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Trump says he plans to expand US travel ban

President Donald Trump said he plans to add countries to his existing travel ban to bar more foreign nationals from entry into the US.

The current ban – signed by Mr Trump two years ago – closed US borders to citizens from seven countries, most with Muslim majorities.

Libya, Iran, Somalia, Syria, Yemen, North Korea and Venezuela are affected.
Countries from Europe, Africa and Asia are being considered for the expanded order, according to US media.

Mr Trump confirmed that more countries will be added.
“You see what’s going on in the world, our country has to be safe,” he told reporters at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on Wednesday.
He gave no further details on which countries would be targeted or how many, but said that the information would be released “very shortly”.

The expanded list, first reported by Politico, may include Belarus, Myanmar (also known as Burma), Eritrea, Kyrgyzstan, Nigeria, Sudan and Tanzania. Different versions of this list have been considered among the administration for weeks, US media said.

Reports of the expanded ban come just after the three-year anniversary of the initial order.

The controversial ban, signed by the president seven days after he took office in January 2017, initially excluded travellers from seven majority-Muslim countries. The list was modified following a series of court challenges and now restricts some citizens of Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria, Yemen, Venezuela and North Korea.

Muslim students on Trump ban: ‘I don’t belong here’

In June 2018, the Supreme Court upheld Mr Trump’s ban, rejecting findings from lower courts that deemed the ban unconstitutional.

White House spokesman Hogan Gidley said in a statement that the administration had no new planned announcements related to the ban, which he described as “profoundly successful in protecting our country and raising the security baseline around the world”.

“Common sense and national security both dictate that if a country wants to fully participate in U.S. immigration programs, they should also comply with all security and counter-terrorism measures,” Mr Gidley says. “Because we do not want to import terrorism or any other national security threat into the United States.”

Critics of the ban have noted that major attacks such as the 9/11 New York attacks, the Boston marathon bombing and the Orlando nightclub attack were carried out by people from countries not on the list or by US-born attackers.

And unlike the initial list, the possible additions include countries with a strong relationship to the US. Nigeria, for example, is a counter-terrorism partner for the US.

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Trump says US ready to strike 52 Iranian sites if Tehran attacks

Donald Trump

President Trump warned Iran not to strike Americans or US assets

President Trump has warned the US is “targeting” 52 Iranian sites and will strike “very fast and very hard” if Tehran attacks Americans or US assets.

The president’s remarks followed the US assassination of Qasem Soleimani, a top Iranian general, in a drone strike.

Soleimani’s killing was a major escalation between the two nations, and Iran vowed to take “severe revenge”.

Writing on Twitter, Mr Trump accused Iran of “talking very boldly about targeting certain USA assets”.

He said the US had identified 52 Iranian sites, some “at a very high level & important to Iran & the Iranian culture”, and warned they would be “HIT VERY FAST AND HARD” if Tehran struck at the US.

The president said the targets represented 52 Americans who were held hostage in Iran for more than a year from late 1979 after they were taken from the US embassy in Tehran.

Shortly after the president’s tweets were posted, the website of a US government agency appeared to have been hacked by a group calling itself “Iran Cyber Security Group Hackers”. A message on the American Federal Depository Library Programme site read: “This is a message from the Islamic Republic of Iran.

“We will not stop supporting our friends in the region: the oppressed people of Palestine, the oppressed people of Yemen, the people and the Syrian government, the people and government of Iraq, the oppressed people of Bahrain, the true Mujahideen resistance in Lebanon and Palestine, [they] will always be supported by us.”

The web page contained a doctored image of President Trump, depicting him being hit in the face and bleeding at the mouth. “This is only small part of Iran’s cyber ability!” read text on the site.

What happened earlier on Saturday?

Mr Trump’s tweets followed a huge funeral procession for General Soleimani held in Baghdad, where he was killed in a targeted drone strike on Friday as he left the airport in a convoy. Mourners waved Iraqi and militia flags and chanted “death to America”.

Thousands took to the streets of Kerman to mourn Gen Soleimani, a popular figure in Iran

Several rocket attacks shook the area shortly after the procession, including one in the Green Zone near the US embassy. The Iraqi military said nobody had been hurt.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the rocket attacks. Pro-Iranian militants have been blamed for other recent attacks.

Soleimani’s body arrived back in Iran on Sunday, the country’s IRIB news agency reported.

Analysis box by Jonathan Marcus, defence correspondent

With Iran already threatening harsh reprisals for the killing of the Quds Force commander, President Trump has clearly determined that the best way to de-escalate is to raise the stakes in advance, making clear what will happen if Tehran follows through on its threats.

The Trump tweet is curious in many ways – not least the symbolic mention of 52 Iranian targets being held at risk – a reference to the 52 US hostages seized in the US Embassy in Tehran back in November 1979.

His mention of targets important “to the Iranian culture” suggests a much wider target list than just leadership, military or economic sites.

President Trump is struggling to establish some kind of deterrence. But the ball is now very clearly in Iran’s court and it is very hard to see how Tehran can fail to act.

Mr Trump has pursued a contradictory policy ever since he abandoned the nuclear agreement with Tehran – increasing economic pressure, threatening military action, but actually doing very little, even when Iran shot down a sophisticated US drone and struck oil installations in Saudi Arabia.

Above all, he has repeatedly underscored his and Washington’s fatigue with its military involvement in the region. This as much as anything else has undermined US deterrence, something Mr Trump is now seeking, belatedly, to restore.

Why did the US kill Soleimani?

General Soleimani was widely seen as the second most powerful figure in Iran, behind Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The 62-year-old spearheaded Iran’s Middle East operations as head of the elite Quds Force, and was hailed as a heroic national figure.

But the US branded the commander and the Quds Force terrorists, holding them responsible for the deaths of hundreds of US personnel.

Speaking on Friday afternoon, President Trump said Soleimani was “plotting imminent and sinister attacks” on US diplomats and military personnel in Iraq and elsewhere in the region.

Qasem Soleimani
Soleimani was seen as the second most powerful figure in Iran

The general was killed by an air strike at Baghdad airport early on Friday, on the orders of President Trump. The president said the action was taken to stop, not start, a war.

Iran’s Ayatollah Khamenei said “severe revenge awaits the criminals” behind the US attack. Soleimani’s death would double “resistance” against the US and Israel, he added.

Iraqis are also mourning the death of Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, an Iraqi who commanded the Iranian-backed Kataib Hezbollah group and was killed along with Soleimani.

The group issued a warning to Iraqi security forces to “stay clear of American bases by a distance not less [than] 1,000m (0.6 miles) starting Sunday evening”, al-Mayadeen TV reported.

In response to Iranian threats of revenge, the US has sent 3,000 more troops to the Middle East and advised its citizens to leave Iraq.

Democrats warn of ‘dangerous escalation’ with Iran and question whether Trump has a plan

On Saturday the White House sent the US Congress formal notification of Friday’s drone strike – in line with a 1973 law that states the administration must alert Congress within 48 hours of committing armed forces to immediate or imminent military action.

It was expected to clarify the authority under which the strike was launched, and the expected type and duration of military involvement. The notification is classified.

Nancy Pelosi, the top Congressional Democrat, said it “prompts serious and urgent questions about the timing, manner and justification of the administration’s decision to engage in hostilities against Iran”.

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Kim Campbell on Wexit, climate change and the Conservatives’ election loss

Kim Campbell

Kim Campbell“It’s just nuts.”

Former prime minister Kim Campbell calls Wexit — the Alberta separatist movement that gained steam after the federal election — a dead end.

“That is a slogan designed to make people mad,” she said in an interview with Global News airing on Monday evening.

“It’s designed to create unnecessary division, anger, resentment. That is not how grown-up people address the problems.”

Campbell was first elected federally in 1988, representing a Vancouver riding. She also served as justice and defence minister under Progressive Conservative Prime Minister Brian Mulroney.

As a member of Parliament, she said she learned from colleagues who came from different parts of the country with different priorities and problems.

In the current political climate, she is concerned about leaders who deliberately play on division as a political strategy to make people mad and exaggerate grievances and spread false information.

Canada, she said, is too good for that.
​
“When I was a young woman and I discovered I could move people when I spoke, it frightened me because I grew up after the war and I would say to my mother, you know, how did Hitler come to power? And she said that it was a very charismatic order,” she said.

Campbell said politicians have to have respectful “adult conversation” about difficult issues like western alienation, climate change and equalization payments — but that can’t happen if the discussion starts from a position of hostility.

“In a sense, Canada is a solution looking for a problem. We’re a hugely successful country, but we’re a complex country. We’re a huge country. And we’re always going to have issues we have to resolve,” she said.

One such issue is climate change.

“The carbon lobby has been so successful in trying to create a sense of uncertainty,” she said.

“The scientists have tended to kind of downplay or to focus on the best-case scenario because they’ve been attacked so much. The problem is that now the changes [are] taking place faster than we’ve anticipated and we can’t not deal with it.”

Campbell thinks the Conservatives’ stance on climate change was a factor in their election loss. Andrew Scheer’s party secured 121 seats in the October vote, but the Liberals captured more support — enough to form a minority government.

Campbell also accused the Conservative Party of lacking vision and collaboration. Some voices within the party are not being heard, she said, leaving former Progressive Conservatives “not quite sure where to go.”

“What’s concerning about Andrew Scheer is that this lack of clarity, this unwillingness to sort of come out and say [his position], even if that isn’t the position that your party will necessarily take,” she said.

She said the next Conservative leader needs to be brave and bring people together to find solutions to complex problems.

“You know, we are dealing with difficult issues. This is not a time to be calculating and triangulating and trying to avoid any kind of tough positions. We need strength. We need to tackle the issues,” she said, referencing climate change and a resurgence in authoritarianism abroad.

Campbell has been a strong critic of U.S. President Donald Trump. In August, she apologized after facing backlash for tweeting that she hoped hurricane Dorian would hit Trump’s Florida resort, Mar-a-Lago.

Some have criticized her for not being prime ministerial on social media.

First of all, she said, she’s not prime minister anymore.

Asked whether being a woman means she faces increased scrutiny, Campbell said there are people out there who disagree with her and will use “whatever they can”— whether it’s gender or the length of time she served as prime minister.

“Well, if I was only prime minister for two minutes, it can’t bother you terribly if I make my views known,” she said.

Campbell said she deleted her Twitter app in September to focus on a project and thought she would re-install it, but still hasn’t. She said she’s happier and has less anger and anxiety but said she will also call out issues that concern her.

“And I am very worried about what’s happening to the world,” she said. “And I care about it.”

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Trump impeachment inquiry: New claims amid public hearing

Trump

TrumpA top US diplomat told impeachment hearings that President Trump directly asked about a Ukrainian investigation into his Democratic rival Joe Biden.

In previously unheard testimony, Bill Taylor, the acting US ambassador to Ukraine, said a member of his staff was told Mr Trump was preoccupied with pushing for a probe into Mr Biden.

He was speaking at the first public hearings in the impeachment inquiry.

Mr Trump told reporters he did not recall making such comments.

Mr Trump is accused of withholding US military aid to Ukraine in order to pressure the country’s new president to publicly announce a corruption inquiry into Mr Biden, among the favourites to take him on in the 2020 presidential race.

Mr.  Trump denies any wrongdoing and has called the inquiry a “witchhunt”.

What did Trump allegedly ask about?

During a detailed opening statement, Mr Taylor said a member of his staff had overheard a telephone call in which the president inquired about “the investigations” into Mr Biden.

The call was with Gordon Sondland, the US ambassador to the European Union, who reportedly told the president over the phone that “the Ukrainians were ready to move forward”.

After the call, the staff member “asked ambassador Sondland what President Trump thought about Ukraine”, Mr Taylor said.

Mr Taylor said: “Ambassador Sondland responded that President Trump cares more about the investigations of Biden.”

When asked about Mr Sondland earlier this month, the president had said: “I hardly know the gentleman.”

Responding to queries from reporters after the hearing, Mr Trump said: “I know nothing about that, first time I’ve heard it.”

He said he recalled Mr Sondland’s testimony, in which the diplomat said he spoke to the president “for a brief moment” and Mr Trump had “said no quid pro quo under any circumstances”.

Mr Sondland he did not recall the phone call Mr Taylor described, “not even a little bit”, and “in any event it’s more second hand information”, he said.

The impeachment inquiry has been going on for more than a month – but all previous hearings were private, with reports based on leaks and sources speaking to the media.

Wednesday’s public hearings were the first time the public heard from witnesses directly and a chance for Democrats and Republicans to win over voters.

Why the new information matters

This has the potential to be a major twist. Although there have been reports of Mr Sondland’s direct line to the president, there has yet to be evidence tying Mr Trump directly to the alleged quid pro quo.

The phone call Mr Taylor described could change all that.

In the middle of Wednesday’s hearing, the House Intelligence Committee announced a new witness scheduled to give a closed-door deposition on Friday, an aide named David Holmes – reportedly the aide Mr Taylor mentioned.

Next week, Mr Sondland himself is scheduled to testify during public hearings.

If either of these two men support Mr Taylor’s account, it could undercut the president’s defenders who have suggested that Mr Trump was not closely involved in the activities of the “unofficial” channel of Ukraine policy, as Mr Taylor called it, which was pressuring Ukraine to open up investigations into the Bidens.

Democrats have reason to be pleased, while the president’s team has a new set of headaches.

What else happened at the hearing?

Wednesday’s hearing began with testimony from George Kent, a top US diplomat charged with overseeing European affairs.

He told the committee that President Trump’s private lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, ran a “campaign to smear” the US ambassador to Ukraine, Marie Yovanovitch, before she was recalled from her post.

Meanwhile, much of Mr Taylor’s other testimony repeated evidence he gave to private Congressional impeachment hearings, but he added new detail to the accounts in the public domain.

The career diplomat, who has served under Republican and Democratic presidents, reiterated his understanding that the Trump administration threatened to withhold military aid from Ukraine unless the Ukrainian president agreed to publicly announce an investigation into Mr Biden.

He testified that he told Mr Sondland and Kurt Volker, previously the US special envoy to Ukraine, that it would be “crazy” to withhold security assistance for the sake of domestic politics.

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Whistleblower attorney defends ‘coup’ tweet

Donald Trump

Donald TrumpMark Zaid, the attorney for the Ukraine call whistleblower, on Thursday defended a series of tweets from 2017 in which he predicted a “coup” against President Trump and promised to “get rid of him” — saying in a statement the tweets referred to “a completely lawful process.”

Shortly after the publication of a Fox News article Wednesday highlighting the stream of anti-Trump tweets, Trump himself lambasted Zaid during a rally in Louisiana, calling the attorney “disgraceful.”

‘COUP HAS STARTED,’ WHISTLEBLOWER’S ATTORNEY SAID IN 2017 POSTS CALLING FOR IMPEACHMENT

After tweeting lightheartedly about the controversy Wednesday night, Zaid sent Fox News a formal statement Thursday in which he said the social media posts were written with the belief that Trump would likely be “stepping over the line” at some point during his presidency.

“Those tweets were reflective and repeated the sentiments of millions of people,” Zaid said. “I was referring to a completely lawful process of what President Trump would likely face as a result of stepping over the line, and that particularly whatever would happen would come about as a result of lawyers. The coup comment referred to those working inside the Administration who were already, just a week into office, standing up to him to enforce recognized rules of law.“

The statement comes as Trump pointed to those 2017 statements in arguing the impeachment inquiry touched off by the whistleblower’s complaint should be ended.

“Based on the information released last night about the Fake Whistleblowers attorney, the Impeachment Hoax should be ended IMMEDIATELY!” Trump tweeted. “There is no case, except against the other side!”

The anonymous whistleblower filed the complaint earlier this year about Trump’s July 25 phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in which he asked for Zelensky to assist in the investigations of alleged Democratic activities during the 2016 election, as well as former vice president Joe Biden and his son Hunter, particularly Hunter Biden’s business dealings with Ukrainian energy company Burisma Holdings. The related impeachment inquiry has focused on whether Trump tried to pressure Zelensky into taking part in the investigations, and if military aid or a White House visit were used as leverage.

Zaid has been critical of Trump since the start of the administration.

AT LOUISIANA RALLY WEDS NIGHT, TRUMP QUOTES FOX NEWS ARTICLE ON ‘SLEAZEBALL’ WHISTLEBLOWER ATTY 

As Fox News reported Wednesday, Zaid tweeted less than two weeks into Trump’s presidency that a “#coup has started” and that “#impeachment will follow ultimately.”

On Feb. 5, 2017, still less than a month into Trump’s term, Zaid said, “Every day that goes by brings us closer to impeachment.”The following week, in response to an accusation that Zaid had taken sides against the president, the attorney was completely transparent in his animus.

“100%. I’m not hiding anything,” he tweeted. “Anti-Trump. Worst presidential choice in modern history. Not a repub or dem issue.”

Then, in July 2017, Zaid remarked, “I predict @CNN will play a key role in @realDonaldTrump not finishing out his full term as president.” Also that month, Zaid tweeted, “We will get rid of him, and this country is strong enough to survive even him and his supporters.”

“I’m not a Trump fan,” Zaid said on a podcast last year. “I go out of my way on Twitter to say ‘#Resistance.’ It’s not a resistance against the GOP or a Republican — I don’t think [Trump] is a Republican, quite frankly.” (Zaid also boasted that he has sued “every” president since 1993, and pursues “them all,” regardless of party affiliation.)

Mark Zaid, the attorney for the Ukraine call whistleblower, on Thursday defended a series of tweets from 2017 in which he predicted a “coup” against President Trump and promised to “get rid of him” — saying in a statement the tweets referred to “a completely lawful process.”

Shortly after the publication of a Fox News article Wednesday highlighting the stream of anti-Trump tweets, Trump himself lambasted Zaid during a rally in Louisiana, calling the attorney “disgraceful.”

‘COUP HAS STARTED,’ WHISTLEBLOWER’S ATTORNEY SAID IN 2017 POSTS CALLING FOR IMPEACHMENT

After tweeting lightheartedly about the controversy Wednesday night, Zaid sent Fox News a formal statement Thursday in which he said the social media posts were written with the belief that Trump would likely be “stepping over the line” at some point during his presidency.

“Those tweets were reflective and repeated the sentiments of millions of people,” Zaid said. “I was referring to a completely lawful process of what President Trump would likely face as a result of stepping over the line, and that particularly whatever would happen would come about as a result of lawyers. The coup comment referred to those working inside the Administration who were already, just a week into office, standing up to him to enforce recognized rules of law.“

The statement comes as Trump pointed to those 2017 statements in arguing the impeachment inquiry touched off by the whistleblower’s complaint should be ended.

“Based on the information released last night about the Fake Whistleblowers attorney, the Impeachment Hoax should be ended IMMEDIATELY!” Trump tweeted. “There is no case, except against the other side!”

The anonymous whistleblower filed the complaint earlier this year about Trump’s July 25 phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in which he asked for Zelensky to assist in the investigations of alleged Democratic activities during the 2016 election, as well as former vice president Joe Biden and his son Hunter, particularly Hunter Biden’s business dealings with Ukrainian energy company Burisma Holdings. The related impeachment inquiry has focused on whether Trump tried to pressure Zelensky into taking part in the investigations, and if military aid or a White House visit were used as leverage.

Zaid has been critical of Trump since the start of the administration.

AT LOUISIANA RALLY WEDS NIGHT, TRUMP QUOTES FOX NEWS ARTICLE ON ‘SLEAZEBALL’ WHISTLEBLOWER ATTY 

As Fox News reported Wednesday, Zaid tweeted less than two weeks into Trump’s presidency that a “#coup has started” and that “#impeachment will follow ultimately.”

On Feb. 5, 2017, still less than a month into Trump’s term, Zaid said, “Every day that goes by brings us closer to impeachment.”

The following week, in response to an accusation that Zaid had taken sides against the president, the attorney was completely transparent in his animus.

“100%. I’m not hiding anything,” he tweeted. “Anti-Trump. Worst presidential choice in modern history. Not a repub or dem issue.”

Then, in July 2017, Zaid remarked, “I predict @CNN will play a key role in @realDonaldTrump not finishing out his full term as president.” Also that month, Zaid tweeted, “We will get rid of him, and this country is strong enough to survive even him and his supporters.”

“I’m not a Trump fan,” Zaid said on a podcast last year. “I go out of my way on Twitter to say ‘#Resistance.’ It’s not a resistance against the GOP or a Republican — I don’t think [Trump] is a Republican, quite frankly.” (Zaid also boasted that he has sued “every” president since 1993, and pursues “them all,” regardless of party affiliation.)

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Trump officials shun requests to testify to impeachment inquiry

Donald Trump

Four U.S. officials called to testify by Democrats leading the impeachment inquiry into U.S. President Donald Trump will not show up as requested on Monday, lawmakers said, and the president pressed his demand for a whistleblower to appear.

Trump loyalists have refused to appear before Democratic-led committees in the U.S. House of Representatives, ramping up the tussle between the White House and lawmakers over their power to conduct investigations.

Some Democrats say Republican Trump, who has ordered administration officials not to cooperate, should face an obstruction of justice charge among the impeachment counts they plan to consider against him.

The testimony of the four witnesses — three White House budget officials and the White House National Security Council’s top lawyer — would have been part of the investigation into whether Trump used foreign aid to Ukraine as leverage to secure a political favor.

Lawmakers were especially interested in questioning the lawyer, John Eisenberg, about a July 25 phone call in which Trump asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to investigate Trump’s political rival Joe Biden, a former vice president and contender for the Democratic Party nomination to run against Trump in the November 2020 election.

Eisenberg decided to take the unusual step of moving a transcript of the call into the White House’s most classified computer system, according to a person familiar with last week’s testimony by Army Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman, who listened in on the call.

A few days after the call, Eisenberg also told Vindman not to discuss the matter, said the source, speaking on condition of anonymity. Vindman testified that he found it improper to demand that a foreign government investigate a U.S. citizen and was so worried about the implications that he took the matter to Eisenberg.

“There is no reason to call witnesses to analyze my words and meaning,” Trump tweeted on Monday.

Separately, Trump on Monday dismissed an offer by the anonymous U.S. official whose whistleblower complaint triggered the impeachment inquiry to answer Republican lawmakers’ questions in writing.

The official, a member of a U.S. intelligence agency, has not been identified in keeping with longstanding practice to protect whistleblowers. Lawyers for the whistleblower say they have received death threats after conservative media outlets have floated possible names.

“He must be brought forward to testify. Written answers not acceptable!” Trump tweeted.

Democrats leading the effort say they don’t need to hear from the whistleblower because other witnesses have corroborated much of the initial complaint. Republicans say they need to hear from the whistleblower directly to assess their credibility.

“We think he should be here and we should get a chance to ask some of those questions,” said Representative Jim Jordan, a Republican supporter of Trump on the House Oversight Committee.

The impeachment inquiry focuses on Trump’s request in the July phone call for Zelenskiy to investigate Biden and his son Hunter Biden, who was once on the board of a Ukrainian energy company.

Trump made his request after withholding $391 million in aid approved by Congress to help Ukraine fight Russian-backed separatists.

The investigation is probing whether Trump misused the power of his office and, if so, whether that amounted to “high crimes and misdemeanors” that merit impeachment and removal from office.

If the House votes to approve articles of impeachment – formal charges – the Republican-controlled Senate would then hold a trial on whether to remove the president from office. Senate Republicans have so far show little appetite for removing the president.

Trump has denied any wrongdoing and defended his Zelenskiy call as “perfect,” accusing Democrats of unfairly targeting him. Democrats are expected to wrap up the closed-door testimony in coming weeks and begin public hearings.

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Trump: House votes on resolution formalizing impeachment inquiry

TrumpA divided House took a critical step forward in its impeachment inquiry into President Trump on Thursday, approving guidelines for the public phase of the probe as a top White House official corroborated earlier accounts that the president pressured Ukraine to investigate a political rival.

The House approved a resolution, 232 to 196, that formalized the inquiry, clearing the way for nationally televised hearings in mid-November and ensuring Trump’s right to participate in the latter stage of the proceedings unless he tries to block witnesses from testifying.

The near party-line vote came as Tim Morrison, a top official on Trump’s National Security Council, testified in a closed-door deposition. Morrison backed up previous testimony that the president withheld nearly $400 million in military aid to Ukraine to pressure the country into announcing investigations into former vice president Joe Biden and interference in the 2016 election, according to his prepared remarks and people familiar with his testimony, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the closed-door proceedings. He said he got the information directly from U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland, the administration official who communicated that apparent quid pro quo to Ukrainian leaders.

Trump has vehemently denied the arrangement, which is the focus of the impeachment probe.

Together, the events marked significant progress for the House’s five-week-old inquiry — and triggered an escalation in the partisan rancor that has dominated the impeachment process and much of Trump’s presidency.

The vote was the House’s first on impeachment and the Democrats’ response to repeated GOP complaints about a closed-door process. The expansive inquiry with a new phase of public hearings is likely to extend into the 2020 election year with a Senate trial.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who resisted impeachment for months, said this week that she has found the evidence against Trump convincing. Still, she said, there has been no final decision on impeachment.

“We’ve had enough for a very long time,” Pelosi said Monday at a roundtable with columnists, adding that the House investigators would pursue additional corroboration of witness accounts.

Complicating the investigation was a judge’s decision Thursday to hear arguments Dec. 10 on whether Charles Kupperman, a former deputy national security adviser, should be an impeachment witness — a late date that means the issue may not be resolved before a House vote. Democrats also have requested testimony next week from Kupperman’s former boss, onetime national security adviser John Bolton, whose decision could be affected by the judge’s ruling.

After the House vote, the White House accused Democrats of having an “unhinged obsession” with impeachment, with press secretary Stephanie Grisham calling the effort a “blatantly partisan attempt to destroy the president.”

Trump, who had no public events on his daily schedule, tweeted: “The Greatest Witch Hunt In American History!”

In a private lunch with several Senate Republicans, Trump made his case against impeachment and repeatedly praised his own decision to release a rough transcript of the July 25 call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, when Trump urged Zelensky to investigate Biden and his son Hunter. Zelensky was awaiting not only the congressionally appropriated aid but a meeting with Trump.

“He said a number of times that he’s really glad there’s a transcript, that he’s really glad he released it,” said Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), one of the senators who attended the lunch.

House Republicans, who spent weeks calling for a vote on the inquiry, began to pivot from complaints about the process toward a more robust defense of Trump’s actions.

“There is nothing in that phone call that is wrong or impeachable,” said House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.).

Morrison’s testimony carried both the significance of a firsthand account and the weight of that testimony coming from someone with a solid Republican résumé.

In his opening remarks, Morrison confirmed the substance of last week’s testimony from the acting U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, William B. Taylor Jr., and noted that he asked the National Security Council’s legal adviser and deputy to review Trump’s call with Zelensky.

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Paris Agreement: Trump confirms US will leave climate accord

Donald TrumpThe US will definitely withdraw from the Paris climate agreement, President Donald Trump has confirmed. He made the announcement at an energy conference in Pittsburgh on a stage flanked by men in hard hats.

He described the accord as a bad deal and said his pro fossil fuel policies had made the US an energy superpower.

The earliest he can formally start the process of withdrawing the US from the Paris accord is 4 November.

The pull-out will take effect a year later – the day after the 2020 US presidential election – assuming that Mr Trump is re-elected.

The Paris agreement brought together 195 nations in the battle to combat climate change.

It committed the US to cutting greenhouse gases up to 28% by 2025 based on 2005 levels.

President Trump said if he couldn’t improve that deal he’d pull out, but diplomatic sources said there’s been no major effort at renegotiation.

A seek-and-destroy mission

In the meantime, the president’s staff have conducted what critics call a seek-and-destroy mission through US environmental legislation.

Mr Trump promised that he’d turn the US into an energy superpower, and he’s attempting to sweep away a raft of pollution legislation to reduce the cost of producing gas, oil and coal.

He categorised former US President Barack Obama’s environmental clean-up plans as a war on American energy.

Trump, speaking here at a conference in Pittsburgh, has vowed to deregulate the oil and gas industry
Trump, speaking at a conference in Pittsburgh, vowed to deregulate the oil and gas industry

The gas and oil industries are indeed thriving, but Mr Trump’s pledge to resurrect the coal industry has proved much more challenging.

Coal can’t compete on price with gas – or, for that matter, with renewables whose costs have plummeted.

Firms are also reluctant to invest billions in coal-fired plants which could have a limited life if the next administration rejoins the rest of the world on climate change.

As coal is the dirtiest fuel, the industry’s woes have held down US emissions, despite the President’s policies.

trump coal
President Trump made support for the coal industry a key election promise

What’s more, many US states, cities and businesses remain committed to the Paris Agreement, whatever Mr Trump does.

Campaigners say these now represent nearly 70% of US GDP and nearly 65% of the US population. If they were a country, this group would be the world’s second largest economy.

The rebels are led by California, which is locked in a battle with the president over his plans to repeal their powers to impose clean air standards.

His opponents warn the president is weakening US global leadership on the clean economy with technologies to boost wind and solar power, advanced batteries and energy conservation.

Neera Tanden, from the liberal think tank Center for American Progress, said: “Instead of projecting strength, this action weakens America on the world stage and cedes leadership on climate change and other challenges of our time to countries like Russia and China.”

In fact, Chinese leadership on the issue has been muted recently as politicians there focus on avoiding a recession.

A train wreck for US diplomacy

The Beijing government is having difficulty persuading provincial leaders to abandon coal plants for which they have taken heavy loans.

It’s also committed to a massive airport-building programme to stimulate economic growth. Critics say this is incompatible with concern for the climate.

As extreme weather events alarm the world’s scientists, diplomats will meet in a few weeks in Chile to figure out the path ahead.

Andrew Light, a former State Department official during the Obama administration that helped broker the Paris agreement, said the formal withdrawal would make it difficult for the US to be part of the global conversation.

“It will take some time to recover from this train wreck of US diplomacy,” he said.

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Trump ally calls whistleblowers ‘suicide bombers’

a screen shot of a man in a suit and tie: President Trump's personal lawyer Rudolph W. Giuliani and former U.S. attorney Joseph E. diGenova on "The Ingraham Angle" on Tuesday.
© Screengrab via Fox News/”The Ingraham Angle” President Trump’s personal lawyer Rudolph W. Giuliani and former U.S. attorney Joseph E. diGenova on “The Ingraham Angle” on Tuesday.

Former U.S. attorney Joseph E. diGenova turned to European history Tuesday night to describe the Democrats’ impeachment inquiry into President Trump, calling their efforts “regicide,” the act of killing a king.

“What you’re seeing is regicide,” diGenova, a frequent Trump defender, told Fox News host Laura Ingraham. “This is regicide by another name, fake impeachment. The Democrats in the House want to destroy the president.”

But diGenova, a conspiracy theorist Trump wanted on his legal team during the Russia probe, wasn’t finished. In a lengthy interview on “The Ingraham Angle,” the lawyer, who was joined by Trump’s personal attorney Rudolph W. Giuliani, blasted the two anonymous whistleblowers as “suicide bombers” and accused Democrats of “sedition.”

The fiery rhetoric marks the latest escalation in language used by Trump’s supporters, and even the president himself, to complain about the ongoing impeachment inquiry, a tactic that has prompted some to express concern about the safety of the whistleblowers and top Democrats.

DiGenova’s comments were also notably made on Fox News, which has recently given similar claims increasing airtime, The Washington Post reported. Additionally, Ingraham has faced advertiser boycotts for making controversial statements on social media and while hosting her show. Fox News did not respond to a request for comment about diGenova’s remarks late Tuesday.

Ingraham invited diGenova and Giuliani onto her Tuesday show to discuss the latest impeachment developments. Earlier in the day, the White House issued an eight-page letter in which it refused to cooperate with the Ukraine inquiry, slamming it as “partisan and unconstitutional.”

Both Giuliani and diGenova were reportedly involved in Trump’s Ukraine dealings, which are at the center of the whistleblower complaint that prompted Democrats to launch their investigation.

Giuliani, who was identified as a key player in Trump’s attempts to get Ukraine to look into his political opponent, former vice president Joe Biden, has since been subpoenaed by three House committees. Late last month, Fox News reported that diGenova and his wife, Victoria Toensing, helped Giuliani and that only Trump knew about their involvement. DiGenova said the report was “absolutely false,” though the New York Times has published similar details. Trump hired the couple last year, but the offer was rescinded days later because of undisclosed conflicts, the Times reported at the time.

“However, those conflicts do not prevent them from assisting the president in other legal matters,” Trump attorney Jay Sekulow told the Times in a statement. “The president looks forward to working with them.”

While it remains unclear in what capacity diGenova and Toensing have assisted Trump, the pair often appear on Fox News to defend the president and attack his critics.

On Tuesday, for example, when diGenova discussed the two people who have come forward with information about Trump, he said, “I refuse to call them whistleblowers.”

“These two nonentities are suicide bombers that the Democrats have unleashed on the democratic process,” he said. “They actually think that the American people are going to accept having people testify secretly without anyone knowing who they are, where they worked, what their party affiliation was, who they conspired with.”

He continued: “It’s pretty obvious that this first suicide bomber who sent that complaint to the inspector general was a paid Democratic operative of the Democratic Party.”

Ingraham quickly interjected to clarify diGenova’s remarks.

“You mean political suicide bomber obviously, before we get people messaging us, ‘Oh he really meant …,’” Ingraham said, drawing a boisterous laugh from Giuliani.

The host went on to suggest that anyone who interpreted diGenova’s comment otherwise needed to “get a sense of humor.”

“If you still think that, then you should really watch another show where we have to spell it all out for you,” Ingraham said.

Later in the show, diGenova echoed Trump’s repeated claims that top Democrats are committing treason by investigating him.

“The Democrats who used to just love process and procedure and the rule of law, they are literally subverting the law in what really amounts to a seditious attack on the government,” diGenova said. “It really is sedition what they’re doing.”

Sedition, though related to treason, is conduct or language inciting rebellion against the authority of a state. Treason is the more serious crime of actively levying war against one’s country or giving aid to its enemies.

Meanwhile, Giuliani shifted the blame to the media.

“Do you know why they get away with this? Why they do this?” he said of Democrats. “It really is the fault of the press. The press enables them. They can say anything they want.”

Late Tuesday night, Trump also added his voice to the mix, firing off tweets again decrying the impeachment probe as a “witch hunt,” a classification Giuliani disputed on Fox News.

“This is now worse than a witch hunt,” Giuliani said, adding that he has read books about the Salem witch trials. “They had more rights.”

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Teenager hits back at Trump for ‘mocking her’ on Twitter

Greta Thunberg and TrumpA teenager, Greta Thunberg has hit back at Donald Trump after her passionate speech at the United Nations summit on climate change.

The US president posted a seemingly sarcastic message about the 16-year-old activist alongside her UN address on Tuesday.

Tweeting to his 64.7 million followers, Mr Trump wrote: “She seems like a very happy young girl looking forward to a bright and wonderful future. So nice to see!”

© Other Greta Thunberg changed her Twitter bio following the president's tweet
© Other Greta Thunberg changed her Twitter bio following the president’s tweet

Not one to sit back and ignore the president’s flippant comment, Thunberg changed her Twitter bio to: “A very happy young girl looking forward to a bright and wonderful future.”

On Monday, a tearful Thunberg told world leaders gathered at a climate action summit in New York that “we are in the beginning of a mass extinction and all you can talk about is money and fairytales of eternal economic growth”. She said: “You have stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words. How dare you.”

Mr Trump, who has previously described climate change as a “hoax”, spent only a few minutes at the climate summit, a centrepiece of this year’s UN General Assembly schedule. Thunberg, who sailed across the Atlantic in a yacht to attend the event, was filmed glaring at the president as he walked past her on Monday.

In her emotional and charged speech, the teenager reprimanded those who she accused of ignoring science and being too slow in their approach to tackle the world’s contributions to climate change.

Mr Trump is not the only one to take a dig at Thunberg. Fox News has apologised after one of its guests called her mentally ill – with the network saying he would never appear on the network again.

Conservative pundit Michael Knowles of The Daily Wire made his controversial comments during a programme on Monday evening.

He said Thunberg, who has Asperger’s syndrome, was being exploited by her parents and the left wing.

“The climate hysteria movement is not about science,” Mr Knowles said.

“If it were about science, it would be led by scientists, rather than by politicians and a mentally ill Swedish child who is being exploited by her parents and by the international left.”

Knowles continued: “She is mentally ill. She has autism. She has obsessive compulsive disorder. She has selective mutism. She had depression.”

During her address, Thunberg told the audience: “You say you hear us and understand the urgency but no matter how sad and angry I am, I do not want to believe that.

“If you really understood the situation, and still kept on failing to act, then you would be evil and that I refuse to believe.”