Category Archives: Joe Biden

‘This is very strange’: Ukraine’s view of the Trump whistleblower complaint

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News of US pressure on Volodymyr Zelenskiy has sparked fears among reformers, but on the streets it is seen as an American affair

The revelations that Donald Trump attempted to pressure Ukraine to investigate political rival Joe Biden’s family have reverberated through civil society and political circles in Kyiv, prompting some to ask if the United States can be viewed as a trustworthy ally in the country’s attempts to reform and stave off pressure from Russia.

Members of Ukraine’s civil society and veterans communities on Thursday complained about the threat of withholding military funding and US political support to score points in domestic US politics.

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Trump pressed Ukraine leader to investigate Biden, memo reveals

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US president asked Volodymyr Zelenskiy for ‘a favor’ and to ‘look into’ Biden as impeachment inquiry launched against Trump

Donald Trump pressed the Ukrainian president to work with the US attorney general to investigate his political rival Joe Biden, a damning White House memo revealed on Wednesday, raising the stakes in an acrimonious and polarising impeachment inquiry.

Democrats said the US president’s conversation with Volodymyr Zelenskiy detailed in the five-page rough “transcript” was a devastating betrayal of his country that merited their investigation, while Republicans claimed it showed no quid pro quo and offered complete vindication.

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Favors, dirt, investigations: key takeaways from the Trump-Ukraine memo

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The White House released a summary of Trump’s call with Zelenskiy that lies at the heart of the impeachment inquiry

The White House on Wednesday released a five-page summary of a 30-minute call between Donald Trump and the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, that lies at the heart of the growing impeachment process.

Here are five key takeaways:

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‘There was absolutely no pressure’: Trump on Ukraine controversy – video

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Donald Trump has said he put ‘absolutely no pressure’ on Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden and his son Hunter. He told reporters after the White House released notes of the phone call he had with the president of Ukraine that the impeachment inquiry was a 'disgraceful thing’. He added: ‘The way you built up that call it was going to be the call from hell. It turned out to be a nothing call, other than a lot of people said I never knew you could be so nice’

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‘It’s a witch-hunt’: Donald Trump lashes out as impeachment calls grow – video

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Donald Trump says growing calls for his impeachment are 'nonsense' after it emerged he withheld nearly $400m in aid to Ukraine.

The US president ordered staff to withhold the aid before demanding Ukraine’s president investigate Joe Biden and his son, it emerged on Tuesday. Trump said the controversial phone call, with Volodymyr Zelenskiy, had been 'perfect'

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Joe Biden says Donald Trump must stop obstructing Congress or face impeachment – video

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Joe Biden addressed the Ukraine controversy in a statement on Tuesday, saying Congress should launch impeachment proceedings if Donald Trump continues to obstruct House Democrats’ investigations. ‘The president should stop stonewalling this investigation and all the other investigations of his wrongdoing,’ Biden said. ‘Using its full constitutional authority, Congress should demand the information it has a legal right to receive’

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Impeachment calls grow amid revelation Trump ordered block on Ukraine aid

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President ordered his staff to withhold nearly $400m in aid days before he pressured Ukraine’s president to investigate Biden

Donald Trump ordered his staff to withhold nearly $400m in aid to Ukraine days before he repeatedly pressured the country’s president to investigate a political rival, it emerged on Monday night.

Related: Why is the Trump-Ukraine whistleblower scandal so serious?

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‘No, you’re corrupt!’: why there’s method in Trump’s playground taunts

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The president’s tactic of redirecting accusations of misconduct back at his accuser is childish, petty … and surprisingly effective

“No, you are.”

Since he first emerged from the primordial muck of reality TV, Donald Trump has responded to attacks from political opponents with some version of that playground phrase. When accused of this, or revealed to have done that, Trump simply blurts “she did it” or “he’s guilty”, whatever the charge may be.

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Trump claims that if Biden were a Republican he’d get the ‘electric chair’ – as it happened

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The president repeated his debunked claims that the former vice-president and his son are corrupt

That is it from me for the night. Here are the top stories to note from this afternoon:

Officials in Ames, Iowa say the Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has requested the city remove inclusive multi-colored crosswalk art in a letter sent this month.

Ames, a college town with a population of around 67,000 people, installed painted sidewalks earlier this month. The new art includes gender non-binary pride colors, rainbow colors for LGBTQ rights, and colors representing support of transgender equality.

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Trump kicks back against Biden and his son in Ukraine – video

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Donald Trump has gone on the offensive over what he and his allies claim is corruption involving Joe Biden and his son in Ukraine.

The president’s reported pressuring of the Ukrainian president to investigate claims about Biden, the Democratic presidential frontrunner, has clouded the White House in scandal. Biden has accused Trump of an 'overwhelming abuse of power'

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Trump goes on offensive over Biden and Ukraine as Schiff ponders impeachment

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Donald Trump, his aides and allies went on the offensive on Sunday, over what the president claims is un-investigated corruption involving Joe Biden and his son in Ukraine.

Related: Ukraine furore confirms Giuliani as Trump's most off-kilter advocate

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Elizabeth Warren overtakes Joe Biden in new Iowa poll

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Elizabeth Warren leads Joe Biden in Iowa for the first time, according to a new poll in the early voting state.

Related: How Trump could lose the popular vote again – and hold the White House

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Trump vents over Ukraine as Biden attacks ‘overwhelming abuse of power’

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Biden calls for congressional inquiry into call in which Trump reportedly pressed Ukraine leader for damaging information

Donald Trump lashed back at his critics on Saturday, as questions swirled in the latest scandal to hit his White House and his target, Joe Biden, called for a congressional investigation of “an overwhelming abuse of power”.

Related: Ukraine imbroglio confirms Giuliani's as Trump's most off-kilter advocate

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Ukraine imbroglio confirms Giuliani’s as Trump’s most off-kilter advocate

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The man once called America’s Mayor has become the loosest of cannons, embroiling his boss in an election-meddling furore

On Thursday night Rudy Giuliani, Donald Trump’s personal lawyer and troubleshooter-in-chief, went on CNN to defend his boss against the latest scandal swirling round him.

Related: Rudy Giuliani's quest for dirt on Biden via Ukraine – a timeline

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US election 2020: highlights from the third Democratic presidential debate – video

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The candidates gathered in Houston, Texas, for the latest Democratic debate represented the top tier of the large field campaigning for the party’s 2020 nomination. But how did each of them fare during a night of policy cut and thrust, some mutual admiration and also some caustic attacks – on each other and Donald Trump

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How did each candidate in the Democratic debate do?

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Klobuchar, Booker, Buttigieg, Sanders, Biden, Warren, Harris, Yang, O’Rourke and Castro – all 10 hopefuls rated

The candidates gathered in Houston, Texas, for the latest Democratic debate represented the top tier of the large field campaigning for the party’s 2020 nomination. But how did each of them fare during a night of policy cut and thrust, some mutual admiration and also some caustic attacks – on each other and on Donald Trump.

Related: Biden clashes with Warren and Sanders in lively Democratic debate

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Democratic debate: the five key takeaways

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Biden was Biden but despite a smaller field sparks failed to fly with Warren, while O’Rourke had a good night – as did Obama

The Democratic debate in Houston was a mix of smackdown, backslapping and policy gab-fest as the 10 top-tier candidates faced off against each other while at least 10 others were only able to watch from the sidelines, having failed to qualify.

Related: Biden clashes with Warren and Sanders in lively Democratic debate

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Democratic debate: Warren and Sanders clash with Biden over healthcare – live

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The 10 candidates on stage in Houston offered competing visions based on Obamacare and Medicare for All

Joe Biden is taking a question on gun control and once again arguing he has the best (and certainly the longest) record on the issue. “I’m the only up here who’s ever beat the NRA,” the former vice president and senator said.

Biden then similarly applauded Beto O’Rourke for his efforts to help his hometown of El Paso heal from the mass shooting that killed 22. Biden originally referred to the former congressman as “Beto.” He then apologized and O’Rourke interjected, “Beto is good.”

In the midst of a discussion on race and criminal justice, Ari Berman, author of Give Us the Ballot, has made this important point:

You know what else is racist? Preventing people from voting. There have been 29 presidential debates in 2020 & 2016 and no questions about voting rights

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Democratic 2020 hopefuls split over tackling climate crisis

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Candidates warn of ‘irreparable damage’ in marathon town hall but can’t agree on how aggressively to tackle problem

Democrats vying for president revealed a fundamental split over how aggressively the US should tackle climate change in a seven-hour town hall meeting on Wednesday.

Bernie Sanders painted an apocalyptic future wreaked by the climate crisis and pledged to wage war on the fossil fuel industry. A high-energy Elizabeth Warren urged optimism for building a better America and the former vice-president Joe Biden, who has a pitched a more moderate proposal, said he would push other nations to recommit to stronger action.

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