Welcome to Fox News First. Not signed up yet? Click here.
 
Developing now, Monday, Feb. 4, 2019

TRUMP STANDS FIRM ON WALL, SLAMS 'RIGID' PELOSI: In a wide-ranging interview before the Super Bowl and ahead of Tuesday's State of the Union address, President Trump vowed to win the partisan battle over his long-promised border wall and said Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is "very bad for our country" and "doesn't mind human trafficking" at the border ... "I think that she was very rigid -- which I would expect -- but I think she is very bad for our country," Trump said. "She knows that you need a barrier. She knows that we need border security. She wanted to win a political point."

With the official White House theme for speech being "Choosing Greatness," the president is expected to strike a more conciliatory tone and emphasize unity in his State of the Union address. But he is clearly not backing down from his demand for funding for a border wall. The government is currently funded through Feb. 15 but could be shut down again if a bipartisan group of lawmakers doesn't reach an agreement over a budget, with the border wall a clear sticking point. Both Democrats and Republicans - Trump and Pelosi - remain far apart on that issue. President Trump has repeatedly suggested he will call a national emergency if Congress does not provide funding for a wall.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

SUPER PATRIOTS, NOT-SO-SUPER BOWL: The New England Patriots broke one record and tied another by beating the Los Angeles Rams 13-3, to win the lowest-scoring Super Bowl in history, and match the Pittsburgh Steelers as the NFL's only six-time Lombardi Trophy winners ... The matchup shattered the record of lowest-scoring Super Bowl to date: Super Bowl VII, when Miami Dolphins beat Washington Redskins by a score of 14–7 in January 1973. New England rookie running back Sony Michel scored on a 2-yard run with roughly 7 minutes remaining to give the Patriots a 10-3 lead over the Rams. Kicker Stephen Gostkowski later added a field goal late in the fourth quarter to close out the scoring.

EMBATTLED VIRGINIA GOVERNOR UNDER PRESSURE: Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam reportedly met with top aides Sunday night amid a growing chorus of Democrats calling on him to resign amid the uproar over his alleged appearance in a medical yearbook photo showing one man dressed in blackface and another in a KKK robe ... The Democratic governor so far has refused to resign.

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, left, accompanied by his wife, Pam, speaks during a news conference in the Governor's Mansion in Richmond, Va., on Saturday, Feb. 2, 2019. Resisting widespread calls for his resignation, Northam on Saturday vowed to remain in office after disavowing a racist photograph that appeared under his name in his 1984 medical school yearbook. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

He initially apologized but then denied being in the actual photo. Still, Democrats are concerned the controversy surrounding Northam could provide a distraction as they prepare for the 2020 presidential election and are skeptical that he can continue to effectively lead.

DELIBERATIONS EXPECTED TO BEGIN IN 'EL CHAPO' TRIAL: Jurors in the drug trafficking trial of Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman are expected to begin deliberations Monday in a three-month trial that has seen many twists and turns ... Prosecutors say that as head of the Sinaloa cartel, Guzman oversaw a drug-smuggling empire that flooded the U.S. market with at least 200 tons (181 metric tons) of cocaine and made $14 billion off of it. The defense says cooperating witnesses have made Guzman a scapegoat for their own crimes and have urged jurors not to fall for the "myth" of El Chapo.

EXCLUSIVE: MISSING KENTUCKY MOM TAKEN TO RURAL HOME, POLICE SAY - Savannah Spurlock, the 22-year-old mother who vanished last month, was taken to a home in Kentucky by the three men with whom she was last seen, police revealed Sunday in an exclusive interview with Fox News ... Spurlock, who gave birth to twins in December, was last seen on surveillance video Jan. 4 after leaving the Other Bar in Lexington with three men.

Lt. Col Rodney Richardson, assistant chief of police with the Richmond Police Department, told Fox News that Spurlock's last known location was at a home in Garrard County — located some 40 miles from the bar. “We know that she ended up at a home in Garrard County sometime after leaving the bar with these three men," Richardson said. "They did not know Savannah prior to meeting her at the bar."

THE SOUNDBITE

SOMETHING 'HARD TO COME BACK FROM' - "I think the governor has mishandled this every single step of the way. I don't know how you can on one night admit that you are in the photo and the next day come back and say I only said that because I didn't look at it. That at least suggests to me that for a moment he thought it was possible that it might have been him. That in and of itself is concerning to me." – Mo Elleithee, Democratic political strategist and Fox News contributor, on "Fox News Sunday," on whether Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam can survive the scandal surrounding his alleged appearance in a racist photo in his 1984 medical yearbook.


TODAY'S MUST-READS
'Lone Survivor' director praised for NFL commercial that featured the game's greats.
Facebook @15: It's time to be the parents in the room and hold this greedy, adolescent company accountable.
Liz Peek: Ocasio-Cortez, Warren spout anti-rich rhetoric – It’s proof they don't support the American dream.

MINDING YOUR BUSINESS
Charles Gasparino: Billionaire cable honcho John Malone latest to eye Fox regional sports networks.
Elon Musk posts Starship Raptor rocket engine test.
Trish Regan: Venezuela could see its first female president.
401(k) 'millionaires' see accounts drop to six-figures.
Filing taxes early? Avoid these mistakes.

STAY TUNED

On Fox Nation:

Now available: "The Conservatives" - "[I'm] more conservative than I am Republican," Rush Limbaugh said in “The Conservatives,” explaining how he came to be a conservative growing up in Missouri. Watch a preview of the show now.

Not a subscriber? Click here to join Fox Nation today!

On Fox News:

Fox & Friends, 6 a.m. ET: Special guests include: Doug Wead, presidential historian, on Trump’s upcoming State of the Union address; Mattie Duppler, senior fellow at the National Taxpayers Union and Center for a Free Economy, on "Medicare for All";  U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., on the looming government shutdown; Alveda King, the niece of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., on the Gov. Northam scandal; Carrie Severino, chief counsel and policy director at Judicial Crisis Network, on the brewing showdown over Trump’s choices for three seats on the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.

Your World with Neil Cavuto, 4 p.m. ET: Special guests include: Bernard Whitman, Democratic strategist.

The Story with Martha MacCallum, 7 p.m. ET: Judge Andrew Napolitano, Fox News senior judicial analyst.

Tucker Carlson Tonight, 8 p.m. ET: Tentative guests include, Dave Portnoy, founder of Barstool Sports; Roger McNamee, founder of Elevation Partners; Dr. Marc Siegel, Fox News medical correspondent.

Hannity, 9 p.m. ET: Sean Hannity is Washington, D.C. with a must-see preview of President Trump's State of the Union address! Special guests include: Jeanne Zaino, political science professor at Iona College; Gregg Jarrett, Fox News legal analyst.

On Fox Business:

Mornings with Maria, 6 a.m. ET: Special guests include: U.S. Rep. Michael Burgess, R-Texas.; Karl Rove, former senior adviser and White House deputy chief of staff under President George W. Bush; Lee Carter, president of maslansky + partners.

Varney & Co., 9 a.m. ET: Joe Asher, CEO of William Hill US.

On Fox News Radio:

The Fox News Rundown podcast: Va. Governor Won’t Resign Over Racist Photo -  Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam says he will not resign over his alleged appearance in controversial photo, now saying that he is not depicted in the image. Fox News' Garrett Tenney has the latest update from Richmond, Va. Apple is under pressure to fix a FaceTime application bug that allows users to essentially spy on each other. Shawn Tuma, an attorney who is an expert on data protection, explains why this should not have happened. Plus, commentary by Jonah Goldberg, National Review senior editor and Fox News contributor.

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 include: Daniel Hoffman, Fox News contributor, and former CIA chief of station on on the withdrawal of the U.S. and Russia from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty; Amb. Ryan Crocker on Trump's public rift with his intel chiefs and concerns over the president's foreign policy; Michael Goodwin, New York Post columnist, on how Democrats are leaving Hillary Clinton behind; Bret Baier, "Special Report" anchor, on the top headlines of the day; Dan Shaughnessy, Boston Globe columnist, on the Patriots' victory at Super Bowl LIII.

The Todd Starnes Show, Noon ET: Todd Starnes speaks with Cliff Sims, former special assistant to President Trump and director of White House message strategy, about his book that has even the president tweeting about him. Also, a musical visit from The Singing Contractors!

The Tom Shillue Show, 3 p.m. ET: National security analyst Morgan Ortagus and comedian Tom Cotter discuss President Trump's controversial pre-Super Bowl interview and the big game itself!

Benson & Harf, 6 p.m. ET: Marie Harf sits down for a lengthy interview with Cliff Sims, former Trump administration staffer and author of "Team of Vipers: My 500 Extraordinary Days in the Trump White House." Plus, the news of the day with Chris Stirewalt, Fox News digital politics editor.

#TheFlashback

1999: Amadou Diallo, an unarmed West African immigrant, is shot and killed in front of his Bronx home by four plainclothes New York City police officers. (The officers would be acquitted at trial.)

1997: A civil jury in Santa Monica, Calif., finds O.J. Simpson liable for the deaths of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ronald Goldman.

1974: Newspaper heiress Patricia Hearst, 19, is kidnapped in Berkeley, Calif., by the radical Symbionese Liberation Army.

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