Good morning, this is Helen Sullivan bringing you the main stories and must-reads on Monday 7 January. Welcome to the 2019 format – we’ve made a few changes to how we deliver your news each day.

Top stories

Donald Trump has threatened to declare a national emergency over immigration to allow him to build a wall on America’s southern border. As the government shutdown triggered by the president entered its 16th day, Trump threatened to take extraordinary action to bypass Congress, where Democrats are refusing to pass a spending bill that would give him $5.6bn to build his wall. New House speaker Nancy Pelosi has called the wall “an immorality” and refused to fund Trump’s signature election campaign pledge. Meanwhile, key Trump aides may be in legal jeopardy as Democrats give evidence to Robert Mueller.

A young Saudi woman seeking asylum in Australia who is being held in a Bangkok hotel room fears she will be killed by her family if Thai authorities send her back to Saudi Arabia. Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun, 18, said she was abducted on Sunday and had her passport confiscated by Saudi Arabian diplomatic staff on arrival at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi airport. Al-Qunun said she was trying to flee her family, who subjected her to physical and psychological abuse.

Josh Frydenberg has condemned Queensland senator Fraser Anning for attending a rally involving far-right extremists and filming a video alongside its leaders, the convicted criminals Blair Cottrell and Neil Erikson. On Sunday, Anning said he would be charging taxpayers for his return flights to Melbourne, describing his attendance at the rally as “official business”. The treasurer said: “Fraser Anning’s appearance was unacceptable and he should not have participated in this divisive event.” Frydenberg said it was up to the independent parliamentary entitlements authority as to whether it was an official parliamentary duty expense.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest British MPs return to parliament on Monday to start debating Theresa May’s Brexit deal. Photograph: Andy Rain/EPA

World

Theresa May insists a crucial vote on her Brexit deal will go ahead amid growing speculation of a delay. The British prime minister says parliament might be given a greater role in deciding on the UK’s ties with the European Union in future. The UK is due to leave the EU on 29 March.

Malaysia’s King Sultan Muhammad V has stepped down, ending weeks of speculation and following rumours he married a former Miss Moscow in Russia. Sultan Muhammad V’s decision marks the first time a king has abdicated in the Muslim-majority country since Malaysia gained independence from Britain in 1957.

Democratic Republic of the Congo officials have postponed the announcement of the country’s election results. The government has cut internet access across the central African country, which has a population of 80 million, to prevent speculation on social media over the winner.

Saudi courts will notify women by text message when they get divorced, in a new regulation that took effect on Sunday. The measure approved by the justice ministry appears to be aimed at curbing cases of men secretly ending marriages without informing their wives.

Czech MPs will vote on a radical new bankruptcy law this month in response to the country’s growing personal debt crisis. One of the causes of the crisis is the inflating of unpaid accounts with fees and penalties, which became commonplace after a 2001 reform ushering in a system of private bailiffs.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Democrats are now in control of the House of Representatives, under speaker Nancy Pelosi. Photograph: Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images

Opinion and analysis

The Democrats’ control of the House of Representatives will make life harder for Trump, but how much influence will they have? “Do not ever underestimate the influence of Wall Street Democrats, corporate Democrats and the Democrats’ biggest funders,” writes Robert Reich, former US labour secretary and campaigner against widening income inequality. “The Democrats’ moneyed interests resist firmer regulation of Wall Street. They are unlikely to want to repeal the Trump-Republican tax cut for big corporations and the wealthy. When it comes to impeaching Trump, some of the Democrat’s biggest funders worry that such a move might rile markets. They are counselling the House Democratic leadership to be cautious even when it comes to smaller acts of defiance, such as subpoenaing Trump’s tax returns.”

Will 2019 be the year of “digital detoxes”, as people relearn the importance of switch-off times and aeroplane modes? Jamie Bartlett thinks so. “Practically every parent I know is engaged in a strategic war of attrition with an addicted four-year-old over screens, tablets, iPads and smartphones,” he writes. “Last week, to a collective sigh of relief, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health told them to worry less. But on the same day as the Royal College published its research, another study found a link between high social media usage and depression among young people.”

Sport

The Socceroos’ Asian Cup title defence has got off to the worst possible start with a 1-0 defeat to Jordan in Al Ain that leaves Graham Arnold’s side facing an uphill battle to qualify from a competitive Group B.

Heading into the final day of play at the SCG, Australia can only hope to salvage a draw in the fourth Test against India, having been forced to follow on yesterday, when bad light and rain shortened play. The series is lost, and the home side will have to bat the whole day to deny India another victory. Follow our live blog from 9.15am AEDT.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest ‘This is a brief appreciation of a pool – and it is also a cautious tribute to that other kind of space.’ Photograph: AJ Mast/AP

Thinking time: Ode to a pool

“This is a brief appreciation of a pool – and it is also a cautious tribute to that other kind of space,” writes Ronnie Scott, who has been swimming at a famous-but-unnamed gym and pool for years. “When B moved to our city from another state, I took her to the pool on a burning summer’s day,” Scott writes. “We climbed up on the bleachers. That night her husband called me and said, ‘Did you take my wife cruising at the pool today?’

“This is one of the pool’s uses, especially on the bleachers, which transform, depending on the crowd and time of day, between a place to lie down and soak up the sunshine and a place for men to gossip, hang out with their mates and put on performances that could be classed as cruising – but in the friendliest, least edgy, most straight-friendly possible way. It would be achievable – if improbable – to miss them totally. It would be improbable – but achievable – to take someone home for the day. It’s enough to make you wonder about the difference between cruising and looking, and whether it’s just a matter of who happens to be in the space.”

Media roundup

Coalition MPs and security experts are warning that delays in addressing fuel stockpiles mean Australia would be “dangerously exposed” if a major geopolitical upheaval disrupts export supply routes, the Australian reports. The Sydney Morning Herald says Sydney rail commuters are facing increased delays due to a reliance on old trains in “poor condition”. “Click Click Boom” goes the Daily Telegraph’s headline, with a story on New South Wales’s highest-earning speed and red light cameras and “strange” fluctuations in their revenue month to month.

Coming up

Nicole Kidman, Yvonne Strahovski and Troye Sivan are the Australians nominated for this year’s Golden Globes, which kick off from 11am AEDT.

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