Trump impeachment: Schumer says Senate trial without witnesses would be ‘cover-up’ – live

Senate minority leader criticized the White House for its handling of the impeachment inquiry, saying ‘trials have witnesses’

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Speaking to reporters in the cabinet room at the White House, Trump said Rudy Giuliani, his personal lawyer, had not shared “too much” with him after returning from Ukraine.

Hmm...Asked what Giuliani shared with him upon his return from Ukraine, Trump says, "Not too much. But he’s a very great crime fighter…He’s a great person who loves our country. And he does this out of love, believe me. " Giuliani told WSJ he had more than Trump could imagine.

According to a newly released poll, Trump’s approval rating has edged up a bit and opposition to impeachment has slightly decreased since the start of the public impeachment hearings.

The Quinnipiac poll found 43 percent of registered voters approve of Trump’s job performance, compared to 38 percent in an Oct. 23 poll.

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Mike Pence makes unannounced visit to Iraq

  • Visit meant to reassure US allies in fight against Isis
  • Pence is highest-level American to travel there since withdrawal

Mike Pence made an unannounced visit to Iraq on Saturday, the highest-level American to visit since Donald Trump ordered a pullback of US forces in neighbouring Syria two months ago.

Related: Trump says FBI tried to 'overthrow the presidency'

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Trump ordered to pay $2m for charity foundation misuse – live

Lawsuit exposed ‘shocking pattern of illegality’ in Trump’s personal charity, while John Bolton fails to show for deposition on Capitol Hill – follow live

Bloomberg is preparing to enter the Democratic presidential primary, the New York Times reports. He’s expected to file paperwork designating himself as a candidate in Alabama this week.

From the Times:

Mr. Bloomberg, the former New York City mayor and billionaire businessman, has been privately weighing a bid for the White House for weeks and has not yet made a final decision on whether to run, an adviser said. But in the first sign that he is seriously moving toward a campaign, Mr. Bloomberg has dispatched staffers to Alabama to gather signatures to qualify for the primary there. Though Alabama does not hold an early primary, it has a Friday deadline for candidates to formally enter the race.

Here’s a summary of where things stand:

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Trump’s Turkey deal hands power to Ankara and leaves Syrian Kurds for dead

Trump hails ceasefire and ‘safe zone’ on Turkey-Syria border as ‘great day for civilisation’ but few believe it

The deal agreed between the US and Turkey immediately achieved the priority objective of vice-president Mike Pence’s peace mission to Ankara: Donald Trump was able to claim victory on Twitter.

The president had unwittingly alienated most of his own party over his acceptance of the Turkish invasion of north-eastern Syria, and was already in the midst of an impeachment battle.

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Rick Perry: Trump energy secretary resigns amid Ukraine scandal – live

Trump confirmed Perry is resigning, and said that his replacement will be announced ‘very shortly’

The mayor of Doral, Florida, a small town outside of Miami, was taken by surprise by the White House’s announcement that the G7 summit would be held at one of Trump’s own resorts there, the Washington Post reports.

The announcement, a clear example of using the power of the presidency to benefit Trump’s private interests, has sparked anger and widespread criticism.

I just talked to the mayor of Doral — who now needs to plan to host 8 world leaders and thousands of diplomats.
He learned this when we did, by watching Mulvaney on TV. He still hasn’t gotten a call from the White House. https://t.co/7A9AekUhoy

In his final hours, Elijah Cummings, the son of sharecroppers who became an influential Democratic congressman from Baltimore, was still working to help immigrants with chronic medical conditions.

That’s what members of his staff told Massachusetts congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, she tweeted today.

As I was paying my respects to our forever Chairman, his staff told me that in his final hours he signed subpoenas to USCIS and ICE, pursuing justice for immigrants in my district & across the country with chronic medical conditions. A man of his word every moment of his life. pic.twitter.com/igzUPl1yPF

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Pence and Erdoğan agree on ceasefire plan but Kurds reject ‘occupation’

  • Mike Pence strikes deal with Turkish president in Ankara
  • Agreement appears to cement key Turkish objectives

The Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has agreed with the US vice-president, Mike Pence, to suspend Ankara’s operation on Kurdish-led forces in north-east Syria for the next five days in order to allow Kurdish troops to withdraw, potentially halting the latest bloodshed in Syria’s long war.

Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fighters would pull back from Turkey’s proposed 20-mile (32km) deep “safe zone” on its border, Pence told reporters in Ankara on Thursday evening after hours of meetings with Turkish officials.

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Mike Pence: US and Turkey have agreed to a ceasefire in Syria – video

US vice president Mike Pence on Thursday announced that the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, had agreed to a ceasefire in Syria, where Turkey had launched an offensive on Kurdish forces once allied with the US in the fight against the Islamic State group. Ankara will suspend its operation on Kurdish-led forces in north-east Syria for the next five days in order to allow Kurdish troops to withdraw

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House Democrats subpoena White House over Ukraine documents

  • Top Democrats also seek records from Mike Pence
  • Trump demands full House vote on impeachment inquiry

House Democrats have subpoenaed the White House demanding documents that could shed light on Trump’s efforts to pressure Ukraine, in the latest escalation of their impeachment investigation into the president and his administration.

The move comes as the senior Democrats also formally requested documents relating to Ukraine dealings from Mike Pence, the vice-president.

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Boris Johnson accused of using police as ‘props’ during rambling Brexit speech – live news

PM addresses police in Wakefield after brother Jo Johnson quits citing ‘unresolvable tension’ between ‘family loyalty and the national interest’

The Irish prime minister, Leo Varadkar, has warned that there is “no such thing as a clean break” – Brexit deal or no Brexit deal – with difficult and complex negotiations on the future relationship with the EU whatever the outcome of talks. In a speech in Dublin to the British and Irish Chambers of Commerce, he has said:

If there is no deal – and I believe we may have to live with no deal for a period – then, at a certain point, we will have to begin negotiations again. The first and only items on the agenda ... will be citizens’ rights, the financial settlement with the EU and a solution to the Irish border.

Whatever happens, Ireland will not be dragged out of the single European market.

Recently, Prime Minister Johnson and I spoke by phone. We spoke of our shared desire to see the Northern Ireland political institutions reinstated. We shared our perspectives on the withdrawal agreement and agreed that our teams would establish one-to-one contact.

We will meet again in Dublin on Monday. Unfortunately, given political developments in the UK, there is a significant and growing risk of no-deal.

Here’s some more detail on the criticism of Johnson from the West Yorkshire police and crime commissioner, Labour’s Mark Burns-Williamson:

To use police officers as the backdrop to what became a political speech was inappropriate and they shouldn’t have been put in that position.

It clearly turned into a rant about Brexit, the opposition and a potential general election. There’s no way that police officers should’ve formed the backdrop to a speech of that nature.

Yes, because he’s used the pretence of an announcement around police recruitment for mainly a political speech.

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Bernie Sanders releases plan to combat ‘crisis’ in journalism – live news

In a statement about the the president’s performance at the G7 summit, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden warned of the potentially devastating effects another four years of Trump could unleash.

“Rather than looking to America for vision, agenda setting, and leadership by example, our closest democratic allies sought to manage and mitigate the damage Trump might do at this year’s G-7,” Biden said.

Taylor Swift surprised some of her fans last night by striking a political tone while accepting the MTV Video Music Award for video of the year.

The pop star encouraged those listening to sign a petition in support of the Equality Act, which would bar discrimination based on gender identity or sexual orientation. The Democratic-controlled House passed the bill earlier this year, but it has not yet been taken up in the Senate.

Congrats to @billieeilish and @ArianaGrande for huge wins and @lizzo for an incredible performance at the #VMAs and huge thanks for joining the fight to tell politicians: #BansOffMyBody! Visit https://t.co/RD5uRCwa2y

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Trump blames ‘violent’ video games as El Paso death toll rises to 21 – live

Trump has turned his attention away from the shootings if his Twitter feed is any indication.

The president has instead been busy attacking China for harming America’s economy and repeating the (false) claim that US consumers are not covering the cost of his trade war:

....used currency manipulation to steal our businesses and factories, hurt our jobs, depress our workers’ wages and harm our farmers’ prices. Not anymore!

Another Democratic presidential candidate, Cory Booker, has dismissed Trump’s statement on the shootings this morning as woefully lacking.

The New Jersey senator specifically cited Trump’s focus on mental illness in his remarks. “Mental illness didn’t kill the people of Dayton,” Booker said. “People are too easily getting their hands on guns.”

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Apollo 11: Buzz Aldrin greeted by cheers on moon landing’s 50th anniversary

  • Aldrin accompanies Mike Pence to launch site in Florida
  • Vice-president repeats Trump push for Mars mission

As Donald Trump reiterated his determination that Americans should walk on Mars, Mike Pence marked the 50th anniversary of the first moon landing at the Apollo 11 launch site in Florida on Saturday.

Related: Trump revives the idea of a ‘white man’s country’, America’s original sin | Nell Painter

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Mike Pence visits migrant detention facilities on southern US border – video

The vice-president, Mike Pence, got a first-hand view of migrant detention facilities after touring two centres in Texas as he spoke out against grandstanding on Capitol Hill after legislators delivered emotional testimony about appalling conditions. Pence was in the border city of McAllen, Texas where he was joined by a delegation of Republican lawmakers as they toured migrant detention centres.  President Donald Trump has said that a nationwide wave of arrests of immigrants facing deportation will begin over the weekend.

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‘This is tough stuff’: Pence visits caged, unwashed, overcrowded migrants

  • Men say they have been held for 40 days and want to brush teeth
  • Vice-president claims migrants are ‘in good shape’

Controversy continued on Saturday over Mike Pence’s visit to a detention facility on the Texas border, in which the vice-president said appalling conditions described by a pool reporter were “tough stuff” but placed the blame for the migrant crisis on Democrats in Congress.

Families fleeing violence, poverty and drought in Central America have been coming to the US in record numbers, peaking in May when the border patrol made nearly 133,000 apprehensions. Detention facilities quickly filled up, forcing many migrants to languish in unsuitable facilities much longer than the 72 hours required by law.

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Pence defends Trump’s ban on pride flags at US embassies as ‘right decision’

  • Administration stopped US embassies flying LGBTQ flag
  • ‘When it comes to the flagpole … one American flag flies’

Vice-President Mike Pence has defended the Trump administration’s decision to prohibit US embassies from flying the rainbow pride flag on their flagpoles during LBGTQ pride month.

Related: Trump v Mueller: how the president won the messaging wars

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Buttigieg v Pence: Indiana politicians put faith on the election front line

The vice-president and the Democratic hopeful are both Christian and have worked together but in the age of Trump, they and their fellow Hoosiers sense a looming battle

Both are from modestly sized cities in Indiana. Both were baptised Catholic but came to embrace other branches of Christianity. Both found inspiration in former president John F Kennedy as they launched political careers of their own.

The parallels between Mike Pence and Pete Buttigieg stop there.

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Irish PM brings partner to meet Mike Pence and delivers pointed remarks on sexuality

Leo Varadkar, who is openly gay, spoke on the changes for Ireland and called out various forms of discrimination

The Irish prime minister, Leo Varadkar, who is openly gay, brought his partner to a meeting on Thursday with the US vice-president, Mike Pence, a conservative Christian once dubbed “the face of anti-LGBTQ hate in America.

Varadkar, who is in Washington this week to reaffirm the longstanding shared history between the two countries, brought his partner, Matt Barrett, to a St Patrick’s Day breakfast at the vice-presidential residence at the Naval Observatory.

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‘We’re all God’s children’: Irish PM delivers pointedly pro-LGBT speech to Mike Pence – video

Leo Varadkar, Ireland's prime minister, spoke about his sexuality during a breakfast hosted by the US vice-president, Mike Pence. Varadkar, one of the few openly gay world leaders, had brought his partner, Matt Barrett, to the event. Pence has an extensive anti-LGBT record, having repeatedly voted against HIV/Aids prevention funding as the governor of Indiana

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Democrats reject Fox News for 2020 debates over Trump relationship – as it happened

DNC chairman Tom Perez cited New Yorker exposé on depth of administration’s ‘inappropriate’ ties to news network

That’s all for today, folks. Thanks for sticking with us.

Leaked documents show that the US government established a secret database of advocates, attorneys, and journalists who were connected to or covered the caravan of immigrants from Central America who made their way north through Mexico to the United States southern border in 2018, NBC7 is reporting.

In some cases, those who were secretly tracked had alerts placed on their passports.

As the migrant caravan reached the San Ysidro Port of Entry in south San Diego County, so did journalists, attorneys, and advocates who were there to work and witness the events unfolding.

But in the months that followed, journalists who covered the caravan, as well as those who offered assistance to caravan members, said they felt they had become targets of intense inspections and scrutiny by border officials.

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Venezuela: US increasingly isolated as allies warn against use of military force

Mike Pence says ‘all options are on the table’ in effort to oust Maduro while key allies warn they would oppose sending troops

US vice-president Mike Pence has repeated a veiled threat of military intervention in Venezuela, but Washington appeared increasingly isolated in its willingness to contemplate using force to oust President Nicolás Maduro.

Both European powers and some of Donald Trump’s key Latin American allies – all of whom have recognised opposition leader Juan Guaido as Venezuela’s legitimate leader – warned that they would oppose sending troops into the country.

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