Trump draws rebuke for ‘animal’ remark at immigration talk 3 hours ago

While railing against California for its so-called sanctuary immigration policies, President Donald Trump referred to some people who cross the border illegally as "animals" - drawing a sharp rebuke from Democratic leaders for the harsh rhetoric. "We have people coming into the country, or trying to come in -- and we're stopping a lot of them," Trump said during the immigration round table after a sheriff commented about gangs.

Trump: If FBI spied on my campaign, ‘bigger than Watergate!’

President Donald Trump lent credence Thursday to reports that FBI informants had infiltrated his presidential campaign, saying that "if so, this is bigger than Watergate!" Trump's comments came on the anniversary of Robert Mueller's appointment as special counsel to head the Justice Department probe into possible coordination between Russia and Trump campaign officials, an investigation Trump repeatedly has called a "witch hunt." "Wow, word seems to be coming out that the Obama FBI 'SPIED ON THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN WITH AN EMBEDDED INFORMANT,'" Trump said Thursday on Twitter.

Confirmation vote for CIA chief brings out Democratic rift

The political schism in the Democratic Party is playing out in the confirmation vote for Gina Haspel as CIA director, as support from red-state senators facing re-election bumps up against a more liberal flank eyeing potential 2020 presidential bids and rejecting the nominee over the agency's clouded history of torture. Haspel's confirmation became all but certain with a favorable 10-5 vote Wednesday by the Senate Intelligence Committee.

You Would Think It Would Be Impossible to Lose Ground to Trump and the GOP-But You’d Be Wrong

President Donald Trump gestures as he delivers his first State of the Union address in the House chamber of the U.S. Capitol to a joint session of Congress as Vice President Mike Pence and House Speaker Paul Ryan applaud. Imagine having the good fortune to run against a Party which is systematically screwing the people who voted for it; abandoning science; blatantly lying, dissembling, and deceiving on just about everything; appointing lobbyists, cronies and ideologues for the purpose of eviscerating agencies that enjoy the support of the majority of Americans ; and basically navigating on an irrational, ad hoc basis with no semblance of a strategic plan.

Mueller concedes he can’t indict Trump, says Rudy Giuliani

Special Counsel Robert Mueller's team has told the White House that whatever evidence it comes up with in the Russian meddling probe, it cannot indict President Donald Trump, according to Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani. Giuliani told CNN and Fox News on Wednesday that Mueller's team had accepted a longstanding, though never tested Justice Department legal interpretation that a sitting president is immune from indictment.

Rick Santorum falls apart while trying to defend Trump slurring immigrants as ‘animals’

Former Republican Senator Rick Santorum on Thursday tried to defend President Donald Trump's declaration this week that he was deporting a lot of "animals" from the United States - but his defense fell apart when confronted by several of the president's other past statements about immigrants. During a panel with CNN host Chris Cuomo and guest Ana Navarro, Santorum tried to claim that Trump was only referring to MS-13 gang members as "animals" on Wednesday.

On eve of anniversary, Giuliani says probe should end

President Donald Trump's attorney Rudy Giuliani is urging special counsel Robert Mueller's team to wrap up its investigation on the eve of the probe's one-year anniversary. Giuliani tells Fox News Channel's Laura Ingraham that Mueller "has all the facts to make a decision" after 12 months investigating Russian meddling in the election, possible collusion with Trump's campaign and possible obstruction of justice.

Iran, Venezuela weighing on oil market: IEA

Global oil supplies could be hit by the decision by the US to pull out of the Iran nuclear deal, and also by falling production in crisis-hit Venezuela, the IEA said on Wednesday. The decision by US President Donald Trump to withdraw from the Iran deal "has switched the focus of oil market analysis from the fundamentals to geopolitics," the International Energy Agency wrote in its regular monthly report.

Trump discloses payment of over $100,000 to attorney who paid off porn star

President Donald Trump has formally disclosed that he reimbursed his personal attorney more than $100,000 last year, apparently in connection with the payment of hush money to a porn star, government records show. The disclosure caps a series of contradictory statements from Trump and his representatives on the scandal swirling around lawyer Michael Cohen - which has widened to ensnare major corporations and a Russian oligarch.

Michael Cohen solicited $1M from Qatar for insight into Trump administration, sources say

Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump's personal attorney, solicited a payment of at least $1 million from the government of Qatar in late 2016, in exchange for access to and advice about the then-incoming administration, according to several people with knowledge of the episode. The offer, which Qatar declined, came on the margins of a Dec. 12 meeting that year at Trump Tower between the Persian Gulf state's foreign minister and Michael Flynn, who became Trump's first national security adviser.

The year of Mueller: 12 months in, here’s what we’ve learned

In this June 21, 2017, file photo, former FBI Director Robert Mueller, the special counsel probing Russian interference in the 2016 election, departs Capitol Hill following a closed door meeting in Washington. It was one year ago Thursday when Robert Mueller, the former FBI director, was appointed as special counsel to take over the Justice Department's investigation into possible coordination between Russia and Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign.

Confirmation vote for CIA nominee exposes Democratic rift Source: AP

The political schism in the Democratic Party is playing out in the confirmation vote for Gina Haspel as CIA director, as support from red-state senators facing re-election bumps up against a more liberal flank eyeing potential 2020 presidential bids and rejecting the nominee over the agency's clouded history of torture. Haspel's confirmation became all but certain with a favorable 10-5 vote Wednesday by the Senate Intelligence Committee.

Ethics director questions Trump’s reimbursement to lawyer

President Donald Trump speaks during the 37th annual National Peace Officers Memorial Service on Capitol Hill, Tuesday, May 15, 2018, in Washington. President Donald Trump speaks during the 37th annual National Peace Officers Memorial Service on Capitol Hill, Tuesday, May 15, 2018, in Washington.

Giuliani: Mueller’s team told Trump’s lawyers…

Special counsel Robert Mueller III's team told President Donald Trump 's lawyers recently that prosecutors do not believe they can charge a sitting president with a crime under Justice Department guidelines, Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani said Wednesday. The special counsel's conclusion signals that it would be left to Congress to address any finding of wrongdoing by Trump in the investigation.

Supreme Court’s embrace of states’ rights could aid California in …

The Supreme Court decision upholding states' rights to offer sports betting was backed mostly by conservative justices, but it may also give a boost to California and other liberal states that are defying the Trump administration's drive for stricter immigration enforcement. At issue on both fronts - sports betting and immigration - is whether Washington can require states to enforce a federal policy, or instead, whether they are free to go their own way.

Trump disclosure of Cohen payment raises new legal questions

President Donald Trump revealed in his financial disclosure Wednesday that he reimbursed personal attorney Michael Cohen as much as $250,000 for unspecified "expenses," with no mention of a $130,000 payment to porn actress Stormy Daniels to keep quiet about a sexual tryst she said they had. The head of the nation's ethics office questioned why Trump didn't include this in his previous year's sworn disclosure and passed along his concerns to federal prosecutors.

Trump Tower Meeting’s Organizer First Dangled Putin Meeting

Donald Trump's bid for the U.S. presidency was just weeks old in 2015 when the offers for Russian meetings and calls started. A British-American publicist emerged with a swift invitation to visit Moscow, and possibly even to meet with Vladimir Putin.

The Latest: US, Chinese officials try to head off trade war

President Donald Trump listens during a roundtable on immigration policy in California, in the Cabinet Room of the White House, Wednesday, May 16, 2018, in Washington. President Donald Trump listens during a roundtable on immigration policy in California, in the Cabinet Room of the White House, Wednesday, May 16, 2018, in Washington.

Mueller Turns His Focus to Longtime Trump Adviser Roger Stone

Special Counsel Robert Mueller appears to be turning his focus to President Donald Trump's longtime adviser Roger Stone, bringing in a string of Stone's associates in recent weeks for questioning about his activities during the 2016 campaign. Mueller issued a subpoena last week to Jason Sullivan, a former social media aide and assistant to Stone, for documents and to testify before a grand jury, according to Knut Johnson, Sullivan's lawyer.