World News: What if we told you that Iowa was still counting?

POLITICS 2020

Tuesday, February 4

Democratic presidential candidate former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg takes the stage to address supporters during his caucus night watch party on February 03, 2020 in Des Moines, Iowa. Iowa is the first contest in the 2020 presidential nominating process with the candidates then moving on to New Hampshire.

What if we told you that Iowa was still counting?

Iowa caucus results. Impeachment statements. And State of the Union. (Oh my!)

Just when we thought no more could happen in the politics world, in came Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2020.

We awoke to no reported results from the Iowa caucus. The day progressed with theories on what went wrong in the midwest, while at the Capitol senators shared their final, and often conflicted, thoughts on impeachment. And as the sun sets on what would otherwise be a wild day in government, we gear up for President Donald Trump's State of the Union at 9 p.m. ET.

It's a lot. Let's break it down.

Live caucus results: This just in at 5 pm ET

Former mayor Pete Buttigieg and U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders were in the lead after the first round of Iowa Democratic caucus results were released Tuesday. But results from the state party only accounted for 62% of all precincts across the state's 99 counties, and there was no timeline for when additional results would be reported. They were followed by Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, with former Vice President Joe Biden in fourth place.

But, be mindful, OP readers. It's only about 5:30 pm ET. Stay tuned here.

Oh, Iowa Caucus ...

The caucus system, a staple of the American political process for more than two centuries despite its diminishing role, may have taken a fatal blow Monday with the epic fail in Iowa.

A deeper look at the caucus format. "It's a mess in more ways than one," Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics, expressed. "If this were a primary, we'd have a larger turnout AND the damn results would be known by now."

•	What we know about the smartphone app that was used.
•	What does this mean for Nevada and their caucus app?
•	So, so, so many more questions

After Iowa, will the day make a "Great American Comeback"? Enter: SOTU

President Donald Trump will use Tuesday's State of the Union address to tout his record on the economy and - perhaps - take an early victory lap with the Senate impeachment trial expected to wrap up this week. Trump, who ran on the slogan "Make America Great Again," has dubbed this year's speech "the Great American Comeback."

A few predictions:

•	Aides said Trump will emphasize five themes in the speech: economy, working families, health care, immigration and national security.
•	Will the impeachment be discussed? It's unclear whether "will take the bait and talk about impeachment and the Democratic primary. ... Trump is just so unpredictable. Will he able to stay on script and stay on message?" said Jessica Taylor, the Senate and governors editor at the non-partisan Cook Political Report.
•	There could be moments of awkwardness in the House chamber where he will deliver his speech. Trump will be introduced by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., with whom he has a fraught relationship.

How to watch:

•	Trump is scheduled to begin his speech at 9 p.m. EST. The major television networks (CBS, NBC, ABC and PBS) will air it, as will cable news networks such as Fox News, Fox Business Network, CNN, MSNBC and C-SPAN.
•	The speech will also be live-streamed by those networks and most news organizations, including USA TODAY.

Whether Trump speaks of impeachment or not, the vote is looming

To catch everyone up: Starting at 9:30 a.m. ET this morning, senators were given ten minutes of speaking time to talk on the Senate floor. A handful of senators remain publicly undecided on the final impeachment vote, including Democratic Sen. Doug Jones of Alabama, Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, and Joe Manchin of West Virginia. What was said? To recap:

•	McConnell tells senators: "Vote to protect our institutions. Vote to reject new precedents that would reduce the framers' design to rubble. Vote to keep factional fever from boiling over and scorching our republic. Vote to acquit the president of these charges."
•	Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, slammed the impeachment process as "fraught from the beginning with political aims and partisan innuendos."
•	Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., said, "Failure to convict will send a terrible signal - that this president and any future president can commit crimes against the Constitution and the American people and get away with it."
•	Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Senate Republicans' refusal to call witnesses in the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump "fails the laugh test."
•	Sen. Joe Manchin said he was still undecided on impeachment on Tuesday, telling reporters, "It's a tough situation. It's a tough vote."
•	And, Sen Susan Collins, one of only two Republicans to join Democrats in seeking testimony in the Senate trial, said she would vote to acquit the president in a final vote.