Trump news – live: Conservative firebrand and Trump ally Rush Limbaugh dies

After his surprise call into Fox News today to remember Rush Limbaugh, Donald Trump is reportedly appearing on the trifecta of media; Newsmax, One America News and his old mate over at Fox, Sean Hannity.

He is expected to begin on Newsmax with Greg Kelly at 7pm EST and end with Sean Hannity at 9pm EST, with Jenn Pellegrino didn’t confirm what time Trump would join OAN but it may be in that 8pm hour sandwiched in the middle.

Former Texas Governor Rick Perry said that Texans would rather continue to freeze in their homes without electricity than to allow the federal government more involvement in the state’s energy grid.

“Texans would be without electricity for longer than three days to keep the federal government out of their business,” Mr Perry said on a blog on House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s website.

Mr McCarthy said the comment was “partially rhetorical.”

The comment comes as millions of Texans are without power during an unprecedented winter storm dropping temperatures to single digits.

Several animals, including a chimpanzee and several monkeys, died at an animal sanctuary in Texas after the power cut off during Winter Storm Uri.

The storm, which has caused temperatures to nosedive as far south as San Antonio, Texas, has caused power outages across southern US states as the power grids are struggling to cope with the increased demand.

Governor Greg Abbott said natural gas companies were banned from exporting fuel outside of Texas for the next four days as the state attempts to restore power amid an unprecedented winter storm.

Abbott said during a media conference that companies had been shipping natural gas to other locations, but that he issued an order effective until 21 February to sell to Texas power generators to increase energy in the grid.

Here is his full comment:

“Some natural gas produced in Texas, and this is, I’m about to tell you a way in which we will be adding more power to our system, some natural gas produced in Texas, is currently being shipped to locations outside of the state. I have, earlier today, issued an order effective today, through 21 February requiring those producers that have been shipping to locations outside of Texas, to instead sell that natural gas to Texas power generators, that will also increase the power that is going to be produced and sent to homes here in Texas.”

A Florida restaurant has gone viral after it placed a bold sign regarding its stance on face masks amid the pandemic in its front window.

Beckyjack’s Food Shack in Hernando County, Florida posted a photo of their welcome sign on Facebook which reads: “FACE DIAPERS NOT REQUIRED! EVERYONE WELCOME.”

Alongside the photo, which was posted on Valentine’s day, the restaurant wrote: “A friendly reminder that we DO NOT require Face Masks.”

Kayleigh McEnany clashed with her old foes CNN on Twitter after being heavily criticised for her Joe Biden tweet.

Jake Tapper told his 3.3 million followers that Ms McEnany’s was spreading QAnon conspiracy theories over her tweet-quoting Joe Biden saying he loves “kids better than people”.

“I tweeted this revealing, bizarre quote from Joe Biden that underscores his horrific pro-choice, anti-child policies that have dehumanized life (Mexico City policy etc.) cc:@jaketapper your source should put her name on the record if she claims to know the intent of my tweets,” McEnany responded.

Tapper, it appears, took McEnany to mean something else entirely.

Joe Biden is meeting with Richard Trumka after the leader of the prominent labour union seemingly split from the president over his handling of the Keystone XL pipeline, which was cancelled on Biden’s first day in the Oval Office.

“I wish he hadn’t done that on the first day,” AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka told journalist Jonathan Swan on Axios on HBO. “I wish he had paired that more carefully with the thing that he did second, by saying here’s where we’re creating jobs.”

The decision is estimated to have cost 1,000 union jobs, and 10,000 more in construction created by the project.

According to the White House press pool, Biden says the US ranks 38th in the world in terms of infrastructure, everything from canals to highways to airports, and the country needs to do everything it can be competitive in the 21st Century.

Everything, that is, except the Keystone XL pipeline.

“Every once in a while as president, you get to invite close friends into the Oval….A lot of these folks have been my friends for a long, long, long time. As they say in parts of my state, these are the folks that brung me to the dance,” Biden said.

Asked by the White House press pool about his call with he Israeli prime minister, Joe Biden gave the standard response that it was a “good conversation”.

President Biden and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu have finally had their first phone call, after a conspicuous month of no official contact between the two leaders and allies.

Mr Netanyahu confirmed the call on Wednesday, and wrote on Twitter, “The conversation was very friendly and warm and lasted about an hour.”

The Israeli PM was Donald Trump’s third call after taking office.

Josh Marcus has the story.

A mass shooting has left at least seven people wounded at a station in Philadelphia, police say.

The gunman opened fire near the SEPTA station in the Olney area of the city at around 2.50pm ET, according to reports.

Two of the victims were shot in the back, one was shot in the ankle, another in the leg and another was shot in the arm, reports NBC10 Philadelphia.

Philadelphia police say they do not have information on the wounds of two of the victims, or any of their conditions.

Graeme Massie is following the story as it unfolds.