North Korea must take ‘meaningful’ steps to earn sanctions relief, says Trump

Second meeting between president and Kim Jong-un to be held in Vietnam next week

North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un, must make a “meaningful” gesture if he wants to see sanctions lifted, Donald Trump said on Wednesday ahead of a second summit between the two men scheduled for next week.

“The sanctions are on in full. I haven’t taken sanctions off,” Trump told reporters at the White House.

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Immigration, rail funding and lawsuits: why California and Trump are at war

The state, which styles itself as the Democratic-led ‘resistance’, has launched 46 lawsuits against the Trump administration

The Trump administration’s plans to pull millions in federal funding from California’s high-speed rail project is just the latest in the ongoing antagonism between the president and the state that stands on the opposite end of his party’s ideological spectrum.

Governor Gavin Newsom called the move “political retribution” for the state’s lawsuit against Donald Trump’s declaration of a national emergency, but California and Trump have been at it since before he was even elected president.

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Trump-Russia: FBI had ‘backup plan’ to save investigation evidence – live

Plan created after Comey firing to ensure information would survive firings or reassignments of top officials

Attorneys for the Kentucky student filmed in an apparent confrontation with a Native American elder at the Lincoln Memorial filed a lawsuit against the Washington Post on Tuesday, accusing the news organization of engaging “in a modern-day form of McCarthyism.”

Here is the Complaint filed today against The Washington Post on behalf of Nick Sandmann. All members of the mainstream & social media mob of bullies who recklessly & viciously attacked Nick would be well-served to read it carefully. https://t.co/P3H4x0srlX

CNN hired a longtime Republican operative as the political editor charged with coordinating 2020 campaign coverage, Vox is reporting.

According to a CNN spokesperson, Isgur, who most recently worked as the Department of Justice’s main spokesperson under then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions, will coordinate the network’s political coverage for the 2020 election cycle on TV and on CNN’s website. Isgur starts work next month, and will not be involved in coverage of DOJ. She will occasionally appear on TV.

Isgur’s LinkedIn page indicates she has no journalism experience. She has, however, worked for a variety of right-wing organizations and campaigns, including the Carly Fiorina and Mitt Romney presidential bids, the Republican National Committee, and a Ted Cruz US Senate campaign.

I've received a lot of partisan fundraising emails from Sarah Isgur Flores, who will reportedly "coordinate political coverage for the 2020 campaign at" CNN (https://t.co/WrQRFBZZFV), over the years. Here's one in Oct. 2014 in which she said Obama's policies would be "DOOMSDAY." pic.twitter.com/xUhXYYJMZf

CNN's new political editor, ex-flack for Carly Fiorina's campaign and the Sessions DOJ "has no experience in news but a long history as a political operative"

Lots and lots of experienced journos have lots their jobs in the last few months, just sayin'https://t.co/M5OymJoWgl

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Roger Stone ordered to appear in court over Instagram post targeting judge

Stone has formally apologized for the post, which showed the judge with what appeared to be crosshairs near her head

Donald Trump’s longtime confidant Roger Stone was ordered to appear in court Thursday after a post he made on Instagram targeting the judge in his case.

Related: Democrats investigate 'White House plan' to share nuclear technology with Saudi Arabia – live

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Donald Trump’s direct appeal to Venezuelan military to back Juan Guaidó – video

Donald Trump has used a speech in Miami, Florida, to issue a direct appeal to members of the Venezuelan military to back opposition leader Juan Guaidó. The influential Venezuelan military has so far remained largely loyal to current president,  Nicolás Maduro. The US president told the crowd: 'We seek a peaceful transition of power, but all options are open'

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Rod Rosenstein, key figure behind Mueller inquiry, expected to step down in mid-March

Justice department says deputy attorney general who brought in special counsel is likely to leave in mid-March

Rod Rosenstein, the US deputy attorney general who appointed a special counsel to investigate possible ties between Russia and President Donald Trump’s campaign, is expected to step down by mid March, a Justice Department official has said.

Rosenstein had been expected to depart shortly after new Attorney General William Barr assumed office. Barr was confirmed for the role by the US Senate last week.

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16 US states sue over Trump border wall emergency declaration

Coalition led by California accuses the president of ‘unilaterally robbing taxpayer funds’

A coalition of 16 US states led by California has launched legal action against Donald Trump’s administration over his decision to declare a national emergency in order to fund a wall along the Mexico border.

The lawsuit was filed on Monday in the US district court for the northern district of California after Trump invoked emergency powers on Friday when Congress declined his request for $5.7bn to help create his signature policy promise.

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Trump ally Graham will subpoena McCabe and Rosenstein over ‘coup’

Trump ally Lindsey Graham has promised a Senate investigation into claims senior justice department officials discussed invoking the 25th amendment and removing the president from power.

Related: Andrew McCabe says officials discussed removing Trump after Comey firing

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Islamic State: Trump calls on European allies to take 800 fighters captured in Syria

President says caliphate ‘ready to fall’ and US doesn’t want to watch ‘fighters permeate Europe’

Donald Trump has asked his European allies to “take back over 800” Islamic State fighters captured in Syria and put them on trial.

“The Caliphate is ready to fall,” the US president said in a tweet. “The alternative is not a good one in that we will be forced to release them ...”

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Trump’s UN ambassador pick, Heather Nauert, withdraws from consideration

Former Fox News host says she is not going ahead with appointment for family reasons

The state department says Donald Trump’s nominee for US ambassador to the United Nations, Heather Nauert, has withdrawn.

The department released a statement on Saturday evening Washington time saying Nauert had withdrawn and another nominee would be announced “soon”.

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Mike Pence rebukes European powers over Iran and Venezuela – video

The US vice-president rebuked European powers over Iran and Venezuela on Saturday, in a renewed attack on traditional US allies, rejecting a call by Germany’s chancellor to include Russia in global cooperation efforts. Describing the results of Donald Trump’s presidency as 'remarkable' and 'extraordinary', Pence told senior European and Asian officials that the European Union should follow the US in quitting the Iran nuclear deal and recognising the head of Venezuela’s congress, Juan Guaidó, as president

Pence hails 'remarkable, extraordinary' Trump tenure in attack on US allies

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Donald Trump hints at extension to China trade talks

President said potential delay was justified as deal ‘must be the biggest in history’

President Donald Trump has conceded that he will delay planned increases in import duties on $200bn (£155bn) of Chinese goods if there is progress in trade talks in Washington next week.

Appearing to soften his demand for talks to conclude before 1 March, Trump said there could be a 30- or 60-day extension, should negotiators get closer to a deal. He said a delay was justified, based on the scope and scale of the talks. Speaking on the White House lawn, he said: “Trade with China – how big does that get? It must be the biggest deal in history.”

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Mitch McConnell: Trump to sign funding bill but declare national emergency – video

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell has said Donald Trump has indicated he’s prepared to sign a funding bill that will prevent another government shutdown but will also declare a national emergency on America’s border with Mexico. That move could allow him to circumvent Congress to tap funding for his long-promised border wall that has been at the centre of a fierce dispute with Democrats who say such a barrier is expensive and ineffective. Lawmakers of both parties have raised concerns.


Trump to declare national emergency on border wall, says Mitch McConnell

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Andrew McCabe says officials discussed removing Trump after Comey firing

Ex-acting FBI director said there were meetings to discuss whether president could be removed under 25th amendment

Former acting FBI director Andrew McCabe has said top Trump administration officials talked seriously about removing Donald Trump from office just months after he become president.

Related: Rosenstein did not want to write memo justifying Comey firing – new book

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Shutdown deal: Republicans urge Trump to accept as House heads to vote

Donald Trump has suggested he is open to a compromise border security measure that would avert another US government shutdown as the House pushed toward a vote on the agreement before the funding deadline expires on Friday.

Republicans and Democrats have broadly embraced the proposed legislation, but have cautioned that they will wait to see the final text of the bill, which includes far less funding than Trump initially sought for his wall along the border with Mexico.

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Trump administration still separating families at border, advocates say

Annunciation House shelter still receives calls each week about new cases of separations in El Paso, legal coordinator said

The Trump administration is still tearing young children away from their parents when they cross the US-Mexico border unlawfully, despite formally ending the policy of family separations last summer, according to immigration advocates in Texas.

Related: 'Inexplicable cruelty': US government sued over family separations at border

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‘Inexplicable cruelty’: US government sued over family separations at border

Eight immigrant families seek $6m each for children’s lasting trauma of Trump administration’s ‘zero-tolerance’ policy

Lawyers for eight immigrant families separated under Trump administration policy have filed claims against the US government, demanding $6m each in damages for what they describe as “inexplicable cruelty” and lasting trauma.

Related: US family separation crisis – in pictures

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Jitters mount as second US shutdown looms after talks stall over border wall

Bipartisan negotiators are running out of time to reach a deal over Trump’s demand for a border wall

Bipartisan negotiators in Washington are running out of time to reach a deal over Donald Trump’s demand for a border wall after talks stalled, raising the prospect of another government shutdown starting on Friday.

Leaders from both main parties sitting on a 17-strong negotiating panel must reach a deal over the disputed border security issue by Monday if there is to be time for Congress to pass legislation and Trump to sign it before the latest deadline of 15 February. Should they fail to reach agreement within hours, federal agencies, already exhausted after the 35-day shutdown that ended last month having impacted 800,000 federal employees, will yet again start to close from Friday at midnight.

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Matt Whitaker set to testify before House committee following dispute – live

Acting attorney general will be first Trump cabinet official to be brought before panel led by Democrats

A look at the front page of the Detroit Free Press memorializing John Dingell, the legendary US congressman who passed away on Thursday.

Ivanka Trump has said she knew “almost nothing” about the prospective Trump Tower project in Moscow that her father was pursuing during 2016 presidential election.

“We were an active business,” Trump said during an interview that aired Friday on ABC’s Good Morning America, while adding her knowledge of the project amounted to “literally almost nothing”.

EXCLUSIVE: Ivanka Trump has "zero concern" about special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation. https://t.co/4raDLDD6Xh pic.twitter.com/R18v6BW7gW

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