Trump impeachment: Senator Collins working to allow witnesses at trial – as it happened

Susan Collins and other Republicans open to allowing witnesses in impeachment trial, a key sticking point in impasse between House and Senate

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Kari Paul here, logging off for the weekend! Here is a summary of the key events of the last few hours:

Two parents whose children were separated from them as a result of the Trump administration’s “zero tolerance” border policies are suing the federal government for $12m, claiming the children were subject to abuse and neglect while in federal custody.

“The United States government tore these families apart pursuant to a cruel and unconstitutional policy: The government intended to inflict terror and harm on these small children and their fathers, as a means of deterring others from seeking to enter the United States”, said the lawsuit, which was filed Friday in U.S. District Court of Arizona.

According to the lawsuit, the fathers were separated from their children for more than two months, and the federal government gave little, if any, information regarding the location and safety of the children.

The families “suffered, and continue to suffer, physical, mental, and emotional harm,” the lawsuit states. More than a year after they were reunited, the lawsuit says the children exhibit symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.

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The final sprint: will any of the Democratic candidates excite voters?

Biden is too gaffe-prone; Sanders and Warren are too far left; Buttigieg, too young. But which one is capable of beating Trump?

Democrats overwhelmingly agree that their top priority in 2020 is to remove Donald Trump from office. But which of the many Democrats running for president is best suited to the task remains a source of deep anxiety and division less than five weeks before the Iowa caucuses.

After more than a year of campaigning, the Democratic presidential primary enters the final sprint before voting begins on 3 February in Iowa in a familiar but fluid state: Joe Biden in the lead, trailed by Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren with Pete Buttigieg also showing signs of strength in the early states.

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‘Let’s do this!’: Megan Rapinoe endorses Elizabeth Warren for president

  • Soccer star praises Warren for being ‘bold and real’
  • SI Sportsperson of the Year posts video of call with candidate

Two-time World Cup champion Megan Rapinoe has announced her support for the Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren.

“I truly believe the best things in life are a result of being bold and being real,” wrote the soccer star, whom Sports Illustrated this week named Sportsperson of the Year.

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Jewish groups criticize Trump for antisemitic stereotypes in speech

Trump urged to appeal to Jewish voters in ways that don’t use ‘money references that feed age-old and ugly stereotypes’

Prominent American Jewish organizations have criticised comments made by Donald Trump in a speech to the Israeli American Council.

Related: Trump: if Jared Kushner can't achieve peace in Middle East, 'it can't be done'

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Can Elizabeth Warren fix her problem with African American voters?

Protesters interrupted a speech at a historically black college, as the 2020 hopeful struggles to attract essential support

Elizabeth Warren was only a couple of minutes into her prepared remarks celebrating the history of black female protesters when modern-day protesters, many of them also black women, decided to cut her off.

Just as the Massachusetts senator was about to launch into her reflections on the Atlanta washerwomen’s strike of 1881, stomping feet and shouting were heard from the corner of Clark Atlanta University’s gymnasium. Soon, Warren’s prepared speech was eclipsed by cheers of “Our children, our choice!” and “We will be heard!”

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Democratic debate takeaways: Buttigieg unscathed as candidates focus on impeachment

A surging Pete Buttigieg avoided major criticism while Tulsi Gabbard reinforced her outsider status in Atlanta debate

Some of the candidates used the explosive congressional testimony from the ambassador to the EU, Gordon Sondland, earlier in the day as a launchpad to renew calls for Donald Trump’s impeachment.

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The Guardian view on Israeli settlements: still illegal | Editorial

The Trump administration’s declaration cannot change international law. But it will be seen as a green light for expansion and annexation

The secretary of state’s announcement that the US no longer considers Israeli settlements on occupied Palestinian land to be illegal is appalling. It is also the dismal culmination of the Trump administration’s record.

Washington has done all it can to aid Israel’s rightwing government, punish Palestinians and bury the two-state solution: moving its embassy to Jerusalem, ending funding to the UN Palestinian refugee agency, and recognising Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights.

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Democratic candidates reject Obama’s warning of going too far left

‘I’m not tearing down the system,’ Bernie Sanders says in response to former president’s message

Democratic 2020 presidential candidates have rejected criticism from former president Barack Obama, after he warned the field of White House hopefuls not to veer too far to the left because it would alienate voters.

Though Obama did not mention anyone by name, the message he delivered before a room of Democratic donors in Washington on Friday was a clear word of caution about the candidacies of Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, who are seen as two of the top-tier candidates in the crowded field.

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Elizabeth Warren hits back at Biden ‘angry’ criticism: ‘I am angry and I own it’

Hitting back at criticism from Joe Biden that many people said was sexist, Elizabeth Warren told supporters: “I am angry and I own it.”

Related: Michael Bloomberg: billionaire eyes centre lane in Democratic presidential race

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Warren and Booker lead candidates at environmental justice forum

  • National Black Caucus of State Legislators hosts event
  • Booker defends support for nuclear power

Only six candidates turned out for the first ever presidential forum on environmental justice, at South Carolina State University on Friday night.

Related: Michael Bloomberg: billionaire eyes centre lane in Democratic presidential race

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Twitter political ad ban could silence climate activists, warns Warren

US presidential hopeful says fossil fuel firms will be free to promote themselves while critics are barred

Twitter’s plan to ban all political advertising risked muzzling climate activists while giving polluters free rein to promote themselves, the US presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren said.

“Twitter’s new ad policy will allow fossil fuel companies to buy ads defending themselves and spreading misleading info but won’t allow organisations fighting the climate crisis to buy ads holding those companies accountable,” she tweeted, linking to an environmental newsletter.

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‘The stakes are enormous’: is Hillary Clinton set for a White House run?

The candidate who lost to Trump is making all the right moves as some fear a primary gone too far left. It’s a tantalising notion, but most observers counsel caution – and a dose of realism

A high-profile book tour. Countless TV interviews. Political combat with a Democratic primary candidate and Donald Trump. A year before the US presidential election, it looks like a campaign and it sounds like a campaign but it isn’t a campaign. At least, not as far anyone knows.

Related: Pete Buttigieg: race is between me and Warren – as new poll puts him fourth

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Beto O’Rourke dropping out of 2020 presidential race  – live

The former Texas congressman has had low polling numbers and his campaign has been under financial strain

Beto O’Rourke was once a front runner in the Democratic primaries, who raised huge amounts of money from small donors across the country.

Related: Beto O'Rourke withdraws from Democratic race to face Trump

Following in the footsteps of Joan Didion, and Meghan Daum and Luc Sante – Donald Trump has penned his own version of the “Goodbye New York” essay after announcing yesterday that he had changed his primary residence from Manhattan to Mar-a-lago.

“I love New York, but New York can never be great again,” he begins. Like so many bigly figures in the literary world, Trump has written about that bittersweet feeling of leaving the iconic city.

I love New York, but New York can never be great again under the current leadership of Governor Andrew Cuomo (the brother of Fredo), or Mayor Bill DeBlasio. Cuomo has weaponized the prosecutors to do his dirty work (and to keep him out of jams), a reason some don’t want to be...

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‘Too much power’: it’s Warren v Facebook in the great breakup battle

The presidential hopeful and Mark Zuckerberg are facing off over big tech and its influence over our lives

More than two hours into the Democratic debate in Ohio on Tuesday night, after discussions on healthcare, gun control and foreign policy, the moderators turned to another issue that sharply divided the candidates: is it time to break up Facebook?

The question was framed slightly differently: is Elizabeth Warren right?

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Elizabeth Warren and Joe Biden in heated exchange during Democratic debate – video

During the fourth debate on Tuesday evening, Biden claimed credit for Elizabeth Warren’s signature achievement – the establishment of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Biden claimed loudly that he had gone to the Senate and secured votes to it, to which Warren replied she was ‘deeply grateful to President Obama’ and ‘every other person who fought for it and who helped pass it into law’

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Warren under attack as Democrats spar in largest primary debate in US history

Twelve Democrats targeted Warren over healthcare, taxes and big tech in first debate since Trump impeachment inquiry

Elizabeth Warren came under sustained attack from her Democratic rivals during Tuesday night’s presidential debate, a reflection of the threat her ascendant candidacy poses to the crowded field of hopefuls competing to take on Donald Trump in the 2020 US election.

Twelve Democratic candidates took to the stage in Westerville, Ohio, for the largest presidential primary debate in modern US history, and the first since the launch of an impeachment inquiry into the president’s efforts to pressure Ukraine to investigate his leading rival, Joe Biden.

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Tonight’s Democratic debate in Ohio: five things to expect

Twelve Democratic 2020 presidential candidates will share the stage in the perpetual swing state on Tuesday

The Democratic 2020 presidential candidates will gather once again on Tuesday night to face off in their fourth debate, this time in the perpetual swing state of Ohio.

Twelve of the candidates have qualified to participate, and they will all share one stage – marking the most crowded debate stage of this election cycle so far. But the dynamics of the race have changed since the candidates last met in September, and some of the contenders face the prospect of this being their last debate.

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Harry Dunn: parents of teenager killed in crash to attend White House meeting – live

Dunn was killed in UK collision involving diplomat’s wife Anne Sacoolas, who then flew back to US under apparent diplomatic immunity

Democratic front-runner Elizabeth Warren is on an absolute tweet storm today, linking America’s big dollar election donation system corrupt, calling out pay-for-play - and taking full advantage of comedy actor Kate McKinnon’s most recent depiction of her on Saturday Night Live.

I don't spend call time asking rich donors to throw big dollar fundraisers or underwrite my campaign. My call time is spent with grassroots donors, thanking them for chipping in whatever they can. Mind if I make just a few more? pic.twitter.com/TDo9EkNpA1

Action in the Trump-Ukraine impeachment inquiry is taking place behind closed doors today, so we’ll wait breathlessly for any revelations via participating lawmakers on Capitol Hill committees taking testimony from state department official George Kent.

Meanwhile, there is plenty else afoot in US politics.

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Elizabeth Warren trolls Facebook with ‘false’ Zuckerberg ad

Ad claims CEO backs Trump – then admits it’s not true – after company admits letting politicians make false statements

Facebook has been taking heat all week for its decision to allow politicians to make false statements in paid advertisements. Now the Democratic senator and presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren is taking the fight to the social media company’s own turf by taking out a series of Facebook ads that make false statements about Facebook and its chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg.

“Breaking news: Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook just endorsed Donald Trump for re-election,” the ads read, above a photograph of a recent Oval Office meeting between the billionaire tech executive and the president.

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