Good morning. Here's what happened overnight and what you need to know today.
1.
Preference for Pauline: One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has overtaken Opposition Leader Sussan Ley as preferred prime minister according to exclusive new polling, which comes as Liberal MPs weigh up a move against their embattled leader. Tuesday’s Capital Brief/DemosAU poll finds Ley (16%) trailing Hanson (26%) as preferred prime minister, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese comfortably ahead with 39% and 19% undecided. It is the first nationwide poll to include Hanson in the preferred prime minister metric since her party drew level with the Coalition on primary votes last month, a trend first revealed in an earlier DemosAU poll. The Capital Brief/DemosAU poll was conducted before last week’s chaos in federal parliament, which intensified speculation that Liberal MPs will move to oust Ley in coming weeks. It also predates the Coalition split late on 21 January, meaning the 21% primary vote attributed to the former Coalition is now divided between the Liberals and Nationals. (Capital Brief)
2.
Partial shutdown: Donald Trump said he may reduce the number of federal agents in Minnesota if state leaders increase cooperation with immigration enforcement, following what Governor Tim Walz described as a “productive” call. After the call, the US president said he and Walz “actually” seemed to be on a “similar wavelength”. The apparent shift came after federal officers fatally shot 37-year-old US citizen Alex Pretti during a protest in Minneapolis on Saturday in the second such killing this month. That sparked nationwide demonstrations, legal action and calls for de-escalation from more than 60 CEOs. Walz’s office said Trump agreed to consider working “in a more coordinated fashion” and look into lowering agent numbers. The federal operation has deployed over 3,000 federal agents since December and is now being challenged in court by Minnesota and the cities of Minneapolis and St Paul. The judge weighing the request to pause the immigration crackdown has called the case “shockingly unusual” and said she would move quickly. Pretti’s shooting also prompted Democrats to oppose funding for the Department of Homeland Security, increasing the risk of a partial government shutdown by the end of the week. Meanwhile, Trump sent White House border czar Tom Homan to Minnesota, signalling tensions with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who has led the operation and labelled both shootings acts of domestic terrorism within hours. (WSJ)(Reuters)(AP)
