020.

The Story With Martha MacCallum, 7 p.m. ET: Lawrence Jones, CampusReform.org editor-in-chief and FOX News contributor; Lisa Boothe, FOX News contributor.

Hannity, 9 p.m. ET: A special "Hannity" town hall on border security featuring: Tom Homan, former acting ICE director; Gregg Jarrett, FOX News legal analyst; Mary Ann Mendoza, an "Angel Mom," whose son was killed by an illegal immigrant.

FOX News @ Night, 11 p.m. ET: U.S. Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas.

On FOX Business:

Mornings with Maria, 6 a.m. ET: Special guests include: Neil Dhar, partner and head of financial services at PwC; Marta Tellado, president and CEO of Consumer Reports; Newt Gingrich, former House speaker; U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas.

Varney & Co., 9 a.m. ET: David McIntosh, president of Club for Growth; Bradley Tusk, CEO and founder of Tusk Holdings; Curtis Ellis, former Trump trade and jobs adviser; Matthew Shay, president and CEO of the National Retail Federation

Cavuto: Coast to Coast, Noon ET: Desmond Lachman, former International Monetary Fund official; Ed Conard, former Bain Capital partner.

Making Money with Charles Payne, 2 p.m. ET: Paul Meeks, Wireless Fund portfolio manager; Gene Munster, Loup Ventures managing Partner and tech analyst; Ken Mahoney, Mahoney Asset Management president; Eddie Ghabour, Key Advisers Group co-owner.

Countdown to the Closing Bell with Liz Claman, 3 p.m. ET: Luke Tilley, chief economist at Wilmington Trust; Ken Rogoff, Harvard economics professor.

On FOX News Radio:

The FOX News Rundown podcast: Jared Halpern, FOX News Radio Capitol Hill correspondent, on President Trump's trip to the southern border, and U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., on the government shutdown standoff and the border crisis debate. Don't miss some good news with FOX News' Tonya J. Powers. Plus, commentary by Chris Wallace, host of "FOX News Sunday."

Want the FOX News Rundown sent straight to your mobile device? Subscribe through Apple Podcasts, Google Play, and Stitcher.

The Brian Kilmeade Show, 9 a.m. ET: Guests will include: Radio host Sergio Sanchez on the latest in the border crisis; Dana Perino, host of "The Daily Briefing," on the top news of the day; FOX News 24/7 Headlines' Carley Shimkus on what's trending; Geraldo Rivera on President Trump's visit to the southern border and the shutdown's consequences; U.S. Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., on the shutdown standoff; former NFL running back Merril Hoge and Dr. Peter Cummings discuss their new book "Brainwashed: The Bad Science Behind CTE and the Plot to Destroy Football."

The Tom Shillue Show, 3 p.m. ET: Britt McHenry, co-host of FOX Nation's "UN-PC," and comedian Jimmy Failla join Tom Shillue to look back at the week's biggest stories.

Benson & Harf, 6 p.m. ET: Scott Lincicome, international trade attorney and Scholar at the Cato Institute, talks trade wars and this week's talks between the U.S. and China.

On FOX News Weekend:

Cavuto Live, Saturday, 10 a.m. ET: U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., on what it will take to reopen the government; Mark Morgan, former U.S. Border Patrol chief under President Obama, will tell President Trump to "stay the course" on his fight for a border wall; a live announcement from Julian Castro, former HUD secretary during Obama administration, on his decision about whether he will run for president in 2020.

Justice with Judge Jeanine, Saturday, 9 p.m. ET: Special guests include: Acting ICE Director Ron Vitiello.

Life, Liberty & Levin, Sunday, 10 p.m. ET: Mark Levin is joined by Professor Paul Kengor, executive director of the Center for Vision & Values, to expose media hypocrisy on Russian collusion.

#TheFlashback

2003: Calling the death penalty process "arbitrary and capricious, and therefore immoral," Illinois Gov. George Ryan commutes the sentences of 167 condemned inmates, clearing his state's death row two days before leaving office.

1989: Nine days before leaving the White House, President Ronald Reagan bids the nation farewell in a prime-time address, saying of his eight years in office: "We meant to change a nation and instead we changed a world."

1963: The Beatles' single "Please Please Me" (B side "Ask Me Why") is released in Britain by Parlophone.

FOX News First is compiled by FOX News' Bryan Robinson. Thank you for joining us! Have a good day and weekend! We'll see you in your inbox first thing Monday morning.