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Developing now, Friday, Jan. 4, 2019

House Democrats pass a plan to reopen the government without funding for President Trump's border wall; congressional leaders are scheduled to meet at the White House Friday to resume negotiations to end the two-week government shutdown

Nancy Pelosi is once again House speaker and Democrats are feeling empowered as the new majority in the House of Representatives. One Republican strategist warns that Dems may be in for a big surprise in their quest to block President Trump's agenda

A longtime NBC News contributor quits, slamming the network as a defender of Washington and lamenting on the current state of journalism

Asian markets appear to have steadied early Friday following Thursday's technology-led selloff on Wall Street after Apple CEO Tim Cook downgraded sales projections

Authorities are investigating a fiery, multivehicle crash that left at least seven people dead and seven others injured in Florida

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THE LEAD STORY – THE WALL BETWEEN TRUMP AND PELOSI: Newly empowered House Democrats late Thursday passed a bill to reopen the government without funding President Trump's border wall ... In a news conference Thursday night, newly-elected House Speaker Nancy Pelosi broadly discussed the ongoing partial government shutdown, which has dragged on since Dec. 22. Even as she said she would be willing to fund border security, Pelosi called a border wall a symptom of an "old way of thinking" and promised not to fund it. "We're not doing a wall. Does anyone have any doubt that we're not doing a wall?" Pelosi told reporters.

Earlier Thursday, President Trump made a surprise appearance in the White House briefing room to congratulate Pelosi on once again becoming House speaker and to stand by his repeated calls to fund a border wall. At the president's request, Pelosi and other congressional leaders are scheduled to return to the White House on Friday morning to resume talks to end the shutdown.

A WARNING TO PELOSI AND HOUSE DEMS: Republican strategist Colin Reed says House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Democrats should not celebrate too long. They are about to be reminded that governing is a lot more difficult than making campaign promises - and Democrats are far from being united ... In an op-ed on FOXNews.com, Reed writes: "House Democrats are about to find out that governing is harder than campaigning. Their majority is paved through 31 districts won by Trump in 2016 that flipped blue in 2018, many of which had resided in the GOP column for generations."

"These red districts are not fertile political ground for the deep blue policies pushed by progressives," Reed continues. "Furthermore, many of these new members of Congress explicitly pledged to oppose Pelosi in order convinces voters of their electability – pledges that are about to be put to the test. Already, the intra-party Democratic fault lines are evident."

ANALYST DISILLUSIONED WITH JOURNALISM AND 'TRUMP CIRCUS': Longtime military analyst William Arkin has stepped down from his role at NBC News with a scathing letter criticizing the current state of journalism as well as President Donald Trump ... Arkin, a U.S. Army veteran who has worked for NBC as a reporter and commentator over the course of three decades, wrote a 2,228-word internal memo obtained by CNN on Wednesday, declaring that the world and the current state of journalism have been in “tandem crisis.” “My expertise, though seeming to be all the more central to the challenges and dangers we face, also seems to be less valued at the moment. And I find myself completely out of synch with the network, being neither a day-to-day reporter nor interested in the Trump circus,” Arkin wrote. - Reported by Joseph A. Wulfsohn

APPLE JITTERS ON WALL STREET: Japanese shares tumbled and Shanghai's benchmark surged Friday as Asian markets steadied following a technology-led sell-off on Wall Street ... The Nikkei 225 index started its first trading day of 2019 by falling more than 3 percent. By midday, it was trading 2.8 percent lower at 19,465.36 as technology and electronics makers slumped. But Hong Kong's Hang Seng jumped 1.3 percent to 25,380.37. The Shanghai Composite rebounded 1.8 percent to 2,509.02.

Friday morning's developments come after U.S. stocks got slammed across the board on Thursday as investors reacted to Apple’s rare guidance cut and amid rising concerns that the U.S. economy may face new headwinds in 2019.

DEADLY PILEUP ON I-75: At least seven people were killed and seven others were injured Thursday in a multivehicle crash on Interstate 75 near Gainesville, Florida, investigators said ... The Florida Highway Patrol said two tractor-trailer rigs and two passenger vehicles were involved in the crash, which unfolded about a mile south of Alachua. Alachua County Fire Rescue reported that flames ignited after 50 gallons of diesel fuel spilled on the highway. Emergency crews extinguished the fire and said they were treating the crash as a homicide investigation, but did not say why. The fire was so intense that authorities said it damaged parts of the road. At one point, the Alachua County Sheriff's Office dispatched a helicopter to look for potential victims in the woods off the highway. - Reported by Samuel Chamberlain

THE SOUNDBITE

THE AMERICAN DREAM - OR NIGHTMARE? - "We're all terrified of being denounced by some mindless ideologue on TV [or] silenced completely by some big tech firm. A mob of angry children is suddenly in charge of the country." – Tucker Carlson, on "Tucker Carlson Tonight," responding to backlash he received on a monologue he gave on Wednesday night on the state of the American family and U.S. economic system. WATCH

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MINDING YOUR BUSINESS

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STAY TUNED

On FOX News:

FOX & Friends, 6 a.m. ET: Special guests include: Reggie Singh, brother of Ronil Singh, the California police officer allegedly killed by an illegal immigrant; Rochelle Ritchie, a political analyst; Liz Peek, a Fox News contributor; Kurt Knutsson, the Cyber Guy; Anthony Scaramucci, the former White House communications director; Lara Trump, a former campaign adviser to President Trump.

The Story with Martha MacCallum, 7 p.m. ET: Lisa Boothe, a Fox News contributor; Caroline Polisi, a legal analyst; Jessica Tarlov, a Fox News contributor.

Hannity, 9 p.m. ET: Gregg Jarrett, Fox News legal analyst; Tammy Bruce, Fox News contributor.

On FOX Business:

Mornings with Maria, 6 a.m. ET: Special guests include: Bryce Doty, senior vice president and senior portfolio manager with Sit Fixed Income; Sean Kelly, SnackNation co-founder and CEO; U.S. Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind.; U.S. Rep. John Garamendi, D-Calif.; Robert Wolf, former economic adviser to President Obama.

Varney & Co., 9 a.m. ET: Larry Kudlow, National Economic Council director; Lara Trump, Trump 2020 senior adviser; U.S. Rep. Jason Smith, R-Mo.; Paul Conway, former Labor Department chief of staff.

Cavuto: Coast to Coast, Noon ET: Anthony Chan, JP Morgan Chase chief economist.

Making Money with Charles Payne, 2 p.m. ET: David Kotok, Cumberland Advisors chairman and chief investment officer; Danielle DiMartino Booth, CEO and director of intelligence at Quill Intelligence; John Lonski, chief economist at Moody's.

After the Bell with Melissa Francis and Connell McShane, 4 p.m. ET: Steve Forbes, Forbes Media chairman; U.S. Rep. Drew Ferguson, R-Ga.

On FOX News Radio:

The FOX News Rundown podcast: Nancy Pelosi is elected Speaker of the House for the second time and the 116th Congress is sworn in, all while the partial government shutdown continues. FOX News' Jared Halpern discusses the stalemate over border wall funding and how both parties will deal with the new year. Washington is still abuzz in the wake of Sen. Mitt Romney's Washington Post op-ed. Lanhee Chen, former policy director for Romney’s 2012 presidential campaign, joins the podcast to discuss. Plus, commentary by "FOX News Sunday" host Chris Wallace.

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: Deroy Murdock on the latest in the government shutdown and border security standoff; Col. C.J. Douglas on President Trump's plans for U.S. troops in Syria and Afghanistan; U.S. Rep. Peter King, R-NY, on the 116th Congress and shutdown talks; Keyshawn Whitehorse on the Professional Bull Riders, Inc. coming to New York City.

The Todd Starnes Show, Noon ET: Todd Starnes speaks with U.S. Rep. Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., about the start of the new Congress and the ongoing government shutdown.

On FOX News Weekend:

Cavuto Live, Saturday, 10 a.m. ET: Apple worries adding to China trade war fears; our market pros break down how bad things will get. U.S Sen. Elizabeth Warren kicks off the 2020 race in Iowa Saturday as some democrats promote big plans for spending; our analysts will debate them. U.S. Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., weighs in on the latest on Capitol Hill as the shutdown continues. National Border Patrol Council President Brandon Judd talks border security days after his appearance with President Trump.

#TheFlashback

1974: President Richard Nixon refuses to hand over tape recordings and documents subpoenaed by the Senate Watergate Committee.

1965: President Lyndon B. Johnson delivers his State of the Union address in which he outlines the goals of his "Great Society."

1904: The U.S. Supreme Court, in Gonzalez v. Williams, rules that Puerto Ricans are not aliens and could enter the United States freely; however, the court stops short of declaring them citizens. (Puerto Ricans would receive U.S. citizenship in March 1917.)

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.

