McCain gave file alleging secret Trump-Russia contacts to FBI

Senator John McCain passed documents to the FBI director, James Comey, last month alleging secret contacts between the Trump campaign and Moscow and that Russian intelligence had personally compromising material on the president-elect himself. A series of reports on Trump’s relationship with Moscow was drawn up by a former western counter-intelligence official, now working as a private consultant. The documents have been seen by the Guardian, but we have not been able to confirm the veracity of the documents’ contents, and the Trump team has consistently denied any hidden contacts with the Russian government. On Tuesday, BuzzFeed published the documents, which it said were “unverified and potentially unverifiable”, prompting debate. A spokesman for Vladimir Putin said the reports are “utter nonsense”. The documents emerged just 10 days before Trump’s inauguration. Later today, Trump is due to hold his first news conference in nearly six months. Follow our liveblog for updates throughout the day.

John McCain passes dossier alleging secret Trump-Russia contacts to FBI

Confirmation hearings continue with Tillerson and Chao

It’s day two of confirmation hearings for Trump’s cabinet picks. Elaine Chao, his choice for secretary of transportation, and Rex Tillerson, his nominee for secretary of state, will both face questioning. Chao previously served as labor secretary under George W Bush, becoming the first Asian American woman to hold a cabinet position, and is married to the Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell. The nomination of Tillerson, the former ExxonMobil CEO, raised concerns over his ties to Russia and to the oil industry. Writing for the Guardian, Bill McKibben calls Tillerson “big oil personified”. “Making this man secretary of state rewards climate denial, further warps our foreign policy towards oil and does it at the precise moment when every bit of data screams that we should be going in the opposite direction,” McKibben writes. Meanwhile, Alabama senator Jeff Sessions, Trump’s nominee for attorney general, testified on Tuesday. Later today, New Jersey senator Cory Booker is due to become the first sitting senator to testify against another, as the confirmation hearings continue into a second day.

Elaine Chao confirmation hearing for transportation secretary: the key points

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Obama’s farewell speech: ‘Yes we did’

President Obama returned to Chicago on Tuesday to say goodbye, issuing a farewell speech which recounted his time in office and paid an emotional tribute to his wife, Michelle. The mention of her name drew cheers from the crowd, and Obama teared up while thanking her for standing by him through it all. In his 4,300-word speech, Obama dismissed talk of post-racial America as unrealistic, defended the rights of immigrants and Muslim Americans, lambasted those who refuse to accept the science of climate change and warned of the threat posed by “the rise of naked partisanship”, with people retreating into their own self-confirming bubbles. He ended his speech with his famous line: “Yes we can,” he said. “Yes we did.”

‘Yes we did’: Barack Obama lifts America one last time in emotional farewell

Read his speech in full (with annotations from Washington correspondent David Smith)

Dylann Roof sentenced to death



A jury sentenced Dylann Roof to death on Tuesday for the murders of nine black church members during a Bible study in Charleston, South Carolina. Last month, he was convicted of 33 federal charges, including murder and hate crimes. He will be formally sentenced later today. He is the first person to face execution for a federal hate crime conviction.

Dylann Roof sentenced to death for the murders of nine black church members

Samsung heir to be questioned in South Korea bribery case

Lee Jae-yong, Samsung heir and the electronic group’s vice-chairman, is to be questioned as a suspect in a South Korean bribery case that led to the president’s impeachment, prosecutors have said. Lee will be summoned to face questions by investigators looking into whether Samsung bribed Choi Soon-sil, a jailed confidante of President Park Geun-hye. Prosecutors are expected to question Lee on Thursday regarding why Samsung sent corporate funds to Choi, including buying costly horses for her daughter, who was on the national dressage team.

Samsung heir to be questioned as part of South Korea bribery case

First US woman to have ‘intersex’ on birth certificate

Sara Kelly Keenan has soared to international fame in recent weeks after she became the first person in the US to obtain a birth certificate with “intersex” on it. Activists said it’s a groundbreaking moment in the fight for intersex rights that could help pave the way for better recognition and respect for a marginalized group. In a recent interview, Keenan said she decided to go public with her story in part because she recognizes that misconceptions about intersex people can have life-altering and sometimes fatal consequences.

First US woman to have ‘intersex’ on birth certificate: ‘There’s power in knowing who you are’

How did David Beckham shape soccer in the US?

It’s been 10 years since David Beckham left Madrid for California to join the Los Angeles Galaxy. How did his decision shape the game in the US? He raised the profile of Major League Soccer as well as his own. But his loans to other teams during his MLS career, among other things, were looked upon less positively.

A decade on, did David Beckham’s move to MLS make a difference?

George Lucas Museum goes to Los Angeles

Star Wars creator George Lucas and his team chose Los Angeles over San Francisco as the home of a museum that will showcase his life’s work and huge film history collection.

LA wins battle to host Star Wars creator George Lucas’s $1bn museum

… And finally: KFC and facial recognition

KFC has teamed up with Baidu – the search engine company often referred to as “China’s Google” – to develop facial-recognition technology that can be used to predict customers’ orders and make recommendations.

KFC China is using facial recognition tech to serve customers – but are they buying it?